#More ship art because I can't be stopped lol

[bloodsoakeddoodles]

They pair nicely, considering

[vilz]

hello obviously there isn't anything i can really do to control this (unfortunately i deleted a bunch of posts BEFORE turning off reblogs on them) but i would prefer that people did not circulate my posts from this blog any more... i appreciate that people are kind to me about my art, but that is just my request i suppose. this blog is unprivated now, and if you'd like to see what is still up you can look at them here. my ask box is also open but i will not be making any art posts here from now on. here is a little preemptive faq:

why did you leave?

i didn't feel comfortable or happy posting on this blog any more!

do you still make art? do you post it somewhere else?

yes. but i've been pulling away from posting very much online, and the things i'm interested in drawing nowadays are generally more private, so i won't be directing anyone there or anything. i don't consider my new blog to be a continuation of this one.

i know your new blog!

that isn't really that surprising since i didn't honestly put great effort into concealing it or anything. we are probably not friends, so i hold no sway over you, but i would still prefer you did not share it or treat me as if i am still "vilz who posts fnaf art". i'm just a whatever blogger who blogs about whatever things. also to be frank i do not think my new blog has anything that interesting for people who followed for the kind of art i used to post here. this is not an invitation to say "it is interesting!".

we are friends!

if we have not been in direct, mutual conversations i highly doubt that. i'm sorry if that hurts anyone's feelings.

why did you delete all your self ship art?

people seem to enjoy my self ship art a lot, which is very flattering, but i don't want people to be looking at them any more. i realize that they are still rebloggable and are still circulating around, which is nobody's fault but my own, but i would prefer they were not shared any more. i can't really do anything about it and i also don't blame anyone for reblogging those posts since it's obviously not something they would know, but yeah.

i saw your art on pinterest!

i did not and do not consent to my works being put on pinterest. the art from "vilz" has not been uploaded by me to any other website besides tumblr. if someone is posting my art from here on a different platform, they are doing so without permission.

i saw you on magma!

i still join magma boards sometimes lol. it's a fun site.

what about your ocs?

they are still my ocs. sometimes i still draw them. currently, i do not have any plans of posting my oc art online ever again. i would prefer that people did not reblog the oc art i have posted to this blog.

what about your fics?

all of my fics are still up on ao3 anonymously. they are: small mercies obscura floriography baying of lambs scrape bitch, bastard, bullshit almost human a dream, recurring countdown i'm very flattered and happy that people have left kind comments on these. thank you very much for reading the words of an amateur and for sharing an experience with me.

are you going to finish your uncompleted fics?

i would really like to say yes, because i care a great deal about aspects of them, but it's looking pretty unlikely. i lost all my files (and my calmlywriter key !!! always save your emails and receipts, everyone!!!) and also it's hard to feel motivated about them now. i guess i will leave this up in the air just to soothe my own feelings but in reality the answer is Probably Not.

are you going to post new fics?

i might, because i've been in a writing mood lately, but please don't expect anything. if i do, they will be anonymous on ao3. i will not post about them here or on any other blog.

i really liked your posts and blog!

thank you. i'm glad that people could feel that way about the things i made and thought about stuff i care about. irregardless, i would prefer that people did not share my old posts from this blog.

i will do it anyway.

i cannot stop you, so there isn't really any point in pleading. i just thought i'd make a little info post for people who are inquiring. after this, there won't be any "posts" from me. if there are relevant questions or messages i might reply to them or just update this post.

thank you for reading and for enjoying my blog. goodbye !!!

[your-name-is-jim]

What a Kirk/Spock shipper sees in a Kirk/Female-Love-Interest story [PART 2/2]

Part 1 <- Please read Part 1 first. Part 2 won't make sense otherwise!

This panel is absolutely AMAZING and you all deserved to see it :D

So, what were we talking about? Oh, yeah, Laura just proposed.

As you can see, Jim is panicking not sure what to answer, so the first thing he does is calling his two best friends. There are so many things going on here; I'll try to mention everything I care about!

"Starfleet is getting a lot better at partners of equal rank working together."

This is an important part of this comic: apparently, in this story Starfleet isn't encouraging relationships between officers with a different rank. I know it's sort of implied in canon too, but it's not always clear if it's actually against regulations or if it's fine when the ranks are close.

As a K/S shipper, this detail just gives me an in-universe reason why Jim and Spock aren't considering dating each other in this story: a commander can't probably have a relationship with a captain. I mean, we already know from canon TOS that Jim avoids relationships with the members of his crew, so this just adds a layer to a potential forbidden love story between them. Yeah, I know this isn't what this comic is trying to do, but what can I say? Fans don't stop shipping something just because they learn it's not allowed in-universe… if anything, they can find it more exciting! :D

"We could teach at the Academy. Mind you, she laughed at that idea."

Oh, wait. Jim actually talked to Laura about their possible future together! It looks like he's thinking about them as teachers at Starfleet Academy. Hmm… this sounds familiar:

2277 — Accepts appointment to Academy faculty, moves into San Francisco apartment

This is from Kirk's biography in Star Trek official website. Between The Motion Picture and The Wrath of Khan, Jim accepts a job at the Academy. We see it at the start of the second movie, after Saavik takes the Kobayashi Maru test.

Wait, who's the other teacher here? :D

Okay, okay, in that era Jim is an admiral and Spock is a captain, so their ranks are still different, but except for that… They both teach at the Academy. And it's literally what Jim proposed to his love interest Laura in the comic! With my Kirk/Spock goggles on, what I read in that panel is "If Laura and I got married, we could both do this thing that I'm totally going to do with Spock in the future." LOL

Did the comic creators notice the parallel? Probably not. However, we K/S shippers have special skills for finding accidental implications about our ship everywhere, so here it is :)

"Your thoughts, please, Mr. Spock."

I said I had a lot to say about that single panel, so of course I can't skip the last line! A human woman has just proposed to Jim, and what does Jim do? He asks for Spock's opinion. This says a lot about Jim and Spock's friendship, and it's very sweet on Jim's part, but it also makes me think about Jim's love life. What about Jim and Laura's romantic feelings for each other? Does Jim want to spend the rest of his life with her? Perhaps the reason they don't talk about it (not even with Bones!) is that it's implied that Jim loves her and she loves him, even if they never say it. However, I still think it's interesting that Jim's discussion on the matter is mostly "logical".

Anyway, I swear I won't post every single panel of this comic, but Spock's reply is an absolute gem you all must see:

"I AM SOMETHING OF AN EXPERT ON THE SUBJECT OF JAMES T. KIRK."

(dkjflsdjlkdjglk brb losing my mind again)

Ahem. Okay, Spock. Noted. Also, wow, nice make up. Did I say that the art in this comic is great? Good.

"I believe someone of equal status would offer you the best possible chance of happiness."

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I find interesting his use of "equal status" instead of the more specific "equal rank". Status makes me think less of their official position in Starfleet, and more of how two people actually see each other. It's not just about Laura and Jim being both captains; it's about them seeing each other as equals.

Anyway, Jim jokes about Bones and Spock finally agreeing about something, and the conversation continues.

Jim's best friends are both encouraging him to marry Laura. In this panel, I zoomed in on Bones because his words are especially interesting. Based on everything we've seen so far, it looks like having a romantic partner when you're in Starfleet is a pain in the ass in general in this comic; however, Bones is pointing out that for the first time, Jim has someone who really understands. Of course, that's because she's a Starfleet captain too.

About Spock, I won't share the entire conversation, but I just want to say that as a K/S shipper who likes to think Spock is secretly in love with Jim in this era, I find his dialogue where he's supporting Jim's relationship with Laura totally reasonable. It's important to remember that this comic takes place close to the end of the five-year mission. We know that Spock is going to run away after that, trying to erase all his emotions in Gol. So, in this specific part of his story, I find pretty in character that he'd tell Jim to find happiness with someone else. That's what he'd do, regardless of his own feelings.

So, Jim knows his two best friends think he should say "yes" to Laura. What happens next?

During a mission, Jim meets his ex Carol Marcus. She is surprised to find out that Jim is considering settling down. This is not completely related to this analysis, so I won't post it, but I found interesting that Carol knows about every single woman Jim dated before he became captain (the only one she doesn't name is Ruth), and she even says "And that woman in 1930, what was her name?" Just… how the hell does she know? LMAO

At least Jim hasn't told her about Miramanee and Rayna (well, technically he doesn't even remember the latter), but seriously, Carol does know a lot about Jim's private life, even if it's clear she doesn't want her or their son to be part of it. (Not really related to this plot, but in case you're confused about the timeline: David is a child in this era; however, he doesn't appear in this story.)

Anyway, this is what she eventually tells him:

So, I like to think that Carol is genuinely trying to help Jim here, because the spiteful ex girlfriend is another thing I don't really want to see in 2020. I want to think that the creators meant well; however, what happens in the story is that, despite Jim not seeing himself outside the captain's chair, and despite his best friends telling him to marry the captain that is just like him… Jim keeps thinking about Carol's words.

