#this goes along with lots of other popular ship dynamics too

[ultfreakme]

What do you think of yuji/megumi as ship? Like, why do you think they are quite popular?

I think they're a nice ship, but I personally don't ship them. For some reason, I always like the secondary ships or rarepairs XDXD(ahem me spam posting SatoSugu and ItaJun).

I can see why so many people are into it. It very easily fits into the popular Western ship dynamics. Sunshine character/ Moon-like character, the blue and red theming, their personalities are almost opposites but they match in all the right places for them to grow close. They match in terms of power so they can be a power couple. In the story, Yuji and Megumi are trying to save each other, this becomes important and stands out because the Jujutsu world and curses are all out to kill them but despite that they try to protect one another. In doing so, they fight the narrative together. It feels nice (probably) to see characters find inner strength and hope through each other in a world that wants them to quit. They have a lot of screen time together as well.

In shonen animanga fandoms, the protagonist/deuteragonist ships are practically default, they will always be the most popular because they get the most interactions. It's true for practically every shonen franchise I've interacted with, so it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that they are so popular and loved (Bakugou and Deku, Naruto and Sasuke, Kageyama and Hinata, Kuroko and Kagami, the list goes on). Yuji and Megumi's interactions and discussions on human life and the purpose of being a sorcerer are very interesting to watch. On top of that, they have a lot of parallels with another ship that feels a little too close to being canon; SatoSugu.

Also, they're cute when they interact outside of high stakes situations as well! Megumi reluctantly following along to Yuji's antics, Yuji leveling with Megumi's interaction style and being open about Megumi's importance in his life.

So all of that is why I think they're so popular!

[zalrb]

You have posts about building up relationships, but they're all about tv shows. Are there ways to build up couples from strangers to stelena level love without the benefit of multiple episodes without the relationship feeling contrived - like rose and jack. If they weren't teenagers I'd be harder to accept their id die for you status even though we've only known each three days.

Oh, I have posts about movies too, they're just less popular.

Cecilia and Robbie in Atonement. When I read this ask, my mind automatically went to them but I felt like I should do a list since I have so many ships and sometimes I forget a few, not because I don’t ship them, but just because I have so many but I don’t know there’s something about Cecila and Robbie … it’s not just that I find their story beautifully tragic because there are a lot of beautifully tragic ships on this list, it’s McAvoy and Knightley together and as actors unto themselves, the way they hold the emotion of their characters and their relationship in their bodies

and the cinematography, the certain directorial choices that reinforce the romance

and romance and period of the film

like the fact that Cecilia was in the fountain

and so just to get close to her, just to feel something that’s touched her, Robbie puts his hand atop the water

and they gave us this scene!

It’s a beautiful film and they’re a beautiful ship.

or

OK well first of all, it’s beautifully shot with the soft blue lighting and it’s extremely sensual with the waves crashing in the background mingling with Chiron’s sighs, the close ups of the hands grabbing at the sand and then smoothing the palm over the sand,

and then there’s the context of this being the single most vulnerable, single most intimate moment, connection Chiron’s had with another person

[I think what’s so great and so heartbreaking about this confession is the second line where it goes from “you’re the only man” to “you’re the only one” so it’s actually not just romantic, he hasn’t had that kind of connection or intimacy with anyone else in any other capacity, it’s just and always has been Kevin.]

and then there’s the fact that this is an intimate, gentle love scene between two Black boys/men. I just love this movie so much.

There is such a weight to this movie and to the dynamics portrayed in this movie and there’s almost this cosmic connection between Chiron [Black] and Kevin

that I think the actors portray really well

because it’s a movie with very little dialogue so they convey so much without speaking and obviously a lot of that is the acting but a lot of it is also having the chemistry to pull it off.

or

(I mean, granted, they have three movies but still) and with Willabeth I kind of talk about how they're a great ship in pieces/different posts

by the way, when mindy kaling says “you can’t write chemistry”

this is what she means because it’s written in the script that will catches elizabeth and presses her against the wall

but it didn’t state that it would be like this

this, though,

they brought that shit to life

like there’s this perception of passion as being carnal rather than sensual or like strong emotion that brings about an intensity or a kind of ‘i burn for you’ type deal but when I think of passion, I think of shit like this

and Elizabeth and Will’s intense need to protect each other and stay with each other

I don't even care for this couple but I broke down how cinematic language can reinforce a connection between two characters and help the romance along

Their dance scene — which is beautifully shot — is a good example of a scene that uses certain cinematic language to enhance tension in a scene without relying on those things to create it,  like this [...]

and there are more.

[squid-ink-symphony]

ok time to talk about my fav agent ships bcuz i am v normal (also i am a multishipper so i like a lot of stuff)

First off: 4 x 8!!!! my beloveds!!! and they were roommates! i see this sort of a mirror of pearlina in a way since 4 would show 8 around and 4 is also a chaos gremlin(but more competent than pearl in a lot of ways). and 8 rlly looks up to marina i think(pearl too ofc) and i like the idea of marina teasing her like "wow u also have a short squid gf?". also just like.. their dynamic is so everything to me. both of them are so gender like 4 is a boy who is kind of a girl. and 8 is a girl who is kind of a boy. do you see my vision? they are made for each other. and i can see them being like pearlina but in a new era since 8 doesnt have to worry about telling 4 shes an octoling. so both of them can get to know each other and share their cultures in a way that pearl and marina couldnt up until post octo expansion. just like THE PARALLELS OK???? and i dont just like them cuz i also like pearlina. i like them for their own unique dynamic. they just fit together so well. i think they compliment each others strengths and weaknesses while also not being so different that they cant get along.

next: 3 x neo 3. i thought 4 x 8 was underrated... but this??? ig its just cuz 3 has more popular ships and neo 3 is so new. i know a lot of ppl view them more as a mentor situation w neo 3 being much younger. but in my mind i just cannot picture the agents hanging out w 3, 8, and 4 all being late teens/early 20s and then just..... 16 yo neo 3.. it does work sometimes if u view them as like a younger sibling or just the younger one of the group. or even just like.. there. i can see them as an apprenitce of sorts to 3. and thats cool and all but since im not that young and i project on my agents when i play as them in my mind neo 3 is in the 17-19 range. but i see them as 18 specifically. so 18 yo neo 3 and 21 yo 3. and in my mind 3 is kinda silly(have u seen them in splat1?) but trying to be professional and takes a look at neo 3 w all their terrible looking ripped up clothes and questionable hygiene and scavenger swag and goes "how could i not be attracted to that?". and 3 tries not to show it cuz like.. this is their new recruit??? and yet 3 finds themselves going easy on neo 3 andbeing rlly sweet. and callie or marie catches on and probably teases them about it in private. and callie tries to play matchmaker or see if neo 3 likes 3. and on the other end..... neo 3 is probably distracted when they first meet 3. but when they are taking a break at the camp hanging out w lil buddy they finally notice 3. and neo 3 finally takes a look at them. and its like?? not love at first sight like it was w 3. but neo 3 likes them. no offense to agents 1 and 2, but neo 3 immediately lowkey distrusted them since they looked too "pristine" if that makes any sense? so neo 3 sees 3 and is like!!! !!!!! this is my new bestie!!!! and starts becoming attached to 3. and so neo 3 comes to bother 3 at their seat and talk to them and 3 gets so flustered but doesnt show it and only 1 and 2 can tell. and they continue to poke fun at 3. and lowkey try to hint to neo 3. but neo 3 is a brick wall when it comes to sublety. but then eventually they realize they like 3. so they gather a bunch of cool rocks and shiny things off the floor and walk up to 3 and go "here take this and also please be my partner" and 3 is so in love. and they flirt constantly and both of them hate taking showers and have to be reminded to . and also little buddy is their new child (jokingly. i see lil buddy as neo 3s younger sibling) i can see neo 3 coming up to 3 and flirting w them and 3 flirting back and them getting distracted and aro marie coming in to jokingy make fun of them and tell them to get back to work. and when the rest of the agents meet neo 3 they would jokingly get mad that neo 3 gets special treatment from 3.

anyway.... also 3 x 4 x 8 x neo 3..... it is a top tier poly ship. all of them. i think 3, 4, and 8 would get to know each other and date after octo expansion takes place. and then when 3 has to deal w splat 3s story mode they meet neo 3 and fall in love and they meet back up w 4 and 8 and is like yooo..... uhh... what if i just.... expanded the polycule? and the other 2 were like ur literally so swagless (but we love u) how did u do that? and then 3 brings out neo 3 and the other are just like.... oh god theres another one. anyway i think they would get along w neo 3 too and maybe end up dating them as well

ALS MY MOST OBSCURE SHIP YET 4 x neo 3. this one is so good, like both of them are chaotic and goofy. yet 4 is a nerd and neo 3 is probably a war criminal. so like.. opposite sides of the insanity spectrum. they would hang out and neo 3 would ask how bombs are made and 4 would explain it thinking its just curiousity and then look over to see neo 3 contrusting a bomb out of everything around them. and its not like neo 3 is dumb. they are also smart just like.. not in a geeky book smarts way like 4 probably is. more like ... idk how to describe it but different? anyway their dynamic would be SO good. you just have to trust me on this.

