#i'm not saying the ships are the same they just. appeal to me in a very similar way

[bo0tleg]

Despite being head over heels in love with Ice and Mav's dynamic in the original Top Gun, the same dynamic in Top Gun Maverick with Rooster and Hangman never worked for me. This is my attempt at voicing why:

DISCLAIMER: This was not created with the intention to offend anybody who ships Hangster/Sereshaw. It is simply my understanding of their relationship, and why it doesn't appeal to me. Opinions are like the butthole, everybody has their own. By all means, continue shipping them if you want to, this is only for fun.

Hangman and Rooster's entire relationship is based on resentment.

Unlike Mav and Ice, they have history. There's something from the past that lingers in all of their interactions, poisoning all of their words and actions.

Hangman is frustrated with Rooster, all the time. Of course, he banters with everyone, Phoenix about her gender, Bob about his callsign, but those are more 5th Grader Playground insults than anything. It's different with Rooster, and not in a good way.

When it comes to Rooster, Hangman goes straight to insult his character. He doubts his judgement, insults his way of being and flying, prods about how he needs to change if he wants to fly the mission.

With Ice, he was criticizing Maverick, not insulting him. Hangman is both criticizing AND insulting Rooster because he perceives him in a less that ideal light.

Hangman doesn't understand why Rooster flies the way that he does, and doesn't try to either. He just sees it as wrong and doesn't think twice about it. He goes straight to insulting him because he thinks that it's wrong, and that it's something about Rooster that needs to be fixed.

And Rooster is constantly exasperated because of it. Hangman prods, and jabs, and insults Rooster, but it never works. The more Hangman pokes, the more Rooster closes up, frustrated. He gets angry, pissed and becomes much LESS inclined to listen to anything Hangman is saying.

Rooster doesn't work well under pressure. And that's the only way Hangman operates.

Throughout the movie, Rooster doesn't listen to Hangman once. He might've been right about Rooster being too slow, but it only fell on deaf ears (not to say that he was right to bring up Goose's death, he was defo wrong about that one). All it causes is strife, to the point where Rooster almost punches Hangman because of how infuriating he was to him.

The entire movie, Hangman provoked Rooster to get him to stop being the way he is, because he sees it as a flaw of character. And it doesn't work.

Rooster only drops his need for playing it safe when Maverick tells him to 'Not think, just do'. Because Mav only gave him a push in the right direction, not throw in his face all of his flaws.

(Side note: This is also the reason Rooster doesn't listen to Mav in their argument, because he thinks Maverick was insulting his way of being by saying he wasn't ready. On the mission, by selecting Rooster as his wingman, he recognizes that he is ready, and that he trusts him with his life. Making him more inclined to listen to Mav once in the canyon.)

A relationship where one person is constantly frustrated by the other and the other is constantly exasperated by the former doesn't work.

Because that's how they are, and that's how they function, and it isn't going to change.

Rooster isn't going to stop frustrating Hangman because that's how he works, and Hangman isn't going to stop making Rooster exasperated because he doesn't know how else to voice his feelings.

I can see where the ship comes from, because obviously. Their homoerotic tension could be seen from space. I totally believe that they might have had a fling in the past that ended badly, and that they possibly could have hooked up at some point in the movie in the 'Hate Sex' vein of things. I just don't think it'd be anything beyond that.

They wouldn't work in the long haul, is what I'm trying to say.

They're too similar, and too different at the same time.

They're both hothead stubborn motherfuckers that couldn't come to an agreement if they tried.

And you might show me the scene where Hangman is happy about Dagger 2 hitting the target, and him being absolutely devastated when the same hornet is shot down. I recognize it, it demonstrates care. Hangman cares.

Thing is, that doesn't change anything that I said prior to that.

It's possible to resent, despise, be bitter towards and irritated by someone and still care about them. It's possible to hate them and still care. Hate them, and feel like you don't hate them all the time. Human emotion is a funny thing like that, nothing is ever black and white, always varying shades of gray.

Just because they hate each other (and yes, that is the reading I have on them, doesn't stop them from being horny fuckers about each other tho) doesn't mean they want the other dead.

I believe it's similar to the sentiment of "I hope you get everything you ever wished for, and that I never hear a word about it". Similar, but not the same, in a way I do not know how to describe. Thus, I used that to give the same vibe.

I can't see any future for them, in any shape or form. They hold too many grudges against each other, and both of them have a tendency of holding on to old (bad) feelings far too strongly. Even if they work through whatever problems they have now, new ones would emerge and they would go through the same process again and again and again.

That isn't healthy nor stable. It's not what either of them should strive for in a relationship. With that, I'd probably say that both of them need stable people that hold logic to high regard, and that are easy going (I say that in general terms, with no one specific in mind for either of them).

All that being said, this is my opinion. This is how I view them, and understand their relationship. They don't work for me because I see no logical way they could.

If they work for you, that's great! Enjoy the air gays 2.0 to your hearts contentment, I'm happy for you.

This was just a fun analysis of my vision, with no intention to diminish anyone who might enjoy them.

[lecoindecachou]

Think about it

[dizzying-faust]

Sol//Ky is one of those ships where I get the appeal of it and why it's an important fandom ship, but I still personally find it mid.

[cherrybyunss]

Ship: Park Jisung (NCT) x female reader

Word Count: 1.8k

Tags: Explicit Sexual Content, Mentions of Alcohol Consumption, Smoking, Dirty Talking, Oral (M receiving), Fingering, Protected Sex, Nipple Play.

A/N: This is the first scene of the new fiction I'm working on called "Make Me Feel Lightweight", which was inspired by the song "Streets" by Doja Cat. And by inspired, I mean I was listening to the song an started writing. The entire story is a little angsty but this excerpt is just pure smut, so till I'm done, please go ahead and enjoy whatever smut excerpts I post on here lol.

Warnings: 18+ (minors DNI), not proofread, protection is important, this is purely fictional and has nothing to do with the real idol.

cheryybyunss Masterlist

________________

“Hey.” 

Courtesy of the flashing lights and loud music of the club, combined with the alcohol in your system, you’d barely heard yourself, but you were sure you had the attention of the man you’d whispered to, with the lingering touch, and the dangerous eye contact – his body language matching your own flirtatious one. 

“Hi.” 

Jisung was a junior in college. He was a part of the brother fraternity of the sorority you used to be in. Part of the same social circle, you’d talked to him enough over the past couple years, quantitatively and qualitatively, to occasionally be considered close. 

You showed him the cigarette in your hand. You wished to smoke with him alone, and he seemed to love the idea, for he took your hand and led the two of you to a secluded corner where the bass from the sound system didn’t feel like your own heartbeat. 

“Say,” You spoke as Jisung took the last puff. “Are you single?” Just to be sure. 

“Yes.” Jisung breathed, exhaling the smoke. Damn was he hot. 

But you knew that. “Do you do hook-ups?” 

“Yes.” His eyes got darker, in spite of the ghost of a smile appearing on his lips. 

“And...” You stepped in front of him as you spoke. “Do you...” You moved in closer and spoke against his ear. “Hook up with people you might have to see again...” You made your way down his ear, your lips ever so slightly tracing the skin. “And again...” You breathed against his neck, as if waiting for his permission. “And again.” 

You felt him snap as he turned you around and slammed you against the wall, and his lips against yours. You felt your soul leave your body from how fucking good that felt in your tummy. Jisung was hot. 

His hand grabbed your waist under your top, and you gasped, clutching his back and shoulders for support. The longer you kissed, the more desperate you grew, and Jisung was the same. 

He pushed your chin up with his thumb as he frantically moved down to kiss your neck with the same heat, and you moaned, your eyes rolling to the back. 

Ah yes. Just what you’d wanted. 

He found a weak spot, and sucked, and you positively lost your mind.  

He pulled away, catching his breath, mercifully letting you do the same, and looked at you with eyes that made chills run down your spine. 

“You sure like dangerous games.” He spoke, not looking away even for a second. 

And you smiled playfully in the drunken haze, as you took his hand, slowly bringing his fingers up to your mouth, and his eyes turned dark with anticipation. 

You licked a stripe up his fingers, looking him straight in the eyes, before closing in on two, and taking your sweet time pulling them out as you sucked in. 

You were making your own case worse if you were being honest, for his hands were the fucking epitome of sex appeal, and the reason you’d first gotten off to the thought of the younger boy fucking you. 

