#like i'm not saying they can't have built the ships or that they wouldn't be powerful

[kipaia]

Hey tell me about your Insane Mass Effect Timeline!

Oh my god. Mary.

I know you are FULLY aware of how FUCKING INCONSISTENT AND ANNOYING the official Mass Effect timeline is. I had a night last spring where I was trying to plot out my fanfic from start to finish and was getting super irritated about it so I went through, year by year, from 2115 to 2188 and wrote up my own timeline down to the exact dates of everything I needed to know for something like 14 characters entire lives, of which I think 10 or 11 are all complete ocs; I needed to know exactly where they all were and what was happening around them all at any given time, so I went through year by year wove them into the given Bioware timeline and put everything into a legible order.

This fucking document. The timeline alone (because I did end up sticking a couple of one shots on the end because I was too lazy to switch at the time),

Is thirteen pages long.

I have a thirteen page long timeline where I could put everything in a more sensible order, stretch out some of more ludicrously condensed major historical events of the official timeline and wrote up an actually sensible working order for the first two games because frankly, the way Bioware wrote it there is no possible way Shepard could have been spotted on Omega in Mass Effect 2 in mid-February of 2185 after having been dead two years and ten+ days and still have had enough time for the events of Mass Effect to occur in 2183.

If rumors of Shepard being alive came from Omega on Feb. 15th, they'd been dead for at least two years and ten days (plus a couple of days to account for Freedom's Progress and travel), and the attack on the Normandy happened a month after the Battle of the Citadel, the official timeline puts the entirety of Eden Prime war in the span of, maximum, the first week of January 2183, which can't have been the case if they also listen 2183 as the year the Normandy was constructed.

So yeah I got mad at that and how young a bunch of the 'older' characters canon ages are listed as (Anderson is in his early 40's according to the official timeline which I do not agree with, Hackett I think is something like 53 in official timeline, I don't remember off the top of my head) when humans canonically have 150+ year lifespans now. Neither of them would even be middle aged in that case, ffs, yet we're supposed to believe they're grizzled older gen soldiers on the verge of retirement? Yeah, no. First Contact War experience notwithstanding, I aged almost everyone from the older generations up, as well as my Athena Shepard by a few years because she has a teenage kid in the first game and I needed to sort all of that out.

I love my insane thirteen-page timeline and I reference that thing like it's the fucking bible whenever I'm writing anything for my mass effect fics.

Yeah so that's my rant about the Mass Effect timeline and how my thirteen-page monstrosity came to be and I love it so much

[imgae-insertshockedgasps-16]

humans are space orcs

imagine someone with chronic joint pain, whose dream their whole lives has been to go to space and meet the aliens and be a scientist and learn

so they look up the requirements as a kid and go "fuck."

they wouldn't make the cut.

their dreams are dashed. hopes ruined. lifelong dre destroyed.

except....

they've never really said a whole lot about their pain. they don't particularly like doctors, and they think that they've been managing just fine, so they never saw the point.

so maybe... maybe if they just don't say anything, they can make it to space.

they spend all of their time training. doing physical therapy exercises so that their joints aren't so loose, soaking up as much scientific and mathematical knowledge as they can, teaching themselves to push through the worst of it in pursuit of their dream.

and they make it.

they make it to space! it was gruelling, tortuous work, but they made it!

their first mission is an exploratory one, with a diverse crew which only has one other human.

they're thrilled.

they have dozens of alien friends and acquaintances. they spend hours learning and researching alien planets and cultures. it's everything they've ever wanted!

but

it's exhausting.

they're in more pain than they've ever been, more frequently than they ever have.

they keep up their exercises as best they can, but even those are often too much.

they smile when asked if they're alright, tell everyone that "i'm fine! just tired."

but they need a break. they can't imagine going or being sent back to earth, this is their home now, with these people, on this ship. but they don't know how much longer they can take this.

one day, on their day off, a fellow researcher comes and knocks on their door.

"are you here?"

"not today islith."

"but we've been called! there are some exciting new discoveries that need further cataloging and investigation, and carlmoth thought you would enjoy the task!"

"i can't today, islith."

"are you ill?"

"...kind of? but i'll be right as rain tomorrow. it's my day off anyhow."

"nonsense! you should go down to medbay!"

"i'm alright, i promise."

"you get out here right this minute or i'll report you to medbay myself!"

"no!" there's a series of crashes and thumps, and then they open the door.

"oh, you look awful. come on, you really must need medbay, what if you're contagious." islith tries to grab them but they shy away.

"i'm not contagious, i promise."

"how can you possibly know that? what if you picked it up from a sample, or, or, garfon has been sick recently! humans can't survive cerian sicknesses-"

"i didn't catch something from garfon, islith," they sigh and open the door wider. "come in and let me explain."

"alright, but if i think you should go to medbay afterwards then i'm taking you there."

"sure, islith."

islith enters, notices the piles of clothes, rumpled bedsheets, the lights are off and the port window shut.

"what's wrong?"

they sigh again, "my body doesn't work like it's meant to, islith."

islith is wildly alarmed, "and you said there was no need for medbay?!? come with me right now and-"

"no! i can't, islith, you don't understand."

"then explain it to me."

"i've... always been this way, although it's gotten worse as i've gotten older. my body, it just isn't built quite right, there's something wrong with it that makes it not work properly and hurt often."

"you're right, i don't understand. why can't you go to medbay?"

"i'd... be thrown off the ship."

"what?!?"

and so they tell islith a story about a young child whose dream was to touch the stars.

"and now, it's too late. i'd get in huge trouble for lying to the government, especially for so long."

"well- but- but humans are so resilient! you hear all the stories!"

"not every human is the same, islith. some of us are born disabled, and some of us get hurt in accidents, just like any other species."

"well, then, well there must be something we can do?"

they look up in shock, "we?"

"of course we, you ridiculous creature," islith said with a fond sigh. "you didn't think i'd leave you to suffer, would you?"

"but, you could get in so much trouble!"

"that's alright, i don't mind. what else are friends for? and, anyway, we don't have to tell your government, we can tell mine."

"but i'll-"

"we don't have any rules like that. any of us who are disabled can still manage in space just fine with the right support, and i bet you could too."

"i- islith- i don't-"

"don't worry, we'll all back you when it comes down to it. you're out teammate, our family. no one on this ship wants to watch you leave because of something you can't control. now come on, let's talk to glidlep in medical, she'll understand."

and for years, things continued on that way, until eventually it was an open secret that the human with the exosuit was disabled and not technically allowed onboard.

and down the line, when nasa found out and was furious, the entire ship and more stood by their side.

[percyluvr]

heyyyy, so i was wondering if you were feeling up to it if you could write a jason grace x poseidon!reader. it’s basically like a scene from where they just began the journey on the argo and percy, being the slow and loveble older brother he is, finds out jason is dating his little sister and some silly chaos ensues at the dinner table

jason grace x daughter of poseidon!reader summary: your boyfriend and your brother have issues at first, but bond over the fact that they both love you with all their hearts wc: 1199

You and Jason had been dating since he'd appeared randomly at camp with Leo and Piper. You had been so devastated over the disappearance of your brother, and Jason had been struck by your beauty. He did everything in his power to help you feel better, and during the process, the two of you had fallen deeply in love.

Every now and then you thought about Percy and what he would think of your new boyfriend, and you would be sad all over again, but Jason never failed to make you feel better. Jason Grace was the ideal boyfriend, you thought, and he proved it more and more every single day that the two of you were together.

When the Argo II was built, and the lost trio was ready to head off to New Rome, Jason was the one that suggested you come with to see if your brother was there. The suggestion just further proved what a wonderful person and boyfriend he was, and you accepted the offer.

Your voyage to New Rome held lots of good memories and fun, but the closer the ship got to New Rome, the more worried you were that your brother wouldn't be there, even if it was almost 100% guaranteed that he would be. You didn't think you could handle it if you lost another person, especially your brother who'd been there for you your entire life. He protected you when the two of you first arrived to camp, even though he was scared out of his mind, and he protected you and comforted you when your mother had gotten turned into dust by the minotaur, even though he was just as devastated by the loss of her. The two of you shared so many memories together and thinking of them only made you sadder when you realized how long it had been since you last saw him.

The Argo II arrived in New Rome, and you all had a peculiar interaction with a certain talking limbless statue. Once the situation was handled, the Argo II hovered over Camp Jupiter, and everyone other than Coach Hedge warily got out of the ship, not quite sure what the Romans' reactions would be, even Jason who was a Roman himself.

When you reached the ground, your eyes searched the crowd for the familiar green eyes and black hair of your brother, and when you finally found him, you saw Annabeth rushing over to him. When she flipped him onto the ground, it brought a smile to your face. Their relationship was the most beautiful thing you'd seen in your life, and it made you so proud to see your brother happy.

With Jason's arm around your waist, you waited until Annabeth and Percy parted, before sprinting over to Percy and jumping into his arms. To say he was surprised was an understatement. You and Annabeth had been the only people he remembered when Hera wiped his memories, and seeing you after so long made him beyond happy.

His arms gripped you tightly as he whispered in your ear. "I can't even explain how happy I am to see you. How is mom?" He asks almost immediately.

"Mom is good, she's really good. So is Paul. But how are you?"

"I'm good, now that I've got two of my favorite girls with me again," he jokes, earning a smack on each arm from you and Annabeth.

It felt good to be able to joke around with your older brother again, almost too good to be true. Apparently it was too good to be true, because after an attack is fired from the Argo II, all of you have to rush up the ladder and get out of there as quick as possible. You grab Percy's hand tightly, his gripping yours impossibly tighter. Neither of you could stand to lose each other again.

Aboard the ship, tensions were high. Even if you weren't Percy's sister and hadn't been around him your whole life, you would still be able to tell how pissed off he was that this happened. When Leo confessed to him firing the attack, you and Annabeth had to hold Percy from pouncing on Leo. You understood where he was coming from, though. Imagine working this hard to make the Romans see that the Greeks weren't so bad, and then some guy you don't even know fires an attack on the camp and you're back at zero. You'd be pissed off too.

When dinner time rolled around, Percy had been much calmer. The atmosphere had lightened up, at least until both your brother and your boyfriend went to sit in the same seat at the head of the table. They stared intensely at each other until everyone decided that Annabeth should sit at the head of the table.

You thought the problem had ended there, but both of them tried to sit on the chair to your left. Percy looked at him with a strange expression, probably a mix of confusion and annoyance at this point.

"Dude, really? What's your problem?" Percy asks, crossing his arms.

"I just want to sit here, not a big deal," Jason replies.

Percy raises his eyebrow. "Well, I want to sit next to my sister, and there's only one chair open next to her."

You looked at Piper, who was sitting to your right, and she took the hint. She got up and moved to the other side of the table.

"Guys, please. Just sit down already, it's not a big deal," you say exasperatedly.

Percy eyes you and Jason skeptically, but takes the chair to your right anyway. He seemed to lighten up due to the fact that he was now sitting between his girlfriend and his sister.

Dinner was going fine, until Percy spots your hand intertwined with Jason's under the table.

"Soo, anything new in your life you want to tell me about?" He asks you, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Um, no. I mean other than Jason, Leo, and Piper showing up, not really."

"So, no new guys that like you? No new crushes?"

You finally understand what he's trying to do, and sigh loudly.

"Yes, Percy. Jason and I are dating, is there a point to this?"

He just grins in response and moves his gaze to Jason. "You better treat her right man, or I'll have to whoop you," he semi-jokes.

Jason raises his eyebrow. "Yeah, sure. You could whoop me if we were on a beach, maybe," he jokes back.

"Nah, I could take you any day of the week, beach or no beach. I'd whoop your ass with just my fists."

This makes everyone at the table laugh.

"Nah, but seriously man. I'll take care of her. I really like her, and I'd never even think about treating her wrong," Jason says seriously.

Percy smiles at him. "I'll hold you to that."

Jason brings your hand to his lips and gently kisses it, making everyone at the table fake gag.

"Oh shut up, you're all just jealous," you say, smiling the widest you had in a while.

You finally had your brother back, and he seemed to like your boyfriend.

a/n: y'all i am so sorry for not posting anything in almost a week lmfao i got my tooth pulled and i've been suffering all week

[sunnysidestories]

Introductions Pt 3

Summary: Reader is a vigilante on young justice who goes to the same school as Walls. Only Wally doesn't know the readers identity, but she knows his. SLOW BURN

LAST PART

Part 1

Part 2

"Oh."