[jestroer]

Scardubs or Grumbo??

Oh i would gladly do both lol! :D

Scardubs. Ship it!

He was a mayor. He was a mayoral compaign captain. Can i make it any more obvious? Season 7 mayoral campaign was certainly a thing that happened. It was a lot.

Bdubs is Scar's biggest enabler and also his biggest hater. The fact that Bdubs can go along with so many of Scar's strangest ideas, while at the same time calling him out for them being stupid is art all by itself. The fact that he just cant hold himself away from Scar's little schemes in like, every single one of Life series pretty much is also a little. 🤨🏳️‍🌈❓ The way Scar also goes back to Bdubs almost always, knowing that he "has ahold of him"(bdubs' words) is just beautiful. They just work too good with each other. Bdubs knows that Scar depends on him "falling" for his silly schemes and Scar knows that Bdubs knows they are silly. Silliness all over. Also Scar ate him in season 5? you know,

I dont think i have an unpopular opinion on them? Somehow they are a rarepair so there arent really. Many popular opinions on them you know

Grumbo! I do not ship it

1.All respect to Grumbo shippers out there but I hc Grian as aromantic and im a lot more into other ships with Mumbo that Grumbo just never seemed all that interesting romantically to me.

2. I Don't think there's anything that will make me like it on itself, I will read it grumbo if it is in Mumscarian however. Im not super invested in romance between them, or scarian for that matter, but even without romance their dynamic is really rich. Also im a strong believer that anything you can read as romantic could be platonic if you mean it that way so you know. I would just see it that way usually!

3. I think its a very fun ship! I have seen season 6 from both of their perspectives. They are not normal about each other! I prefer to read it as just two really close friends being weird about each other and having fun with it, but i could see them romantic!

[loregoddess]

001 Wrightworth and 002 your girl Anna Pascal from TriStrat!

wrightworth (the most ship duo of all AA):

when I started shipping it if I did: I guess after I watched the first game? No that's not quite right, more like after I finished watching the second game. I was like, "Ah, I understand why this is a popular ship now" after the first and then was like, "Yeah this tracks" after the second.

my thoughts: Wholesome ship, I totally get the appeal (the ship's actually a QPR in my fleet, but I'm not bothered by others shipping romantic wrightworth at all)

What makes me happy about them: I dunno, the dynamic works so well. Phoenix and Edgeworth saved each other, they believe in each other, they're always there for each other--they're just a feel good sort of duo for me.

What makes me sad about them: Nothing really? I mean, sure the entirety of the second game is a low point in their relationship, but it's also so interesting from a writing perspective because like, these two would not have gone into the future games with the bond of trust they eventually come to share w/out the events of the second game so like *gestures wildly*. I know a lot of fans headcanon/theorize that the time between 3 and 4 was also a rougher time (although I have my own set of headcanons/theories about this blank timeframe), but again, there's something about weathering the tough times together and coming out stronger that I enjoy seeing in any sort of fictional relationship arcs.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Hmm, I don't think I have really any other ships for either of them outside of the main one. They have great platonic dynamics with a lot of characters, but nothing that my brain goes "ah, a QPR or romantic relationship!" about

My happily ever after for them: Retired, living together, supporting Trucy's career, tending a nice small house and rewatching Steel Samurai while giving advice to the younger lawyers in their spare time. Probably show up to guest lecture at Themis more often than not, do mock trials for the students there.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: They take turns, but Phoenix likes being the big spoon more often than not.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: Binge-watching Steel Samurai, Edgeworth critiquing the spinoffs while Phoenix plays devil's advocate as a joke, although probably they have little mock court battles for the silliest things. I headcanon Phoenix as an ex-theater/vis. arts double major and Edgeworth had a "formal" upbringing, so sometimes they go to galleries or live theater performances too (silly little discussions about the art/shows they see like, ALL the time).

Anna Pascal (my girl...):

How I feel about this character: Love her, love her, lover her. My MVP who was first to hit the lv. 30 cap bc I used her so often in battle, but also just one of my overall favorite characters in the story.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Uhhhh..................actually no one, now that I'm thinking about it? I know Milo x Anna is somewhat popular (as popular as can be in a teeny tiny fandom like TriStrat), but I see them more as enemies to weird coworkers. Although when I realized that both Anna and Avlora were orphaned by the same war, part of my brain wondered what it would be like if they talked/interacted and stuff, and that sort of "what if they talked" question once led to a crackship for a different game, so who knows. If my TriStrat obsession comes back maybe Anna x Avlora will turn from a "wonder what would happen..." to full "welp, guess I have a weird ship now"

My non-romantic OTP for this character: I think Anna has a good relationship with all or most of the House Wolffort people. Obviously her weird familial relationship with Benedict is of endless fascination to me, and I think she has something of a familial relationship with Erador and Archibald as well. I think she gets along very well with Serenoa (and eventually Frederica and Geela) too. Weird coworker with Milo, but the two eventually become weird friends. Accidental mentor figure to Trish and Rudolph and is so confused by this. Accidental parental figure to Decimal. Accidental older familial figure to Quahuag, and he still visits her even after being reunited with his mom. Not entirely sure how she ended up with the giant found family, but isn't complaining.

My unpopular opinion about this character: Honestly I dunno if I have any? Small fandoms sometimes mean there is no "wildly popular" opinions or headcanons to actually go against, because everyone is doing their own thing while also being respectful of their fellow fans, and that's how the TriStrat fandom feels on this site at least.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I want to see Anna's conversation with Benedict after her second character story so badly (I still have not played/watched the extra story that got released, so for all I know she does talk with Benedict finally, but until I do play the extra story I'm to sit here and wonder about her weird and wild familial situation in silence).

my OTP: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

a headcanon: I think Anna is very good with children, and probably helped take care of all the kids Serenoa took in during the war. Wildly popular with all the kids in the Wolffort demense. Acted as something of a babysitter, sort of older sister figure to Serenoa as he was growing up. Is a bit baffled by the fact that even teens who are Going Through It (re: Trish and Ridolph) gravitate towards her and think she's cool. Also, I think she got the scar on her face falling out of a tree when she was a kid, but refuses to tell anyone who doesn't already know about the scar's origin, because she knows it makes her look more intimidating and she wants that edge as the official Wolffort spy. Also, also bc I actually have a lot of headcanons, I also think she gets mistaken as younger than she is like, constantly. Partly because she is Very Short, and partly because she has the "age well" genetics. Milo simply did not believe they were almost the same age when Anna finally told her, and it took everyone who knew Anna when she was a kid to confirm that she is in fact in her early 30s. Trish and Rudolph switched from "oh, we're the same" to "holy shit, teach us your ways" as soon as they figured out Anna was not an older teen or early 20s-adult, which was slightly better than the two of them thinking Anna was also a delinquent since they respect her even more now, but she's still a bit ?? about the development.

[msfbgraves]

I've been in the CK fandom for a long time, since season 1, but I've really seen Silverusso become rather popular starting in season 4. I think this is due to Terry being re-introduced, Johnny's character unfortunately declining in writing, and just the strangeness of KK3 in general.

Seriously, I never watched the KK movies until I watched CK--when I went back and watched them, I was absolutely blown away by the Daniel and Terry dynamic more than any other dynamic in the movies (except Miyagi and Daniel, for platonic and parental reasons <3). Even in CK, it's Terry and Daniel who hold the main appeal for me even now, more than any other pair. By far. (Though I do like Terry and Kreese's now-toxic-comrade-in-arms dynamic even if I don't ship them, and really like all of Daniel and Sam's scenes!)

Anyway, there's something about Silverusso that makes it this almost Wolf/Little Red thing. They constantly have this going on despite Daniel being a grown man in CK (I think Macchio's wide-eyed perky sweetness and TIG's sophistication adds to this Big Time). It just never really goes away. Also the strange sensual undertones in every interaction they have. It feels almost Bronte-like to me. Like a gothic romance that wouldn't be out of place in Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre or something. Passionate and dark and deep and barely restrained.

And yet, on a lighter note, perhaps in an AU--I think Terry and Daniel would get along fabulously well if you took away Terry's darker angels. They have a lot in common despite their differences, and there's a strangely magnetic draw between them. Also, I think they can be quite humourous together.

On a more shallow note, they look good together, being the absolute opposites on the male spectrum of good looks. Daniel is eternally youthful, doe-eyed and pretty, and Terry's just really handsome in a traditionally masculine way; tall, dark and charming.

In your opinion, what makes Silverusso so appealing? Are there any other pairings they remind you of?

Could you please write an essay on why you find Silverusso so appealing? Why yes indeed, I could, Nonnie! Thank you!

A lot of things you have already mentioned, the Brontë-like dark romanticism between them is certainly a draw for me, the... primalness of it all.