But you could see him gradually lose his mind as his breathing got heavier, and reveled in the effect you were having, pressing your legs together for your own sake. 

Jisung was hot.  

You leaned in, whispering into his ear again. “You wish you were privy to the games I like, sweetheart.” 

And he grabbed your hand and made his way across the club. 

You were sure some of your friends had seen you. And maybe you weren’t supposed to fuck Jisung. But it was way past you to care. You had nothing to lose anymore. 

The restroom would’ve been a nuisance, so you ever so discreetly snuck the two of you into the staff-only restroom, which turned out to be way cleaner and more spacious than you’d imagined. 

But that thought could only last so long when Jisung pushed you up against the counter in front of the mirror, using his own arm as a shield from the impact as the other circled your waist so your back was pressed up against his chest. 

He nuzzled into your neck as the two of you stood face to face with your reflection, before licking a strip up to a sensitive spot, and sucked again, tightening his grip on your waist. 

You gasped as your eyes rolled shut, and your head fell back onto his shoulder, giving him access for more. But you needed to see. See how bothered you looked at his mercy.

“Allow me,” He looked your reflection straight in the eyes as whispered against your ear, and you felt yourself lose your mind as you felt impossibly turned on by him. 

His hand moved down, making you burn in anticipation, before he pulled your skirt up and ran a couple fingers between your legs. 

You shuddered, your legs almost giving in. 

He pushed the cloth adorning your core to the side, and exhaled as his fingers massaged the slit, making your breath come out in broken moans. 

“So fucking wet...” Jisung spoke before biting onto your ear. 

“Aah–”  

He teased the clit and entrance a little, simultaneously leaving hickeys on your neck and shoulders. 

But you groaned in desperation, and he bit down onto your skin as he pushed a finger inside and curled it onto the sweetest spot, and you saw stars. 

Not allowing you fall forward, he propped your chin up with his thumb. “Look at you, so pretty.”

He hummed in satisfaction, a dark smile appearing on his face when you clenched around his fingers. His compliment had a condescending tone but you loved every bit of it.

He found the perfect rhythm as you screamed in ecstasy, your back arching away from him and legs closing in, but you were no match for his strength, for he continued to assault that one spot till you were clenching around his fingers and begging him not to stop.

“Jisung–” You were cut off by your own moaning. “Oh my god, that feels amazing!” You managed to exclaim.

Jisung smiled, and you caught the sight of him just in time as he licked a strip up against your ear and breathed, “Cum for me.”

You felt your soul leave your body as you came all onto his fingers, and he knew exactly how to let you ride that wave out. It was the best fucking orgasm you’d had in a long time.

And looking at the mess you called yourself in the mirror through and after it – with your flushed out cheeks and teary eyes, made you feel butterflies in your stomach – a feeling you knew you wouldn’t be acknowledging ever again.

Jisung only waited till you’d caught your breath before turning you around and kissing you like a man starved. And not yet having recovered completely at all, it made you lose your balance.

One of your hands latched onto his shoulder, as you supported yourself up against the slab with the other.

His tight grip on your waist, combined with the heat he kissed you with was starting to make you dizzy, when you felt his hard on against your abdomen, and of all feelings, it made you blush.

Never breaking away from him – for it felt like you never could, one of your hands travelled forth on its own, and you heard Jisung gasp when you bit his lip at the same time as you gave his length a stroke.

Jisung pulled away and looked at you with shadowed eyes, and breath heavy. And you felt your walls clench around nothing.

“Do you have a condom?” You spoke.

And Jisung wasted no time before pulling his wallet out of his back pocket, and taking out the condom before discarding the wallet onto the counter.

He watched you as you unbuckled his belt and lowered yourself onto the floor.

Jisung was big.

The initial shock wore off as he caressed your hair, setting your skin on fire, before holding all the hair back so you had none in your way.

You’d had guys acting like this all the time, but Jisung was driving you haywire for some reason.

He was hard already, standing bigger than anything you thought your already sensitive core could take at the time but you couldn’t help but give him a couple of strokes, meeting his eyes every now and then, before taking the length into your mouth, and sucking.

Jisung took  sharp breath, his grip on your hair tightening.

You continued to work your mouth in ways you knew would drive him crazy, and his groans and sighs felt like music to your ears.

Saving yourself from getting carried away, you pulled away and stood up. And thankfully, Jisung needed no instructions, for he grabbed your waist and slip you onto the counter top before pulling your panties off and discarding them.

He rolled the condom on, lined his cock up against your entrance, and with a singular nod from you, he rammed into you, making you grab onto him and scream.

Oh my god! It was absolutely outrageous how amazing Jisung felt.

“Aaah–” Your screams came out in broken moans with every thrust as you felt yourself get consumed by pleasure in lieu of sanity.

“You like that?”

“Fuck yes! Jisung– Aah! Please don’t s-stop!”

“Of course, baby.” He spoke in a harsh voice, and bit your ear, increasing the force he was using, and you positively lost any semblance of grace you’d ever felt.

One of Jisung’s hands went behind you, and he undid the clasp your bra, before pulling your top down, and exposing your breasts to him.

He grabbed one of them, still fucking into you like an animal, and sucked onto your nipple. And your back arched as your primitive self practically took over with how loud you allowed yourself to scream as you came.

Jisung fucked you through your orgasm, the way you clenched around him triggering his own, hands desperately gripping onto the other as waves of pleasure washed over the two of you.

Both of you stayed in the same position till you caught your breath, and then looked at each other, before a smile made its way onto both of your faces.

Jisung carefully pulled away, discarding the condom, and getting to cleaning up after the two of you.

“Fuck.” You said, and grinned as you sat atop the slab.

“What?” Jisung smiled softly himself.

“I needed you to be good at this so bad.” You said, covering your face sheepishly.

And Jisung chuckled. “I’m assuming I was.”

“An understatement, if I may.”

Jisung walked over in front of you, cupped your face with one of his hands, and kissed you.

Your eyes fell shut, and a familiar feeling returned.

Jisung kissed your jaw, and then neck one more time before pulling away.

“Should I be looking forward to getting used to this?” He smiled.

And you felt the sinking feeling deepen till it clutched your brain.

You shook your head, plopping yourself up on the floor with your hands.

“It was a one-time thing, Ji.”

Jisung looked like a mix of puzzled and disappointed. Rightfully so.

“I have someone I love.”

________________

cheryybyunss Masterlist

[nihilnovisubsole]

something i've been thinking about as GDC comes around again: it's amazing to sit in the same room with Real Industry People and hear the truth of why certain story decisions happened the way they did. studio games are odd group projects that take a really long time to make, and there are many irons in the fire and many interests at play. sometimes the stars align and a team gets a laser vision, creative freedom, and the budget they need, and they ship the thing they meant to ship.

but not always. if a character you love got killed off, it's entirely possible that their original writer left or they couldn't bring the voice actor back. or leadership wanted to close down old story arcs and tie up loose ends, or someone felt new characters would bring in a new audience. if a series seemed to drop a plot thread in a sequel, it's possible that the narrative team wanted to include it and it got cut for scope. or shareholders wanted to appeal to a different part of the playerbase. or the team had internal creative conflict, or any number of reasons as simple as "it got lost in the shuffle because we did so many rewrites". [important disclosure: i'm not vagueposting about specific games here. i'm just rattling possibilities off. resemblance, unintentional, etc.]

and of course that's not a phenomenon unique to video games. tv shows make snap decisions when they get canceled before the planned end of the story or a cast member wants to leave. movies' plots can change when a new director comes on board, or they bring in a script doctor, or an actor's problems interfere with the shoot. even louisa may alcott changed little women's ending over concerns that if jo remained unmarried, the book wouldn't sell. i'm not sure whether it was her publisher or she worried about it herself, but the point is, something got altered, and it can happen anywhere.

as a fan, i found these developers' stories both comforting and vindicating. for a long time, i've felt like someone riding two horses at once: the fanfic-and-OC girl playing on other writers' playgrounds, and now also the staff writer who sees how the sausage gets made. i've been affected - probably overmuch - by a character's sad end, only to learn that some third party or outside motive influenced it. i've met writers who also didn't like where a plot was going, but didn't have enough seniority on the team to protest it. i've heard stories along the lines of, "we were trying to make lemonade, man," and what shocked me more than the revelation is the peace i gained from it. it's a miracle the games shipped at all. the things that got made, got made. between professionals, it's neither heretical nor some wild flight of irrationality to ask, "what if things had gone a different way?"

and, i mean, it would be both cynical and incorrect to wave it all off and say that no storytelling motives are ever wholesome. some characters die because it's the logical conclusion to their arc. some universes with complicated worldbuilding benefit from narrowing their focus and shaving off a few subplots. i'm just saying many things are possible. when you only sit on the fan side, it's easy to feel like Canon™ looms above you, inviolable, when you're really in conversation with it. there's a lot of power in saying "i respect the team's accomplishments, but i would've made different choices." you'd be surprised how often the team agrees with you.