His body would stop moving in my arms. Being the only thing holding him up at the moment gave the leverage needed to move him forward, slowly. At this point, the fight had ended, and the rest of the team sat looking at Wallys disheveled appearance, his eyes blown wide open in shock. Robin was the first to our side spouting words that couldn't reach my ears. I didn't allow it. Step by step down the hall and back into the bioship. A deer in headlights was the only thing that seemed remotely close to how Wally had reacted.

Mind beginning to race, doubts returning, as I sat Wally down in a seat. He crossed his arms, folding himself in the seat in an attempt to shrink in size. I knew it. He didn't like me. I've ruined it. I'm - I'm a-

The feeling of a hand gripping my shoulder forced me to turn around. In my own state of mind, I somehow had reached the other side of the ship. Robin's words finally flooded into my skull. "H/n! What did you say to him? He completely slacked. You two almost fell off the edge." Oh. Yeah. "I'll tell you another time. I just wanna go home." Tears seemed to brim around the edge of my mask, threatening to spill with any further explanation.

...

Idiot. Kicking off my gear, throwing it onto the small corner holding dirty clothes. Idiot. Before dropping to the floor, head pressed into the side of the mattress, pathetically gripping the sheet. Finally, starting to cry. Everything started to crumble, the mountain of self-worth that has been slowly starting to build over the year shattered. Built on a foundation of hope. A hope that he, Wally, had liked what he saw. It's so silly to put so much on a boy. One that didn't even accept you for who you were. A disappointment, it could have been anyone in the world on that roof with him. Anyone could be H/n, just had to be you. A girl from his class who fell in love with both sides of him.

I love him. Shutting my eyes, I whisper it to myself, I love him. Stupid, this is how I realized. Slowly standing back up, I started to recollect myself. Walking over to the window, half expecting to see the yellow blur pass by in a sense of familiarity. Nothing. He couldn't even run by the house. Like he even knew you lived there. Walking... no stumbling, back to bed, trying to hide in the blankets warmth. I would roll over, adjusting myself, only stopping as the crinkle of a paper made itself known under the pillow.

Of course, I left it out. Of course, I left out one of the silly little notes he wrote. Hand reaching out, I grab the small folded paper. I know I shouldn't open it, but I find myself doing the exact opposite.

"What do you call an acid with an attitude?.... A-mean-oh-acid. Ha. Ha. Ha. That was bad. im sorry, but like, did you know the acid in your stomach is the strongest in the world. So strong it can dissolve a razor blade? If i ate one i wonder if id be okay"

He's right. It was bad. Terrible. Stupid even, but I can't stop myself when a smile graced my face. I wouldn't be surprised if he actually would try to eat one. I crumble the note and his perfectly placed handwriting. Another tear frames my face. Another momment passed before I realized, I have school tommorow.

With him.

On another note. I'm staying home tomorrow.

.

.

.

.

.

FLEETFEET

Hey

Sent 12:13am

I'm not mad please just, text me back.

Please H/n.

Sent 12:30am

Can you call?

Sent 12:32am

Please, I just really need to talk to you.

Sent 12:45am

Y/n

Seen 12:55am

FLEETFEET

Incoming Call

📞

.

.

.

.

.

.

I click open my screen when waken by the sounds of my ringer. I accept the call, sleep fogging my vision. "Hello? It's one in the morning. Who is it?" I can hear a sigh over the other sign of the phone. "It's you." Oh. Oh, sh- "Y/n please, I'm coming over." His voice states rushed to the point my brain doesn't hear the last bits. "Wally, you don't know wher- why? Huh ? you're supposed to be mad right now." He laughs and I can hear the sound of a door closing behind him. "Wallace are you actually, Wally please its so late my parents are sleeping and I live on the second floor Walls they would kill me if they saw you."

I sit up straight in bed, partially realizing the state I sat in. Messy hair, a tear stained face, pathetic truly, my grip on the phone increases. If he's going to be here maybe I should put on some clothes... wait, what am I even saying ? "Wally? Where are you?" I check the phone, somewhere in my panic he hung up on me. I get up quickly grabbing a pair of shorts and I shirt. There's no way he knows where I live? Wally knows where I live? Kid Flash knows where.... without thinking I find myself trying to pick up my room half way through it there's a knock on the window.

No way.

I rush to the window pulling back my curtain, and there he was, standing in the fire escape. The largest grin plastered his face, growing twice in size as I open the window. Somewhere along the way he had changed into normal attire. A black shirt, and matching shorts. As if it was a covert mission. I look up to him, the very eyes I've stared at far too long catching my own, those freckled cheeks dancing as if they were the stars themselves when he spoke. In an instant he's inside, holding me close. "I'm so glad it's you."

His voice. His words. Words so desperately needed to be said, the way he seemed to melt back into my arms once more. It was too much. I began to cry again.

"Wally- I- I should have told you sooner." Eventually, I choked out. Even if he's quick to reply. "No. I shouldn't of reacted the way I did. If i'm honest, I don't even remember how I got home. I just could hear you. Over and over. Saying your name, h/n just saying y/n. I was just thinking. Trying to grasp that the two people I'd fallen in love with over the year... Are the same person? How was I so stupid? " He ducked his head back into my neck.

My heart spiked. One of his hands traveled to my face, whiping some of my tears, they were surprisingly soft.

"You're anything but. You're kind, you have the best jokes, light up any room you inhabit, and always know anything and everything when it comes to science." I pull away from him, the close proximity suddenly becoming too much, in the small space of the room I take a step back. Besides. I want to look at him when I talk. It's so much easier to read him. "Don't call yourself stupid. I hate it when you put yourself down like that."

"You're the one to talk." His eyes flicker to mine again. "Somedays, sure, it's better than most. I knowtice it. I watch you y/n. Even after our conversation. You beat yourself up over the smallest of things. You think you're the smallest thing, an atom in a world full of matter. But you do, atoms make up everything, make up matter. You matter. You matter to me! You matter!" He points to my heart and states.

I can't help it when I laugh at his accidental joke. Despite the situation, he can't help but bring science into it, into a joke.

"Every night when I can, I run past your house looking at that lamp of yours. You never turn it off until you head to bed. And well, the more I think about it, I kind of- sort of realize you were never in bed and probably out on patrol- and I know you're okay. Because I care, I care so much." I can hear the faint way his voice cracks. Are his eyes watering? I reach out for him, grabbing his hand in both of mine. He's always been so warm.

"I care because I love you y/n, and it's such a bonus that you're h/n because, heck, I fell in love with her too." He squeezes my hand "Even if you tried to hide your real self to the team. Those little things that slipped through, the real you. You might not see it. But I did. Those things I loved." My face becomes increasingly hot as he goes on.

"-how you think before you reply to me, bitting your cheek as you do so. How you listen to me. Putting your head in your hands and looking right at me. Even if what I'm saying is the most random thing. Do you know how hard it is trying to not forget what I was saying when you'd look at me like that? With such-" -Love' I finished in my head, watching how his eyebrows furrowed. As he tried and failed to find the right word. I go to say something, getting cut off quickly.

"-You'll remember. Like when I told you my birthday offhand and you bought me something." He throws his arms up in the air, and his head back, with his eyes closed. "Then got me something as y/n, and I was so confused how you knew it was my birthday. You bought me two things! Just to hide it." He laughed, looking down at his feet. Before placing a hand over his face.

By now, it was evident he was blushing. Once again, he was the color of his hair, no redder. "I just wish you could see yourself like I do y/n."

It's quiet for too long before I finally speak. "I'm trying... it's hard. It really is Wally. You've done more than you realize. Yes, some days are harder than others. I'm not perfect. But it isn't so hard with you there, and when you're not there, your notes are." I slip.

"I KNEW IT!"

He yelps before I quickly grasp my hand over his mouth. "Shhhh! If you wake my parents right now, Wallace, I will actually never talk to you again." Letting him go he starts to shake. Visibly shake. Like when we're fighting in combat, using his speed, it always happened when he got too excited. He's got that look on his face again. Like he's up to no good. Did- did me grabbing him cause that reaction?

"Yes, I keep your notes!" It feels good to admit. "They remind me of you, and you make me feel safe, compared to everything you've made me feel known, seen! I love you too, okay? said it!" I whisper in a yell.

The blur of red registers as it zips into my direction. His smell fills my noise as his lips meet my own. Dipping me slightly with a hand on my lower back, the other snaking around my neck... Like an old book, he smells like that stupid textbook.

My eyes are wide, not expecting the outburst of his speed to be used in such a way. Eventually though. When I realize what had just happened, I return the kiss. It felt like it lasted forever, and not nearly long enough at the same time.

As he pulled away, he apologized. I shut him up quickly by kissing him again, before my bedroom door opens, my light flicking on.,

"Y/n? What are you doing up so late I could of sworn I heard someone?" My mother calls as I turn to her. "Oh well-" I turn back to look to Wally. Only for him to be gone. "I just was using the bathtoom. I stubbed my toe though and yelled. Sorry if I woke you." She sighed biding me goodnight and closing the door. Wally rolls out from under my bed as I smack my face with a groan.

...

..

.

Five years later

.

..

...

"Wally, I don't know about this. There's supposed to be a lot of important scientists there - I shouldn't be just going with you!" He rolls his eyes, adjustinging his tie. "You've meet my uncle before, and he's the smartest one there."

"How do you always drag me into this?" I ask aloud, hooking my hand into his, while we walk inside. "Because you love me?" He states with a roll of his eye. He leads me past the party goers until we reach his Uncle, who was engaged in conversation with a small group. He greets us both with a smile. I let go of Wally to shake their hands.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you all, I've heard so much about your research. I'm Barry's nephew. Wallace West, but people call me Wally. This is my lovely wife-" I finish "-Y/n, y/n West. It's a pleasure."

.

..

...

@redsakura101 )) ;)

A/N

Sooo???? I finally finished it..... what did we think? How many little details did you knowtice? And God did I forget how much I don't like writing in first person. Is that part of the reason why I didn't update this?? Yes. Is it also because I fell a bit out of DC??? Also yes! Anyways I love you guys and I really hope you enjoyed the last part. I hope it was worth the wait, and I didn't misspell or have too many gramatical errors.

Pls request things! Kk! 💞

~Sunny

[anghraine]

I saw a popular author post about how, while of course Elizabeth has some obligatory flaws, Darcy's are exponentially more severe, and it was like stepping into a view so far removed from mine that it was almost disorienting.

The thing is, I periodically see people wondering why Elizabeth/Darcy is such a behemoth in Austen fandom when either/both of them have substantial flaws that the narrative doesn't shy away from. Their flaws aren't identical, but they do obviously mirror each other and are thematically intertwined, with reflecting character arcs and specific beats. As I see it, the novel maintains a tense and careful balance between them—not in terms of centrality (Elizabeth's mistakes and growth are more central to the narrative than Darcy's IMO) but in terms of the weight given their flaws and virtues.

And for me that's essential to their appeal!

I love plenty of other Austen characters and relationships, but for me, personally, none of the other canon pairings are balanced in such a fun and satisfying way. The closest (and the other most conventionally romantic pairing in Austen IMO) is probably Anne/Wentworth, where at least the choices of both of them are heavy contributors to their current problems. But a) the novel is ambivalent as to whether Anne actually erred morally in the first place and b) that is long in the past by the time of the novel; the Anne of the main story of Persuasion is a fairly idealized figure by contrast to Wentworth.

I sometimes see arguments that, say, Anne or Mr Knightley or Elinor Dashwood or whomever are actually as flawed and prone to error as their romantic counterparts, but I just ... don't buy it, honestly. As far as canon Austen goes, I only really see that balance in the course of the main story with Elizabeth/Darcy. P&P loves them and holds them up as admirable (and they are!), but it also loves undercutting them in clearly paralleling ways and does it over and over throughout the novel.

So the idea of an Elizabeth and Darcy where one of them has obligatory storytelling flaws that can't seriously be compared to the other's is just ... blah. It cuts out the fundamental interconnection and resonance between them that I think is built into the structure of the novel down to its bones and is what makes their relationship special. A lot of stories pay lip-service to that kind of dynamic, sure, but despite the many (many) imitators, I don't often see it done successfully. But P&P is the real deal.