He knows from Starfleet that he's going to be promoted to admiral the moment he reaches Earth. What is interesting here is that Jim could refuse the promotion and be a captain with Laura. This is definitely a different situation from everything else I've seen before. It's obvious to anyone who has watched TOS movies that Jim is not happy as an admiral. He didn't really want to be one. He doesn't want to be one in this comic series either (you can see it explored in Star Trek: Year Five main story). However, thanks to The Motion Picture, we also know that he will accept promotion at the end of his five-year mission. This isn't a canon divergence story: the writers can't really change any major event, so they have to work with what canon offers.

What I find interesting is that in this 2020 comic, Jim finds himself in the opposite situation he is in Gene Roddenberry's The Motion Picture novelization from 1979. In Roddenberry's novel, it's mentioned briefly that Jim starts a relationship on Earth with a vice-admiral, a woman that was basically asked to use her charm to keep Jim grounded. Jim could refuse promotion, but he finds himself lost, without his ship, without Spock, and eventually without Bones. So he tries to convince himself that a life as an admiral with a perfect woman by his side will be good for him (it will not; Jim himself will realize a year later that his lover was an "Enterprise-surrogate").

Now, I understand trying to write something fresher and more modern in this Valentine's Day special, but I confess that I find a little hard to believe that Jim would accept a promotion as admiral if the alternative was keeping both a starship AND a wife. Also, let's not forget that Spock and Bones are both telling him to choose the married captain life. So, while I totally get from a writer's point of view that if you can't change canon, you have to work with what you have, I'm also not sure that Carol reminding Jim that he's always wanted to challenge himself is enough to make him doubt everything.

I guess I can sort of see that as part of a bigger problem: Jim knows he can't be a captain for life; during his first date with Laura, as we saw in Part 1 of my analysis, he talks about it.

"I've been thinking lately about whether I could ever stop being a Starfleet captain. Whether I could ever want to. A friend of mine talks about 'infinite diversity'. That applies to the Federation, too. But here I am, only built for one thing."

So, Jim knows he has probably avoided the subject for too long. Carol is forcing him to think about it. And, more implicitly, we could say Spock and his IDIC philosophy are also making him think, even if it's not what Spock would have expected. After all, Spock told Jim to marry Laura (in the comic), and he'll tell him that being a starship captain is his "first, best destiny" (in The Wrath of Khan).

Anyway, Jim eventually decides to meet Laura and talk to her about his personal concerns. First of all, we find out that the two of them haven't called each other for six weeks. Laura is still waiting for Jim's answer, and she didn't want to call him. If you ask me, their lack of communication is yet another a big clue that perhaps getting married is not a great idea.

Well, now Jim is at least trying to talk to her.

Aaand that's how she breaks up with him.

I'm not sure how to feel about this. I mean, in a sense, Jim doesn't say "I decided to be an admiral instead of marrying you", but Laura definitely sees it that way. I think he was genuinely looking for help, but that just proves that Laura isn't the right person for him. Why marrying someone you can't communicate with? They are such a great team as captains, but it looks like that doesn't apply to their relationship. I pointed out other clues in the previous parts, and now we got this. It's interesting to see that Jim in this comic can have a normal conversation about his future with Spock, Bones, and even Carol Marcus, but not with the person he's supposed to build a future with. Unless something changes between them, it can't work out.

Anyway, this isn't the end.

A year later, when Jim is an admiral on Earth, there's a sudden emergency. A miniature black hole appears out of the deep structure of the universe (don't blame me for the science, I'm literally quoting the comic LOL) and it's attracted to Earth gravity. Short story: they're all going to die, but fortunately the Drake (Laura's ship) can cause an anti-matter implosion that will shunt the black hole outside their reality. Unfortunately, that also means the Drake will have to go inside the black hole. Laura evacuates her crew and asks Admiral Kirk to give her the order to proceed. Reluctantly, Jim tells her that he knows she'll do it, and he gives the order.

Now, please appreciate The Motion Picture aesthetic:

Okay, I know I could have chosen a panel with Jim and Laura, since this is literally their love story, but I did say this analysis was going to be biased, so here is Laura with her two closest friends instead; they would never let her risk her life alone! <3 They are very obviously meant to be a parallel to what Spock and Bones are to Jim, which is very cute to see. Now, Laura, listen to me: I know the three of you have different ranks, but you may die in a few seconds… And I just think that the few times your friends appear in this comic, you have a lot of chemistry with them, sooo maybe you should forget about Jim and just smooch one of them, or both… just saying :)

Ahem. Anyway, after Laura and her girlfriends disappear into the void, there's another timeskip. This time it's 15 years.

Oh, damn.

I said in the premise of this analysis that one of the reasons I decided to read this comic despite shipping Kirk/Spock is that, in my headcanon, Kirk and Spock get together after The Motion Picture. Until this point, this comic hasn't really gone against my headcanon. I can genuinely believe that Jim had another girlfriend during his five-year mission; it's not a big deal. Unfortunately for me, this comic has its last part taking place around The Final Frontier era. Dammit.

Well, it's just one comic. I read until this point; it'd be illogical not to read until the end, right? Nah, it's not logic. It's human curiosity. I know I won't like it, but I still want to see it.

Also, if there's something that I really don't want to see in modern media anymore, is female characters dying just to make male characters suffer. I can accept that in TOS show because it was made in the 1960s, but even TOS movies got better about it! Characters like Saavik and Gillian can have their own lives without having to die for a man's pain. It's not a coincidence that the writers had to kill Spock to make Jim suffer. Without digressing too much, I just wanted to say that K/S bias aside, I went into this comic hoping to read something different from another dead woman for Jim. I'm very glad that, at least about this, the comic creators didn't disappoint me!

So, in this story, it's been 15 years since Laura's disappearance (actually, it should be more, but I'll try not to nitpick, despite being the trekkies' favorite hobby :D). Anyway, the one with the whales The Voyage Home happened, and Jim is not an admiral anymore. He's happy to have a starship again, but he hasn't stopped questioning his life decisions.

We can also see that, 15 years later, he's reading the book Laura liked.

HOLD IT! WAIT WAIT WAIT! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME??? WHAT THE--

*inhales deeply*

(Friendly reminder to myself that what is obvious to me may not be obvious to everyone else, so I need to explain. Fine. I'll try.)

The screenshots I posted are from The Wrath of Khan, right after Spock's funeral. What Jim is doing there is reading the end of the book that Spock gave him for his birthday. He's mourning Spock.

In the comic panel, Jim has a new pair of glasses, because it takes place a little later in the timeline. But, except for that…

It's the same scene.

The same fucking scene.

I mean, come on! I can't even post the "they're the same picture" meme, because it's not funny if they're literally the same picture! Even the bookmark is the same!

The comic creators literally took a canon scene about Jim reading Spock's book after Spock is gone, and they redrew it with Jim reading Laura's book after Laura is gone. In a Valentine's Day special. Where Laura is Jim's love interest. They made a romantic scene with Jim and a woman that was originally about Jim and Spock.

(Brb, I'm going to chew a pillow until I calm down.)

So. Well. If you wondered why I thought there was something about Kirk/Spock in this comic… you have your answer. Perhaps the artist didn't think anything about it. I certainly do.

And I guess someone could say, "But Jim is still reading Laura's book 15 years later! That's true love!" Why yes, he's not reading Spock's book 15 years later, because he didn't stay without Spock for 15 years; he risked everything and lost all the most important things in his life to save Spock's soul.

Anyway, back to the comic. Starfleet receives a signal from the edge of Federation space. It's the Drake. Laura and her friends are alive.

Jim and Laura have a reunion after a long separation. Since they're both captains now, Jim thinks they are given a second chance.

Oh, whoops.

It's her turn now. It looks like being away for 15 years has changed her (as you can expect, honestly), and she's now glad to become an admiral. In this comic, that means Jim can't marry her. So, this is how the story ends:

So. Um.

This isn't a bad ending, but I also wouldn't exactly call it a happy ending. It's certainly not a happily ever after story. I'd call it open, maybe hopeful? Honestly, pretty much what I'd expect from a love story between an original character and Jim, so I can't say the writing is disappointing about that.

On the other hand, I can't personally imagine middle-aged Jim being so eager to start a romance again with someone he hasn't seen in 15 years who broke up with him 16 years ago. Perhaps he felt guilty about Laura's disappearance because if he had married her, they would have been part of a colonization fleet somewhere else and the incident wouldn't have happened the same way? Maybe. Personally, I would have found more believable an ending where Jim asks her to have dinner together or go for a walk, and then something romantic happening as they get to know each other again. But I can see why the creators wanted to bring up the marriage proposal again, just to close the circle. The comic is just 32 pages, so they did what they could.