Here goes!

Now, I think that primal attraction is there in all Daniel's 'rivalries', ahem, but these were all boys who, in truly toxic masculine way, have no other outlet for deep, overwhelming feelings than helpless, angry violence.

Terry is much more dangerous, but also much more attractive: his violence, his power, is calculated.

Now before I go on I have to say that I have a thing for strong men, OK. And by strong I do not mean beefcakes. Daniel LaRusso is a strong boy who has grown into a very strong man. Loving, reliable, responsible, sweet, funny, he does chores, he flirts, he dances, and he will sock anyone who harasses you in the nose. The strange thing about Daniel is that he often is at the receiving end of harassment, too, sexual even, and so many women will relate. He's a bit fluid with women: 100% protective mode with Kumiko, though both Amanda and Ali are not the type - they will fuck people up when they look wrong at Daniel and Daniel likes that, too. Poor boy - because he is an eternal boy - really needs backups, and his father figures keep dying on him (though he had decades with Mr. Miyagi; still, that abandonment wound with Mr. LaRusso had already cut him, and deep).

I forever headcanon Daniel's father as Robert De Niro, because Ralph has played De Niro's son on stage and Joe Pesci's cousin in My Cousin Vinny, so I imagine his father to be a strong, working class Italian-American man, like the father in A Bronx Tale-loving, loyal, firm too, hardworking, the type a small boy would idolise as invincible- and then he gets sick. And that rock of a man wastes away before Daniel's eyes. And he tells him to take care of his Mama and Daniel, all but 8, does. Because he has to be a man but he still is a man like Daniel. Much different from those Soprano types, because he is strong enough to be his soft, sensitive self. That takes guts.

Oh, and - some spice with all the sugar: he would 100% kill a man. "Why didn't you kill [Kreese]?" "I wish you would have killed him."

And now you mix that with Terry.

Now Terry Silver is a strong man. And not because he could kill you with his pinkie - although he could probably kill you with his pinkie. But the man gives zero fucks, while having the brain and brawn to back it up. It takes dedication not only to become a Tae Kwon Do master, but stay one until his 70's! He's from money, but he flaunts those rules; he's camp af, surrounds himself with pretty young boys and his best friend is John Kreese: his parents would not approve. But he's still cultured, well traveled, smart with his money, extremely smart about people. He has a moral code about loyalty but God knows what it actually is. He both cares for people and throws them under the bus when they least expect it and to his credit as a person, he's really tried to temper those destructive impulses. For all we know he has spent the last 30 years trying to conduct his own power, madness, maybe even genius into something socially acceptable and who prompted that?

Daniel LaRusso and his honest sweetness, loyalty, and latently murderous impulses.

What a cocktail.

What an intense fascination Terry must have felt for him. He knew right away: "You like that, Mr. LaRusso?"

"Yeah. I like that."

What did he do after meeting Daniel LaRusso and failing to procure and defeat him?

Go on a massive bender and turn his life around.

And then of course, to mention something that may not be everyone's cup of tea: the power exchange between the two.

Daniel's a sweet boy, but he's also a bit of a brat. Sometimes he really wants to be put in his place (possibly in the calm, firm way I imagine his father used to do, but again, those are simply my headcanons). He needles Johnny a few times until he snaps but if you see how Daniel reacts to being manhandled it's quite atypical. Sometimes he fights but when the other is clearly stronger, he turns to putty in their hands. Also, if he really didn't want to be told off by Mr. Miyagi after angrily snapping at him in the first film, he could have actually gone home when he said he would, got on his bike and cycled away. He didn't. He wanted attention.

Terry literally says he likes that attitude on him. He loves the bickering, and he loves putting Daniel in his place too. Most people would probably not want a relationship with somebody if you're constantly circling the edge of violence. But Daniel loves it, seeks it out, and when it happens, goes completely gorgeous, doe-eyed and soft! And other than with Johnny and Chozen, who, as boys, don't have enough countrol not to let the spats with Daniel become very, very dangerous (they both almost killed him) Terry has great control. Terry would never accidently kill him. Terry hardly so much as touches him in tkk3 and even when he fights him, he does it in a calculated way (that armgrip in the fight in "Extreme Measures" was very painful, but as a sensei pointed out - a little lower and he would have pulverised Daniel's elbow. He didn't, because he didn't want to). So if you want to fight, Terry is actually the safer one to do it with (unless he wants to kill you. Which he doesn't, acutally? He didn't kill Chozen or Johnny when he had all the chance in the world).

I also find it very telling Daniel didn't go back for Kumiko - which honestly I think was a mistake - but married Amanda, who in looks and demeanor might as well have been Terry's sister.

So the innocent sweet boy with a dark edge meets the big bad wolf with a chance of redemption, there is passion, there's yin and yang, they're both hot, they both(?) like women too, they're well acted, Ralph and Thomas are interesting artists and fun in interviews... there's just a lot there. It's not a juvenile story, but when they started it they were both in their late twenties and now both men are in their sixties. It can be a little adult and a little complicated. They can handle it.

[goldenworldsabound]

OKAY so anyway that aside I also forgot to mention my husband and I will be starting to watch Star Trek Discovery.

Many of you are new here and will not know that Spock is the OG fave for me. TOS Spock specifically. When I self shipped in high school (I wrote so. much. fic. in my diary. loved that for me, helped me cope so good) it was Spock and Spock only. Everyone in my life knew I was obsessed with him. And you know what? I knew SO MUCH about TOS. Grown ass men tried to gatekeep my high school self and got fucking schooled by me. I knew everything there was to know about Vulcan.

I don't, anymore. It's been some time. But Spock still holds the SPECIALEST place in my heart even though I haven't talked about him much later. I did revamp our ship a few years ago - or rather, made a new version since I'm too attached to the original but wanted something more...mm...more like how I make my ships now, I guess? The original one was a straight isekai - due to time travel shenanigans I end up on the Enterprise and Spock and I fall in love (I knew it was him though like there was still Star Trek on TV and all that so fdksjahf). It was really helpful to me at the time and honestly it could fully happen with how TOS tends to be. Time travel is par for the course KJFHEWKFHW that one was "Love is Fascinating".

The new one is "Across Time and Space" and also came with me shipping with Kirk as well ("Solar Flare Love") and naturally the poly (cause how can you be a fan of TOS and not ship Spirk (I'm joking but like also it's truly iconic and important for popularizing slash fic)) which is "Interwoven Stars".

And that one I am QUITE proud of what I came up with. Beneath the cut.

In the new lore, Spock and I grow up together on Vulcan. We're really close. I'm not a Vulcan - I wasn't born there, and I've lived on a multitude of planets since they've moved for their jobs a lot. I'm a human. But we stay on Vulcan the longest of any of them. Spock and I, accidentally and unbeknownst to us, sort of form a childish and ill-formed Bond. A telepathic one, as Vulcans do. We don't realize this and no one else does either.

Eventually, I have to move away. It sucks. No one liked that.

Somewhere along the way, something goes super wrong during our travels. My parents die and I'm cryogenically frozen for several years. I'm eventually rescued and revived but...well my family is dead now. Oops.

I go into Starfleet, several years behind Spock.

Which puts us in this position that my first assignment is the Enterprise. And Spock is the Enterprise's Science Officer. And I am reporting directly to him.

We recognize each other!!! It's exciting.

Unfortunately. Spock has realized that we have this awkward incomplete bond. And once we've taken off he determines that, well, he's engaged, so, he's gotta break this off. And he does. And omg it fucking hurts. For both of us. Our minds have been in contact for so long. He's always been with me even if I didn't realize it. So I'm. Upset.

There's a shore leave right then (which is why he waited until then to do it) and I go to that and am Hella Depressed and LO AND BEHOLD Kirk and Bones are like ? We're adopting you as our friend now. You WILL have fun and that IS a threat.

So now I'm besties with the CAPTAIN and the doctor. And Bones and I bond real fucking fast I tell you fkjdhsakjf Kirk thinks I'm cute but like he's well aware of the power dynamic so he's not trying to make a move.

Anyway I don't tell either of them what happened.

Over time I think it just becomes apparent that Spock and I have feelings for each other/are awkward, and Bones gets on me about it like, "you and the green-blooded hobgoblin should just get together already" and I brush him off a bunch until I finally snap about how we can't cause he's engaged. He's very sympathetic after that.

