#treize x zechs

[kahran042]

Headcanon: The young man ships Treize and Zechs from Gundam Wing. Never mind that this game predates Gundam Wing by eight years. :)

[otaku-girl-ao3]

20 questions for fic writers

This seemed like fun 😅💖

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

39 on AO3 (I’ve still got so many I never bothered to port across and probably never will 😅 All of my new stuff goes on here though!)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

512,495 uploaded so far (though I’ve got quite a backlog still to edit and upload).

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Wonka (2023), Undertale, BNHA, You me and the Apocalypse at the moment. Maybe I’ll go back to MCU, LoTR and Witcher someday. I am really, really tempted to start writing for more Mathew Baynton related fandoms; I am utterly obsessed with Ghosts at the moment as a reader 😅 I need more Thomas/Pat, Thomas/Julian, and Pat/Cap in my life! 🔥

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Twelve steps - 2,927 kudos - MCU, post civil-war, following the twelve steps of grief after a physical injury changes Tony’s life forever. 

Unleashed - 1,274 kudos - Undertale, fellswap, shameless reader/Mutt/BlackBerry BDSM fic.

One track mind - 840 kudos, MCU, found family Darcy-centric Drabble. 

Unforgivable - 628 kudos, Hobbit, post-canon everyone lives fix-it.

Taking the me out of teamwork - 602 kudos, MCU, Tony leaving the avengers Drabble. 

5. Do you respond to comments? Why? Why not?

I now do my best to respond to every comment I get on every fic. I used to worry it was weird or annoying, but now I just try and focus on showing my appreciation for anyone that takes the time and effort to comment on my silly things.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Ooooh gosh, either Twelve Steps (kind of a hopefully ending at least), Dark Deeds and Bitter Choices (my first finished and shared dove), or possibly Three Strikes (which I will go back to write an even darker follow-on at some point). 

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Aaaa what even is happiness? Probably (Pure) Imagination; it’s just smut with a very open but happy ending. Or The Most (Un)Romantic Day of the Year (which I should up uploading in early April '24).

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I got some for one of my Undertale fics where people hadn’t fully read the tags 🥲 That fic hasn’t been finished but hopefully I’ll go back to it one day. 

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I mainly write smut now 😅 80-90% of that is some kink of BDSM, fetish, or kink related smut. A real mix of long fics and one-shots. I feel more comfortable writing smut than I do fluff at this point!

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I have started writing them again. At the moment, Wonka (2023) x You, Me and the Apocalypse (2016) is probably the most recent strange one? I’m also working on something Wonka (2023) x Ghosts (2019) at the moment, possibly with a bit of Spy (2011) and You, Me and the Apocalypse (2016) thrown in, but I'm not sure yet if I'll actually upload that one or not.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I’m aware of 🤞

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I believe Twelve Steps was translated into Russian but that’s it. 

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have not, but I’d absolutely love to! 👀

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

At the moment? Felix Fickelgruber x Willy Wonka (2023); it used to be Duo x Treize x Zechs 😅 but even back then that was a rare pairing to find 😅 I’m not sure if I’ve got an all-time favourite ship anymore; I prefer specific tags to ships. I’ll read anything sugar daddy or most healthy RACK/SSCK BDSM-related fics. Oh! Or anything with good, detailed aftercare.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

It’s not looking great for Unforgivable 😢 maybe some day I'll go back to it.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I have no shame when it comes to smut. I’ll try writing (almost) anything at least once. 

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Repetition. So, so much repetition. Editing is not my strong suit, though I try my best.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

It can be interesting if done well? Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it adds much to the story and can just slow things down for the readers (especially if there is no translation provided).

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Gundam Wing as a literal child back in the 00s 😅

20. Favourite fics you’ve written?

Sugar Daddy? Call Me (Sir) has to be my absolute favourite just because it introduced me to so, so many amazing new fandom friends along with my absolute favourite discord server of all time.

His (Darkness) is the one I’m most excited about writing at the moment.

For A Moment is probably the one I most want to go back and do a sequel for, I feel far too bad about leaving Felix in that situation.

Dark Deeds and Bitter Choices is probably one of my absolute favourites (and ironically one of my least kudos’d multi-chapter fics); I think it’s just a bit too dark for the fandom which I totally get. 

(Pure) Imagination is the one that helped me get back into writing again, so it's got a special place in my heart.

[thisweekingundamwing]

This Week in Gundam Wing 1 -7 January 2023

Here’s the last week’s roundup! January 1st - January 7th!

Remember to give your content creators some love! Be sure to join in on the events at the bottom! And remember to send in any new works you see or make next week!

~Mod Hel

Fanfiction/Ideas/Snippets:

@acrochetedgundam

beginning https://archiveofourown.org/works/44052550

Gen, Quatre Raberba Winner, Catherine Bloom

Teen And Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, background 3x4, their relationship is not the focus, learning to forgive, Building A Friendship, Found Family, cathy tries to be stern, but deep down she's a softy, new year's fic, no beta we die like Treize

New years can bring new beginnings. And maybe, sometimes, they can start to heal old hurts.

@bobo-is-tha-bomb

Ticket to Freedom (Ch. 29) https://archiveofourown.org/works/27688973/chapters/110768493

F/M, Heero Yuy/Reader, Duo Maxwell/Hilde Schbeiker, Trowa Barton/Middie Une, Quatre Raberba Winner/Catherine Bloom, Chang Wufei/Long Meilan, Past Heero Yuy/Relena Peacecraft

Reader, Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, Chang Wufei, Zechs Merquise, Relena Peacecraft, Hilde Schbeiker, Middie Une, Catherine Bloom, Long Meilan, Treize Khushrenada, Howard (Gundam Wing), Dorothy Catalonia

Mature, No Archive Warnings Apply, Romance, Alternate Universe, Band Fic, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Drama, Fluff, Lemon, Lime, Reader Insert, Song Lyrics, Novel, Slight Relena bashing, I’m sorry she is not a likable character in this one

They were your ticket out of the sheltered and married life your parents had planned for you. And to be honest, you had always had a rebellious streak. You needed the freedom they offered, needed to taste life, live a little. But when they ask you to sing in their band, you are not so sure. How would a neatly brought up lady survive with a couple of wannabe rock stars? You’re about to find out.

Burn to a Cinder (Ch. 12) https://archiveofourown.org/works/18781273/chapters/110843250

F/M, Zechs Merquise/Reader, Treize Khushrenada/Reader

Zechs Merquise, Treize Khushrenada, Lady Une, Mariemaia Khushrenada, Relena Peacecraft, Chang Wufei, Dorothy Catalonia, OC - Character

Mature, Major Character Death, Romance, Drama, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Violence, Reader-Insert, Lemon, Lime

Your path had been laid out for you from an early age, allowing you to move into the higher circles of society and catch the attention of one of the most powerful men in the Earth Sphere.

As Treize’s mistress, you watch his rise to power and the disastrous war breaking out on Earth and in Space, putting your loyalty to the test. You are torn between your duty to His Excellency, and your unquellable lust for one of the top soldiers under his command. And when he rises to power in Outer Space, there is nothing you can do but stand back and watch them tear each other apart.