So yeah, when people are like "why do people like Elizabeth with Darcy so much when she could have a different man who doesn't make serious mistakes" I'm just thinking ... why on earth would I want Elizabeth "there was truth in his looks" Bennet with someone who would never make mistakes on that level? Or when people are like, Darcy's just misunderstood, wouldn't he be better off with Jane [or another relatively idealized female character] it's like ... hell no, I love him, but I do not want to inflict him on that poor woman.

It's not that there's something wrong with multishipping them (I've written alternate pairings for both!) or shipping them with other people, but just in terms of the novel as it exists, I do think the balance and echoes between them are part of what makes the novel work and one of the sources of their long-standing popularity. And I feel that trying to pin the "real" blame on one or the other up-ends that balance and diminishes a lot of what I, at least, find appealing about the dynamic between them.

[watcheraurora]

Deepfrost Pass

More than a little inspired by @/mellozheist's want to give credit but not bother with my shipping nonsense so no tag unfinished Let It Go Tango animatic that I was watching... but as always I've got Rancher brainrot on my brain... have fun! 3.2k words

—

"Absolutely not," Grian snapped. "No. Not happening. You can't."

"Try and stop me," Jimmy challenged. "You're not a Watcher here."

"I am a Watcher here, but my powers are limited. Not gone. And I say no."

"Well I say yes. And you won't stop me." Jimmy shoved Grian out of the way of the door. "It's your fault anyway."

Grian's wings went rigid. "Excuse me?" he demanded, voice cold.

"It's your fault!" Jimmy retorted. "If you hadn't made that stupid server—"

"If I hadn't made that stupid server, you two wouldn't ever have met the way you did!" Grian spat back. "You wouldn't ever have known him like this if it weren't for me. If anything, you should be thanking me."

"I am grateful to you for that. But only that. The rest? Yeah, I do blame you for."

"If you go there, you'll die."

Jimmy shoved his arms into his coat. "That's a risk I'm willing to take."

"Tim—" Grian's hand lashed out and caught Jimmy's wrist. "Even I can't—and I'm a Watcher—It's just—there are nearly ten wardens in there. They've taken him over. He left for a reason. Can't you just—"

Jimmy shook Grian's hand off. "No. I can't 'just.' I know you think that whatever he found up there corrupted him or possessed him. I think you're wrong. That server was awful to him in a way he wasn't prepared for. I can take being the butt of jokes. I'm used to it. He never handled betrayal well and put on such a brave face that no one noticed. He snapped. And I'm don't care. I'm going to see him. I'm not here for very long before I'm going to get kicked."

"Tim, don't be stupid—"

"That's me. Stupid, stupid Tim," Jimmy spat. His wings snapped open and he hurled himself into the sky.

Grian was a fantastic flyer. He was small and nimble and could maneuver incredibly well. But he couldn't hold a candle to the raw power and strength of Jimmy's massive wings. That was what came from their height difference and builds. Jimmy was built for strength and speed. Most real canaries weren't, but he wasn't an actual bird, for crying out loud.

His armor barely even weighed him down as he surged higher into the sky. Grian would never be able to catch up. In small areas with lots of obstacles, Grian would win a race any day. But wide open sky going in a straight line? He'd have to work extra hard to keep up with Jimmy's casual flight.

He flapped his wings and soared higher. The world dropped even farther below. He knew this would be a long flight—hours, probably—but he would make it most of the way on the wing. Then the last leg of the journey on foot. He was prepared. He knew what he was doing.

He hoped.

All sorts of landscapes passed by beneath him. For hours. Gradually lifting up from plains into hills into foothills. Until he was in a taiga. Nearing the tundra tree line. Mountains surged up from the ground ahead of him, and he'd have to gain more altitude to access the pass between two of them that he needed. His wings beat the air harder, lifting him up until the air was almost too thin to cushion his wings and keep him aloft.

Jimmy flew until frost started to crystallize on his feathers. He knew he wouldn't be able to get any closer via flight, so he tilted into a sharp dive and braked hard, landing with a crunch of his leather boots in the deep snow. He pulled his coat tighter around him and drew his wings in close. They were so long that they dragged through the snow behind him. And they took the bite of this cold mountain range the most. But he couldn't let himself care about that.

He pulled a Blaze Rod out of his inventory and held it in one hand, a torch in the other. The Blaze Rod lit the torch and both helped keep him warm as he trudged up the mountain. He knew he couldn't be far now. The sun was going down. Mobs were going to start spawning soon.

He ate as he hiked. A golden carrot styled to look like a churro every so often. Scar had insisted he take them, so he had.

The sun went down. A full moon began to emerge over the mountain peaks. Jimmy caught sight of it when he was between peaks. There was no path to where he was going. Just the ever-worsening cold to lead him on. But he felt the direction in his heart.

So when he rounded the mountain and saw the fortress, he wasn't sure how to feel.

The thing was massive. Dark stone and teal accents. Grey-black towers clawed at the midnight-blue sky, as though trying to feed the stars to the gaping, frowning mouth partway up the enormous central tower. A warden's mouth.

The doorway was open, the portcullis raised.

Who needed security like that in a place like this? When the dangerous stuff was inside?

Jimmy stared.

The Deepfrost Citadel.

Blood. Pain. Screaming. Tango's yellow fire hair simmering down, blazing back up with the ice-blues and teals of soul fire. His friends' betrayals still lingering in his heart. The rage never fully going away, just pretending it was gone...

Jimmy still had some of Tango's memories. He remembered waking up in the middle of the night in Tumble Town, not too long after he first settled there after Double Life had ended, to Tango's screams in his nightmares. He remembered waking up months ago to a message from Grian, panicking that Tango had retreated into the mountains and no one had seen nor heard from him since.

Tango had even avoided him when he'd crossed over into Jimmy's world. Jimmy had rebuilt their ranch and everything. Tango promised it was his home. And then he spent all his time down in Gobland, too absorbed in work to... to ever... to ever come home.

A tear slid down Jimmy's face, trying to freeze but so hot that it made his skin tingle from the contact.

He trudged closer to the citadel.

Fine. If Tango was going to go back to his cave and his castle since returning home to Hermitcraft, then Jimmy was going to go to him.

He made it into the maw of the open doorway and shook off. Snow fell off his hair, wings, and the shoulders of his coat. His sheriff clothes were designed for the broiling heat of the mesa. They were thick and protective, but lightweight to release body heat.

Not a good idea for this taiga. He was freezing.

He climbed a long, dark staircase into a semi-constructed great hall.

"Tango?" he called. His voice echoed to the towers above him.

He heard the humming of a warden, coming from somewhere deep below. Just that sound alone made his blood run cold.

"Tango!" he called louder.

Something moved in the shadows cast by the soul fires. He whirled, expecting a warden or a ravager.

Nothing.

He held the Blaze Rod closer to his chest and extinguished the torch, tucking it back in his inventory. The lack of its warmth made his wings shiver. "Tango. Is that you?" he asked quieter. "Tango, please."

The movement was a shadow itself. Humanoid in shape, but nothing more than silhouette. It pointed, dodged to another shadow, and pointed again. Jimmy followed. "Tango, is that you?" Jimmy asked more urgently.

The shadow shook its head. Pointed again. Flitted to another shadow. Pointed. Jimmy followed its path.

A hole in the wall that led to a hole in the ground. The shadow briefly appeared, pointed down, and vanished.

Jimmy looked down apprehensibly. He didn't see any water... but there was a water elevator right next to this drop. Obviously a way up and down to somewhere.

Trusting in Tango, trusting in whatever they'd been on that first Ranch, hearts and souls in each other's hands, he closed his eyes and stepped off the drop, pulling his wings in tight so they wouldn't smash into anything or break and holding the Blaze Rod to his chest.

He landed on powdered snow, covered in a carpet square. It absorbed the damage of his fall. He ducked low to clear his wings and stepped out.

He was in a storage room. The walls were lined with rows and rows and columns and columns of chests. It was a remarkably compact storage room, all things considered. He'd seen the incredibly complex, sprawling system behind the doors of Scar's shop fronts in his theme park. That was huge. This was just chests. All shoved against one another. A Nether portal droned off to his left. And beside it, an archway that led out into a huge open cavern. Jimmy stood on the edge of the storage room's packed mud brick floor and looked out, his wings extending slightly behind him.

The cavern wasn't just some empty hole. It was filled with an unfathomably complicated web of redstone, all woven around structures. Jimmy couldn't make heads or tails of any of it.

This kind of area is where Grian's flying skills would be more beneficial than his. Jimmy could fly around in here, but he'd smack into every wall and track of redstone he came across. He couldn't maneuver anywhere near as well. This was an obstacle course dream for Grian.

Jimmy unfurled his wings and launched into the cavern, trying to keep his ridiculously long wingspan as close to himself as he could while still staying airborne while he flew around, searching the structures and the web of redstone.

"Tango?" he called. His voice echoed around the structure. He wondered if, for a moment, he actually saw that shadow running through the darkness alongside him. Or if he was losing it.

He heard giggling. Tango's distinct giggle. He pulled up short and banked in a circle, looking around.

"Hmhm! Dungeon's making me hear my birdie," Tango said in his high-pitched, silly voice. Sounding... slightly manic.

A firework rocket shot off. Jimmy heard the snapping of Elytra membranes. He looked around—

And caught sight of Tango flying back toward the storage room, a shulker box in hand. Jimmy twisted sharply and shot after him, catching his wings on tracks of powered and activator rails. He grunted in pain at the impacts.

When he finally made it back to the storage room, Tango was kneeling in front of a ground-level chest, rifling through it. He had a black hood on, attached to the long black coat he'd worn on Jimmy's world. The one that had spawned on him in Jimmy's nightmare when he snapped and his yellow fire hair had turned blue. The nightmare where the wardens broke through the ground at Tango's command and attacked the other Hermits who tried to contain them—and him—before he retreated up Deepfrost Pass and churned out his fortress.

He was singsonging under his breath as he moved materials from the chest into the shulker box. "Just keep workin'. Do the buildy-buildy. We'll show them. We'll show 'em all when I watch Ravagers munch their faces off. Especially Bdubs."

He shuffled over, popping another shulker box onto the ground and filling it with contents of another chest.

Jimmy just watched for a few moments.

"Gotta finish. Have to. Can't wait to feed the Hermits to the wardens."

Jimmy crept closer. He set a hand on Tango's shoulder. "Tango," he said gently.

"Wah-ga-gah!" Tango exclaimed, whirling around with his coat flaring around him. His hood fell off, revealing soul-fire hair. And, for just a moment, black eyes. But the black disappeared, and they were back to blue with deep blue sclera. He started laughing. "Very funny, Decked Out!" he called toward the cavern of structures and redstone. "Making me hallucinate Jimmy isn't going to speed things up, you know!"

"Tango, I—I'm not a hallucination," Jimmy said, tightening his grip on Tango's shoulder. The coat was so thick, he couldn't feel Tango's muscle giving underneath.

Tango leaned closer conspiratorially and winked. "That's what a hallucination would say," he said playfully. He turned back to his materials and kept shoveling them over into the shulker box.

"No, I'm not. Tango—" Jimmy grabbed Tango's shoulders and spun him around. "Look at me. I'm really here. I flew most of the way here and hiked the rest. I had to come see you. I had to—you—I miss you. I've barely seen you since our home worlds collided. You never came home to Tumble Town. The only reason I came through the Rift was to spend more time with you, and I've barely seen you since I've been here. You just left. What did I do, Tango? What have I done to warrant you avoiding me?"

Tango tried to turn back around, but Jimmy held him firm.

Tango blinked. Something like clarity sharpened in his eyes. "You're really here," he said.

"Yes. I'm here. I'm not some illusion or hallucination."

"I thought... the dungeon..." Tango looked out to the cavern, then back to Jimmy. Somewhere deep below, a warden hummed and sniffed. Jimmy's wings shivered. Tango's eyes snapped back to his. "I have to finish Decked Out. The dungeon needs to be whole."

Jimmy knelt so he and Tango were nearly at eye-level, still holding the shoulders of the coat. A glassy look made Tango's eyes unfocus.