[chubs-deuce]

Haaard agree on anti-Chaggie post (so sorry Chaggie shippers. We love you)

Alastor is known to steal the attention of people whenever he is on screen. But when he is with Charlie it makes it more interesting! They bounce off of each other in an entertaining way. Even if you don't ship them they are funny. Alastor is getting a kick out of just talking to Charlie. He finds her amusing (probably in a mean way lol). And Charlie while thinks he is an asshole, (cus he is!) she sees he tries to help her even with an obvious hidden ulterior motive.

They don't see eye to eye in their goals but at least they are both real characters with their own motivations and that makes them very dynamic with each other. Also they are both goofs, love 'em

Chaggie has fans within people that just want cute and non-dramatic relationships. Or just a queer couple that is wholesome without any dramatics. Valid!

It's just awkward that Vaggie is all about Charlie. This one thing puts me off. Considering my previous experience with it was in Steven Universe (Rose and Pearl, anyone?). But it's just personal thing. Sometimes things like that are funny like "they are obsessed with this person lololo" or "they are... Uncomfortably obsessed with this person"

[I think it depends on if the other person is on the same level? Charlie seemed somehow dismissive of Vaggie but it can be explained that the plot was just more focused on hotel than them (ugh 8eps. waiting for S2 to have fillers).]

Shipping is all about preferences and that's okay! My friend is a Chaggie shipper and I am a Charlastor shipper. I asked her to explain to me the appeal and she explained it as "a cute couple that has no conflict whatsoever. People like that exist and it's more common than very dramatic or action-driven couples". And I just like a bit fucked up dynamics where I watch someone in that dynamic go through some emotional turmoil (mostly Alastor<3) and also co-workers/housemates dynamic (when I need something cute and simple)

Some people just prefer down to earth things, especially if their life is a rollercoaster. What's important is to respect each other!

Sorry for a lil essay. I just think sometimes it's important to say "these are prefrences. We don't hate you for not liking your thing and the same goes in vice versa"

All fandoms have a group of people that is.... A bit too devoted to something. Respect others even if they don't like the same thing you do. Instead ask them to explain to you why they like it in a non-hostile manner or don't interact at all.

We're all tired of shipping wars, especially when some companies add oil to this fire to monetize more. I just want to get back to old fandom days when you both would be shopping different things and then end up in a make out session /j

Sorry for an essay again. Love your art, especially when you draw unhinged or going insane Alastor because Charlie makes him "feel". Thanks for all the content<3

This!!! So much this!!!

I hardly even need to add anything to this tbh, you already said everything that needs to be said perfectly!

I often like to think of shipping as the more adult version of playing with dolls, and that different people will play with their dolls differently! Some may prefer to follow the instructions on the packaging, playing with the toys exactly as intended, whereas others might find that boring and instead prefer to mix things up and do their own thing!

How I play with my set of dolls should have absolutely no impact on how you play with your own.

Thank you so much for writing out this ask, I'm honestly really glad to see that common sense and critical thinking skills within fandoms haven't completely died out yet lmfao

[dasinclair]

At first I was kind of grossed out by the concept of Debbie x Cecil because to me all their interactions seem pretty negative, but now I'm interested- what is appealing about the ship to you?

"this is why i have always hated you, cecil."

"it's why i hate me too."

i think their interactions are incredibly bittersweet. cecil is in a position where he can't afford to get attached to anyone, where his personal feelings shouldn't and can't matter in the big picture, and yet it's clear that he cares so deeply for debbie. he's looking out for her always. he hates ever having to hurt her, and he hates himself for it when he does

cecil is more gentle interacting with debbie than with anyone else. he wants to give her peace of mind, make her life easier - he pleads with her not to take on oliver's care by herself. is it unethical for him to "keep an eye on her" the way he does? yes. but he's so concerned for her well-being, and he can't help but show it in distant and not-so-distant ways

there's the history between them... the show portrays cecil as something like a longtime family friend to nolan & debbie, and he and debbie both blame themselves for being "fooled" by nolan. nolan was always the link between them, and now there's this big empty space there, but they're still entangled with each other. cecil wants to help her pick up the pieces, but at the same time he's a painful reminder. it's complicated

debbie resents cecil for the way he is - for having these Mysterious Duties that he has to disregard emotion AND morality for - but, having been married to a superhero for so long, i think she also understands that sense of duty even when she's frustrated and hurt by it. she sees him go face-to-face with nolan and defend her, she knows what he's trying to say when he misspeaks about "back to normal"... maybe, despite it all, she's the one who comes closest to understanding him? at least outside of the gda. she can say things to him that he needs to hear, things that no one else would say to him, and he listens

cecil is one of the only people who can even begin to understand and relate to the depth of debbie's pain, and it has this tense and tragic element that i find really compelling. i think they really could find something resembling solace in each other, breaking through all sorts of emotional barriers to get there. things they don't even have to talk about, maybe because it hurts too much, but also because they just know. i hope that makes sense

[dapper-lil-arts]

So, what are your favorite MLP ships? I don't know if you've already been asked this before, but meh

less about being asked, more about me posting them nonstop lmao;

#1 Sunlight - (Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle) Number one and two are interchangable due to my mood, because theyre both incredible, and easily fit on a "favorite ships of all time" list i could make for myself. Sunset and Twilight shipping is to me in general all about potential. And if im talking endgame, the show would have ended so, so much better, if there were two lesbians inheriting the night and day. These two are it, with flying colors. Going from rivals to friends to close friends to lovers that would do anything for eachother, to ruling the world in a golden age together, my goodness, this ship is like the chef's choice at a menu. I also may have written a large fanfic of how i would write an entire season of the show with Sunset on it, heheheheheh. Also worth stating, i concider Sunset x Scitwi To be on the same level, if not being the same ship, even if Scitwi is a diffrent character, if someone loves Twilight Sparkle, they would love her in all her versions. #2 Rarijack - (Rarity and Applejack) Did i say sunlight is the chef's choice at a menu? Rarijack is the whole fucking menu. What more can be said about the legend of how the most beautiful Unicorn and the strongest Earth Pony fell in love? The City girl x Country girl vibes are incredibly strong, the opposites attract is at it's PEAK, and both of these girls can easily concider themselves the luckiest women in the world for having the other. It was the first couple i shipped on the show when i watched passively, 'cause i instantly noticed their potential, and c'mon how couldn't anybody. They're the hydrogen bomb of mlp ships, and they could easily sustain an entire season on their back if it was about their love story, which is, painfully, not canon, like any of these ships. Also i'm literaly writing a fic that takes Shrek 1 and makes it about Rarijack and it's as dumbly amazing as it sounds #3 Startrix - (Starlight Glimmer and Trixie Lulamoon) Honestly this one is easy to ship because it's just endlessly funny. The biggest fail girl that almost destroyed the world falls for the only girl thats a bigger loser than her, and that is endlessly entertaining; specialy because compared to trixie, Starlight is the baddest bitch lmao, and they would hype eachother so much. (insert that post of loser ass gf being hyped up by other cool gf) And there's just an appeal to two unhinged women finding eachother and making eachother... better? worse? I think theyre both at their best when traveling together. #4 Flutterdash - (Fluttershy and Rainbow dash) Fun fact, i didn't ship this until i wrote "the return of midnight sparkle" i just had to write scenes with certain themes, and i realised it would be helpful to further the themes and plot and character development of the protagonist if Rainbow and Fluttershy were macking on eachother. And it grew on me! Daredevil girl and shy girl lift eachother up and improve eachother. Honorable mention: That one ship with with Cadance, Shining armor, and Chrysalis; because it is honestly funny as fuck; no matter how you spin it, be it cadance and chrysalis mack on eachother and shining tolerates it, or the Princess and the Queen have a silent rivalry as they try to be with their himbo, or even if the three of them gross together. it's always funny. (queue chrysalis with the "im not the stepdad im the dad that stepped up" shirt while playing with flurryheart)

[always---wrong]

Okay, so I wanted to discuss the situation with Alastor, his canonical sexuality, and fans.

