#OTP: without evidence. I just know

[thegreatdemonzhuyan]

Max & Liz in Roswell, New Mexico 1.09 'Songs About Texas' Louis & Lestat in Interview with the Vampire 1.02 '... After the Phantoms of Your Former Self'

[brenatto-apothecary]

Going through ao3 and looking at the stats really makes it sink in how much the fandom avoids shipping Veth. Widobrave is her most popular ship at 292. Veth/Yeza is ostensibly more popular at 482, but shrinks to 84 when you use otp: true. No other pairing of hers breaks 50. Meanwhile, the only other member of the nein without at least one ship over 1000 is canonically aroace.

It's clear most fans don't have much interest in Veth/Yeza, and yet any time a post about a noncanon Veth ship gets too many notes someone shows up to go, "what about her husband?!" She even gets excluded from polynein, a polyamorous relationship, for being married! It's ridiculous to see fandom suddenly so desperate to cling to a canon ship, especially when it's clearly not coming from interest in said relationship.

Widobrave gets hit with the insistence that she's a motherly figure to Caleb. We all know this is false. She's denied it repeatedly, and there's mountains of evidence she has romantic feelings for him both in and out of canon. I do not believe that anyone could watch their kiss and assume that wasn't intended romantically. One would have to make a conscious effort to ignore that.

When she flirts with anyone else, it's funny, so people will ship it as a joke, but won't actually engage with it at all. I've seen Veth/Braius nearly win a ship poll, and yet theres no fics for it. I've seen Fjord actually win over Caleb in a poll, and yet it's much rarer to see anyone genuinely ship them.

Now, this isn't just me going "boohoo why doesn't everyone write what I want." I find it concerning that there's something about Veth specifically that makes people go to so many lengths to avoid engaging with her in a romantic context. What trait does she have that the rest of the nein don't that makes her so much less desirable? I really can't think of an explanation that doesn't say awful things about this fandom.

[dootznbootz]

Hello, I want to ask this question but I don't want it to sound disrespectful, I really want to know and I'm not trying to be rude.

Why are Helen and Menelaus one of your OTPs? I mean, at least the versions I know Helen falls in love with Paris and willingly goes to Troy with him (but I have to say that this was told to me, I didn't read it from any legitimate source, so I could be wrong) so I'd like to know what makes you love them! And that's all, I hope you have a nice day:3

YIPPEE! :D First of all, I wanna say thank you for being polite and genuine with your ask :3 I really appreciate that you seem to be coming from a genuinely curious perspective and want to know why! I hope you have a lovely day too <3

And then~ Ima put some links to other posts of mine (AND some other lovely folks) that discuss Helen and Menelaus and the whole thing with Paris. Most have text evidence :3

I have made the ones that I think are most important to read in bold

Menelaus in the Iliad talking about how Paris stole Helen

A fantastic essay written by another Tumblr user (deactivated now. you will be missed!) that delves into the reality of Paris and Helen's relationship alongside Paris as a person

My own essay about how Odysseus and Helen play "similar roles" in their stories. I'm assuming you've found me through my Odyssey and Water Wife stuff, so you're probably an Odysseus fan so this kind of delves into how I, personally, believe that Odysseus and Helen mirror each other in many ways plot wise. So if you are also in agreement that Odysseus couldn't have cheated because cheating requires consent, Helen is basically in the same situation. Paris is just basically having Aphrodite strongarm Helen for him.

My Own personal feelings on Paris

A neat essay on how, narratively, the story fits into the themes of the whole Epic Cycle and the Iliad if Helen was actually kidnapped

Some stuff on Menelaus being a soft man in canon :3

My Own post delving somewhat into Helen's unwillingness with some text evidence

I recommend reading most of these (or at least the ones that intrigue you) and then I can chatter about these sillies below 🥹

So in canon, just for the Iliad and the Odyssey, Menelaus is often portrayed as a quiet, shy even, and I would even go so far as to call him gentle, man. (It's kind of a collective fanon headcanon that Menelaus is austistic coded based on his behavior in the texts) It's something really interesting that one of his epithet's is "War Loving" and yet, he's one of the more "peaceful" kings there.

Adrestus rolled out of the chariot beside the wheel, face down in the dirt. Menelaus, son of Atreus,                        stood there over him, holding his long-shadowed spear. Adrestus clutched Menelaus by the knees and begged: “Take me alive, son of Atreus—you’ll get good ransom. My father is a wealthy man, owns lots of things—bronze, silver, well-worked iron. So he’ll give you a splendid ransom, if he learns I’m by Achaean ships, alive.”                             Adrestus pleaded. Menelaus’s heart in his chest was moved. He was about to hand Adrestus to his attendant, to take back captive to the fast Achaean ships.           But then Agamemnon came running up to him, sharply criticizing Menelaus:  “Menelaus, you soft-hearted man, why are you sparing men’s lives like this? In your own home, Trojans treated you exceptionally well, did they not? So don’t let any one of them evade a terrible destruction at our hands— not even the young child still carried in his mother’s belly. Let no one escape.                         Let everyone in Troy be slaughtered, without pity, without leaving any trace.”    

(Book 6, Johnston)

Like the main reason WHY Menelaus is fighting this war in the first place and fighting so hard, is because he just wants Helen back. Literally the most "violent" we've seen Menelaus is, imo, during his fight with Paris, the man who kidnapped Helen and is forcing himself upon her. As he literally starts DRAGGING Paris by his helmet on the ground. And when Paris offers Treasure in place of Helen, Diomedes' declines on his (and technically all the other Achaeans') behalf as Menelaus was injured.

And if you've looked at the bolded links I put above, you'll see how Helen also desperately does not want to be there and just wants to go back home, missing Menelaus and their daughter, Hermione.

And with Helen, she literally basically tells Paris that since he would've lost the fight with Menelaus, therefore would've been killed, if not for Aphrodite, that he should kill himself because that's what's honorable.

“You’ve come back from the fight. How I wish   you’d died there, killed by that strong warrior who was my husband once. You used to boast you were stronger than warlike Menelaus,  more strength in your hands, more power in your spear. So go now, challenge war-loving Menelaus to fight again in single combat. I’d suggest you stay away. Don’t fight it out man to man with fair-haired Menelaus, without further thought. You might well die, come to a quick end on his spear.”  

