#like i swear to god their similarities are incredibly superficial

[vaugarde]

feel like i gotta emphasize that im loving rgu so far and im not just a bitter pmmm fan, i might end up preferring rgu’s story the way we’re going tbh, but i swear the more i watch it the more insane i get from pmmm vs rgu discourse

[consumptive-sphinx]

Anonymous 002: Galadred?

When or if I started shipping it: about two months ago when I decided to go through the ao3 mordred tag 

My thoughts: AND THEY WERE NARRATIVE FOILS (oh my god they were narrative foils). i have been called out about this opinion in the tags of three separate posts. >.< also they’re both incredibly autistic don’t @ me i’m right 

What makes me happy about them: sad boys who don’t fit in but Get each other better than they ever expected to! being superficially total opposites and on a deeper level surprisingly similar! also did i mention they are autistic autists who aut 

What makes me sad about them: good god what doesn’t. special notes include “hey did you notice how mordred only really went off the rails after galahad was dead” and “the entire concept of galahad riding away on a quest he knows on a level deeper than bone that he won’t return from, while mordred swears up and down they’ll see each other again while knowing somewhere deep down that they won’t” 

Things done in fanfic that annoy me: when galahad doesn’t feel convincingly like a serious catholic. when they shorten each other’s names, because there is literally no way to shorten either of these names that doesn’t sound incredibly stupid. asexual galahad thrown in without really thinking about it.  

Things I look for in fanfic: feelings and opinions about destiny! feelings and opinions about god! parental issues and discussion of same! fear of drowning! medieval neurodivergent people framing their neurodivergence in ways that we as 21st century westerners would think are really weird! 

My kinks: imo if they have sex at all it’s at least 90% kink and of the sort that at least some people would look at and go “that’s not sex.” in my headcanon mordred is a pretty hardcore masochist but i’m not super invested in that specifically, it’s just convenient for letting them queer the sex/not sex binary 

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: I like Galahad/Percival, but my only other mordred ship is...... idk that I’d call it comfortable 

My happily ever after for them: pssssssh you think i want them to have a happily ever after? uh okay so. galahad comes back from the grail quest, having failed to achieve the grail, and has a whole lot of trauma from being seen as an inhuman prophecied figure his whole life right up until he failed at the only purpose he ever believed he had, and also has a religious crisis to boot. mordred supports him through it. galahad acts as a tempering influence on mordred, and also is living proof that destinies don’t always come true, and they don’t organize the destruction of camelot. there are lots of feelings and also religious themes. 

[permian-tropos]

For a while I thought your SW takes were good and I followed you, but you know what? You’re a fucking hypocrite. You say you don’t like R/ylo, and the ship is fucking disgusting, but you still lap up notes from them anyway. I recognize URLs. You won’t call yourself an anti because you think we’re what, bad for standing up to a shit ship and the racists who fucking ship it? It’s because you’re afraid of looking bad to them because they’re the only ones who give you attention. Fucking. Hypocrite.

Why are you so afraid of saying you’re an anti? We don’t stand for bad shit. We’re ANTI bad, demeaning, sexist tropes. We’re anti abuse and racism. And your SW takes aren’t bad! You actually see through the bullshit parts of the story. But for fuck’s sake you’re dripping with condescension all the time about what antis are like, like you’re too good for it, and I call bull. You’re afraid of losing the attention R/ylos give you if you actually stood up for something and called them on their shit.

Okay, I’m sorry. I got angry. But when you said that the anti side of fandom couldn’t be arsed to get into details I was pissed. You could do a lot on the anti side of fandom! Why do you act like attention from antis has to be avoided! You’re cool with fucking R/ylos reblogging your posts but you can’t stop ragging on us. It’s. Not. Bad. To. Be. An. Anti.

Usually I delete messages like these, I’ll make an exception because you apologized, so I can get some things absolutely clear. 

*clears throat*

Anon, you have absolutely no right to speak to anyone like this (especially take a moment and consider whether you thought the fact that you followed me gave you some right to dictate what I should be allowed to say or do). You need to cut this shit out right now. Do not send messages swearing at people you’ve never met and accusing them of hypocrisy because of Star Wars fan wank. This isn’t the first time I’ve gotten an angry anon bitter about how I haven’t picked a side in this INCREDIBLY DIRE AND IMPORTANT WAR FOR MORAL JUSTICE, so I’m putting my foot DOWN VERY HARD. Your identity is painfully wrapped up in fictional characters if you’re this incensed that I’m not on your side.

Reasons why I’m not an “anti”:

1) This. This kind of disrespectful cultish moral abuse. Your community shames anyone who interacts with the human fucking beings who you’ve assigned the enemy. I will not participate in that, I will not enable it, I will not enjoy the benefits of it. I certainly won’t join up only to be harassed. The fact that I’m even slightly anti-adjacent has emboldened you to, well, do this. Imagine if I was in deep. I’ve seen what kind of nastiness antis spew on each other when someone dares to, say, explore reylo in a dark non-endgame context.

