#it is far from the fans' responsibility to fix this mess

[squorttle-pox]

Absolutely this. I've also added my thoughts below the cut

To clarify, I don't hate Steven or Shane or Ryan or anyone affiliated with Watcher. I still enjoy their content. I still love their wacky fun selves and I would pay the subscription if I could (of course, that we cannot pay it is the very nature of the problem).

I'm not full of rage or hatred, and I understand how difficult a strained financial situation can be (we're all/mostly adults here, right?). I do 100% blame them for this. But it doesn't ruin everything about them. They're people and people make mistakes, especially when under all the pressure that they are. It doesn't excuse the behaviour. It doesn't make anything better. But it means I'm not feeling ~violent/cruel/rude/nasty things~ towards them or anything.

What I am, is disappointed that they didn't properly think through this VERY Big VERY Important decision.

I am disappointed that they seem to have neglected to take into account who their main audience is (a bunch of mostly-young-adults who are about as far from rich and loaded and one can get).

I am disappointed that this is essentially the first we are hearing of this, that they have taken such a drastic move right away.

I wish they had been more transparent that they needed extra support. There is no shame in that, not when their fans adore them, and not when they're entrepreneur-ing this, and not ever. Life is hard, the economy is in shambles right now, struggle is inherent. T

I wish they took the time to fully consider the ramifications of this decision they've made.

I hope that they quickly understand the issues with this, frankly, godawful and infelicitous decision.

I hope that they are willing to apologize and propose some alternative solutions that will not be so detrimental to the fandom they are rEqUeStInG (see: forcing) this help from.

I hope that they won't double down out of fear or shame or defensiveness from the rightful backlash they are receiving. I hope they can be mature about this.

I hope that they remember that no matter what, we'll still support them as much as we can, but that what they're asking is impossible for many of us to accommodate.

I hope that all parties involved in this fiasco can be respectful and professional towards one another.

something about the current situation that feels so gross to me is the sudden vitriolic hatred towards steven lim??? yes, as the ceo he probably helped make the decision to start watcher tv. but before this whole dilemma, wasn't steven "super underappreciated" and hyped up constantly by the fandom??? weren't there hundreds of posts begging for more steven content??? wasn't there a lot of excitement about steven possibly getting his own show??? it just seems strange that people claimed to love him so much but are spewing some awful insults towards him now???

(note: this isn't talking about anyone criticizing steven or the company. this is talking about people blaming EXCLUSIVELY steven or excessively hate posting about him. critique and analysis are healthy ways to stimulate discussion and utilize critical thinking)

[a-casxandra]

❝𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐞.❞ part 2

Rafayel as your actor boyfriend x you as non-mc

𝗥𝗮𝗳𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗹'𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘃

At first, he didn’t notice.

He came home late—again. Tossed his keys on the counter, muttering something about being exhausted. He was always tired now. It was the price of rising fame. One more photoshoot. One more scene. One more smile for the camera.

But the penthouse was too quiet.

There was no scent of your shampoo lingering in the hallway. No soft hum of your favorite playlist from the kitchen. No hoodie of yours on the couch. And worst of all—no messages waiting for him.

Not one.

He figured you were asleep. Until he walked into the bedroom and saw the closet door wide open.

Half-empty.

Drawers, too. Neatly cleaned out. Not rushed. Not angry. Just… gone. His heart skipped.

“Babe?” he called out, walking through the rooms now. Bathroom. Balcony. Nowhere. The silence was so loud it made his ears ring.

He picked up his phone. No new messages. No missed calls. Not even a "goodbye."

It hit him like a truck.

That you hadn’t yelled. That you hadn’t begged. That you hadn’t even tried to fight for him anymore.

Because you’d already fought enough.

Rafayel sat on the edge of the bed you once shared, head in his hands, guilt swallowing him whole.

He didn’t mean to forget the anniversary.

He didn’t mean to miss dinner.

He didn’t mean to make you feel like you weren’t enough.

But intent never mattered more than action.

He could still see your cake in the trash, the candles burned down to wax puddles. He remembered your text. “Where are you?”

And his heart twisted at his own response: “Don’t wait up.”

He remembered MC’s lips. The kiss that went on longer than it should have. The way her eyes glimmered, the way his chest fluttered—for a brief moment, he slipped. Confused fantasy with reality.

But now?

Now reality was an empty home. A closet missing your warmth. A toothbrush holder with only one left.

And God, how it hurt.

Rafayel tried calling. Ten times. No answer.

He messaged. Paragraphs. Then essays. Then just your name.

“Please. Come home.”

“I messed up. I know. But I love you.”

“Don’t leave me. Not like this.”

“I can fix this.”

“I choose you. I’ve always chosen you, I just—I forgot how to show it. Please let me try again.”

Nothing.

The press kept pairing him with MC.

The director asked him to ride the wave— “You guys are a hit, man. The chemistry? Off the charts. Just keep it lowkey romantic in public. It sells.”

He almost said yes.

But then he remembered your voice in his mind.

"I guess I’ll always remain a fan… someone who supports him, but never be seen by his side.” He said no.

He canceled interviews. Refused a new drama. Skipped the gala where he and MC were supposed to walk together.

He didn’t care.

He sat on the rooftop of the penthouse—your favorite spot—wondering how long he let himself drift so far from you.

He remembered how you used to wait up for him. Even when you were tired. Even when he was late.

He remembered how you’d ask, “Did you eat?” before anything else.

How you’d tuck notes into his bag before big auditions. How you’d fall asleep waiting for his calls when he was away filming.

And all he did in return… was take your love for granted.

Rafayel visited your favorite café. The owner said she hadn’t seen you.

He went to your family’s house. You weren’t there.

He scrolled through your old photos. You were smiling in every single one—with him.

God, he’d kill to see that smile again.

A month passed.

The drama ended. The ship with MC was still trending. But Rafayel stayed quiet. He never smiled in photos anymore.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝗵𝗲'𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁…

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲.

One night, Rafayel stood outside your new place.

He only found it because you slipped once—left your Spotify logged into the shared tablet. The playlist changed. The location pinged.

He debated whether to knock.

What would he even say?

"I'm sorry I made you feel like a shadow in your own relationship?"

"I'm sorry I kissed someone else and didn't even realize you were watching?"

"I'm sorry I forgot the day we promised each other forever?"

No apology would fix it. But he knocked anyway.

You opened the door, surprised. Your face was calm—too calm. You weren’t angry anymore.

That scared him most.

“Rafayel,” you said quietly.

“I’m sorry,” Rafayel whispered, eyes already misting. “I didn’t see it. I didn’t see you slipping away from me. I was so caught up… chasing a life I thought I wanted, that I didn’t realize I was losing the one thing I needed.”

You didn’t speak.

“I choose you,” he said. “Not MC. Not the cameras. Not the crowd. You. I should’ve shown it more. I should’ve held your hand in public. Told the world about you. Come home on time. Loved you better.”

You looked at him then. and for a moment, he hoped. That maybe—maybe—you’d forgive him.

But you just smiled. Soft. Bittersweet.

“You should’ve,” you said. “But you didn’t.”

And you closed the door—slowly. Not angrily. Not cruelly. Just… finally.

That night, Rafayel sat on the steps outside your building.

He stayed there until sunrise.

No one came out.

And that’s when he knew—

The worst kind of heartbreak…

isn’t when someone leaves you in anger.

It’s when they leave in silence.

Because by the time you notice,

they’re already too far gone to hear you call their name.

[fastandcarlos]

When He Carries An Item Specifically For You : ̗̀➛ F1 Reaction

» Max Verstappen

If there was one thing that Max loved, it was your hair, and when he loved playing with it as much as he did, it meant that he absolutely hated when it got ruined. To save that from happening, he always carried a hairband around his wrist so that he could offer it to you when you needed to move your hair out of your face and tie it back. As soon as he saw that it was annoying you, Max would hold the band out, or sometimes even decide that he was going to be the one to tie your hair up instead. 

» Lando Norris 

There were often times during the long race weekends when you found yourself getting pretty bored, using your phone to keep you entertained. The one thing you often forgot to pack with you though was a charger to keep your phone going throughout the day leaving you feeling a little lost as the screen went black. After one too many groans that your phone was dead, Lando decided that he was going to make sure that he kept a phone charger in his driver’s room at all times so that you always had easy access to one and could keep you happy whilst he raced. 

» Charles LeClerc 

When you were in the paddock, Charles loved to make sure that everyone knew which family you were a part of, and so usually had an item of Ferrari merch on him somewhere to pass onto you. Whether it was a top, a bracelet, a cap or a scarf, Charles loved to dress you in red. Even if it was a piece of merch that wasn’t realised to the fans, if he had access to it then he made sure that you did too so that everyone knew exactly who you were cheering on whilst at the back of the garage. 

» George Russell 

With all the travelling that you did, your bag was often filled with different things to keep yourself entertained, one of your favourite things being your latest read, the story usually gripping you. However, one thing you weren’t quite so good at remembering to take with you was a bookmark. After watching you fold pages for many weeks, George ended up going out and buying a bookmark on a day off and slipping it into his bag so he always had one that he could hand to you to use when you wanted to make sure that you didn’t lose your page. 

» Oscar Piastri 

To say you were clumsy was an absolute understatement, and so simply to survive, Oscar was always the one to carry your passport. After one too many near misses at airports, he decided that he would take it instead so you both knew exactly where it was. He had a safe space in his bag where yours and his sat, unlike you who tended to just hold it in your hand. You tried to protest that you were capable of carrying it, but after being responsible for several missed flights you knew that it was probably for the best that Oscar looked after such an important item. 

» Carlos Sainz 

Although he tried his best to convince you that the hairbrush that he usually carried in his bag was for you, you weren’t entirely convinced, and neither was the rest of Carlos�� team either. When you watched Carlos pull the brush out, quite often you’d catch him brushing quickly through his hair to fix his messy locks before handing it across to you to use. He was far too proud to ever confess to carrying a brush for himself, but you knew that he loved having it on him just as much for his benefit as it was for your benefit. 

» Daniel Ricciardo 

Just like Daniel, the cold was not your friend, especially during the tricky winters at some of the races. You were like holding onto an ice block sometimes with how cold you were, which Daniel was not particularly a fan of when he wanted so often to hold your hand. To counteract this, Daniel often kept a pair of gloves in the bottom of his bag when the two of you went out into the chilly air, making sure that you had a nice thick layer on to keep you warm, and make holding your hand much more comfortable for him too. 

» Lewis Hamilton 

It was a nervous habit of yours to mess with your lips, you often picked at the skin whenever you began to get worried which Lewis usually picked up on. Luckily for you, Lewis was always on hand to make sure that your lips were well taken care of though, with a lip balm safe in his pocket most of the time when you were out of the house. Every so often he would remind you to put some on so that your lips were nice and smooth and make sure there wasn’t any skin for you to tug at and risk making your lips sore. 

˗ˏˋ 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ! ´ˎ˗

[cybermindz]

. ۫ ꣑ৎ contains. nsfw, explicit : fem!reader, oral (fem receiving), praise ♡, light smacking, pússydrunk! sugu ♡, manhandling (?), usage of petnames (baby, pretty, sweet girl), wc : 800+

suguru’s eyes are intense and he damn well knows it too. acutely aware of how they affect you, especially when he’s busying himself in between your legs much like now, lapping at your soaked cunt. his violet irises ogling, studying each face twisting reaction he can pull from you, how you can't help but shy away, unable to watch as he’s working you over to reach that sweet obliterating bliss.

he uses it to his advantage every time when your head lolls back against the plush pillow — quick to have one heavy hand on your inner thigh to keep you from shutting your legs while another snakes up your body — muscled arm long enough to tug on your nape, causing you to prop up on your elbows with your head ducked down to focus on him again.

suguru’s cat-like gaze is downright feral, his eyes unflinching and unrelenting — never leaving your face. it’s vicious, so zealous and sharp that a shiver runs up your spine and he’s just smugly drinking up every drop of everything you’re displaying. devouring you completely, almost like a predator taking in his prey. to his displeasure, you instantly shut your own eyes tightly with a sense of embarrassment from the angle. the way his tongue was making your puffy pussy glisten so lewdly makes your whole body tingle with an unbearable heat.

“nuh-uh open your eyes, pretty baby,” he murmurs in that deep, honeyed voice against your clit, making you shudder as a white flash of euphoria shoots through your core from the vibrations. your cheeks are flushed — reluctant yet so completely entranced. “watch me, wanna see you looking at me.”

“suguuuu,” you shook your head desperately in his grasp with a pitiful whine. his eyes narrowed into slits at your defiant action, his grip on the back of your neck tightens just a little. it's a subtle warning, but there nonetheless — not afraid to exert his power or authority on you.

“eyes on me sweet girl,” he momentarily latches his mouth off of you to repeat himself, face now close to yours you can feel his breath fanning on your cheeks. his tone is gentle but still firm, leaving no room for argument. “don't make me ask you again, you know better. don't be silly.”

he can see how overwhelmed you’re feeling, the bashfulness radiating off of you but he's desperate for the sweet sight of you, needing to witness how far he’s managed to make you a pleasured-drunk mess. the only time he wants to see you look away is when your eyes are rolling back as you cum for him. he’ll be damned if he won't be able to take in every single little expression on your sweet face, see every bit of emotion cross through you.

as soon as you flutter your eyes back open, suguru immediately locks onto them with that same fierce, fixed stare. "theeeerre you go, good girl." the praise leaves his lips in a deep rumble, almost sounding like a purr. another low guttural “very good,” reverberates deep within suguru’s chest before he’s delving in again, your thighs trembling in response.

his ministrations would go right back to being feverish, his tongue working you thoroughly, and his fingers on the back of your nape slowly loosens into a more gentle hold, the feeling completely opposite to the way he was consuming you. to the point of it almost feeling out of place, but it works in calming you down.

he’s got you completely hostage, you’re mesmerized by it all as he continues to keep you enthralled in this intimate moment. and just to tease you, he changes the pace into a more sensual one. his mouth slowly moving at an almost torturously agonizing tempo, wanting to keep you in this overwhelming state of helpless bliss.

suguru feels like there’s sparks going off in his brain, his body feeling like it's buzzing from how good it feels. the taste of you, the array of cute sounds and expressions you're making feeds into his already insatiable hunger — wanting more and more of you. he's in absolute heaven almost drunk on having you in such a state and he can tell just how lost you are in the moment too, eyes practically glazed over and powerless — unable to formulate a single thought or look away with both his clutch and heated gawking.

practically focused on you like a laser, watching you so closely. almost waiting for the moment your eyes would close — taking in every little detail, every little movement you make. and if your eyes go half-lidded just even slightly, he always makes sure to give you a little reprimand, the sensation never failing to shock you out of your almost trancelike state — with either a well placed nip on your sensitive clit, or a sharp smack on your inner thigh.

“you get distracted so easily,” he’d say in a mocking tone, thumb softly caressing the side of your neck. “can’t focus for me huh? can’t even stay awake…you’re just so damn sensitive, baby.”

© 𝐂𝐘𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐙 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐃. please do not plagiarize, translate, or repost any of my works.

[s6daz]

First of all ,I love your sevika writings ❤️So Idk if you have anything you won't write .

Could you maybe write councler reader x councler sevika where they kinda get into a fight and agree to discuss the topic in private and one thing leads to another .

Thank you

♰ sevika x f!reader ִ ݁ ˖ ◜

cw: reader n sevika are councilors, reader is bit of a brat, enemies to lovers(?, stolen kiss

note: tysm i'm really happy to know that some people like my writing, i didn't want to make this too long so maybe i'll make a second part and please ignore that i don't remember the living councilors.

status: fixed

the piltover council was in full session but instead of advancing agreements and ideas, the room was being a total disaster of a verbal battle. tensions were always present when piltover and zaun clashed, but this time it seemed that the confrontation was really getting serious.

sitting on the other side of the table, sevika the councilor representing zaun, leaned forward with a relaxed but defiant posture. her mechanical arm rested on the beautiful marble surface while her eyes focused on you, with that mocking spark that irritated you so much.

"the pollution, the diseases, the hunger in zaun is all thanks to you all" sevika said with her voice full of contempt. "but of course, from up here everything is so bright, so clean... that it's so easy to ignore the mess they leave in their wake"

you took a deep breath, trying to maintain your composure before your cables went out because her words stuck like knives into your skin and you knew perfectly well that you couldn't stay silent.

"if zaun is in that situation it is not because of piltover" you responded with your words full of authority. "instead of blaming us for everything, why don't you look inside and ask yourself what are you doing wrong to make them this way?"

murmurs quickly spread through the room. some of the councilors exchanged nervous glances, while others were interested to see how far this dispute would go. sevika for her part, let out a low laugh full of sarcasm and leaned even further forward, her presence dominating the room.

"what are we doing wrong? you really are so disconnected from reality, councler?" sevika dropped her metal arm with a thud on the table that caused some of the counselors to panic. "you all have us in misery, you all rob us, you all exploit us, you all see us as little more than rats... but of course from your comfortable seat, it's easy to teach us a lesson, right?"

"enough already!" interrupted one of the counselors, an older man with a stern expression. "this council is not a place for personal attacks. we came here to find solutions civilly, not to turn this into a fight"

"we're not fighting" you replied although your tone betrayed your words "i'm simply pointing out that we can't continue to take care of zaun affairs when they themselves do nothing to improve"

"carrying our responsibilities?" sevika let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. "please piltover has been squeezing us dry"

another of the counselors tried to intervene, her voice slightly shaking. "maybe both parties should calm down and focus on the facts, this conversation is getting us nowhere"

but neither you nor sevika seemed to want to listen, the tension in the atmosphere was heavy and every word they said seemed to fan the flame.

"zaun complains about being oppressed but every time we offer them agreements all they do is reject them" you said, ignoring the councilor words, crossing your arms. "maybe if they started to stop seeing us as their enemies we could advance"

"agreements?" sevika raised an eyebrow, mocking. "are you referring to those deals that tie us hand and foot, that leave us with the minimum while you all take all the profits? don't make me laugh"

"please stop it!" exclaimed a firm voiced counselor. "this is ridiculous. if you want to continue with this nonsense, do it outside of here. this council will not be the scene of your personal rivalries"

the silence fell like a heavy blanket, you felt all eyes on you but even so you continued to hold your gaze with sevika no matter what the others thought, you would not let yourself be twisted by sevika barely perceptible mocking smile that seemed to challenge you.