(Book 3, Johnston)

I honestly fucking love how Helen straight up says to Paris' face that she wished Menelaus killed him. Deserved.

In some ways, I think Paris is a very neat contrast to Menelaus in how Paris left his wife and child behind to start a life with a new "better" wife, while Menelaus is willing to go to war to bring the wife he loves so much back home, safe and happy, with him. Menelaus can't even think of the idea of just "starting anew".

And in the Odyssey, it's just... It's just so sweet seeing how these two interact when Telemachus goes to Sparta to talk to them. Helen is no longer in tears, and while she's still dealing with her self-loathing and guilt, so does Menelaus. They share this burden together and are very gentle with each other. The way she's back to being so happy and hosting as a happy Queen and wife should, is so SO different from how we see Helen in the Iliad, as she's finally happy, safe, and at home. 😭

Like, please look at how silly these two are when they see Telemachus:

Right away she started speaking to her husband, asking him some detailed questions:                                   “Do we know, my divinely cherished Menelaus, who these two men who’ve come into our home claim to be? Shall I speak up and pretend, or shall I tell the truth? My heart tells me                            I must be frank. I can’t say I’ve ever seen                            someone who looks so much like someone else, whether man or woman. When I see it, I’m amazed—this man looks just like the son of brave Odysseus—I mean Telemachus, who, when he left home, was a new-born child, when, because I’d acted so disgracefully, you Achaeans all sailed away to Troy, your hearts intent on brutal warfare.” Fair-haired Menelaus then answered her and said: “This likeness you’ve just noticed, my dear wife,               I’ve seen, as well. His feet are similar, as are his hands, the glances from his eyes,                                              his head, and his hair on top. And just now, as I was remembering Odysseus, discussing all the troubles he’d endured because of me, he let a bitter tear fall from his eyes and raised the purple cloak across his face.”

(Book 4, Johnston)

Like??? She feels free to speak and state her mind because she IS free with Menelaus. She feels respected and loved in her own house and is the queen to his king and slkdjf kljdsfalj THEY'RE HAPPYYYYYY

In the Odyssey also, it was she who interpreted the omen that Telemachus and Pesistratus even though Menelaus was asked to interpret it! ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF HER HAPPILY BEING A QUEEN AND HER AND HER WORDS BEING RESPECTED.

Menelaus, for all his warlike qualities, was at a loss to give him the correct interpretation, and his beautiful wife forestalled him. 'Listen,' she said, 'while with such inspiration as I have I explain this omen and what I feel sure that it portends. [...]

(Book 15, E.V. Rieu)

LOOK AT EURIPIDES' HELEN

Like to me, these two in canon are kind of "opposites attract" while OdyPen are "Likeminded". As Helen is definitely one to chatter more and Menelaus is perfectly fine letting Helen talk for him.

And while young, Menelaus and Agamemnon after their father, Atreus, was killed by their uncle, they had to flee Mycenae to stay safe and were exiled. And where did they stay during this time?

In Sparta, WITH TYNDAREUS AND LEDA, HELEN'S PARENTS >:3

And with most depictions of Menelaus and Odysseus when getting married to Helen and Penelope, both are usually beardless, implying youth/same age. So I love the idea of them being childhood friends to lovers. (that's just MY interpretation though) It's part of the reason why Helen picked him out of all the suitors (though yeah, another interpretation)

AND look at this depiction of them reunitiing!!!

So for the context for this specific version/interpretation of them reuniting, he has just killed Deiphobus, Paris' brother that Helen went to after Paris died, (Troy was fated to fall, if Helen was returned, Menelaus and the other Achaeans would go home and Troy would be left alone, so... Fate interfered with Helen even possibly going home) and she was in the room when it happened. Helen, being somewhat scared that Menelaus would try to kill her, started to run. (That's Helen on the Right, the left is supposed to be Aphrodite, who, while she did keep Helen in Troy for Paris, is still the goddess of love. So that's why she's there.)

BUT LOOK HOW HE TOSSED HIS SWORD TO THE SIDE TO RUN TO HER?! 😭

In general, I love the dynamics that play into their relationship AND how their relationship even plays with other characters like OdyPen. I'm not as detailed with their lives as I am with my OdyPen, they're still heavily involved in my ideas and they're all very close. They go on double dates!

Heck, since I have the whole "childhood friends" stuff in my stuff, Helen, Menelaus, Penelope, Castor, and Pollux all grew up together and were kind of a goofy lil crew :3 (I have aged up Clytemnestra to work with my Agamemnon more with how I have my timeline work out :') The timeline is a mess and this is how I'm making it work)

Like, My OdyPen are my "Freak4Freak, Likeminded, ADHD, squirming, wriggling, giggling, nuzzling noses and constantly moving and chattering" couple while my MenHelen are my "Slow and relaxed, long kisses, Helen chatters while Menelaus listens, Menelaus is Helen's weighted blanket person who eases her anxiousness with his quiet demeanor, staring at each other with big eyes." couple 🥹

Snippets of my goobers being affectionate in their own special way, my OdyPen one from my one longfic and my MenHelen is just a snippet I wrote recently.

OdyPen squirm and wriggle while MenHelen stare at each other with big eyes and are each others safe place.

My dear friend, @thehelplessmortals (One of MenHelen's super fans! Check em out if you're even more curious about them! they have their own fanart and headcanons for them too!) doodled my version of the goobers being silly. My Helen is Chubby and 6'4 (Zeus' child and most beautiful woman in the world) and she likes to wrestle, and Menelaus is 6'2, she can pick him up >:3

"DAD, I WANT THIS ONE!"

Also~ Here's my list of Odyssey translations I've gathered :3 Feel free to pick one if you ever wanna read the actual text.