"The others... they tried to stop me from leaving. But they've already held me back for so long. Bdubs betrayed me. We were teammates. He stabbed me in the back. He was no match for my wardens. Grian thought he was some almighty eldritch creature. But six wings are just more targets to get blastificated. Even Etho—the original!—was powerless to stop me when I finally let go of everything I'd used to hold myself back."

"Tango. Can you find it in yourself to forgive your friends?" Jimmy ran a hand through Tango's soul fire hair. It burned his skin in a way he wasn't used to. Soul fire was hotter than normal fire, but back when they were SoulBound, Tango's fire hadn't even been able to burn Jimmy's skin.

Tango bared his sharp teeth. His hair blazed brighter, higher, and hotter. Jimmy leaned away.

"Tango," Jimmy said soothingly. Repeating his name over and over to remind him who he was. To remind him he was a person. He cupped the side of Tango's face. "Look at me. Look at my eyes." He waited until Tango did. "Can you?"

Tango grumbled under his breath. Bitter and sarcastic.

"Hey. Remember when we first met? In Third Life? And I died to your lava game?"

"Dare to Flare," Tango said automatically.

"That's right. Do you remember when we met again in Double Life? After the creeper?"

Tango's voice pitched up. "You were angry."

"I wasn't," Jimmy said. "Not at you. Just that I'd lost the resources I'd gathered. It had nothing to do with you. And you were always so kind to me. I'm used to everyone putting me on the short end of the joke. You never did. You were a little sarcastic with me, sure. But you always put yourself at the short end of the joke. But you were kind to me. You're one of the only people who ever treated me with unconditional respect as a person, all the time. It's why I..." Jimmy cleared his throat. His wings twitched and ruffled. "It's why I fell for you, so fast."

Tango blinked, slow, like a cat. His head tilted into the contact of Jimmy's hand.

"You saw, while we lived on the Ranch, how everyone else treats me. I'm used to it. I encourage it. If they have to be mean to someone, they should be mean to me. I can take it. But you... you were never anything but loyal. Not just to me. To your team. And you got nothing in return but betrayal. You and me—we really feel our emotions. We pretend we don't, but we do. Our emotions are big and deep. The good, and the bad. Maybe it's why we got put together." Jimmy bent closer and rested his forehead to Tango's. "We have to learn to let the bad slide off, once we've felt it. You have to forgive the other Hermits. You have to let go of the rage."

Tango took a deep breath. "I... I can't."

"Please? Just try. For me?"

Tango reached up and wrapped cold hands around the back of Jimmy's neck, lacing his fingers together. "Birdie..."

"I'm only asking you to try. Breathe with me, and thing about letting it go."

"I'll try."

They shared deep breaths. Trying to tune out the wardens deep below. "Thank your emotions for keeping you safe, and release them," Jimmy whispered.

They knelt on the floor of the storage room for what felt like a long time. Just breathing and quietly encouraging Tango to forgive and let go. Jimmy kept quietly whispering affirmations he used to tell himself when he was learning not to mind the jokes.

A warden screamed somewhere below.

Tension surged out of Tango's shoulders and he slumped forward.

Jimmy caught him, cradling him to his chest. "I got you. It's okay. It's okay. You're fine." He rocked them both, his wings encircling them in a gold shield of protection. "What was that? Why did that warden...? Was Grian right? Were the wardens' influence bleeding into you?"

Tango shook his head against Jimmy's heart. "No. Other way around. My pain was bleeding into them. Wardens are mourners. They were mourning for me. But you're right. I can let it go."

Jimmy smiled. "That's it. Exactly."

There was a long pause. "I do still have to finish this game though. I've been working on it for so long—I can't just stop now."

"No, I know. But let it be just that. A game. Not a vessel for revenge or a channel for betrayal. Just a game."

"I can do that," Tango said. "Or. Well. I can try, anyway."

"That's all you need to do. Just try. Because there's merit in trying. And eventually, trying can pay off. Next thing you'll know, you'll be doing."

"Yeah... yeah. I can do that."

Jimmy kissed the top of Tango's head. The soul fire hair didn't burn him. "That's all I ask." He pulled back a little. "Come up with me? Outside? Come see the sky, please? The sun went down, but the stars are beautiful this far from everyone else. It's so dark and high altitude up here. They're beautiful."

"Okay."

Jimmy smiled. "Okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Okay!"

"Come with me!" Jimmy pulled Tango toward the water elevator.

[victini-shipps]

I have some ship headcanon's since I started watching mh and decided to share them (bonus to Clankie because I went crazy when I watched Horoscare for the first time ):

Cats like warm places, so Clawdeen often wakes up with Toralei between the blankets or at her feet, even though she has her own bed.

After Toralei moved in with the Wolf family, other were-creatures are afraid to flirt with Clawdeen because she literally smells like Toralei.

When Toradeen goes out to eat or drink somenthing, Clawdeen specifies that Toralei's milk must be oat milk because any other type of milk is unhealthy for her.

Clawdeen is a fan of Hissfits, so she always begs Toralei to give spoiler about a new song.

Clawdeen likes to send pictures of cute kittens to Toralei, she says they look like Tora just to embarrass her.

Toralei gives her preys to Clawdeen as gifts. Clawdeen never eats, but makes a small cemetery to bury the animals.

Toralei once licked Clawdeen to show affection, when asked why she simply responded angrily and embarrassedly "you smell like dog".

Toralei offers to comb Clawdeen's hair wolf, but she claims she only does it because Clawdeen loses so much fur and it sticks to her clothes.

Even though Cleo has a lamp, the light is a little too bright and sometimes uncomfortable. So Frankie built a projector (like a planetarium) with drawings of scarabs, diamonds and Egyptian objects so that she wouldn't have to be in the dark but would be comfortable to sleep.

Frankie always want to be helpful, so they offer to carry Cleo's shopping even when they can't handle the weight.

Cleo loves to praise Frankie because they always blush and don't know how to react.

Frankie comment on all of Cleo's photos and videos, always saying how incredible and wonderful she is.

Sometimes Cleo doesn't want to be separated from Frankie so Frankie leave one of they hands with her while they are in different classes, so it is very common for other students to find Frankie without a hand and Cleo in the middle of class holding hands with the missing part of Frankie.

This is the end, if I spelled any of Frankie's pronouns or verbs wrong, I'm sorry, my English isn't good and the translator is prejudiced

[jams-sims]

I wrote a whole ass essay for Philza now Im gonna do it for Jaiden. In defense of the lack of content with Jaiden in it (real quick). Being an old goat of fandoms I can explain it (don't worry this won't take long and also it plays into her character's overarching narrative of a grieving mother.) Plain in simple women in Minecraft are notorious for getting shit on by the collective fandom. (Everyone has to take part in making sure that it stops happening.) She is mainly a YouTuber which makes a dissonance between mainly youtube viewers and Twitch watchers. So it's harder to catch her just because you have to go to another site. Also, she doesn't stream as often as everyone else. This makes for a lack of content, just because Jaiden is just a low-key person. This is the recipes for a lack of content BUT that does not excuse people who are being weird to her or think she's in the way of any ships etc etc.

BUT

Narratively speaking all of those things above make for perfect storytelling. (below the cut I go deep into Jaiden character I mean I go DEEP)

Even though Jaiden has the support of the whole island. At the end of the day- she goes back to that same house. Climbs to the very top and she fall asleep on the chair facing the sunset. This means that everyone else has moved on, especially Roier. She is forever stuck in that same place.

I can't be the only one who noticed every single stream, she logs out at the house. BY HERSELF (I think Roier built? Someone corrects me if I'm wrong.) It's so subtle that you wouldn't even notice it at first.

When asked where she was living by Etolies. She doesnt say her and roier house, she doesn't even say where bobby use to live. She specifically says " I am squating in Roier old house". She puts herself on the outskirts of what is further from the truth. Shes not squating in roier house im 100% sure Roier shares everything with her. It is her home too!

Next when it came to the marriage between cellbit and Roier. She was surprised that she was even invite. Its as if as soon as Bobby died all her friendships and relationships died with him. No matter how many people are around her she has this ice wall of isolation and deep lonely-ness.

Her grieiving is less theratical than Charlies its so sudtle that you can miss it. While Roier throw himself into drink and into a relationship. (Which has admitedly worked out in his favor. He gets a husband a new son, a world of love. Something that can lessen the sting of Bobbys death.)

Jaiden on the other hand threw herself into a a impossible task, "protect the eggs." She doesn't know anything about any group or fractions. That is her only wish and the federation saw that and picked her to use. She has nothing everyone else has seemingly moved on of course. They haven't stopped investigating but they death of Bobby mostly everyone has moved on. Besides Jaiden this is her driving force so no one will suffer like she did. (on a side note her and Charlie should team up for lore and to both work for the federations.)

ITS PREFECT! Oh are you greiving has everyone else seemingly moved on? Your friendly neighborhood bear has a book full of instructions. Don't think, I'll guide you.

Before it fell apart the federation was going to secretly use Jaiden and she was going to do everything alone. But because Jaiden can't keep a secret to save her life. This leads to everyone realizing how at risk Jaiden is at being used. They are all with her in an instant. But part of her character is now that she sides with the Fedration and no one sees it yet. While everyone else think they are the bad guy. Her story is shifting because cucurucho is there, because cucurucho is nice to her, because Jaiden is cucurucho favorite.

She is being drawn in whether she knows it or not to be om their side. Think of it this way-

Fit is team: Spy thats off the island

Cellbit and Crew are team: AntiFederation

Jaiden the one that is left alone is the perfect choice to slowly pull her onto the federation side. It's perfect! The self isolation, the want to connect but feeling like she can't. It would be so easy for someone to take advantage of that.

[feelbokkie]

One Last Dance | Chapter 19

pairing: Minho x fem reader

genre: smau, crack, angst, fluff, non!idol au, major character death (I am apologizing now), friends to lovers, soul mates, first love, roommates

pov: 1st/2nd person (depending on how you view it)

warnings: swearing, the big bad (main character death), blood, mention of food

summary: Childhood best friends Lee Minho and L/n Y/n are in their final year of university. While both of them are in love with each other, the only thing keeping them apart is Minho’s fear of change. As both dancers prepare for their lives after college, will Minho finally let fear rule him and his emotions or will he finally gain courage before he loses Y/n forever?

word count: 3,546

screenshot count: 3

taglist: closed!

a/n: i am so very sorry

previous | masterlist | next

©feelbokkie (2023) — all rights reserved. reposting/modification of any kind is not tolerated.

You're not sure why, but you woke up earlier than you planned to this morning. Sure, Seungmin wants to get to the music store right when it opens, but there was no need for you to wake up at 5 in the morning. You tried to go back to sleep, you really did. Your bed was warm and Minho's arms were so tight around you. Going back to sleep for a little bit longer wouldn't have hurt. But your body wouldn't let you. You have so much to do and yet so little time.

Whether you like it, graduation is in two weeks. But with the way time has been flying lately, it feels like graduation is tomorrow. You've spent so much time in the practice room going over all of your final performances and showcase routines that you barely had enough time for anything else. Tomorrow is your last day of work. You wanted to spend the last three weeks focusing on school and packing.

Packing, your least favorite task. At least, it is when you're supposed to be packing the entirety of the life you built over the last four years. All the memories you've built with Minho. All your firsts. First apartment. First night living away from your parents. First pet. First Christmas. First 'I love you.' Everything you can't pack into suitcases and boxes. You're supposed to leave the week after graduation but you need to ship out some of your stuff ahead of time so you won't have to wait too long for them. Minho's bundles and various boxes litter the apartment as you're in different stages of packing. It's all overwhelming.

"I thought you left without saying goodbye," Minho says from the doorway to your room. How you didn't wake him up when you got out of bed earlier is a mystery. He wakes every time you go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

"Hm, I'm not making that mistake again. I was just getting some stuff done before heading over to the other apartment." You stand up from your spot on the floor and walk over to Minho. You give him a quick peck before leading him to your bed. His eyes aren't fully open yet, you're not even sure if he's completely awake.

You look around the room as Minho rubs the sleep out of his eyes. You haven't been in it much since you came back home. Minho, very persuasively, convinced you to sleep in his room with him the second you moved back. It made the most sense, the two of you are a couple and he has the bigger bed. Most of your stuff now lives in your and Minho's room or boxes. You have no idea what you're going to do with your furniture. The two of you talked about selling them and buying new sets when you get to Tokyo, but neither of you had the time to deal with that.

