#yes it’s annoying and not realistic but neither is your ship

[onewomancitadel]

A post about self-justifying media

I'm trying not to write an annoyed post about it but it has never been more apparent to me than now that the belief problematic content = moral harm in real life is almost solely disguised shipping warfare.

What's even more annoying is that no I don't think art should be put to a censoring body (within reason: s/nuff is illegal, or should be illegal, for a reason, etc.) but I think that what effectively 'is' its own censoring body is the court of public opinion and response. (See previous post which is related).

If you want to stymie that by saying 'oh you can't criticise E/uphoria et al. because it uses its graphic content to communicate specific ideas' then you've defeated what I think to be is the thing that justifies problematic media: being subject to reasonable artistic interpretation. Does it succeed? Which at the end of the day really demonstrates the anxiety of anti/pro shipping, or in this case the thoughtless consumption of 'problematic' media, that is, it's centred in personal discomfort.

I can never get behind the idea that 'consumption' - and it is consumption - of art and media is a thoughtless activity or that it being a thoughtless activity is justifying. That is not to say I endorse self-flagellation - that is actually absurd - and nor do I think you need to write essays about the things you watch. I also still think, and have said many times, that the direct response of a work may not be necessarily directly confluent in the sense of, say, Kylo Ren killing his father is not going to make me consider committing literal patricide, but it does make me think about growing up and having a complicated relationship with family. It is completely reductive to argue otherwise, and elides the response to art to just be, again, morally didactic.

But the absence of moral didacticism is not the absence of moral idealism entirely. 'Fiction doesn't real' taken so far to mean that 'it doesn't reflect anything real in any way' is absurd.

Yes, there are going to be things that people take moral issue with that you personally don't; I think that if you enjoy something 'problematic' - yes I'm going to expand on this angle - it should be expected that some people might be uncomfortable with it; that is actually in part its purpose. It is not universally edifying.

When the idea of 'problematic' is broadened to mean 'anything I don't fucking like', then of course the conversation loses meaning. It's exactly why the natural defensive response is to say fiction doesn't mean anything. If you can levy your personal discomfort through an accepted political lense which can argue for the actual removal of stuff you don't like, then that is a very, very potent opportunity that I imagine people would take advantage of. As they have.

But then if you want to meaningfully criticise something (e.g. gratuitous and fetishised sexual violence against women in media, for the purposes of this post this is the easiest to demonstrate) there's that problem where neither binary approach really fits the analysis. Whilst yes, when it comes to film and TV there is actually a labour rights violation potentially at play, generally speaking it's not always a matter of 'Should this exist?' but, 'Is this self-justifying?' and this is why I think that the discussion surrounding artistic value is important to me. It's obviously an approach completely fucking ruined by both 'everything is valid' crowd and of course all of the nonsensical fash rhetoric. The 'Is this self-justifying?' approach leaves room for discussion, which itself can be illuminating; whether you think Sansa's rape scene in Season 5 of G/OT was justified or not is very telling of your own approach to sexual violence in media, especially contrasted against the source material's handling of the matter.

People who want to argue from the 'historical realism' refrain (well - let's be frank - it's not necessarily historically realistic, but the universal rule of oppression is to make you believe something like patriarchy is eternal, historical, immutable, and innate) are arguing from the legitimacy of depiction, that is to say, you want to censor historical realism. It's not a matter of censorship - it's a matter of artistic decisions that were made. It's not self-justifying, so you need to set your argument on those terms. It's much harder to justify the use of the rape scene in terms of the setting itself, even potentially read alone without the source material - because their treatment of Sansa's character indicates profound technical issues of writing, thematic motivation, and overall inability to handle female characters as time went on (though honestly they did that to everyone). That Sansa's rape scene ended up on p*rn sites should tell you everything you need to know. Let's be real. It was not a scene that was necessarily only meant to demonstrate brutality, or cruelty, or Sansa's loss of innocence (how many times did that need to happen? Must rape be used to always disillusion women? Is rape a reality women need to experience to 'grow up'?), it was - perhaps inadvertently - shot through the lense of being sexual. It doesn't help that film and television struggle to communicate sexual violence through a different lense from positive sexuality in general - they are selfsame. Someone else might choose to expand upon the idea of the perceived interchangeable nature of sex and rape, but that's moving beyond the scope of this post.

The point I'm trying to demonstrate here is that if you can critique it on the basis of being artistically self-justifying, it's a much more tenable argument, because the reality is that - all arguments about problematic media aside - censorship in art is a tool of fascism, and if you think the nice people who like you and are on the same side as you aren't going to eventually use it against you, you're being foolish. But from a philosophical perspective I think the much more powerful angle is that the artistic media is meant to make you think and consider, and sometimes that thinking and considering arrives at a negative opinion. It's no accident that something which is meant to make you think/feel is something that the wrong sort of people would want to take from you. Perhaps this is what is so frustrating about your average anti - they toy with such serious forces beyond their knowledge and AO3 sucks I guess.

So you can see my ongoing frustration with the anti/pro-shipping matter. From an absolute perspective, I agree with the latter in the sense of censorship, and that is the end of it for me. But I do think there is a purpose in personal interest or personal disgust. Obviously in fandom you engage with people with similar interests and you generally don't want to interact with people who don't like the things you do, and no I don't think anybody should be self-flagellating. But clearly there are people - like me - who are to some degree unhappy with the arrangement.

Antis have spoilt the well, and have decided 'moral badness' constitutes 'conflict in narrative and bad things happening', and proshipping has naturally flattened the matter as I've laid out in this post. 'Just let people enjoy things' is obviously a boring idea to me - and it's annoying - and the reality is that there is meaning in light entertainment or things you're 'meant to switch your brain off for' whether you like it or not. You don't need to feel bad about it; your capacity to engage with it (and no, again, not self-flagellate) is part of its self-justifying element. But, say, I watched a recent video of Extreme Cheapskates on YouTube - really the dregs of the dregs, reality TV - and I couldn't shake the feeling that it made me uncomfortable. That was good - I found out the woman featured in the video did follow-ups of her own where it was shown that she had been falsely depicted, and she was a lovely albeit sad person. Is that something I should just let myself enjoy? It did teach me something.

Of course, at the end of the day in fandom, people are going to like the things they like - that's what's at the heart of the matter - and this really does, in truth, go much further beyond fandom. There is clearly some moral crisis in media, but a film just made two billion dollars with possibly one of the most offensive depictions of Indigenous people allegory, and it went completely unproblematised by the text. So what does that really say?

Take note that nowhere in this post did I endorse public self-flagellation or the usual anti rhetoric. That, again, the well has been poisoned is frustrating for me. We can only talk about narrative in strict, confluent terms - something as basic as enemies-to-lovers is turned into an embarrassing strict allegory for domestic violence as opposed to being rooted in higher moral ideals, and higher narrative ideals, and fantastical, metaphorical violence. Of course there's an apparent deadening of media criticism - but that is exactly my point in this post.