"fine" you said in a firm voice as you stood up from your seat. "if sevika has anything else to tell me, we'll discuss it in private"

without waiting for any response from her or the others present, you headed to the door. your heart was beating rapidly but you forced yourself to maintain a confident posture as you walked back down the council room and you knew perfectly well that sevika was following you: you could feel her dominant and heavy presence.

you arrived at a hallway away from the place where the light was dim and the atmosphere was peacefully silent. you turned sharply to face her, frowning as you crossed your arms in front of your chest.

"well, here we are" you said, your voice full of irritation. "what do you want, sevika? where are you going with all this?"

sevika stopped, her powerless figure just a few steps away from you. her mechanical arm creaked slightly when her moved it and her lopsided smile was still present, as if her enjoyed getting you out of your temper.

"me? i'm not the one with a problem here" she replied in that deep voice that managed to get on your nerves. "you're the one who seems obsessed with me"

"i'm not obsessed with you" you quickly defended yourself, your tone coming out sharper than you intended.

"of course not" sevika said sarcastically, taking a step towards you. "then why do you have the need to jump on the defensive whenever i'm around?"

"because i can't stand your arrogance" you said taking a step forward too, you wouldn't be intimidated. "you always come here with your accusations but you never offer solutions. all you know is to accuse and point the finger"

"and what do you offer?" sevika stared at you "an empty speech about progress? rules that only put us in a more complicated situation? you have no idea what it's like to live in zaun"

"you have no idea what i've done to get here!" you exclaimed, your voice shaking with frustration. "you don't know me, sevika. you have no right to judge me"

"and you have no right to talk about zaun as if you understood what we are experiencing" sevika replied, her tone rising in intensity.

the discussion continued to escalate with the words clashing like sharp swords, but after a while of arguing, sevika patience seemed to break and at that moment the spark of tension that the two of you had created exploded.

before you could react, sevika took a quick step towards you, grabbed you by the arms and pushed you against the wall. her lips collided with yours with a force that left you breathless, it was a kiss full of rage and contained passion.

at first you tried to resist and your hands pushed against her chest, but sevika strength held you back and the intensity of the moment began to leave you immobile. slowly, you began to give in, albeit clumsily, letting the tension between the two of you transform into something completely different.

when she finally pulled away, they were both breathing heavily. sevika gaze was intense on you and you couldn't help but notice that behind that bad mood there was something else, even so you couldn't help but feel confused and perhaps a little angry.

"what the hell was that?" you managed to say in a voice barely above a whisper.

sevika smiled, as if all that arrogance you hated came back to her. "let's say it's my way of shutting you up" her said before turning around and leaving the place, leaving you with your heart pounding and a mix of emotions that you didn't know how to handle.

you stayed in the hallway with your back still against the wall, trying to regain your composure, your thoughts were racing a mile an hour but you knew one thing well: after this nothing would be the same between you and sevika, even if you didn't accept it.

[stealingyourbones]

I don't really get the people who think reading the comics is such a radical idea. Don't they want to learn more about them? aren't they curious what makes them tick? what insane adventures they went on? what fears they have? what makes them laugh and smile? I'm from europe so I haven't seen any of the DC shows I see mentioned every once in a while (which means I really don't get the whole Clark hates clones thing... but that's a different thing) and it's only been this year that I have enough disposable income to splurge on comics, aka I haven't read that many just yet.

But I do think the ones I have read enhance the stories I'm trying to tell, which to me is a good reason to read them ;p but besides that, they are fun! they are just really fun to read

I’m glad you’re having fun reading comics man! It’s a shame that folks don’t read them as much but you know, I can understand it. I both asked some folks in the Haunting Heroes discord server and have some of my own points to make about this.

First of all I do still believe that you should consume some form of DC media if you’re in the fandom. It’s fun and there are comics, books, movies, tv shows, and every other form of medium known to man that you can take a peek at! Idk I’m just a bit DC enjoyer and think that looking at canon media to expand on your knowledge and help create ideas you wouldn’t have had if you hadn’t looked at said piece of media.

Now onto why reading comic books is hard:

Some folks simply prefer the fandom and not the official DC content. Whether they prefer fanon, find fics more accessible, or like the people in the fandom, they’d rather just stick to the fandom.

They simply don’t know where to start. Getting into comics can be INCREDIBLY overwhelming ( DC has done their best to fix this and has messed up more than once. My go to is to reccomend folks just start reading New 52 comic runs as it’s really good for new readers to jump into the comics with any hero that might intrigue them). Big comic events span multiple comic story runs and not a cohesive line of comics, some omnibuses for stories are out of print, the 80+ years of comics are daunting as hell, and everyone has their own opinion on the best versions of a character/where to start/what to read.

Money. Comics are an expensive hobby to have. They may cost $1-$5 each on average but that price adds up over time. I have a comic collection of roughly 1,300 comics. I’d estimate its value very roughly around the $7,800 range. It’s probably far more than that though and I know damn well reselling it I won’t get half of that value back. I’m very fortunate to be a college student with disposable income and for this hobby to be the only thing I ever really spend money on besides rent and food. Some people either can’t afford them or don’t want to buy a comic they don’t know if it’s good or not.

Varying quality. Comics are a very mixed bag thing where they can be incredibly written or some of the worst pieces of media you’ve ever read. With this being the case, it can be really hard to find a comic character or writer you like if that’s your first experience. It takes a while to learn about different writers and find out who your favorite writers are. What’s harder is some writers can make absolute masterpieces with one character and the next comic run they cover it can be absolute garbage. Not only that, everyone has opinions on what is a good comic run or not. It’s impossible to find a repeatedly stated and easily accessible list on the good comics to read.

Pretentious “Canon is God” fans. Experiencing “um actually this isn’t good because this isn’t how the canon character would act” responses from people can really fucking suck and diminish their want to experience anything that’s official DC writing. I’ve seen more than one person go into this primarily fanon focused space and insult people saying their writing isn’t canonical and therefore it isn’t valid. It’s Uber Pretentious, demeaning, and actively harms peoples interests in checking out canon content.

Timelines. I already kind of said it but DC’s timelines are a mess. hell, even New 52 has some fucked up timelines making all of Batman’s previous timelines canon but happen only within a seven year period. That’s WAY too short for how much history is packed in there. The amount of crisises that happen and fully change the lore and timelines of characters is bonkers, the comic runs that bounce between different comic runs are really confusing, and the fact that there isn’t a True Starting Point for reading makes it so hard to grasp anything that’s happening. It’s one of comics biggest issues and no matter what DC has done they have yet to find a convenient solution.

Sensitive Content. Comics from DC are littered with either intentional, badly aged, or ignorantly written plot points and writing choices that will turn away readers. DC has its fair share of sexism, misogyny, abelism, racism, abuse, sexual harassment, sexual assaults, or topics casually addressed that can be very triggering for some people. Especially since a large amount of that sort of content is handled incredibly poorly. One particular writer, Alan Moore, writes sexual assault scenes with absolutely zero tact or the delicateness that a topic such as that should be held in. It’s almost solely used as a “let’s make the bad guy do the most fucked up thing they could do” throwaway plot point. Comics of the sort dissuade a lot of readers because of both the heavy content within comics and how that content can be incredibly poorly handled. This is partially why some folks would prefer to read fics. Comics are a unknown mixed grab bag when it comes to content like this and things exactly like this is known to make PTSD symptoms worse while fics have tags and can warn you before you consume the content within.

Time. A lot of folks have busy lives and just don’t have the time to read them.

The ways they intake media. Some folks might have a better time watching a long commentary video that explains a comic or their brain can’t process the comic medium very well. I can read and retain comic knowledge but even I am unique in this aspect, my memory is frightening levels of bad and is proven by science to be absolute shit. I have to reread comics at least once a month to retain the basic bare bones plot. Just because one person can easily digest what’s going on in a comic doesn’t mean everyone can.

Comics are such a big part of my life. I love them so much and they’ve gotten me through so many things. My own experience with comics isn’t the same for others and my thoughts on reading comics differs with other people. A lot of people have equally as many reasons for why they don’t read comics as you and I have for reading them.

[crimsoncold]

AEMONDSA: A crack ship with unexpected depth and appeal

A treatise (in four parts) on the intriguing parallels and complementary contrasting of Aemond and Sansa and the subsequent allure of them as a romantic pairing in Fanfic

- from the perspective of a sansa-stan, jonsa + sansa-centric multishipper, and someone who is generally Targ critical

Now while my general stance of "ship and let ship/don't worry so much about what other people in fandom focus on or ship/etc" still stands i wanted to do a little write up on what I've found so appealing about this particular crack ship.

Not to justify it (again fandom and shipping in general is just about enjoying/thinking about fictional characters and scenarios... no one needs to justify why their imagination likes to think about two characters interacting romantically) but because there isn't a ton of metas addressing the interesting parallels between these characters and the appeal of them as a ship so I wanted to make one so the handful of people who do ship it get to see some more positive engagement/responses to this pairing.

I just unexpectedly ended up loving this pairing so much and I always have a particularly strong urge to contribute to fandom content on the rare pairs/crack ships that I like....So here have a deep dive into the parallels, and contrasting but complimentary aspects of Aemond and Sansa, and the unexpected appeal of Aemond x Sansa as a pairing in fanfiction...

PART 1: MY EXPERIENCE WITH ASOIAF/GOT & HOTD FANDOM AND WHY AEMONDSA IS A PLEASANT SURPRISE

So I'm going to be drawing from both book and show elements when I consider and compare Sansa and Aemond's characterization and plot arcs (particularly since this tends to be how they are handled in fanfic- which all have differing combinations of book or show canon for both characters)

(this is a HOTD S2-free zone though... HOTD's writing has certainly not improved and it's inconsistencies even compared to their past writing and characterization of many characters including Aemond has made such an absolute mess so for this post I'm ignoring the worst part of HBO's attempt at making hotd fanfiction i.e. S2- and I am basing my understanding of Aemond on a combination of what can be gleaned from book canon and s1 because that was what initially interested me AND because that is what the aemondsa fanfic I've read has also been based on)

Now Just to set the scene for my journey as a stark fan, jonsa shipper, and generally targ critical person to become an appreciator of aemondsa...

GOT had a steep decline in quality in the later seasons and HOTD despite the incredible effort of the actors/sfx people was not particularly good to start with in terms of writing/storytelling...yet disappointing or poorly written shows are not without their appeal for participating in fandom and reading/writing related fanfiction, particularly when there is a handful of interesting characters-looking at you stark kids who suffered through the writing of GOT's later seasons and HOTD's team green-that fans want to rescue from the terrible writing/butchering by the showrunners and to explore alternative stories/endings for them... sometimes it is even one of the most appealing sort of set up for fandom/fanfiction to take over and fix things.

I was already a huge Sansa fan, and she was the original draw for me towards asoiaf/got fandom and fanfiction, and while jonsa has been and remains my favorite pairing for her I've always been open to dabbling in various other sansa pairings/crack ships.

(While the parallels don't take the exact form as the ones between Sansa and Jon- and obviously aemondsa isn't accompanied with the incredible foreshadowing and potential that jonsa is- this pairing still feels similarly compelling due to the sheer amount of parallels between the two characters and for the fact that its a ship that is appealing and seems quite fitting without fanfic writers having to stray too far from canon personalities/back stories to make them work as a romantic pairing- beyond you know the obvious aspect of them being alive at the same time)

When HOTD first came out and before i discovered Ameondsa was a thing I was staying away from HOTD fanfic for the most part despite my interest in a few of the characters

HOTD's most predominant focus in both it's fandom and fanfiction seemed to be Rhaenyra/Team black/ Daemyra centric- all of which I was at just personally not drawn. Aemond (hot dramatic anime antagonist transported into hbo's HOTD and personal favorite of mine) centric fics unfortunately tended towards shipping him with various TB characters or TB OCs but both as a concept and due to the handling/set up these fics were generally not appealing to me (more on this later).

Furthermore hotd fandom itself seemed to be shaping up into a new edition of targ stan centric fandom- specifically a new "team black only" brand of stanning... which is definitely not something I am interested in.

Being someone admittedly anti targ/targ critical in general who just happened to be more intrigued (and sympathetic) to the greens in HOTD it did seem that the bulk of hotd fandom was probably going to a similar if even more extreme form of what I encountered with targ-stan segments of the GOT fandom as a sansa-stan/jonsa shipper (ie. Less posts/fanfic that i would personally agree with or be interested in from these fans and potentially hostile and unpleasant responses or takes from the majority of these fans)

As a result of my general avoidance of hotd (i.e. the very pro targ/pro TB fanfiction that hotd fandom offered) Aemondsa, already an extremely rare pair and crack ship, wasn't even a pairing on my radar until one of the authors i was subscribed to started a hotd time travel fix it aemondsa fic...I have an appreciation for well written crack ships, and I am willing to give most pairings or fandoms a chance when I'm already a fan of either the story's main characters or of the author specifically ...but I was actually incredibly suprised how compeling Aemondsa was as a pairing in this story..as well as how much I enjoyed the other Aemondsa fics that I checked out afterwards..it seemed this was a niche segment of hotd fandom that i was going to absolutely obsessing over.

There was a lot of depth to them for a crack ship, which was achievable without altering their personalities and backstories very much from canon (dont get me wrong I love crack ships even ones where people and the plot are altered significantly to make a ship feel possible but there is something uniquely compelling when characters fit together without having to be too ooc) so I just wanted to write a bit about what is so fascinating about this ship since it's such a new rare pair that hasn't accumulated a massive audience or a ton of discussions or write ups yet.

PART 2/4. THE SURPRISING AMOUNT OF PARALLELS BETWEEN SANSA AND AEMOND (FANDOM, PLOT-WISE, but most of all regarding FAMILY)

(Uh ....Brace yourself? this section ended up way longer than expected)

For me the initial appeal comes down to intriguing Character parallels between Sansa and Aemond which fanfic at least offers the opportunity to explore in a story format ....

On a surface level they are (in the shows particularly) both intelligent and underdog figures with fantastic little sassy moments - true queens of dealing out backhanded and cutting compliments, or being unapolegetic critical towards some of the flawed and extremely privileged individual's they encounter who are used to receiving only coddling and fawning worship.

Both characters seem to get shit treatment, sometimes from the fandom other times due to the terrible choices/handling by the writers/showrunners.

Both were characters I personally found interesting and sympathetic despite how fandom- some of it for aemond and a significant amount of it for sansa- had deemed these essentially young and still innocent characters worthy of being reviled and harmed for the ways the adults in their lives had set them up for failure or abuse. Forever dismayed by the way they (unlike certain fan favorites) were somehow never deemed by fandom as deserving of sympathy for the horrible things that happened to them, and how notably they never recieve the same feverent forgiveness/understanding/support for their more dangerous or dark actions the way other characters did

Looking at the difference in fan responses to show!Arya or Dany compared to Sansa- though when it comes to the sheer amount of violence, destruction, and murder or the act of threatening their kin obviously despite what Sansa-antis say Sansa is the only one who should not even be part of the discussion, and how Dany or Arya always recieves excuses, sympathy, forgiveness, or outright praise from the core audience for their more questionable actions while somehow Sansa is deemed as the unforgivable, dangerous, evil, traitorous, and foolishly reckless character

How Aemond (and all of TG really) are set up and considered by TB stans to be unworthy of their house/rightful inheritance and the ones most at fault for the onset and destruction caused by a civil war... never victims mistreated or endangered by the more privileged and powerful members of their family... just the people who only ever deserved what was inflicted on them by TB for the crime of being forced to wed a disgusting and neglectful King or for being threats to Rhaenyra's family or throne simply by existing? How the morally questionable or violent actions of Rhaenyra, her sons, or more particularly her uncle-husband will always be seen as either justifiable, in the right, excusable, or literally worthy of praise the way Aemond's and his family's actions will never be viewed by this core audience

I think about how much like segments of asoiaf fandom bash Sansa by deeming her too southern/too Tully/Too Catelyn-like to be a real Stark (unlike her "truly northern" siblings) their are also segments of hotd fandom that have chosen to see Aemond and his full siblings as only Hightowers who are wrongfully stealing from TB/the "true Targaryens"

But there were even more striking parallels when it came to their characterization and plot.

Both younger (non heir) children, presented as being intelligent, incredibley dutiful and studious, with a very close relationship to their mother, in a sort of intense people pleaser manner - trying their best to excel at all the skills/duties that their parents/society deems necessary for their position and sex because that is the way they receive acceptance, attention, or praise from their family/the adults in their life

Aemond and his studies, his apparently dedication and success in training with the sword despite his own disability, his determination and recklessness to finally become a dragon rider like the rest of his Targaryen family- as it is what is expected and what he has long been mocked over by some of his targ kin, how despite his own ambitions and the way he thought himself particularly suitable for rulership he remained the dutiful and loyal younger brother who served as regent for his gravely injured older brother but did not attempt to stylize himself as King and steal Aegon's throne.

the way that Alicent seems to be the only family member he allows himself to be vulnerable with, the one with whom he turns to for consolation and comfort, Alicent being absolutely devastated and incensed over the loss of Aemond's eye and the lack of punishment for the assault on his person, the only one to demand recompense, the only one to raise a knife to the blacks when she is denied, how Aemond is the one person who tries to console his mother in the aftermath, how despite having just lost an eye he is the one who actually tries to sooth his mother to bring a stop to the increasing and dangerous level of tension and conflict that had erupted between the blacks and greens at driftmark, Aemond's own longstanding protectiveness of and devotion to his family- most especially his mother- that lasts until his own demise.

Sansa and the way she thrives and enjoys the type of world and training that is more of a noble woman's or specifically her mother Catelyn's domain- unlike her wilder other siblings she is generally a steadfastly proper and gentle girl- no doubt a comfort to her mother not just because she is generally so well behaved but in the fact that unlike her siblings she is not shown to be obviously or very publically close with Ned's illegitimate child- who for Catelyn would be the literal personification of Ned's infidelity, the disrespect and humiliation he puts her through by raising him in their house along side their children, and her deep seated fear that he loved and will prioritize another woman and her child more than his own wife and family.

Sansa is the child who seemed to love all things "southern" the most (though undeniably despite how Sansa is looked down upon for her love of romantic stories and song her other siblings also certainly enjoy legends and tales of Knighthood or Southern Princes and warrior Princesses) and to be fascinated by the environment her mother is from, the one who is drawn to and practice her mother's faith in addition to keeping to the old gods,

How Catelyn though she truly grieves letting her daughter go seems to accept it not just because her belief that Sansa would excel as a princess and future queen but because she thinks Sansa would thrive simply through getting to experience the south...Catelyn seems to grasp the things Sansa dreams about and unlike many other family members she does not view Sansa and her interests with the same condescension, dismissal, or disdain.