Kirk and I are also somewhat awkwardly on and off trying out dating (with an open relationship) which is like. I like him!!! He likes me!!! But we also both like Spock and it's just...tense and awkward at times?

the whole Pon Farr thing will happen and then Spock is free to...to choose me fkjdhsakjfhdsak and we'll rebond and stuff. And Kirk is like, "congrats" all awkwardly thinking he's out of the picture now. But Spock and I will invite him into our relationship after some time of getting to know each other again!!!

so yeah that was a lot fkjsadhfkjds but that's the basic premise. I love Spock a lot-

[suuho]

i’d also like to mention that the dynamics within exo seem to have changed as more members are done with service. obviously i don’t know these people & we only see what’s on camera but it seems like a lot of the ships/pairings aren’t as close as they used to be while other pairings seem to have gotten closer. like sehun even admitted in recent japan content that he doesn’t have all that much in common with junmyeon, and chanyeol saying he likes post-military junmyeon more. i don’t wanna say i think some members are growing apart per se, but with so many different personalities in one group, i think it could be just a case of them doing their own thing i.e solo stuff. sukai’s been getting a lot of love this year, though. i’ll never forget the story of junmyeon promising jongin’s parents that he would take care of him :((( and they have really good chemistry despite being polar opposites lol and i’ve always thought subaek had chemistry, too, but i’m just rambling now lol. sorry!

i love that we're seeing more of sesoo and of soochen, too! it's so lovely to see kyungsoo be so openly affectionate with his members, he would have never done that to that extent before. he is very open to receiving affection now. same goes with chansoo; they've always been close but i think it was super obvious how much they missed each other in hindsight. my heart twists inside my chest when i think about how much chanyeol and kyungsoo love and cherish each other, and how that respect seems to only have grown in the past 3 years. i feel like their bond has gotten stronger; maybe absence really makes the heart grow fonder?

sehun and junmyeon... oh, good god. the funniest thing is how they were GLUED to each other during junmyeon's enlistment, and how sehun actually moved back into the dorm last year to stay with junmyeon, lol. i love their back and forth, it seems like they are a little less codependent these days, and that also comes with maturity. i think it was probably also a conscious decision, considering sehun's enlistment. this guy has been spoiled rotten by the exos for 12 years, he needs a break.

what i love is jongin and jongdae!! it is so sad that we can't see more of them; i feel like sm pairing them together for events after jongdae's discharge was such a good choice to create a safe space, and jonginis so, so supportive of jongday and vice versa. back in the day, it was way more cbx-focused, i feel. it's cute to see jongdae with the maknaes in general, you can totally tell he is a dad.

junmyeon and baekhyun always had TONS of chemistry, they just rarely hung out, or we rarely saw them together. i actually talked about that with ana a lot. it's an average taurus/gemini relationship tho, they naturally just get along really well with each other. (also, how cute are suyeol!!!!!!!!! chanyeol respects junmyeon SO much, chanyeol in general is desperately needed in exo. not only as a mood maker but also because he is naturally affectionate.)

(i don't care about chanbaek whatsover lmao and neither do i care about kaisoo... i feel like people got too crazy and keep interpreting things that are definitely NON-EXISTENT in these relationships. it's like with the popular svt ships, lol. makes me think of verkwan.)

and, boy, don't get me STARTED on kyungmyeon... we used to live off CRUMBS.

[archangelraphael]

just. what’s up with shipping that everyone is so into it

[findyourmojo]

Erwin-Hange-Levi

Can I just say that this trio is by far my most favorite trio in the series. Because they all work together. Their strengths. Their personalities. Unlike the other trios in the anime, we rarely got to see these three interact outside work. But its pretty obvious how they respect and care deeply about each other.

Hange and Erwin

Hange talks very casually with Erwin despite being the commander. This just goes to show how comfortable they are with each other. Plus, they knew each other longer compared to Levi which kinda explains why.

Hange despite being carefree and reckless at time, was handed the commander position. Because Erwin believes in them. And that for Hange, means a lot.

I think the relationship between Hange and Erwin is so underrated. In the entirety of Season 4, I think Hange kept thinking about the commander position because of Erwin. Among others, they didn’t want to let Erwin down. 

Also, Erwin was the first person Hange met in the afterlife? His words were the first comfort they got. We also got to see Hange smile genuinely after.

*also that one time in the first OVA where Erwin asked Levi to go after Hange because he was worried about them. :’))

Levi and Hange

This dynamic is so chaotic and yet perfect. Contrary to popular opinion, Hange and Levi are complementary with each other. I think Erwin actually acknowledges this (no, not the romantic relationship between them but the fact that they work better together). Based on the game, Erwin always places Hange and Levi’s squad positions near each other. Plus! when threatened, they naturally assume a back-to-back position!

There’s also that scene were Hange asks Levi to come live with them. To runaway. Moving away from the romantic perspective, this scene actually showed how much pain they shared. Hange could’ve just ran away by themselves but he asked Levi to come with. Maybe because they know Levi too needs a break from all the pain. 

Say what you want about Hange but it’s a fact that they saved Levi’s life 3 times. I know  they would’ve done the same for Erwin if they were there in his final moments.

I am never going to shut up about this scene too. Hange the commander asking a subordinate to let them go. Bittersweet. This just shows how they’re bond strengthened in the past years.

*I know that the airplane thing is controversial because a lot of fans don’t want to think that it was a Levi-Hange moment. Regardless of whatever, I know Levi acknowledges the fact that the main reason he’s alive is because of Hange.

Levi and Erwin

In the manga, Erwin first met Levi in the underground city. Erwin immediately saw potential in him. He knew Levi was bound for greater things and he took it upon himself to make it into reality. You just know that they have high respects for each other. 

Erwin always kept Levi close to him and I think that says a lot to how Erwin also depends on Levi. 

Also here’s Levi actively caring for Erwin. He shows it in the weirdest ways but we love him for it. definitelly.

This will remain iconic. Levi bowing down in front of Erwin like a knight to a king. Not to mention, Levi made sure to fulfill his promise even if it meant risking his life so many-many times.

*I also find it very funny that one scene in season 2 where Erwin asks Levi to feel free to rest because he knows how much of pointless fighting he hates. 

Erwin is the brains. Levi is the strength. And Hange is the heart. Of the survey corps.

I mean look at this two watching Erwin scream his lungs out.

They really spent Erwin’s last moments together too

reminder too that this official art exist where they celebrated Levi’s birthday together

Levi in the midst of a war, remembering Hange and Erwin 

I mean look at them

Just look at them

Can everyone stop fighting over whose ship is more superior? we all know that Erwin x Basement, Hange x Titan, Levi x Cleaning, remains superior! haha! Kidding aside, let’s get along. The anime is already depressing enough

[cartmandotcom]

Why Creek is Overrated, and We Shouldn’t Protect it so Hard [With Brief Ship Culture Commentary]; An Essay

AKA the post that makes people stop liking me

Before going straight to Creek, I’d like to touch a little on how shipping in the South Park fandom began, since the pairing goes waaaaay back. Stendy is a good point to start when going into the rabbit hole.

Stendy was the founding father of shipping culture in the fandom, the amount of shippers and fanart it cultivated paved the road for a lot of other ships to form. It set up a simple structure, people seemed to be going with ships with canon back up too.

Shortly after, we saw Kybe happen, and then Creek. The episode “Tweek vs Craig” seemed to set them up as enemies. We all know what happens when two male characters become enemies in popular culture 😒

Enemies to Lovers (which is very very flawed in ways I won’t be getting into for now) was carrying Creek, but it quickly became evident that the enemies dynamic was only a plot device that would be used in that single episode.

They didn’t have ANY interactions that could be considered notable or add depth to their relationship. Their entire world was being carried by some Yaoi lovers. The fuel for the ship was a broken enemies to lovers story, and they were running out. I’m surprised Creek didn’t die there in Deviantart, waiting to become canon.

But, by miracle, it was given legs. I’m sure when Matt and Trey discovered the Yaoi craze and started looking for ships to make an episode on, Style was completely out of the window since they were too relevant to change the dynamic of.

Creek was the only viable option for a canon gay ship. It was lackluster, stupid, and dying, but like HELL Matt and Trey make that bitch WAKE UP

Canon Creek is very small. I wont be referencing the episode Tweek x Craig, since it’s more of get together episode rather than a developing the relationship episode. That episode gave Tweek and Craig a dynamic without depth. Okay, cool, we have Put It Down to look forward too. An episode about our favorite gays in the middle of a season FULL of romance? Sure.

Put It Down did a good job at putting down the bricks that could build the canon pairing. Tweek and Craig face a problem and overcome it. We see how they respond to each other in a deeper level. Now, the ship has its dynamic along with very shallow development. We have not gotten a creek episode since, and this is why.

Is Creek adorable? Yes. Is Creek a great step for representation? Yes. Is Creek a Fanon ship? Absolutely. It’s a ship that was manufactured by fans for fans, it had no grounds before and still barely had any. Matt and Trey gave us a couple and said bye.

Fanon ate it ALIVE. Sexualization, glamorization, and overprotection. In reality, this ship has no soul. Whenever I consume Creek media, the only thing that reflects canon is Tweek losing his fucking shit and Craig responding with “it’s okay” because that’s all they are!

I’ll say now that I enjoy Creek. Some parts of Fanon Creek are wonderful, even (I still smile when I remember the marriage comic dub). But it has no soul. They don’t get enough screen time together to build a genuine ship on.