You can't give into 'it doesn't mean anything!' if the problem with antis - and a lot of narrative cynicism online! - is exactly the problem they already have!

[asortafairytale]

With all the hot takes going around about L/okius and S/ylki I’d like to add my own which is L/oki shouldn’t be “in love” with either of them bc they’ve all know each other for like two days. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk

[skipps-writes-for-gojo-satoru]

I'm not sure Gojo has ever even shown an interest to any girls.

He calls Utahime weak and teases her by making fun of her, essentially- which she hates. Mei Mei is incredibly strong and beautiful, and Gojo acknowledges her skill but that's it. I also noticed that in the anime (the manga doesn't have honorifics, so please correct me if I'm wrong) but he calls her Mei-san rather than Mei Mei. Therefore, I don't think he ever tried to get much closer to her than the interactions we've seen. When she asks him if he'd comfort her if she cried, he tells her that's she strong- she wouldn't cry. I thought it was interesting that while Mei Mei's question was slightly flirty, Gojo answered so simply, without any teasing.

He calls Shoko by her first name, which is understandable since they spend more time together being in the same grade. He realizes that her ability is rare and useful, but like with Utahime and Mei Mei he doesn't go any further than that. He mostly speaks to her about work related things and doesn't flirt or tease much at all.

Honestly, I think Gojo actually respects his female colleagues and mostly pokes fun at Utahime because she's so uptight and strict. Shoko and Mei Mei are more relaxed and self-assured, and Gojo recognizes their skills and compliments them for it rather than teasing them. I doubt Gojo really thinks Utahime is truly weak more than he just loves riling her up. Other than that, Gojo's pretty respectful.

Also, in the Hidden Inventory arc, Gojo was bombarded with screaming from all the girls excited to see him. Other than pulling his shades down so they could see his face- after they asked him to, btw- he didn't really do much else. He didn't even react much to the teacher giving him her phone number. His only comment was "what a fun school," and it's interesting to see that while lots of girls do appreciate his looks, he acts only mildly amused.

Other than that one model as his wallpaper, we don't really see Gojo flirt or show interest with anyone. He only really teases Utahime to piss her off- I suspect he hates how much she follows the rules like Nanami does, who he teases often as well. He likely just enjoys annoying people so stern because rules just don't sit well with him (especially because of what those "rules" had done to Geto).

It's just a possibility, but he could be one of those guys who's more interested in work than pleasure- I know, he's handsome, but not all handsome people are players and cheaters. I think that's a horrible stigma and a lot of attractive people irl are judged and criticized solely for their looks. People make too many assumptions on someone just based on their genes, and I think it's pretty shallow to think Gojo's a womanizer just because he's attractive. And he knows he's attractive- but when did being confident in yourself make you a philanderer? Gojo has never used his looks manipulatively at all.

It's definitely a possibility that he would be a womanizer, but I'd say it's unlikely based in what we've seen. To sum it all up, Gojo doesn't show interest in anyone. He teases Utahime often, likely for the same reason be teases Nanami- they're too uptight. Shoko and Mei Mei are both incredibly skilled and beautiful sorcerers, and he does acknowledge and compliment them for it, but he doesn't tease or flirt with them. He's respectful, and he works with them as his colleagues. He didn't get distracted by the teen girls fawning over him either, or suddenly get overtly cocky or show off, only sliding his glasses down so they could see his face, and even then he acted only mildly amused. Also, when Miwa asked him for a picture, he didn't even stay and chat with her or anything (I know she's a minor, but if he truly was a womanizer, he would have at least stayed to hear her compliment him or anything to feed his ego) Maybe ask her "Oh, you want a picture with me? The strongest? How cute~" A flirty comment, a joke, something to fuel his own ego, but he doesn't do that. He doesn't act in a way that conveys he openly pursues attention from women. He just takes the picture with her and walks off casually.

Therefore, other than the fact that he's handsome- and I know many people who would assume things about someone based on their attractiveness, which is a terrible stereotype- Gojo doesn't show much interest in flirting at all. He could be the type of guy who works more than plays- and there's plenty of guys who are handsome but aren't super interested in playing around. Being handsome doesn't automatically mean he's the type to sneak around and have affairs here and there. It's completely realistic for a handsome man to be uninterested in any kind of relationships- not all men are sex crazed, and being a tease to his friends doesn't make Gojo a flirt either. Teasing your friends is perfectly normal.

Therefore, Gojo being a 28 year old virgin is totally possible- not everyone's a sex crazed teen who only thinks about what's between their legs, and basing it on what normal Japanese teens do is unfair. Neither Gojo or his lifestyle is exactly normal, and there's definitely barriers when it comes to experiencing normal youth activities for Gojo's generation- especially Gojo's generation. Yuji's generation definitely has more freedom to do fun things because of what Gojo has done to give the youth more freedom- things he hasn't been able to experience himself in his youth, like playing baseball during the exchange event. That was the first time they ever did something different to tradition, and that was only because of Gojo's consideration.

Gojo's youth was filled with blood, exorcising, and choosing between life and death. The deaths Yuji and co. witnessed were what Gojo experienced as well, if not worse. Gojo's task in his youth was to protect the weak, and he found that burdensome. At least, until Geto betrayed them, and Gojo realized the new burden he had to bear in changing the Jujutsu world because of what it had done to his only best friend.

There are definitely more important things in Gojo's mind than just losing his virginity, like saving people and choosing who to save, whether he should kill or not kill.

Gojo is the strongest, but he also bears the biggest burden- and that burden is something he chose to bear, and being the strongest is something he chose to be. Because before Geto left, it was "We are the Strongest." Now, Gojo worked tirelessly so that he could say "I am the Strongest."

And that's not something you can do while sleeping around. I think a lot of people fail to recognize just how hard Gojo works for himself and others. They just think, oh he's the strongest, so it should be easy for him. But it's really, really not that simple, is it? Especially when you have to do it on your own, and even then Gojo realizes that his strength alone isn't enough to save people. He can't save everyone by himself- It's not enough for just him to be the Strongest, so he works diligently to build and inspire his students to stand with him.

He's actually a very deep and emotional man who cares about his students and especially, even now, his best friend. Everything he does is for their sake- he sacrifices the normal life he could have lived, like Nanami had done, for their sake. And he fights with the higher ups, takes the brunt of their ire, and laughs it off, acting as if he fine, like a dad pretending he's superman for his kid's sake. But Gojo is burdened, and he's tired, and he hardly sleeps, and he has the most missions- he's the Strongest, which means everyone needs him, and he bears it.

Sorry for ranting again tho. I think I went into two different topics lol oops- 🤔

OUR SAVIOR 🤔 EDUCATING PEOPLE pay attention ya'll another thing I've noticed in the latest episode is that in his phone contacts he actually writes Utahime's name properly like formally no emojis or teasing shit he actually sees them as his colleagues people he can rely on his field of work and yes about the whole thing when he bursted into riko's class man was absolutely clueless just silent as a teacher tries to give him his number. I'm pretty sure as a child Gojo wasn't allowed to attend public schools due him being in danger or putting others in danger so he doesn't know much about public schools or normal people in general since he spends all his time with people from the jujutsu society.