[kiyomitakada]

kiyomi for the character asks? :D

MY GIRL!!!!! THANK YOU

favorite thing about them: i love that she simultaneously believes in kira's ideals more genuinely than anyone else in team kira (mikami is projecting his own beliefs, light is ocd spiraling, misa is misa) and Also is the most reluctant to actually kill. i keep saying the latter thing and i keep not giving evidence so here is my evidence

kiyomi: i love when people die! kiyomi when she has to kill people: well this sucks. what the fuck

it's not just momentary shock either! she's dead silent for the rest of the conversation until light prompts her directly for the sake of the task force listening in!

and then this

shouldn't you :) be happy :) hey this is the final step towards your beautiful new world you know :)

anyway this is my favorite thing about her less because i believe she has more of a moral backbone and more because i think it's so darkly funny. leopard who joined the leopards eating people's faces off party: i never thought i would have to eat people's faces off!! in some ways i think this is the most realistic reaction anyone in death note has to the death note like yeah of course nobody actually wants their hands stained with blood in the end of course you want your pure refined kindhearted world and don't want to look at the victims of its violence except that you yourself are the face of the violence and there are bodyguards gunning people down in the streets in your name. kiyomi takada, saint. they'll canonize you and they'll spit on your gravestone.

i think in some ways misa clocks this about her immediately. we meme on that panel where misa's like The Death Penalty :D but in context misa (who knows the task force is investigating kiyomi) is saying that since kiyomi is kira's voice, she's just as bad as kira is and will get executed just as kira will once they're caught. and this is what gets kiyomi (who is already acting as kira at this point) to leave the conversation because she cannot be confronted with her own guilt.

anyway do you see why i think she is exactly like first arc light yagami hahahahahahhaaaa

least favorite thing about them: please for the love of god ditch the pixie cut and get a mullet or something please

favorite line: this is actually so hard. so much of kiyomi is informed through other people like mikami complimenting her raging fascism. hmmm i will go for

you don't have to read this as violence but personally i do because it's more fun that way coming from someone who, see above, is generally very bad at initiating violence! and also one of the only ideas this sexist fucking manga lets her have on her own even though light shoots it down immediately. ahem. totally unrelated but you should read the problem of misa amane

brOTP: kiyomi and mikami are SO fun together i like them so much. i like to think kiyomi asked him out on a date and he just did not catch onto the subtext there at all and they spent the whole time talking about politics and kiyomi was like wow i enjoyed that so much more than any actual date i've had with a man, surely this means nothing. i also think mikami wrote her name without a shred of remorse :D

OTP: ive been trapped in kiyomisa hell for almost a year now. i may never get out. they've got mindgames they've got hatemance they've got two people trying to perform gender and failing miserably in vastly different ways they've got identity issues of the "i am your more successful copy and yet i am starting to suspect he hates us both" variety. they deserve to kill each other homoerotically.

i also enjoy that light almost clocks it but due to his sexism he concludes that All Women Are Like This when in fact he just has a track record of dating lesbians. i wonder what this says about your gender light yagami

nOTP: this one is also kiyomi and mikami i have actually read several fics about them but i just can't see it romantically alas… they're more interesting when they're friends to me

random headcanon: she's an only child and her parents are traditionalists who wish she'd been a boy and yet objected very strongly to her tomboy phase. naturally this did not affect her personality at all

unpopular opinion: i don't think there are enough opinions about kiyomi to determine what counts as an Unpopular one. damn. i will keep writing meta instead. it is my opinion that she has zero friends and this is why light is able to manipulate her so effectively. near talks about looking through "takada's friends and associates" to find x-kira and then notices mikami and says "never mind i know who it is" which suggests to me that she has like a hundred acquaintances but doesn't actually spend time with any of them. she looks so surprised when light suggests booking a hotel room so they can get some privacy because presumably she has not had cause to actually talk to anybody one-on-one since she got famous. she's like the literal perfect target for emotional manipulation it's kind of impressive and extremely sad

song i associate with them: TYRANT BY BEYONCE

Cowboy Carter Time to strike a match And light up this juke joint

One-one-one by one, you hang them high Your hands are steady and you sleep at night How did you turn your heart to stone? I don't want him back, but I can't let go

look. does it fit perfectly? no. but theres arson in it and adultery and being jealous of another woman not even because of the adultery but because she can kill better than you. if that isnt kiyomicore then what is.

favorite picture of them:

she looks SO cool here and for WHAT. also i think it is extremely impressive she managed to recognize mello when she’s going off linda’s sketch of how he looked as a fourteen-year-old child, when he notably had a different hairstyle and a lack of severe facial burns. either kiyomi is incredible under stress or linda is just like the best artist alive

[peachesnplums95]

💜Macaque!💜

Favorite Thing About Macaque-

Everything, literally EVERYTHING. I love his character, he is beauty, he is grace, he puts a smile upon me face! I love his sass, his dramatics, how mysterious his backstory is and how we don't know much about him other than he was friends with Wukong way back when. There's so much mystery surrounding Macaque and his origins, and I hope one day they get answered. He's also just a cutie pie. ((I also love how hopelessly down bad for Wukong he is. He's such a simp.))

Least Favorite Thing About Macaque-

His self-sacrificial tendencies. Mac, please I beg you, love yourself a little more. Stop this monkeyshine immediately! Stop throwing yourself into harm's way so casually, I am dying here.

Favorite Line-

**SMACKED UPSIDE MY HEAD**

BrOTP-

Can this be considered a BrOTP?

OTP-

Shadowpeach my beloved. Listen I just love their dynamic and the complex history behind them. They're a fun ship to play around with, and there's some pretty compelling evidence that they're more than just best buds. Also, I am a sucker for SunXMoon trope/vibes.

NOTP-

BlackQuill, definitely. Why would you even do this to Mac?

Random Head Canon-

Every time Macaque failed the Lady Bone Demon, she would kill him and then bring him back as punishment- wait? Random headcanon? I thought you said angst?

Unpopular Opinion-

I think Macaque's actions speak for themselves and are louder than any words he could say. I don't think we need to actually see him apologize on screen; would it be nice- yeah. But ever since he joined the LMK Crew, all he's done has been ride or die for them. Like he can be sorry all he wants, but it doesn't mean anything without action to prove it. And he's more than proven he's trying to do right by the others now.

Song I Associate With Macaque-

I don't think I have to explain why I associate this song with Macaque.

Favorite Picture Of Macaque-

Do I even have to explain why?