Catelyn loves all her children immensely but there is something so tragic and beautiful in her love for her daughters, the desperate lengths she is willing to go to to ensure the saftey of both of them while the lords/males in her family have already given them up as a lost cause and inevitable and necessary casualties in their war for vengeance and northern independence

Despite this affection though there is a lot of pressure on both of them... almost to the point that their treatment by the adults in their lives has a bit of a "parentification" dynamic- a manner that sometimes puts the onus on them to be a support and a comfort to their mother amid any tension in the family/marriage (Aemond) or to be the perfectly behaved role model or minder for their less dutiful siblings (Sansa)

Sansa, in everyone's eyes a lady at three and a queen destined to be, the determined effort she puts into excelling at being studious, accomplished, proper, and ladylike, how much she tries to exemplify the behavior praised and exemplified by her mother and her septa

set up by the adults in her life as a go between for the stark sisters...used as the benchmark for their demands and expectations of Arya, being held up as the bar for perfect, proper, and praise worthy behaviour that Arya is presssured to also attain, the daughter who gets censured on the few occasions she acts out while her younger sister typically gets away with her poor behaviour (at least when it comes to their parents)... Sansa isn't just under the pressure of the exacting expectations for a lord's daughter she also experiences the stress of being put in the position of exemplar for her wild untractable younger sister.

Aemond, apparent dutiful student in many areas expected as a child of nobility, who is expected to support Aegon in his rulership and war and (in the show) even takes responsibility for trying to keep his older brother in line, the one who after losing an eye takes the effort to comfort and console his mother's grief and rage when their father does nothing in response to an attack on Aemond other than threaten and intimate his wife and his children with Alicent in order to support his firstborn daughter, who becomes the human equivalent of not just a wrecking ball but a literal weapon of mass destruction sent out on behalf of the advancement of his family or later to enact terrible bloody vengeance on his family's behalf, his life his purpose and his death is all for his family's sake more than his own.

They put so much effort into being well behaved, to reach the exacting standards for a child in their position, setting an example for the less obedient/well behaved sibling(s) all of which in turn adds to significant strain or conflict between said sibling.

Sansa and Aemond are the sibling expected to and determidly striving to live up to the high expectations that the adults in their life put on them and to survive the extremely dangerous and high stakes scenarios they are put in (as a lord's daughter, prince's betrothed and future queen, a hostage and target for the machinations and ambitions of others, the older sibling, a ruling lady, and elected queen; a prince, dutiful son and brother, ruthless and dutiful defender of his family, and regent)

Meanwhile they have other siblings who struggled to meet said expectations or have given up attempting to all together (Arya, Rhaenyra, or to some degree Aegon)

Siblings who must from the perspective of Sansa and Aemond (who are still young, inexperienced, and have had a great deal of conflict with said siblings) seem to flaunt all expectations free to rebell, flaunt the rules, and generally ignore the high pressure expectations that children from their class face.

Undoubtedly frustrating since, much like their more rebellious siblings have failed to sympathize with the more responsible ones, Ameond and Sansa too have not (yet) been able to recognize the ways their less successful/dutiful siblings also suffer under the highly restrictive expectations of their class and position even if they do not choose or succeed in conforming to them.

They see that despite how they may excel in studying, striving and succeeding in their roles, and ultimatley exemplifying the high standards they were raised to it is these other siblings who seem to get rewarded (experiencing in their eyes at least what appears to be more freedom, less pressure, minimal censure or punishment for their misbehavior... while simultaneously receiving the bulk of the reward in terms of their inheritance, the attention they recieve, or even with regards to the amount of affection given by some of the authority figures in their lives, i.e. their fathers)...

To them it must seem that these siblings get to be not just easily forgiven for their mistakes and misbehaviour, but accepted as or outright adored simply the way they naturally are, whereas dutiful and non problematic children like themselves tend to be overlooked or underappreciated, and quickly criticized on the rare cases they misbehave... the acceptance and affection they recieve appears far more conditional on them behaving well according to the expectations of their family or various instructors/minders... whereas the affection their siblings receive, from say a certain parent, is show to be rather unconditional

Seriously they both give me such severe "easy" (i.e. overlooked) and "gifted" child trauma vibes... how much of their behavior is simply in their nature and how much is what they conform themselves to to make the adults around them proud... because as the quieter child or apparent outsider amindst their family/siblings this is the only action that comes natural to them and gets them some (hard earned) attention/praise in a rather large and loud family they otherwise seem a bit lost in... how much of their striving to succeed is dependent on the sincere belief/understanding that their saftey and potentially the future, saftey, and wellbeing of their family depends on it.

They both have a far more distant relationship with their fathers who favoured another sibling- a sister over them... father's who either didn't seem to know how to connect with them - Ned- or never really bothered to try- Viserys...

while i do believe Ned loves his children and they adored him in return i feel its obvious that he neglected in preparing any of them for the true dangers and realities of the world away from the satey and protection of winterfell and their Stark family, and he absolutely dropped the ball on keeping either of his daughters safe and supervised when he took them along into a very dangerous situation in kingslanding

Furthermore Ned never quite seemed to connected with or pay attention to Sansa they way he did with Arya... just something about the fact that when he follows the orders of his king/supposed best friend to kill Sansa's direwolf (the very symbol of their house) it is in replacement for Arya's Direwolf who was allowed to escape the cruel wrath of the Queen and Prince...and how he continues to fail Sansa in the aftermath

It's something about the gifts he gives his very angry and traumatized daughters to comfort them after- in lieu of truly trying to actually connect with and console both of them or to even properly mediate their increased fighting.

Arya (in the show and book) is given lessons with a "dancing" master who teaches her swordplay/water dancing, she was so excited and she always wanted to be outside learning to fight like her brothers got to, in this moment to her understanding she is not just seen by her father she is accepted and supported (a careful reader may see that Ned's attitude appears to be slightly condescendingly indulgent on the matter of her learning swordplay... but Arya gets the chance to do something she loves all the same)

Meanwhile (in the show) to try to console Sansa Ned gives her... a doll? (Honestly I can't recall any equivalent gift from Ned to Sansa in the books? the mention of her possibly getting harp lessons in Kingslanding was actually a promise Catelyn made to her on Ned's behalf rather than his own effort... and was something that Ned didn't actually ever arrange in the books)

But is this doll meant to be an appropriate gift to make up for the death of her direwolf? Is this gesture enough to comfort her and make amends after Ned killed her direwolf (notice its not exactly as spectacular, meaningful, or comforting a gift as arya's "dancing lessons"... certainly there is no indication that he has any particular understanding of Sansa or has given much thought into her talents, interests, or personality beyond the most shallow perusal)

In the aftermath of Lady's death Ned does nothing to truly protect Sansa or keep her away from the obviously dysfunctional and dangerous family he has promised her away to.

Yet he can take the time to comfort and have a frank conversation with Arya about how important staying together and supporting eachother as family is- especially when they are amongst dangerous people who mean to harm or separate them- and the specific importance her and Sansa will have to one another as sisters who share the same blood... further explaining how just as they will need eachother Ned needs them as well

Ned has no such comforting or distinctly meaningful exchange with Sansa... he doesn't explain the reality of the Lannisters/Joffrey/Robert (i.e. the truth of the people he has agreed to give his young daughter away to despite the fact that he either personally has no respect for most of them or has not been around them long enough to know anything about their true nature)

Yes it is the risk to his daughter that makes him willing to falsely confess to treason, yes eventually he decides its best to send his daughters back to winterfell, yes he finally wants to break the betrothal and he makes a beautiful promises to make her a match with "a high lord who's worthy of [her], someone brave and gentle and strong" ... but he is much too late to get both of his daughters away from the lannisters/kingslanding, way too late in his attempt to keep them safe, and he fails to handle Sansa with age appropriate respect and frankness and to actually tell her how dangerous things are in kingslanding and why joffrey (false prince -bastard born of incest) is such an ill suited match.

Maybe if he had put any effort into explaining things to her...or simply spending time with her, speaking to her, trying to understand her, comforting her amidst the loss of lady and the increased fighting with Arya, or doing literally anything other than just neglecting her and her saftey Sansa would have actually trusted his decision and seen it as him wanting what was best for her.

Maybe if he had been more proactive and focused on his daughters well being he wouldn't have brought both of them south after the altercation over their direwolves... or maybe he could have been successful at getting both his daughters out of kingslanding before everything went to hell.

Its almost like the whole point of the Ned/Arya/Sansa and the Ned/Cersei/Sansa dynamic isn't to show that Sansa is a naive girl who betrays her family for the lannisters but is instead to show that when you neglect your child emotionally they will turn elsewhere for comfort and will be particularly vulnerable to being manipulated or abused by other adults... its almost like this part of A Game of Thrones is more about the way even someone like Ned- a man who does strives to do what he thinks is right and a parent who does loves his children- can still fail.

Ned's treatment of Sansa is specifically intriguing, though i don't know if it will be addressed specifically since her relationship and dynamic with Ned is one that much like Robb ended with his tragic and unjust murder (leaving behind a grief stricken Sansa helplessly longing for the return of her family and home, grieving with a near devotional regard for her lost father and brother)... Sansa will never get to confront or reconcile with them over the many ways she was let down and left unprotected by her male relatives- and who knows if a traumatized and grieving Sansa will ever even recognize and admitt to herself the ways the people who she loved the most failed to live up to her expectations of them... how clearly that despite their love for her she was rarely their first priority ... how they both seemed to fail to follow their family mottos ... the lone wolf dies but the pack survives.... family before duty or honor... she was family yet duty and honor came before her in Robb's eyes... she was part of a pack but through Ned promising her to a marriage in the south, in him taking her and Arya away to kingslanding, in him failing to prioritize her saftey until they all were practically already on the chopping block, and in Robb abandoning any hope or plan of rescuing her she truly was abandoned by them ...to be a lone wolf without a pack to help her survive

Then there is Viserys who at the very least had a much stronger regard for Rhaenyra than all the kids by his second wife ...but can also quiet easily be accused of outright neglecting and mistreating them

The lack of guidance holds true for all his children really but with Rheanyra at least it is accompanied by an (ultimatley harmful) spoiled indulgence that he offers only to his eldest daughter- covering up her obvious blunders and threatening anyone who would speak the truth of her questionable actions and her children's legitimacy including his own wife and sons ... going against traditional succession not because he wants to promote first born succession/succession by "merit"/or treating daughter equal to sons in terms of inheritance or anything like that but because of guilt and unashamed favoritism.

Viserys refuses to give to his son what westeros society at least would deem as Aegon's birthright, while also failing to make arrangements for any his non-Rhaenyra children to have a future and saftey separate from the throne.

He doesn't arrange matches with other kingdoms and give them allies, protection, family, independence, or a power base independent of the crown/hightowers instead leaving them dependent only on the crown, vulnerable targets to be handled (i.e. no doubt killed on the orders of Rhaenyra and/or her uncle husband Daemon) as living they would remain the most significant threat to the legitimacy of their rulership.

Viserys looks the other way when Aemond specifically is permanently maimed by Rhaenyra's son...his only action after his son loses his eye is to threaten his second family, to intimidate them into staying quite on the topic of the legitimacy of Rhaenyra's children before he deems the matter concluded... as if the worst part of that altercation was Aemond calling them bastards rather than say four children ganging up against one and how one of these children attacked using a knife and cost the other their fucking eye?

That for Aemond more than anything must cement his understanding of his father's feelings about Aemond and his full siblings and mother. To Viserys they simply matter less than Rhaenyra and her children.

In fact their well being or saftey matters less than even an offense made to Rhaenyra's reputation... which shows Alicent and her children without question that they are in danger from the blacks and the King will do nothing to prevent the blacks from trying to severely physically harm Aemond or his siblings, and in fact that there will be no punishment for the blacks when they succeed in doing so.

A civil war between the blacks and the greens was inevitable... Viserys actions of protecting and favoring Rhaenyra while also not ensuring she is instructed on and practices/proves her ability to rule, willfully ignoring that she violates her own vows and that she passes off her obviously illegitimate children as trueborn heirs, of permitting her not just to inherit (and position her illegitimate son as the next heir to) what most considered the birthright of her brother but also for her to steal the birthright of her own cousins by supplanting them with her other bastard and demoting them to being simply their brides/consorts, him keeping her as heir not just after he has multiple trueborn sons but also after Rhaenyra gets remarried to the exact violent bloodthirsty man that so many feared and Viserys himself had previously removed as his own heir in favour for Rhaenyra.

Viserys doing all of this while still choosing to remarry and have MULTIPLE children with his new wife... the neglectful and disrespectful way he treats his second family... all of this ensured that the death of some (if not all) of his children, via either assassination or in outright civil war, would always have been inevitable.

There is so much hatred, fear, distrust, and tension between Viserys' family members... and not only did he fail to intervene or improve things he was the one most responsible for it ....so much of the environment Alicent lived in and Aemond and his full siblings were raised was permeated by not just a sense of deep injustice (particularly in Aemond's case with his treatment by not just the blacks but his own father) but also an undercurrent of desperate fear over what will happen to them and their family in the wake of a brewing succession crisis

The mommy, daddy, and sibling issues are so strong with these two and I'm so obsessed with how the complicated family dynamics and tragic family losses that Ameond and Sansa experience echoe one another in so many ways...there is just so much love, grief, rage, unpacked trauma, and hurt in them and I am always obsessed with stories that allow the narrative or characters to address such trauma.

PART 3/4. THE CONTRASTING AND COMPLIMEMTARY ASPECTS OF THEIR STORIES (SUFFERING AND GRIEF)

They were both were so young when they became targets of the wrath and dislike of powerful and corrupt "Queens"

Sansa who loses her direwolf at the demand of Queen Cersei, a queen who after long being abused by her own husband sees a perhaps more extreme form of that sort of violence in her own mad son being directed at Sansa, who rather than expressing or experiencing compassion or sympathy instead takes the chance to revel in the destruction of Sansa's innocence, to mock and emotionally abuse Sansa when she has lost her father and her only protection in Kingslanding, leaving her a hostage of war at the mercy of a violent and corrupt royal family

Aemond who after losing his eye to an attack instigated by Rhaenyra's children receives no apology or recompense...instead his own sister asks for her mutilated little brother to be tortured sharply questioned due to the offense he caused by accusing her sons -accurately mind you- of being bastards... Aemond and his siblings who were never truly ever treated by Rhaenyra as her siblings only ever the offspring of Alicent and thus obstacles and threats for her (and her uncle's) right to the throne.

Both were physically harmed or tormented by (or with the approval of) young members of royalty, with very little being done to intervene, stop, or punish those involved despite their own highborn status- which would generally deem them unacceptable targets for such abuse.

Young Sansa a hostage but still a high born daughter descended from two of the seven ruling houses in westeros, The Warden of the North and the Lord Paramount of the Trident, and niece/cousin to the rulers of a third kingdom, the Lord Paramount of the Vale. Who while under the "care" of the crown is tormented, stripped, and beaten in open court at the behest of a mad boy king... forced to look upon the severed heads of her father and household, forced into being an unwilling child bride to the house of her family's enemies, who is molested and threatened with sexual assault on multiple occasions

Prince Aemond son of the King who is mocked by his brother and nephews (or his king and father in the books) over the fact that he hasnt yet claimed a dragon, and when this makes him reckless enough to approach and claim the largest dragon in existence the torment doesn't stop it gets dangerously worse as the tension between the children of the blacks and greens escalate to the point of a violent confrontation between Aemond and his nephews and cousins... and the resulting loss of of his eye when one of his attackers brings out a knife. None of the children who banded together to attack Aemond would face any consequences, only Aemond himself and his mother and older brother would censure and outright threats from their King Father and Older sister. Whose earliest sexual experience- done at the behest of his older brother- was implied to be at the very least coerced, traumatizing, and humiliating- if not outright non consensual on his part.

Both Sansa and Aemond face a terrible sort of loss when they begin losing their family members to mass civil war ...often in a manner that is distinctly horrific or against all laws of decency in the 7 kingdoms

her father Ned unjustly executed for treason and whose decapitated head is displayed and used to torment her, her younger sister Arya gone missing for years and long thought dead, her home sacked and younger brothers Bran and Rickon supposedly murdered by her family's ward- a boy who grew up alongside the stark children- the burned/mutilated heads and bodies of two young boys being being put on display at winterfell, her older Brother and Mother slaughtered when their traitorous allies and bannermen men break sacred guest rights at a wedding, both their bodies desecrated in a mockery of their houses... Robb decapitated his direwolves own head placed ontop of his body while his enemies parade his remains around, her mother Catelyn's throat slit and her body dumped naked in a river and left to rot.

(In the show) Rickon being cut down before his siblings eyes by a madman who betrayed their house and had tortured Sansa herself, her "half brother" Jon betrayed and murdered by his men and later sent off into a lonley exile away from his family and home for the "crime" of taking out an invader who had just committed mass murder... Sansa being left to rule the north all alone with many of her family members long dead and the surviving ones being set on a path away from the north/winterfell while she is left to handle rulership in isolation

Aemond who after commiting the first Kinslaying of the "war of dragons" by attacking his own assailant and nephew Lucerys proceeds to lose all of the family that he loved.

Starting with the tragic murder of his innocent young nephew at the behest of his elder sister/uncle- who arranged for his mother Alicent to be attacked tied up and forced to bear witness to the gruesome murder of her grandchild,

His sister Helaena -who plead for her life to be taken to spare her son- forced under the threat of the rape of her young daughter to choose which of her young sons will be murdered. Only for all of them to be traumatize further when they kill Jaehaerys and leaving Maelor the son she "chose" to die to survive with the message that his own mother wanted him dead... the emotional torment this caused the whole family but most of all his sister who refused to eat, bathe, or look upon her remaining son due to her immense feelings of guilt

his older brother Aegon who has lost his son and heir, and whose sister/wife is in a grief so deep she cannot care for their remaining children, who is attacked and maimed but survives to live on in total agony,

the murder of Maelor, Aemond's remaining nephew at the hands of a mob

Aemond's last stand, sacrificing his dragon and his own life to take out his Uncle (the biggest threat to his family and the orchestrator of Jaehaerys' brutal murder)

The many tragedies that continued after Aemond's own death- his sister's eventual suicide, the death of his younger brother Daeron, his oldest brother outlasting all of his siblings and his own two sons only to be taken out by poison once the war is over, his mother spending the last of her years in confinement until she passes from sickness,

His niece Jaehaera, after the loss of her entire family, married off as a child in the name of "peace" and dying young and alone- of suicide or murder

There is just such fascinating potential when two characters would have so much mirroring grief and trauma ...there is such an undercurrent of helpess rage, guilt, and grief to them in their youth and a undoubtedly a feverent desire for either vengeance or justice against the many people who harmed them or slaughtered their family...