That is definitely true just because someone is good looking that doesnt mean he's some cheap womanizer. I see a lot of people shipping him and Utahime together which is understandable ship who you like but I don't think Gojo as any ulterior motives like wooing Utahime by teasing her he just is plainly teasing ya know like friends do but in this case Utahime hates his guts and he doesnt know. I mean it takes some amount of hate to try to throw hot tea at someone 😂

While certainly I agree Gojo's teen like wasn't the best it was like he literally had a full time job at that age but who's to stay he didn't go messing around one time? I'm sure during his teen days he wanted to experience things he didnt get to to but now could because he lives on his own now. But maybe he didnt at all who knows? Which also raises another question, I wonder if he has any romantic experiences? And this was all before what happened in the hidden inventory arc after that I can see him more becoming invested in his duty and with what happened with geto as well would of definitely had a huge impact on him to try harder even though hes the strongest so that the next generation wouldn't have to experience the things he went through.

It's really sad if you really think about it what hes been through and what he has to shoulder all while keeping the facade that he's okay, I bet there were times he cursed his powers and his life....but he bears with it anyways because everyone is counting on him....

And don't be sorry at all! I am actually really learning alot about Gojo from you. Please continue to tell us your thoughts and feelings. I don't mind at all ❤ and thank you for taking the time to write 💕

[wowsoboring]

Deconstructing baseless Harry Potter arguments #1: Harmony Edition

There’s a very helpful account on instagram (this instagram page merely gathers toxic harmony shippers, they don’t ship Harmione or hate all Harmione shippers, please don’t send them hate, show them love and support) where you can essentially find stupid fucking bashers who make baseless arguments. I’m all for Harmione shippers, as long as they don’t denounce Romione, bash Ron and just peacefully co-exist. To my pleasure, such people are out there: they just dont seem to be seen as often as the ones that are not nice. Maybe all I see is the mean people and the majority is nice, but in this post, I am attacking those who make baseless claims and bash Ron/Romione/Hinny/Ginny. I don’t myself hate all Harmione shippers. On top of that, as a Romione/Ron fan, i do acknowledge Ron’s character flaws along with Hermione’s and I hold them on the same pedestal.

This is copied directly from my own instagram page, granger.weasley_ on ig.

Anyways let's get deconstructing

1)

rebuttal:

Yeah okay mf; maybe don’t compare real-life relationships with fucking fictional ones. Your relationship going wrong has nothing to do with Ron/Hermione. It has everything to do with you and your ex: the *real life* people involved in it.

2)

rebuttal:

The weird subreddits and discord servers also seem to have a lot of die-hard Harmione “non-canon” shippers. They bash Ron and Romione (along with Ginny and Hinny) with a burning passion without any objective sense of remorse. They ignore all the merits of Ron’s character and bash him to push their agenda. They can’t even do so much as fucking acknowledge any of Hermione’s character flaws but still somehow manage to fixate on that one time when 11 year old Ron just shit-talked one line while Hermione had just publicly humiliated him in front of the Charms class and practically shouted at him for doing the spell wrong just before. I personally don’t because Hermione was 11 too and wasn’t that good at social cues that early on, which is more than okay. Neither am I.

Only a few people in the Romione fandom bash Hermione. And it’s not like Harmione shippers (most, not all!) don’t bash Ron and Ginny remorselessly, right? The fucking hypocrisy.

If someone considers Ron as the best member of the trio, it is their own opinion and not a fact. I do that. If you consider Harry and Hermione as the best member of the trio or in the whole wizarding world, most people don’t give a flying fuck and probably won’t argue with you because it is simply an opinion. That will only happen when you pass that off as a fact.

Statistically speaking, most (not FUCKING all) Harmione moments are in the movies. The weird dance scene especially. The passionate kiss that happens in Ron’s vision, shit like that. Ron is pushed to the sidelines in the last set of movies while Harry and Hermione show each other endless love and support. “I’ll go with you”. The books on the other hand, describe Harry and Hermione as siblings multiple times, with very little Harmione references.

3)

rebuttal:

So you don't want us to fixate on the large majority of Harmione shippers who do the exact same thing, just kissing Hermione's and Harry's ass and hating on Ron. However you will fixate on people who are most likely not EVEN bashing or hating but pointing out a few character flaws in Hermione in a fair and unbiased way. I would know, I'm a huge fan of Hermione as an individual character (in the books). The only criticism I've seen of Hermione to this day has not been bashing. In the comment section of my own fics (shameless plug) I've seen some Hermione bashing. On an ao3 comment section. And I've seen so damn fucking many people bashing Ron, Ginny, the Weasleys etc. and garner tens and thousands of upvotes on quora.

What does Ron even need excusing for? The running away incident and Krum. What does Hermione need excusing for? Canaries, contributing to Ron's insecurities by making him jealous through Cormac and Krum even though she didn't even like them (especially not Cormac, she fucking hated him). Ron wore a locket that literally highlighted his fatal flaw (insecurity) in an echo chamber. Harry kept getting annoyed when Ron wanted to check in on his family. Harry asked Ron to leave; Ron didn't say that shit in the books about Harry's parents being dead: that was plain shock value.

And sorry for repeating myself but I have seen quite a few Harmione shippers bash Ron and Ginny and excuse every single thing Harry and Hermione have done.

4)

37 upvotes on this weird comment that makes no sense? Echo chamber alert! You know what us Romione/Ron fans all have in common? We have never experienced such an echo chamber. I made a pro Ron/Romione post on reddit and got a considerable amount of people who bashed Ron and Romione in the comments.

The amount of Hermione haters is very few compared to Ron bashers. Nobody hates Hermione for being independent, determined, etc. We dislike perfect movie Hermione who’s an unrealistic image of females and seems like some sort of agenda than a real woman. Most Romione shippers/Ron fans and book fans in general (except for you apparently) dislike movie Hermione and still are fans of realistic book Hermione. Most, not all. In general, we do not claim anyone who does the exact same thing to Harry and Hermione that these sorts of Harmione shippers do to Ron, Romione, Hinny and Ginny. I say this on the behalf of all Romione shippers and Ron fans.

Ron's not a bitchy lay-about drama causing loser. That's Steve Kloves's movie Ron. In the books Ron is realistic and simplistic and apologizes whenever he causes problems. He acts up substantially twice in a span of 7 years where he is also a hormone-fuelled teenager.

This is so contradictory and juxtaposed to the point of near delusion. First you talk about how Romione shippers bash Hermione and then you bash Ron as a Harmione shipper. Mate, fighting fire with fire will get you called a hypocrite. Fix yourself.

5)

So the movies are fine when they work according to your agenda? And yes how dare he add such a (fake) chemistry fuelled moment between Harry and Hermione while defeating the entire purpose and groundwork for Romione, the sadness caused by Ron leaving and so many more things? Those Harmione moments you mention seem friendship -esque more than anything else.