2) I don’t think it’s evil to ship reylo. I disagree with plenty of things reylo shippers have argued about the canon narrative. But no, it’s not wrong to romanticize dark violent ships, or swoon over villains, or fantasize about redemption arcs. I literally do all of those things. I’m a villain lover and a dark shipper and a redemption sucker. I actually just… don’t like Kylo Ren as compared to other characters with superficial similarities. Did you miss the part where my favorite ship is between two fascist dictators who fight to the death? You really shouldn’t be shocked by my attitude if you noticed anything I was posting positively about. I don’t want to be in an anti community because if the Aftermath Trilogy were popular, gallirae would be a ship with an antifandom. It’s an edgy mcdarkfuck hell trash. That’s my wheelhouse. 

3) You are not anti abuse. This is fucking abuse, towards a real person, which is the kind of abuse that matters. You asshole. 

4) “You could do a lot on the anti side of the fandom” god this feels like a villainous “join me and we could rule the galaxy together” 

5) Yeah I’m cool with reylos reblogging my posts. Some of them are my fucking friends. And I don’t caaaaaare if people who ship something different from me happen to share my taste for something unrelated. “You only interact with them because they’re the only people who will interact with you” and you think, what, I should condemn myself to isolation? If they like my stuff that’s great! Also, I don’t need to convince them to stop shipping the ship, but if I make a sensible take I can spread certain forms of common sense in any community. If I’m not seen as a cruel, vindictive bully by the reylo community, and if I don’t shame people for having at worst a pulpy bodice-ripper romance story that makes them happy, I will have a little more authority in calling out problematic attitudes. Also I don’t want to be a cruel, vindictive bully. I want to be kind to people. You asshole. 

6) Reylo isn’t a political stance. Liking any ship says fuck all about what kind of person you are. What is an awful, fundamentally reactionary political stance is dehumanizing people who have “deviant” aesthetic interests. 

7) The anti community has been extremely bitter about TLJ, and as a result has been unable to talk about a canonically villainous Kylo Ren positively. The fact that you are anti is the problem! Yes, it’s bad to be an anti, bad for you and anything you want to enjoy. It’s absolutely poisonous to your brain to lash your sense of self to feelings of hatred, and hate of an online fan community no less. You can have the same tastes in fiction while being PRO-SOMETHING. That’s why I have a tag “villain Kylo”. I’m not anti Kylo Ren. I’m pro villain Kylo. It’s something I like. It’s something I enjoy thinking about. 

8) You’re a fucking asshole. I’m flattered you hold me to such high regard that you’d be angry I’m not on your side. But here’s the thing. I am on your side. I think you’re being a terrible person right now, and I would forgive you if you made amends, because I don’t believe you’re unspeakably, unforgivably evil. I think you’re in a bad crowd, and you should take a long moment to think what your fandom habits have led you to. This is toxic as fuck. 

9) Talk to me in private if you’re mature enough to apologize for real. I’m too damn nice for my own good. But don’t send me any more anon hate. I will delete it.

[addict-with-pen]

Echoes of Rosegold (Pt 7)

It was strange, viewing another rider from above. Sure, there had always been people and other riders below her, but she was directly above Mill as he rode down the path that led him to his family’s manor. She scanned the surrounding area for signs of Terrors or… well… bandits could be out that late, but Terrors struck her as a larger threat. Astria nickered softly, honey colored eyes glancing back at her rider.

“Hey girl.”Zilanna sighed, lightly patting the animal’s shoulders. Astria tossed her head with a whinny.

“Yeah, I know. I don’t like being in Rigel this late either. It’s a little different during the day, but… I swear the Terrors are more active at night.”

Another toss of the head, as if to agree with her statement. The noblewoman let out a soft giggle. Below, Mill slowed his horse as a manor came into view. Even at this distance, it was easy to tell the building was roughly the same size as Zilanna’s family’s manor, but the architecture favored Rigelian influence and design.

They were only roughly half an hour’s ride past the border, and already, it seemed like an entirely different world. The difference in the land itself was visible in the thinner grass and less trees and general vegetation. The soil itself, what could be seen from the skies, anyway, was a lighter brown than Zofia’s soil. Zilanna had heard that Rigelian farmers struggled to grow crops. Mila’s blessing really did make things much easier in Zofia. Astria glided down out of the sky and began coasting alongside Mill’s horse.

“We’re not far now, milady.” Mill called, slowing his horse just slightly. Zilanna glanced over and nodded.

“Alright, milord.” she nodded. “I think we can slow down, your horse might be a bit tired from the pace. Let’s maybe walk for a bit?”

Mill glanced at her again, but nodded and pulled on his reins until his horse took up a walk. Astri landed lightly on the path alongside Mill’s steed, tucking her wings to her sides. Zilanna sighed and rubbed at her forehead. It had been an incredibly long day.

“You’re tired.” Mill’s voice broke through her thoughts. She looked up and shrugged.

“A party does that to you.”

“Why come with me if you’re so tired?” Mill tilted his head, eyebrow raised. “Your father seemed to think your brothers were just as capable.”