And here is where things begin to differ between the two in interesting ways

with Sansa who has these violent wishes/impulses but is not in a position to see them fulfilled herself- her desire to push Joffrey to his death even at the cost of her own life, her wish that someone will throw Ser Meryn Trant down and cut off his head, her hope that various people will fall/be unhorsed...

Sansa who recieves a direwolf, Lady, the very symbol of her house and potentially a companion that would have offered a connection that was an extension of her own soul only for Lady to be cut down so quickly and unjustly... Sansa who loses not just the connection/companionship she recieved from Lady but also the protection such a bond would offer her ... she is left vulnerable in so many ways and has no promise of reuniting with her own direwolf later on... that will never be a comfort or form of security offered to her after all the danger and trauma she experiences

While Aemond, who spent much of his young life similarly helpless to act or respond to insults and assaults on his own person or immediate family, (that his father/king either never deemed worthy of interference or punishment... that is when it wasn't the King himself who was the perpetrator of such offenses) unlike Sansa experiences a change of fortune in the form getting to bond with the symbol of his house

He gains (and gets to keep until his own death) a bond with a different sort of mythical beast companion... a dragon and as a result recieves all the potential for power and destruction that comes with being a dragon rider

By claiming Vhagar Ameond is the closest he will ever be to untouchable, not just from the harassment he personally experienced from his family but with regards to how grave and dangerous a threat/target he had now become for the blacks during the dance of dragons

Aemond now a dragonrider of the largest living dragon, a child and later teenager who is in control of the narrative equivalent of a weapon of mass destruction, and he is no longer held back from acting on his anger once the rule and interference of his neglectful father king is over,

he is in control of the most massive beast of pure destruction and unlike Sansa, who for now in the books- or for much of her story in the show- remained an unprotected hostage or pawn in the hands of those who mean to harm or use her... who handles her trauma very internally as she is not in a position to fight back, and must rely on her words, intelligence, and ability to read and strategically interact with people as a way of defending and keeping herself safe, Aemond is now in the position to enact every bloodthirsty impulse of revenge he ever experienced

He was held back from enacting vengeance only through his own will, which ultimately proves not enough- he commits the first kin slaying and soon the actions of each side escalated into a horrific bloodbath where nobility and small folk alike suffered or die en masse

While Aemond's story may be one of family devotion and loyalty, mistreatment, injustice, and suffering that ends by showing the terrible outcomes of revenge and uncontrolled cruel brutality Sansa's story feels like one where grief, rage, and mistreatment exist but where family, love, compassion, kindness, justice, and integrity will win out in the end.

Sansa was certainly developed into a more discerning strategic and ruthless figure in the show but justice, duty, and forgiveness were still very prevalent in her storyline

she does have ramsay killed in a fittingly horrific manner, but she later holds a public trial for littlefinger- who was responsible for much of her familys suffering, the death of her father, and her own torment and rape- before she has him executed,

She feels compassion and forgiveness for theon the man who had betrayed her family and drove her young brothers out of their home, who only after experiencing significant torture himself became devoted to protecting the remaining starks and was able to find the courage to disobey his own torturers in order to help Sansa escape,

She possessed a concern for other people that few ruler do in asoiaf/got... speaking up against Joffrey's cruelty even as a powerless hostage, being the person concerned with the more practical matters of caring for and feeding their people during a harsh winter- a notable development in comparison to say everyone else just focusing on battle tactics and the upcoming battles (as though feeding an army is not an essential part of warfare), and the invader who just burned westeros' food stores en masse and now expects others to feed not just her armies but also demands that her dragons be fed "whatever they want"

I think in the books however that despite Sansa's internal grief and rage and her burgeoning political acuity there will be a gentler end to her arc where her own innate sense of duty and her (now more discerning) sense of compassion will win out in the end when she takes back her name, identity, and birthright ... that she along with her surviving family will have justice administered in the name of their lost family and people... efficiently bringing down righteous and necessary judgement on those that harmed and betrayed them rather than simply dealing out some form of mass, bloody, cruel revenge on her enemies (I'll leave that for lady stoneheart) ... and that a satisfying ending for her and the other starks will balance them realistically addressing the dangers and betrayal they faced with their own personal resolve to hold true to the values imparted to them by their parents.

... yet after all her suffering (and the frustrating lack of trust, consideration, or support she was given by her own family in the later GOT seasons) there is something darkly appealing to the idea of her getting (not a hero precisely) but a ruthless and devoted sort of monster to support her and bring down unholy vengeance on her various tormentors

PART 4/4: THE RESULTING DRAMATIC AND EMOTIONAL APPEAL OF AEMONDSA FICS

This after their many parallels and complementary contrasts is what intrigues me the most...the interplay of a potentially wary, cautious, traumatized but still duty and justice oriented person and a companion or lover who is comparatively more ruthless, unhinged, capable of atrocities, and who is more equipped to dole out violence en masse... (guys the pipeline from dark jon/dark jonsa to aemondsa just makes so much sense)

the question in Aemondsa fics of what will win out in the end- the shared grief and rage or them both controlling/channeling such impulses into strategic righteous fury and justice is always fascinating... and most of all the idea of Sansa (after all the trauma mistreatment and grief she has experienced) attaining the interest and eventual devotion of someone who despite being capable of monstrous actions is also incredibly loyal, devoted, and ruthless in the pursuit of their loved ones interests ("I want you to put out your eye ... plan to make it a gift if it to my mother" indeed) is just as appealing as the idea where an isolated, lonely, traumatized, grieving, and dangerously angry young man like Aemond gets to find acceptance, affection, companionship, and belonging with an intelligent strategic but more importantly an exceptionally compassionate person like Sansa.

Its just a dynamic far too intriguing to ignore especially for someome who already loved Time Travel/Reincarnation Fix IT AUs in fanfiction

While emotional catharsis and Sansa returning home and having the dreams she had wrote off as impossible be fulfilled (i.e. building a loving partnership and marriage, having children with someone who loves and wants her more than her claim itself, reuniting with her family) is something I love- and what I want to happen in canon (hence my otp being Jonsa)- there is always an interesting/guilty pleasure aspect of fanfic where Sansa (or the Starks in general) get to wreck terrible bloody victory and vengeance on those who betrayed and butchered their family and people (not really the ultimate message or point of the book but definitely emotionally satisfying in fanfic)

Just like there is a sort of appeal that exists in hotd fanfic that is sort of the opposite ...ones that alter the violent senseless and tragic trajectory of the dance of dragons... to either change the course of a brutal civil war or prevent it all together

and the Aemondsa pairing's time travel or reincarnation fics provide an opportunity to explore both of these diverse dynamics.

Sansa will always deserve the world... in canon and in fanfic i want to see all her dream and hopes come true whether it is with a truly good and just partner with whom she gets to build the life and home she always dreamed of or through her getting her very own devoted monster who would do anything to keep her safe from the scores of people who wish to misuse or harm her

and I always wish that hotd fanfiction offered more Aemond centric fics with a love interest that you know actually likes, sympathizes with, or understand him? He feels too tragic a character for me to want him to experience the typical hate and love (enemies AND lovers) treatment he tends to get in fanfic... its not really satisfying for me seeing his typical pairing up with whatever team black character (or really TB character rewrite) or some Daemon's or Rhaenyra's daughter OC that is the frequent choice for aemond centric fics...him being portrayed as some impusive awful and villainous love interest who changes sides and abandons his family just to be with his lover/obsession feels so out of character in a way that erases the best, most compelling, and sympathetic parts of his canon personality, motives, and actions.

Luckily Aemondsa fics seems to be a pairing that offers everything I like in Ameond or Sansa centric fics....

In conclusion Aemondsa is surprisingly compelling and versatile dynamic in fanfic and I think that is why I've become such a fan of Firesteel/Aemondsa fanfiction (in a way I'm NOT at all a fan of the actual HOTD show writing lol)

I'm a proud support of crack ships/rarepairs and I'm always willing to add to the fandom appreciation of pairings that gets less attention or fandom related works... so expect to see the occasional Aemondsa fanart/fic recommendation post from me amongst my typical jonsa content (in fact expect one in the next in a day or so)

Otherwise I just hope established Ameondsa fans (or people who haven't ready any aemondsa fics but are fans of either character/curious about this pairing in general) have enjoyed seeing me fangirl about these two characters/this crack ship and feel inspired to check out or even make their own Aemondsa content!

-Crimsom Cold

[ghostflowerhotpotch]

Let's Talk Peter B

@iwasbored777 (Since you ask to be tagged)

Okay! I was on the fence about writing this post, but after doing this response and some encouragement, I decided that fuck it, let’s do this.

While I had seen multiple things about Gwen being a bad friend, a bad person, and other things I don’t want to say because I will start ranting- Peter B for the most part, has come out scotch free.

Don’t get me wrong, I had seen some people address his issues, but it has been a few posts in a sea of him with Mayday and people shipping with Miguel. Which hey, is okay with me, but when you see you a character you love be given the short end of the stick despite the circumstances yet another character that has much less to lose has their mistakes largely been ignored and basically be woobify.

Is not just Gwen, I had also seen people take beef with Jess as a mentor yet somehow leave Peter out of that conversation. Don’t get me wrong Jess is far from perfect (which is something I discussed before,) but again, Peter is far from perfect too.

Does this has to do with Peter being a beloved main character in the first movie? Yes. Does it also has to do with misogynoir and misogyny? Oh I don’t doubt it.

I don’t hate Peter B, far from it, I think he is a great adaptation of our spidey, and while I am not the biggest spiderman fan out there, I did grew up with Peter Parker in movies and cartoons so I do have love for this characters as well as his incarnation in Sony movies.

I will do my best to remain as unbiased and neutral as possible, but not gonna lie this entire thing is annoying me enough that I will say when I am aware of my own biases, as I always try to do.

But if you think liking a character stops me from calling them on their bullshit you are wrong.

I know this post is more about how Peter is with Miles and his role as a mentor, but I decided to address some other things I had seen people talk about because there is a reason I choose "Let's talk Peter B Parker" as a title.

Believe it or not, I am fine with this. Seriously.

Peter wasn’t here when Miles arrived, and considering they did a small tour and got an empanada on the way, I think wouldn’t be odd to say he wasn’t around when Miles arrived. My theory is that he was taking care of his own stuff, and once he knew that Miles was around, went to get Mayday to present her to Miles.

I think that’s pretty normal all things consider, he loves Miles and wouldn’t had fixed things with MJ and had his daughter without her, of course he would want the two of to met.

The enthusiasm is all things consider pretty sweet, and while I don’t approve of some things he does (like giving her a web shooter while being just a few months old?) Is one of those things that are part of superhero writing that has the children technically doing things that they shouldn’t be doing for their age, so I just let it slide because if I get hung up every time I see something like this, it would not end.

I’m the only one who is actually mad about this comment?

Yes, is a joke, I get that, and Peter is trying to take as much as steam off Miles by trying to frame him on the light that he messes up, but is just who he is.

It doesn’t make me any less annoyed.

For starters, I feel like I am rereading Percy Jackson again (No I will not explain that reference.) Because despite everyone more or less knowing what’s going on (Hobie said before he didn’t know what Miguel was hiding so how much he knows is unsure,) no one has attempted to explain the situation to Miles.

This is a trope I had seen enough (including WAY too many times in the books I mentioned,) and I really resent when characters act as if the protagonist or someone else is stupid just because they are unaware of something. ESPECIALLY if the characters saying so are aware they don’t know.

They are also letting him believe is a good thing he is in HQ, but that is actually not Peter’s fault. I am mad with Gwen on this one, but also Jessica, and Hobie well, he should have known enough to be able to tell him seeing Miguel is not good news. At least Hobie tries to warn him as subtly as possible.

Sure, Peter just got here, but the fact that he is already accusing Miles of just messing up with the universe carelessly is not something that doesn’t sit well with me. Either he knows that Miles doesn’t know and is making an insulting comment, or thinks Miles is aware of the situation and just acted recklessly. The second one is the best scenario, but I feel Peter is presuming way too much for someone that just came around and should have known better than believe Miles knew all of these details while Miguel basically has a giant banner of “Not Earth-1610 Anomalies allowed.”

Also, sidetrack but what exactly does Miles do that isn’t just your typical spidey behaviour? Yes he doesn’t always have full-formed plans before acting but you can say that about EVERYONE in the room at that moment.

“He wasn’t thinking, is not like he works!” My ass.

Want my two cents about this moment? Peter has zero business telling this to Miles.

When Miles asks Gwen about her dad, she is crestfallen, she doesn’t like to believe this more than he does; but unlike anyone else in this room, Gwen cannot return to her home dimension. The best case scenario is if she isn’t there, her dad may not die; but that’s the best case scenario, and that involves again, not stepping again in her home dimension ever again. Her best bet is never to see her home, or anyone she knows including her dad, because not only she may end up in prison, her presence may lead to the death of her dad.

And who knows, it may happen regardless; he may be dead already because he is a police officer and she couldn’t be there to give a hand or save him (As she said she did in Into the Spider-verse, by the way.)

Yet at least, she is coming to this with the idea that her life is going to have to SUCK for a few years, things happening or not happening depending on where she is but none of this is pretty or fair.

Peter? As far as we know, he is done.

Considering the age range of the Spidey-characters, chances are Peter already lived the canon events he needed to live, at best they don’t know what’s next, which means he can operate as he feels is the best course of action.

Miles asked him if he would have let his uncle die, but Peter lost his uncle over twenty years ago, he had enough time to grieve, to accept the outcome, and find happiness after it. And to top it all off, HE DIDN’T HAVE THAT MORAL DILEMMA PLACED IN FRONT OF HIM BEFORE IT HAPPENED.

I find Peter’s words hollow because unlike Miles, he was never asked to not intervene in a canon event, he hasn’t needed to deal with someone from his universe dying while he let it play out.

I am not saying he didn't suffer, he did, and a lot; yet he was unaware that this would happen, is way different having someone tell you “Oh those tragedies you lived? It’s the destiny that keeps everything together, it’s rough but it is what it is,” than someone telling you “Oh you are going to live a bunch of different personal tragedies, and you need to suffer with the burden of this knowledge because is this or everyone in every universe dies.”

(How much do you guys bet someone will use this as an example of the trolley problem in a philosophy class.)

Since we are going in kind of a chronological order, let’s go to something a tad lighter both because it deserves mention, and so I can cool down before I start ranting in Spanish (which is not going to be saying pretty things about B precisely.)

Yes, Peter recognizes this is bad parenting, which is good because it certainly isn’t good; I also have trouble believing he didn’t know AT LEAST ONE spider that could stay behind and watch Mayday while he went to the chase.

However, I do think the chase was never going to be dangerous, nor Peter thought it would be. He has been Spider-man for a quarter of a century, he has been swinging around for so long is second nature to him, I bet he has taken Mayday on “strolls” which is him swinging around.

There is also another screenshot that really encapsulates that Peter didn’t realize how dire the situation is, but that’s for later.

There is also the possibility that he asked Miguel to do this as a way to distract him, but considering this is the only time he does this and is going around him being obsessed with Mayday (Which I think is a bit too much, but I blame more the writers than Peter for that.) I am inclined to believe this is not the case.

(Sigh) I promise to try to be neutral, so I need to bring this up.

What they were talking about earlier can be lumped to a bit later on, and I decided to bring this instead of talking about it when Miles and Peter saw each other (which is I didn’t bring because what I could say would be the same as this.) Because this is something really beautiful that I didn’t want to leave out.

I think that’s what angers me the most about this, because in a vacuum? I love this.

I am a sucker for found family tropes, I love the idea that Miles would grow to see people like Peter B, Noir, and so forth as a family. I love how Peter says how much Miles means to him and meeting him changed his life for the better.

Peter B loves Miles, he said that in the last movie; I can’t just erase that.

However, is exactly because of this scene, that what happens next makes me so sad.

Oh, Miles.

I didn’t mention it in the previous image nor did I took detailed screenshots for the sake of my sanity and to not turn this way too long. (Though I may do it in another moment- Ok I need to focus.)

Miles was obviously affected by what Peter said to him, it obviously means a lot because Miles also loves Peter; of all the spiders in the gang he was the one who he spent the most time initially; he wouldn’t be the Spider-man he is today without him.

And it breaks my heart how Miles says this.

Look at the angle, at his posture; Miles can’t even turn to say this to Peter’s face because it hurts so much. He looks so small in that shot, trying to emphasize how he is just a teen, how he really loves them so much, and it breaks his heart to know that they could visit him, and they didn’t.

Let’s remember what he was doing at the beginning of the movie; he was trying to study physics. He is great at it, and he was since the first movie, however, this is clearly not his passion; he loves his art and even if he didn’t know what he wanted to do yet in the first movie, you can see how much he loves what he does.

And he was willing to leave all of that aside, just to see Gwen, Peter and the others again; because as far as he knew there wasn’t any other way. Remember, he was aiming at Princeton; he would need to bleed and work hard to get there, and even after, being in this field it was not going to be a walk in the park; getting to make the dimensional travel work (At least without seeing Miguel’s technology like Hobie seemed to do;) was also going to be hard.

Miles wanted to do all of that for them, and them? They didn’t.

Now; I don’t blame Gwen in this scenario.

I had said this much in this post before, and a bunch of others too. Gwen was stuck with the Spider Society; and yet she risked losing everything, from homelessness to prison, to spend an afternoon with Miles the second she had an excuse.

What is Peter’s excuse?

He couldn't, he couldn't.

That's what he had to say for himself.

Here is the thing: I am not sure I buy it.

Gwen makes sense to me, Miguel didn't want Gwen to be involved since the beginning and obviously doesn't trust her when is about Miles; Gwen wasn't exactly wrong to fear she would get kicked out if she acted out of line.

Peter? I have my doubts.

We don't know Miguel's and Peter B's relationship (I know some shippers have some ideas, not my cup of tea but I have no problem if people like it.) However, we know that Peter B was there when Miguel's dimension collapsed, later in the movie we saw what Miguel did to Gwen for what happened (believe me, we will get there.)