This is no game of hearts, but yours is at stake, and the consequences can be felt for years to come. Labeled as OZ’s whore, you struggle to find your way, only for things to fall apart around you again. But then there is still Zechs, and the undeniable way he makes you feel…

@miyurinq

Winter Lights https://archiveofourown.org/works/43601565

M/M, Trowa Barton/Quatre Raberba Winner

Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner, Duo Maxwell

Not Rated, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, mentioned 1x2, Christmas, Fluff and Angst, Sex, Hurt/Comfort, 3 x 4

Christmas is just around the corner and it should be perfect for him and Trowa. But things don't go as planned and Christmas is about to fall through for Quatre.

Only a miracle can keep Quatre's heart from breaking. But do Christmas miracles still exist?

Heart (Ch. 20) https://archiveofourown.org/works/40914714/chapters/110663985

M/M, Trowa Barton/Quatre Raberba Winner

Quatre Raberba Winner, Trowa Barton, Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Chang Wufei

Not Rated, No Archive Warnings Apply, Post-Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, Minor Violence, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort

All Quatre wants is to help. Even when the war is over, so many people suffer because of the consequences. Helping rebuild is the least he can do. But he seems unlucky, things go wrong all the time and people get hurt.

Trowa hardly recognizes Quatre. He has changed and seems to have problems. He reluctantly tells him about his bad luck, but Trowa doubts that it's just "bad luck" and decides to investigate.

@the-reanimated-bhg

Snow Day https://archiveofourown.org/works/44134011

F/M, Gen, Relena Peacecraft/Heero Yuy, Relena Peacecraft & Heero Yuy

Heero Yuy, Relena Peacecraft

General Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, Snow, Fluff, Post-Canon, Post-Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz

Heavy snow cancels Relena's work obligations, leaving her a few stolen hours to spend with Heero.

Fandom Discourse:

@invisibleenemy

https://gwgrrl.neocities.org

I was missing the old Geocities Gundam Wing websites, so I made a site on neocities where I could promote my favorite GW fanfics, old and new. It's a labor of love for the authors who made this fandom what it was and is.

Calendar Events:

@gundamzine

Battle Scars and Kitchen Cabinets

Applicatons Open~ https://gundamzine.tumblr.com/post/705258971113619456/applications-are-open-to-apply-fill-in-the

Applications close on January 31st!

@gwcocktailfriday

Cocktail Fridays!

Post responses on Friday, during Happy Hour between 3 & 5 pm in your own timezone.

Here’s the prompt for Friday, January 13th! https://gwcocktailfriday.tumblr.com/post/705925777657610240/cocktail-friday-post-responses-on-friday-january

In need of prompts!

@thisweekingundamevents

Events Calendar https://thisweekingundamevents.tumblr.com/post/644080386309275648/events-calendar-update

If you are hosting an event currently, or are planning on one, hit us up with links and dates! We’ll add them to the Calendar and reblog your notices to get the word out!

GW Holiday Gift Exchange 2022

Rules https://thisweekingundamevents.tumblr.com/giftexchange

Posting has begun! January 8th and 14th!

[cviperfan]

Remember when Toonami was an afternoon block on regular CN that’s the last time I saw Gundam Wing but they have the whole thing on Crunchyroll now so fallin down that hole

[rzerox21xx]

I'm selling some of my more expensive items because I need the money I'm willing to depart with this great series, I loved, it and its good for any Gundam fan, Note that this is out of print Ultra edition that contain goodies. I respond to all questions and offers, but please be considerate as this is more expensive and out of print and I could use the money. so spread this out even if you are not buying if you can. Ask me anything. 

[incorrectgundamwingquotes]

Zechs: There’s something I would like to ask you--

Noin: You’re finally proposing!

Zechs: How did you know?!

Noin: Honey, you’ve dropped the ring 5 times during dinner.

Noin: I even picked it up once.

[flaminfogelman]

To the fans of Mobile Suit Abridged: Gundam Wing

As you probably know by now, our channel has been disabled due to troll copyright claims and we've been doing everything we can to get it back. However, since we were just starting out and didn't have a high subscriber count, YouTube hasn't shown any interest in helping us and we're close to just switching to other platforms, even though we'd rather stick to the account we've poured so much time, money, and energy into.

We need your help. We're asking the fans to spam the hell out of YouTube in any way you can about this issue. Facebook, Twitter, Email, even a really angry letter would work. Whatever it takes for someone to actually help us get this fixed.

The show isn't over, but we want our channel back. Share this with anyone who'll listen and let's make YouTube give a crap.

[terrablaze514]

★Gundam Wing Masterlist★

₱ = Smut | § = Angst | ∆ = Violence

A/N: Finally! A separate page! Please be advised that links are subject to change, in case this platform fails. Bolded means it exists (somewhere). Italicized means it’s not yet posted/preview only. I hope to catch up on these soon. One day. As always, most fics are strictly for MATURE AUDIENCES unless otherwise stated.* ~ AngelT

★Secret Magic series★ How Does It Feel? (poem) Touched By An Angel (1x2, 3x4, 5+S) *Teaser* (Heero/Duo)*Official* | Pillowfort | WordPress | AO3 § 13+ Thirsty For Change (4+1) *Teaser* (starring Heero and Quatre) *Official* | Pillowfort | AO3 | WordPress 13+ Sexy Syrup and Sullen Souls (3x4, 2+4, 5x2, 1+4)₱§∆ (+ Duo/Wufei teaser) | WordPress 18+ (not for the faint of heart) Don’t Stop, Please…(2x5, implied 1x2x3x4x5)₱ | WordPress | Pillowfort 18+ Boys Night Out (2x1, 3+1, 5+4) *OT5 teaser* *Official* | AO3 | Pillowfort | WordPress ∆ 16+ *Hello, Other Me (Trowa’s internal struggle)* (implied 3x4)§ | AO3 | WordPress 16+ Sinking Ship (5x4) *teaser here* *Official* | Pillowfort | WordPress | AO3 § 16+

Nothing But Kisses (G-Boys yaoi version) 18+

Dare To Be Different (1x2, OT5) | AO3 | Pillowfort | WordPress 13+

Secret Magic (multipart) 1*2*3*4*5*6*7*8*9*10*11*12*13*14*15*16*17*18*19*20*21*22*23*24*25*26*27*28*29*30*31*32*33*34 (other installments will also have 30-something chapters) ₱§∆ ★SM HeadCanons★ Trowa’s Strange Dream (and Identity Crisis) Secret Magic, Heero Yuy A tiny look at mental illness and health Wufei’s Unexpected Encounter Trowa’s U-TURN Plan

A Typical Jamming Session…

Silliness in Une’s Office *Flu Bug Munsense*

Trowa’s Musical Inspirations/Favourites: Prince, Santana, Dead Or Alive, Aaliyah, and Matchbox Twenty

No Frozen Teardrop Album! (Alternate link coming soon)