"Hey, what should we do for our birthday this year?" You ask suddenly.

"Our...birthday? We have a few months to think about that, no?" Minho pulls you down and forces you to sit on his lap, nestling his head in the crook of your neck. His arms tighten around your waist.

"I got my training and work schedule from Noism, I have that whole week off. It's going to be our first birthday in Japan and as a couple. We should do something. We'll be in Niigata then."

"When we were in Japan last summer you were saying something about an island."

"Sado Island?"

"Yeah," He hums into your neck. His breath tickles your skin.

"Is that what you want to do?" Your hand moves to the nape of his neck, gently playing with his hair.

"I don't care what we do. I'll do whatever as long as I'm with you." He mumbles.

"Hm, we'll figure something out. We have time, but we can keep Sado Island in mind. I know they have a thing where you can go fishing with the locals so you'll have that to look forward to at least."

"Perfect,"

"Oh, if the training period goes well, we should be in Niigata in time for the Nagaoka Festival and to see the Tsunan Sunflower Field in bloom."

"We should go then. Even if your training period isn't over yet, we can just take a trip."

"That's eight hours round trip. Sixteen if we have to go two different days."

"Will it make you happy?"

"Yeah but--"

"Then we'll go."

"We'll talk about this when you're not half asleep." Your freehand pats his arm.

"My answer will be the same."

The two of you are quiet, the only sound being Minho's soft breathing. You're almost certain he fell asleep again. It wouldn't be the first time he's fallen asleep holding you. You slowly pull out your phone and check the time. Your eyes land on a text from Seungmin giving you ten minutes to make your way over to his apartment or else he's coming over. That was sent five minutes ago.

You try to slowly get out of Minho's grip only for his grip to tighten again. You let out a sigh as you try to pry his arms off you a little harder this time, earning a groan from Minho.

"Min, I gotta go. You know how Seungmin gets when people make him late." You plead.

"Give me a kiss first," He pouts, pulling his head up.

You smile fondly at your sleepy boyfriend before pressing your lips into his. You feel the corner of Minho's lips turn up into a smile as his grip loosens. You pull away and press one more soft kiss onto his forehead.

"God, I love you," He mumbles.

"I love you too, Lee Minho. You have my whole heart. Always and forever. Forever might not be a long time if I don't leave in the next two minutes."

"I can fight that mutt."

"Be nice,"

"I'm always nice," He pouts as you stand up.

"I know, baby. You're so nice. Now go back to our room and get some more sleep. I'll be back later."

"How can I sleep when you're not there."

"Dream of me, I'll always be in your dreams at least."

You give Minho one more kiss before getting your things and leaving the apartment.

"Let's have a movie night tonight." You suggest as you, Ma-Ri, and Seungmin exit one of the clothing stores Jeongin lead you to.

"One last movie night before you and the boyfie abandon us?" Ma-Ri asks from the front of the group. You stand in the back so you can keep an eye on her and the boys. A habit you developed last year after Hyunjin almost tripped into oncoming traffic one too many times.

"If I hear the word 'boyfie' come out of anyone's mouth one more time, I'm going to barf," Seungmin groans, making Jeongin laugh.

The four of you spent a good few of hours at the outdoor mall. Seungmin has been hauling around his new guitar on his back since he picked it up this morning. You understand why he doesn't want to go leave it in the car, but he's not letting any of you help him carry it either. It's almost like he doesn't trust any of you. Well, with Jeongin's clumsiness, he's somewhat justified in not trusting you.

You're almost certain that you've been to almost every store. You managed to find graduation gifts for both Minho and Ma-Ri. You even found going away gifts for the maknaes. Are you overdoing it, maybe but you couldn't help yourself. You also found some things for the new apartment. All in all, you can call today a success shopping-wise.

"I'm not abandoning you guys. Ma-Ri, relax," You shout from the back of the line.

"How else am I supposed to feel when the love of my life is moving to another country? With a man." She says dramatically. You can't help but roll your eyes.

"Seungmin, what was that movie you were talking about last month?" You ask, changing the subject. Ma-Ri is being dramatic now to be funny, but if you don't change it soon, she's going to become inconsolable.

"Elemental?" The older of the two boys asks.

"Oh, that's supposed to be good!" Jeongin shouts excitedly.

"Yeah, that one! Let's watch that one tonight."

"Felix is going to cry," Seungmin warns.

"It's fine. Felix hyung can deal with it." Jeongin reassures him.

Ma-Ri quickly walks into a trinket shop before you can even stay anything. The three of you lean outside the shop window, taking a break from walking and carrying your bags as Ma-Ri browses around. Seungmin and Jeongin start bickering about something as you take the scene.

The outdoor mall started getting crowded about half an hour ago. Everyone is either taking advantage of the good weather or their day off. You know some schools have already had their graduations. You smile fondly as you see some families walking around with bouquets and balloons. In two weeks, that's going to be you, Minho, and Ma-Ri with your families.

"Noona, I'm hungry. Can we get lunch before we head home?" Jeongin asks you as Ma-Ri walks out with a new shopping bag. The four of you continue your journey back to the car.

"Yeah, we can. What do you guys feel like eating?" You ask, not really caring about what or where you eat.

"I don't mind, as long as I can get some soju I'm happy." Ma-Ri sings.

"Ri, it's barely noon." You whine.

"Hey, listen, we have final exams next week which means I'm going to be singing and playing various instruments until my voice and fingers are raw. This is my last hurrah before graduation. Let me have fun."

"Okay, okay," You laugh.

"We haven't had barbecue in a while. There's supposed to be a place that's really good and super cheap not too far from here." Seungmin suggests.

"Awe, but I want hot pot." Jeongin whines.

"It's too hot for hot pot," Seungmin adds.

"And it's not too hot for barbecue? We're going to be sitting in front of a grill." Jeongin argues.

"It's still not as hot as boiling hot soup." Seungmin counters.

"They're pretty much the same thing. Similar concept." Ma-Ri teases.

"No, they're not!" Seungmin and Jeongin shout in unison, earning a few looks from passersby.

"How about you two play rock, paper, scissors for it?" You suggest, trying to calm them down. They're both hungry and starting to get cranky.

You watch with a smile on your face as Seungmin and Jeongin play for their lunch. Ma-Ri, who now walks behind, acts as a referee for the game. You're going to miss days like this with everyone. You've spent the past four years building your own little family and now, just like that, you're going to have to leave them. You truly think of everyone as your sister and little brothers. Leaving them has been hard for you. You wish you would just take them all with you.

"Scream and I'll hurt you," You freeze as a hand suddenly grabs your shoulder.

You're calmer than you should be in this situation, but still, you comply. You watch as your friends keep walking away. You're glad they're not near you, you know they would end up doing something stupid trying to help.

"Let go," You warn. Strangers mind their business as they walk past you. Some of them turn around in annoyance for blocking the flow of traffic.

"Give me your phone and your wallet," The deep voice says. His breath tickles your ear. He's so close.

You're grateful your parents put you in taekwondo and martial arts with Minho growing up. You've never wanted to have to use your skills outside of competitions, but at least you have the ability to defend yourself.

"I don't have either of those things on me right now." You reply.

It's not a lie. Your bag was digging into your neck and making you uncomfortable so Ma-Ri put it in her backpack. It was safer than your idea of putting it in one of your shopping bags.

"Bullshit," He spits, turning your blood cold.

Of course, he thinks you're lying. Both of your hands are full of shopping bags. Hell, if the situation was reversed, you'd think you were lying. You need to quickly get out of this situation. There is no telling what this man is capable of if he's willing to rob someone in broad daylight in a busy area.

You mentally plot out what you can do. You can swipe your leg back and knock him off of his feet. But you don't know how close his legs are to you. You can grab the hand that's on your shoulder and flip him over, knocking the wind out of him. But you'd have to free at least one of your hands and by doing that he might let go and run. Or worse, steal your bags. You can turn around, kick him or headbutt him or do something after you can get a better view of what you're working with. You can't see him. You can't tell how much bigger he is, if he even is bigger than you he is. Even if you could get in a position to kick him from behind or flip him, not knowing roughly how much body weight you're dealing with could be your downfall if you don't take that into account.

You say a silent prayer before quickly turning around to face him, adrenaline pumping through your blood. Your sudden movement scares him, making him jerk his arm before running off. You have to stop him, he might try to rob someone else, or worse. You start to walk forward, only to be stopped by a pain in your stomach. It's almost like someone took a burning hot fire poker and rammed it through your stomach. Your hands find your way to your stomach, just like they always do whenever you get stomach pain. You quickly pull your hands away when they're met with something wet and sticky. Your heart drops to the pit of your stomach, terrified to look down.

Ah!

Someone screams, causing your heart to beat faster in your chest. Your breathing quickens as you slowly look down at your hands. You get lightheaded as your eyes see the dark crimson that coats your hands.

"Shit," You whisper, still looking at your hands. Your bags slip out of your hands, landing on the ground with a soft thud.

"Noona!" You hear Seungmin's voice call from behind you as your knees start to buckle.

How could you be so stupid? How could you not have even considered that he had a weapon?

Your knees hit the ground just you hear another scream. A small crowd starts to form around you. Just as you start to lean back, you feel arms wrap around you. You turn your head to see who caught you only to be met by Seungmin's terrified eyes. Behind him, you can see Ma-Ri pulling Jeongin away, shielding his face.

No, no, no.

"Fuck...Noona, what happened?" Seungmin asks. His voice is monotone, more so than normal. He's trying to remain calm, turning off his emotions so he can think and get through the situation like he normally does.

"Seungminnie, go with Ma-Ri." You choke out. Tears fill your eyes as the searing hot pain radiates through your body.

"Don't worry about me right now." He says softly as he moves around a bit as someone tells him something. He slowly lowers your head onto his lap, making your body more level with the floor.

The pain spreads to more parts of your body, you can feel it tingle in your toes and your fingertips. You feel your shirt--Minho's shirt--stick to your body as more blood seeps out of you, making your body cold like a wet towel would as you dry off after swimming.

"He ran--Ah!" You scream as a sudden pressure is applied to your stomach.

"It's okay, they're just trying to stop the bleeding. And they'll catch him, don't worry. Just...just...fuck, I don't know." Seungmin keeps eye contact with you. His eyes barely open, but you can see how they glisten with unshed tears. His mouth is slightly parted, bottom lip quivering.

The pain in your stomach intensifies as the adrenaline wears off. Your heart is pounding, pumping way more blood than you know is good for you right now. A tear rolls out of your eye and onto his lap.

"Seungmin," You start. Your voice is low, you're not even sure you're actually making any noise, "I need you to go to Ma-Ri."

You're dying, that much you know. You can feel it. Even with the stranger applying pressure to your stomach, your heart rate isn't helping. It's too hot of a day for you to be feeling as cold as you down now. The last thing you want is to have Seungmin watch you die, let alone die in his arms.

"No," Seungmin shakes his head as he squeezes his eyes shut, the tears he's holding in breaking through. "I don't want to leave you alone."

Your right-hand finds Seungmin's hand that's resting on the side of your head. Your left-hand trails up to your neck, your fingers graze the scallop necklace. You grasp it as tightly as you can.

"I'm not alone, don't worry." You smile at him to reassure him. But, looking at the tears that leak out of your eyes and how pale your skin is getting, he knows you're lying.

Strangers in the circle around you reassure you that an ambulance is coming and to keep holding on. But it's hard. Your body feels like you went out into the winter snow without a coat. Your heartbeat is going to a normal rate. The pain is starting to subdue itself. Either you're getting used to it or you're slipping away.

"Seungmin,"

"Yeah?"

"Tell Innie to slow down when he eats, nobody is going to take his food from him. And... that it's not the end of the world if his voice cracks when he sings. And tell both Felix and Hyunjin--"

"Stop that!" He cries out.

"Seungmin--"

"Y-you can tell them that yourself later."

"Seungminnie," You swallow, "I need you to listen to me."

"I...I don't want to."

"Please?"

"O-okay,"

"Tell Yongbokkie... and Hyun to...to stop spending all their free time in the practice room. They're going to burn themselves out. And tell Ri that she...sh--she needs to actually talk to girls if she wants a girl...a girlfriend."