Even if that was the case; Peter’s situation is much less dire than Gwen’s. Even if Peter could be kicked out of the organization for disobeying Miguel; he would still have his wife, his house, his daughter. He would had been in the same spot he was at the end of the first movie, if not better because now he would had a chance to know both him and Miles would be okay.

I am getting ahead of the post here, but I honestly don’t know how much of Canon BS Peter believes; he clearly doesn’t think Miles is bad for being an anomaly, nor his daughter (technically because Peter wasn’t supposed to meet Miles, he wouldn’t have his daughter. Is certainly a NO in the comics.) Miguel is convinced that Miles’ presence is enough to create more holes in the multiverse; Gwen obviously doesn’t share that view. Peter? I don’t know if he thinks there is actually something to lose for visiting him.

One way or another, he doesn’t really give me a reason here; who knows, maybe when Beyond comes there would be enough information for me to admit Peter did the right thing. For now? No.

Here, we have Miles telling Peter he wanted to meet them so badly, and even if Peter doesn't have a clue of how literal Miles is; you can hear it in his voice, in his posture, how he still cannot look at Peter because to that point it hurts.

And what's Peter's response to this?

(Deep breath,) Boy at moments like this I really wish I didn't think so hard about media.

It hurts me, and it angers me, because it is a pretty sweet moment, but when you think hard about it, it just becomes messy.

I could make an entire discussion about how Peter literally ignored Miles’ feelings about not being there, about how he and others (Gwen not really, the others eehhh hard to say;) didn’t try too reach him, which obviously makes him feel like they don’t care about him as he does. And Peter decide to ignored it.

But! I will try to give him the benefit that this is a tense situation, there is hundreds of spiders looking for them, and there only have so much time. I am going to believe, Peter couldn’t address that at the moment because they had other issues.

Yet even if we omit that point, do you guys realize this is literally no different that his entire spiel about Uncle Ben, right?

Because that’s what he is trying to say, “Spider-man has to suffer, but hey sometimes good things can happen anyways.” This entire conversation is about trying to make Miles follow him, do whatever Miguel is trying to do to avoid having Miles go to his dimension (or at least stop him from saving his dad,) and basically let her dad die.

Look, there is nuance to this situation; Peter isn’t saying this to manipulate Miles, he believes this. He truly believes bad things had to happen to keep the universe from falling apart; I am convinced Miguel’s second universe didn’t fall for his Canon theory, yet Peter B was there, I can’t blame the guy for drinking the kool-aid a bit more than the others.

This doesn’t change the fact that this scene has Peter ignoring Miles’ pain, and try to tell him he needs to suffer some more because “is just how the universe works!”

(Sidenote but anyone can’t help to see this and think of a random Christian telling someone after they lived a personal tragedy “Is just G-d’s plan”? Because I saw that a lot.)

Now, I guess the next question someone may be wondering is, do I believe Peter was being honest with Miles here?

...I don’t know, I really, don’t know.

I had seen this scene multiple times, and I lost count how many times when I was in the theatre, seeing this scene, and thinking “he knew” just for the next moment thinking “he didn’t know.”

If you want my two cents, the part that keeps tripping me over is how he looks at his watch, then Miles, then the watch, it makes me wonder if he is screaming that he doesn’t have his location to Miguel, or to Miles.

I don’t want to believe Peter purposefully drive Miles away so he could get trapped, when he says to Miles “I didn’t know, I promise;” I want to believe him.

The thing is, the outcome he hoped wasn’t that much different, now was it?

He wanted it to be Miles decision, yet again, he was trying to get Miles to not just abandon his morals (as well as the ones every Spider-person should have,) but also try to tell him he needs to suffer for the good of the world.

(I am having SO many flashbacks to things I read about cults, I need to continue working on that post about the Spider Society ffs.)

This is a small detail, but I gotta say; Peter do you really have nothing on your defense?

Look, feel free to believe I am playing favourites, but unlike many people who had a problem with Gwen, I don't blame her for hiding this.

No, I don't think what she did was right. Let’s not get things twisted. I definitely think Gwen shouldn’t had hide this stuff, yet she in general NEVER, had a good idea of how much to say and how much to keep with anyone she talks to; from her dad to Jess to Miles. Once again this is an aspect I can’t get mad at her because she is sixteen and traumatized with a minimal support network and irresponsible guardians.

Now Peter, what’s YOUR excuse?

Not just for not telling something to Miles earlier, I could believe he would have done it if the situation has calmed down. No, Miles asked them about it, and even a bit later says “That’s why you guys never came to see me;” (Which I think is kind of BS but let’s not get ahead of myself on this one.) The thing is that when he has the teen he mentored being manhandled by his ‘friend,’ and said thing asks them to answer him; Peter just ducks.

Like he cannot even see Miles and admit he shouldn’t have done that.

Gwen’s excuse isn’t much better but at least she is answering and you can see in her face how much she knows she fucked up.

I am going to be honest, this little detail wouldn’t bother me as much if what has happened before and what’s yet to happened didn’t exist, yet it does.

There is a difference in “Well you did a little mistake but I can let slide” vs “There are so many things wrong here that I will call you out even for the tiny ones.” Granted Peter isn’t that bad, but is a nuance I think a lot of people don’t think of.

Could Peter haven't said anything because the scene is trying to focus on Miles and Gwen for this part? Yes; it doesn't stop me from getting annoying.

Okay, Miles says this, do I believe it? Ehh not sure.

Gwen definitely not the case, if she truly thought him being an anomaly was a problem, she wouldn't have gone to see him directly.

Peter? Again, I have no idea how much of the kool-aid he has been drinking, the fact that he speaks highly of him and his daughter as good things that has happened makes me inclined to believe he doesn't.

We don't have an answer either way, right?

Not that Peter does much to help him feel better here. Yes yes trying to keep focus on certain characters I know.

(Looks at the camera like is the office.) And now THIS is the time where I wish I wasn’t aware of how writing works.

Okay, I know what the purpose of Peter is, aside of being here as a mentor, he is here kind of as a comic relief. He doesn’t have the same narrative weight as he had in the last movie, and he is here to be cute with his baby for the most part. That’s his purpose at this moment.

It-doesn’t-change-anything.

He has this recurring joke on the third act about if he is or not a good mentor, and it kind of has to do with the last movie, specially this joke, since at the end he was also talking how he taught him something he definitely didn’t do. Last movie I found it cute, here? Not so much.

I am trying not to be hard here and why I would not address the “son of a mother” moment (which I honestly really hate,) because this is not even Peter B’s fault at this point; the writers were trying very hard to have a way to make the situation a tad lighter while also having an important character be in character. I can’t say is truly out of character, but I’m not appreciating it.

Especially having him insist on being a good mentor after letting down his protege MULTIPLE TIMES.

Don't you guys love when you see a grown-ass adult go apeshit on a teen, and his friends aren't doing anything to stop him?

Sorry, yeah I understand that for narrative purposes, they have to be stuck to the ground, but after someone pointed this out a few weeks ago, I can't stop thinking of this shot so I needed to bring it out.

(BIG sidenote but, Margo is the biggest MVP here; girl met Miles once and probably has little to no context, yet she is helping him out. Queen behavior.)

Now let's talk about some bullshit.

I know this is technically not about Peter, considering this is Miguel talking to Gwen, yet I find LAUGHABLE this response.

I will give this to the spider//dad shippers, I would also be inclined to believe Miguel has a thing for Peter B if between the guy who had the "fugitive" in close quarters for a few minutes yet did not attempt to trap him, vs the teen girl who tries to help out her mentor to catch the dude (even if she didn't try too hard,) you decide the teen girl is the problem.

Is funny because really all this scene needs is Miguel saying "If it wasn't for you, he wouldn't have come here, he wouldn't had know and the Spot wouldn't have escaped," at least that much couldn't have been said for Peter B.

I think the writers were trying to make Miguel just look less and less reasonable the more we saw on screen; which is why he would go with route.

It doesn't change the fact that Mighel accusing Gwen of not capturing him is laughable.

YOU 👏 ARE 👏 A 👏 TERRIBLE 👏 MENTOR.

(This moment could be addressed individually, but they are basically the same thing and this post is DEFINITELY too long; seriously I had written fics shorter than this wtf.)

Here is my problem with this: He just decides that oh well, what can he do.

SERIOUSLY?!

Forget the "Oh but he doesn't do this the story-" for a moment; are you seriously telling me that not only this guy knows Miles is in a PRETTY fucked up situation, but also that Gwen is in her home universe where she will be homeless (because there is no way in hell Peter B doesn't know what happened to her,) and you decide to just, go brooding in your dimension?

You know is absolutely amazing how I had heard people grill Miguel and Jess for their behavior with Gwen (which I agree with for the most part,) yet I haven't seen anyone say "Isn't it a bit fucked up that Peter B should have known what would happen to Gwen if she went home and didn't decide to help her?"

Miguel is on Earth 1610 and hellbent on finding Miles, you cannot tell me if Peter B left his daughter with his wife, and then went to fetch Gwen, Miguel would have noticed. At the very least Peter could had try to check on her.

Peter B has known Gwen for longer than Jess and Miguel, even if he couldn't be a proper guardian for her because he was busy with his life, he could have been more present. He definitely could have attempted to defend her better when Miguel was screaming at her, or to look after her when she was kicked to her universe.

Jess is determined to act as if Gwen is more of an employee than a teen, but Peter B should be known better.

But is not his idea to help Miles, is Gwen's; because right now he is too focused on his life and his duty as spiderman to think of the younger generations that are hurting. Just like Miguel and Jess.

Yet not the narrative, nor the fandom, truly recognizes that.

Let’s wrap this up, you guys have no idea the amount of hours I had spend on this and I would be surprised if someone got this far.

As a small detail, Peter is seen with Mayday, and this time I DO have a problem with it.

I honestly hope Peter isn’t with Mayday in Beyond, I will pretend Peter doesn’t have Mayday during the events on Beyond in my fics for as long as I can; because this is the moment where I feel the joke is being pushed too far.

They don’t know what would happen next, they don’t know in what type of situation they are in, they know whatever universe ended was one with no spiderman so it has to be dangerous; yet he brings the baby because that’s his recurring theme for this movie.

And truly, that’s really the problem with his character here: He was given a small role to do with very limited things to do.

I am not saying this is bad writing; I may not like Peter’s decisions in this movie, and I am really hoping beyond gives a big ass cup of “Adults need to start protecting the younger generations instead of insist they need to toughen up” to all of them. Because more than his role, I am annoyed that neither the movie nor the fandom is addressing the failings of Peter B.

He is not a bad character, I don’t even think he is a bad character in this movie. I like him, and even if writing all of this down made realize I am more bitter about it than I would had liked; I just don’t think is fair.

I want Peter to be better, as a mentor, as a father; and I am really hoping the next movie shows him grow that way too. I do believe the writers can pull it off.

Now, the fandom addressing that?...That I have MUCH less confidence. But not gonna lie this post was made mostly to get this out of my chest rather than expect a reaction out of it.

If anyone made this far, first of, wow; I know some people were interesting in reading this, but even I think I went for a while I put a lot of things that are small details but you guys now me, it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t do that.

Be thankful I don’t talk about micro-expressions in frames or this would truly would had ended up as a novelette.

Second, thank you for reading! Give a like and your opinion if you want; because I am pretty sure this post is doing to have fewer notes.

[snowblack-charcoalwhite]

Thoughts on HotD Ep1 Season 2

What I liked:

Scenes with Aegon. It's so great to finally see him as a father who tries his best to be there for his children and as someone who is starting to assume responsibilities he evaded before. Big kudos to Tom for his performance.

Aemond and his vibes. I was fully aware we would not get that much of him in the first few episodes (the focus is supposed to be on Aegon at the moment) so I did not expect a lot of character development for him. But the vibes were immaculate, as usual. So glad to see Ewan hasn't lost (if anything, only perfected) the ability to portray an emotion without moving a single muscle:)

Plus I really loved the subtle power play between the Targtowers - and the way it was portrayed without them actually communicating on screen. The reluctant "Gods, I hate it, but you really are my King now so I have to and I will" pledge of loyalty from Aemond vs some mix of deprecation and appreciation as in "you are a twat but you are my twat" from Aegon. A weird love, indeed. I am quite afraid to see where their relationship goes next with these writers in charge of it - but let's take one step at a time.

Phia's acting. For me her performance was the most powerful of the whole episode. Shame it wasn't enough to fix the mess the writers made.

Honorable mentions: Otto and Larys (huge respect for Rhys and Matthew), Ser Erryk (the only Black character who didn't make me either yawn or roll my eyes even once) and the way Emma portrayed Rhaenyra's grief when she found Arrax's wing with a bit of Luke's cape and during the funeral.

What I didn't like (very much so):

It's going to be short and not very specific.

The script is a mess. The story jumps from one scene to the other pretty much at random, and the entirety of it felt so very rushed. The way they skipped the Greens actual reactions to Aemond killing Luke? The way they treated B&C as if it was a filler and not one of the most important parts of the beginning of the Dance? The way sexual aspect of Alicole was presented (can't say it was entirely random but it definitely was underdeveloped)? The way Daemon was turned into some kind of pathetic boy who literally no one takes seriously (God knows I am very far from being a Daemon fan but have at least some respect for the character, even if only for the story's sake)?

And 90% of TB scenes were just plain boring.

In conclusion, if it keeps going on like this, the show is doomed. No matter how talented and dedicated the actors are, they can't save the story if it doesn't save itself. After all, acting is a tool of storytelling and not the other way around.

[229zmi]

SHYNESS GIRL

PAIRING: Yachi Hitoka/Reader

CONTENT: reader is implied to be taller than yachi, using a plastic knife to cut a leaf for a science experiment, honestly 99% of this is just yachi’s inner monologue

WORD COUNT: 1.6k

“What the fuck, it’s so hot and humid in this room. I think I’m gonna melt.”

You really aren’t exaggerating. It would even be an understatement to say that you feel like a sweaty, pungent mess right now, especially after running here from your dorm just to hear that the AC in the entire building is temporarily down. You yawn, fanning your face with your hand to keep yourself from dropping dead onto the tiled floor, although your efforts are futile.

When your lab partner does absolutely nothing in response to your pointless narration, you send an aggrieved look in her direction. Normally, you don’t mind when people feel inclined to not talk to you, especially since you like hearing the sound of your voice and you prattle on enough for all parties anyway, but at least a nod of acknowledgement would be nice to let you know that you aren’t alone in your suffering.

“Do I stink?“ You figure maybe she’s too scared to speak ‘cause your godawful stench might waft onto her tongue.

“Of course not!” Immediately, Yachi peers up at you and shakes her head so fast, you’re worried it’ll fall off. You find yourself enjoying the way her star-shaped hair clip nearly slips off her blonde strands from the movement before she reaches up to swiftly fix it back into place. “Sorry,” she stutters out, like that inconvenienced you in any way.

“No worries,” you say. Briefly, your eyes scan the tabletop, taking note of each item laid out in front of you. “Ooh, a hair-dryer.”

You flick the switch to turn it on, only to wrinkle your nose and quickly turn it off when the hair-dryer doesn’t seem to have the desired effect of a cooling fan.

“What do we even use this for? In this experiment, I mean.”

“We use it to simulate a warm breeze for one of our treatment groups. That way, we can see if it’ll influence the transpiration rate.”

“Well, aren’t you smart.” Your teasing remark has Yachi flushing a bright red colour as she shakes her head vigorously again and points to a paragraph in her lab manual as though to deflect the compliment. Regardless, you choose to ignore her, concealing your amusement behind a stony guise. “What do we do first?”

“Put on gloves.”

“Ew.” Resisting the urge to gag at the sensation of latex against your sweaty palms, you tug on a pair of blue disposable gloves with considerable effort. She does the same, although with significantly less reluctance. “Next.”

“Get two lettuce leaves that are similar in size,” Yachi reads. Nervously, she looks to you, prepared to offer to retrieve the aforementioned leaves herself so you can relish in the great honour that is staying in the same spot. However, you’re already turning around before she can say anything and walking to the front of the classroom, happy to do as told.

When you return to your work area, there are two lettuce leaves pinched in between your gloved fingers, though they’re different sizes, unlike she asked. You set them down on the table with an expectant expression on your face as you stare at her.

“Good?”

NO! NOT GOOD, her subconscious says.

Yachi knows this is wrong, yet she can’t find it in herself to speak up as she chews on her bottom lip and furrows her eyebrows. After all, as respectful as you have been so far, you do have a certain reputation around campus. She hears it from Yamaguchi, who hears it from Hinata and Kageyama, who hear it from Tsukishima (who likes to lie to them for shits and giggles sometimes). Apparently, you spend your free time throwing rocks at people’s windows at the dead of the night, make people you don’t like do your homework for you, and shove professors’ faces down the toilets whenever they give you a bad grade. Very intimidating.

She’s torn between two options. The thought of possibly offending you strikes such terror into her that she’d almost rather risk getting a bad grade on this lab than correct your mistake. But then there’s the chance that if she lets this mistake go and the both of you get points docked, you’ll find out that she knew all along. And then what?

What if you’re livid because she caused you to have a low score, so you start making her do your homework in order to raise your grade? What if you tell everyone of the one (1) horrible thing she did and then everyone starts making her do their homework to punish her for her dishonesty? What if she ends up having too much homework to do and people start getting mad at her for not being able to do their homework on time? What if they start throwing rocks at her window? What if you start throwing rocks at her window? What if, what if, what if?

She can’t let that happen!

“Actually, that’s not…”

“Huh?” This elicits an eyebrow raise from you. Assuming your confusion is a matter of you not quite hearing her rather than her deliberately trailing off out of apprehension, you turn your head to the side and lean down slightly so that your ear is level with her mouth. “Can you repeat that?”

Yachi squeaks, backing up.

“Never mind!” the words rush out of her mouth before she can think. With her heart pounding in her chest, all she can do now is hope that the two leaves being different sizes won’t make that much of a difference in your results. (Oh, who is she kidding? It’s a science experiment — of course, it’s gonna impact the results!) “I think the next step is to cut a thin slice off at the bottom of each leaf!”

“With this knife?”

“Yes!”

“Okay.”

A couple moments pass, and Yachi exhales, feeling somewhat relieved that you don’t seem to catch on to her ginormous fib while also feeling like a criminal at the same time. Maybe she’ll have enough time to change her name and move to another country before you realise. Yeah, that seems like the smart thing to do.