I have seen the two sides alot.

So one side ships Al with numerous characters and sees this as casual fun.

And the other thinks this is disrespectful cause he is ace, or Aroace.

(I believe that he is Aroace. His va said so, his character has shown no interest in romance, and Viv may have confirmed it at some point)

Now, I am sex repulsed ace and I'm aro. And I have strong opinions. Alastor is my favorite character in Hazbin Hotel, he is also the FIRST confirmed ace character I've seen. (This doesn't include subtly implied characters) Because Al is the first and I care for him he is very important to me.

My opinion is really mixed because on one side it's; yeah, it is a fandom, and fandoms ship. It's what they do. Its also kind a rude to judge someone for their favorite pairings and stuff, in my opinion.

On the other side though I'm hurt. I am a queer person with basically no rep. And I hadn't realized how upset I was by this until I saw discourse over this character. I had FORGOTTEN that it was possible to have confirmed canonical ace characters. I had gotten so used to that just being a head cannon. And not only just an ace character but also an Aroace character. And not just that but a seemingly non sex favorable ace character. I would even argue he is sex repulsed.

My real problem with all this is:

Yes, I KNOW ace characters can have sex. But do you know who else can? Literally every single allosexual character. I KNOW aros can date. But you know who else can? Everyone else. The appeal of ACTUALLY having characters with the same sexuality as me is that they would be like me. Cause I and other aces like me never, ever get stories like that. So many times in media I would be enjoying a character who had shown NO interest in sex/romance and would suddenly be partnered up with another just for the heck of it. This has happened SO many times it's not even funny. It's incredibly frustrating.

So, the point I'm trying to make is that; YES, there are aces who have sex. HOWEVER, a large number of us do not. And it's like everyone forgets that. Your not writing Alastor having sex with Angel cause your showing the vast spectrum of asexuality. Your most likely writing it cause it's sex between two hot characters. It's simply maddening.

(One thing I wanted to say was, despite the fact that Al is ace i don't think it's bad to find him attractive. He is very pleasing to look at so I understand allos finding him hot. However I'm not sure where I stand with people sexualizing him. I think I'm leaning towards, 'please don't do it'.)

Now, the worst thing though is when I'm looking for content to enjoy. When I found out Al was canonically ace I was so happy and excited. I'm pretty sure this situation wouldn't make me nearly as frustrated if it weren't for the overwhelming amount of sexual content for Al. Some would be fine. I could just scroll past it if this were the case. But it is not. Content for Al is MOSTLY sexual. That's why I don't believe people when they keep saying they aren't invalidating aces because almost every time I go looking for a fic I have to scroll for HOURS just to find few non ship fics.

I can't even use the Asexual Alastor tag because all that does is bring me to a bunch of fics where the author is like 'he's ace trust me,' then proceeds to write smut.

Why can't I even use a tag made for aces without being drowned in smut. It's so frustrating! Like I'm getting to a point where I wish the authors would stop using the tag and openly admit they made him not ace for the story. Like I know your trying to not throw away his canonical sexuality but I mean at this point I think it'd be better if you did. And if someone is going to write sex favorable ace Al then please leave it to the aces. I trust us to at least weave it into his character instead of stating it and acting like it's there when it's not.

So basically: I don't mind if you ship him, just don't say he's ace or Aroace if your neither of those in ship/smut content. I'm sick of trying to find content that isn't sex/romance in Aroace tags!

I don't want to judge people for liking a ship. But I'm really tired.

ON A DIFFERENT NOTE, I would love to see content with Al and Lucifer. Like them hating each other to like frenemies. It would be so funny.

Anyone have any platonic content with Al and the rest of the cast???

[trexiejan]

My opinion : Babs was deaged to be with Dick.

Okay so I've seen so many dickbabs shippers try to deny that Barbara was deaged to fit Dick for the purpose of defending dickbabs or make them look better i guess. They keep saying that wasn't the reason why she was deaged. they always point to the 1st time she got deaged.

like why are they so upset when they see people say that. I wonder if they care more about the ship than barbara as an individual character.

cuz if they truly liked Barbara separately from Dickbabs maybe all the anti-dickbabs comments wouldn't be an issue for them. 🤷‍♀️

anyway i'm going to explain why it's true.

here's the thing :

Barbara was deaged multiple times

Crisis on Infinite Earths wasn't the only time she was deaged, she got deaged again in other books/continuites.

So The real question is where did they deaged her to be the same age as Dick to make them work not when was she first deaged. (we all know it's always in dickbabs comics where she's written as the same age as dick, i wonder why)

The 1st time she was deaged was in Crisis on Infinite Earths, it was so Jim could be younger but they only decreased her age slightly because she's still written as older than Dick, here is a panel from Secret Origins #20 that was published in 1986 exactly 1 year after she was deaged in Crisis on infinite earths (1985) she said Dick is too young for her and that batman is always the one on her mind. So Dickbabs during this time still has a big age gap so they're still unable to work.

The 2nd or 3rd time she was deaged is in dickbabs comics where she was finally made the same age as Dick so dickbabs can finally work as romantic pairing. 

Instead of being older she's now written as a part of Dick's generation.

From a congresswoman to someone who went to highschool prom with Dick.

Even Tom Taylor wrote them as childhood sweethearts so he can portray them as soulmates in his comics. a huge wtf moment for me because Babs wasn't originally this young when she first met Dick 😭

pls She had a PHD, has been working as a librarian and congresswoman when dick was still a young boy in gotham.

Barbara is now written as a part of his generation and his one true love since day 1. (from an independent congresswoman to Dick's childhood sweetheart and girlfriend who revolves around him)

Before Dickbabs couldn't work because of their age gap but now they can work. thanks to dickbabs comics deaging barbara again and this time for the sole purpose of reducing Babs into Dick's love interest.

So Just because she wasn't deaged to be with Dick in her 1st deaging doesn't mean she wasn't deaged to be with Dick in her 2nd or 3rd deaging 🙃

Dickbabs shippers can deny it all they want but at the end of the day dickbabs wouldn't have worked out if she wasn't deaged to be the same age as dick.

and even if they're right, let's say for the sake of their argument they're right that babs wasn't deaged to be with dick, it still doesn't change the fact that dickbabs is weird.

Regardless if Babs was deaged to be with Dick or not, It's still weird to see Dick being put in a relationship with a woman who was originally a congresswoman when he was still in highschool.  

It's like deaging Batman into a teenager (like let's say it's because they want to make Bruce appealing to teenagers) but years later they decided to give him a love interest who is also a teenager as part of the new batman stories.

So even though his deaging has nothing to do with women or shipping in the first place, it's still weird to suddenly see Batman in a relationship with women who are a part of dick's generation knowing he was originally much older than them.

Like Bruce/Raven or Bruce/Starfire suddenly becoming a thing 🤢 No amount of deaging would be able to justify those pairings.

The same happened to Barbara she was originally a part of Batman and Superman's generation.

for goodness sake she dated Superman!!!! She was so much older than Dick.

Also remember when Dickbabs was originally a pedo-like ship and it was so controversial and hated the same way Brucebabs was hated today? Because Barbara the adult woman is kissing minor grayson but now she's fully making out and having sex with minor grayson in dickbabs comics.

The reason why Dickbabs fans don't want people talking about this is because they care more about making dickbabs look good than barbara's independence. They don't care that Barbara lost her independence, her phd, her solo careers, her librarian and congresswoman job because of dickbabs shipping.

They don't view Barbara as a character seperate from dick. Barbara is trapped in this relationship because of people like them. They don't fight for Barbara's independence. The only thing they want from her is to be the girlfriend of Dick and nothing else. It is so hard for them to let Barbara Gordon be independent and not just “Nightwings girlfriend."

Barbara's real enemy is the dickbabs ship. Before, she is able to stand on her own, but now she's nothing more than just a love interest who can't live without dick and too dependent on him and his solo books to exist.