"Okay,"

"And tell Min...tell him that he should audition for a company. He's too good of a dancer to just...just be a teacher...I was going to convince him...I had a whole plan."

"You'll convince him, noona."

"This isn't your fault, Seungmin." You add. You've known Seungmin long enough to know that he's going to eventually blame himself for this. But he couldn't have known any of this would happen. Nobody could have. You just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"But--"

"No, not your fault. And...and if you start blaming yourself...I'm going to come back and haunt you." You can see Ma-Ri and Jeongin from the corner of your eye. Ma-Ri has Jeongin's completely buried in her chest. Her face is red and tear-stained, her making running down her face.

"Stop talking like that. You're going to be okay."

"S-Seungmin, go to Ma-Ri. Please? You...you don't... you don't have to be strong."

"I'm staying and you're going to be okay, end of discussion."

"I really, really love you guys. Okay? D-don't forget that. It's important to me that you guys know that. You're my family. You're my brothers and sister and...and I'm so sorry. Fuck, I'm so fucking sorry."

"Stop, stop it."

"Seungmin, I need you to tell Minho that I love him. I so fucking in love with him and I'm sorry that...that we--I wasted too much time. Tell him that I'm sorry. I didn't want to leave him. I n--never w--w--wanted to. Shit," You're having trouble making out Seungmin's face as dark shadows cloud your vision. You're having trouble hearing to commotion around you. You're not sure if the sirens you're hearing are off in the distance or nearby.

"Please stop,"

"Minnie...I'm...'m really tired,"

"No, no, no." His voice cracks. You barely feel Seungmin's warm hand on your face. "Noona, no. I said stop. Please? ...Y/n? ...Hey, c'mon yell at me for calling you informally."

"'m not scared," You hum, still holding your necklace.

"Well, I am, so stop it. Please? Fuck...shit...dammit...Noona, please? C'mon, the ambulance is right there."

"Go...to...go to Ma-Ri," You can't feel a single ounce of pain in your body anymore. Not even the needle pricks that come with being numb. And yet, you're not scared.

"Please don't go. Noona, I'm scared. P-please."

"'m sorry,"

—

Buy me a coffee?

—

Taglist

Red means that it wouldn't let me tag you (either at all or properly)

@amyyscorner @aaasia111 @weird-bookworm @allaboutyej8 @kangaracharacha @lilcutieana @jungkookies1002 @lanatheawesome @hanniemylovelyquokka @jiisungllvr @marked-unknown @kitheat @spearb-99 @chlodavids @veedoesntknaur @yongbbokkie @warlockwithoutcharisma @fennecnco @aslou  @babygirlsuna @jihanlovic @kalopsian-thoughts @reianagarcia @sunshinessky  @brain-empty-only-draken @f9clementine  @jaydebow @phtogravi @mal-lunar-28 @jhstayy

[tranquilskies2]

Lord Shen X Fenghuang Headcanons

*takes deep breath* These two were my 2nd most favorite kfp ship with Tipo ofc being my most favorite. I started shipping them bc of a few fanfics & became obsessed with them since! I can't really explain what got me to stil be fond of this ship for years, but it somehow clung to me. It's the second rare pair I ever made fanart for. It's a shame that I could only find one Shenhuang fanart tho. At least I have the skills to do it now!

How slow is this slow burn? World's largest burning candle slow. Seriously, you have two stubborn deranged tsunderes who are heavily deprived of love & affection. There is no love at first sight between them. It's more like love at first fight-

They didn't like each other at first. Due to their unhinged, similar but clashing personalities, they initially fought and bicker frequently. These two could be mistaken for sworn enemies who despise each other for over a century. At one point, they have to separated from each other because they almost engaged in an altercation together.

Most of the time, whenever Shen is paired with someone (OC or canon), that someone submits to him and hey, ofc Shen would always want to be the dominant one in the relationship. However, Fenghuang would NOT take being beneath someone. This woman is a fierce free spirit who canonically destroyed & broke free from the owl-shaped cage that was built SPECIFICALLY JUST FOR HER (btw, Oogway built that cage). She can see right through Shen like he's crystal clear water in a glass.

Fenghuang will not put up with Shen's spoiled princely demeanor (which is why she gave him the nickname:"Prince."). In fact, she'll have the guts to call him out on his bs & put him in his place. She doesn't sugarcoat things, she delivers the truth on a cold silver platter. For sure Shen's ego took a massive hit like a tsunami due to being humbled for the first time.

However, Fenghuang is not without her own faults or blindspots. In can on, she lived in a mountain in isolation (I'm surprised she didn't go cuckoo) for who knows how long because she picked a fight with her own master (Oogway) & is too cowardly to face him again. Despite being humbled by Fenghuang, Shen is highly perceptive. So much so, he can easily pick up on Fenghuang's own arrogance & can swiftly knock her off her own high horse with one kick at the right opportunity.

They never publicly announced that they're dating. In fact, it took quite a while for their loved ones & those acquainted with them to realize they're dating due to being used to witnessing the two being at each other's throats. Most of their interactions consists of them quarrel like an old married couple. Understandably, it's easy for outsiders to see this as a toxic relationship. Despite displaying zero PDA, they prefer to be intimate in private.

Again with Shen being observant, he can easily take note of what Fenghuang likes & dislikes. However, the first time he tried picking out a gift for Fenghuang, he's in complete shambles due to being worried about whether or not she'll like & accept the gift. Doesn't help the fact that Fenghuang wouldn't be easily swayed by flashy gifts & gestures and that she generally is difficult to impress.

Has to be an accessory since he doesn't know her measurements (yet). Aha! This silver peony hairpin! No, not her favorite flower. Perhaps this tree branch hairpin? *shakes head* Unimpressive. Maybe this sun hairpin instead? *groans as he chucks the 30th hairpin in the discard pile*

One of their favorite things to do together is training. As they got closer, the sexual tension between them rises like champagne in a bottle with the cap eventually popping off like a rocket. Both wouldn't outright say it out loud, but they do admire each other's skills & abilities in combat. Shen is mesmerized by Fenghuang's flash flight speed & precise agility with her feather knives. In return, Fenghuang is captivated by the deadly elegance of Shen's tail feathers & use of his guan dao. It's a gradual build up to accept each other's feedback for their own skill sets.

In due course, they come to love playing with knives together...

Their favorite date locations are almost anywhere with little to no people. Private restaurant reservations, vip theatre seat access and flights across the vast skies (Fenghuang usually carries Shen). It's almost a 50/50 on who plans the dates. It took a while for Shen to not get carried away with overly grand gestures since he's an all or nothing type of person. In comparison, Fenghuang is more casual.

Without a doubt, these two love taking hot baths together. The bath will be smelling like a perfume shop due to fragrances & bath products they'll use & borrow from each other. They'll be conversing with one another as they wash each other's backs & tail feathers. The first time Shen saw Fenghuang drenched in water, he let out a howl of laughter before being splashed with water by her.

Do they get intimate during this time? Of course do! How intimate? That...will be left to your own imagination ;).

Who's more clingy than the other? Shen for sure. He's more demanding for attention than Fenghuang is. If he wants affection, he wants it now. Whenever he finds Fenghuang alone & he's certain that no one else is around, he'll walk up to her & wrap his wings around her. He loves it whenever Fenghaung strokes his neck gently.

Sometimes, Fenghuang is in need of attention too. Whenever Fenghuang has hunger for affection, she'll silently cling onto one of Shen's wings & nuzzle her head on his shoudler. She's quite pleased when Shen strokes her head tenderly as a response.

Since they are both birds, they can't really kiss like how most other animals could. As an alternative, they'll gently nuzzle their beaks in target areas. Shen's favorite area is his neck while Fenghuang prefers the upper back.

Who opened up to the other first? Fenghuang since she isn't as stubborn as Shen. As I said before, they despised each other at he beginning. As time goes on, they'll slowly come to realize that they don't differ much in character & empathize with each other's struggles & flaws. They have each other question their own character & motives. They test each other in a way no one else ever could. They gradually came to understand each other in a way not perceivable by others.

They almost broke up at one point. Yet, strangely, their psyches synchronize together in a strange but alluring pattern. Once they both do their own self-reflection & come to a great understanding, their love will become unbreakable like the blades they wield. Even though they never say:"I love you." to each other, they

[madara-fate]

Hello!

I recently came across a post that triggered me a bit, and I wanted to talk about it.

In essence, the points raised were that:

Women are more inclined to ship Sasuke and Naruto because they have chemistry and share a lot in common.

Shipping Sasuke with Sakura makes no sense because they are too different, and she doesn't understand him.

If BoruSara were to happen, it would imply that their fathers are a thing because of the parallels.

Sakura is a poorly written character, and people can't relate to her because she's too unrealistic.

Sakura is poorly written because, essentially, she's different from Sasuke and Naruto.

First of all... SNS exists not because of the supposed chemistry between them but because they are two attractive white guys sharing a lot of screen time together and so, the perfect combo for fujoshi shipping. Justifying this expedition is like justifying the fact that the frequent depiction of partially naked women on car racing posters has no relation to the intended audience.

If Sakura shouldn't be with Sasuke because she doesn't understand him, does Naruto understand him? Seriously?

Naruto understands Sasuke's loneliness, that's it.

Nothing more, nothing less.

I'm not bashing their connection, but let's be honest, nobody really understood Sasuke there -yet it didn't stop them from wanting to help him-

Furthermore, what does this imply? That you can only be in a relationship with someone who has a similar background?

Saying Sakura doesn't understand Sasuke at all is superficial on so many levels that I won't even bother dwelling on it.

Next, the idea that people think the parallels they cling to justify their ship is just... bizarre.

If BoruSara were to happen, it wouldn't prove anything about SNS because the biggest difference between these two ships would be the author's intention.

SNS would have happened if Kishimoto wanted their relationship that way, but that wasn't the case. It has been repeatedly emphasized in the manga that their relationship is not romantic.

If some interpret it that way, that's fine, but they shouldn't tell the author how he wrote HIS own manga. And no, it's not heteronormativity. I don't even understand why some fanon ships seek canon validation for their shipping.

Not to mention that every time they talk about these parallels, many seem to deliberately forget that these two children are not mirror images of their fathers but their own individuals.

Yes, they have the foundation of their personalities, but that's just it, the foundation. Apart from that, they differ on so many levels that it's not even funny.

Sarada also shares a lot of her mother's personality, and it's as clear as day. So, if I follow this logic, does BoruSara also imply that NaruSaku could have been a thing despite Sakura's total absence of romantic feelings?

Boruto can indeed be like his father, but he also tries to be like his mentor, so sometimes, he resembles him too. And he can be as calm and focused as his mother, not to mention he has personality traits unique to him. All this makes him someone too different from the "Naruto carbon copy" label stuck on him. Saying that is really downplaying his character.

Moreover, the relationship these two have is also different from that of their fathers: it's normal and not built on a heap of negative feelings and deadly fights that led to a vitriolic friendship.

As for the last two points, Sakura is less unrealistic than Sasuke and Naruto, yet not many bat an eye at that. Maybe because it's a shounen manga about ninjas, and unreality is actually expected...?

In fact, Sakura is the most realistic character in this series.

Regarding the identification question, just because you can't identify with her doesn't mean everyone can't. I do, and many others do too because, for once, in the whole history of shounen, we have a female character with authentic and not-so-likable flaws, approaching more the human being without the need for a traumatic event or a horrible childhood to justify her behavior.

Her character development is incredible, not just because "she was weak at the beginning and became strong," it's more than that.

Sakura has shown me that no matter how you start, you can reach the destination you want if you work for it. Her transformation is phenomenal: throughout the manga, she radicalizes in ALL aspects. She removes her blinders, starts seeing people for who they really are, becomes more understanding and attentive, learns —and sometimes in the most brutal ways— that everything is not black and white and that you sometimes have to make horrible choices to protect others.

She changes in so many ways, and the best part is that Kishimoto didn't make her some perfect Mary Sue. He made her evolve despite her flaws, for which I will always be grateful.

Sakura is not a poorly written character. Yes, she could have been more explored, and sometimes her author did her wrong, but that doesn't make her a bad character. She could have been better —all the characters in this series could have been— but that doesn't mean she's "worse."

She is fundamentally the reason why I'm in my last year of college today and intend to persevere in my studies (and it's not even a joke).