Your voice sears through her thoughts, pulling her back to reality. “This is kind of fun.” You point the plastic knife at her. Yachi feels like she’s going to wither away. “You wanna try?”

“No thank you!”

“Suit yourself.” With a half-hearted one-shoulder shrug, you go right back to what you’re doing.

Wait, Yachi suddenly thinks. What if that was your way of indirectly telling her to do something for once instead of just standing there and doing nothing aside from giving you commands like it’s her birthright? Now she just looks like a horrible person! Perhaps she should take the knife from you and do it herself. But what if that offends you, making you think that she thinks you’re not doing it right? Are you even doing it right?!

Warily, Yachi glances at the table.

Oh no. You’re cutting the leaves wrong. Horribly wrong, so wrong there’s no doubt the both of you’ll get an awful grade on this lab report if she doesn’t say anything soon.

Faced with no other alternative, she frowns, then takes a deep breath. YOU CAN DO THIS, GIRL, says her subconscious. Or something. God, she’s such a nervous wreck, she doesn’t even know what’s happening anymore.

“Hey, um.” Good start. Inwardly, she pats herself on the back. “Is that how we’re supposed to be cutting it? I — I don’t think our lab manual says to do it like that.”

“What.”

“Never mind! Maybe it does say that! I’m not sure, what d’you think?”

“I don’t know,” you declare intelligently. You don’t stop what you’re doing, seemingly concentrated on cutting the leaf even after being told that you’re wrong, but you nod your chin at her lab manual. “What does that say, again?”

“It says to cut a thin slice off of each leaf.”

“Okay.”

Yachi frowns. “…Those look like hearts.”

“Aw, really? That’s crazy. I didn’t realise.” You grin down at your heart-shaped cutouts, scratching your head as if you don’t know what possessed you to do such a thing. “Sorry about that.“

Yachi waves both of her hands frantically. “It’s okay, you don’t need to apologise! It’s my fault, I should’ve said something earl—“

“Hey, don’t stress yourself over it. Since I messed up, I’ll just get two more leaves and start over.” You nudge her elbow with yours playfully. “Hope you don’t mind spending extra time with me on this lab. Unless I stink.” Your face turns solemn all of a sudden. “It’s okay to tell me the truth. I know I’m sweaty.”

“You don’t smell bad at all!” she splutters as you walk away. Nonetheless, all is well after you return with two lettuce leaves, both of equal size this time around.

“That was your attempt at getting my attention? By doing everything wrong?”

It’s several years down the line, and your girlfriend seems to be in disbelief as you recall the fondest memories of you and her before your relationship. With a smile tugging at your lips, you gently take a wisp of her hair, twirling it around your finger before tucking it into the crevice behind her ear.

“Duh, I was totally into you. Wasn’t that obvious?”

Yachi looks at you with such incredulity, you could almost laugh. “No!”

“Come on, you’re only saying that ‘cause you thought I was some low-life delinquent,” you say, trying to convince her. “I made you hearts out of lettuce leaf. Isn’t that so romantic? Call me a flirting connoisseur or whatever.”

Her nose scrunches up. “I’ll pass.”

You clutch your chest and let your head fall onto her shoulder. “You wound me severely.”

[sneezingfetishftw-fics]

Insufferable (4/7)

Previous chapters: 1 2 3

Next chapters: 5 6 7

Wavs: 1 3

—————————————————

Velvette tried to stave off the panic by focusing on Vox’s work responsibilities, her fingers typing at the speed of light. Unfortunately, her anxious thoughts were moving just as fast. Had she made a mistake by giving him a fever reducer? What if she’d fried his system and now he was shut down? How long would it last? How could they fix this? Would any medicine work on Vox? Could the antivirus be re-enabled, or was this the end? Should they get a new screen for Vox, would that fix it?

“Velvette, darling,” Val said, “you look like you’re about to give yourself an aneurysm. Slow down!”

“This is all your fault in the first place, you bastard! If you hadn’t been such a selfish, dimwitted, arrogant… GAH!”

“I already said I’m sorry. I can’t change the past.” He withered a little under Velvette’s icy glare. “Look, I bet we can find a new compilation of people embarrassing themselves on social media! Do you want to watch together? I can make some popcorn!” he said with a smile.

“But the TV is broken!”

“Yeah, but Vox’s laptop isn’t.”

Velvette hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. She could use a break after all this.

They watched for a little while until Velvette realized she did still have in person work (you know, the work she had before this whole mess) to attend to. She put the laptop back in the cage. “Don’t break anything while I’m gone. And try not to let Vox break anything either!” Valentino just waved.

***************

Shortly after Velvette had returned, Vox stumbled into the living room again. His screen was so dark Velvette could barely make out his facial features, which meant Val was probably seeing even less. Velvette quickly shoved the laptop and her phone back into the Faraday cage. “Morning Velvette, Val,” he said weakly but enthusiastically.

“It’s 6 o’clock,” Valentino said with a frown.

“WHAT?” he asked, his voice distorting in anger as his claws dug into the table and Velvette and Val shared a look of uneasy Déjà vu. “You mean I missed my interview by 9 hours, 9 FUCKING HOURS, and NOBODY WOKE ME UP??”

“Right, that’s it,” Velvette said, marching up to him. “We’re doing an antivirus scan.”

“What are you talking about? And what about my interview?”

Velvette sighed. “I did the interview in your place, because you’re sick. You have a virus, which is why we need to run the antivirus. And you would know this is the third time I’m telling you, if it weren’t for you’re fucking shit-arse corrupted memory banks!”

“Oh.” Vox’s fans were deafeningly loud in the silence that followed. The Vees began to wonder if Vox had lost his voice again, when finally the silence broke. “Hhhh’TTTZZZZZZCHH! Hhh’hhhh’hhh’hhZZZZZZSSH! Heht’dzzzzzsch! HhhhrrrggggZZZZZCHT! Fucking hell!”

Velvette handed him a handkerchief she’d procured during his latest nap. He stared at it awkwardly. “Velvette, I don’t have a nose. What exactly do you expect me to do with this?”

“It’s to cover… oh, never mind,” she said, taking it back. With Vox’s memory failing, now wasn’t exactly the best time to be trying to teach him new things.

“The antivirus?” Val asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.

“Right,” Velvette nodded, staring at Val in a way that clearly said “I’m not snitching on you yet but don’t count on me not to tell on you later.” She turned back to Vox. “Do you know how we would go about running the antivirus scan?” Vox tried to speak but once again sound was failing him. “Perfect. Just what we needed.”

Thankfully, Vox seemed to be capable of pulling up the interface on his screen without needing to talk, though he did have to restart the process a few times when his screen glitched out from coughing fits. Finally, the scan had begun.

It didn’t get far, though, before Vox’s screen started flickering and his breath started hitching. “No no no no no no no no!!!” Velvette protested. “Not now, please Vox! Just wait a little longer.”

“What’s the big deal?” Valentino asked. “I didn’t know you were into edging,” he said with a smirk.

“Ew, no! If you’d been paying any attention, you’d know what I’m talking about. If coughing restarts a process, I reckon sneezing will do the same. If we can’t keep him from sneezing we’ll never get this scan done.” Valentino placed a finger over the center of Vox’s screen. Velvette stared at him blankly. “What are you… he doesn’t even have a nose! Do you really expect that to work?”

Val shrugged. “I don’t see you coming up with a better idea.”

Velvette frowned, having no rebuttal to that. But against all logic, it seemed to be working. The screen flickers got more spaced out and less intense. Val’s finger was covering up most of the progress bar, but eventually the task was completed. “Okay, you can put that finger away now, Val,” Velvette said.

It was as if a dam had opened. Velvette barely had a chance to see the “virus detected” (yeah, obviously!) message before the screen flickered violently and Vox unleashed a torrent of sneezes unlike anything any of them had witnessed before. “Hhhh’tzzzzsh! Zzzzzcht! Hhhh’dzzzt! Heh’tZZZZZZZCHT! Hah’TTTZZZZZZZZZSHT! HAAAAAH’ZZZZZZZZZZST! Hhhhhhh’ZZZZSHT! ZZZZZSH! ZZZZZZZST! D’ZZZZCHHHZT!” It continued on in this manner for at least ten minutes with barely any time to breathe. Velvette noticed out of the corner of her eye that Valentino appeared to have been trying to count the sneezes, but he seemed to have given up fairly quickly. Eventually, Vox regained his breath. “Fuck my life. I never want to do that again.” Val made a mental note that he now had a powerful tool in his arsenal should he ever need to threaten Vox.

Velvette was focused on the screen which had now returned to the antivirus scan results. “Well, the good news is, it found the virus.”

“I know that face,” Vox said, still sniffling. “How screwed am I?”

“Well - it’s got an estimated time of how long the fix will take.”

“And?” he asked impatiently. Then he coughed so loud he couldn’t hear a thing. “Sorry, what was that?”

“48 hours to 2 weeks.”

Vox gave his head a light slap and a shake. “Ugh, sensors really must be busted on this thing. Because I cannot possibly have heard you right.”

“No, you got it. It’s 48 hours to 2 weeks.”

Vox’s face fell. “How the fuck am I supposed to deal with this for that long?” He started crying and Velvette once again passed him the handkerchief, although this time he seemed to know what to do with it, at least for the eyes anyway.

“Bit of a wide range, isn’t it?” Val asked.

Velvette shrugged. “Probably to account for whether or not the virus, uh… fights back.” All three of them grimaced. That was not a fun possibility to consider.

Vox sighed. “Please just put me out of my misery.” Val nodded solemnly and walked over to his gun collection. “Wait, no, not that! I’m not that desperate yet.”

Val stepped away from the guns. “Ok. But if you change your mind, I’ll be there.”

Vox groaned. “Just start the scan, Velvette. Before I facepalm so hard I break my screen.”

Velvette tapped the start button, and a pop-up appeared. “Warning, some systems may be temporarily offline while resources are devoted to the antiviral treatment.” Velvette looked to Vox for approval, who shrugged.

“Not like I have a choice. Besides, how much worse could it get?” She tapped the button and Vox, for the third time in the past eight hours, collapsed.

[notmoreflippingelves]

🔥Hot take: Anna is the true heroine of Frozen and was done dirty by the creators and is still mistreated by the fanbase too. She deserved more screentime and to be her own person instead of always running after Elsa, she also should have been the 5th element (ice makes no sense!!). Elsa is more selfish/self-centered and co-dependant of the two

Strongly agree | Agree | Neutral | Disagree | Strongly disagree

So I agree in part with this, but I also disagree significantly so it makes sense to split my answer down the middle. I agree that Anna is significantly underrated and underutilized by both the fandom and the creators. I would also agree that Anna is more of the actual protagonist than Elsa, though I'm not sure I would go so far as say one of them is a "true" heroine while the other isn't. (Elsa was narratively an antihero/antivillain in the first movie but her intentions were heroic (if misguided) enough that I don't feel comfortable saying only Anna is "truly" a heroic character).

I also agree that "Elsa (ice) as the fifth element" was monumentally stupid, and it would've been more interesting if Anna had turned out to have powers of her own. (Though not necessarily in the "elements" plot as is). But then again, I think pretty much everything about Frozen 2 is monumentally stupid (though not irredeemably stupid in the way Toy Story 4 is. Frozen 3, you can fix this mess. I believe in you!)

The thing that drives me absolutely off the wall is that the thesis that orients Frozen 2 is the antithesis of that of Frozen 1. (Frozen 1 is oriented around Elsa and Anna learning that they can rely on each other and not be afraid to be part of each other's lives. They don't have to be alone and in fact, can never be alone because they have each other. Frozen 2 is like... "um actually... Elsa is just 'too different' to stay in Anna's life permanently, even if that's what they both want. It's more important for her to be special and magical in isolation. She doesn't have a choice; it's her destiny even though Elsa feeling different and alone for so long is what has historically caused pretty much every problem for both her and Anna in the past. Support systems are for wusses; real peeps embrace rugged individualism." Thanks I hate it.)

Where I disagree with you is that I think you are being a bit unfair in your characterization of Elsa. (Although I will admit to being far more of an Elsa fan than an Anna one...but I do love both, I promise). Elsa is a character that I would describe as being "selfless to the point of selfishness." She has been conditioned into believing that her emotions--and by extension, herself--is always the problem. It's her fault; it's her responsibility. She's trained to see herself as the "most important" but only in the sense that she's the most "dangerous to herself and others."

And while she categorically does not want that, she inevitably ends up centering herself in everything so that she can protect everyone around her. She's probably aware that keeping away from Anna during their childhood hurt them both, but she's been raised to believe that Anna's safety is THE most important thing and therefore, she'll have to do whatever she has to do to maintain it.

I think it's important to remember that Anna's initial accident happened, while she and Elsa were playing and were happy. It's not just anger or sorrow or fear that impacts her powers. It's any and every strong emotion. Elsa believes that the only way to avoid hurting anyone is to keep her emotions as small, concealed and mild as possible. Is it unfair that Anna did not get a say in any of this? Absolutely. She is the one who should've gotten to decide whether staying close to Elsa was "worth the risk." But again, that is the parents' fault just as much as it is Elsa's.

Send me your fandom hot take and I will say what I think about it!

[domonicriley]

Star Wars Has More Problems Than Just Kathleen Kennedy

There was a lot of excitement in the Star Wars fandom recently when a new report revealed that Kathleen Kennedy was to leave her role as Lucasfilm chief before the end of the year… almost immediately this was followed by another report saying she wasn’t going anywhere… so make what you will of it.

These rumours have been going around for years, and usually surface whenever a new movie or show fails, so shouldn’t be taken too seriously. But regardless of whether she goes or stays, there’s more to the future of Star Wars than Kathleen Kennedy.

I say Star Wars because while she’s the head of Lucasfilm, it’s mainly been this particular franchise that’s been affected under her leadership, and it’s by far the biggest. It also looks like the only franchise remaining, after Indiana Jones came to a sad end, and Willow was cancelled.

Is it fair to blame KK for all the problems that have materialized in the past thirteen years? She’s been the leader of the company since George Lucas sold it in 2012, and gave her his full confidence. She had a pretty good career before, through her company Kennedy-Marshall (alongside Frank Marshall) and working with legends like Steven Spielberg, she got her name on some brilliant movies, some of which are favourites of mine, like Jurassic Park and The Sixth Sense. But in her handling of Star Wars, she’s fumbled it badly.

She didn’t demand a plan before giving the go ahead to the sequel trilogy. She’s overseen flops like Solo. She’s greenlit a ton of products that have never seen daylight, from Rogue Squadron to Rangers of the New Republic. She’s frequently produced material than angers fans, and seems completely opposed to everything Star Wars should be, of which The Acolyte was the ultimate example. Yes, she can take credit for Rogue One and Andor, but on the whole, reception has been mixed, and the franchise has gone downhill fast while she’s been the head.

It’s true not every single error is her fault. J.J. Abrams, Rian Johnson, Leslye Headland, all deserve blame for their parts, but it’s part of the responsibility of those at the top to take responsibility. You get a good paycheck, promise of a great paycheck, and the power to make decisions. When things go right, you share in the praise, so when things go wrong, you have to take the fall.

In fairness, it’s clearly not just Kennedy’s fault, as similar problems are plaguing many franchises, from Marvel to Jurassic World. It’s much more than just her, this is something affecting the entire Hollywood industry. But even if all blame is placed on her head and she leaves before the end of the year, what will that really mean for Star Wars? Would it actually solve anything? Short answer: no.

It might open up possibilities to begin fixing things, but let’s be honest, who would replace her, and would that really alter anything, or just be more of the same?

It’s likely it will be some producer or old Fox exec chosen by Disney, but there are two names being thrown around by fans that need to be looked at, Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau.

Let’s look at Favreau first. He might seem like a good choice. He started the MCU for real with Iron Man, and is responsible for The Mandalorian, one of the most popular things from Disney Star Wars, soon to make its way onto the big screen. While the show is fun, it’s nothing ground-breaking, and nothing in it signals that he has (or even had) bold visions for the franchise. It’s more like a nice distraction, and season three was a mess. The more I hear about The Mandalorian & Grogu, the less excited I am for it. Finally, just because he’s a talented director doesn’t mean he has what it takes to run a company, and deal with the corporate side of things.

Dave Filoni seems to be an even more popular choice, but I’m not sure why. He’s a big name in Star Wars, having been with the franchise since 2008, responsible for The Clone Wars, and seen as something of a prodigy of George Lucas. He even created Rebels, which I consider the best SW series, live-action or animated. But really, what would make him a good choice? Not only is he inexperienced in corporate affairs, having always focused on the creative side, but his output has been poor lately. Ahsoka was a chance to prove he could do live-action, but it was a complete disaster and huge disappointment, and he increasingly relies on nostalgia and self-reference to make things work, while either stealing from other writer’s work, or steamrollering over it. This is a road to nowhere, and he has no true vision for the franchise to move forward, except endless spin-offs and fan fiction.

Both have been involved in a system that’s failed to change time and time again. Even imagining that either of these got the job, and were right for it, that would only be the first step to putting things right.

Star Wars is damaged. Everything that’s been badly received, every fan that’s been annoyed or disappointed, every failed project, cancelled movie, bad TV show, every time something’s come out that no on wanted, has made another small cut to the franchise’s integrity, driving away fans, and giving them no reason to come back. After all, why should they keep giving their money to a company that doesn’t respect them, keeps ignoring them, and has destroyed what they love, taking someone else’s work which they never earned, and twisting it into something else.

Look at Skeleton Crew, this should have been a hit, and it might have been five years ago. Fans who grew up in the 1980s would have liked its nostalgic feel, and it might even have brought in younger viewers, yet it was a huge failure. But they’ve gone now, and Star Wars has become irrelevant to new generations, who have plenty of other things to distract their attention.

Trying to turn the franchise to a new audience while taking the existing one for granted was a mistake, it ended up pleasing no one, and drove away the loyal army that kept it going during the periods between trilogies. They’ve been let down too many times now that they no longer care, and have little investment for any new projects.

The focus in the last five years on making it almost exclusively streaming-based has also ruined the relevance of the franchise. If it had been on Netflix there might have been a chance, but just like Marvel, it’s become reliant on a constant stream of sub-par shows, on a streaming platform with a small audience. Each one of these has either gone completely unnoticed, or only gained recognition for its negative reception. Each time this has happened, it’s made the IP less important, diluted what it is, and even made it a laughing stock.