That’s why ships like Style are safe and typically non toxic. Style has screentime, a strong dynamic, and lots of cute moments and small details platonically. It’s cute and is enjoyable both ways. They’ve been a snowball rolling since the beginning of the series, and have had enough time together to make a great pairing in many scenarios.

Tweek and Craig did not give a flying fuck about each other

But we, the South Park fanbase, are the Yaoi shippers at South Park elementary. We saw it, made it, and it became so powerful it turned real, even if it had nothing going for it. It’s just a broken, fandom engineered ship. You’ll get shit if you say you don’t like it, or if you pair Tweek and Craig with other men.

In my opinion, ships outside of Creek have more substance. Tweek probably has a better dynamic with the main four than he does with Craig, and that was ages ago.

If enjoying a good ship means breaking up a Fandomstein, so be it. Our enemy in SP Shipping Culture is not Creek or no Creek, but rather shitting on the god awful ships.

This is messy and happened as a result of me being judged and treated badly on discord for saying I liked Clyde x Craig, I probably won’t make revisions.

If I write a follow up to this where I fix Creek, I will link it here ^^

&& Essay Over ⭐️💖

[makeste]

some meta about Izuku, Katsuki, and trust

and choosing to trust is the real bridge that goes to accepting that person as a part of your live again and what the offender has to earn. I think the interesting aspect of Deku and Bakugou's relationship is that Deku has always trusted Bakugou, and I would say more than he had forgiven him at the start of the story (where he does show more frustration and resentment towards Bakugou's behaviour and see him as a jerk) but despite that he can always trust Bakugou to him himself, attested to

the fact that Deku feels very confident about how Bakugou will act or what Bakugou's true motives are and probably the reason why he always sees Bakugou as a hero despite his hurtful behaviour is because Deku 100% trusts Bakugou even if he's doing something disagreeable or that will hurt him. Knowing someone and trusting is not exactly the same and I see it as trust because of Deku willingness to be co-operative. On Bakugou's side he is mistrustful of Deku and thats where the communication

breaks down and there has been plenty of meta exploring why Bakugou has deep rooted problems around Deku and his journey is him taking accountability of that and changing to be a better person. While understanding and miscommunication get their fair due I think trust and mistrust are the true bedrocks of the bkdk river bed because that allows for how they can still be so connected despite the miscommunication (with Bakugou mistrust is mixed with some trust) because of knowing.

anon I really enjoyed this, thank you for sharing your thoughts! I concur with just about all of this, and this ask got me thinking a lot about the nature of trust, and how it applies to Izuku and Katsuki’s relationship.

I think a lot of people’s reactions to reading the sentence “Bakugou and Deku have always trusted each other” would pretty much be, “???” and “lol what.” like, yeah, sure. they trusted each other so much that Bakugou decided that throwing a tantrum for ten years would be an appropriate reaction to Deku trying to hold his hand. classic Trust, right there!!

lol but I honestly think this is true, though. it’s just that there are different... levels?? types?? of trust. let’s go with types. there are different types of trust, and what makes Izuku and Katsuki’s relationship so interesting to me is that it’s kind of the opposite of what these fictional rival-type relationships usually are. it’s basically the difference between knowing, and understanding.

okay so first of all let’s back up here to make sure we’re all on the same page. we’re defining trust as “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone”, which is the Oxford Language definition and which works pretty well for me. you’ll note, btw, that the current relationship between Katsuki and Izuku more or less meets all four of these criteria.

reliability - both boys regard each other as dependable and are willing to rely on each other in a pinch (although Izuku is currently having some difficulty with that, but that’s another topic for another day).

truth - both are honest with each other, though not completely honest (this is the aspect that Katsuki still needs to work on, as he’s currently hiding his desire to atone).

ability - neither of them have any difficulty with this. Izuku admires Katsuki’s ability so much that he’s made it his own gold standard since childhood, and Katsuki respects Izuku’s ability enough that he made him his main rival, and never doubted that Izuku was qualified to receive OFA and become All Might’s heir.

strength - as with ability, this is another aspect of trust that neither of them has ever struggled with. in fact, a lot of their relationship struggles happened specifically because Katsuki never doubted Izuku’s strength, but feared it because he didn’t understand it.

so yeah. there’s a lot more trust between them than most people realize, I think. but the thing is that the type of trust they have is based more on knowing than understanding, and that’s where so much of their conflict stems from.

when I say knowing, I’m talking about the kind of awareness that comes from familiarity and experience. this is the type of trust that’s difficult to take shortcuts with, because it mostly just has to be accumulated over time. this is all about learning what someone is like through observing them and being around them. and it’s just as much about being known as well, because at the same time that you’re learning who the other person is, they’re learning about who you are. and that’s where trust starts to work its way in. it’s the slow unveiling of who you are, and laying it on the table piece by piece over time. and every time another little piece of you is revealed and accepted, and every time you accept one more piece of who the other person is in turn, that trust increases a little bit more. this type of trust takes a long, long time to build up, but in exchange the foundation it creates is pretty much rock-solid and nigh-indestructible.

understanding, on the other hand, to me is more instinctual. it’s about empathy and insight. and the interesting thing is that it’s possible to know someone for years upon years, and yet never truly understand them. and on the flip side, it’s also possible to understand someone within minutes of meeting them, even if you know almost nothing about them. if “knowing” is about learning who someone is, I would say that “understanding” is about learning why they are who they are. this type of trust isn’t necessarily always mutual, but it does necessitate forming a connection with someone. because empathy is such a critical component of it, it’s basically impossible to understand someone and not form an emotional connection to them in some way. this type of trust can be far more powerful and intense than the “knowing” type of trust, but the flip side is that it can sometimes be less stable and easier to break.

I think that the majority of fictional relationships, especially the ones that become really popular ships, are based more around the latter type of trust because of its intensity and unpredictability and potential for story development. the thing is, both of these types of trust are necessary for a good ship (and when I say “ship”, I’m talking about both romantic and platonic relationships just fyi). if neither type of trust is present on at least some level, then there’s really no foundation to start building up the relationship. so most of the time a ship will start out with one or the other, and then over the course of the story they'll work on building up whichever one was lacking.

and because of how stories work, the majority of the time we’re going to be dealing with characters who at first don’t know each other all that well. and so the relationships we get are ones where the characters first form some kind of emotional connection that builds understanding, and then over time they start to learn more about each other and build up that kind of trust as well. I feel like 90% of ships have this kind of dynamic. it’s the basis for things like enemies-to-lovers, fake dating AUs, and basically any kind of trope in which the characters get stuck somewhere and are forced to spend a lot of time together. it’s good, and it works.

but the fascinating thing about the relationship between Izuku and Katsuki, though, is that it’s actually the exact opposite of this. the premise of Izuku and Katsuki's story is that these are two people who’ve known each other their entire lives, but have almost no understanding of each other whatsoever. they know almost every little detail about each other, so much that they hardly even think about it. but all of their conflict is based on the fact that understanding between them is basically nonexistent.

and to me this is such an intriguing dynamic. the two of them know each other like the back of their hand. they’re familiar with the smallest habits. they can predict each other’s actions. they know how the other person thinks. and they have the kind of trust that comes with having seen the other at both their best and their worst. Katsuki is capable of letting his guard down around Izuku in a way he doesn’t do around anyone else. he cries in front of him on multiple occasions. he lets Izuku call him “Kacchan” long after their other childhood friends have stopped doing so. and even though he fears and resents Izuku’s strength early on, he also subconsciously acknowledges it in ways that even he doesn’t realize (e.g. “don’t you dare get into U.A.,” rather than “you can’t get in” or “you won’t get in”). he knows Izuku.

but he doesn’t understand Izuku. he knows who he is, but he doesn’t understand why. he knows that Izuku is strong, but he can't wrap his head around the nature of that strength. and because he lacks that understanding, this vital aspect of the trust between them is lacking, and is all too easily broken when Katsuki falls into the creek and Izuku tries to offer his help. Katsuki knows that Izuku is a good person, but he doesn’t understand that goodness, that selflessness, and so he’s mistrustful of it.

on the flip side of the coin, however, Izuku has the utmost faith in Katsuki. to him, Katsuki is the strongest, smartest, most capable and most amazing person in the world (aside from All Might). and Izuku, unlike Katsuki, actually does understand his childhood friend at least a little bit. he understands Katsuki’s reasons for wanting to be a hero. he understands that Katsuki is not just mindlessly pursuing strength. he understands that Katsuki’s motivation is about overcoming obstacles and beating challenges. and most importantly, he understands that Katsuki, in spite of everything he’s said and done to Izuku over the years, is fundamentally a good person.

and this is crucial. because, along with the bond of familiarity they’ve built up together over the years, it’s this other, one-sided bond of understanding that is responsible for their relationship enduring for as long as it did despite everything. as you put it, anon, Izuku’s trust is ultimately what becomes the bridge between them. on some level, he trusts in Katsuki’s innate goodness. he believes in it in spite of all of Katsuki’s attempts to persuade him otherwise. e.g. when Katsuki suggests that he go jump off the roof, Izuku is hurt by the words, but he never once takes them to heart, because he knows on some instinctive level that Katsuki doesn’t mean them. and so he grumbles to himself about Katsuki needing to think before he speaks, but aside from that he never gives the words another thought.