I never had a family model I could identify with, and all the characters (fictional or not) I love or admire have always seemed out of reach, just an ideal to idolize but unable to imitate.

With Sakura, however, it has always been different; every time I look at her, I think, "if she could do it, then why not me?"

Her importance in my life in terms of motivation and emotional development has been crucial, so it's really frustrating to see people deduce that just because they can't identify with her, no one can, and she's a bad character.

She's not poorly written; she's just different.

Kishimoto once said that his goal with Sakura was to create a realistic female character that little girls could identify with and despite all the controversy surrounding her character, he actually succeeded in this challenge.

Many of us, little girls that we were, saw ourselves in OG Sakura (whether we admit it or not) because the way she was written is how a lot of pre-adolescent girls behave (minus the rapid character development).

It was nice to grow up with her because it showed me that I didn't need to be perfect or have incredible motivations or be "cool" from the start to become someone exceptional. She taught me that my future is not set in stone. And most importantly, she taught me to be myself, to be authentic, to accept and love myself as the imperfect human that I am.

The weirdest thing about this is that these statements came from someone who claims not to care about SNS and doesn't hate Sakura. How can a person claiming to be neutral come to such a conclusion? Honestly, it baffles me; this kind of pseudo-analysis is on the same level of nonsense as what antis spew.

If some can't be bothered to understand a character, then they should simply say nothing about her.

I'm sorry for bothering you with this, but after reading this thing, I just couldn't let it pass.

I don't know how you guys manage to tolerate this fandom, let alone respond to all the strange and stupid takes you receive day after day. In any case, you have my utmost respect.

Thank you for listening, and I wish you a beautiful and happy new year.

First of all... SNS exists not because of the supposed chemistry between them but because they are two attractive white guys sharing a lot of screen time together and so, the perfect combo for fujoshi shipping. Justifying this expedition is like justifying the fact that the frequent depiction of partially naked women on car racing posters has no relation to the intended audience.

I agree apart from two things.

Naruto and Sasuke do have chemistry, but there's just nothing romantic about it.

I wouldn't bring the colour of their skin into it, that opens up a whole other can of worms.

If Sakura shouldn't be with Sasuke because she doesn't understand him, does Naruto understand him? Seriously? Naruto understands Sasuke's loneliness, that's it. Nothing more, nothing less.

Naruto understood Sasuke in some ways (loneliness, being high level shinobi who could read each other's thoughts through fighting etc), and Sakura understood him in other ways (his likes/dislikes, how his mind works and his decision making processes etc).

Furthermore, what does this imply? That you can only be in a relationship with someone who has a similar background?

Yep, that's one of the things that's always irked me the most from their points. It's like they think that just because Sakura couldn't empathise with Sasuke's tough upbringing, that makes her an unsuitable partner for him, which is just all kinds of stupid. It's also one of the reasons the SK fans prefer that ship, since Karin also had a relatively tough upbringing, she'd be able to "understand" Sasuke better than Sakura. As if being able to empathise with a tough childhood is all there is to understand about a person.

If BoruSara were to happen, it wouldn't prove anything about SNS because the biggest difference between these two ships would be the author's intention. SNS would have happened if Kishimoto wanted their relationship that way, but that wasn't the case. It has been repeatedly emphasized in the manga that their relationship is not romantic.

Agreed. This silly idea that BS's canonisation would somehow serve as proof that SNS should have happened, is one of the 4 main reasons why I do not want BS to happen. Although it is the least important to me out of the 4 of them.

If some interpret it that way, that's fine, but they shouldn't tell the author how he wrote HIS own manga. And no, it's not heteronormativity. I don't even understand why some fanon ships seek canon validation for their shipping.

Not all interpretations and opinions are valid. I'm sorry but I'm sick of people hiding behind this false idea that just because they say it's their opinion or interpretation, it's just as valid as everyone else's. No, opinions and interpretations can be wrong. Authorial intent dictates how the narrative is supposed to be perceived and understood. Therefore, if Kishi says that something is a certain way, then that's the way it is, end of story, no room for further interpretation. If Kishi says that Naruto and Sasuke are platonic, and that they were never meant to be anything more than that, then that's the way it is. Other interpretations are wrong, because Kishi's word is gospel.

Not to mention that every time they talk about these parallels, many seem to deliberately forget that these two children are not mirror images of their fathers but their own individuals.

That too.

Sarada also shares a lot of her mother's personality, and it's as clear as day. So, if I follow this logic, does BoruSara also imply that NaruSaku could have been a thing despite Sakura's total absence of romantic feelings?

Agreed, I'd say that in terms of personality, Sarada is a closer parallel to Sakura than Sasuke, and NS obviously didn't happen.

Boruto can indeed be like his father, but he also tries to be like his mentor, so sometimes, he resembles him too. And he can be as calm and focused as his mother, not to mention he has personality traits unique to him. All this makes him someone too different from the "Naruto carbon copy" label stuck on him. Saying that is really downplaying his character.

💯

As for the last two points, Sakura is less unrealistic than Sasuke and Naruto, yet not many bat an eye at that. Maybe because it's a shounen manga about ninjas, and unreality is actually expected...? In fact, Sakura is the most realistic character in this series.

To be honest, I have no idea what they could be referring to when those people label Sakura as apparently being unrealistic.

Regarding the identification question, just because you can't identify with her doesn't mean everyone can't. I do, and many others do too because, for once, in the whole history of shounen, we have a female character with authentic and not-so-likable flaws, approaching more the human being without the need for a traumatic event or a horrible childhood to justify her behavior. Her character development is incredible, not just because "she was weak at the beginning and became strong," it's more than that. Sakura has shown me that no matter how you start, you can reach the destination you want if you work for it. Her transformation is phenomenal: throughout the manga, she radicalizes in ALL aspects. She removes her blinders, starts seeing people for who they really are, becomes more understanding and attentive, learns —and sometimes in the most brutal ways— that everything is not black and white and that you sometimes have to make horrible choices to protect others.

Unfortunately, many people just don't see any of that. They see an annoying, selfish person who treated Naruto poorly (despite that only being applicable to before the Forest of Death), "obsessed" over Sasuke (when she really didn't, and that criticism is far more applicable to Naruto anyway), broke off her friendship with Ino over a boy (showing how they missed the entire point of that fight), and was essentially useless (despite among other things, saving many important people's lives, multiple times).

Sakura is not a poorly written character. Yes, she could have been more explored, and sometimes her author did her wrong, but that doesn't make her a bad character. She could have been better —all the characters in this series could have been— but that doesn't mean she's "worse."

"She could have been better —all the characters in this series could have been" - Yes, I'm glad you highlighted this. This is by no means a Sakura exclusive criticism. It's just more of a problem for her since she was a main character.

She is fundamentally the reason why I'm in my last year of college today and intend to persevere in my studies (and it's not even a joke). I never had a family model I could identify with, and all the characters (fictional or not) I love or admire have always seemed out of reach, just an ideal to idolize but unable to imitate. With Sakura, however, it has always been different; every time I look at her, I think, "if she could do it, then why not me?"

Yeah I get that, I said something very similar about her during this post towards the end, where I described the primary two ways in which I found Sakura to be an inspiring character.

Kishimoto once said that his goal with Sakura was to create a realistic female character that little girls could identify with and despite all the controversy surrounding her character, he actually succeeded in this challenge. Many of us, little girls that we were, saw ourselves in OG Sakura (whether we admit it or not) because the way she was written is how a lot of pre-adolescent girls behave (minus the rapid character development).

I'll take your word for it. Personally, towards the beginning I did indeed find Sakura very irritating, for several different reasons, but I grew to appreciate her for what she brings, rather than continuously judging her for how she was at the very beginning. But apparently, "character development" is either a foreign concept to these people, or can only be applied if the character in question moves on from her initial feelings. Because if not, then her entire character automatically "regresses", regardless of the reasons why she retained her feelings.

The weirdest thing about this is that these statements came from someone who claims not to care about SNS and doesn't hate Sakura. How can a person claiming to be neutral come to such a conclusion? Honestly, it baffles me; this kind of pseudo-analysis is on the same level of nonsense as what antis spew.

That reminds me of a video that Swagkage made on YouTube, which I talked about in great depth during this post, regarding how he tried to lie and say that he didn't hate Sakura and that he was impartial to her, yet the vast majority of the video was him hating on Sakura.

I don't know how you guys manage to tolerate this fandom, let alone respond to all the strange and stupid takes you receive day after day. In any case, you have my utmost respect. Thank you for listening, and I wish you a beautiful and happy new year

My general tolerance for people's bullshit is honestly inhuman, lol. But many thanks, and happy (belated) new year to you as well ^_^

[commander-quack-to-the-bridge]

When the events of Star Trek 2009 take place Chekov is 17.

He is seventeen when he witnesses the death of almost six billion people.

Seventeen when he saves Sulu and Kirk from slamming to their deaths but minutes later loses Amanda as the surface of Vulcan gives way & he is unable to lock onto her signal. He's a child, the death of someone else's mother is on his hands.

Chekov watched as a few elders and Spock appeared in the transporter, saw the look of devastation on his face as Spock realized his mother was now gone. They returned to the bridge and watched as a planet died, knowing there was nothing to be done about it.

Chekov's calculations were correct and it must have been the worst feeling in the universe. He had to hope - even if it was just in the back of his head - that he was wrong. He had most likely never wished for anything more in his young life.

All of this... only to then be present when Kirk forced Spock into showing that he was emotionally compromised. Hearing Kirk goad Spock with, "It must not even compute for you. You never loved her!" only to see someone he most likely admires lose his mind. No one on the bridge, except his father, could have imagined Spock in such a state.

You can't convince me that Chekov didn't internalize that. He had to have been feeling poorly as it was - to run through the halls shouting, "I can do that I can do that!" and save two men only to lose someone a few moments later in a similar situation. I know I'm repeating myself here but I remember being 17 and internalizing all kinds of things.

The one break Chekov probably had was taken from him when Spock snapped. To see Spock react logically must have been a level of comfort, even if on some level Chekov knew it was probably a lie.

And then to be the one that came up with the plan to hide the entirety of the Enterprise??? To go through all of that and still be mentally present is a kind of strength that is unimaginable for me.

I like to think that after the events of that day McCoy is making his rounds, checking in on everyone. When he gets to Chekov the kid smiles and says, "Everything is fine with me, sir."

McCoy gives him a look before responding, "Ever eager, huh? You didn't even let me ask my question."

"What question is that?"

"How are you?"

Three simple words. And Chekov's illusion he built for himself shatters.

Seeing Vulcan destroyed was bad enough. But he hasn't been able to sleep without seeing Amanda disappear from the screen, seeing Spock hit Kirk over and over with displaced rage, hearing Spock's voice shake as he says, "Doctor, I am no longer fit for duty. I here by relinquish my command based on the fact that I have been emotionally compromised. Please note the time and date in the ship's log.", or waking up scared that Spock will blame him, because why wouldn't he?