Steve Kloves's moments ruined many things while just paying fan service to the Harmione fans he'd birthed through years in the course of 6 movies where he showed Ron as a, how you so eloquently describe it, lay - about drama causing bitchy loser, Harry as one dimensional and Hermione as a zero - dimensional Mary Sue who might as well be the main titular character. Obviously Harmione fans such as yourself don't see the problem with it as it fits your narrative

6)

We do care about Harry and Hermione at large. Most Romione shippers rightfully bash Draco, Pansy, etc. not particularly Harry and Hermione, that's quite rare. Harry and Hermione can get along without Ron as friends. Ron and Harry can also get along without. Hermione as friend. So can Hermione and Ron without Harry as friends or more. I don't understand your point and how what you said is any different than Romione or Ronarry’s friendship.

7)

Constant arguing is not what they do. They bicker, they apologize, and sometimes they just do it for the heck of it. They are argumentative teenager. Opposites attract doesn't work in the sense of fire and ice, it works in the case of Brownie and ice-cream. Ron is passionate, laid back and insecure. Hermione's passionate, a workaholic and not as insecure. Ron can help her get calm and composed and get her to give herself a break. Hermione can motivate Ron and re - enforce his confidence.

It wouldn't be step incest. Harry and Ginny do not regard each other as siblings. They do not look similar whatsoever. And a Harmione shipper also bashes Hinny and Ginny along with Ron and Romione? Checks out

" that fucked up Harmony" hahaha. What?

8)

Are you literally going to date someone on the basis of what Harry Potter ships they prefer? That is so shallow end depraved. Your Harry Potter ship preferences should not be the groundwork for your dating life. Please understand that. Harry Potter is a fictional world which is not real. Hogwarts doesn't exist. Magic doesn't exist. I sound like a Dursley but that's what it is: a fictional realm with fictional character. I would personally not give a fuck if my best friend or significant other was a Harmione shipper. In the case of them being a Ron basher, I would ignore it as if it was just a minor inconvenience and something we wouldn't be discussing and that's how it should be with you. Fuck BuzzFeed, your opinion on what Harry Potter ship / character is your favorite says squat about your personality and relationship with others in a romantic or platonic context. But who cares? Live your life however you want. I'll be stoic.

9)

It's not opposites attract rubbish or high school opposites attract. Ron and Hermione aren't polar opposites like I said, they are a bit different but similar too in many ways. They have a lot more in common than Harry and Hermione. Ron and Harry have the most in common. Both Ron and Hermione are passionate, loving, argumentative, caring, etc. Your argument lacks substance. It's biased trash. And what does “obhwf " mean?

---------------------------------

at the end of the day, i’m just an annoyed teenager. I try my best to be open-minded to people but only as long as they are too. I tried to use my brain more than my feelings for this post. 

[raymondebidochonlifechoices]

Portrait of the FBI trainee as a young adult

or Some thoughts on how Riverdale aged up their teen protagonists

Jumping seven years in the future over the span of just seven days is not an easy feat, but it can certainly be done: changes in physical appearance and “adult” stories are very useful tools. But this is Riverdale, which means that, while all characters are adults in season 5, some characters are more adults than others.

Jughead Jones, Veronica Lodge and Toni Topaz, in particular, come to mind.

Adult Veronica has been blessed with a new sensational wardrobe befitting a more mature character. To be honest I’ve never met a 25-year-old dressed like Ronnie, however, her clothes are those of a grown up. Character-wise nothing has changed for adult Veronica. However, she had always been portrayed more like a young adult businesswoman than a typical teenager. So, in a way, post-time-jump Veronica hasn’t so much changed, as grown into her age. As a result, she might not be different from her pre-time-jump self, but she is convincing as an adult.

Toni had a similarly drastic change of wardrobe, accompanied by equally drastic changes in terms of her character: Toni is now pregnant but -most importantly- in a position of authority. She might not have her own story line yet as advertised (so far, she has supported the plots of Big Bad Hiram, Hero Archie, Investigator Betty and Isolation Queen Cheryl), however, in every scene she has been portrayed as someone dealing with adult responsibilities and being successful at that. She runs the Whyte Worm, she used to work at Riverdale Social Services, she’s Riverdale High School’s guidance counselor, she secures financing for the school and its activities, under her captaincy the Vixens have become a winning sports team heading out to championships. Adult Toni is drastically different from teen Toni.

The most adult character, however is Jughead. In terms of physical appearance, he has ditched his trademark beanie and very recognisable wardrobe for a new set of clothes, a couple of tattoos, glasses and facial hair (that some love and some hate). In terms of story lines, like Toni, he has the most adult ones. And the most different ones from those of his youth. He has meetings with his agent where he talks about his job. He no longer investigates to unravel Riverdale’s mysteries as much as he interviews people for a book, for which he already has a contract and a deadline. He takes a second job to make ends meet. He faces debt. He (supposedly) drinks a lot. As a teacher, his storyline has been the most realistic of them all. Instead of condoning dance-offs with 25-year-old Cheryl or being given a class of minions like Veronica (wasn’t that a very taciturn and obedient bunch …), Jughead is shown staying out late to prep for class and giving pop quizzes to students who are actually unprepared/bored/rude. Mobster-like debt collectors and alcoholism aside, his “adultness” is the most relatable and the most easily recognized as such.

And then, there’s Betty … Who, apart from her longer hair, has been given a mixed wardrobe of 1. new adult capri pants and heels, 2. her old high school combo of sweaters and collars (that she often wears when she investigates – which makes for quite the visual throwback to her high school sleuthing years) and 3. an FBI jacket than makes her look even younger than when she was blackmailing Donna back in the day. Betty’s natural make-up makes her look especially young. (Hadn’t Lili commented once upon a time about how they had gradually darkened Betty’s make up in s2 or 3?) In terms of characterisation, unlike Toni and Jughead, and much like Veronica, Betty is given the exact same material: in her case that’s: “investigating sleuth usually barging into places demanding answers”. Unlike Veronica, however, Betty has not grown into her role, because from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Nancy Drew, the teenager-badass-investigator-played-by-an-older-actress has been an effing trope, and, so far, the writers have failed in differentiating between 18-year-old Betty and 25-year-old Betty in terms of dialogue, set ups, story lines, agency. In other words, FBI trainee Elizabeth Cooper lacks adult gravitas.

Disclaimer #1: this is in no shape or form a diss on the actress, whom I like a lot. This is a diss on the writers, who didn’t bother to update an extremely tropey character, when they updated her on-screen age.

Disclaimer #2: neither is this a diss on the actor playing Jughead, whom I also like a lot. Just because he’s getting better material, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t put in the work: from suggesting the glasses to Jughead’s fed-up, weary, disbelieving or conspiracy-excited new mannerisms.

Then there’s also the matter of how Veronica, Archie and Jughead, all have regular partners for their post-time-jump story lines, whereas Betty has been given the short end of the scene partners stick.