"Unless there's someone else." "Not so much. I've been really busy."

Busy with what? Oh, right: Spock's death, Spock's body on Genesis, Spock's rebirth on Vulcan, the time travel (okay, that one wasn't 100% Spock-related), Spock's brother… Honestly, just say there's been a lot of Spock in your life, Jim, because that's the truth :)

On a more serious note, I guess that dialogue could mean that Jim has someone, but "he's been too busy" to do anything serious with them. However, as a K/S monoshipper I don't really like the idea of Jim being in an open relationship with Spock, so Jim's character in the entire scene in the end is just a big NOPE for me. Sorry.

That said, I found very interesting that in a few panels they show very clearly the "captain" rank on Jim and Laura's shoulders, to point out that it's the same. They can't be together forever, but they can have fun for a few days as captains. Because of that, I went back to the start of the last timeskip, just to check out something:

Fascinating.

This is a pretty detailed panel, where you can see the ranks on the shoulders of Jim's friends; the colors of their pins are also pretty good, close to the ones in the movies… except for Spock's.

Oh, please. Did you really expect me not to pay attention to this? :)

Captain Kirk and Captain Spock.

And unlike Laura, this is what they are until the end! The end of a very long life! Generations? What's Generations? Spock will eventually become an ambassador, but that's just a different job. How did Spock himself put it earlier in this comic?

"I am something of an expert on the subject of James T. Kirk. And I believe someone of equal status would offer you the best possible chance of happiness."

Did the comic creators just play themselves? I don't know, I'm quoting their own story here! LOL

And what about Jim's words from the same scene? :D

"Starfleet is getting a lot better at partners of equal rank working together."

Partners. Of equal rank. Working together.

That's literally what Kirk and Spock are since the end of The Voyage Home! Without an expiration date!

The comic creators made a big deal in their universe about relationships being better between two captains, and how good Jim and Laura may have been for each other if they had married as captains; and now they can't have their happily ever after because Laura is going to be an admiral… But even if the comic tries to hide it, we know there is a captain in Jim's life. And to make things better, Jim lost his admiral rank to bring him back. Listen, I'm a huge Old Married Kirk/Spock fan, so there's no way anything can make me forget that in the last TOS movies they're both captains. And there's no way I can forget that Jim risked his entire career (and everything else!) for Spock, and that's literally why he's not an admiral anymore.

This is almost ironic in this Valentine's Day comic. If it hadn't been for Spock, Jim would have still been an admiral, and he could have married Laura. Whoops. Too bad.

Speaking of admirals, I didn't notice it at first, but there's also something about this line Laura says in the last panel I posted…

"And don't you dare 'Admiral' me."

Ah, yes, a typical thing you tell someone you're planning to have sex with. Right, Laura? Agreed :)

Honestly, at this point I should just stop checking this comic, because I wonder if I'd just end up finding a Kirk/Spock version of every Kirk/Laura Rhone line LOL

By the way, I have other thoughts to share now that the story is over, but there's one more thing first. Do you remember the last panels of the comic? Middle-aged Jim and Laura kiss; END.

Okay. After that, the comic has a picture of the cover, with Jim and Laura kissing when they're younger.

And then it has this:

dklsfjlskjflskjlksjlkdlkgjdlfgsnfjekniuwanf LISTEN, HOW--

Just how am I even supposed to say anything that makes sense about this…??? I'm just… I can't…

Okay. So. We're talking about a Valentine's Day comic. It makes sense for it to include a cute Valentine card. I also get that Spock's iconic line has become so mainstream that it can be quoted out of context. And you can make parodies.

But… But… A Star Trek TOS fan can't really forget the original context of "I have been and always shall be your friend"? Someone could just not think about it, I guess… But, well, I know that at least I can't forget that this is literally Spock's line to Jim rewritten in a romantic Valentine's Day version. I can't possibly NOT think about it!

And I know it's very possible that the people who worked on the comic story weren't even aware of this extra, but the fact that I'm seeing this after reading about Jim Kirk's romance without happily ever after… Jim kisses a woman he can't stay with forever, and then there's Spock's "I have been and always shall be your Valentine". It's just so fucking funny. I can't. If I was feeling a little down after seeing middle-aged Jim wanting to marry Laura, now I'm laughing again. Thanks, Spock's silly Valentine card. I needed it! :D

Anyway, what did I say about this comic taking things originally created for Kirk and Spock's relationship and making them romantic when they're not about them? I can believe that sometimes it's a coincidence, but this card? Please… In a sense, this is the perfect ending.

---

Conclusions.

I started this comic with a question: in 2020, how do you write a story about TOS Kirk falling in love? I wanted to see this attempt. Overall, I think the creators did what they could. Laura is different from every other woman in Jim's life; they didn't kill her off, and they also didn't force a happy ending. I think they did a good job with the canon limitations they had, especially in 32 pages.

Do I believe that Laura could have been a good match for Jim in different circumstances?

As a temporary girlfriend? Yes.

As a lifelong partner? No.

Of course, I'm aware my answer is biased, but I can try to be a little more "logical" about it.

First of all, I think that the comic itself supports my interpretation: of course, like in every story, different people are going to see different things; however, as I already pointed out, Jim and Laura never say that they love each other, and before the marriage proposal their relationship is pretty casual.

In The Original Series, Jim isn't lucky when it comes to romance because the women he falls in love with can't really understand his nature as a space explorer. Sometimes they can, like in Carol's case, and that's why they break up with him. Laura is the opposite, because she's just like Jim. But here is the thing: I think Laura is too much like him.

What would have happened if Jim had accepted to marry her at the end of the five-year mission? They would have been both captains. On different ships, though. Sure, they could have been part of the same colonization fleet, as Jim says in the comic, and maybe it would have worked for a while. However, would they really have seen each other as much as Jim needs?

I don't know about Laura, but we see multiple times in canon that behind his mask as a starship captain, Jim is definitely more lonely than what someone may think.

First of all, don't get me wrong: in these screenshots from The Naked Time, Jim is single, so of course his attraction to Janice Rand is related to that. It's not the same situation he'd be in if he were married to Laura. Early in the series, he has thoughts about his yeoman exactly because he doesn't have anyone else. Contrary to his fame as a womanizer, TOS Jim in canon always has one woman at a time in his mind, never more.

So, why am I sharing those lines? To show that when Jim is always inside the Enterprise, he does feel lonely. He needs a romantic partner's physical touch. However, we also know that Jim does not want a relationship with one of his subordinates, so Janice Rand and the rest of his crew are off limits.

Laura is good for him because she's part of Starfleet, and not a subordinate. But is that really enough? From what I've seen in the comic, no. At the end of the day, it looks to me that Jim and Laura don't really know how to plan a future together. Perhaps it's because they're so similar, but they don't really think of themselves as a couple, especially Laura. There's Captain James T. Kirk and Captain Laura Rhone; they both love their ships, so they should get married? That's not how it works.

Their relationship is casual. Jim doesn't want to define it. Are they friends with benefits? Are they in an open relationship? Either way, when Laura decides to marry him, she asks around if Jim has someone else, and only after that she asks him. Jim, on the other hand, doesn't talk to her for six weeks after her proposal. He talks to Spock and Bones immediately, but not to her. He even talks to Carol first.

Then, when Jim finally tries to talk to her about his problems, she doesn't listen. Their lack of communication is the cause of their break up.

16 years later, what we see is even worse. It's obvious that Laura has just different priorities. Maybe it's because of what happened to her lost in space, but I'm not sure. If they had married at the end of the five-year mission, would have Laura always refused a promotion to admiral? Would she have tried to get a promotion with Jim? Based on what we see in this comic, it doesn't look likely to me.

Now, as I said, different people are going to see different things, so I'm sure that someone really invested in this romance can imagine that Jim and Laura are really meant to be, and they can get their happy ending after their retirement, or in other ways. However, I admit that Jim and Laura's huge communication issues make hard to me to picture a long happy relationship between them. They should both try to get better, but in those 32 pages there was no hint towards that direction.

There's another thing that makes really hard to find any love interest for Jim as a plausible "happily ever after" option: the stakes. I know that it's just a single comic, so the creators had to focus on a few things; however, I couldn't help but notice that Jim and Laura never really save each other from dangerous situations. They work together as a team, and Jim watches Laura disappearing into the void, but does he do anything about it? Does he try to reach her inside her ship before she disappears into the black hole? Does he try to bring her back from the void? No, he doesn't.

In TOS show and movies, Jim Kirk risks so much for his crew and his ship that a Star Trek fan can't believe that a new woman is the love of his life, unless Jim is willing to do for her everything he does for his friends. And honestly, after The Search for Spock… how can he even come close to do that?

And it's not just about Jim's actions. There's his language too. At the start of the third movie, Jim refers to Spock as "the noblest part of myself". What could he say about a love interest that is as deep as this?