The only exception is The Mandalorian, which had a lot of popularity thanks to the little green “baby Yoda” Grogu, something Disney took full advantage of by plastering his image on every piece of merchandise they could. But this meant they were afraid to lose him, even when the story demanded it, leading to the rushed reunion with Din Djarin in The Book of Boba Fett, and the aimless third season of the show.

Despite the fact there will be a movie based on the show coming out next year, I don’t hear any talk of Star Wars returning to the big screen, as there was in 1999 and 2015. In fact, I’d be surprised if anyone even knew this was a SW movie. The cultural impact that this brand once enjoyed is now gone.

Any revival of the franchise would have to bring back the fans who’ve drifted away in the last ten years, but I’m not sure that’s even possible now. Even if there were a stream of amazing new movies and shows released by Disney in the next few years, it doesn’t fix what happened in the past, it will take years to rebuild that trust.

The original characters have been assassinated, in some cases quite literally, and there can never be the reunion of the golden trio that fans wanted. New movies won’t give justice to Luke Skywalker or Han Solo. These stories have come to car crash endings, and there’s no way to rectify them short of a complete reset.

This also means that they have nothing left. They’ve stripped the cupboard bare, taking one character after another and using them up. Han, Luke, Leia, Obi Wan, Thrawn, even Ahsoka, have all been wrung dry by Disney. It might seem like they are mad to say Rey is the only asset they have left, but it’s true. She’s the only major character there is who’s still unspoilt.

Even if they were to choose some prequels and spin-offs to fill the gaps, all roads lead to the sequel trilogy, and things like a series focusing on Luke’s Jedi Order would be tainted with the knowledge that in a few years he’ll try and kill his own nephew because he had a bad dream. When you assassinate a character, you can’t bring them back.

What Star Wars has become is a franchise completely lost with so many wrong turns, dead ends, and wrecks throughout the last few years to ever truly recover. They had the chance to make something truly special with The Force Awakens, something that would set them on a new path, and they failed. Since then, they’ve stumbled from one thing to another, going deeper down the wrong path, making things no one wants, and ruining their reputation.

They missed the opportunity to define themselves with a new era and captivating storytelling, which is why they’ve jumped from one age to the next, from Clone Wars, to original trilogy, to High Republic. There’s been no plan for how to proceed, so there’s nothing for them to build off of, just a jumble of half-finished, poorly thought out projects with no future prospects. They have nothing of their own, and no future.

So many projects have just gone nowhere, commissioned or announced with no thought of how they fit in with the larger franchise, or what fans might think of them. A Rogue Squadron movie, Rangers of the New Republic, a Lando movie, and films from directors including James Mangold, Taika Watiti, and Kevin Feige have either been cancelled or stuck in development hell for years, giving fans no reason to be hopeful for any new announcement.

They don’t even have the final option left for most legacy franchises to grasp for: nostalgia. They’ve leaned heavily into this ever since they started, using characters, scenes and imagery from the Original Trilogy, or picking from the Expanded Universe (now called “Legends”) to get a reaction from fans, and have ruined the chance to tell good stories with characters like Han Solo and Obi Wan Kenobi, squandering great opportunities to fill in these characters’ backstories.

Yes, they could choose others, and tell us more about Qui Gon Jinn or Palpatine, but who would care? Why would fans expect them to be treated any better? Who should they get excited to see another favourite character taken apart?

I really think any change of leadership at this point would be too little, too late. I don’t think it can be saved so easily, if it all.

The only way it could change for the better is to take a break. Stop everything that’s in the works and really think about where to go next. Bring in new talent. Lay out a whole new plan, maybe retcon some past projects to make it more manageable. Reach out to fans and admit you’ve made mistakes, and tell them you want to fix it. Then maybe, in five years or so, get back out there with some great new movies and real episodic television show. That might, *might*, just be enough to rescue the franchise.

But that won’t happen. There’s still money to be made (for now), and too much involved to back down. They aren’t going to pause and fix things, so they are going to fail instead.

[aelinschild]

First Sight, New Ground

Valencia - Test

Main Masterlist | DART Masterlist | Team Livery

Well, well, well. This is something I'm very excited to share! I'm quite the fan of MotoGP, so this is my attempt at mashing my interest together. (And mourning Jorge Martin's loss of the '23 season 🥲). I really hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think!

SYNOPSIS: Drama. Speed. Nepotism. Aelin is thrust into the everchanging spectacle that is the 2023 MotoGP season. And as the new Marketing Manager, she struggles to rein in the two riders she's responsible for, one more than the other. And Rowan Whitethorn is always up for a new challenge. WORDCOUNT: 4.7k GENERAL WARNINGS: Swearing, Alcohol and addiction, Mental health struggles, Cheating, Verbal abuse and messed up family dynamics, Crashes, Severe Injuries, Minor Character Death(s), Silly Stupid Rowan, more to be added

AN: There's a lot going on in this chapter- I apologize! It's very world-buildy, but we are diving head first into drama very soon...

Remelle: The MotoGP 2023 Season Begins; Switch up’s all across the grid are causing teams to already struggle to mesh out differences. Let’s hope this season will see less dramatics than last year…

-

Rolfe: …And Pre-Season begins! Welcome back to the track, and welcome to the very exciting – or what I'm hoping will be – 2023 MotoGP season! 

Mort: My sentiments exactly, Rolfe. And welcome back everyone. It's great to see all the spirit online and worldwide. I can feel the excitement in Valencia this weekend! But I must say, starting this year off with a bang–there’s already drama!

- 

This was certainly not Aelin's typical work environment. Or her typical job, for that matter. 

Standing at the large pane window of one of Ducati Valencia’s Offices, she looks out at the lively city. A far cry from her view two months ago at the HSBC headquarters in London. A far cry from anything relatively normal, really. Her foothold here was a new development. Since, in a matter of months, she had lost the renowned career that she had dreamed of. Had scrapped and fought for. She lost her corner office, with the view of London's city lights. She had lost her ample paycheck. And, as she thinks, she had lost her dignity along the way as well. 

By no means was this a personal decision. HSBC hadn't been doing well into its fourth quarter, and cuts had to be made. That was understandable enough. What wasn't? Aelin being cut. The clean-cut of the crisp letter on her mahogany desk on a very bitter morning. It had been clear that she wasn't even important enough to require a meeting. Not even important enough for a goodbye. 

Not only had the loss of her career brought forth the aforementioned reality, but it had drastically changed her relationship with her dear father. The one and only, Rhoe Galathynius. The oil tycoon, who had a greater love for wealth than his own kin. The man who claimed to work himself to the bone, but only came up for air after getting a papercut from counting his cash. 

After being cast off from HSBC – as if she hadn't been there for five years, running errands and fixing copiers, to being the Senior Head of Marketing for their English branch  – she was left with no job. And as an Oxford graduate, no less. 

And as if the humiliation of her new reality hadn't been enough, a local paper had picked up the story. The Galathynius golden child loses out! She could still see the sickeningly dark ink–burned into her retinas. 

But the shame didn't end there, why would it? No, of course not. Aelin’s lesson was far from being over, even if she hadn't had anything to do with her subsequent layoff. And as it happened, that paper had made it onto Rhoe’s desk one morning. The artfully woven piece, carefully balancing the general hatred for the Galathynius name and attack on Aelin’s character; there for his consumption. The paging to her father's manor in Hertfordshire shouldn't have been as surprising as it was. And the gloomy English weather punctuated her doom. Each droplet on the windshield startled her out of any possible chance to imagine other possibilities. Each drop fell solidly, slowly making its path before being swept up by the windshield wipers, cast off the rounded glass. Like an incessant insect. 

The indignity continued when Aelin had to explain to Rhoe why she was laid off. Why it was her fault. Why the company wanted her gone. Rhoe Galathynius was loyal – to name only. Anything done on her part to convince the bastard of a man that it was simply a company-wide layoff, inevitable really, resulted in at least fifteen minutes of lecturing and berating. He took her loss as a failure on his part. His child-rearing skills were not satisfactory, and now he had to account for his twenty-six-year-old fuck-up. 

Aelin wondered if her humiliation could have been any worse had she kneeled at his feet and begged for forgiveness. 

Regardless, Aelin had nothing to say for herself. She was laid off, a disappointment to the family name, and had no prospects. Where would she go now? Back to her flat, most likely. To soothe the ache over with some expensive red wine, and maybe sob. 

Rhoe Galathynius left her with nothing but a crippling feeling of guilt. Effortless anxiety. She felt her failure weigh her down even further into the mud her four-inch heels sunk into. Her driver was sympathetic at least, solely because she had told him to wait outside, knowing it would be a short trip. And so with nothing to think about but how her ribs felt like they were pressing into her lungs, squeezing them, suffocating her from the inside out, Aelin let the rainy drive – and subsequent two months – wash over her like a balm. 

That was, until, she got a call from Rhoe again, beckoning her back to Hertfordshire. And after two months of complete silence on his part; no comments on the paper’s reaction to her job loss – which was so unnecessary, she’s glad it was now mostly forgotten. She had shown up, without a crimp in her clothes, skin looking refreshed. As if the days had been spent relaxing, not withering. Arriving at the manor, Aelin found herself nervous. Not knowing what she was walking into. 

And she could’ve known, had she just read the papers she so diligently avoided. She could’ve seen that her ever-avaricious Father had purchased the title sponsor for the Italian motorcycling team. Had – in the last two months – plastered the gaudy yellow ‘Galathynius’ name all over the cherry red bikes and helmets. All over gear and t-shirts. He had procured a job for her, and he spat that at her as if she was a burden. As if he didn't take on the cumbersome task of purchasing a world-renowned racing team.

Ducati. Ducati Galathynius Racing. Rhoe Galathynius was now the proud sponsor of his own MotoGP team, one of the most successful in recent years too. How did he do it? Had Aelin read the papers…

-

Remelle: Can Ducati Bounce Back After Sam Cortland; Recently, Ducati’s older sponsor ‘Lenovo’ pulled out. However, it only became public at the end of the 2022 season. Many have raised eyebrows, citing that their exit was because of the passing of Ducati rider Sam Cortland at the Valencia GP last year. The catastrophic crash, killing the gifted rider moments before he would have won the ‘22 title…

-

Seated on a plush leather swivel chair, Aelin picked at her cuticles. Peeling back dry skin that burned when washed with the expensive soap at the Ducati Headquarters in Valencia. The silence of the room was punctuated every few seconds when the toe of her stiletto would tap the glossy floors. A meaningless rhythm. Tap, tap-tap. Tap, tap-tap. 

The opening of the door stunned Aelin out of her reverie. Standing from her seat, she was faced with Rhoe and Rourke Farran, Team Principal for Ducati. They were mid-conversation, and though it stalled as they entered, Farran felt no need to soften his words.

“Ah, Miss Galathynius, yes, welcome. Lovely. We’ll just be waiting on the rest of management before we can get started.” He trailed off, wandering to the head seat of the long conference room table. Rhoe stood near the door, a pensive look in his eye and a familiar rigidity in his frame. Aelin took it as her cue to take a seat. 

As Farran settled himself, Rhoe picked up where they had left off, paying no heed to his daughter's presence. And if he was miffed that Farran took the head seat, he didn't show it. Aelin sat two seats away from Farran, on his left. Rhoe took the right. 

“And you can guarantee me the support of your riders? I’ve heard that they can be difficult…” Rhoe continued. His beady eyes, surrounded by weathered skin. His once luminous hair, clipped short to cover spots where it wouldn't regrow. He looked old. He looked worn down and easily breakable. But assuming that was a definite mistake. His age had nothing to do with his cunning, or viciousness. 

“Whitethorn and Westfall will give you no trouble. They want results. If you can provide that, they’ll be happy boys.” Farran scoffed. Tension palpable. 

Aelin folded her hands over each other in her lap. Sitting with her back straight and shoulders pushed back, she was the picture of poised elegance. Her hair was slicked back into a professional high bun, her makeup light. She would make no mistakes today, lest she trash her second chance. 

“Good,” Rhoe says as the door opens, and in filters other team managers and top engineers. All here for the pre-season testing. Pre-season testing, which Aelin would be studying. So as to learn how the team worked together, noting what worked and what wouldn't, because she would be managing the appearances now. Because this board room, the racetrack outside, the bright red ‘Ducati’ shirts– This was her life now. 

“Let us get started, shall we?” 

- 

Mort: Well, would you look at that! All those guys…

Rolfe: Haha, don't they look happy—the pre-season media obligations. Let me tell you, Mort, am I ever happy I’m not one of those poor guys right now…

Mort: No doubt! The theatrics this year certainly are something else. Though the fans love it. And I’m not going to lie, Rolfe, I do enjoy the candid interviews! They’re just so awkward…

Rolfe: It's almost like they’ve never made friends…

-

The noise was giving her a headache. 

The amount of people was obnoxious, and this wasn't even everyone. Ducati alone had over one hundred employees working to keep two overgrown men on bikes happy and successful. If you had asked twenty-year-old Aelin where she would be, especially when she was knee-deep in homework in Oxford's libraries, she would have never said a racetrack. Though it's funny how things work out…

After the tense meeting, where Farran practically bulldozed anyone with an opposing opinion, and Rhoe had scared the shit out of every employee who didn't have a contract, Aelin could help but wonder what she was getting herself into. Granted, she had no second option. It was this, or execution, probably. Who knows what Rhoe would have done had she said no. But, she did walk out with a collared shirt that she would be responsible for wearing whenever she was on the job. 

It was a starchy cotton, with red stripes down the sleeves and her name embroidered onto the left breast. She mourned the outfits that would never see the light of day. Somehow, though, she would make this work. 

She always did. 

She was not used to this type of… excitement. Working in an office for the past few years left a mark on her. She did not feel ready to step out in front of the entire Ducati team, much less coordinate all their actions for the next year. She had already been handed a hefty guidebook that outlined her priorities and responsibilities going forward. Press conferences, media attractions, and managing the two esteemed riders. 

The riders; Chaol Westfall and Rowan Whitethorn. Champions in their own rights. One familiar to the team, one not. Which was another slight bump in Aelin’s job. Making Rowan’s transition from Honda a smooth one. 

Rowan Whitethorn was an enigma. The four-time world champion was in dire need of something. Something that Honda hadn't been providing, hence the switch. Now the grumbly Scot is raining all over Ducati’s fine machinery. Having not won a world title since 2019, everyone in the paddock whispers about his retirement. However, the talented twenty-eight-year-old is far from retirement in Ducati’s eyes. And hopefully, he’s prepared to win this season. 

She had been briefed on him more than Choal; and that man's subsequent charm. But Rowan was quite the opposite. Determined, steadfast, and stoic. He was a legend of a rider. Loyal to the asphalt beneath him and the bike that makes him fly. With one goal in mind, one that hadn't changed in his decade of racing. 

This all made Aelin uncomfortable. She was not made to deal with people like this, so up close. She was no race enthusiast, hell, she hadn't known that motorcycle racing was this extravagant prior to her job now. The few times Rhoe had taken her to Silverstone were solely to watch the Formula One races, and those were merely background noise to the fact that she was outside of Rhoe’s manor. So navigating around this new terrain was going to be a struggle. One that most likely started with joining in on the festivities happening on the track.

-

Remelle: Ducati Debutes The New Sponsor; The bright yellow appearing on Ducati’s bikes this season isn't only a shock to the eyes, but it's a shock to the motorcycle world. It seems like the English Businessman Rhoe Galathynius was tired of oil fields and wanted his name on something new. 

-

Measured steps led Aelin to where the entirety of the paddock was accumulated. Racers, team managers, engineers and more were milling about. It was an explosion of colour, everyone suited in their team's shirts, sporting their pride. 

Aelin assumed that the riders were the ones milling further down the track. Stood under the lights, beyond where the crowd was thickest. Scanning the area, she spotted at least seven photographers. She’d have to enquire about the pictures they were taking and where they would be going. She made another mental note about that. And about setting a to-do list.

Still walking, Aelin scanned the crowd one final time before spotting Farran. He was just a little away from the greater congregation, stood next to another man. Farran had changed since she saw him in the meeting. He was in his red Ducati shirt, a large lanyard hanging from his neck. Next to him was a blonde man of similar height, who looked to be speaking very quickly to Farran. His arms flailed as he spoke, but the gestures didn't look excited. Rather, he wore a mean scowl and an orange and white Honda shirt. Ioan Jayne, she assumed. Aelin was briefed on him, head of Repsol Honda and nemesis of Farran. Or that was what she had gathered when reading Farran’s history with the man. 

The two men seemed to lean into a conversation with each other, but the animosity was visible from where Aelin stood. Staring openly, she watched as they were all but at each other's throats. Before Jayne threw his hands up and stalked away, leaving Farran. Signing, Aelin made her way over to Farran for what was sure to be an uncomfortable conversation. 

“Farran. Good to see a familiar face.” She was lying through her teeth. She had known this man for a few hours and had a weird feeling about him already. 

“Miss Galathynius-” He started, puffing his chest out a little and giving her an indecipherable look. 

“Aelin works. If you prefer.” She interrupted. 

“Aelin then.” Another smile, she felt goosebumps on her skin. There is something wrong with this man. She thought to herself, all while keeping up her artfully crafted facade of professionalism; smiling and nodding. “Right, well this will all be very new to you, but all the boys are just getting reacquainted now. There are some newcomers, not for us of course,” he laughed. “Unless we're counting Whitethorn. But he’s been around the track so they’ll all be sizing him up for this season.” 

He continued on, rambling about each of the guy’s weaknesses as if he had explored them himself. She wouldn't be surprised if he had. 

“I'll need you to organize some press things in the coming days. Photos, social media, interviews, all that bullshit that makes the fans wild.” He said more seriously. Turning to face Aelin directly. “Your father made a deal with me, and a part of that deal would be your success in this position.” Aelin was rooted to her spot, Farran’s dark eyes boring into her directly. Like he could see the part of herself that failed. “I will not have anything but excellence. Not from you, from my riders, from my team. See to it.” 

“Of course,” Aelin mumbled, twisting her hands. Taking a step back, Farran's eyes continued to follow her, still shrouded in some weird look, before a chipper voice broke the tension. 

“Farran!” A voice called out, the rough English accent undecipherable to Aelin. Both of them turned to see the newcomers. Aelin swallowed when their gazes broke.