Musical Tidbits

Vocal Ranges

Secret Magic, Duo Maxwell | Duo’s Musical Inspirations/Favourites: Stevie Wonder, Backstreet Boys, Janet Jackson and Tony Bennett | Secret Magic, Trowa Barton | lDomon versus Treize: Management Styles | Quatre’s Musical Inspirations/Favourites: George Michael, TLC and Elton John | Grooming tactics, Sexual assault and Substance abuse: The DMV Side of Secret Magic |Wufei’s Musical Inspirations/Favourites: Linkin Park, Xscape, Jodeci and A Tribe Called Quest, various K-POP | Secret Magic, Quatre Raberba Winner | Growing Up Lady Une - Broken Home | Producer Zechs, big brother figure | Secret Magic, Wufei Chang | Heero’s Musical Inspirations/Favourites: Linkin Park, Billy Joel and Bon Jovi, various K-POP

★Freedom Fighters series★

Believe In Yourself (oneshot) = OT5-Friendship∆ | AO3 | WordPress | Pillowfort § ∆ 13+ Freedom Fighters (multipart) = eventual 4x5 Munsense * Official 1*2*3*4*5*6*7*8*9*10*11*12*13*14*15*16 | WordPress | Pillowfort | AO3 §∆ 16+ *Duo+Heero teaser*§∆ ★FF HeadCanons★ Growing Up, Without Parents | How the group met | An Unhealthy Father-Son Relationship (Heero and Odin, Quatre and Zayeed) | Multiple Intelligences ★One Shots★ Cuddle (1+2+3+4+5) | AO3 | Pillowfort | WordPress 13+ This Meeting Is In Progress *teaser* *Official* | AO3 | Pillowfort | WordPress K+ Stay (3x5, 1x2(+4))₱ | Pillowfort | WordPress 13+ I Do (1x2x3x4x5, Dorothy x Relena) *teaser* *Official* | AO3 | Pillowfort | WordPress § 13+ Let Down Your Hair (2x5) *teaser* *Official* | AO3 | Pillowfort | WordPress § 13+ You Got Me Open (1x2+5, 3x4+5, 1x2x3x4x5) Heart To Soul (3x4) *Teaser* *Official* | AO3 | Pillowfort | WordPress K+ Infinite Wishes (GW Holiday Exchange 2018 - OT5 pilots, Relena x Dorothy)₱ 16+

★Multiparts★ Ionic Victory, Covalent Destiny (Multiple pairings) *Part 1*∆ | *Part 2 preview*∆§ | *Munsense* | *Post-EW HeadCanon* | *Munsense #2* | AO3 | Pillowfort | WordPress ₱§∆ 18+ Risk > Teaser 1 § | Teaser 2 §∆₱ (9x11) | Official 1*2*3*4*5*6*7*8*9*10*11*12*13*14*15*16*17*18*19*20 | AO3 | WordPress | Pillowfort ₱§∆ 18+

Marooned > Teaser | Official (1)2(3)4(5)(6)7(8)(9)(10)11(12)(13)(14)15(16) | AO3 | Pillowfort | WordPress §∆ | Marooned (HC) 16+

★Crossovers★

Death Returns (BP/GW Crossover) 1*2*3*4*5*6 | Pillowfort 18+

★To Kill a Brown Recluse series★ (crossover w/ The Preventers (Gundam Wing)) *Part 1* *2*3 ABANDONED

★Broken 4th Wall★

Musings…(1)

Muse Alert Episode 3 (Heero and Duo)

Throwback Episode (Quatre and Duo)

Muse Alert Season/Episode 1 (implied 1x5)

[greenriderglen]

A Little Bit of English

A harmonica wailed out a lonely blues lick as Zechs stepped through the door of the juke joint. The smell of stale beer and cigarettes assailed his nose as the door swung shut behind him, and he made his way past tables where mostly locals sat watching the band. Out of habit he reached to adjust his dark glasses as he eased into the dimmer interior, and instead his hand collided with the metal of his new mask. Mentally berating himself for not breaking that habit yet, his hidden eyes scanned the space, looking for a familiar form. He found who he was looking for toward the back, leaning over one of the six resident pool tables. The muscular back turned blithely toward the door as he lined up his next shot. Even in civilian clothing he cut a sharp figure that was highlighted as he straightened and passed in front of a neon sign to the other side of the table.

Zechs raised his hand to the bartender, signaling for two beers; a light ale for him and a dark stout for Treize. Why Treize preferred his beer thick enough he could chew it, Zechs never would understand. He snagged the bottles as he walked by, leaving the tab open; Treize looked like he wasn’t planning to leave any time soon. Zechs weaved through the crowd and made his way to Treize, hip coming to rest against the end of the table. Treize glanced up, flashing a grin at his partner as the cue ball clacked sharply against the red and white striped ball, sending it neatly into the pocket. The 8 ball followed quickly after, clearing the playing field.

“Playing solo?” Zechs asked, passing over the long neck bottle.

“I had a few people who were willing to play earlier, but they quit after the first two tables. I can’t imagine why,” Treize replied. He threw his head back and took a long pull that drained half of the bottle.                

“Probably because they realized they were playing against a pool shark. There’s a reason no one in the wing will play you for the bar tab anymore.”

“Exactly. That’s why I always buy the first round these days,” Treize bounced the heel of the cue against the ground a few times. “Play a game or two with me?”

“Depends,” Zechs took a cue down from the wall as the other man racked the balls for the next game. “You buying the next round of beer?”

“I figured loser buys,” Treize began, then raised his hands in surrender at the glare leveled at him across the table. “Okay, you win. Yes, I’ll buy. For the rest of the night if you want. Your break.”

Another blues band followed the first, the guitarist picking rhythmic flourishes around soulful lyrics about hard love and harder life. Against this background of music the next few hours were spent in easy camaraderie for the young officers. Playful insults and jabs passed back and forth with the familiarity of years spent together at Lake Victoria base, then flying wingman for each other in the field.

Evenings like this were becoming rarer as Treize’s meteoric rise through the ranks required more and more of his time and attention. In addition to the hours put in as a pilot and commanding officer, he was spending more time playing diplomat; making connections and attending functions that would increase his influence in the right circles.

It was always apparent that, between his family name and extensive connections to both the military and the ruling classes, Treize Khushrenada was destined to be a political powerhouse. Playing politics only refined what was already ingrained in his natural demeanor and mind. Even having practically grown up with the man, Zechs was still impressed to see the effects of Treize’s powerful charisma and work ethic when it was brought to bear on the right audience. For every sweeping, effortless, televised speech that ended in standing ovations and new allies, Zechs knew there were countless hours of conferences and meetings that took place to lay the groundwork required to tip the balance in his favor. All of the increased command responsibilities and political maneuvering were requiring Treize to close ranks and play things closer to his chest, even with those he trusted. Unguarded outings when he could wear civilian clothing and verbally joust with a friend were to be savored.

As the second band finished their set, Treize returned from the bar with another round just in time to see Zechs’s shot curve to the right for the third time. “I know you’re not drunk, you’ve not put enough of a dent in my pocket for that. Why do you keep missing?”