Katsuki would no doubt consider this yet another example of Izuku not caring enough about himself or taking himself into account. but it really is more than that. the reason the words don’t cut deep in spite of them being vicious and well-targeted is simply because Izuku knows that Katsuki isn't truly that cruel. and he knows that on a level so deep that Katsuki is never able to break it despite his best efforts. he can’t break it, because there’s nothing to break, because it’s true. the reason the relationship endures in spite of everything is because deep down Katsuki is fundamentally a good person, and so Izuku’s trust, in the end, is based on truth. and so it never fully breaks, and eventually, it becomes reciprocated.

and that’s what their story is all about. it’s two people that have known each other their entire lives, but have to work in order to build their understanding of each other. unlike many ships, they start off already having that foundation of knowing and being known, and so their story instead is about forging that connection of empathy and insight. and it doesn’t come easily to them at all. but they keep at it.

anyway, so thank you again for sharing your thoughts on this, anon. I didn’t even get into the topic of forgiveness, but I agree with you about it being a process of letting go of negative feelings and resentment. I also agree that forgiveness is a separate thing from trust, but I do think trust plays a big part in one’s decision to forgive or not forgive. it's a lot easier to forgive if you have an understanding of the other person’s actions. and it’s also far, far easier to forgive if the offender’s actions are long in the past. and because the latter is now true in Katsuki’s case, that shows a pattern of him learning from his mistakes and not repeating them. which further builds trust, especially in the “reliability” department. and so even though forgiveness and trust are two separate things, they’re still connected. and in many ways, by working to rebuild the understanding between him and Izuku, Katsuki is also working towards earning Izuku’s forgiveness, even though that’s ultimately something that can never truly be earned, but can only be granted.

I’m not sure if I’m really making my point very clear here lol, but basically what I’m trying to say is that while the relationship may have once been one-sided in this aspect, it’s not anymore. it’s mutual, and they’re both putting the work in. and Katsuki is also doing his part without any guarantee or expectation of forgiveness on Izuku’s end. it’s unconditional. he’s doing it because he wants to atone. and he’ll continue to do it whether he’s forgiven or not. and that’s important. it’s important because it shows that the relationship has value to both of them. and it’s important because neither of them wants to lose it. they want to fix it; they want to make it stronger.

and ultimately what that means is that the relationship will continue to endure, despite their ups and downs. because even though it may have started out as something incidental -- two boys who just happened to become friends because they spent a lot of time together as children -- it’s not, anymore. it’s no longer just something that happened, something that just accidentally came together. it’s something that they’re both working to build. they want to trust each other. they want to understand one another. their relationship is no longer something that simply withstood and persisted -- it’s something that is now being nurtured. and you love to see it.

so let's see, how do I even begin to tl;dr this post lol. something something blah blah blah trust, understanding, childhood friends, knowing someone, having faith in someone, being the recipient of that faith, and working to become worthy of it. they're very confused, but they care about each other a lot, and they are good boys.

[adragonflyaway]

°. • ｡ ✧ 𝐓 𝐡 𝐞 𝐂 𝐡 𝐨 𝐬 𝐞 𝐧 ✧ . • ｡ •

៚ 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙜𝙖𝙮!

[ just ships dynamics and some headcanons ]

╰┈➤ Andrew x John the baptizer

❀ here we have John that is a total wild man that does not take anyones shit and does not apologizes for what he means o does and is kind of too much energy and probably taking too many risks ;; and in the other hand we have Andrew that is just tired and sometimes very chill but is a hopeless romantic for the wild one, eager to defend him when someone talks shit about John and wants him to be careful !!

╰┈➤ Matthew x Simon

✿ as i posted before, i stan for a quiet shy nerd Matthew ( who haven't been loved for a long while since he left his parents house and everyone treating him like a traitor but wants to start again and makes friends and falls for this strong charismatic and his ex bully man) and for a stubborn dumbass jock Simon (who goes from bully him to slowly understand to actually care and to finally fall in love with Matthew) yes.

╰┈➤ Jesus x John son of Zebedee

❀ i mean, this is a popular one, we all know John eventually becomes the disciple whom Jesus loved the most but come on, this has a lot of potential. Of course, Jesus being a peaceful lovely and caring man matches with the younger Son of the Thunder, all risky and easy to get annoyed and angry, but man, how Jesus loves him, after what happened at Samaria he starts spending more time with John and James, teaching them lessons and lectures but John was the one who understand them the most, and that leads them to share more moments in which they become closer and taking the best of the other, fall in love

╰┈➤ Thaddeus x Matthew

✿ when Thad joined Jesus and the others, he stuck to James (who was later called the little) being a bit nervous about more people joining them but when Matthew appeared he was attracted to this odd guy, of course he knew Matthew was a tax collector but anyways, he started spending more time with him, and surprisingly they got along very well, Thaddeus was a very kind and nice man himself and actually care about what cross Matthew's brain, it took him a while, but he kind of get him after some time, and Matthew was glad to have found a new friend, it took him off guard that someone wanted to befriend him but he appreciate it and really like it, they got closer to each other, and after some time they began to notice a stronger feeling growing inside each other's hearts

𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬! ˎˊ˗

⸙ Thaddeus is the sunshine one of the group, and he is in fact actually very kind and caring to his mates that sometimes he tooks them off guard of how nice he is

⸙ Andrew is not aware of it, but Simon sure notice his little bother's feelings for the creppy John dude, doesn't annoys him but of course teases Andrew with that sometimes

⸙ As well, John the baptizer knows Jesus likes his friend John, not that he is that obvious but he can see that look in Jesus' eyes that says he is in love with the thunder boy, and his cousin sure knows when he likes someone, come on

⸙ Jesus talks to John about Andrew and his feelings for him (the man is too obvious) and at first he says nah he is just too friendly but after spending more time with Andrew it hits him the realization that Andrew likes him and that he likes him back, the boy it's too cute and John starts leaving little hints here and there to Andrew that he likes him back, practically a chill flirty and his obvious fool in love aw look at that

[rosemary-is-in-pesterquest]

I'm still mind boggled over how ppl to this day comain about Rosemary being bland with no conflict pre post canon then. Drain davekat of conflict when that ship was literally considered a pitch ship for years

The homestuck fandom claiming rosemary is bland and had zero conflicts and was too happy so hs2 was a welcomed change is still such a frozen take.

Rose and Kanaya have had conflicts tracing back to Act 4-5. The grimdark arc was especially something their early relationship was heavily involved in and carried along and also interfered with their dynamic a lot. Like, even Rose was trying to comfort Kanaya about them not knowing what exactly happens when her screen goes dark in the future.

And then of course we have Rose’s problem with alcohol later on the meteor, which people stapled a “abusive/unhealthy!!” label on it since rosemary wasn’t free of conflicts, and yet when post-retcon still carried over the alcohol issue but took care of it offscreen, all of a sudden rosemary is bland??? Hs fandom literally just can’t make up its mind on whether rosemary is unhealthy for not being 100% perfect OR rosemary is way too 100% perfect and happy to the point it’s boring.

And then in post retcon davekat, like you said, is completely drained of conflict and its flavor because suddenly they’re buddy-buddy and penis ouija is a game they equally wanted to play (which imo makes it less funny). Don’t even get me started on post-canon davekat, where the conflicts that happen to them is just by people around them and not towards each other, because they have to be these perfect soft boys apparently. It’s gotten so bad, there was once this argument someone tried to make of why davekat was a lot popular than rosemary was because Dave and Karkat are pretty codependent and they tried romanticizing how that’s a good thing and what everybody wants to see?? Man even said Rose and Kanaya weren’t actually that important to each other’s characters and wouldn’t make a difference if they didn’t end up with each other, but somehow davekat is ackshually very 100% required for Dave and Karkat’s narratives compared to Rose and Kanaya’s.

Like, I’m sorry, but Rose and Kanaya’s relationship is way more exceedingly important to understand each other’s characters. Dave and Karkat literally have only had around 2 solo conversations together, with 2 others being with John, and their characters are mainly woven together because of their connections with Terezi and Jade. I just seriously can’t process of how someone could think Davekat is somehow more important than Rosemary narrative-wise when Rose and Kanaya literally had two whole arcs together.

[ivynajspyder]

The relationship between Meta Knight and Fumu is goddamn fascinating to me okay o_o So I need to rant a bit.

And I mean this in an entirely non-shippy way! There are relationships other than romantic ones damnit!

It’s an interesting case of a cross-generational friendship with a lot of mutual respect, while also being great foils to each other. She’s quick to anger, while MK is almost too calm about things. He can be a cold-hearted jerk, while she has huge amounts of empathy.