DC really needs to get Barbara some actual character building that doesn't involve Nightwing whatsoever but it's hard to do that when she won't even stop chasing Dick nonstop like a dog in his solo books and thinking about him 24/7 because of writers like tom taylor who is always busy making babs' entire personality all about dick than writing solo babs stories.

Dickbabs is unnecessary and disservice to her character, it does nothing for her independence. She is forever demoted to Dick's love interest unless they free her from this ship.

poor babs she deserves better than people who only want to associate her with dick 24/7.

[ambrosiagourmet]

I notice no one has asked yet so for the character thing: laios! Or if you want to go for a less common one: the winged lion

Laios!!!!!!

First impression

Honestly its hard to even limit this within the confines of starting the actual manga. I genuinely think I'd have to say my real first impression of Laios was the "autism be damned, my boy can work a grill" joke that gets passed around a lot 😭

Impression now

Older brother.

Loves his friends and family so much. Let him infodump!!!!! A guy that can character arc so hard he becomes a king because its the only way to deal with the things he can no longer let himself look away from. A guy who wants to eat a good meal. A guy who wants everyone to eat a good meal.

A guy who can be all that and still kind of pettily complain that he doesn't get to hang out with monsters anymore & can mope about it soooo annoyingly. A guy who decided to eat the concept of all-consuming hunger because it was the only way to deal with the problem so he might as well try. A guy who can completely change his life by deciding to share his special interest. A guy who can imitate a dog really well.

Favorite moment

Don't make me choooose... okay I'm gonna do three:

1. Assembling Falin's bones with Marcille

The humor. The patience. The slow realization that, despite how absurd of a task it is, it is actually all possible. The moments of admiration for the way skeletons work, the love of the details, the care of assembling all three skeletons just to make sure they get Falin right. Iconic scene.

2. Killing Falin

"Unable to make myself accept. Unable to make myself resist" lives in my soul now idk what else to say. Life is so vibrant and horrifying and raw and beautiful and to let yourself fully be a part of it you must take up space. You must consume. You must fight. You must take and be taken from. Ourgh

3. Talking Marcille down

I love that he looks so goofy on his way up to her. I love the context of how much he refuses to give up on her leading up to this, and how he refuses to give up on her now. I love how everyone is part of this scene, but he's the first one to cross the threshold. I love how she almost blows him up but can't do it (fun fact: this exact situation/post was how she killed Mithrun a couple of chapters ago. It was close).

I love the way he appeals to her mostly just with messy honesty, and I love the silly three rules callback. It's such a sweet chapter.

Also honorary mention for the final page of the story, which gets me every time.

Idea for a story

I'm actually currently fiddling with a longer story concept dealing with the question of Laios needing an heir. Dungeon Meshi is grounded enough in politics that it genuinely feels like a question that the characters will have to grapple with at some point. At the same time, there's no way that like arranged marriage and even having kids in general are not messy topics for Laios and I don't think anyone involved would want to force him to be miserable.

(I also don't personally like the idea of Falin as his heir ftr, bc I think forcing Falin into that role sucks and I don't think anyone would go for it)

So how DO they deal with the issue? Idk! I might write a long meandering story about it! Maybe! I want to, at least.

Unpopular opinion

Ughhhh I don't realllly want to poke this with a stick but yeah I definitely think my most generic (apparently????) Unpopular Opinion with Laios is just that his relationship with Marcille is meaningful and loving. I personally don't view it as romantic and they mean a lot to me as a platonic-life-partners kind of thing, but I also think that dividing relationships in general into Ships TM and Definitely Not Ships isn't really appealing to me personally. I just care them.

(at the same time I really do worry about trying to write about them and it being taken as romantic despite me very intentionally not framing it as such. idk, navigating this stuff is complicated.)

Favorite relationship

UGHHHH LIKE. It is probably him and Marcille. But it's so hard to rank that against him and Falin. Both relationships mean a lot to me and I love them and I love to think about them.

Because him and Marcille have more on the page interactions to dig into and because I don't see them discussed as much, I do tend to gravitate to Marcille & Laios stuff above all else. But like.... don't make me actually commit to picking.

Favorite headcanon

I can't think of a strong answer for this so I'm going to make one up on the spot: I think he giggled to himself soooo much when he included the winged lion in his king outfit but made it so that it looks like the wolf head is eating it. I think he continues to giggle about it years later. I think he gets dressed in the morning and puts on his cloak and goes "get ate, idiot" as he fastens it around his shoulders.

Oh actually for a more genuine headcanon related to the story thing I mentioned above: I think Laios is really good with kids but would be scared of having any of his own. I think he'd have trouble with the classic "I don't want to mess them up the way my dad messed me up" abused kid struggle.

[destiel-wings]

I hope you don't mind me asking, but what are your thoughts on angel x buffy? :)

Hii i don't mind, thank you for asking 😊

So, I used to love bangel sooooo much when i first watched the show. I was 100% into it, (with a crush for Boreanaz too) and i cried so much for them in s2 and when Angel left the show in s3. And I truly, sincerely, unironically hated Spike too (I thought he was a great character but i just loved hating him, you know? Lol). When we saw Spike's dream of kissing Buffy I swear i felt nauseous.

... and then they aired Fool for love.

By the end of that episode I was left in utter existential crisis in front of my tv because i felt my whole world shift. There was a part of me that still liked Angel and Buffy, but there was also this new part that wanted her to be with Spike now.

So anyway, that's when i decided to switch teams and i became team spuffy, and for as much as i had been obsessed with bangel before, it was nothing compared to how deep i was caught into the Buffy and Spike relationship. I never looked back. They were just much more complex and real and compelling. And it made me reevaluate Angel and her relationship with him too. Angel never really knew Buffy, always treated her like a child, and let's be honest--and that's something that hit me only years later when I got older--she was a child when they were together. He was spying on her and falling in love with her when she was just fifteen years old and he was a 240-year-old vampire who had been sired at like 26 years old, and they got together when she was 16/17 and he broke up with her when she turned 18... I don't think that's something the writers did intentionally of course, because (as everything else in buffy) it's just meant to be taken as a metaphor for the ideals and struggles and the intensity of drama of a girl's first love, but it still comes off as icky.

And before anyone comes at me, I know spuffy isn't healthy either, but that's kinda the point and the appeal. First of all, it's fiction and a metaphor, and secondly, it's about two broken people that are supposed to be mortal enemies but are actually two sides of the same coin, so different and yet so much the same, who can understand each other as a whole, light and darkness, in a way that no one else ever could, who yes, hurt each other along the way, but whose love saved them from the deepest darkness, ultimately bringing them into the light.

This is what spuffy is to me, and this is why i think it's not only the superior ship, but one of the best ships of all time (thee best, until i saw destiel, now they're sharing the podium).

So anyway, to get back to your question, the moment i became obsessed with Buffy and Spike (and i have been ever since 2005, lmao, they've been my first real obsession, alongside btvs, until spn and destiel) Angel sort of became the enemy 😅. And I hated him so so so so so much when he appeared in 7x21 and kissed Buffy (pure fanservice, but okay) and brought the medallion that ultimately killed Spike. So i spent years very maturely holding my vendetta against Angel (like, rooting for every demon that fought against him when I watched Angel, lmaoo). In most recent years, I've (sort of) made my peace with the character, after rewatching Angel. I mean he's still the enemy (of course, duh!! Who am i if not eternally petty??) but i appreciate him in his own show.

So i don't ship Angel and Buffy anymore, but I can understand why someone would (as i myself used to), and more importantly, i respect other people's right to ship them.

If we're joking, I'm going to insult Angel and keep saying he's the enemy. But on a mature serious note, I think Buffy and Angel were a great first love (for Buffy), but they were supposed to be just that, the impossible teenage girl's dream of a first love, eternal but doomed to end and break your heart.

I think Angel was much more well paired with Cordelia (which is something I'd never think I'd say), and i found myself shipping them so much when I rewatched the show. It felt so much more mature and profound than what we saw with Buffy and Angel (and that's probably due to the fact that we got slow burn for them - as we did for Buffy and Spike- and could actually see the feelings growing, while Buffy crushed on Angel in the pilot and she was madly in love (as teenagers do) in 0.5 seconds for no apparent reason than the fact that he was hot and mysterious.

So when I say the kiss in btvs 7x21 makes zero sense, I'm not just talking about spuffy, but also about cangel. I feel like both characters parted ways and lived on in their own shows to grow and become their own persons, developing other relationships that were more adult and meaningful, and that kiss was just disrespectful for both (but anyways, it doesn't change anything).