“The damn table is uneven,” Zechs growled, leaning over and stabbing the offending spot with an accusatory finger. “The felt is worn thin too, so that doesn’t help matters.”

“Ah, that. It’s not too difficult to adjust for once you realize it’s there. Consider it like a gravity well as you dock with the larger mining asteroids, or on approach to the lunar base.”

Zechs couldn’t choke back the laugh that burst free at the comment. “Did you seriously just compare billiards to literal rocket science?”

“It’s not that much of a stretch. When you think about it, it’s all physics. Geometry, thrust force, trajectory plotting,” Treize’s tone was all pompous academy instructor, retrieving his cue from where it leaned against the wall. “Consider this. You know you’ll encounter additional resistance here,” he pointed to the dip in the table with the tip of the cue. “So to counteract that, you’ll put a little bit of English on the ball. Strike the ball on the lower right quadrant to give it counter clockwise spin. It’ll compensate for the gravity well and you’ll be able to shoot straight across.”

Zechs shook his head. “Hell, no wonder no one on the base can touch you when you play pool. They’re playing a game for fun, and you’re playing war games.” A platinum eyebrow arched in challenge.  “And how, exactly, am I to know ahead of playing this particular table that there is a gravity well on the south east quadrant?”

“That, young Master Marquise, is why you do your surveillance work before you go to war,” Treize sniffed for effect, perfectly imitating the pinched tone of Instructor Reince, a little regarded linguistics tutor from their childhood who made up in arrogance what he lacked in stature and courage. He never served in any branch of the military, but fancied himself quite the historian who could have won any war at any time due to his superior tactical genius. Zechs snorted in disgust and amusement.

Unable to hold the straight face any longer, Treize cracked a wide smile of his own and laughed, his body relaxing into an easy posture as he perched on a stool, taking another swallow of his beer.

“So is that why you’re out here on the edge of nowhere, rather than going to the bars right off base? Undercover surveillance? I know it’s not for the quality of the drinks,” Zechs grimaced at the offending beer even as he took another sip.

“You don’t go to a place like this expecting champagne. Go to the opera if you want that.” At his companion’s scoff, Treize’s countenance turned inward, “I guess you could call it that. Undercover surveillance, I mean. The further from base I am, the less likely I am to be recognized. More people want my approval on their pet project and I can’t abide them trying to curry favor when I’m out of uniform. When I’m on my own time, I like to be left to myself. With some exceptions of course.” He paused and rolled the bottle between his palms. “It’s all necessary to steer the future toward the best possible course that I see. The Specials will be front and center as we usher the world into peace and if I must be that guiding hand, so be it.”

Treize set his bottle down on the table, looking earnestly into Zech’s eyes and lowering his voice. “I always lead from the front. You know I wouldn’t have it any other way. But there is a day in the near future when I’ll have to step out of my cockpit, maybe permanently. There’s another battlefield looming ahead of me. I must be the visible face for the Specials and Oz during the upcoming political maneuvers. There’s no one else I can trust in the viper den that is the Earth Sphere Alliance. But I do have someone I trust to lead my troops,” He reached out and put a hand on Zech’s arm. “When I leave the cockpit, I’ll need you to be there. Together we will lead Earth and the colonies into a glorious future.”

Zechs lowered his eyes to the hand on his arm, then to the impressive cluster of empty bottles that had precipitated this revelation. His jaw clenched and unclenched several times as he looked for the right words. “Treize, you know I can’t stay with you forever. One day I’ll have to leave, to settle my… family business. I’ll be by your side as long as I can. But the day this masks breaks, I can no longer be your friend.”

With a dismissive hand wave, Treize seemed to snap out of his reverie. “Of course. I understand about your business, and well, we’ll worry about the rest when the time comes. But. Back to the question at hand; why did I come to this bar out of all the options available? The music is much better here than anywhere close to base.” He nodded to the final band of the night where a woman had stepped up to the microphone. Almost as if it had been choreographed she began her first song of the night; a heart wrenching rendition of the blues classic ‘Nobody knows you when you’re down and out.’ Her husky voice called her audience deeper into her spell as the piano player’s fingers moved lightly up and down the keys.

Zechs listened to the first verse quietly then shrugged. “It all sounds the same to me. Loss and hardship and what woman left and took a man’s heart. Even the music sounds the same. The same chords repeated over and over, unless the musicians wander all over the place. But even then, it still ends up in the same place it started.”

With a small head shake Treize murmured, “I can see why you think that way. So did I, once. Remember when we were at Victoria and couldn’t wait to get away from the barracks? Running as hard and fast as we could to the closest bar for the most awful beer imaginable and any game that happened to be available?”

Zechs nodded, “And if I remember correctly, Otto’s favorite part of it all was karaoke.”

“Yes and god save us all from the times he tried to drag either of us up on the stage with him. Simpler times. But one night in the midst of all of that chaos, a blues band was playing.  The band leader sang and played the steel guitar. If you judged his voice by classic standards, I think one of our music teachers would compare it to a cat wailing at midnight. But the passion in his voice captivated me. It was raw, passionate, and just as emotive as the most brilliant opera. So very different, but no less powerful. And I fell in love with it. All of it. The rhythm, the words, the way it seems to meander because the musicians are just enjoying themselves too damn much being in the moment to finish their song quickly. It’s all part of the experience. To paraphrase, it was once said that blues are easy to play, but hard to feel.* I bought the band’s album that night, and have collected many more albums, but you can’t compare a recording to a live performance. It’s like piloting in a simulator and on a battlefield. You can complete the same mission both times, but the real emotions are only present when you’re in the moment. That’s what I get when I come here.”

They listened the rest of the night to the band, eventually moving from the pool tables to the side of the dance floor, watching locals reeling to the music that alternated between rousing and slow couple dances. During one song, “The Call,” Treize’s face lit with excitement at a song he’d only heard previously when on a mission to the L2 cluster. “If anyone has the soul to sing blues, it’s the people who live there.”

As they walked back to base, Zechs still couldn’t say that he liked the music, but had a better understanding of it and through it, the man walking beside him. Surprisingly, he’d also learned more about playing pool as well.

“So the gravity well shot. What did you call that trick with the ball?”

“English,” Treize replied, the slightest bit of slur coloring his voice the only hint that he wasn’t completely sober. “You put a little bit of English on the ball to make it spin.”

“And what if I’d rather work on my French?” Zechs asked, easing his body up beside his partner’s.

“I thought you’d never ask.” came the reply, as Treize closed the distance between their lips.

*********

Author’s notes

*Jimi Hendrix’s original quote is “Blues is easy to play, but hard to feel”

“Nobody knows you, when you’re down and out”

https://youtu.be/626pNZB8xXE

https://youtu.be/6MzU8xM99Uo

“The Call”  - I included this artist because she was the first blues performer I ever saw live. I very much had Zech’s opinion of the blues before, and her performance changed my mind. This is one of her later songs, and it just makes a connection in my mind to Epyon. I couldn’t figure out a way to work this into my fic, but I like the idea of this being an L2 blues song.

https://youtu.be/3AGmbUMk9S8

********

This is my first fic in well over 10 years, so I hope it’s alright. I’ve submitted for an AO3 account but won’t receive my access until after the new year. Once the account goes live, I’ll post it over there as well.