I’ve also seen them described as two halves of a ‘manzai’ comedy duo. It’s a style of comedy in Japan where you have the ‘boke’ (‘funny man’) and the ‘tsukkomi’ (‘straight man’) who corrects or reacts to the former’s behavior in a deadpan way. (You can more clearly see this dynamic with Dedede and Escargon, though they’re both more likely to be the ‘funny’ one)  In this case, MK is the funny one, as he often says or does outlandish things or makes amusing mistakes, while Fumu reacts and calls him out when he’s wrong.

Either character alone wouldn’t quite work- they need to balance each other out, especially when it comes to the job of raising Kirby.

(I read a short fic on Pixiv, where Meta Knight wants to take Kirby off Pop Star post-finale to continue his training. But he wants to bring Fumu with because as he says, “I can teach him to be a soldier. But you can teach him to be a good person.” and boy I just... I can’t... )

And their dynamic is so unexpected. I mean, here we have Meta Knight- this possibly centuries old war veteran who has Seen Some Shit, who mostly detests people, and the only person in the whole country whose company he ever seeks out is this precocious, headstrong little girl, who has no fear of calling him out on his bullshit.

There’s a pragmatic reason for it- their common interest in protecting Kirby- but even outside of that, he’s genuinely concerned for her too. He also trusts her enough to share more about his past with her. When she asks for advice, he seems to struggle with his usual ‘you made your bed now sleep in it’ philosophy. He’s definitely softer on her than anyone else lol

She definitely has trouble understanding him, but I think she slowly picks up on him over time- like learning that he’s not all-knowing.

And he’s probably used to fawning fangirls or people who treat him like an untouchable legend, but she doesn’t fall for his ‘mysterious badass loner’ schtick at all and is comfortable enough to just barge into his room and shout at him. And he’s cool with that.

It feels like neither of them really has anyone else to relate to. MK has Sword and Blade, but they’re so loyal they’d never question him. And he hates all the villagers. (I think maybe he could get along with Curio?)  Meanwhile Fumu has no other kids her age around, and usually acts more as a teacher/parent figure to them than as an equal. Her parents are loving but not the most responsible or helpful. There’s a reason she most often goes to MK for advice and not her father, you know?

Not to mention the whole ‘Fumu sits by the fountain and MK inevitably shows up to ask what’s bothering her’ thing.

(When did MK originally come to the village anyway? Did she grow up with him around? I assume she only started to get to know him after Kirby showed up, and thought of him as only Dedede’s lackey before that. SO MANY QUESTIONS oh god I wanna write a fic or three...)

It is also somewhat unfortunate that they have so much chemistry, since it immediately leads people to ship them. Which... okay, I understand why it’s popular, given the above.There’s also an element of wish fulfillment. as it’s often young women who ship them and might see themselves in Fumu, with the whole ‘brave knight saves the princess’ dynamic, lol

It can be easy to forget that Fumu is canonically a child, what with her being smarter and more mature than 99% of the adult cast. But please don’t forget that o_o

And even if that wasn’t the case, he’s not even her type??? We’ve SEEN her type.

She likes pretty boys, and more importantly, people much kinder than MK  rofl

So yeah just needed to get that out. I think people should remember to have them interact more in fanworks, because they’re honestly just more interesting when playing off each other. Just, ya know, keep it platonic plz

[wickedpact]

A ranking of all the TTT stories in order of how much I liked them.

(Oh god this is so long)

1 My Mother's Axe

BABY ANDYYYYYYYYYYYY. Honestly this one had the trifecta of developing a character's motivations, developing a character's backstory, & developing their personality. The story starting out with Andy teaching Nile to use the axe was so charming and fun, and you could feel that chemistry they had in Opening Fire, the way they teased and bickered with each other so naturally. I loved the wedge between them on the subject of the axe, how Nile was perhaps a little too young to understand Andy's feelings about whether or not its the 'same' axe. I also love how the axe is obviously the symbol of the franchise and hugely important, but you never get a sense of exactly how important it is to Andy until you read the story.

I love the entire Ship of Theseus theme, and how it feels so natural that for Andy she has to get attached to the idea of things rather than the things themselves because she'll always outlive the things themselves-- the axe is symbolically her mom's axe, even if physically it isn't. And I love how she clearly clings to that concept so tightly. "This is the labrys she held in her hands...." IT GETS ME.

And the fact that this sense of BELONGING, of FAMILY, of CULTURE is so important to Andy that she clings to it (figuratively and literally) with both hands. And of course it's important to her, she spent so long alone that the woman doesn't even remember her birth name. That axe (or the idea of that axe) is all she has left of her mother and that family/culture she was born into.

PLUS on that note I love how Andy doesn't remember if her mom was her actual biological mother, but it doesn't matter to her. This woman was her mother in all the ways that counted. And how her mom BETRAYED AND KILLED Andy but Andy loved her so much that she avenged her and carried her axe for thousands of years. THOUSANDS OF YEARS!!!!!!

I also loved how the story transcends the timeline of the whole franchise and seeing Andy through the years. Loved seeing her with the varying squads and with varying axes. Also baby Andy was so cute. It was cool seeing her so young. like holy fuck. Andromache The Scythian, Immortal Warrior (but smol). Love that.

Also I think this one is one of the few ttt stories that doesn't suffer from length problems.

tldr: goddammit greg you've done it again.

2 Zanzibar and Other Harbors

Zanzibar my beloved. I've said before, but it's downright comedic how little regard there was for Joe and Nicky's character designs in this story. The same person who does the colors for the regular comic did the colors for this one too, and you can tell, every panel of this story was Beautiful.

Ik there was A Lot of criticism of this one (lmao @ how the fandom had no idea what was to come) but I thought a lot of The Discourse was a bit dramatic. I did think Nicky came off as a little oblivious to Joe's feelings in this story, but I've said before, I honestly think that was a 'tone not translating' thing. It felt like Nicky was nagging Joe for [checks notes] saving innocent people, but Joe was so amused by Nicky's complaints I really do think it was supposed to come off as teasing.

Plus I know the 'Joe running off into danger and Nicky reluctantly following' dynamic wasn't popular (I'm a pretty meh on it meself) but I did love how Joe's impulsiveness (if you want to call it that) was interpreted as heroism and not hot-hotheadedness. All of the examples Nicky and Joe talked about included Joe explicitly saving people. (and it also took A Lot for the nazi to actually provoke Joe).

I also feel like their characterization here was closest to the movie canon-- the bit where they hear the woman scream and Joe goes running in to save her while Nicky swoops in on Joe's heels to comfort her while Joe and the nazi were fighting reminds me of the train car scene. Joe had suggested First that they go find Nile because she needed to be protected, and Nicky later added that Nile probably also needed emotional support. Similar reactions.

But it was So Good, the themes of queer community and the enduring nature of queer culture are Not themes you see in media that often and it was such a delight how it was done. Also it's one of the few more modern TTT stories that has a completely valid excuse for taking place when it did. Chef's kiss.

3 Passchendaele

I love the Duality between seeing baby Andy and then seeing Mama Andy in the very next issue. This story doesn't have a ton of meat to it, but the entire concept of Andy adopting a war orphan straight off the battlefield PLUCKS MY TENDER LITTLE HEARTSTRINGS, and I think it's especially poignant for comic!Andy. I think most people wouldn't think twice about movie!Andy doing something like that but comic Andy is so hardened and almost cruel sometimes, and seeing that even for her the world hasn't beaten all of the compassion from her yet is SO!!!!!!! this woman contains MULTITUDES okay, she's violent and angry and tired and Done but she's also so kind and compassionate and THE STRENGTH OF HER!!!!! Also the idea of her and Yitzhak co-raising a kid together is so damn cute. It was #mysterious pre-Yitzhak-story but now it's cute. holy fuck. It's cute.

& the headbonk panel of her and Zeus lives in my heart. anyways.

4 Many Happy Returns

I Know people weren't thrilled about Booker being in this one, but I've developed a pet-peeve about that: this story was *not* booker-centric. Booker only exists in this story to the extent required to explain the importance of the gesture Nile makes towards him. If there was a story about Booker making some grand gesture of kindness to Nile no one would be saying it was Nile-centric. bc it wouldn't be! Booker exists in this story to explore Nile's kindness, its not about him. I saw that a couple times and it bothered me. anyways.

AAAAAAAAAA I loved this one, the art was beautiful, I loved how Andy Nile and Booker were drawn (like their comic selves but.. more looking like actual people). I loved Andy and Nile's Bants, how Andy wanted to jump right in and Do Violence but Nile was basically telling her to hold her horses.

I feel like I'm just repeating the post I made on this story a few days ago, but I LOVED how Nile's plan revolves not around violence or Cool Mercenary Skills but on Nile's own life skills (as she canonly did a lot of minimum wage job-hopping before the marines in comics canon). Her plan used her skills, not the skills of an immortal warrior, and HER SKILLS were in fact more useful for the situation! lov to see Nile's resourcefulness and planning skills.