I have so many thoughts about all this honestly, and I hope I haven't gone too much off the tangent with my reply, but i couldn't just give you a simple reply because that would've had to be something like "angel is the enemy and i don't like bangel" but as you can see my thoughts are a little more complex than that 😅

[mwebber]

I think the biggest reason why martian appeals to me over other f1 rivalries is that mark never won a wdc. He came sososo close in 2010 but ultimately was beaten by sebastian. Brocedes, prosenna, makkinen, etc, both parties have ensured that they will go down in history. Both have achievements outside of the other. However, mark is doomed to be forgotton by history and forgotten by everyone. That is, everyone except seb. Mark's career is only defined by seb's, but it isn't the same the other way round. They're obsessed with each other and you have made me obsessed with them. Diagnosed with martian brainrot and i'm afraid it's terminal <3 sorry for the long rant

so much to unpack here... like yeah no i'm with u, it's the whole humanizing factor of "almost" with mark that first made me overcome my initial squick. christ, even just sympathizing, it's a gut-wrenching loss. and immediately it's like, how did he cope, what did he do, etc, and i won't lie and say i haven't contributed to this, but it's really just grief porn, isn't it? bleakly realistic or exaggeratedly unrealistic depending on whose take it is, but grief porn nonetheless. who's the real mark webber?

i get what you're saying, but honestly, i'd contest it. mark isn't doomed to be forgotten by history; he's there in the history books as one of australia's best, and also he's literally a world champion in endurance racing. just because he never got that f1 championship doesn't mean he didn't succeed or find fame in other areas. i think there's this idea that he was shit as an f1 driver and his only thing is getting mopped by seb, but when you look at even just the stats, mark still beats out ricciardo. MARK WEBBER is the third-best driver red bull racing has ever had, third only to seb and max.

plus, like, he's literally fine with everything. he doesn't see himself as a victim or a tragic character, the man is just. living his best life! travelling the world! meeting cool people! girlblogging on instagram! not saying this is necessarily you, but i think when one gets deep in the fandom, it's really easy to latch onto the idea of these people and the fleeting snapshots of their stories that are captured in media, and miss the person themselves.

and i'd also argue that seb's career IS defined by mark. i know multi-21 feels commonplace on tumblr dot com, but when the masses of fans think of vettel, they think of malaysia 2013. they think of red bull and 4 championships in a row. sure, haters focus on the tail end of his ferrari career or how godawful aston martin's car was, and haters often have loud voices, but oh my goodness. seb's racing legacy is so deeply entwined with mark's. i think it's reductive to wave that off for the sake of the narrative comparison.

i love that you're just getting into martian, and i love the renaissance that's happening where people are finding their footholds with the ship and exploring the two of them, because there are a great many treasures to find! just be wary of falling into the larger fanon, i guess is what i'm trying to say. this ship has had over a decade to marinate and both seb and mark have had their identities and stories boxed into one-liners like the ones you've described. what else is there? that's where the gold is.

[foibles-fables]

I have a question. How did you come to the wonderful conclusion that Aloy and Talanah would be a good couple? I can see the appeal in it, but I'd rather hear it from you

[CRACKS KNUCKLES] Watch me try to stay as concise as I can with this post, hahaha.

First thing I'll say is--I'm an absolute sucker for a strong-based friends to lovers ship. The loyalty, the devotion, the knowing each other before and after the world changes them and every stage between, the slow strengthening of feelings, the contending with blurred boundaries, the oh moment, the it was this all along, the I have always been here and so have you and so we will, the settling into even deeper contentment with the other, hoo boy I can go on and on. I especially like it when it comes in a sapphic flavor of the Burdened Chosen One and their Tender, Caring, Supportive Best Friend.

[looks directly at camera]

So you can already see where I'm coming from, here. But--truly, for me--it comes down to 1) the similarities AND innate differences in their life stories/situations and 2) their interactions in HZD. A combined one-two punch that crushed my windpipe and stole my lunch money.

I'm a sucker for a friends to lovers ship, and I'm also a sucker for a ship with compelling parallels. What interests me most about the Aloy/Talanah dynamic is that they're narrative mirrors, but foils in situation. Both are highly-skilled hunters; both driven by their fixation on a parental figure (either avenging or uncovering); both lost their father (figure) to a cruelty much too large for them, with their fathers' shared desire for them to survive; both inheriting new titles (Sunhawk, Alpha Prime) and shouldering the burdens of their deceased parental figure; both proving their place and worth in the world as based on, in Talanah's words, more than the nature of their birth alone; I could keep going. (Don't tempt me.) But here Aloy was an outcast, while Talanah is from one of the noblest houses of her tribe--the difference of change from without versus change from within, and all the ways in which both are complicated. So narrative mirrors coming from opposing situations--how does that make them alike, and how does it make them different? How does it change they way they navigated through the world, and how does it change the way they would navigate one another?

I also love to point out the fact that Talanah is the perfect example of what Rost was trying to demonstrate to Aloy in his final lesson. The strength to stand alone and to make a stand. Her dedication to a selfless cause--ambition not for her own sake, but to restore her family's legacy, and to change her culture. GOD. My fingers are going numb just thinking about it.

What I'm trying to say is that Talanah is in a unique position to see and empathize with the burden Aloy feels post-HZD, and I'm not sure I'll ever forgive the writers for not capitalizing on that during the pivotal time of HFW. Carrying on of your parent's legacy is not easy, and even if Talanah doesn't know it by weight, she knows it by shape. Importantly, to me--Talanah understands--she's lived analogous experiences to Aloy's--but she's also different enough to challenge her. In fact, it goes both ways. There's a mutuality to the way that they make up for what the other has maybe lacked--puzzle pieces instead of cognate shapes, or the same image repeated twice, amplifying itself. There's harmony where there could just be volume.

That got away from me, so I'll just keep on going with how their interactions in HZD fishhooked me. I made a post the other day about Aloy's joy in the Redmaw victory, and that's a major part of it. The rest is just--the sense of ease and understanding that comes out in all of their conversations? And how Talanah always and consistently from the beginning sees Aloy as Aloy, not a Seeker, not a savior, not an oddity, just based on her own merit alone? How she heard Aloy give herself a name--Aloy despite the Nora--says she'll remember it, and then does, TWICE? Every smile she brings out of Aloy, every moment of bare genuineness between them, that giggle from Aloy post-quest? And don't get me started on the "you made this possible, Aloy" parallel. Don't even let me think about "you'll always have a special home here, if you want it." It'll end badly for all of us, category 10 blorbo emergency.

But it's not only what Talanah can offer Aloy (a deep bond of loyalty and fondness, a sense of belongingness, the simple fact of being seen as exactly how you yourself want to be seen)--Aloy gives back to Talanah as well!! Much more deeply than just helping her earn the Sunhawk title and restoring her family's legacy. Think about their pre-Alight conversation: "I won't stand aside while one of mine fights alone. Not again." Aloy has become one of Talanah's--a person who has lost everyone dear to her. Something that must be absolutely terrifying (see my post-HZD Lanah characterization, lmao) but still worth fighting for.

I was lucky enough to read the entire Sunhawk comic directly after the credits rolled on HZD, and that again just blew me out of the water with how much sense they make. The fact that Talanah was the only one to see Aloy leave makes my brain wanna come gushing out of my ears. And how they just--keep running into one another (more on this in the next paragraph). But perhaps the most important comic moment is Talanah's affirmation of "you don't owe me anything" after Aloy apologizes for leaving. That right there is respect to Aloy's agency and personhood (versus instrumentality!!) and the burden Talanah can sense she's under. She trusts Aloy to have told her what was up, if she had wanted her to know. And trusts that whatever she is doing must be important. Even if it's been difficult to be without her, Talanah knows she can't ask Aloy for more than what she is or what she can give.

(that's not to say Talanah isn't hurt. I think she still is--and projects a lot of that hurt and attachment onto another woodsy hermit--but that's a topic for a different post. You can trust and accept something like this while still being hurt by it.)

You asked how I came to the conclusion of THEM, so I haven't really included HFW in this analysis (I was clearly a goner from HZD), but it's there too. The way Aloy just happens to find out Talanah is nearby after her entire worldview is cracked open at Latopolis, how seeking her out and finding her seems to just make things okay again despite everything? (again, the constant finding of each other.) The fondness of their reunion? "It feels good to hunt by your side again"? The easy way they settle into old comfortable patterns of conversation? The tone of You love him, don't you and Really??? and Come here.? It's just all there screaming at me. I can't.