[nos-ag-blog]

Gundam Wing comic Vol.13 . I love Heero x Relena ‘s Pic so much >w<

[humblestudentofbeauty]

Get To Know You Tag Game

Rules: Tag people that you would like to get to know better by playing the game!

Tagged by: @anedendarkly Tagging: @lyingawxke & @leatherandsoil

Three Ships:  Oooh!  Hmm... so MANY!  Let’s go with the three most recent?  Arthur Morgan x Albert Mason from Red Dead Redemption 2; Flynn Fairwind & Mathias Shaw from World of Warcraft;  Julieta & Agustín from Encanto.

First Ever Ship:  Hmm... I’m old enough that I can’t really remember.  It was probably from a fairytale - for example I loved the couple from East of the Sun, West of the Moon.  However, the first real ship I remember obsessing over didn’t come until much later, and that would be Zechs & Treize from Gundam Wing.  ^_^;

Currently Consuming:  I just finished binging the Duck Tales remake for the 2nd time (because it’s fantastic!) and I’m currently binging Murder She Wrote for the millionth time.  It’s a comfort series, and one I watch when I don’t really need/want to focus on what I’m watching.

Last Song:  The last one I can remember is Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright

Last Film:  Probably Encanto?  Or maybe Turning Red?  I watch the first one a lot so I can hum along, and I watch the 2nd one because of the wonderful 90′s nostalgia it evokes for me.  :D

Currently Reading: SO MANY THINGS!  I’m listening to about three different series right now - Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch, Phryne Fisher Mysteries by Kerry Greenwood, and Constable Evans Mysteries by Rhys Bowen

[luminisvii]

RATING! ALL! THE CHAR CLONES!

i love char and gundam loves him too so because i am BORED i'm gonna rate all characters that the wiki tells me qualifies as a char clone!

many of these men will be rated on aesthetics and their wiki blurb alone since i have not watched all gundams

i tried to include pics but it SAID i can only use ten. WHAT? how am i supposed to rate how sexy they are?

Char Aznable

the man. the myth. the legend. i love him so much. hes super fucking hot bc of how bad he is. like an absolute madlad he goes around destroying the zabis and giving amuro hell. hes so good that despite being on team evil he regularly tops popularity polls and is widely regarded as being super attractive. im asexual but i agree. char is supreme. he and his red mobile suits cannot be topped. 20/10

Quattro Bajeena

now, char might be evil, but this guy is totally a stand up dude who is definitely not char. and the hyaku shiki? top tier. also very sexy. maybe char should take a lesson or two from this lovely man. 18/10 could not possibly be char himself

Glemy Toto

i have not watched ZZ. this dude upholds the tradition of stupid ass names in gundam. he just kinda look like hes a good person, though, which would be nice, but i prefer the evil men here. 6/10 love the idiotic name

Afranche Char

apparently a literal char clone. don't give a fuck. 1/10

Carozzo Ronah/Iron Mask

this guy really takes the mask thing seriously. i have also not watched F91. i love the just robot lookin mask and the purple color scheme. 8/10

Anavel Gato

this guy is kind of a chump. i get the feeling i'm supposed to find gato very cool, but all i could see was a total loser pushover as long as it was in the name of zeon. although to be fair, he was basically one of the most enjoyable characters in the mess that is stardust memory. 7/10 too much of a zeon apologist

Chronicle Asher

i called gato a chump but this guy looks like a tool. hes got the mask! i know nothing about victory gundam but this guy looks like, okay. 5/10

Schwarz Bruder

im ignoring the other guy listed with him on the wiki bc Herr Bruder is in fact, awesome. he isn't on team evil like some others, but he doesn't need to be. hes a JESTER NINJA. what's not to love? somehow, despite me thinking i knew the twist that was coming, he was still full of surprises. you cannot possibly predict the actual twist here. he really teaches domon how to get shit done. 15/10 absolutely sublime take on the trope

Zechs Marquise

not only is he voiced by takehito koyasu, but he chars so hard he chars three times as fast! we LOVE his dedication to being a char clone. i will never forget how treize challenged him to a fair fight and he was just like nah lmao. you go you stinky man! 10/10 for char-ing hard

Lancerow Dawell and Jamil Neate

i am fascinated by after war X and i'll watch it one day. it seems like the wiki is confused about these two and is going with very surface level details for these two being char clones. however i'll rate them both higher bc i think mr. neate's sideburns and glasses are just top tier character design. 9/10

Harry Ord

10/10

Rau le Creuset

i think i saw him in the like three episodes of SEED i watched. he definitely looks the part. seems kinda lame though. 6/10

Athrun Zala

this kid is hilarious, and also the most likable character i met in SEED, and he even has a quattro phase as he goes by alex dino! we'll give him points for effort. 9/10 you tried

Neo Roanoke

definitely not mu la flaga. hes also voiced by takehito koyasu. his mask looks kinda dumb, but i think the long hair look upgrades my man mu. takehito koyasu makes everything sexier. 8/10 bc i also simp for dio brando

Rey Za Burrel

how many char clones does the SEEDverse have? i do appreciate rey's early 2000s brooding anime boy look, though. 5/10

Gilbert Durandal

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY SEED CHARS!!! this guy doesn't even look like a char clone, but he has the same voice actor and also apparently tries to drop shit on earth. we stan a king, honestly. 6/10 being in SEED deducts points

Hal Vizardt and Vladi Zarth

the wiki wont even give me a picture of these guys. 2/10 they get a point each

Ali Al-Saachez

i hate this guy. he sucks. normally i would find such endless villainy entertaining, but ali simply cannot work it in a way that's fun to watch or even in a way where you're like 'he's got a point.' he just sucks and i wish he could have been funny. we already have a char clone in graham anyway, so why are you here? bitch. 0/10 i was waiting for him to die

Graham Aker

he has all the tropes of being a char clone, and i loved him at first bc of his flair for drama and poetry, but alas! he got more and more sidelined for a different motherfucker. it's okay graham, i still love you! your mr. bushido phase was hilarious! 9/10 you deserved so much more

Full Frontal

hes getting points for the hilarious name but thats it. he is otherwise very boring. you cannot make me love a man just bc he is a literal char clone. 3/10

Zeheart Galette

AGE is also on my "deeply fascinated" list. eventually, eventually. i kinda dig this one's look. 7/10

Tatsuya Yuuki

initially, i hated yuuki bc i thought he was beating on middle schoolers for fun, but then i learned the dude is so goddamn passionate about gundam that he HAS to share it with others and honestly? king shit. while he's technically a char clone, i think he's actually a graham aker clone. the dude stans 00. an admirable position to be in. i love yuuki so much and hes my favorite build fighters character. 15/10 i will always respect the meijin