Let's be honest here: the reason it's so hard to write a story about Jim Kirk's true love is that the real love story for him has already been written. You may not see it romantically, but Kirk and Spock's story is absolutely a love story. And when a character has someone he loves so deeply, it's not easy to convince the audience that he could have someone new to love as deeply. In Jim's case, the combination of his personality and his canon life makes it almost impossible.

Anyway, before I end up not so accidentally turning this analysis into a complete Kirk/Spock ship manifesto, I'm just going to mention one silly thing about the Valentine's Day comic. Please, don't take it too seriously, I'm half-joking :)

So, there are two kiss scenes in the story: one when Jim and Laura start to spend a lot of free time together, and one in the last panel. Well, I can't believe Jim isn't holding Laura's shoulders when he kisses her! That's just the basis of the way Jim kisses women! D:

Different Star Trek characters kiss in different ways; it fits their personalities. And because the rest of my TOS posts are probably too gay for these gifs, I'm dropping them as references here:

Sorry, but if Jim Kirk doesn't grab someone's shoulders before a kiss, it just kills my immersion! :P

Okay, a little more seriously: Jim doesn't always kiss women the same way; however, his "shoulder grab" is common enough that you definitely notice it if you pay attention. Because of that, I think it would have been nice to include it in the Valentine's Day comic.

After reading this comic, what kind of person would I consider perfect for Jim?

Well, my answer is obvious. However, I'll try to elaborate.

First of all, this story definitely convinced me even more that Jim can only be really happy with another Starfleet officer (or at least someone who's been deeply involved with Starfleet). He also needs someone who understands him as a space explorer, without trying to keep him grounded. And someone very smart, of course. These are all traits Laura has. But they're just the basis.

I don't think Jim needs someone in command of their own ship as a lifelong partner. As I said before, I can't really imagine it working out. Another starship captain would have their own goals and their own ambitions; that doesn't mean Jim shouldn't marry someone with specific plans for their own career, but I think these plans should keep the two of them close, not on different ships. Jim needs his partner physically at his side; if he could be happy in a long-distance relationship, I believe we would have seen at least one working out in canon. But it's never the case. Working on different starships from the same fleet would be a little better, but in my opinion not enough, unless it's for a short period of time.

And there's also the matter of his partner's personality. Jim is a natural leader; that's why he's so good at his job. I don't think he needs a similar kind of leader as romantic partner. This is just my personal opinion, but I believe they would just fight about everything they disagree about. I think he needs someone calmer in his life, not someone who'd encourage emotional outbursts.

More importantly, he absolutely needs someone he can communicate with. If he can't talk to his partner about everything important, they're not the right person for him. That doesn't mean they can't have disagreements or miscommunication issues, of course, but they shouldn't happen all the time, and Jim and his partner should be able to talk about them and make up.

In conclusion: someone at his side on his ship, smart, calm, trustworthy :)

Now, I know what some of you are thinking about: what about the "no relationships with subordinates" personal rule Jim has? How can Jim be in a relationship with Spock (or anyone else on the Enterprise) if he's everyone's superior officer? Well, first of all, I already said that after The Voyage Home, Jim and Spock are both captains. And before that… I think that Spock in the comic phrased it the right way. Jim can find his happiness with someone of "equal status". I think it's pretty clear, in my opinion, that Janice Rand and Spock aren't the same kind of subordinates to Jim. Just think about it: which members of the Enterprise call their captain "Jim"? Bones, Spock and (occasionally) Scotty. These are the three people I believe are "equals" in private to Jim, no matter their ranks when they're on duty. Because of that, a relationship between Jim and Spock could work pretty well.

By the way, another thing the Valentine's Day comic made me think about is that in TOS movies, Jim sort of does with Spock pretty much everything he does with Laura in this story. Not the same way, of course, but does it matter? Spock is his own person, he's not Jim's copy. That doesn't mean he can't indulge Jim, have fun himself… and try to stop Jim from doing dangerous things "for fun", as an old spouse would :)

Okay, perhaps throwing each other into the water doesn't count as dancing, but it's so much better :D

In conclusion, this is the way I can read the Valentine's Day comic as a Kirk/Spock shipper:

Jim mentions Spock on his first date with a woman.

Jim questions his life choices as he thinks about Spock and IDIC philosophy.

Jim does with Laura everything we see him doing in TOS show, except for playing chess (just the thing he does with Spock).

Jim says Laura and him are a good team in Starfleet because they had a lot of sex (is that true about other people he works well with??)

There haven't been many ladies or gentlemen in Jim's life because he's busy (not because he's not into men, apparently).

"Starfleet is getting a lot better at partners of equal rank working together." Good for your future with Spock, Jim!

If Jim and Laura got married, they could both teach at Starfleet Academy, something Jim is totally going to do with Spock someday.

Mister "I am something of an expert on the subject of James T. Kirk" Spock.

Also, Mister "I believe someone of equal status would offer you the best possible chance of happiness" Spock, which is actual foreshadowing of his own future status with Jim.

Hey, look at Jim reading a book that reminds him of his lost love! I wonder where I've seen LITERALLY THE SAME PICTURE???

"Don't 'Admiral' me". This is totally not similar to what Jim tells Spock in The Voyage Home, of course.

Hey, we're both captains now! Just for a few days, but isn't that great? I wonder if anyone else is a captain now, and forever? :D

"I have been and always shall be your Valentine". Totally not a Kirk/Spock line, I don't know what you're talking about! :)

Okay, okay, that's all.

As a Kirk/Spock shipper, I won't deny that I'm a little jealous of this Valentine's Day special comic, because I wish we could get something with amazing art like this where Jim is in love with Spock. On the other hand, Star Trek: Year Five comic series has a few scenes about Jim & Spock's friendship that I really liked. Platonic, sure, but good enough for my K/S goggles!

Thank you so much for reading this post until the end! I hope you enjoyed my analysis! Live long and prosper!

[deelavis]

“You s-said,” Near gasps, “that you— that you take g-good care of— of your things.” “Aw,” Mello coos, condescending as can be. “You wanna get taken care of, Near?”

-I Want To Hold You (Hostage) by @neallo / @blondiest

This fanfiction is absolutely stunning. I first fell in love with this ship back when I was in middle school (a long time ago I'm 28 lol) and recently fell back into it when a friend had a Death Note themed costume birthday party. I was so happy to find what a beautiful fandom still existed and all of the talented people making new content.

The first piece I read by Neallo was There's Nothing I Hate More Then What I Can't Have and I was instantly enthralled. I mean feet kicking under the covers, giggling like a school girl, to the point where my partner started asking me after every giggle, "What did Mello do now?" Their fanfiction truly makes me feel the same joy I felt when I first got into fandom. When I was reading I Want To Hold You (Hostage) I knew I had to make art of it. Their work not only nails the character's dynamic and voices, it is also so sexy and well paced. At this point I could write an embarrassingly long think piece/love letter on their body of work so I'll stop while I'm ahead. Please if you haven't read it, add it to your list.

Full (nsfw) art below the cut

I truly do not know if this is too much with tumblr's new guidelines on art so if I have to take down the full image you can find it at this dropbox link where I'll be posting the uncropped versions of all explicit fanart (frankly because I hate using twitter)

[opoki]

I love this RoyAi art. Not because it looks amazing: The artstyle, the colors, poses(even when Riza's right arm looks weird lol), it is beautiful. But because of the meaning, which I don't know if it was intended or accidental.

The first time I've seen it I was like: „wouldn't they kill themselves if they decides to shoot the other?“, and yeah that's true. And that's what makes it beautiful. Both exist in an unhealthy dependency. They can't live without the other. Their hearts will always beat for each other. Though, they wouldn't hesitate to kill each other if one gives into their madness(example: the iconic 'don't go where I can't follow' scene ; in the game prince of dawn, Roy was ready to attack Riza, if she actually was going to kill the prince of Aeurgo.). I think the reason for this dynamic is that, even though they both love each other so much, they're not blinded by that feeling. Both are tactical, rational and have their own moral. Unable to be shaken by anyone. Also I think the guilt is driving them forward. Riza feels guilty for the actions of Roy in Ishval, she was the one that gave him the flame alchemy after all. And Roy? He feels guilty for dragging the woman he wants to see happy into hell.

Roy is an idealist, wanting to change the world. It's his purpose in an otherwise meaningless life. He couldn't be happy with a family with an other woman than Riza, but for this he has to give up the promise between these two. The promise that gives Riza her purpose in an otherwise meaningless life. (Who could guess that I'm a nihilist?)

Also, the series shows us that this promise is the only thing that could stop Roy from madness. From making an second Ishval, when the wrong people have to much power. He's a lapdog of the military after all.

Roy wants to get high up, just not without Riza.

And since they're so depended on each other, they couldn't live with the other dead.