>> Veronica’s foe is daddykins/Chad (who is, anyway, just another version of daddykins).

>> Archie’s story is Archie & his posse against the world. His partners even dress alike to reinforce the idea that they act as one unit! In 5x5 it is Archie and his posse of similarly leather-clad friends against the Ghoulies. In 5x6 it is Archie and his wannabe Bulldog students against the illusive football funding. In 5x7 it is Archie and his similarly dressed merry band of volunteer firefighters against the blazing inferno that is Riverdale.

>>Jughead shares half his scenes with the same new, exciting and extremely likable Tabitha Tate.

>> Betty’s scene partners, however, are seemingly whoever is available at the moment. Polly. Alice. Kevin. Archie if naked. Glen. A trucker. Dr Curdle Jr, A victim’s mother. Reggie. None of them stands out. As this is Riverdale, it’s hard to tell if this is bad writing (focusing on other characters and letting, for some reason, Betty fend for herself, counting on her popularity to maintain the viewers’ interest) or a conscious choice to portray her as being isolated. If, however, it’s the latter, it does the character no favours at all. Jughead’s also isolated, but his plot is new and exciting. In Betty’s case, 1. we’ve already watched the story of her searching for her missing sister when she was a sophomore and 2. I don’t particularly care about any of her scene partners, who are either secondary characters or people we’re not going to see ever again! And this makes her storyline, for lack of a better word: boring (or, in naked Justin Gingerlake’s case, extremely annoying).

I’m absolutely elated to see Betty investigate with Jughead, not only because this will eventually lead to Bughead, but also for the possibility that her mystery plot line will finally become more engaging. That’s not a very nice thought to have for your favourite female character. That’s not a very nice way to treat your most popular female character, especially when you have previously “gifted” her with a cheating story line and the least popular ship (yes, barchie, that’s you).

5x7 came and went and I’m still waiting to see what’s new about Betty Cooper and her storyline. (This is true about Veronica and Archie too, however, this is a bughead blog, so Jughead and Betty take priority! – and, also, let’s be honest, I never cared much about Archie.)

I do not appreciate that FBI trainee Cooper is written exactly the same way as teenager sleuth Betty. Why affiliate her to the FBI if you’re not going to give the character real authority? I do not appreciate the writing choices that make 5x5-5x7 Betty’s plot boring. Why come down so hard on your show’s most popular female character? I love Betty Cooper, both with Jughead and on her own. Likewise, I love Jughead both as part of bughead and on his own. Adult Jughead definitely has my attention. So, when may I have my interesting adult badass female character back?

[leonawriter]

My Personal Takes on Stormbringer:

Without a full and accurate translation to go through in one sitting, it’s still hard to get a handle on things properly. That said, thank you to everyone who’s working on it. 

Now.

(please note all quotes are my memory of translations I have read, and are not verbatim.)

-Asagiri, please, you do not need to make so many coding analogies with regards to Chuuya and Verlaine. They don’t work.

-It often feels - not just in this book but also in 55 Minutes, where there are tight restrictions on a time travel ability - that Asagiri limits abilities based on how scientifically accurate they are. However, this doesn’t make sense! why should it! Literature should be an expression of freedom. There should be rules - the same way the Page has rules - but in the sense of Magic A is Magic A. You make up the rules and then you don’t break them in future. Why have Kunikida able to create something with a mass heavier than a piece of paper out of a page of his notebook, but then say you can’t do [x/y/z] because it’s scientifically unviable?

-I have no issue with how skk treat each other. they are chaos teens. let them be. like... this is the beginning of their actual trust. they’re also in the mafia, and in a dark time in their lives. it’s fine. (it isn’t, but at the same time, it kinda is.)

-I feel like Chuuya taking things from other people and making that thing “his” fits him as a character? he had nothing before, so when you have nothing, all you have is what people give you. If someone gives him a bike, then that bike is his now. He has to learn to look after it, love it, and respect it, and he’ll remember that friend by it. Same goes for pretty much anything else. Also, it’s a show of how well Chuuya adapts to things, and what things he chooses to pick up.

-The hat. I do not like how the hat was treated. Making it into the key that helps Chuuya be able to activate Corruption cheapens the meaning and weight of having been given the hat as a memento of the first person who told him to live as a human being. Why not have the hat be a reminder of his humanity in a purely sentimental way? I’m going to ignore anything canon about this and just say it’s sentimental. Which, like, it could have been a safety blanket type thing, not pseudo-science.

-The coding in Chuuya’s body is a bit... of a reach? How do you put that in there? I don’t get it. Just say that there’s a possibility he might die if he uses Corruption, or that he’ll never become “Chuuya” again. That he’d lose himself utterly. The log history can be either on a chip (insert Dazai making “lost dog, if found return to the mafia” jokes here) or on something else that could easily be destroyed during the course of the story (or not).

-Dazai living in the shipping container reads to me like an extreme version of “I do not want to be found I do not want to be helped I am worthless trash and what’s the point in having an actual home if I plan on dying any day anyway.” Verlaine asks what drove him there, and Dazai says “you” and tbh that offers up so many questions (like, was the shipping container thing recent, was it temporary, or what). There’s the possibility that Dazai doesn’t always live there, because otherwise he’d suffer from hypothermia and get pneumonia in the winter! But above all, Mori had nothing to do with this. He was probably terrified to go too close in case he got killed. Stop saying Dazai lives here because “poor baby was abused :(” that sure was not it.

-Dazai goes all this way - plotting for ages, since before the beginning of the book, having been number one on Verlaine’s hit list, just to get the truth about Chuuya’s humanity and to preserve it - because “I want to see Chuuya suffer as a human being” is him saying he doesn’t want to see Chuuya become like him, or inhuman, because that’s not Chuuya. (dude, there ain’t a straight explanation for this...)

-following on from the previous, Dazai refusing to just let things be the moment he realises that it’d mean double suiciding with Chuuya. I personally see that as a shippy moment because Dazai had already given up on Chuuya being alive (if I read the translation right) and in that case, dying would just be letting go. But Mori says “yeah but I don’t think he’s dead yet?” and that, along with the “double suicide” thing, makes Dazai go “absolutely NOT.”

OK a related thing - as far as I remember, when IRL Dazai attempted double suicide, right up until his actual death it would result in either a failure or... his partner dying and him surviving. The cold potential of this happening in BSD if Dazai had just given up reminded me of that.

-Regardless of my thoughts on how it was handled, Stormbringer reinforced my previous ideas about how Chuuya basically IS Arahabaki. It also suggests that Arahabaki was more of a sentient ability than a true “god” but... that’s fine. For me, all I cared about was that all those “Arahabaki is an evil being that is constantly trying to take over Chuuya and Corruption is Arahabaki being let out” takes are not true. It’s... basically Chuuya taking the lid off his power. I joked at one point that Corruption is Chuuya going “I’m so pissed off I’m gonna kick the door open and throw away the key” and Dazai going “go for it babe, I got your key.”