Captain Mask

the name is hilarious. hes got a cool mask too. i'll maybe watch recon one day bc of how ridiculous the reputation is. 8/10

Lady Kawaguchi

the rare female one, and proves that the kawaguchi name requires you to be extra as fuck. compared to yuuki's raw passion, she's cool and knows it, and doesn't need to flex. sadly doesn't get to do a lot. 10/10

McGillis Fareed

MCGILLIS MY BELOVED!!!! perhaps the only char clone that matters. this dude brings back the classic level of backstabbing, the supreme attractiveness, and in general, being an awful person. but i can't help but feel for the guy. he was trying his goddamn hardest to overturn a fucked up system. he also simply could not fathom having friends. mcgillis might only do the mask thing for a little and also wears a wig (McWiggis) but i forgive him, because the moves he does in bael are truly sexy. i adore mcgillis i have to rate him high but he cannot overtake the classic. 19/10 would let him betray me

Kyoya Kujo

even the wiki doesn't seem confident in this one. i like his look though. hes kinda got some gentle eyes, so i will assume he's the more quattro flavor of things. 6/10

Masaki Shido

BRUHHHH HE LOOKS LIKE A KNIGHT. 10/10

Honorable Mentions:

Master Asia

i didn't think he truly qualified as a char clone. he hits the villain thing and technically has some ideals aligned with char ? but he's a little too different. lacks majority of the archetype tropes. i still love him though 9/10

Vidar

hes got a mask and wants revenge. definitely not gaelio. the problem is, we already have mcgillis in IBO. i just don't register gaelio as being a char clone, because mcgillis is out here being the worst. gaelio is a wonderful character in his own right for all the opposite reasons that mcgillis is fantastic for being the worst. 10/10 i want nothing but the best for him

Ulube Ishikawa

just bc he has a mask covering half his face and is evil doesn't mean he's a char clone, wiki! and how dare you take away from schwarz just to be like "well ulube has a mask" WE HAVE ONE ALREADY!!! i also hate ulube. he is not a particularly charismatic character, but he isn't supposed to be. 2/10

and thus is my arbitrary ranking of the char clones. some people think char clones are bad. i for one, love them! i hope future entries have more masked men.

[nayarablueglasses]

Duo x male reader

a/n: oh gods this is so. anyways this was meant for day thirteen of the @gundam-wing-pride event but certain circumstances have caused me to be unable to post in time for it. the tears prompt was kept in mind for this, i hope it suffices.

word count: 2,059

summary: horrific battles never made you cry, so how did a joke from Duo manage to do it?

warnings: reader is in an active war at first, brief mentions of reader becoming deaf to loud sounds after the battle, reader has a very dry way of thinking, i haven't seen the entirety of the show in ages so i think my timeline is a little messed up

reader pronouns: he/him but comes off as gn

How’d you end up here?

You’d woken up to the extremely jarring sounds of the space station’s evacuation alarms. Considering the immediate panicking masses of people that then flooded the streets, it wasn’t the best way to wake up. Especially when you factor in that your first evacuation drill since the ‘safe space’ had been rebuilt, relocated and refortified was supposed to happen next week. Though to be fair, there were absolutely no signs that you knew of that would signal a a war erupting on your colony.

Honestly? You never were impressed by the Gundams. All you knew about them was that they were starting a war with what a few of the colonies had begun to call the “colony rebels.” The White Fang. Maybe the White Fang had started the war, but you could care less. No matter who’d started this, the colonies- your colony- was caught in the crossfires now.

And it wasn’t like you could trust the Gundams, either. It wasn’t that long ago that Gundam Pilot 04 almost blew up an entire colony because their father had been killed. If that was how the Gundams handled personal loss, your colony could only speculate on the ways they’d deal with the political difficulties of a war. And unsurprisingly, it turned out that they handled it absolutely terribly.

The scariest part was the absolute absurdness of the whole war. Two sides that claimed to speak for the colonies. The White Fang pressed attention on the colonies, while the Gundams remained an absolute mystery. Plus, the individual power struggles claiming the colonies, the Treize Faction war against Oz that was reportedly occuring back on Earth... everybody was misinformed about absolutely all of it, and the best you could do was try to make sense of the chaos unfolding and hope it never touched your poor colony.

But wishes don’t always come true. And certainly never the wishes you make.

Like the wish you’d been repeating back to yourself for the last hour- to be able to come out of this unscathed. Your arm had some thoughts on that.

As it turns out, trying to run through an active warzone to the safe space you didn’t know the location of was extremely dangerous. So dangerous that your arm had been hit with a stray bullet. Right now the main dangers were the footsoldiers firing at each other, but not that far off in the distance you could see two of the Gundams fighting a swarm of Taruses. The fact that they weren’t close was anything but comforting, since you’d seen the speed of the Gundams before on T.V.

Oh.

“Hey- get outta the way! Ya try’na get killed?” A White Fang footsoldier shoved you to the side, presumably trying to help. Instead you stumbled facedown into a very large pile of scrap metal. Which very much hurt your arm and effectively trapped your leg as well.

Fun. “The fuck kinda horror movie is this?” You muttered to yourself. Of course, of course you ran directly into the fray. Because of COURSE that was safer than the opposite direction (which in all fairness had been covered in sharp-looking rubble). That’s fine. You could work with this. What did your uncle usually tell you- take inventory in terms of crises?

You hadn’t brought a backpack with you, so, all you could take inventory on was what was in your pockets. One elastic, a single outdated coin, and fuzz. Plus, a bleeding arm and the bullet you figured was still in there, a possibly twisted and hopefully not broken foot, ringing in your ears... and the clothes on your back. Ok.

So this is how you die? Fine. That’s fucking fine. You had plenty to live for, but fine. Who cares?

“Woah-hoh, what the hell? Hey- hey handsome, you awake?”

A very neon green light pierced your consciousness. Out of habit, you tried to raise your arm to block it out- and then an even more painful, piercing feeling jolted through your whole body. “Ahh-huah- ‘m. ‘m awake now. Ohhh gods. Yeah. ‘m- yeah. Fuck. Who’re you and are you going to help me or kill me?”

“Kill you? Man, I might be the god of Death and all but I’m not going to kill you! You related to Heero or somethin’?”

“Don’t know- ow- who the fuck that is. What’s up with that green light shit> ‘M gonna be blinded if I open my eyes.”

And there the light went. Nice. If this guy didn’t kill you, you might actually survive. Sans your arm. Nobody on your colony could help your arm. You figured that life would be interesting from now on. “Great, thanks man. Fuuuuck. You- you see my arm? Yeah- I’m taking your silence as a yeah. This bitch’s fucked and moving at all is very very painful. So hey random stranger. You strong enough to carry me to the nearest amputator?”

Apparently you were just being dramatic. Your arm would 100% be still attached and your foot would survive. Your ears were… fine. After waking up in a hospital on an entirely different colony station, you learned that apparently, there exists a kind of deaf in which it was hard to hear things that were too loud. Which. You now had.

No more concerts. Meh.