[haley-harrison]

tbh the main cause of shipping wars is that jackles is too good at his job. Man has convincing chemistry with most of his coworkers, so depending on which scenes you focus on, you can gather a convincing argument for your ship of choice.

like if you look just at the first three seasons, j2 have such insane chemistry you have to be blind not to notice. (case in point, even my mother, who is otherwise a normal 62-y-o was like 'well that's not a normal brother relationship'). add the lack of significant alternative options, and it's clear why the early days had so many wincest shippers. Like, duh. You see two hot guys who look at each other with adoration (and lip-licking), brain's gonna ship. Fiction isn't reality anyway.

However, then comes s4. Now, I think Misha is awesome and funny and great, and obviously he and Jensen hit it off. Enough that it shows on screen. That said, the script was still written as Kripke intended, which is that Sam and Dean are obsessed with each other.

Because it's a fact, that Kripke read Siken's Crush, and also On the Road, and wrote Sam and Dean very much under that influence. And if you read either of those, you know they're about gay lovers.

So. There's a conflict between the script (which is samdean coded), and the acting (where jenmish actually gets more and more intense with time).

And the thing is, both sides of the fandom have solid 'evidence' on why their ship is (practically) canon. And it sucks to see people actually fight and insult each other.

I am a multishipper: I have an OTP but I see the appeal of other pairings and occasionally read those too. And I wish we could all see that plurality of opinions is good. Fiction is meant to be discussed, there isn't one correct answer.

At the end of the day, we're here to have fun with this trash show (affectionate), so maybe let's do that without judging?

[hot-take-tournament]

HOT TAKE TOURNAMENT!

TOURNAMENT OVERTIME #166

Submission 515

if you must ship Jesus with one of his disciples then at least ship him with John

look I'm a Christian (but like not the bad kind) and I don't personally ship Jesus with anyone cause that feels a bit too much rpf-y for me but I see people (jokingly, I assume, for the most part, but also this is the internet so I know some people are very serious about this) ship Jesus with either Judas or Peter and like....... tell me your knowledge of the Bible is the few Bible stories you remembered from sunday school as a kid without telling me that your knowledge of the Bible is the few Bible stories you remembered from sunday school as a kid. like yeah sure there's all these great stories about these guys that kids learn about! everyone who has some basic knowledge of the whole easter deal knows Judas and if you've learned any stories about Jesus with the disciples then you probably know about Peter. but like........ John is the guy. like go read the book of John if you don't believe me. like this is the guy who is canonically (fun reminder that the term "canon" originates from people discussing the Bible long long ago) "the disciple who Jesus loved." like Sufjan Stevens, king of "is he talking about his boyfriend or Jesus" refers to John & Jesus' relationships in his song "John My Beloved" which is hella gay and like it's all right there!!!!!! like this is so strange for me to be invested in because I'm not like someone who actively ships them but like if I wasn't religious and all I would be all over this and the fact that people keep being like "hehe Jesus and Judas~~~" when there's like no textual evidence for that!!! it's just people seeing the kiss of betrayal and liking some dramatic stuff!!! and the people who bring up Peter instead are the same!!! like you're just applying fanfic tropes to a dynamic and deciding that you like it instead of like looking at what's actually there in canon!!!!!!!! like at least do cool blasphemy or whatever I hate that I care about this. I hate that I wrote all of this. I have no dog in this fight. whoever wins I lose because I don't want to care about this in any way but I do and it's horrible and I just wish people would at least talk about the guy who when having to read his gospel like a year ago for something, I was left with the thought of "huh....... if I didn't know any better I'd say that there was something going on here"

Propaganda is encouraged!

Also, remember to reblog your favourite polls for exposure!

Now this is the discourse I live for.

Also, if your otp is chriscariot (Jesus/Judas) or chrisrock (Jesus/Simon Peter), fight for your ship in the notes!

[mothercetrion]

"that and johnny is secretly very ticklish" AAAAAAAA YOU CAN'T JUST SAY THAT. HEART EYES RN. ELABORATEEEE I LOVE THE FLUFFY STUUUFF

hehehe I got you anon (and here's the otp ask meme I did for Johnshi for some context for this ask)

Johnny is secretly incredibly ticklish. if he and a partner are lounging around, relaxed, any hand that creeps too close to his hips or his neck will send him into a fit of giggles. he can suppress it if he tries (and if he's fighting), but most of the time, he'll giggle and give himself away.

Kenshi finds out by accident. he and Johnny are making out, as couples do, and his hands move to Johnny's lower back and creep toward his sides without thinking. Johnny pulls away from the kiss to laugh, and Kenshi leans back and realizes immediately what has just happened.

"…you're ticklish?" he's teasing.

Johnny shakes his head, suddenly sheepish. "no?"

"are you sure?" Kenshi moves his hand further into his side, and Johnny's hardly suppressed giggling and squirming are all the answers Kenshi needs.

Kenshi takes advantage of Johnny's ticklishness when he least expects it. they'll be kissing and Kenshi will tickle his sides, reminiscent of his first discovery. Johnny will laugh into their kiss and pull away, making music right in Kenshi's ears for him to replay when he's alone. other times, Johnny will be particularly immature, hoping to get a reaction from Kenshi. he gets one, but it's in the form of Kenshi kissing his neck where he knows he's the most ticklish. Johnny never learns and keeps doing it again and again. (Kenshi has a sneaking suspicion that he acts like this on purpose, just so Kenshi will kiss his neck and tickle him…? but he has no real evidence.)

when they're in a more playful mood, Kenshi will actively tickle Johnny until he's breathless and red. all in good fun <3

(luckily for you, anon, @yikesb3rg has some amazing art that I think you would really like. here, here, and here.)

[acourtofthought]

I see your posts and anons about the Nyx things. While I don’t necessarily agree I just wanted to send you some love! I swear there are people who can respectfully disagree and move on without making it an entire point of discussion 💖

Thank you for your message!

Honestly, my original post was not even a theory or anything I was overly committed too. It was a thought that popped into my head for the first time and I thought, "oh, I would feel a little sad reading it" even though I know Sarah probably wouldn't even stop to consider whether a scene like that was "fair" to Elain. I'm pretty sure that wouldn't even be a thought in her mind but this is fandom and I'm allowed to be disappointed if Elucien isn't next. I'm allowed to feel a certain way on behalf of my favorite imaginary characters that have been sidelined for too long, lol. I'm allowed to want Elain to get a POV after constantly being bombarded with how Elain is definitely not next and I'm delusional for thinking otherwise.