-Rimbaud and Verlaine are... very complicated characters? They’re not easy to get a handle on. I sometimes find myself liking them and sometimes find myself disliking them, and that’s something that’ll be easier when I have a full translation available - and one of Fifteen. Rimbaud was held back by seeing Chuuya, at first, as nothing more than an empty vessel to Arahabaki’s power, while Verlaine was so taken over by grief without understanding how to handle that, that he became a monster up until the end of the story. Neither of them were good people. That said, their relationship to each other? It’s very complicated and reminds me of their IRL selves to a point but without the skeevy nature and without it going so far, so kudos to that.

-Adam. Knowing his creator was a ten year old girl makes so much sense when you look at the things he says and does. He doesn’t get so much. He’s very logical, but doesn’t understand that a game of billiards isn't as much of an icebreaker as he thinks it should be. Surprised by bubble gum. Games like “strange things humans do” are very much like the word games kids play in the car. 

-Verlaine being the fifth executive was something I did not predict at all, whatsoever, and I can’t stop thinking about it. Like... how did he get to that point. Only so much can be said in a few paragraphs (it seems) of “this is [x] number of years in the future where Chuuya’s an executive now.” 

The last we see of him, he’s overcome by grief, hatless, and he seems to have only just realised how much he wished he could return what Rimbaud gave to him. (Ironically, by being able to grieve like that, it shows that he is capable of what he thinks he can’t do - same as Dazai.)

But how does he become an executive? Do they come to him slowly at first, and they gradually build up trust? Does he stay in contact with Chuuya? Do they see each other properly as brothers now, or not? I can’t help but feel that as it’s a long time - six years, in fact - between Stormbringer and canon, some bond of trust must have been built. The mafia protects Verlaine from the authorities and from the outside world just the same as Kouyou says that she wants to do for Kyouka, and the same as they’re there for Chuuya, too. So. A Verlaine who trains the mafia’s best assassins not because he’s forced into it, but because he feels the same loneliness as Chuuya, and finds that it helps? A Verlaine who learns slowly that he can care about more people than just Rimbaud and Chuuya? Holy shit yes please. A Verlaine who is loyal and protective and who you should be glad is in a (probably) gilded prison of the mafia’s basement, because otherwise he would actually do so many things to those who would harm his family.

Let’s just say - if I think of Arahabaki as a guardian or protector god who is just plain destructive because it can’t help that, then Chuuya and Verlaine looking and acting in similar ways because they share that same “parent” in a sense, makes sense. They are no longer just Arahabaki, they’re “Chuuya” and “Verlaine” - but they also share traits such as “Papa Wolf” and “lonely” and “violent,” among others.

-At least twice, pre-Soukoku Dazai and Chuuya refer to how they’re constantly thinking of each other. No, they don’t mean in positive ways, but they’re chaos teens and it’s still strong emotion. Chuuya mentions how he’s thought of at least 190 ways to punish Dazai for the things that he does (which also implies how their relationship is equal, and Dazai doesn’t call all the shots, and doesn’t get away with everything scot-free), and Dazai says that Verlaine can’t possibly win against him, because Dazai “spends all of his time, waking and sleeping, thinking of ways to annoy and harass Chuuya,” (quote not perfect.) 

We also have Chuuya having Dazai appear to him first in his hallucinations, which I see as Chuuya’s inner Dazai-voice saying all the worst things, and ironically not actually saying or meaning things that would get across what real Dazai would want him to feel; in other words, that’s Chuuya’s view of him, or his mind searching for the one person he’d believe it to realistically come from.

As well, Dazai saying “there’s no way Chuuya could be an artificially constructed personality, because no one could create a personality that I [hate/that annoys me] so much.” Which, like... sure... you tell yourself that, kid...

Basically, they’re all the kinds of things that teenagers who don’t really get how strong feelings like these work yet, who are still figuring themselves (and their orientations, probably) out, would say if they don’t even like that other person that much, but they’re still attracted to them. A strong “why does it have to be THEM?” haha. And yet, as others have pointed out, Chuuya seems more on the oblivious side than Dazai, since as said, Dazai goes to all this effort and seems fond (but only when Chuuya’s not looking, dumbass) but Chuuya just... doesn’t get it.

A shorter summary of my thoughts and feelings?

Chuuya suffers, but is ultimately happier for it no matter whether he’s one of the clones or whether he’s the original (it’s arguable either way, and I don’t mind either way) as he’s still Chuuya. His bond with the mafia is also stronger than so many people think it is. They’re literally his adopted family. Even if he chose to leave, he’d still see them as family. I can’t see him leaving. He’s just... they’re family... don’t tear them apart...

The skk is strong, no matter what people say, because this is the start and it’s the end of their first year in the mafia and it’s not supposed to be a healthy time, for fuck’s sake. They’re both all sorts of messed up. They’re allowed to be. This is a time when that’s kinda the point of the book. But yeah, the trust and the bond is real.

Verlaine. I am now fascinated by Verlaine. I was so sure before the spoilers and translations came out that I’d hate him. I no longer do. He confuses me but I NEED TO KNOW MORE. 

[husbandograveyard]

*pops in* uu! A question game? Cute! Dont mind me if I do~.

Character I'd not be afraid to take home to meet my parents?

Benn Beckman. (And Shanks). Benn is definitely mature enough and I think he has a "proper" manners. He is very intelligent and is the "less weird" out of the two.

Shanks.. he can do it, if he would really really feel like it. 50/50 for Shanks.

Marco. Doctor? Check. Responsible? Check. Mature? Check. Family man? Check check... Also.. he is polite too.

Mihawk. On the same lvl as Benn - the symbol of good manners itself. Also, he would have NO problem to charm my parents. (Actually.. Shanks neither. These two are charmers.)

Nico Robin. ... Do I have to say anything else?

Zoro. Kay, kay. Hear me out. I have this idea, that he would be completely NERVOUS wreck. Would come up with flowers and go all extra - he might have even asked his dad *ehm* Mihawk on some tips (not Sanji tho.. too proud, too annoying). And he would be all fidgety.. untill my mum would go all soft on him and make him at ease. But both me and mum would GREATLY enjoy his nerves (dont tell him!)

Which one am I hiding away?

Kidd. I absolutely see him as the guy who grabs his s/o's butt infront of their parents. Cause it is not big deal. He does that anywhere else, why is there any different? But the time his s/o's mother would go all soft and kind - genuinly, motherly kind.. he would just.. fluster. He would not see that coming and would not know how to react. (But he would secretely like it)

Killer. He is WAY better option than his captain. Could be all polite and kind - the rough kind of way. That is untill someone realizes that he is in fact the Massacre Soldier. Yep, no..

Shanks. He could be good only for so long. Than he would go into his chaotic self and while that is not rude or smt per se... He would just be too much and damn.. he SO would challange my father or brother to a drinking game. Which would only result in him and brother or father being extremely drunk and I in charge of cleaning. No thanks, Akagami...