The most jarring of everything was when you discovered that a) you were likely to have either trauma or ptsd and b) the guy that carried you to the hospital in his Gundam- was a Gundam Pilot. 02. Duo Maxwell. He’d brought you to Colony 14 Blue and was now reportedly “chillin’ outside until you get discharged.” with the promise that he’d bring you to the Peacemillion afterwards.

Oh. And almost everybody you knew closely had “likely” passed away in the attack. The therapy for that was going to be interesting when you consider that nobody of your family was on the colony at the time of the attack. Honestly the way they were pressing for you to be evaled made it feel like they were planning to make an example out of your supposedly poor mental state. Unsurprisingly the hospital was being run by the White Fang.

Discharge went quickly. The ride back to Duo’s Deathscythe went quickly. The ride in Duo’s Deathscythe went far, far too slowly. And adjusting to life on the Peacemillion went poorly.

Every now and again, Duo would look for you and, if he hadn’t immediately come from a fight (he passed out on your carpet once due to blood loss after being in a gunfight. Zechs was less than appreciative.), he’d bring you to the nearest colony. Being able to enjoy a day out on occasion was a rarity you usually only got to experience with Duo.

“Ooooi, Duo. Check these out. Tell me these aren’t the coolest gloves you’ve ever seen.” You held up some black fingerless gloves for him to inspect. He’d brought you to a new colony, where apparently a special holiday (complete with fun sales) was happening. Admittedly, some of the people on this station were giving you and Duo some especially strange looks whenever Duo would tug on your shirt or grab your hand to get your attention but like. Fuck them.

“Hey, those look pretty awesome!” he grinned and bounced over, snatching the gloves from your hands to look for a price tag. “To steal or not to steal, that is the question.”

You raised an eyebrow. So maybe the crush you’d developed on this overgrown child of a thief was growing. So what? It’s just a crush. Everything’s going to be fine. “Is the price tag expensive or something?”

Duo shook his head. “Exact opposite. There isn’t one.”

“Let’s just leave ten gilla and bolt, then.”

“...wicked.”

Normally the rides back home were silent and awkward, but after the rather exciting day you’d had, you were feeling especially chatty. Which wasn’t to say that there weren’t still awkward breaks in the conversation. It was quiet, sure, but a lot of things had been quiet lately. Being deaf to louder things tended to do that to a person.

Duo drew you out of your thoughts with another tug on your sleeve and pressed one of the gloves into your hand. “Here. Figured we’d both look badass with just one glove. Plus we match!” He held up his gloved left hand with an air of confidence. He wasn’t wrong, honestly. Wearing his braid the way he did, he already cut an impressive figure, but the gloves really sold the look.

You pulled on the glove he gave you, flexing your fingers to test it’s flexibility. After all, if you couldn’t engage in you and Duo’s elaborate handshake, you might have to ditch the glove altogether. Luckily the glove fit you well- functionality and style alike. Ten gilla spent well.

“Not bad. Y’think Zechs’ll get jealous?” Duo laughed at the idea.

“Doubtful, doesn’t he have Noin to get him cool stuff? Plus, I think his mask and that hair are defining accessories, what else does he need?”

You shrugged. “What gay wouldn’t love these? ‘M already enjoying mine ‘nd yours look more worn in than mine do. Solid fuckin’ proof right there.” Not like you could confirm or deny that Duo was gay. Honestly, you didn’t really care for his specific labels, but Zechs was definitely gay so it just helped further the joke. With his demeanor and his lesbian best friend? Could the flags get any gayer.

“More like pansexual on my account. Good to know your take on gender preference though. This mean I’m allowed to openly flirt with you now?” He leaned back into his seat, throwing his feet up onto the table in front of you and resting his head in his hands.

You raised an eyebrow. “Only if you promise not to ‘no homo’ me afterwards.” Duo pretended to fall backwards, clutching at the nonexistent pearls and acting offended. You two giggled when Sally came in from the cockpit to assure herself that somebody hadn’t just gotten a concussion. To which Duo immediately pretended to have a head wound of some sorts (you suspected he was being purposely vague) in hopes of attaining the candy that Sally sometimes had on hand.

Once she left (leaving you and Duo with strong warnings against fooling around more, lest Duo’s “head injury” get worse; to which you had saluted and replied, “absolutely no promises, ma’am!”) you shared a look with the brunette and tried to keep from dissolving into a fit of laughter. To your chagrin, it was a fail. You were laughing so hard that your stomach was starting to genuinely hurt. Duo was doubled over on the ground, wheezing unintelligible words and trying to hand you the lollipop that Sally gave him.

By the time you had managed to calm down and breathe, Duo was getting into the chair beside you and clutching his side. “I think I pulled a muscle from laughing so hard.”

“Yeesh, ‘m crying from laughin’ so much. Aah, this is what y’do to me.” You joked, wiping away tears from the corners of your eyes.

“Y’know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cry before,” Duo paused to think. “like, at all! Now that I think about it, didja even cry when I rescued you?” You shrugged again. The battlefield was pretty terrifying and if you hadn’t found it in you to cry from fear… well, you were feeling a lot of emotions during the whole ordeal. Who could really blame you? “Pretty tough that a fuckin battle didn’t even make you cry. Hey- my bit musta been pretty damn good to make you shed a tear!”

“Yeah, don’t let it get to y’head. ‘S just because ‘m crushin on you.” You mentioned casually, testing the waters.

“Full homo?”

“Full homo.”

Well, would you look at that. Now Duo was crying. What was with you two and tears today?

BONUS:

“You’re so cheesy.” You muttered to Duo, who was proudly holding up your guys’s fingerless gloves- which he had sewn a rainbow patch onto the back of.

He smiled, tugging your glove onto your hand. “Mhm. You love it though.”

Sighing, you returned the favour and pulled his glove onto his right hand. “You’re right. I love it. I love you.”

[all works found under the name "nayarablueglasses" are property of nayarablueglasses. please do not repost, claim as your own, or edit. i do not consent for my works to be part of any social media other then tumblr, including having my works be adapted for asmrs.]

[askgundamwingfans]

This concludes the answers so far for the first set of AskGWFan Questions. If you have anything you wanna ask the group, use the ask function on tumblr or send me a dm!

What's a character/ship you've learned to appreciate? What made you change your mind?

Relena x Dorothy. Both as characters and as a ship. Part of this is that I hadn't seen all of the series at the time I first did fandom, but I had seen Endless Waltz, and that was the extent to which I had known Dorothy. She doesn't even interact with Relena in EW!! I had no impression of her (besides whomst??), and I honestly don't even remember if Relena ever appeared in fics I read since a lot of them were AUs anyway. However, after seeing the series and MISS RELENA and all of Dorothy's... Dorothy, I think she's got some great cult appeal!! And my mind really changed on both when I saw the whole series properly. I'm not sure I would have been on board with them at the time since I was less discerning about how female characters often get developed poorly, but I don't regret that I experienced Relena and Dorothy fully at a time where I could appreciate them.