So if Riza would've killed Roy, she would've killed herself, like she said.

And if Riza would've gotten killed by the weird doc, Roy surely would've gone crazy, more than when he executed Envy. No one who could lead him on the right part again. Finding his death maybe by the hands of father? I'm 100% sure that Roy could've burned Bradly, if he was in his rage mode he showed earlier. But I stop going into this maybe-thing.

This dependency isn't something that a real humanbeing should crave. Nevertheless it's my favorite trope, since even though I'm aromantic, I've fallen in love with the idea of love. Only needing that person, I'll never have. That's why Hannigram and RoyAi are my favorite ships. Both are unhealthy, both are destructive, they're beautiful. But only as long as you aren't a part of them.

When your love is killing you, is it a good death?

If you've read until the end: thank you for listening to my pointless thoughts about two fictional characters lol.

[stillfrownyclownlol]

Ft. One of my fave Logan panels (sorry I did you so dirty HE HAS GOOD PANELS THIS IS JUST FUNNY-)

This is purely for myself at this point because I don't think anybody ships them on tumblr asdfghjkl-

Some of my thoughts under the cut lol

I'm gonna keep it real with you guys. Idk why I ship this, there's like. No reason LMAO.

like Tyler is shitty with him (he is kind of shitty with everybody but that's besides the point)

But idk, idk. Any of you guys become friends with your "bully"? Like that *kinda* happened with me (and looking back he was definitely into me lmao) and I think that's an interesting dynamic to work with :)

They overcompensate to make up for the fact that they were mean to you but all it does is just remind you that they WERE mean when you just want to move on from that. And the wound is still fresh, scarred over and itching. And they just won't stop picking at the scab.

And you're just sitting there, wondering why you're thinking so much about somebody who has been so cruel to you.

(This is *definitely* not based on my life)

I think Logan thinks a lot about how Tyler is "right". He is (physically) weak, he is emotional, but there's nothing really wrong with that. And he is getting stronger (for better or worse...) for his own reasons outside of Tyler :>

And Tyler can see that, he admires Logan's skills and praises him (and he gets upset when Logan tries to downplay it). But...Tyler is extremely self-punishing. He will always, always, always resent a small part of himself for making Logan feel that way. And Logan can see that, but what is he going to say? That it didn't hurt? That it didn't matter? He can't, because it did. Logan is SO FULL of resentment, that boy is bottling up sooooo many feelings of rage, it's crazy (he just like me). I love him :).

So in my head, they are less "scary alpha guardian boyfriend x uwu soft cinnamon boi" and more like "you have a great earthly power over me, but please, please, grant me mercy, grant me your forgiveness" :P

I think I just accidentally projected a lot of religious trauma onto them lmao (expect, eventually, some ship art with religious symbolism undertones)

Have mercy upon me, Oh God, according to thy loving kindness; according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. -Psalm 51:1

[newtdrawz]

Outsider HC's but they're mainly about Ponyboy,, cuz he is my fav,,

Most of these are just Pony interacting with the gang and his brothers 😭 are they gonna be OOC? Probably. Do I care? No. Am I right abt all of these? Yes. (No.)

ALSO alot of them are post-main story/mention Dally and Johnny's death a lot cuz I am unable to let my favs be happy 🫶 (! None of these are ships btw,, they're all platonic and stuff lol)

Anyways,,

Ponyboy & Johnny

Johnny and Pony regularly have conversations quietly around the gang, most of the time they have a whole conversation with just a couple looks and jerks of their head. They both seem to get what they're saying while the rest of the gang is completely lost on what they're saying/talking about.

Pony is the only one who calls Johnny, J as a nickname.

"We're not scared because monsters don't live here." Was a sentence said many, many time in the abandoned church.

Pony and Johnny can lie pretty well, but when they have to lie together they suck.

Ponyboy & Dally (ft. Johnny)

After Johnny and Dally died Pony stopped drawing and reading or writing for awhile. He picked it up again and his sketchbook is full of doodles and sketches of Johnny and Dally.

Dally has a soft spot for only Johnny and Pony. It takes a lot for him to get soft with the rest of the gang. He's still mean and tough but more just teasing with Johnny and Pony.

Before the fire Pony would read out loud all the time while Johnny would just sit and listen, sometimes Dally would listen too but interrupt with questions and criticizing the characters. Now that they're both gone, Pony will sometimes read out loud on his own, pretending that both Johnny and Dally are there listening.

Dally is very supportive of Ponys hobby in art. He's usually the one who catches him sketching or painting and just watches until Pony is either finished or notices he's being watched. Dally always nods in greeting and says "keep it up, kid." Or "nice job, kid." But Dally will brag to his other buddies that aren't the gang about how talented the kid is. ("Nah man, the kid draws from memory. He drew this one picture of his big brother, yeah the big big one, looked exactly like him. Like a photograph almost. Kids real talented.")

Ponyboy & Steve

Steve says he can't stand Pony and is mean to him, but Steve is very high on the list of people who care about Pony. He's the most frantic (mostly angry) one next to Soda when Pony got jumped. He secretly cares about him a whole lot, like he's his own brother.

Steve will give Pony rides to places or offer rides time to time. (He only does it if Pony's gone awhile without annoying him lol)

Steve (and Soda, but surprisingly it was Steve's idea) took Pony to his first drag race. He definitely should have not been there.

Ponyboy & Two-bit

Two-bit and Steve started sitting in and listening to Pony read, they're not Johnny and Dally but Pony appreciates it nonetheless.

Two-bit was actually so obsessed with toddler Ponyboy, he always insisted on bringing him with the gang and letting him in on games, he always wanted a little brother. He loved how easy Pony was to entertain and make laugh.

Two-bit was the only one who didn't think twice about Pony and Soda's names.

Two-bit sometimes steals art supplies for Pony.

Ponyboy & Sodapop

When Pony would visit the DX Soda would walk him through fixing a car and even let him help out on small stuff. Even Steve would help too.

He'll leave notes everywhere for Pony and Darry and sometimes the gang. They're either dumb jokes or funny little drawings.

Soda gets very excited when Pony asks him anything abt cars, he'll talk for hours abt them.

Soda was so obsessed with Pony when he was born, all he wanted to do was hold him and hang out with him. He would brag to Darry that he's not the only big brother now lol.

Ponyboy & Darry (I'm so obsessed with their dynamic & their growth)

"Dang it Ponyboy you're giving me gray hairs at 20!" Is a regular sentence said at the Curtis residence.

Darry always tells the other guys to be careful with Pony when they're rough housing. Pony thinks it's cuz he doesn't want them to break anything in the house, Darry just doesn't want Pony to get hurt.

Toddler Pony would follow Darry and Soda/the gang everywhere but mainly Darry. If Darry was doing homework in his room then boom Pony would be in there quietly playing or sleeping on Darry's bed.

Darry regularly cuts Soda, Pony and his own hair. They don't have the privilege of going somewhere to do it so Darry just does it and he does surprisingly well. It's a whole day activity.

The night after Dally and Johnny died Pony had trouble sleeping, even though soda was there. The first person he went to for comfort was Darry. Darry was in the kitchen cleaning, trying to distract himself when Pony walked in. Darry held him in his arms the rest of the night.

On the first father's day without their parents Pony makes a card with a drawing of him and Darry on it and leaves it on the kitchen table for him because he's embarrassed. Darry keeps it forever. (He did get very emotional over it but not infront of anybody. When he got home he hugged Pony, smiled and walked away. Those actions spoke a thousand words between the two and Pony knew he said thanks.)

That's all 🥹 (for now 😦)

I will be doing more of these 🙏 I wanna try to do individual characters cuz ik some here didn't have a lot as well as ALL of these being pony centric and I love them all lol

OH ALSO feel free to add on to these (or ask me about them) or add your own HC's cuz I love outsider headcanons ❤️

Also can you tell I love when Dally and Steve are nice to pony lol? Love it. Love the idea that Steve actually cares abt him and shows it sometimes or Dally caring just as much abt him. THEY ARE ALL A HUGE FAMILY YOUR HONOR 🧑‍⚖️🧑‍⚖️🧑‍⚖️🧑‍⚖️🧑‍⚖️ I'm also so obsessed with Darry and Pony,,, they are so,,, complicated sibling relationships get me everytime

Are some of these good? Probably not. Do they make sense timeline and story wise? No and idc. Am I so normal about them? Yes. Most of these are based of fanfic versions of them anyways so yeah

[appleballad]

I don't use twitter much anymore (since I got suspended for no reason lol) but I just wanna talk about the /morston bashing/.... It is unbearable on that app. People give the most asinine reasons why shipping morston or really anything that they personally dislike makes you morally corrupt in real life and deserving of harassment. It's really repetitive atp and I roll my eyes at it but all these years later and it's still very much prevalent.