Law. I feel like my dad and him would NOT get along. Dad tends to talk about anything as he knows everything the best.. imagine talking like that about doctor's stuff. While Marco would probably skillfully either change the topic or just let the "madman ramble his things".. Law would go straight against him. Correcting every single error and ending the evening with telling my dad what he TRULY thinks of him..

Best character to be parent with?

Shanks - goffy dad. Also... Pls be it a human baby. Not fur baby. He can handly human baby/kid. But pls dont do this to him and bring a dog or cat on the ship... Pls no.. ( he love animals but.. how . Do you.. deal with them for longer period of time?)

Benn - if his s/o somewhat makes him say yes.. he can be amazing dad to both fur and human baby (would prefer human tho). I think he IS family man. But.. he is also very realistic and is way aware of the danger of being pirate. Especially if he is wanted only dead. Yea, good luck with trying to actually make him say yes.

Sanji - i think he would be extremely anxious. What if he is not good enough to be father. What if he would fail? Would if his father's toxic way is in his blood and he will somehow be toxic to his kid the similar way his father was to him?!? What if his s/o dies?!! ... But after these first anxieties.. he would be bombastic. Doting over his s/o a little bundle of joy. Would definitely want human child. Like please.. someone give a baby to hold.

Zoro - i mean... It was proven that he can handle 3 babies at once. He would be terrible at some things, but quick to learn.

Ace - fur baby first.. baby steps. His anxiety would go over the roof. But ... He would eventually get from fur to human baby.

Robin - both. Also.. hands down, she would be amazing mum.

What do you think? Does it make sense?

OH!! Those are some reasonable arguments, I kind of agree on about 90% of your points! 

Just keep Zoro away from the liquor and you should be fine tbh. 

Shanks and a baby gives me A LOT of joy and a lot of panic because the ONLY thing that goes through my mind is that one scene with Luffy and the knife. Shanks is amazing but he is also chaos incarnate. 100/10 loving dad, 1000/10 too chaotic to babysit. 

Kudo’s for mentioning Benn. Fine, fine,*fine* man 👌👌👌

I too, would adopt a bunch of puppers with Ace. It’s all I need in life fr 

Thank you for contributing dear, it was a joy to read!! 

[fromzerotoeuphoria]

my feelings on rinharu & makoharu

So as I said in my last post, I wanted to make a separate post adding my own commentary on this response thread made by @melancholycheer​ @chensim​ and @thenakedbloger​ to an anon who had bashed melancholycheer for shipping RinHaru. They end up saying (almost) exactly how I feel about both RinHaru and MakoHaru, and I was just applauding them along as I was reading their post!

Their reasons for not shipping MakoHaru are pretty much mine as well, and their viewpoint on how both friendships are valid are the same as mine, too. Yes, OP hates MakoHaru as a ship, but OP also respects and cares for ALL three characters, and they also respect how others may have a different ship than they do, and that’s pretty much how I view it, too (even if the ship doesn’t make sense to me) (as long as people are respectful back).

I wanted to share this convo because so many of the points made are exactly how I feel, from why RinHaru is such a dynamic ship to how I only can see MakoHaru as best friends/brothers. The things said are just 💯.

MakoHaru isn’t canon. Neither is RinHaru. Fighting about it, or acting like your ship is superior, is not only rude, but also pointless.

EXACTLY. Neither ship is canon romantically. You know what is canon? The special friendship Haru has with his best friend Makoto and the uniquely special friendship Haru has with Rin. Does he love and care for both of his friends? YES HE FREAKIN DOES.

The directors and writers purposefully give service to each pairing to attract and keep viewers and customers.

Hate to tell ya, but MakoHaru isn’t canon and it never will be. They’ve already invested too much into both ships; if they set one in stone they’d lose a lot of fans. They won’t do that. 

People need to think—there's no way the creators are going to have an entire show based on the relationship between two characters who are driven by each other and are specially connected to one another, then boldly push fan service between them just to suddenly cut off a huge portion of their fandom by officially, "canonly" pairing one side of that relationship (Haru) with a totally different character (Makoto). Same goes for the fanservice they've been pushing between the Main Character (Haru) and his best friend (Makoto)—they wouldn't do the reverse (RinHaru) and cut off the other huge portion of the fandom like that, either (at least, not while the show is still has future seasons and is profitable).

Though I believe RinHaru is the closest Haru-ship to canon, KyoAni hasn’t made any romantic ship canon yet, and as this isn’t a BL anime, I doubt they ever will.

I don’t like MakoHaru. I have tried, tbh. I’ve read essays supporting makoharu and gone into the tag and looked at fanart and it all felt so weird. I can’t see them as more than friends. They have such a precious, special friendship and making them into anything more just cheapens it for me personally. It just feels…gross. i don’t mean that in an offensive way; i just can’t ship it… I can’t see them as more than friends. I just can’t.

...but honestly just watching the series, Makoto and Haru were just friends, in my opinion. Yeah, they got fan service, but even that seemed like just what it was: fan service. It seemed out of place to me. And more than that, even the fan service didn’t convince me that there was something between them. I’m not saying there’s not; don’t get mad lol, I’m just saying that for me personally I don’t see anything.

Literally exactly how I feel about Makoto and Haru's friendship. Yes, FRIENDSHIP. Makoto cares so much about Haru in a deeply loving way—it's obvious to everyone just how much Haru means to Makoto. And those who know Haru enough can also tell that Makoto means so much to Haru (S02E11 alone is proof). Makoto is such a sweet, soft-hearted, caring guy and the friendship between him and Haru is truly something special.

But okay, in all honestly and as much as Makoto is my big-lil squish, MakoHaru seems just a bit...unbalanced, like Makoto is more concerned for Haru than Haru is concerned for him. Not that Haru doesn't care deeply for Makoto because he does—it just seems like Makoto cares more because he's very demonstrative about it while Haru's personality doesn't show his emotions or feelings often. I'm very fair with that; it doesn't mean that their friendship is in any way one-sided. They just have different personalities. But in all honestly it rather comes across like Makoto has a one-sided crush on Haru (while Haru has a reciprocated crush on Rin)—that’s where the “imbalance” comes in.

That’s a huge reason why I just don't see their relationship as anything other than a close friendship (with Makoto more than likely having a crush on Haru...OR his super caring Type 2 personality could misconstrue his rock-solid love and support for his friend as a crush. That’s very possible, too). Like honestly, there’s nothing remotely passionate about their friendship with one another, nothing that would suggest they both have deeper feelings than brotherhood for one another (again, Makoto does suggest this because boy cares so strongly, ngl it be borderline smothering—but then again he does just have a soft boi personality—but Haru definitely doesn’t suggest this, not with Makoto. With Rin, however...👀).

I mean, even Will and Jem from The Infernal Devices had a more emo-dynamic-passionate brotherhood/friendship than Makoto and Haru do, and Will and Jem were in love with the same girl, not with each other. So people trying to convince others that MakoHaru is a legitimate, canon romantic OTP endgame are just...I just cannot fathom that realistically happening.