I eventually started to appreciate Relena more, she grows up a lot by the end, even if she definitely should not be handling the responsibility she has...

Honestly breaking outside of the typical ships by reading more fics broadened my horizons. Writers I loved ventured into non-typical and I found myself enjoying the exploration. I think over time it had less to do with the ship and more to do with the characters as the fandom aged.

I've been reading a lot more yaoi since interacting with the larger fandom. I've always loved non-traditional gender roles in romance stories, and I don't know why it took me so long to try yaoi? I've read some yuri but never in Gundam Wing. Interacting with the yaoi community has opened up a lot more characterization of the pilots for me, which have always played the role of "tough, emotionless boys" in my headcanons.

Howard. He’s amazing and hilarious and as I get older I’m more and more like, is this the only sane character? I used to just be like “who is this weird guy?” and now I’m like “why isn’t there more Howard?”

What characters/ships do you think got some negative flack? How has the GW fandom's attitudes towards those characters/ships changed?

The scientists hahahahahaahah. I think for the most part unless you are in a niche group, the scientists are generally seen as child abusers to varying degrees. Tsubarov? Everyone still hates him but acknowledge he has a flair for the dramatique. Camp villain appreciation I guess. Relena was definitely shat on, being at the unfortunate intersection of romantic rival and 'annoying' female lead. Again, as someone whose canon experience was informed by Endless Waltz more than the anime, I don't remember if I had any opinions on her at all. However, I think people have admitted where they were wrong (whether owning up to bashing, or speaking up about fandom broadly).

Well besides the obvious Relena, one character that got so much hate and bashing in 1xR circles was Sylvia. I remember one of the first things I checked when I got back into fandom was Sylvia's role in the show and was surprised to see how little she actually does?? She's literally in one episode but was constantly dragged into 1xR stories to be a romantic rival for Relena. Pretty much the same role Relena took on in a lot of 1x2 stories. I guess we just got away with it because she was a minor character. It was just interesting to me that 1xR fans gave some girl the same treatment that 1x2 fans did to Relena. I think that realization helped me put aside the Relena bashing and move on from it. If I don't see Sylvia as an evil character anymore, why would Relena bashers? And I was really happy to find that I was right. As the fandom moved away from romance-centric plots to look at self growth and politics, less characters became target for fandom hate/bashing, and we moved on.

Well, back in the olden days Relena and Wufei were probably the ones who got it worst. Dorothy. Hilde. Zechs. Treize. Heck, even reasonably popular characters like Duo and Quatre had their own "defense" societies against some of the fanon surrounding them. But fans have grown up over the years and portrayals of the characters and various ships have too. (2x5 for instance has gone from a total rare pair to one of the top GW ships on AO3 which I find a fascinating trajectory.) Have we evolved into a perfect utopia? No, and there will probably always be complaints about how a given character or ship is popularly portrayed. I certainly have my bugbears, just like anyone else might. But it's a long time since I've opened up a fic and seen character bashing of the sort that was common c. 2001. People might not be shy about sharing their opinions on their own blogs, but picking fights on other people's content? Flame wars? Not so much these days. The GW fandom might be smaller, but we're also closer-knit. Fandom is about having fun; finding the pockets that bring you enjoyment and finding ways to filter out the rest, and I think we mostly get that (or we're just too old and tired to have much fight left in in us lol).

Well, very early Relena and Duo battles made me nervous of the fandom back in the day, but I think those mainly came from places within ourselves that we can see now don’t need to be at odds. I love them both and I am glad to see the fandom embrace them both on their own merits. I think it’s easy to be anti- when you are younger and appreciative when you are older (and I totally understand how people could be anti! No judgements. I just love everyone and want everyone to be happy. Except Zechs. He has some SERIOUS explaining to do.)

Oh, Relena *definitely* had a lot of negative flack. I'm glad most of us seem to have mellowed out about the poor girl. It's hard to hate a kid when one is in their 30's, lol

Relena of course, but also 3x4 was seen as the “lesser” ship back in my day and there wasn’t much depth or enthusiasm by many other fans.

[incorrectgundamwingquotes]

Who to Fight

For when deciding who you want to fight in Gundam Wing...

Heero Yuy

Who wins: Heero

-don’t fight Heero. He bends steel with his bare hands and regularly performs death-defying feats, and can snap your neck with all the bones in his hands still broken without flinching. Addendum: though if he actually threatens to kill you, then he definitely will not. Feel free to fight him to your heart’s content.

 Duo Maxwell

Who wins: Duo

-look, I know that that grin combined with that snarky attitude makes you want to fight him, but don’t. Either he’s fighting you with intent to maim or he’s planning to explode something, but you won’t know until it’s too late. Your only saving grace is that he’s more interested in getting away and into other dangerous things rather than fighting you, so just slap the handcuffs on him and leave him alone. He’ll be gone when you come back but at least you can say you tried.

 Trowa Barton

Who wins: a toss-up

-you have to find the perfect time to fight Trowa. Fighting mercenary!No-Name – you die. Fighting Gundam Pilot!Trowa – you die. Fighting amnesiac!Trowa – you can win, but then the circusfolk lynch you for daring to touch a hair on his head. You might have a chance if you’re a crying woman, as he’ll be too busy soliloquizing about the power of a “woman’s tears” that he won’t stop you from pummeling him.

 Quatre Raberba Winner

Who wins: you, but god, at what cost?

-why are you fighting Quatre. Quatre doesn’t want to fight anyone, he just wants to play the violin with the object of his affections and spend quality time with his beloved friends. Leave Quatre alone, you monster. If you just really wanna fistfight this angel, he’ll let you win provided he can talk you out of your self-destructive tendencies. (warning: if you lack self-destructive tendencies and cannot be talked down, he will obliterate you.) Addendum: if you are trying to fight Zero!Quatre, then yeah, I guess that’s fair – but then you are definitely going to die, and really, you only have yourself to blame.

 Chang Wufei

Who wins: Wufei, but who cares?

-please fight Wufei. Every woman in the universe will thank you.

 Zechs Merquise/Milliardo Peacecraft

Who wins: Zechs

-listen, you could probably easily take him down by just guilt-tripping him with any of the numerous idiotic things he’s done. (“At least I didn’t try to destroy the planet!”) he’s easily sidetracked by his own personal issues, but this has a downside of kickstarting him into Another Idiotic Idea That May Lead To Mass Genocide. So, you know, don’t do that. And besides, if Noin overhears you talking shit about her man, she’s gonna kick your ass and then Zechs wins by default.

 Treize Khushrenada

Who wins: no one

-I mean, you should absolutely fight Treize, the warmongering, rose-scented jerk. But this was all according to whatever his crackpot plan is, and even if you manage to kill him, you still don’t actually come out on top.  

 Literally any of the girls

Who wins: not you

-do you have a death wish? Is that it? Or do you just want to be thrashed by a beautiful woman?? The only one you have a chance of winning against is Relena, but if the guilt of even daring to harm her doesn’t kill you, everyone else certainly will.

[14disembodiedhands]

Zech and Treize - the original mech pilot bfs.