OTP Elucien's have been inundated with how Az has to be next, how Gwyn has to be next, how they deserve their stories told next because of what they've been through, etc. But the second an Elucien says anything in defense of their ship while using correct tags, it's like I'm out here kicking puppies.

With that said, I still realize Gwynriel could be next! I just love my ship and think there's supporting evidence for it but of course I have my thoughts that show personal bias.

[robotlesbianjavert]

What's the problem with Deku's writing?

well for one he's a main character. which is strike one.

technically that's a joke but also not. there's a lot angles i could take in order to complain about deku, so for now i want to take the angle that as a main character, there are things that are going to be taken for granted as endgame for the narrative, but it's so taken for granted that the story forgets about the actual material needed to reach the endgame.

i'm going to use ofmd s2 as an example of this, because it's another thing i like to point at and go :) bad writing. so for that, it's very evident that the writers are aiming for "ed and stede are together and are ready to embark on a new, more mature phase of their life together". you can tell this because the showrunner was constantly talking about it in interviews. and indeed, the season ends with ed and stede parting ways with their crew and pirate life to try their hands as innkeepers.

but to reach that endgame, the series has to a) get stede and ed back together as soon possible, meaning they have to lean heavily on coincidence rather than any real efforts on the part of the characters, b) resolve the very emotionally stark situations the characters had left s1/started s2 in a way that makes the happy innkeeper endgame possible, but this makes the segue from drama to resolution unbelievable because the series can't really dedicate the time to dealing with that fallout before hopping onto the next big issue, which c) means that the ways that the other characters have been hurt as a result ed and stede's relationship drama have their pain sidelined and shrugged off, and in turn d) the focus on ensuring that ed and stede are together and in love means that their relationships with other characters get de-emphasized and feel much less lived, which rebounds and makes ed and stede feel more one-dimensional without the magic that fleshed them out. and most dire of all e) the audience is expected to believe that "sorry i was a dick" "you're not a dick life's a dick" is meant to indicate a development of maturity that means they are able to go off and be innkeepers together. it is NOT there.

essentially, the focus on a specific endgame without care about how that endgame is achieved ends up undercutting the triumph and catharsis of that endgame, rendering it much more hollow. people still enjoyed ofmd s2, and they're allowed to! but they enjoy it because their otp ended the season standing next to each other. three feet part. not for any genuine critical acclaim.

it's a similar issue with deku, especially in this final arc. his obvious endgame is that he'll affirm shigaraki's humanity and pain, "save" him (what that looks like yet, we don't know), and in turn become the greatest hero. we've got all the bones of that - just recently in 411, deku did his whole "you ARE human" declaration. but the lead up to deku and shigaraki's confrontation is thematically shallow and heavily dependent on us knowing that deku is a great kid and a great hero.

deku starts the third act realizing that if he understood the villains that he's faced, things could have turned out differently - the set up is that deku has to understand shigaraki as a person in order to stop him. the lead up to this is. well he asks muscular "what's up with you" one time in the middle of battle. that didn't work out. and then he had his nagant confrontation, where he was more shocked about her killing the former commission president than he was about the commission ordering a lot of evil assassinations. and then never thought about what that meant for society at large. and he was just like "well i know the world has some greys in it now" and that fixed her i guess. overhaul was there and deku made no real effort there to get why he was so frantic about seeing his boss. and then he has that conversation with ochaco where they both go "isn't it crazy that we have empathy for villains".

so basically the most work that he actually put into "understanding villains" was with nagant, who is a completely new character who has the baggage of "hero commission assassin is ANYONE in series gonna talk about that", and the potential she possesses as a shigaraki foil and a stepping stone for deku towards his endgame gets muddled. she's also basically, while a significant confrontation, is one beat of many in the third act.

so the set up for "understanding villains" as a factor in deku's endgame, in seeing villains as human, is pretty weak. and deku was honestly really dependent on getting that build up and using other villains as a learning experience, bc his actual dynamic with shigaraki is sparse. compare it to uraraka and toga - the "understanding" thread fares a lot better there, because uraraka has had specific and charged interactions with toga that deeply affected her and made her think. deku's most constructive interaction with shigaraki was way back at the mall, before the training camp, but that's not enough to carry chemistry through their supposed arc as hero & villain.

but the story already knows that deku, one way or another, is meant to succeed, so it acts like he received the necessary development to be able to understand shigaraki as human in their confrontation.

there's a similar lack of meat for many other aspects of deku's characters - like his relationship with the vestiges, where yoichi could be 2nd and 3rd around on deku's behalf, and his mastering of the new ofa quirks, which we get TOLD has consequences or that he's struggling with, but it's never in a way that actually causes him substantial issues that he must overcome.

but actually, we can move all of that aside and ask one simple question about deku's character: what does he think about the floating death coffin the other heroes built for shigaraki?

deku gets confronted by the vestiges about having to possibly kill shigaraki, and his response to that is "yeah i guess but i gotta try saving him". which is very nice, but it just ends there. deku doesn't have to deal with how everyone else - people who are scared, or have been hurt by shigaraki and the villain's actions - might feel about this initiative. at no point does deku have to stand his ground against the other heroes after shigaraki's head, he doesn't have to convince anyone of his point of view, he doesn't have to look inward and understand why he wants to do this. it's just "well if i can!"

deku doesn't have to have any thoughts about the floating death coffin. he never has to be in scene with it before it started malfunctioning. he doesn't have to have any opinions about its construction, about the heroes deciding to take this path. he doesn't need to have feelings about it, he just has to save shigaraki.

and when that happens, the narrative will celebrate him, and the heroes will be like "wow deku really is the greatest hero, kids these days are so great". they don't need to have thoughts about deku wanting to do this in the first place, because it's going to happen and no one can stop it.

in a similar way that some ofmd fans can walk away happy with season 2 because they don't need anything more than their otp standing together three feet apart, a lot of fans would be happy with deku and shigaraki's likely endgame because what matters is that deku is the hero and that he saves shigaraki. but from where i'm standing, deku has so little substance and build up to this endgame (or at least the build up is THERE, but poorly done) that it's hard for me to be impressed.

also everything @codenamesazanka said here. everything she says i nod and go hell yeah.