So out of fear of being cancelled there is a severe lack of discourse and in-depth analysis surrounding John/Arthur's dynamic... and vandermorgan too, don't get me started on that.... Everyone loses their hair over a mildly "problematic" fictional relationship. Bunch of fake fujoshis.

It's always selective outrage, depending on what the majority in a certain fandom decides to like and hate on because most claims that deem ships problematic have actually no validity to them.

Take me back to the good old days when it was perfectly normal to fangirl over even the most obscure crack ship. When fiction was just fiction and not a reflection of your morals and political identity.

It's the same with liking villain characters. "you can't like this character!! bc he's EVIL!1!! he did this nd that ur just as evil for liking them you deserve to be tortured and stoned to death blah blah blah"

How utterly boring, and again it doesn't apply to every morally grey character. It hinges on the opinion of which character/ship the majority in a particular fandom elect to unequivocally bully

It's entirely subjective policing, which is absolutely ridiculous. Where do you actually draw the line?

I say if you are unable to engage with fiction on a level that's separate and disconnected from reality, if morally grey fiction corrupts your very soul and compels you act and behave in indecent ways, you should stop consuming it entirely.

Stick to your children's fables, kid.

None of this has any affect on my love for morston, in fact it strengthens it LOL. Shipping morston becomes almost like an act of defiance.

I'm grateful that at least on Tumblr and other spaces I can enjoy the fan art, fanfics or comics and knowing someone out there is raging and seething at the sight of it is kinda hilarious so it makes it all the more enjoyable. It's when they decide to feign moral superiority and launch their sheep following to attack and harass you with their nasty words wishing actual death on you irl, that is when it does get under my skin. That is just too far. But I think that is a reasonable reaction for me to have.

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

Hi Slug! If you've listened to the full songs in the new EP, have your opinions of the trailers changed? Also, the new dramas are HEAVY, so if you've listened to them, I'm curious to know what you thought of them. As always, thanks for the translations!

I like listening to Hypmic music on shuffle during workouts, so I've most of the new songs in full by now. I don't think my opinions have changed majorly. I really enjoy Black and White, and Move Your Body Till You Die is a phenomenal work of art.

As for the drama tracks... truth be told, I haven't even listened to the one that came out in April, so I'll read through some TLs now and record thoughts below the cut:

No One Lives Forever, translation courtesy of shinseimcd on Twitter

"Anti-Party of Words faction" Huh, like a government faction? I'm surprised the PoW allows other political parties or at the very least open dissenters. There was talk in some chapters of the manga of them punishing protesters, not to mention the way they crushed the TDD rebellion in its primacy. Either way, interesting, and I hope we learn more about this as time goes on.

Ichijiku and Nemu baking together is really cute lol

I love the way Ichijiku's whole personality shifts around Otome. Gap moe (????)

It's a cool tidbit that Nemu tends to prefer plainer outfits, as that tracks with how she dresses in TDD. Also, Nemu and Ichijiku shopping together is kind of bittersweet, since Ichijiku is clearly using Nemu as a replacement figure for her deceased sister...

Ichijiku secretly wanting to fall on the cute side of the cute/elegant spectrum is a pretty classic trope but a fun detail that's been hinted at already, since we've seen that she keeps a bow collection.

??? Rei's lab is on Battleship Island? Ohhhhhhhhh this is why Twitter was blowing up with controversy right after this track released... The IRL Battleship Island was home to forced labor of Korean and Chinese citizens during the twentieth-century push of Japanese imperialism which was later, iirc, denied in part or totally by the Japanese government to immense international backlash. Using this as a setpiece for Hypmic is oddly provocative, and I can't think why the writers would want to do that. On a much lighter note, this is also a headscratcher to me because isn't this a UNESCO World Heritage Site? The whole point of that is conservation, and I don't think building a clone lab counts as conservation... Unless they're implying the clone lab was built prior to the 1950s? Hm. Let's not go down this rabbit hole.

"I would like all of the True Hypnosis Mics. As well as all the Amemura clones." Oh? Are there more still alive? I thought Honobono ordered the death of the last remaining three... Well, that scraps a piece of writing I was working on LOL

"Your biometric data is required to access the mic storage facility" So how did the PoW get in?

Her? Heart stop beating? Oh for fuck's sake, is Rei's wife also in a coma? How many fucking characters are in a coma in this series... Whichever mfer invents a device that restores people from comas with no significant brain damage will make a fortune in this universe

"And I won't try anything funny." I do not believe this for one instant

Hmm, the framing of Otome planning this and the way she brushed past talk of countermeasures for the anti-PoW faction implies that Rei is heading this faction.

Oh, so they couldn't get past the biometric locks after all, I see.

I strongly dislike the idea of thirty clones for thirty mics and the nonchalance in which Rei goes, "Yeah, I'll ship them off to Chuuouku" like they're a parcel and not human beings, but that's my personal bone to pick w/ this character and setting.

I was intrigued by the notion of the PoW holding caucuses, implying there's some sort of democratic process in terms of choosing their own party members or positions, but the JPN audio doesn't specify that exactly.

"We no longer require the cooperation of Jakurai Jinguji." I know that this took like four years in real time, but in terms of the Hypmic universe... I mean, Jakurai didn't even do anything for them, did he? He went through all that moral dilemma for nothing, as far as I can tell. (I get that it sets up the reconciliation with Ramuda, but that's it? Seriously?) That's disappointing to roll it back so quickly.

"During the Division Rap Battle, the people of our nation will be focused on the tournament, giving us the opportunity to use the True Hypnosis Mics to mind hack the Anti-Party of Words faction who stand in our way, ultimately pulling them over to our side." Otome always has the most batshit plans. God bless. A consequence of her needing to drive the plot forward is that she'll say some of the truly silliest things I've ever heard. What a complete misappropriation of government funds lol. Also... is this stating there are only 30 dissidents (????), or can the True Hypmics brainwash more than one person at a time?

"Once that is complete, we will move on to other countries. And when we have taken over the world, then, in the true sense of the word, peace through the power of words will be achieved." LMAO? I'm sorry, this isn't very considerate of me, but in my initial impressions of this, I am well and truly gobsmacked. What in the actual fuck. How many clones will die for this? How much money will it cost? How does she think she stands any chance at governing so many people across such an area, even with a downsized population after WWIII? Homie... Never change, Hypmic, you are the wildest.

I can't believe Ichijiku is so whipped she's willing to go along with an absolutely nonsensical plan for world domination. Ma'am, Otome is not going to fuck you, and even if she is, it's not worth it! Ma'am!!! I'm sorry, I'm being petty and not giving this a lot of in-depth thought but LORD this is a trip on first read.

A FUCKING CLONE UPRISING AT THE HANDS OF REI? HAHAHAHAHA.

"World domination, huh, what a joke." Man after my own heart.

I'm actually quite interested in how this "mics are disabled forever" thing works. I guess the mics have a kill switch in them? I vaguely recall someone saying that in the manga years and years ago... Oh yeah, it was Ramuda in TDD 12. Huh, interesting if that was intentional foreshadowing (I'm not sure if I want to be that charitable). At any rate, can't everyone in the room just get new mics? Or does it affect their speakers and such too? I'm curious how that works, like if you build an affinity with a certain mic or some nonsense.

"looks like we won't be having any Division Rap Battles from here on out." Ah, and this is why the other half of Twitter was up in arms like "No more DRB??? End of Hypmic??" I guess.

The Block Party tracks are quite long, and since it's getting rather late for me, I'm going to leave off here for the moment. I'd like to continue this at my next available opportunity... WHAT a ride. Not sure when that will be, but I will add to this with a reblog when I can. And I know it's been months since this track came out, but I would love to hear other people's thoughts. I wasn't around much when it first launched, so I missed most of the commentary on it.

[arkiwii]

i am here to cause violence and get you discourse'd. so questions 9, 10, and 13 for the violence ask game, let's start strong lol

Yippee, violence!!!

9. Worst part of canon

whatever the fuck Heart of Surging Flame was. I think I've never cringed so hard at an event. if I keep pretending that it doesn't exist, it will stop existing.