I just. I love them so much. It's so clear to me how they already have helped and can continue to help each other grow. Especially now that the series has placed them in yet another paralleled situation post-HBS. From where I see it, they've been dancing around each other since the beginning. And the way they've both sought things with others (ALSO EACH HAVING PARALLELS TO THE OTHER) only to walk away makes me wanna go absolutely feral. I can very, very clearly see this playing out into an what was I looking for when there was you moment and it might actually be the thing that makes me perish

I'm so sorry if this was totally incoherent. I've got a lot of feelings about this ship and I'm gonna continue to make them your problem.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

final thoughts on the fox fella + new smol cat boi

What I find the most fascinating about Fellow isn't the character himself but rather the fandom reaction to just seeing his design. It was a tsunami of thirst unlike anything I had ever witnessed before. People were switching up oshis entirely, those who had never made a self-insert or yume before were suddenly making ones specifically to be shipped with Fellow, it was WILD. He's a homewrecker/j I support any and all Fellowives out there👍

That being said, I'm surprised that I feel so... lukewarm about him overall????? I'm usually all gung-ho for the smiling scammer types but for some reason Fellow just doesn't resonate with me. I'll admit that he's very good-looking (I love the colors of his suit, the cravat, the colorful patched up pants, and especially the silly little half capelet thing hanging off of him). His expressions are also very fun, with some favorites being his super smug smirk and the knowing, slightly-off kilter smile. However, there's just something about Fellow's personality that doesn't sit with me quite right. I know it's not the "he's a Red Flag!! RUN AWAY NOW!!!" thing either, because I love Love LOVE red flags in fictional characters 😭

Fellow is good at charming people off the cuff and using deceit to compensate for his low magical reserves, which in of itself is intriguing. It’s also admirable that he wants to start his own school for non-mages and low-magic mages to mingle, He’s an adult that still keeps the spirit of childlike wonder alive, and that makes him fun to follow. Those are the traits of his I like.

But I get the vibes that Fellow isn't as clever or as impressive as he likes to think he is...? He's full of himself but can't exactly back up his words with action. That's not meant to be a diss at his magical prowess, he's lacking in other areas as well. Like, he's a fully grown man picking fights with kids because of a personal vendetta... and he’s steering the kids home while the island is sinking and relying on them to rescue them in case anything goes wrong?? That’s just irresponsible. Not to mention he doesn’t seem to plan ahead?? How does he not know he’s kidnapping many famous and/or powerful people with families might come after his ass if they go missing?

I think that it doesn't help that the "pathetic" vibes were being conveyed in a lot of fan art well before the twist; it only adds to his "patheticness" and it gets to a point where it's too much for me and then is no longer appealing. I can get on board with him and gloating and wanting to crush kids’ dreams because same/j but not when he’s panting and wheezing and desperately tackling them for their tickets to tear up. He doesn’t feel like a genuine threat without the support of his backers. I would still say I like the character and will happily rag on him, but I wouldn't bark for him or anything (though I will grant him points for coming close to winning the cage makes it better/j).

What I appreciate about Fellow's character is that it shows us a darker side to Twisted Wonderland. I don't necessarily think his initial motives are that deep (he's after fat stacks), but I think the sentiment behind the motives are. It pulls back the curtain and reveals an ugly truth about his magical world and the roles that money and privilege play in it. We aren't exposed to many instances of this, but they are, in fact, there (like when Yuu was insulted by Riddle in book 1). It's finally getting attention front and center now—I just wish they had gone deeper with it.

What's currently got me invested in following Fellow is his relationship with Gidel. I love that they're a "found family" (they're "sworn brothers") and that Fellow seems to look after Gidel... Telling the NRC boys not to put stupid ideas in Gidel's head, walking off with Gidel at the end, recounting the times they scammed together, putting his arm out in battle to keep Gidel behind him... (or maybe I'm just delusional and want to believe the fan art LOL). I'm such a sucker for the trope of the protective big brother 💀 Unfortunately, we don't get a ton of canon moments in the event... Like damn, not even details on how they first met or how they found this job or why specifically Fellow cares for Gidel??? I don’t like that for all that we’re told about how hard the duo’s past was, we didn’t get to hear a lot of explicit detail about it (especially when it is so inherently important to their conflict with the NRC crew and their turn at the very end). I just gotta pray their eventual card next Halloween will give more insight into this.

He’s a character I like to think about mainly because his background as a failed mage student gives me a lot to chew on in terms of questioning the world’s lore and how their society is structured. Fellow himself is good for a few laughs, but it isn’t long before my mind strays, if that makes sense. I’m not chomping at the bit, but I don’t exactly detest the guy??? I guess you would call it ambivalence; I’m only fixated on certain aspects of him (the looks, the lore he provides, and the onii-sama potential).

I don't really have much to comment on for Gidel, but I have to say that I like having mute representation and more magicless characters in the cast at large. His outfit is also very fun; I like how it incorporates colors you don't normally see slapped together (that shade of yellow and purple) while still looking cohesive. I keep looking at Gidel's design and seeing a mix of Cheka and Ruggie though (because of the fluffy hair, eye shape, and stature). He very much reminds me of a smol doggo I'd bump into on a walk home and spend ten minutes standing there and considering adopting it.

As I said in my thoughts on Fellow, I think Gidel is at his best when he's in his little brother-big brother dynamic with Fellow. He's just a little guy trying his best while Fellow's trying to lead them. I think that's something the whole fandom can agree on, since I see sooo many people shading Fellow for his actions but the same people squealing and patting Gidel on the head and claiming he has done nothing wrong (despite being complicit in, and actively helping with, the trafficking operation). I guess it's because Gidel is still a child and may not fully understand the implications of it???

It's very sweet and genuine that Gidel demonstrates an interest in going to school and learning—but Fellow, who has been disappointed by the world of magic academia, warns Gidel against it. In his own way, he's keeping Gidel from what he sees as an uppity, shallow realm that will crush his hopes and dreams. That's Fellow's version of "protecting" him. It's a way of telling us about their relationship without outright stating how Fellow feels about Gidel. In return, Gidel also supports him and whacks him a good one when Fellow’s down in the dumps.

I'm sad that we didn't get to see more of their dynamic in the event (like we only see them having a meaningful interaction at the very end), but maybe that's just because the fandom works have set my expectations high. Unfortunately, all those sweet moments of Fellow and Gidel bonding are seemingly confined to just fanart and fanfiction, since very little is mentioned or even implied in the event itself. I'm hoping that (assuming they get a card together next year) we get to see more glimpses of their daily life in the associated vignettes.

[lillazyboithings]

thoughts on different rtc ships?

I'll start listing off all the RTC ships I can recall, by that, I mean EVERYTHING

Nischa (Noel x Mischa): OTP, my beloveds, you can literally see how much I love them just by scrolling through the nischa tag on my blog

Spacedolls (Ricky x Jane/Penny): they're okay, they vibe together, I like it, they're like little skrunklies that I put in a cage and feed cookies to

BlackRose (Constance x Ocean): I'm sorry but no, just no, no thank you, not even my cup of tea but I will respect if you ship it anon, whoever you are

Perfectdolls (Jane/Penny x Ocean): also okay with it, pretty cool! They're like character foils of eachother

Mischalia (Mischa x Talia): also cool, there's also an understandable canonical basis for it the same way nischa has, also literally has a song so fbsnvdnsvenw

Sugardolls/sugarsheep (Constance x Jane/Penny): love it, they're my beloveds, pry it off my cold dead hands you cretins /j

Sugarspace (Ricky x Constance): absolute cuteness overload, they're like a domestic couple, I love it

Spacerap (Ricky x Mischa): not my cup of tea but I can see the appeal, they're cute actually, they're homies, they definitely hang out together

Starrypoet/HornyBoys (Ricky x Noel): also not my cup of tea, but I really like the dynamic that they have, like they both use their imaginations to be someone else, there's potential, also hella gay /pos ( laughing my ass off because horny boys is a funny ship name, congrats on the bonus points for this)

Topcomment (Mischa x Ocean): pretty cool ship despite not me seeing much content for it, it's like good girl x bad boy, I'm sure there's people out there who really love it but for me? No, I don't like it. It's cool but just no.