[thegreatdemonzhuyan]

Liz & Max in Roswell, New Mexico 1.09 'Songs About Texas' Kate & Anthony in Bridgerton 2.04 'Victory'

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

For the ship bingo meme, I know it's the obvious one, but Sontails? Maybe Sonine as well?

Yeah, sure thing!! And it's okay if it's the obvious one, I love an excuse to talk about those pairings tbh😊

ㅤ

Sontails

"They keep me up at night" I think this one is obvious. I'm thinking about them on the daily

"I ship them because of canon" You follow me, so you know that I'll ship many things for a multitude of (even flimsy) reasons, but it truly is their canon best friendship which persists through the ages that drew me in. It's like the Sor1ku of the Sonic franchise for me. Canon best friends, their relationship is shown off quite a bit, they're a classic duo, they fill the gaps in each other and balance each other out, plenty of gay subtext for me to dig into.

"Deranged" Self explanatory

"I just want them to be happy, is that so much to ask" Bit of an amendment here. "Together". Happy together. Of course I want them to be happy separately, but I truly think their home is within each other, that they're better together than apart. So I just want them to be happy, I hope their bond continues to be unbreakable.

"I ship them platonically" Basically all of my otps and a good chunk of my ships at this point are queerplatonic. I marked this both to make that clear, but also so I could say that I also heavily ship them in a platonic manner too (just not in a sibling way)

*Bangs fist, crying* Self explanatory. They make me feel things

"I swear to god if anything happens to them I will cry" So true they mean everything to me💙💛

"Aesthetically pleasing" I mean come on. Look at them:

"They need to kiss already" Self explanatory. It would not help them but it would be amazing to watch

"I enjoy and/or create fanworks of them" Self explanatory

"I ship them in spite of canon" Not every one of the Sonic games is good to Tails' character or (in the case of Eng frontiers) in depicting their relationship. I yet persist. Nothing can stop me from shipping them at this point, even in the Archie comic canon.

"OTP" self explanatory 😎

"YES!!!!!!!!" YESSSSSSS

"omg squeeeee [insert keysmash] 🥺" Self explanatory 💖

"I'M SO NORMAL ABOUT THEM (LYING)" H-Hey guys. Come closer. I am a perfectly normal blog and entirely normal about Sonic and Tails' relationship 🙂 (lying)

"They are sooooooo silly :3" They just are! Especially when they get into shenanigans together/get excited over dumb shit together

ㅤ

Sonine

"They keep me up at night" I think this one is obvious, but yeah no. Ever since Sonic Prime S2 (and especially the S3 ending) I cannot stop thinking about them I am thinking about them all the time.

"I ship them because of canon" This is the ship that did me in. Their canon dynamic, their potential, the way their relationship was woven into the narrative. They made me think and feel so many things I swan dived into the Sonic franchise I became a fan of it. They were one of the major gateways into me becoming a Sontails fan. I have a billion unwritten essays about them. I also have posted a bunch of essays related to them. Which is to say...kind of evident at this point I think😂

"Deranged" What? Me? Deranged about them? *checks my current blog theme* noooooooo (sarcastic)

"I just want them to be happy, is that so much to ask" I am so unwell about them. I am so unwell. I need Sega to actually allow someone to touch Sonic Prime again one day please. Please. I've posted about it before but Nine is alone in a world without anyone else, "home" but not really home. I need him to meet Sonic again I need Sonic to integrate him into his friend group even a little and get to have his two best friends I need Nine to be able to use this as a way of branching out and learning to open up more I need them to be around each other I need them to be happy aughhhhhhhhh Nine's end makes me emotional they both make me emotional...

"I ship them platonically" As I said earlier, basically all of my otps and a good chunk of my ships at this point are queerplatonic. That's mostly why I marked it for this pairing. I also kind of enjoy reading both Sonic and Nine on the aroace spectrum.

*Bangs fist, crying* Self explanatory. They make me feel many things

"I swear to god if anything happens to them I will cry" The fact that they're both alive after Season 3 is a relief, but given that they're completely separated that fact is just barely keeping me in an okay range. They are as okay as they can be but it's barely even kind of enough. Again, they mean everything to me 💙💜

"They need to kiss already" PLEASE. I...Idk. Like sure (like with the Sontails one) I don't need it but it would be nice to watch. Also fun to see what it does to their relationship

"I enjoy and/or create fanworks of them" Self explanatory

"OTP" self explanatory 😎

"YES!!!!!!!!" YESSSSSSS

*Shoulder grip which draws blood* Listen they make me insane they make me insane I cannot for two seconds be normal about them they make me insane

"omg squeeeee [insert keysmash] 🥺" Self explanatory 😂💖

"I'M SO NORMAL ABOUT THEM (LYING)" Come on guys just look at my blog theme I am completely and utterly normal about them. I'm sure there aren't a bunch of posts from me in the sonine tag on my blog in there. Or essays or anything. No you can. You can trust me to be normal. About them 🙂 (lying)

"They are sooooooo silly :3" They just are idk. Vibes😂

ㅤ

And there it is! Thank you for the ask🥰

While ultimately these two pairings are different, they are equally my otps, they drive me insane, and I love them both in and out of canon.

And of course if you or anyone else has any other ships they'd like to pose for the bingo (or any other inquiries really), feel free to shoot me an ask!

💞Ship Bingo💞

[vallaragna]

Getting to know your moots

Tagged by @makoredeyes

•What's the origin of your blogs title?

My name is part of my reenactment name. And the blog title is just in a fiber artist and I am obsessed with destiny right now.

•Favorite fandoms

Currently obsessed with destiny. I'm also a huge fan of Dragon age and Lord of the Rings

•OTPs+Ship name

Felwinter/Shaxx and also Felwinter/Osiris permutations a la Mako's fics. Basically I love Felwinter and however I can smash pairings together with him I'm there.

•Favourite colours

Purple as well as this berry pink/almost magenta that I wear constantly

•Favourite game

Currently obsessed with Destiny 2

•Weirdest habit/trait

Other people would probably be able to point this out better than me, but I get fully dressed every day even if I'm just staying home. If I'm still in PJs once I'm out of bed I'm probably deathly sick.