10. Worst part of fanon

reddit users

listen I don't know how to describe this. extremely horny people who will waifufy any female character and reduce her not even to a trait, but to just a walking pair of boobs. I don't mind people having waifus or doing self shipping, don't get me wrong! but I'm talking like. I've seriously seen comics or art of characters like Saria or Kal'tsit going full on tsundere waifu mode "i-it's not that I love you, b-baka dokutah..!!" like how can you fail a character at this point. thank god these people are absent from Tumblr but open Reddit for a bit and count to ten while scrolling, chances are you will end up on some mommy posting or horny art in the spawn of these ten seconds. AND I'm not even gonna talk about characters who are canonically minors because holy fuck

it's not something I consider really bad, like I can easily ignore it, but it emplifies the fact that Arknights is a gacha and really brings shame to me as a fan because I can't talk about how I like a gacha game without being mistaken with these people

13. Worst blorbification

imma ban this question i still dont understand it /j

ok with some comments and seeing other people reply to it I got to understand kinda what it means? so I'll say mmm Exusiai, perhaps. I'm not placed to be Exusiai's Strongest Warrior because honestly, I was in the same bag as the blorboficators until last week. but huge shout-out to @/annierosaart for making me realize how incredibly fucked up Exusiai is. the fanon (and me included for a huge part) shows Exusiai as quite a happy lived go lucky girl who thinks about party and apple pies. which is also pretty much what I understood of her character too when I followed the events she's in and looked at her files! so I can't blame them. but by the Law when you start reading between the lines and put more thoughts into it, her character is extremely sad. for exemple the fact that Everyone in Laterano seems to straight up hate her, that her school celebrated it when she was gone, that rumors about her are so wide spraid that even Archetto is scared of her?? what the fuck girl. to be considered a danger by LATERANO is an achievement that deserves duscussion and a therapist

and also the implication that if Mostima refuses to tell her about Andoian is not only because she's not allowed to, but also because Exusiai would be ready to go hunt this man to hell. and one extremely angry and full of revenge red haired girl is enough, let's not add another one

[taralen]

do u support or like spamtis.. (kris x spamton)

(This is a non-drawing response.)

No. So if you're hoping to see some of that from me, you're not going to, lol.

I know it's popular for some people, but I've never been a big fan of pairings like this. If Kris was an adult (like 20s at bare minimum), I think the dynamic would be cute, but Kris is too young. It goes into the realm of being "problematic," and I completely understand why people find it to be a stupid pairing. I have a friend who dislikes it for this reason.

I prefer them as friends/buddies with some emotional tension. Spamton is obsessed with Kris's soul more than Kris as a person (at least at the start), but we see by the end he comes to appreciate them with more respect.

I realize now some people are looking at the fact I follow some artists who like this pairing and probably think I like it, too. In all honesty, I only really follow these artists for their other stuff or just how they draw Spamton. I only care about HIM. Often times I have to delete the rest of the image in mind just to focus on HIM. I can't tell them, "Can you stop drawing that?" just because it's not my cup of tea. There are plenty of artists outside of this fandom who also draw crap that I don't like, but again, I can't say, "Can you please stop that" because I'm not their dad. I can like some stuff an artist does (like how they draw Spamton, for instance) and not like all the weird other stuff they do. One of my close friends draws a type of fetish art I don't like at all, but I'm not going to tell him, "Stop that. I don't like it."

Hell, I don't like Spamton x Jevil that much, either. I think that pairing deletes Spamton's coulrophobia, a major part of his character, just to make that work. I like some of the art people do of them, but I have to just think of it like an AU or OoC because Spamton, in character, would never go to bed with that bastard. The pairing is best as a joke, in my opinion, but some people absolutely adore them. I can't control what people like.

My all-time favorite pairing is Blue Addison x Spamton! I absolutely adore those two. Literally no better pairing that fits well with Toby's narrative style. Mike x Spamton is a possible ship as well, but since we don't know much about him, I have my reservations. Sometimes I like Pink Addison with Spamton, but eh... I prefer Blue Addison.

Hope that answers your question, anon!

[tubbytarchia]

Love anon here. I’m like the evil hate anon or maybe just the hate anon in the future. You’re cool, your art is genuinely amazing, it and your writing and analysis make me feel bad things but in a good way. Please never stop doing what you do it is so cool that you create things that you enjoy. That is one of the most powerful things about you and so many people on tumblr. And you know sometimes I disagree with you or them but I simply either look away or continue looking with love depending on how much I care about the disagreement because I love that you are creating

Aww... Thanks love anon 🥺 My writing makes me feel bad things too lol but it's not my fault bad things happen to my little man... Like some people think I want to see him hurting? It's not up to me man that's just what I see...

Sigh if only the world had more people like you who don't mistake disagreement as immediate reason to hate. If there are people in my following who don't always agree with me but stick around anyway, you're SO awesome just for how rare that's become lol, it speaks volumes for what you think of me and I respect you to the ends of the world. I always welcome different people's takes though! It's only when defensive or passive aggressive language gets involved that I grow tired of it, but like... genuine discussion!! If you or others ever want to express opinions different from mine then I welcome it. This is genuinely what so many people like me are trying to get but any disagreeing response to my toxic FH and such tends to be "You're wrong because I said so" or "you're wrong because I ship FH and you can't stop me" (??Not what I'm trying to do) or "you're homophobic" (this accusation comes up so much, genuinely). Guys I just want to have discussion...!!

(And if people don't wanna partake in said discussion then they should look past!! Like you!! People are crazy man)

[beevean]

Hey I found your post about the Castlevania shipping somewhat unlike you, in the past I have seen you defend nsfw art of Sonic characters who are minors, or brushing of shipping kids with adults but you're clearly upset at problematic power imbalance and noncon tropes in shipping adults. I just wonder does that mean you have changed your mind on the topic ???

Alright, I can see why it seems that I'm being a hypocrite. I'll try to explain myself in the best way I can, even if I question your wording.

I don't hate power imbalance and noncon/dubcon at all. They're some of my favorite tropes, and I am not particularly shy in talking about it :P and it's precisely because I an fascinated by them that poor writing incenses me and I can't stop thinking about it. However, this is the part I have to highlight: poor writing in official products, because comparing a very popular Netflix show written by a respected professional who got paid and promoted for his work, with a 20 kudos fanfiction written by some nameless teen for free, is disingenuous. One has tremendous reach and the other has not.

In the responses in that post (I'm assuming you're talking about this one - hope it's this one because otherwise I'd look dumb lol), I eventually said "I have more respect for the fans who just find the abuse hot". There are thousands of fanfics that are irrealistic when it comes to abusive dynamics, that are literally nothing more than fetish fuel - and that's fine. I wouldn't read them, I would appreciate if people did more research, but they're harmless. Disgust is not harm and in this I have not changed my mind.

My problem with that particular ship is not necessarily the "noncon" part (which is not even noncon: it's dubcon, it's deliberately murky). It's that the noncon part, and not even in a porn fic but in an official product that is praised for the depth of its writing, gets brushed off, because the writing was rushed and made artificially more "wholesome". The dissonance of morals is too big for me to ignore, and the resounding success that it got from its audience even more so - not even from the "step on me mommy" crowd or the "wow I love toxic relationships, they're so fucked up <3" crowd (hell I'm one of them), but from the people who genuinely agree with the story that "yes, this is cute".

I wouldn't care so much if this was just a non-canon ship. There are plenty of popular non-canon ships that make me angry because I think they have a terrible dynamic and I don't understand the appeal. I don't care. But this is not a ship, it's not just some dozens of fans findind two characters hot: this is a story. And this changes everything.

I believe that an official product, that is incidentally praised by nearly everyone, should have been more responsible with its messages. Not in a "fiction affects reality" way, but in a "this story is terribly written, I try to understand why I seem to be in the minority in thinking so, and the justifications are eerily reminiscent of real life abuse apologism" way. I'm not saying that NFCV fans will watch the show and think "oh boy! my eyes have been opened! maybe if I, a woman, raped a man into slavery, he'll love me too!"... but let's be real: unlike the boogeyman of incest, female-on-male abuse is still widely misunderstood. Rape that is not "man violently forces himself on a woman he doesn't know" is still widely misunderstood. The show had the chance to challenge those misconceptions, but instead, it only confirmed them. The fact that it happened mostly out of shoddy writing makes it even worse, because there is not even full authorial intent.

I can safely say that the overwhelming majority of people who draw porn of Tails are well aware that sexualizing real kids is wrong. This sort of moral cannot be influenced by porn, because it's too rooted in our consciousness (people who sexualize real life kids are born that way and it's a completely different topic). Those people have their own reasons for drawing that kind of porn. I don't want to know them, I don't want to see them, please keep it in your corner and tag your shit, but it's just tasteless fanart at worst and I don't care. I grew up in a much edgier era when genuine graphic torture porn was written for no reason other than to shock others, so I don't really bother to wonder why someone would write or draw something disgusting. As long as it's avoidable, it's fine. It's harder to avoid a popular official product that is always touted as an example of excellent writing and also happens to be the adaptation of a franchise I've grown to love, considered superior to said franchise to boot.

It doesn't help that there is proof of the writer in question being a prolific sex pest whose crimes eerily match its writing. So in his case, I do wonder why he wrote certain things.

Just as a note, I don't really talk about it here, but I used to be a fierce anti-Twilight back in the day, and it was for similar reasons: I was appalled at that series' sexism and misanthropy and abuse apologism and I thought it was a real issue, because I think widespread stories ought to be more careful with their themes than fanfics and fanart. Not even necessarily to "teach" a lesson (NFCV is for adults anyway, it's not meant to be educational), but... well, as respect for your audience, you know?