AND HOW NILE WAS PROBABLY WATCHING BOOKER??? it's so Much bc 1.) nile knew booker A SINGLE DAY and yet he made such an impression on her emotionally that she had to keep an eye on him and 2.) she said in the movie she wanted Booker to get off free with an apology. Yes she's a member of the team but that doesn't mean she's necessarily going to follow orders like a good little soldier. I also love how she convinced Andy to go along with it. her HEART, her KINDNESS, her THOUGHTFULNESS, UGH.

5 The Bear

Honestly I have like no negative things to say about this one other than a.) character design issues which is less about the story itself and is more of a 'tog comic in general' criticism and b.) too short, but it was supposed to be a tease, so.

But I loved Yitzhak, I wasn't expecting to really like him at all but like I said in my other post, he tickled me. I love characters who are Kind™, especially if they have little reason to be so given their backgrounds. Chef's kiss. Lov him.

6 Bonsai Shokunin

I know this one was a little controversial bc of the outsider POV but whenever I see people upset about that they never point out that the Outsider Guy (the samurai) existed as a reflection on Noriko. His ideas are explained in the text to develop hers. The whole story follows how she gave mercy to a scared young man and in response he murdered Noriko, repeatedly! Who gave him the right to inflict such pain and suffering on the world? In his opinion, the lack of response from the gods was his permission. And for Noriko-- over and over again she dies and suffers because she gave mercy, which lines up with her ideas in FM about how it's their fate to rule mortals and if they don't align with that plan/fate/whatever then they suffer. It shows some background to those ideas and how they developed in her mind outside of Ocean Madness™. Additionally, his idea of 'the Gods have done nothing to strike me down so it's fine if I do these things' kind of explains how Noriko may justify her own morally corrupt actions-- she's died so many times and it's never stuck. Maybe if she did die any of those times, or while she was in the water, maybe that would've been a sign she was doing something right, or at least doing something normal. But she hasn't died. Fate isn't done with Noriko yet. And maybe there's a reason for that. In her mind, it's just not a very pleasant reason, is all.

There were things I was kind of meh about tho. I did kind of wish we saw something of Noriko and the team, or smth explaining the way she was before her dip in the pool-- personality, likes dislikes, etc. but it wasn't bad or anything. It was super vague tho, I had to read it a few times before I got what it was going for. Liked the art. Liked the bonsai metaphor. And of course I Respect the decision to use the 1300s (1200s? I don't remember off the top of my head) rather than using the last 200 years.

7 Strong Medicine

Honestly looking back, this one made me kind of sad because both this one and Bonsai Shokunin explored character's ideas on Fate and The Divine and how that intersects with immortality and I totally thought that theme would be continued, especially with Love Letters. But Then It Wasn't™.

Admittedly.... I had to re-read this one to remember most of it. I liked Booker's ideas on God, 'The conductor of the symphony just may not be very good at his trade' but the plot itself was kind of forgettable. Some fuckin cowboys try to kill a doctor (their second) because he couldn't save their sickly brother. Book tries to stop them, gets killed, and then comes back and kills them all before they get the doctor. Alright. I liked the artstyle because the characters were ugly in a similar way that leandro's are, but way more bearable.

I love the Irony of Booker concluding that there is no such thing as fate or destiny and nothing has meaning, AS HE UNKNOWINGLY SAVES MERRICK'S GRANDFATHER FROM BEING KILLED. Booker getting fucked over by life/god/destiny yet again. It also kind of explains about where the fuck hell Merrick's interest in immortal mercenaries even came from.

I originally had this one a lot higher and then I thought about it and moved it down like two spots.

8 Never Gets Old

I liked seeing Booker interact with his kid. And we got a name for the kid! Philippe was a little bitch though, he was a little obnoxious. I liked how Booker was so thrilled to experience a restaurant with his kid (and since we know he was there before, it can be assumed he went with all of his kids and yet he was so charmed each time). It fits with his line to Nicky in the moon landing story about how you don't appreciate beautiful things 'unless you have someone to share them with'. It was charming to see Booker interact with his kid, and to see him so happy. Also lmao @ Booker's big fat Ye Olde Crush on Andy.

However at the same time it was like.. of all the things to write about,,, I guess? Booker's Night Out...... alright. Especially since Book had so many stories.

I don't know, it was alright. The old man killing him really came out of nowhere, (but the 'Salut, asshole!' panel was funny tho).

9 How To Make a Ghost Town

I've hit a point where talking about these stories has gotten less fun. I liked this one but I felt like Achilles getting lynched was not really necessary for a story that was already tragic (a story that already involved Achilles doing a lot of suffering at the hand of bigots). When we first got the blurb for this story I thought it would be about Andy returning to the squad and making friends with Booker after losing Achilles and them butting heads on the idea of family and when to cut off ties. So a little bit of my underwhelmedness about this one might be just my expectations being different.

Honestly I was pretty interested in Andy and Achilles' relationship and I would've liked to see more of them-- like, what was their dynamic like? What did they love about each other?

But anyways Andy leaving and Achilles getting killed anyways feels so pointlessly tragic (which I suppose is the point..... I don't like tragedies) she left to save him and yet people killed him anyway. Meh.

I did love the bits about Andy wanting to have a domestic life (Andy and her multitudes again) and the little detail about how she buried her axe near the road but he buried his guns under his bed-- he was an escaped slave, he never had the luxury of assuredness like Andy did. It was a sad story.

10 Lacus Solitudinis

'You put this one above love letters crim??? how could you???' easy, lmao.

There was stuff in this one I liked. But to talk about stuff I didn't like: (I'll keep it brief, I know ragging on this story has been done time and time again)

UH, setting aside the 6 year cold shoulder between Joe and Nicky, I thought their chosen method of conflict resolution was... bad at best. Nicky's inability to talk about his feelings was also annoying, especially since the entire point of this story is a fight Joe and Nicky had, and yet we don't get both sides to the story, which is...... important? That fact is especially annoying bc in the absence of Nicky explaining his side of the story, it's absolutely a possible (and admittedly probably unintentional) interpretation of the text that we do get that Joe routinely resolves conflict between him and Nicky by simply cutting Nicky out of his life entirely until Nicky just. caves? Even if it takes years?

WHICH i could get into that interpretation and how fucked up i find it. but im not going to. out of restraint.

I don't know, I think there are a lot of interesting ways to go about this conflict but 'Nicky wants to kill a guy and Joe refuses to acknowledge his existence until he stops because he thinks Nicky is too much of a Good Boy to get his hands dirty like that' ('I wont watch as the world turns his (...) compassion into something ugly'. ) wasn't.. how I would've done it. (I mean you know Joe doesn't give a shit about what Nicky is doing in a moral way, because Joe doesn't even care or mention that Booker is killing those cops too. Joe only cares because he doesn't like the idea of Nicky changing in a way he finds undesirable.)

admittedly I've said before, I do like the emphasis Joe's reaction puts on Nicky's kindness. Joe has a complete inability to cope with Nicky simply Not Being Kind. It speaks to the steadiness of Nicky's compassion all those years. but still that fact doesn't make it the conflict feel worth it

hm. I said I would be brief and I wasn't.

oh well. basically I thought there was interesting conflict potential there but it wasn't done the way I would've liked, and the way it was done leaves a lot of disturbing (and again probably unintended) interpretations to lie.

What I did like? Andy and Joe having that pessimist/optimist dynamic. Joe nerding out about science. Andy not being impressed by The Achievements Of Man. I loved Booker needling at Nicky about his outdated slang and also trying to give him Older Brother advice practically in the same breath. I loved Booker giving The Worst relationship advice ever and Nicky being like 'I Will Not Do That, Ever, Thanks.' the family vibes were so good. The Joenicky vibes left a lot to be desired tho.

11 Love Letters

I talked about my problems with Nicky in this story (and Lacus Solitudinis). I don't know, the story isn't bad but I do hold a little bit of a grudge towards it because its very existence begs the existence of a solo Joe story and we didn't get one. If we never got this story, then we could happily count Lacus Solitudinis and Zanzibar as The Joenicky Stories™ and move on with our lives. sigh.

I remember when we first got the blurb for this story I was really curious about why Nicky specifically + the setting, and the answer kind of feels like 'the author had an idea for a story like this and saw ttt as a good enough place to utilize that idea'. Plus I was really underwhelmed by the Romantic Sentiment in the letter. If you look at it line-by-line, the majority of the letter is actually Nicky talking about how lonely and disturbed he is, rather than actual,, yknow,,, Romantic Sentiment. I mean, compare the van speech and this letter and this letter is just kind of meh in comparison. I liked nicky calling joe wise! and I liked the brief sun/moon metaphor! and otherwise it was eh. It didn't even have cute squad banter, which is why Lacus Solitudinis is above this one.

12 An Old Soul

Nun orgy. Nun orgy?????? Nun orgy.......

The whole story felt like a setup to have a nun orgy. Why did Booker have abs? Why did they do that to Andy's nose? ?????? the art was good at least.

nun orgy.