SoundCloud/Candyrapper (Constance x Mischa): also pretty cute but I see them more as siblings than a couple

Rosenpotts/gingerspace/perfectspace (Ocean x Ricky)(idfk what you guys are called AUGH): also kinda no on this one, but I will respect your opinion if you want to ship it. They're more friendly that coupley in my eyes

Perfect angel (Ocean x Tammy): I do not see potential for it, ocean and Tammy definitely have a frenemies dynamic because of their belief systems

Perfect bride (Ocean x Talia): how??? Ocean is literally the one to say that Talia is fake, I mean, I will respect your opinion but just know I will stare at you like I will be studying you as part of my research project next year.

Perfect love (ocean x hank): no, hank is already dating her cousin in some canonical iterations

Perfect rap (ocean x corey): pretty hilarious, same comments as topcomment but more to the left, also to whoever wrote that one fanfic I saw for them on ao3, shout out to you

Perfect bugs (ocean x trishna): I don't see potential, sorry. They're just not the right people the other would date

Frenchrap/Norey (noel x corey): I love them, they're the kind of couple to be MESSY. THE DRAMA. Comedic fr fr (helps that this is technically a predecessor to nischa)

Tragic Love (noel x hank): I don't think these two would go well together tbh since there's not much in common (lack of hank content)

Rap Dolls (Mischa x Jane/Penny): I kinda also don't see potential with this, they're more like chaotic siblings in my eyes tbh but if you ship them, good on you

Rap Angel/Angel Accent (Mischa x Tammy): guys, what??? To the 0.01% who ship this, I need to know who you are, scratch that, come here I need to study you under a microscope

Love Rap (Hank x Mischa): I'm praying for you and your one way trip to rarepair hell because oh boy, I'm so sorry for you and its lack of content (for everything hank is involved in, in general)

Rap Battle (Mischa x corey): the ride or die duo, these dudes will literally get each other arrested, and would release shitty rap together

Rap Bite (Mischa x Astrid): What??? Huh??? I am questioning your life choices to whoever ships this (not in a judgemental way, more like I'm genuinely curious what's going on inside that head of yours) anyways rarepair hell to you

Rap Bug (Mischa x trishna): same thing as LoveRap, there's also kinda no dynamics to base these two off so I can't really see anything for it

Angel Cats (Tammy x Ricky): okay, cute, I will respect that but there's also kinda something conflicting between Tammy's Religious beliefs and Ricky being SABM

Space Bride (Ricky x Talia): ???????? Huh ??????? Okay, questionable, maybe online relationship? Rarepair hell either way, I'm sorry

Space Love (Ricky x hank): okay, understandable, nothing much to say about them tbh

Space Battle (Corey x Ricky): really? Horny boys part 2? /J. Okay but in all honesty, I feel like it wouldn't mingle well together unless you want it to have the same dynamic as SpaceRap

Cat Bite (Ricky x Astrid): maybe?? No??? I can't see potential, down to the rarepair hell for you

CD player (penny x Tammy): you guys really went ham on these two when y'all read the Legoland script, I like it lmfao

Love Dolls (Hank x Jane/Penny): rarepair hell to you

Battle Dolls (Corey x Jane/Penny): and you

Doll Bite (Astrid x Jane/penny): and also you

Bug Dolls (trishna x Jane/penny): okay I can see potential, girlies are just curious of the nature around them, just one is curious about bugs while the other is curious about life itself and why she's there-

Bride Dolls (Talia x Jane/penny): rarepair hell to you as well

Sugar Angel (Constance x Tammy): Sweet (pun intended), also very domestic in my opinion

Sugar Battle (Constance x corey): rarepair hell to you, also I don't think constance would love being in a long term relationship with this sleazebag rapper

Sugar Love (Constance x hank): Cute, but also rarepair hell to you

Sugar Bite (Astrid x Constance): rarepair hell, also if we're basing off fanon + canon depictions, I don't think they'd be a good match with each other

Sugar Bugs (Constance x trishna): domestic, fluff potential, adorable, no judgement on my part

Digital Cafe (Constance x Talia): shout out to zolarianstarman for unintentionally making me see how cute this ship is

Love Angel (Hank x Tammy): I think I can see potential with the boy next door x religious girl type, not the best pairing though but oh well

Love Battle (Hank x corey): it kinda like a vague predecessor to spacerap if you think of the timeline as to how the characters got to where they are. But I feel like they'd be more on homies than dating

Love Bite (Hank x Astrid): canonically engaged, beautiful (cut) song, I love them

Love Bride (Hank x Talia): rarepair hell. No exceptions

Angel Battle (Corey x Tammy): dayum, the "I can fix him" couple but it's a shitty YouTube rapper and the very religious Catholic girl

Battle Bite (Astrid x corey): the only way Astrid is gonna even touch Corey is kicking his balls and punching him, I rest my case, they're siblings, your honor

Battle bugs (Corey x Trishna): I can't see the potential, I'm sorry, rarepair hell to you

Battle Bride (Corey x Talia): also rarepair hell, I literally cannot see anything for this

Angel Bite (Tammy x Astrid): so the pink soft girlie x "I bit my cousin with no regrets" girl, got it

Bug Bite (Astrid x trishna): cute, I can see potential, a girlie interested in bugs and her vaguely European girlfriend who would love to listen to her talking about bugs

Bride Bite (Talia x Astrid): rarepair hell button has been pressed, no more other comments

Bug Angel (trishna x Tammy): I feel like this would work out I think? This is kinda normal tbh

Bug Bride (trishna x Talia): rarepair hell to you, I'm sorry but it's true

Angel Bride (Tammy x Talia): ah yes, we're shipping the two girlies who have not made any canonical appearances in their respective musicals besides mentions from the established characters there

Electricity (Karnak x Virgil): guys, why are we shipping the rat and the fortune teller? Funny, but I question us as a fandom sometimes LMFAO

Polychoir (basically all 6 of the main characters): cute, but noel stays platonic with the girlies, okay?

PerfectSugarDolls (ocean x Constance x Jane/penny): girlies squad assemble be like

SpaceRapDolls (Ricky x Mischa x Jane/penny): chaos trio, no more comments, your honor

SugarSpaceRap (Constance x Ricky x Mischa): I mean...sure??? Okay? You do you pooks

Nischalia (noel x Mischa x Talia): I like it, Noel and Talia would definitely be best friends, and do rock paper scissors on who keeps Mischa for the weekend (loser keeps him/j), also Mischa has two hands, of course this is possible

PerfectEggDolls (ocean x Mischa x Jane/penny): I'm sorry but are we seriously gonna let Ocean practically date(babysit) two of the most chaotic beings in that choir?

TragicSpaceRap/Escapism trio (Ricky x Noel x Mischa): they need to get out of uranium together tbh, I don't make the rules, get them outta there

PerfectSugarSpace (ocean x Constance x Ricky): okay, understandable? Maybe? I respect your opinion tho

PerfectSugarAccent (ocean x Constance x Mischa): respectfully, I can't see potential, I'm sorry *presses rarepair hell button*

Stargirls (Ricky x Jane/penny x Constance x Tammy): the ship name sounds like they're all in a band together omg, but yeah, it's cute in my eyes, whoever ships this, you guys are chill

PassionFrenchRap (Corey x Noel x Mischa): LMFAO noel and his two rapper boyfriends, bro literally got duplicates of the same boyfriend

FrenchPassionSlutCats (Corey x Noel x Mischa x Ricky): hectic. That's all I'm gonna say, they're all hectic and gay together, good on them

LuckySugarStars (Jane/penny x Constance x Ricky): aweee they're so adorable together guys, I can't, help me, dhsnshsnhwje

LoveBugBite (Astrid x trishna x hank): yes, cute, adorable fr fr (Winona if you're reading this, you have definitely influenced me)

Special mention:

Mookie (Mischa x Cookie): perfection, 10/10, I refuse criticism, the highschool version of the script definitely influenced this.

Noel x Any girl: fuck you (in a negative way), he's canonically gay and if I see you ship him like that outside of platonic ones, I'm sending you GAY to hell.

Tags: @joeseventies (credits to them for the master list doc of all the ship names), and @witchstormm because you asked me to, have fun reading

I'm so sorry anon if this took so long to answer but here you go