That elicited a slight blush from Zilanna. “W-well. There’s no telling just what my brothers will say or do, you know. They could’ve dumped water on you and bailed. Or something. I dunno.” she stammered. The Rigelian snorted.

“I see. And-”

“Weeeell what have we here?” a gruff voice broke into the two nobles’ conversation as a short man with a scruffy beard emerged from his hiding place: a large stone that he had been crouching behind. He lightly rested his axe with blade on the ground and leaned on the handle. “Two nobles eh?”

Zilanna and Mill froze as the bandit gave them both a once over. “Ya don’t see many pegasi in Rigel. Fine animal like that might fetch a right nice price. And the boss might be fond of her rider, too.” the man hummed thoughtfully.

Zilanna’s hand began to move toward her sword as she shifted her weight just slightly. “It would be in your best interest to leave my companion and I be.” she said in a low voice, her blue eyes narrowing.

“Ohhh the lady has spirit does she?” the man chuckled and leaned forward slightly. More rustling behind Mill and Zilanna produced two more bandits, similar to the first only one was taller and the other lacked a beard.

“Rean take the man. He-”

It was at that moment that Zilanna leapt out of Astria’s saddle and the pegasus took to the skies to get out of the noblewoman’s way. “Lord Mill, I suggest you ride home as soon as I create an opening!”

Mill frowned at her, but nodded. Zilanna raced forward toward the first bandit, drawing her sword and leaping at the man. She caught him unawares and sliced cleanly across his neck. His body dropped to the ground with a solid thump.

“Go! Now!” she yelled at Mill as she turned to note the other two bandits preparing themselves. One wielded a spear; the other a sword. Mill’s horse raced past her as she sheathed her sword. The ground surrounding her began to glow as a circle of runes emerged in the air around her. She poured some of her energy into a fireball that she hurled at the spearman. The fireball hit its mark and the man dropped to the ground like his now dead leader.

A quick shuffle to her left told her that she should dodge. Just narrowly missing the strike that had been aimed at her neck, Zilanna drew her own sword once more. Metal clashed as her and the third bandit fought.

Swing, strike, parry, swing.

This third bandit seemed to have more skill than the other two. Then again, the other two didn’t really have a chance.

Side step, parry, swing, roll.

This was starting to get annoying. How was he matching her blow for blow? She had spent her life learning the ways of both the sword and magic. This should be incredibly easy.

Astria circled above, a whinny breaking through the night. Zilanna couldn’t spare a glance up. Her foe had too much skill.

Or was she just that tired?

It was possible. She hadn’t really been sleeping lately.

Dodge, swing-

“AGH!” Zilanna screeched in surprise, clutching at her side. An elbow to the bandit’s face coupled with a kick got him to back up enough that she could glance at the wound. A small scratch, but gods it hurt.

“Lady Zilanna?”

Her eyes snapped wide at Mill’s voice. Why hadn’t he left? She spared a glance behind her.

“Milord I told you- AHHHG!” She screamed in pain as the bandit drove his sword into the closest unarmed place he could find: her shoulder. Her sword clattered to the ground as Astria dived to her aid, the pure white animal letting out an enraged squeal as she descended. She hit the ground at a gallop, racing to the bandit and stopping with her rear to him.  Back hooves collided with the third bandit’s head, and the man was sent flying. Zilanna didn’t bother to see where he landed, instead clutching at her shoulder.

A second set of hooves clattered toward her only to stop a small distance away and be replaced by footsteps.

“Zilanna?! Lady Zilanna, are you alright?!” Mill’s voice was tense as he gently grabbed her uninjured shoulder and made her sit down. “Move your hand. Let me see.”

Zilanna did as she was asked and was met with a sharp inhale. Mill frowned and removed his gold suit jacket and took a small knife from somewhere. Before Zilanna could stop him, he had cut strips of cloth from his jacket and had begun to bind her wounds.

“This should hold until we get to my family’s manor. It has to.” He muttered frantically. “You’re riding with me. I don’t want you accidently falling off Astria.”

Zilanna nodded hazily. It wasn’t from her wounds; they were superficial. She was just exhausted, and while she hadn’t lost a lot of blood, the fact that she had lost blood wasn’t helping.

“Alright.” Mill nodded, standing and helping her to her feet as well. Astria trotted over, eyeing Mill warily. Zilanna waved the winged horse away.

“It’s okay girl. He’s alright.” she whispered, “He’ll take care of me, I promise.”

Astria tossed her head, white mane flaring as she nickered softly. Mill eyed the pegasus for a moment before cautiously helping Zilanna over to his horse and helping her into the saddle. He climbed up behind her and lightly looped his arms around her so he could hold onto the reins.

“Will Astria follow us?” he whispered. Zilanna nodded and muttered something, but Mill couldn’t quite make it out. He glanced down at her before spurring his horse into a run. She wasn’t in immediate danger, but there was no telling if there were more bandits on the prowl. Best to make it home before anything else dangerous happened.

Zilanna leaned back in the saddle so her back was up against Mill. He could just slightly feel her breathe in and out. Mill looked down at her as a light pink color crept its way into his cheeks.

This girl was trying to kill him, he’d swear to it.