[lover-of-mine]

okay so I had a really terrible thought and I’ve been following you for a while and I wanted to hear your thoughts (maybe i’m just in a place of doubt rn) BUT

since they’re basically writing the episodes as they go, and are seeing fans reactions (and possibly taking them into consideration as they write), do you think if they see such a positive reaction to buck/tommy, they’ll make him more long term (and possibly endgame)…? again, I could be overthinking it but I’ve been seeing a tON of buck tommy stuff and idk if they’re going to consider that when they write the upcoming episodes for the rest of the season…like buck/tommy is cute ig don’t get me wrong bc we see bisexual buck and him enjoy his first male relationship and like i’m so proud, but…i’m an eddie-girl and buddie has always been my endgame

Okay, hi, ngl, I had this exact thought too when Tim kept insisting there's no plan. But the thing is, I don't believe him. I believe he doesn't have the full plot locked and loaded, but I doubt he doesn't have any idea where the story is gonna take him. Personally, I doubt that a few weeks of excitement over Buck being bi will be louder than 5 years of people BEGGING for buddie to happen. Buck and Eddie have a compelling relationship that's been cultivated for YEARS. And, look, far from me to make Buck's bisexuality about Eddie, but making a character who's HEAVILY shipped with another man for years queer in season 7 while having no plan on following through with the love story they've been building for 6 seasons would be dumb. Buck with a new guy and Eddie doubling down on being straight and ending up with some random woman is the worst case scenario here. This fandom is weird in the way that most of it is mono shipping. It's Buck and Eddie together or nothing. So they would piss off the homophobes, who are already pissed, and a solid amount of the people who have been following buddie for years and that's bad for business. They have the power to have a ridiculously compelling queer love story that's built on a foundation that's been there for 6 seasons. Buck and Eddie getting together could be EPIC. And they made the move to make Buck queer. They didn't have to. I love that Buck is getting a queer storyline, but if we are going there with Buck, what's actually stopping them from going there with Eddie? I don't see how you can have one of them being queer and not go there just because people are excited that Buck is bi. Tim can't say it's gonna go there. That would be a spoiler. A huge spoiler. But narratively speaking, or from a business perspective, Buck being bi has to mean buddie getting together. Because that's what people have been wanting from them. And honestly, if they wanted to play Tommy as having any chance of being Buck's endgame, he wouldn't have so many parallels with Taylor. The TK of it all, the helicopter of it all, the kiss that happens because Eddie is injured, Buck is even wearing a shirt that looks like the one he's wearing when Taylor comes back, like, seriously, what the fuck? And that's not going into the symbolism they have to know is there on the way the loft itself is a symbol of romantic doom, because Buck got it in a relationship that instantly Ended and the 2 times he started something there it went up in flames, so like 🤨🤔 I'm curious to see where it's going, but, personally, don't see them actually lasting the rest of the show. At least that's what I'm telling myself to calm down when I panic and trip into the bad place lol

[amuseoffyre]

I was rewatching S1 the other day and remembered how much of it had struck me as "huh, that seems a very… specific thing to focus on" and my foreshadowing spidey-senses started tingling back when it first aired. And then more turned up while I was watching S2.

Ones that have come to fruition:

The nose jar It got a lot of focus for a one-scene moment. Why specify that someone causing trouble would get a nose cut off and then not show someone getting punished with their nose getting cut off? Chekov's nose-jar was used in 2x01 and is a trigger point for the entire villain arc for the second season.

The recurring threats to Lucius's life Honestly, the amount of times he was threatened and harangued and nearly killed by Jim. It really would have been bad for the vibe around there, so when they 'killed' him at the end, Naaaaaaah. Didn't believe it for a moment. (Speaking of, Izzy has a similar run of near-deaths all through S2, so HMMMMMMM)

"Captain Hornigold! There's a blast from the past!" The second they brought up his name, I was ears pricked up and staring and going oooooooo, because there's no way you mention a significant figure from both pirate history and Ed's department of backstory when we know he's Captain of the good ship Daddy Issues without having a plan for one of the major male influences in his life, especially knowing the history that Hornigold takes the act and turns hunter and is instrumental in tracking down Blackbeard.

The wait staff exchange in 2x06 It seemed like lot of dialogue to not be leading somewhere. Behold, the Revenge crew as Wait staff in 2x01:D

The escalation of the British enmity We started out with Captain Badminton and levelled up to Admiral Badminton with the British as recurring villains all through the season and the thread of royal influence popping up here and there, which got me thinking next stop would be either their elder brother or someone even further up the social pecking order. Enter Ricky.

Secret passages built into the ship So I, like many others, assumed Lucius would be the dead man hiding in the walls. We were halfway right XD There was a dead man hidden in there. Twice.

We'll go to China Was left with a "why China?" vibe from that and it wouldn't stop niggling me that there was some specific reason that the writers would have chosen China of all place. Turns out if you can't go to China with your boyfriend, China will come to you and kick your ass.

Still to come:

"You saved the clippings so we can make fake heads and escape" I maintain this is the big one for S3. We have no less than 10 separate references to heads/faces being removed and fake heads. Stede even uses three different fake heads as props (rowing boat, the skull in the fuckery and the corpse head in the triple-fuckery of his death) and given Blackbeard's death famously involves his head being strung from the mast of the ship, it feels prescient.

"I thought that when I did marry, it would be for love" "Peasants marry for love" Not. Subtle :D Our man has already made himself a peasant and has his boyfriend, so he's part of the way there.

"I always hated you" Ed saying this to imaginary Hornigold has me absolutely foaming at the mouth for what the real Hornigold is like and absolutely 100% certain this is the plan for S3. As mentioned earlier Hornigold became a pirate hunter but also it would tie in with the S1 foreshadowing as well - we've had him mentioned, we've seen what he looks like, we know what he's done so the second he shows up in S3, we need no introduction. Plus Ed's processing his history so having his history roll up to hunt him down? *chefkiss* YES. And if (as I'm convinced) Stede was in the Gravy Basket like Ed in 1x04, then based on how Mary and Father Teach behaved, the way Hornigold is acting in the Gravy Basket is completely out of character, which would track since he's being pally and nice and taking care of Ed at different points. The few facts we do know from Jack and Ed's recollections include stabbing them, beating them down, treating them like dogs, the Felix story and him threatening to flay Ed's skin off and feed it to him. This means that outside of the basket he's gonna be SO. MUCH. WORSE.

Crossing the Darien Gap We got the glimpse of Zheng's crews bringing ships through the jungles across the Darien Gap and saw the queue of ships lined up on the Pacific side on the map. Ricky may have taken out the ships that were in the Republic, but that wasn't all of Zheng's fleet and he has no idea more are on the way because everyone knows no one can cross the Darien Gap. He'll never see it coming ;)

A Royal Hostage Given how petty a little bitch Ricky is, I get powerful vibes that he would be the one to specifically unleash Hornigold on Stede and Ed. Stede especially, since he's the one who recommended taking him as a hostage, and he already blames Stede for leading him a) to the Republic and b) for his nose getting the chop. Him using Daddy's fortune to settle a vendetta by privately commission a famous pirate hunter doesn't seem like a stretch.

Our spirit will outlast your whole fucking empire Izzy's definitely not gone for good. He's gonna be back and he's going to be a glorious little bitch about it :D (Supporting foreshadowy evidence: shot in the left side, indestructible little fucker who has been shot-and-believed-dead twice before, existence of the gravy basket, canonical resurrections, a known seawitch with ties to purgatory at the grave)

There are some more, but it's getting late and I am sleeby, so will post 'em another day.

[sevensoulmates]

I must say I'm kinda baffled by the way some people are reacting towards Tommy and Buck's scene. Like we may have bi Buck on the horizon so I think we all should be happy about it, I know we are all protective of our ship but this is a good thing because there has to be a catalyst, something that will make a change in Eddie and Buck relationship and this is it. Buck's bi realization is a must if buddie it's going to happen because if buddie does end being together it can't be sudden, it has to be built on. So I'm having a blast with Tommy's character 🤷 he's a funny guy.

Also I may know nothing about cinematography but that little scene there with Tommy, Buck and Eddie seemed important for a reason.

Btw I was wondering about this interview https://youtu.be/vlCRTTAfeYs?si=oiVXhkBu7WQ9hV_1

Because sometimes I still struggle with the real meaning behind some sentences or words in English, when Oliver said:

"You can’t have the audience interpretation in mind too much when you make the show. You have to make it and put it out in the world and people can take what they want."

Can this be interpreted as they wouldn't care if some viewers may have an homophobic reaction towards Eddie and Buck getting together or I'm reading things differently?

I understand people being sensitive to "another barrier" towards buddie but like...yeah, it's getting a little out of hand. It's fine to feel your feelings, but keep them in your group chat's or to your like-minded friends. Please don't make them other people's problems.

I am also having a blast with Tommy! I wasn't sure how they were going to take his character with the reintroduction given how he wasn't the most well-liked character in the Begins episodes. Again, if POC fans never want to forgive him or like him, that's totally fine. I won't ever get on people's cases for disliking him for his past actions. But I do think he'll prove to be interesting if he plays a role for Buck (and Buddie by extension).

I'll give you my personal interpretation (which could be up for debate) of what Oliver said in that interview. To me, he's saying, that he can't always be policing himself when he's acting by wondering "is the audience going to think I'm making this scene too gay?", "will they get mad at me and accuse me of queerbaiting if I act in certain ways with Ryan/Eddie in this scene?", etc. I think that Oliver is very aware of how he and his actions are perceived by the fandom. He's always been the one who has dealt with the brunt of people screaming "BUDDIE!" and "QUEERBAITER!" in his face. If the long-running theory that FOX was purposely not letting Buddie happen is true, then Oliver was probably very aware that anything he did or said would give fans false hope and would lead to disappointment and people disliking him. He seems like a really good guy who doesn't want to really hurt people's feelings that way. But at the end of the day, it hinders an actor's ability to give a character or a scene their all if they're constantly overthinking how it will be perceived by the audience.

So, I think Oliver is saying that he's no longer overthinking his actions when it comes to the way he acts as Buck. If people want to perceive a scene/action as gay, then okay. If they don't, okay. If they hate it, okay. If they love it, fantastic. And the same for any solo Buck scenes or non-buddie scenes too. I'm glad he's trying not to let how other people perceive his acting choices get to him anymore.

I hope I explained myself clearly! And again, that's just MY interpretation of what he said. I'm sure there are plenty of other valid interpretations too.

[royboyfanpage]

roygarth headcanons and motifs?

Okay I wanna just give a disclaimer that I am not a Garth expert, I've only really read him in Titans comics (though I did read Tempest 1996 specifically for this ask), also Roygarth isn't my OTP, I do ship it but it's not something I've thought about in great length, so my apologies if I've gotten Garth's character wrong or if my interpretation of the ship is different to yours/OOC. Also I've not made any in depth ship posts before, I'm more of a passive observer of ships, so apologies if this sucks ass generally.

For it to work in canon, a very strong aspect of it would have to be communication. Roy doesn't always pick up on when he's done something that's upset someone, and Garth can become quite vocally angry if someone upsets/hurts him. I really wish that the progress they'd made in Titans (1999) #16 was expanded on in later comics because I think if they got past that initial barrier of miscommunication they could have such a good relationship. They're actually pretty similar in some ways, they both love very strongly and are fiercly protective of the people they love, but there are differences, too. Roy's very much an immediate reactor in a lot of cases, he reacts immediately when something upsets him and forgives just as fast, whereas Garth can let things fester/build over time and then eventually lash out in a much angrier way, so communication is definitely the most important aspect.

I don't think that they'd ever be the perfect honeymoon couple, there are always gonna be some things about both of them that drive each other insane. I can't see Roy completely dropping all the teasing, and I also can't see Garth suddenly becoming totally okay with it because Roy's explained he's only kidding. However, I do see it becoming more of an exasperation rather than actually pissing him off, and if they were to get closer I could see it becoming more mutual, good-natured teasing. I also think that they'd get better at resolving arguments too, and that they wouldn't escalate as far once a mutual level of trust's been built up. I think Garth kinda has an expectation that people are out to get him sometimes or that they underestimate his worth, so once that's been addressed and Garth's assured that Roy has no ill-will or negativity towards him then he'd be less likely to lash out and more understanding that that's just Roy's way of showing affection.

It's absolutely a slowburn relationship that would take a lot of time to develop. They're not gonna wake up one morning and realise they love each other and should date. I think, if anything, Cerdian would be a really good way for them to actually fall in love with each other (let's say for the sake of this, Cerdian's fine and Garth and Dolphin split up). I think being able to bond over being parents would absolutely open new opportunities for their relationship, and one of the things Roy looks for in a romantic partner is how well they get along with Lian, so another parent would definitely be a good choice of partner for him, especially since Garth already adored Lian even before Cerdian was born and he and Roy had their talk in purgatory. Plus them co-parenting Lian and Cerdian would be adorable.

I still think that the nicknames would persist, but they'd definitely become more terms of affection as they entered a relationship. Maybe not Gill-head specifically since Garth's explicitly stated he doesn't like that one, but other affectionate fish-related ones for sure. Also they'd keep calling each other Speedy and Aqualad affectionately.

Aaand from a more fanon-y perspective, I think Roy'd definitely be the one to initiate much of the physical affection. I 100% see him as a hugger, so I can imagine him just pulling Garth into hugs or dragging him over to the sofa to cuddle. Garth I can see as more of a spontanious kisser. Both of them go bright red whenever the other surprises them with affection. Also they should do the percabeth underwater kiss.

Anyway this is a family