Two men were approaching; Chaol and Rowan, she assumed. Going off the cherry red shirts each had on, and the confidence in their gaits. Something that could only be achieved by a world-class motorcycle rider. The brunette – Chaol – was walking ahead of Rowan, who didn't seem as pleased as his teammate to see their team principal. As they approached, Aelin realized that they were significantly more handsome than the pictures from online. Both of them looking more like models than the insane idiots the media made them out to be.  The blonde one was devastating. Rowan. Who’s face was set in a scowl-like look, obviously not pleased with the current state of affairs. 

“Chaol, how are you doing today mate?” Farran said as he went in for one of those man-hugs with the rider. They both slapped each other's backs a few times before releasing to stand a fair distance apart. Rowan didn't come any closer, he just nodded when Farran’s gaze swept over him. 

“Not bad. Saw Havilliards bike for this season,” He sucked on his bottom teeth, eyes roving over Aelin. “Might have to find a reason to be in their garage for something, you know?” The brunette rocked back on his heels, crossing his arms and shifting around. He’s ansty for something. 

Farran gave a contemplative noise, before gesturing to Aelin. “I want you to meet your new marketing manager. She’s your boss on all accounts for this season. Whatever Miss Aelin here says, goes.” Both Rowan and Chaol were staring at her now too, and Aelin felt a little overwhelmed under this much attention. She could see the curiosity on Chaol’s face, but Rowan didn't give anything away. If anything, she was a little miffed by his lack of response – to anything thus far. That would be something she’d have to work on. 

“Lovely to meet the two of you,” Reaching out, she held her hand out for Chaol. He grasped hers firmly, and she shook once before retracting quickly. He was handsome, that much was for sure, but he was also… peculiar. She wasn't sure. But when she leaned over to Rowan, she realized she liked Chaol significantly more. 

Rowan looked down at Aelin’s outstretched hand, a tense moment passed where she waited for him to do something. Finally, just when she was going to step back and accept defeat from the seemingly sullen man, he shook her hand. 

He had a firm hold, and the calluses on his hand scraped over hers and a way that sent shivers up her back. Pulling away abruptly, Aelin could feel Farran and Choal’s eyes on her. Rowan did not react to her retreat, and she was thankful for that because she did not want to think about how it felt to have his large hand in hers. 

Farran continued, prattling about race-related subjects, but Aelin was not focusing on him anymore. No, she was too busy trying to ignore Rowan’s green-eyed stare on her.

-

The greetings on the track had ended after what felt like far too much time, and Aelin was grateful to be able to rush off away from where she felt like she was being undressed by the Scot’s eyes. Taking a moment in a deserted hallway to practice her breathing, before she was back in the garage with the rest of the team to watch the new bikes get their lap times in. 

Standing near the back of the garage, Aelin watched as Rowan raced. The cameras around the track followed his bike as he artfully wove through corners. Screens below had engineers monitoring, and she watched as the speed went up, up, up. Hitting nearly three hundred kilometres on the straights, her eyes never left the screen. 

His lithe body was clad in the classic Ducati red. And the leather suit – that looked extremely restrictive while the riders walked – had never looked so flexible. Every movement was intentional, each millisecond that passed was a decision made. He was an expert in the sport, and the bike seemed like an extension of him. Each corner had him nearly kissing the ground, his protective knee pads made exactly for this reason. 

Everyone in the garage had their eyes either glued to the screen or a computer. These moments, testing out the Desmosedici GP23, were exceptionally imperative to the success of the team this season. Rowan’s custom bike, improved specifically for his body and riding style, was faring well. But the garage still held their breath. The bike was only a prototype, while it was modelled after last year and Ducati had the privilege of being a factory team, any issue would set the current progress back exponentially. 

As Rowan leaned into turn fourteen, Farran seemed pleased. He took his diligent stare away from the TV and moved to where Chaol stood at the mouth of the garage. Leaning in close so the other rider could hear, Farran must have instructed Chaol that it was his turn now. As the roar of Rowan’s bike grew in sound, Chaol situated himself, and some of the team members gave his bike a push, and he was off. Just in time for Rowan to park where he once was. 

The Scot turned the bike off and was quick to pull his helmet off. Revealing his sweat-mussed hair and the bandage on the bridge of his nose. 

Farran was ready with questions and was firing them at a pace that Rowan evidently wasn't fond of. He swung his leg over the bike and made his way to the dedicated corner for the riders. Ignoring Farran, he sat down on his chair and turned to where the screen was displaying Choal. 

Reaching for the Gatorade bottle and taking a long drink of whatever was in it, Rowan decided to grace the garage with his feedback. Swivelling to face Farran at his right, “Ye gonna pay attention to yer other guy?” Going back for another swig, he unzipped the top half of his suit. Leaning back and spreading his legs out, his eyes went back to the screen. 

What a team player, Aelin snorted. Drawing the attention of a dark-haired engineer. The woman studied Aelin for a moment, before making a sour face and turning away. Wonderful, She thought. Making friends already. 

Noticeably irked, Farran continued to push. “What do you think of the bike?” The room held its breath while Pretty Princess thought over the question. This was crucial. Chaol had been at Ducati for years, he knew the engines, and he knew the machinery. He knew they were winners–or had been at some point. But Rowan? He was going to be the defining factor of the teams’ success this season. 

“I could feel the engine–rumblin’. Powerful. It’s good, aye?” He nodded to himself, pleased with his response. The brunette woman next to Aelin stepped forward. 

“So no changes, right? You’ll be good to ride in Argentina on it?” She was assertive in her question. Her eyes focused directly on where Rowan was seated. She watched the rise and fall of his bare chest. Noticing the ink of a tattoo near his left pec. Shamelessly, as everyone waited for his response, Aelin traced the lines of his body. His long legs stretched out in front of him, the jawline that left her breathless, and his hair–Gods his hair. It was unfair how gorgeous men’s hair could be. The droplets of sweat collecting at his hairline, that would parade down his face to his jaw. Where they would fall the strong column of his neck. I need to get laid. Aelin looked back to where the engineer was waiting and took notice of the headphones around her neck. 

“I'll be ready to win, if that’s what yer asking.”

-

Aelin had left late. 

After four days of watching, planning, organizing, and anxiously overworking herself over upcoming media obligations, the time in Valencia was up. She had spent four days in a completely unfamiliar environment, around people who knew what they were doing. She could feel the imposter syndrome creeping up on her. But after it all, seeing the twelve guys who would be putting their lives on the line for a title and gaining no ground with either of the riders she was responsible for, she was ready for a break. She had relinquished, and gone to the inaugural party. What a mistake. 

Now, rushing from her hotel room this morning, and fighting off a killer hangover, she had quite literally thrown everything she had brought with her to Valencia in her pink suitcase before zipping it closed – catching her nice blouse on the zipper – and rushing to her Uber. It was a close call, and her driver had made sure to scold her for her tardiness before they were promptly speeding to the airport. 

In the backseat of the car, she had attempted some light makeup to try and erase the undereye bags. It didn't do much, but it was an effort. Her hair was a challenge she would not even begin to tackle. Sex-mussed and arguably better suited for a family of birds, it would remain in the worst high-bun the world had ever seen. 

All of this was fine. She was fine. 

And she was calm. Especially while hightailing it through the airport to her private gate so she wouldn't miss the jet her father had specifically arranged for her after he had left on the first day. What a committed sponsor. 

“Earth to Aeeeeee!” Lysandra sang from the other end of the phone currently glued to the side of Aelins face. They had been talking–Lys had been talking, and Aelin had been breathing so loudly she could barely hear her best friends quips about her evening and the party. The party. Aelin was so fucked. 

“I'm here- just keep… talking,” She puffed. Catching one of the screens and looking for her gate number. 

“No. I want you to talk.” She could hear Lysandra’s pout. “This party? What really happened?”

“Nothi-”

“Lies! I saw Aedion’s story, and you were definitely getting cozy in a corner with a certain somebody,” She pressed. Aelin knew it was going to be a challenge to get out of this one. “Tell me or I will find out. You know me…” She let the threat hang in the air. 

Aelin knew better than to leave Lys to her own devices. “Okay,” Huffing and puffing as her gate got closer and closer. “It was just a one-time thing! Nothing ser-”

“Ae! Tell me, godsdamn!” She interrupted. “I just want to know, pleasee!” Whining, Aelin prayed for something to prevent what would happen next. 

Sighing, “It was-”

And as if the Gods decided to give Aelin one little win this morning, the attendant was at her gate and had recognized the sprinting woman. She moved to open the door to the stairs for Aelin to get to her jet. Motioning to Aelin to hang up her call, she gave the attendant the brightest smile–probably looking insane. 

“Oh no! I'm at my gate, I have to go Lys! I call you in a few hours, okay, love you!” And she hung up. Breathing in, out, and one more for good measure. She slipped her phone into her purse and handed her carry-on to the attendant whose arm was outstretched. 

“Welcome Miss Galathynius. Let’s get you to Argentina, yes?”

Taglist: @backtobl4ck , @goddess-aelin

Thank you for reading :))))

[sailorplanet1997]

i've always been a Terence fan

for newcomers it's gonna be a shock because i'm sure they only sees the bad things about Terence but he's not so bad like people think he is, it's perfectly fine by me if they dislikes him because of his personalities but more often than not it's because he has a crush on Tinkerbell, a dumb reason if you ask me

i love him for multiple reasons it's almost endless

i've always loved the scene when he officially met Tinkerbell she was about to leave pixie hollow for good but he cares so much about her he made sure Tinkerbell was okay even despite the disasters she have created (i admit it was also Vidia's fault, thankfully Queen Clarion punished her once everybody found out she was involved with the sprinting thistles mess which ruined spring)

once he explained her how he's not important in pixie hollow Tinkerbell found it ridiculous he have thought so low about his talent and told him the importance about him being the dust keeper fairy which it woke Tink up about the importance as a Tinker fairy and despite Terence not saying much, it convinced Tinkerbell to stay in pixie hollow and eventually came up with a plan to fix the mess by saving spring, this is definitely my favourite from the first movie and probably always was because he's the reason Tinkerbell decided to stay in pixie hollow even though he didn't said much, atleast 1 person took Tinkerbell seriously

i love the scene Terence brought her some pixie dust once he heard Tinkerbell is allowed to go on the mainland which Tinkerbell appreciated it from him

the next movie was way more deeper with these 2 because this is all about friendship, doing the right thing and fix the mess by going on a journey, the focus was completely on these 2

he works with Tinkerbell on a small boat for the dust keeper fairies to make it easier for them to bring others their pixie dust and helps her get up once she failed with her test and got stuck with something big Terence helped get rid of it and keeps her spirit up when she was down

the next Tinkerbell told him about the fall scepter she was responsible for it, the first few times he was much of a help to Tinkerbell by bringing food, lost things and taking care of the house so Tinkerbell can focus on the fall scepter but after awhile miscommunications happened that only made things worse for them both, Tinkerbell got irritated by Terence's effort to help her and he didn't gave her space that didn't helped them both which eventually leaded them to go into a fight which it temporary ended their friendship for a few days (i'd say i blame Tinkerbell for this because she didn't communicate with him)

the next when they talked he had a every right to say no and stand up for himself because what Tinkerbell was trying to do is AGAINST the rules and rightfully so, it's valid with their arguments because the friendship isn't always rainbows and sunny and sometimes the people that hurts them the most are the ones they feel closest to, it's only realistic and i can see that with these 2

the next scene he was sitting to a tree with an owl, being quite upset about their arguments from last time so he wants to make it up to her and even though the owl only said "who" it was much of a help to Terence he steps up to apologize and finish where they have started just to end up being empty in Tink's house with the mess all over the place he stepped on the ground just to turn out it's the broken moonstone and he ended up discovering Tinkerbell's plan to fix the moonstone and figured Tinkerbell was in a big trouble and knew where she was going off to so without a second doubt he stole some pixie dust to follow after her way far from pixie hollow even if it took the whole day for him to find Tinkerbell knowing the dangers that's outside pixie hollow he sticks with the plan and i'd say it's worth the effort and his ways of making it up to Tinkerbell after their last fight

he eventually showed up, first in the mirror by telling her they are friends, they both apologized to each other after their last fights, he was rather more concerned for Tinkerbell than the whole moonstone situation thingy and once he showed up in the ship he explained to her how he flew the whole day and answered indirectly he has broken the rules for her in which she was in shock and he told her that's what friends are for

and once they reunited they got chased by rats he protected her from them and risked his life for her by facing the rats while Tinkerbell was away with Blaze to think up a plan to save them both from the rats

the next after the rats situation while on their way to pixie hollow he wanted to help her but quickly realized she needed space but once Tinkerbell dragged him back to ask him for help he was willing to do so and helped her out with the fall scepter

the epilogue scene was also sweet, he helped her to carry the scepter when going to the pixie dust tree

in the third movie even though he only showed up twice, he showed her around the fairy camp after racing each other during the opening, and once after Tinkerbell looked around, Terence left the camp but before he did, he trusted her and supported her about doing the right thing and once he showed up again after the messes at the end of the movie he knew he could trust her with doing the right thing

i love all these about him, he support and helps her whenever he can, he'll break the rules if he have to even if it means leaving pixie hollow to find her, he's more concerned for her than the actual situation, he likes her just the way she is even despite the disasters that's mostly created by Tinkerbell and guess who's the reason Tinkerbell decided to stay in pixie hollow, not just once but TWICE?

he's the one who made the differences, he's actually the first person who appreciate her for her works even if he doesn't understand it, he helps her when she's feeling down, he'll risk his life for her if he have to, he's very optimistic about the situation no matter what, he's caring and do everything to protect those he cares about and in this case it's Tinkerbell, he can keep the situation as a secret

i hate when the writters decided to get rid of him, i think i can forgive Disney in "The Great Fairy Rescue" movie because he atleast had a few speaking roles though i still wished he appeared as a supporter character instead of briefly because along with Blaze he could've helped the others during a mission but it's what it is i guess but i can't forgive Disney after the third movie because he's one of Tinkerbell's friends so he could've appeared as a supporter character there, i mean each of Tink's friends EXCEPT TERENCE?! i started to realize the writters are to the blame for getting rid of Terence because they have forgotten Terence is the reason it made the differences with Tinkerbell's decisions in the first 2 movies

i can understand the pirate fairy because the missions are all on the girls to get the blue dust back but i wished he atleast had a few speaking roles and interract with Tinkerbell, even when the situation got out of hand Tinkerbell got involved with Zarina's messes, not only as a friend but also because he saw the messes happening with the plants Zarina have created by accident

and in the final movie he completely dissapeared, i wished he showed up even if it's only briefly (especially speaking in the final scene and the doctor scene)

he could be much of a help with the situations or dangers to especially Tinkerbell because he's done so much for her even if it's only in the first 2 movies

if i was the writter i'd include Terence in the third and the fourth movie even if he wasn't the main focus and make him have a few speaking roles and interract with Tinkerbell in "The Pirate Fairy" even if it's so little and make him appear briefly in the final movie because he's literally one of Tink's friends

he was sincere the first person who appreciated her for her work and sees her more than a fairy who create diasters, he's the type who's probably gonna say or think "mistakes happens, we all makes mistakes, no matter what, we're all fairies" because he was the only one who wasn't pissed at Tinkerbell for creating the mess in the first movie and he again wasn't pissed at Tinkerbell when she accidently broke the moonstone in the second movie (which i love him for it)

i love this dude for so many reasons, i don't understand why most people accused him for being "the bad guy" when he really isn't

[enigmatist17]

Whumptober 19 - Blood Trail

"Jazz! I found something!" Helm snapping up from the culvert he'd been looking in, the Autobot second in command hurried over to the voice that called out, Trailbreaker knelt down by a patch of ground. What should have been green with the organic growth known as grass was instead purple, spilled energon from a wound that could turn out to be fatal.

"Good job mah mech, this gives us a good starting point." A quick scan showed another patch of energon not far away, and with a whistle, Jazz surged forward. They had had a nasty fight with the Decepticons breems previous that came out as a draw, both sides retreating to lick wounds that had been primarily given when the Insecticons had barged in partway through, snapping at both armies. Pit it had been so bad Ratchet and Hook were doling out aid to any patient they came across, factions temporarily not mattering as they just rendered aid while an enraged Megatron chased after the accursed things. It had only been after most of the Autobots started what would be a painful drive home that Jazz realized his own SIC was missing, Mirage nowhere to be found as his compatriots called out for him. So he, Trailbreaker, Tracks, and Gears had remained behind to look for him, the four mechs following the energon trail that seemed to have no discernible direction.

"How the frag did he get this far with so much energon loss?" Gears cursed after poking his helm into a small alcove, no evidence of anyone being in there making him curse some more. "We're gonna have to backtrack, and it's going to take a Pit of a time."

"Is this really the time for you to be bitching?" Tracks sniped back, spotting another few drops leading further toward a rocky area that bore its own wounds from missile fire. "Honestly, I think this is not the time to be thinking of yourself, you glitching -"

"Enough you two!" Trailbreaker revved his engine with a glare. "I know we're all worried, but taking potshots won't help us right now."

"I suppose you're right." Tracks sighed as he followed his trail.

"I'll take that." Gears grumbled as he followed Tracks, his usual fire tempered by worry as they searched for their compatriot, their energon trails becoming smaller and infrequent. As the bots fanned out and kept searching, Gears was the one to finally come across the missing spy, quite literally, as he tripped over something that wasn't there and fell with a thud.

"Mirage?" The minibot grunted as he got back onto his pedes, eyeing the sizable puddle in what was seemingly dripping from thin air with a soft curse. "You need to reveal yourself pal, we're here ta help." The static response from the invisible bot made something in Gears' spark twist, quickly kneeling down as he sent an emergency comm to the others. Jazz seemed to appear from nowhere barely a kilick later, kneeling down roughly where Mirage's helm was situated, the noble revealing himself after Jazz hummed something Gears had never heard.

He was in rough shape, but the sparking mind control cerebro-shell on his helm is what made the energon run cold.

"My my, what a mess; let's get you patched up, shall we?" Tracks' usual tone is tense as he pulls a med kit out of his subspace, Trailbreaker and Gears helping him when needed as Jazz remains in Mirage's vision. He explained to Mirage what was happening as Tracks worked, clearly itching to rip off the shell, but he knew it could easily fry Mirage's mind, so he just comforted the mech the best he could.

"Come, we need to transport him before some fragging Decepti-creep tries to come back." Gears grumbled, blaster at the ready as Trailbreaker transformed alongside Jazz, the two making a makeshift stretcher for the wounded bot.

"Ratchet shall have you fixed in no time, you need only to handle our journey home."

They only hoped it would work out.