•Hobbies

Fiber crafts. So many of them. Probably a fair few you have never heard of. Reenactment. I stream my embroidery on twitch for fun.

•Something you're good at

Teaching destiny raids. That's the only thing I'm even slightly confident about. I mean I love rocks and I know a fair bit about them, but I don't think I'm good at them.

•Something you're bad at

Self confidence.

•Something you excel at

I think I'm pretty alright at breaking down complex things into smaller pieces for people who have no knowledge base.

•Something you love

Rocks and fossils. I went to school for paleontology. I also love maps even though that's my job right now.

•Something you could talk about for hours without off the cuff

I could talk for hours about either destiny lore or rocks. I have talked for multiple hours with little prompt about each before. I have video evidence on YouTube of that.

•Something you hate

My gut reaction is to say myself, because honestly I am awful to myself. But climate change deniers and people who intentionally just want to argue.

•Something you collect

Too much destiny merch... but among that the seal pins.

•Something you forget

Anything I don't write down.

•What's your love language

This idea has been disapproven, but I guess you can say gifting.

•Favorite movie/show

Nightmare before Christmas or LotR.

•Favorite food

Lasagna

•Favorite animal

Velociraptor

•Favorite subject in school

Earth science or science in general

•Least favourite subject

English or PE

•What's your best character trait?

I don't think I'm the one to judge this and it feels very self serving to try to identify this, but I guess being considerate

•If you could change any detail of your day right now, what would it be?

I had checked that I had all the packages I went to pick up at the UPS store before I left this morning

•If you could travel in time, who would you like to meet?

What are with all these college application questions. Mary Anning? I'm not really sure.

•Recommend one of your favorite fanfics

Oh, this is hard. Playing Nice by Shimadagans has been a long time favorite. The On Like a Housefire series by Mako is so good as well. I have to recommend both equally. Particularly The Kingdom by Makoredeyes. Sansukh by determamfidd is an old favorite from when I was really in the Hobbit Fandom that I feel like is worth mentioning.

I don't really tag people, but if you're interested, join in.

[ace-turned-confused]

get to know your moots

ty for tagging me @almostempty ilyyyy and i love doing these, they feel like doing surveys and if there's one thing my autistic ass loves, it's doing a survey

what's the origin of your blog title?: it's me being confused about my sexuality & identity

OTP(s) + shipname: okay my mom & i used to watch this show called major crimes, SHARON & ANDY FOR LIFE !!!!!! shandy stan until i die. i even had a fanpage for them on instagram.

favorite color: purpleeee

favorite game: rn it's INFINITY NIKKI !!! i am addicted. also replaying BOTW rn, valorant / fortnite with my cousin, oh and i'm basically becoming a professional phasmo player, also addicted to that.

song stuck in your head: baile inolvidable - bad bunny

weirdest habit/trait?: ummm i stick my tongue out when i'm concentrating? not all the way out like a weirdo, just a lil blep. i also brush my teeth in the shower.

hobbies: gamingggg, sewing, baking, vinyl records

if you work, what's your profession?: rn ya girl is unemployed :')

if you could have any job you wish what would it be?: trust fund baby. i wanted to do architecture but then discovered you have to submit a portfolio when you apply and i didn't do art for matric so. rip to that dream. also nearly went into microbiology.

something you're good at: sudoku.

something you're bad at: making conversation.

something you love: night drives with my bestie <3

something you could talk about for hours off the cuff: basically any game i play. you wanna know how to do a zero evidence run in phasmo? take a seat. valorant agent abilities? ask me. minecraft recipes? i got you. i often get asked "how do you remember that?" i'm autistic. i have autism.

something you hate: that i have to work to survive and pay for everything. going new places without knowing the parking situation. anything mint.

something you collect: trinkets. i love a trinket. i got a set of four tiny silver-plated brass chairs that are actually name place holders for my birthday that look amazing on my desk. i'd love to get more game merch etc but those kind of fun things don't exist much here in SA :( also lego, but i haven't got a new set in a good while now.

something you forget: to take my meds, names, events, happenings, etc etc.

what's your love language?: i yearn for physical touch but i'm touch averse :/ love some quality time.

favorite movie/show: love mamma mia that is peak cinema.

favorite food: i love pizza. i love lasagne. i love a good plate of chips.

favorite animal: I LOVE CAPYBARAS i love them so much. i have a capy plushie and he has a turtle backpack.

are you musical?: i played both violin and piano for like eight years? and i can sing if i try LOL

what were you like as a child?: anxious and shy. every teacher would love if i could participate more.

favorite subject at school?: biology & geography.

least favorite subject?: when i had to take it, history. that shit was boringgggg i'm so sorry. of the compulsory ones, probs english. i take everything at face value (autism) so hated poetry and having to analyse every fuckin sentence in a book.

what's your best character trait?: my honesty.

what's your worst character trait?: also my honesty.

if you could change any detail of your day right now what would it be?: idk make this shit more exciting probably. i'd put myself on a nice holiday.

if you could travel in time who would you like to meet?: a cowboy from the old west. and then he'd fall in love with me.

recommend one of your favorite fanfics (spread the love!): okay okay i LOVE seams by @fuckyeahdindjarin <3

npt: @burntheedges @milla-frenchy @evolnoomym @guiltyasdave @604to647

@sixhours @joelmillerisapunk @oonajaeadira @strang3lov3 @whocaresstillthelouvre

@mrsmando @mountainsandmayhem @sanarsi @mermaidgirl30 @sizzlingcloudmentality <3

[cherikdogfood]

Do you have any otps besides Cherik?? 👀

Hi!!! thank you for the ask and I'm so, so sorry it took me so long to reply. It's been a rough couple of days and I really liked this ask, so i didn't want to rush my answer or answer it when i'm in a bad mood hehe.

thank you for the ask anon!! (please know i really like this ask hehe). I'm sorry, I think I got carried away with my reply, hehe. It's, very, very long.