And as for the people who don't see any issue... again, I don't want to assume anything about their morals. Maybe for them it really is just an intriguing ship. But I would like to at least urge someone to think about what they're saying, because when you say "no, he wasn't raped, merely seduced, and anyway he deserved it for being stupid, and he got a good deal out of it so why did he have to ruin such a beautiful relationship?", now that is the thing that could affect real people, not shipping a 12 yo and a 15 yo cartoon hedgehogs.

tl;dr: official stories and ships/fan content have different impacts and I judge them differently. This also happened to be about a topic I very much care about.

[dracoandthehounds]

🎨

🧩

🎨 link your favorite piece of fanart and why you like it

Okay so my favorite piece of fanart is (obviously) the fanart that artsaveo-o drew (@artsaveo-o) for Draco Malfoy and the Fall of Icarus 😭😭😭😭😭. Because I STILL can't get over the fact that someone drew fanart for the fic I'm writing!!!!!!!!! Have you all seen this???? Nell depicted in art :'''''')))) there are no words.

But.... to pick an art that isn't related to something I've written lmao.... (also... I am horrible at picking favorites, so here is one I just really really like so much)

I think this one by @tnxgodimginger just really speaks to how I see Draco and Harry in my head, especially with how their expressions were depicted. I like Draco looking a lil love-drunk lmao and I feel like it really comes across in this piece!

🧩 what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately

this is a good question!!! Also a hard one lol. There's not very much that will prevent me from giving something a try. I like to challenge my own interests and likes, and try to see if I end up liking something that I thought I wouldn't. I also read the tags pretty extensively, but I'm far more likely to just slowly lose interest in a fic, or give it a few chapters before giving up.

So the only things that would really immediately make me jump ship would be like too many basic grammar issues or walls of paragraphs (bc I literally cannot read them, and I have a short attention span lol).

(the other thing that has regularly made me click away, no matter how many times I try to just give it a chance, or read out of curiosity is Dra.mion.e... I can't explain it, but every time I've tried to read it, I just can't... my brain stops functioning. which is crazy bc I can read draco & harry dating other people... I just can't do that specific ship for some reason.) (this isn't me ragging on Dram.ion.e, btw. it's just a weird phenomenon that happens in my brain lol)

[ryuichirou]

Replies

Happy Holiday weekend! Here are some replies…

Anonymous asked:

Have you read the Twisted Wonderland manga adaptation yet? I think you would really enjoy them

We haven’t and we don’t really plan to (since Yana Toboso didn’t work on them outside of some tidbits that we’re interested in, such as character’s younger versions design). But the artists for the manga did such a good job, that we really appreciate the art of it whenever we see someone posts it. The Tweels and Azul specifically look amazing.

Anonymous asked:

(with the jadesil asks but also just jade in general) mushrooms do look a bit like a certain... something, no? 🍆

They sure do. I wonder if Jade thinks about it… he certainly noticed it lol Especially considering that both of these things are kind of new to him…

“Oh, but don’t put the mushrooms anywhere please!^^”

blackbutlerfandomnerddomain asked:

So you ship CrewelTrein which is funny for me cause I honestly have a AU where Crewel is his out of wedlock child he didn't know about/headcanon as a father figure, so now with this ship being shown and lowkey agreeing with it despite my AU/thoughts now thought of Crewel being a student and being so frustrated by Trein he jerked it once and discovered he has a lot of daddy issues which includes a daddy kink but not him being called daddy or bottoming just Trein being "daddy" and he fucks him

lol I love how it turned into a “daddy issues/daddy kink” but WITH A TWIST

It could be funny if these two discovered they have a blood bond…but even if they don’t and Trein is just a father figure, it’s honestly even more funny, because having him as a father figure certainly didn’t stop Crewel from doing thing lol

blackbutlerfandomnerddomain asked:

OKay! BUT! Azul and Floyd walking in on Idia and Riddle either making out (with permission from their doms) or fucking each other with a double sided toy! (inspired by a comic I red of two subs making out before their doms showed up and boom fourway/double sided sex)

Alright, now I gotta know which one of these 4 saw this scenario in their head while they were asleep, because Idia and Riddle are probably the worst people for such a thing: not only they wouldn’t dare to do it by themselves, but to cooperate?? I wonder what would make them… well, ironically, Floyd could lol

(but the visual is like a classic hentai thing and would definitely leave Azul and Floyd kind of speechless lol)

dawnstar-33 asked:

I should be asleep rn but oh well Twst is more important...

Random thoughts I cant share with my friends (smh they wont watch playthroughs with me)

-Does that black streak in the tweels hair not annoy them? I'd be so mad about it especially as I have a similar haircut as the tweels 😭

-Twst x Mean girls!!! I can't remember where I saw it first, but now I can't unsee it! Vil as the one and only Regina George, Rook as Grechen and Cater as Karen! With Neige as Cady (World Burn is playing as I write this...)

-Not sure when I thought of this- Jamil and Kalim (either as a romantic or platonic attraction) with this one quote

"You're my soulmate, my life, but I'm not yours."

And that concludes my random thoughts at 3am 😭🫶

Twst really is more important than sleep lol I hope you sleep well though! And that your friend gives up and treats themselves by watching twst with you >:3

Here are my thoughts regarding your thoughts! Sorry for the late reply.

I think they’re very used to it lol Since they had to maneuver with it underwater ever since they were young… But I can picture Floyd accidentally catching it with his mouth and spitting in annoyance lol

LOVE Mean girls and the musical version is also great, HOWEVER! As someone who simps for both Vil and Regina, I don’t really think they’re similar. Vil has way too much dignity to do the “awww I love it how cute (I hate it it’s ugly)” thing, he’s usually just brutally honest lol And Regina is one messy bitch. Ironically, I feel like Azul fits the role better, despite not necessarily being a queen bee… I can definitely see Vil and Neige playing the roles of Regina and Cady though, it would be interesting. And infuriating for Vil, probably lol

Ohhh this is beautiful and sad. Yeah, Jamil and Kalim’s relationship with each other is quite asymmetrical on every level.

[oekaki-chan]

hey c! can i ask how do we get over the feeling of embarassment when drawing self-indulgent shippy fanart? i've seen most of your amazing art and i've noticed that you don't seem to hold back when drawing fanarts, it's really beautiful with the way you portray characters' intimate relationships.. be it thru manga, illustrations, sketches. I have quite a lot of ideas on my mind that I want to draw similar to what you've drawn in terms of shipping characters, but I can't help but feel embarassed most of the time when I attempt to draw, thinking that it's "cringe" or I should draw something else with more deeper meaning into it, not just shippy stuff.. so I get very hesitant posting said art online or even starting the sketch (i haven't drawn 95% of my written ideas for nearly a year ;_; pain lol) since a few of my friends might see and question it lmao but deep down i really want to draw them ofc! i'm just very scared with what others think, but I do want to show myself more through my art and what I really like to draw.. Have you had a similar feeling of embarassment too c? I'm sorry if this got too long, I don't rly have any artist friends to talk to this about :')) I'm just so amazed at how you're able to fight the fear and just draw what you want in the end ^-^ I hope I can be like that too with myself and art, there are rare times where I just say f*ck it and post it anyway but 99% of the time is just me overthinking on whether it's cringe or not but I want to be cringe so bad so I can just be free and draw whatever the heck I want! ahh so many conflicting feelings ;_; i hope you get what I mean, thank you again for responding to my previous asks with the colors and numerous questions! I'm sorry for being so curious lol i just want to draw my favorite characters to kiss and cuddle so bad but im too scared to even draw them so intimately like that so i dont even draw majority of my ideas for fear of being judged :'D :') :(( hope u had a nice day c!

I might never show it but actually I relate to you so hard, it's not once or twice that I keep overthinking if my art is too self-indulgent and cringe, everytime I'm about to post my art I'm one click away to post it but I always have this nagging worry of people judging my art (even tho there's nothing wrong with it, for god's sake!!!) so I just spend another 30 minutes worrying about it until I close my eyes, flick my finger quickly, and close the tab.

And oh god in heaven put a curse on meme culture for this because there was this one instance when someone made a corny meme out of my art (that's not even a funny drawing) and dared to send it to me, I know it's only one person but it's enough to crush my confidence in drawing and posting shippy/emotional art.

Whenever I draw my favorite characters looking all seductive and cool I always worry people would think it's cringe, whenever I draw characters kissing I always worry people would think I'm weird, but then I remember about the other artists I like who post (their own) self-indulgent stuff and they make me joyous, I want people to feel the same way about my art when I post my own self-indulgent art too, so I guess that's what keeps me doing what I do today 😂

My 2023 resolution is just to stop giving a single damn about what people think of my art, if they think it's cringe then so be it, I can't control the mind of people, at least the cringe art gives me the happy brain chemicals and that's what truly matters 😊