If you're asking about otps within the X-Men or Marvel as a whole, then no, I don't have any other otps besides cherik. Cherik is my love, my life, the One True Pairing~~

ofc this doesn't mean i'm not open to other ships... i enjoy reading or seeing the multitude of ships within the X-Men fandom, but none have screamed "OTP!!!" at me, so yeah...

BUT if you're asking outside the xmen/marvel fandom... THEN YES I DO HAVE OTHER OTPS!!!! and i'm screaming about them rn!!!

unfortunately the otps i love (other than cherik) is not popular, like, at all. it's not from famous western media and the fanfics about them in ao3 is so... few. like, 30 tops. it makes me soo sad, but I'm kinda hesitant to scream about them on this blog because this is, primarily, a cherik blog and people don't know them, y'know?

I won't mention the name of the ship(s) (i want to keep you guessing muahaha) but I have two other otps

a) This one, let's call it the S/W ship. (It's m/m, in case you're confused). it has TONS of parallels to cherik. for instance, both guys love each other so, so much, but because they have different ideologies, they're standing on opposite sides of the war. (it's so much like cherik damn it).

there was this scene, where W sneaks into a place to steal confidential information and stuff. He runs into S, and basically S holds him (W) at gunpoint. the two are bickering, fighting and persuading each other to abandon their ideologies...

And all this time S is holding W at gunpoint, as I mentioned, but W is super chill about it. He's fine. He doesn't even flinch lol.

But when W's fellow spies arrive and they point all their guns at S... That's when W really panics and loses it.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot! DON'T SHOOT!"

W yelled like three times, and, I kid you not, he looked so, so panicked and afraid that they would shoot S. ...like, if this doesn't scream love what does? When someone points a gun at you you're fine, but when people point gun at your husband you panic? GAYYYY

Okay, here's another parallel with cherik: I'm sure cherik fans know the infamous scene where Pyro basically says, we should've killed Prof X, and Magneto goes, bitch you did *not* just say that!

Well, this ship has a similar scene like that!! Basically there's a confrontation between W and S's secretary, who says W is nothing but trash without S.

Now at this point in time W and S are basically divorced/they've went their separate ways because of their different ideologies etc, AND THEN ofc S defends W, vehemently.

And then a bad guy pops up and he's accusing S of a crime. [Actually the one who did this "crime" is W, but he's managed to hide his tracks well].

When W realizes that the Bad Guy wants to put S in jail (even tho there's no proof that S did it), he willingly admits that he did the "crime". Now, mind you, this is the guy who went to great lengths to protect himself and erase all evidence about the crime, and he's been in hiding for a while, but because he doesn't want S to go to jail, he willingly admits he did it.

AND THEN, just when I thought things couldn't get any better, S takes the blame for the crime.

(are you confused? Here's a shortened version of events):

Bad Guy: S, you're suspected of a crime. I'm taking you to jail.

W: No!!! The truth is, I did it!!

S: No, I did it. W is just working for me, he is my person!!

W: No!!! I'm not working for you anymore!! (we're divorced remember?)

S: Shut up, I'm the one who did it!

W: No!!! Bad Guy, you have to believe me, I did it!!!

Bad Guy: ...stop flirting in front of me, okay? If you both want to go to jail just go together and flirt there.

Yeah, that's.. basically what happened.

I may have spiralled a bit, this is so long lol. That's my first OTP :)

(do let me know if you want to know who they are or from what show!!! I need someone who'll listen to me scream about them fr)

b) My second OTP is less... wow, I guess? Like the previous one, this OTP is not famous, at all. It's not from popular western media either and I have only found ONE post on Tumblr about this. (I kid you not)

I'm not done reading this particular one yet, so I don't have that much stuff to rave about this OTP...

But imagine this, you're a killer. Your instinct is to kill (it literally gives you an adrenaline rush + makes you stronger). It's a curse imbedded in you.

Oh, but you stopped killing someone?

Why, because you were thinking of your "brother"????? (Cherik gay montage, cough cough)

Yeah, that's basically them lol. I really ship these two characters but I don't have enough material about them and their gayness.... But yeah, they scream OTP to me...

Damn that was long. Very sorry about that, anon. Again, sorry for the late reply and thank you so much for this ask, I'm so happy hehe :)

Have a nice day.

[spiritsglade]

hiiii can i get character breakdowns for connor and steph :33

[character breakdown]

hi birdie :]

connor hawke:

How I feel about this character

he's sort of peripheral to the characters i am reading at the moment (ollie, roy, kyle) but i like him a lot!!! i feel like you don't get a lot of softspoken characters in superhero comics in general so he sort of stands out in that way. i like his design. i'm a big fan of him being canon asexual YAYYY REP FOR ME!!!

All the people I ship romantically with this character

connorkyle i absolutely see the appeal of. something polyam with wally in there is also fun.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

not me having like a top four for this question that is all tied lol. i think if forced to pick i'm gonna have to say roy, though? their canon interactions in the arsenal mini + whatever that ga 2001 issue is were just really fun to me. bonding over their complicated relationship with ollie + they're just such different people still mesh so well. big fan.

My unpopular opinion about this character

i do not know people's opinions on him because no one talks about him!!!! more people should care about him. shaking you by your shoulders i am demanding you pay more attention to connor hawke. i also need to do this. my comic to read list is so long,

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

please stop whitewashing him.

stephanie brown:

How I feel about this character

BIG FAN OF HER. she's SO COOL. i have a better grasp on her characterization than i do on her actual lore so i'll need to backtrack and fill that in at some point, but in the meantime. she's great. her stubbornness is probably my favorite. like it takes a certain type of person to go out vigilanting without batman's resources and she did that!! awesome. good for her.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

stephcass is the big one. they are so in love it's actually incredible like i simply cannot argue against the evidence. and i don't want to!!! they should kiss.

i think timsteph is fine? no strong feelings. and jaysteph is fine in an intriguing way. stephcassrose i heard of like one time and yeah i can see it.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

can i say stephcass platonic edition. um. steph & damian. she's literally the perfect person to get through to him. their friendship is important to me.

My unpopular opinion about this character

i don't think i have one?? i think my opinions are pretty in line with her fans'. idk i keep on returning to her moral code but i don't really have anything to comment on it besides i don't think i grasp it very well and i need to work on that comprehension.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

she should continue the tradition of shittalking batman. she should be doing that more.