RinHaru, on the other hand, has so much passion and rawness and depth. [...] And I know some people feel that way about MakoHaru, and that’s fine, but personally, Makoto and Haruka are just best friends, but when it comes to Rin and Haru’s relationship, there’s something more urgent and pressing and desperate.

THIS! Omg thisssss x10000. URGENT. PRESSING. DESPERATE. You feel this from not only Rin, but from Haru as well. This is HUGE: here you have a kid who’s disinterested in almost everything aside from swimming, a kid who rarely expresses his emotions and runs away from things he finds “troublesome.” He relies on Makoto to handle things for him when he doesn’t feel like bothering, and at the beginning of the anime, he couldn’t wait for time to hurry up and pass so he could become “ordinary.” And I hate to point this out, but that was Haru with Makoto in his life (again, no hate towards Makoto, it doesn’t say anything about Makoto as a character, just about Haru’s feelings towards Makoto). Yet when Rin enters into Haru’s life, the apathetic, rarely-expresses-emotions kid becomes urgent, pressing, desperate to have Rin back into his life no matter how little it is.

(this got longer than I anticipated—I could talk about Haru x Rin ‘til the stars died out, for real—so I’ll put the rest under a cut)

“Well, of course you’d say that, you bias Rin!!” you may say. But see, here's the thing: I wasn't even a big fan of Rin when I was first watching the series (except for shota!Rin because I fell in love with him instantly lol). High school-Rin annoyed me with how unnecessarily rude he was to Haru and the others, and I was Team Iwatobi for a good part of Season 1. If anything, I wanted to see Rin get all emotional about and care for the other guys. I wanted to see this red-haired jerk show emotions I knew he had deep down for my guys. But then, the more I saw the dynamics between Rina and Haru play out, the more the rawness between them and that fire when they interacted with each other drew me in. I came to care about Rin the more Haru was confronted with the feelings he had towards Rin. And when Haru bolted to find Rin after Rin failed his race in S01E12, that desperation emanating from Haru—and this is HARU we're talking about, the guy who rarely shows any emotion—made me just as desperate as Haru was for him to find Rin, to make sure Rin was okay.

The dynamic between Rin and Haru is just something totally different. It's just as one of the OPs said: urgent and pressing and desperate.

Another thing about Rin is that he was barely even in Haru's life and yet he left SUCH a huge impact on it. Rin probably spent half a semester of elementary school with Haru and the boys, yet in those few months he managed to touch something so deep in Haru that our independent, aloof and inexpressive Haru...

1) started running home from swim practice because Rin did

2) went against his own policy of only swimming free because Rin got him to

3) became so saddened that Rin moved overseas that everyone around him noticed (and it was one of the first things Kisumi mentioned when he ran into Haru in high school after all those years)

4) would fall apart when swimming freestyle in a team relay because Rin wasn't part of the team,

5) had Rin always lingering in his mind all throughout middle school,

6) said that he wanted "to swim like you too, Rin" after reading Rin's letter from Australia,

7) quit competitive swimming altogether because he thought he had hurt Rin by winning the race against him that one winter break,

8) was so rattled when Rin said that he never was going to swim with him again after Rin beat him in the freestyle race at one of the tournaments that he went into a trance-like state,

9) basically collapsed after hearing Rin say that he was quitting swimming,

10) was actually on the verge of CRYING after hearing Rin say that because Haru was heartbroken at the thought that he wouldn't ever swim with Rin again

11) said that all he wanted to do was to swim with Rin when Rei asked him what he wanted

and lots more. AND THAT WAS ALL BECAUSE OF A BOY WHO WAS IN HIS LIFE FOR LIKE THREE MONTHS MAX IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

There's no way anyone can tell me RinHaru isn't a powerful, uniquely special relationship that legitimately dances in the realm of the non-platonic. No other relationship in Free! compares to the dynamic of their friendship, to the complexity of their relationship.† They're not the closest friends—Makoto is Haru's best friend and Sousuke is Rin's—but they need each other. Are driven by each other. Are lowkey consumed by one another.

If you read my initial reaction to watching Free!, you’ll know that I knew nothing of this anime before going into it. I also actually thought I wouldn’t fall for the characters (I was too hung up on my Haikyuu!! babies), nor would even really be into it. I went into this whole thing so unbiased and knowing absolutely nothing of the anime or the characters or the ships or that there was even a fandom. I knew NOTHING, so everything I experienced was on my own and for myself. I didn't care for Rin in the beginning, but Haru's complex relationship with Rin sucked me in and was the very reason why I even binged the last 9 episodes in one night; I was so enthralled by RinHaru, and I didn't even realize it until ep12 when Haru ran after Rin like that. There's just something so special and intense about the relationship between RinHaru that it will forever be my ult OTP in the Free! universe.

I actually read a comment on a forum that touched on how Rin was in Haru's life for a fleeting moment yet left such a huge and deep mark in his life and psyche, and I was so happy someone else noticed that. I saved it somewhere, and I'll paste it below because it too sums up so well my thoughts on the dynamic relationship that is RinHaru:

RinHaru 100%...They have such a deep and real chemistry I don't even know where to begin. I could talk for hours about them, but lets keep this short and sweet. Haruka and Rin met in the last year of elementary school (roughly 12) for only (about) the last 3 months of the school year. In those 3 months they managed to create a bond so strong that Haruka never forgot about the red-haired shark-toothed boy in all the years to pass. Rin had such a strong pull on Haruka that when they met in middle school and raced against each other, Haruka quit swimming competitively just because he thought he hurt Rin. Now in high school, Haruka still wants to remember the sight Rin had showed him, and still cares about him just as deeply as his other friends. With Rin he had only been with him for a mere 3 months and managed to create such a deep bond with him, whereas with Makoto he was with him for basically his whole life. While I am in no way discrediting MH, Rinharu managed to create still as strong a bond as they did in such a short period of time. The way they admire each other and strive to be better because of each other just... // too perfect to describe. It's a beautiful dynamic, not abusive in any way as some haters call them. Their relationship focuses on growth, passion, and inspiration, always being able to light a fire in each other, always the person to spur them on and make them go just a little farther. A truly spectacular dynamic, Rinharu will always be my second favorite ship.

Modified by Baki-san, Feb 28, 2018 11:23 AM

With that being said, I honestly don’t care who you ship. Yeah, there are ships I utterly hate (*cough* Rintori *cough*), but in the end the beauty of shipping is that anyone can ship anyone. What frustrates me and pisses me off is when RinHaru—the Haru ship that’s closest to canon because their feelings for each other are actually reciprocated—is not only attempted to be discredited, but Rin is accused of all sorts of heinous things (like being abusive) just so people can fluff up their own ship. But that’s a different post; for now, this is why I ship RinHaru and they’ll forever be my Free! OTP <3

† this post was written for my original blog on July 27, 2020 before I’d watched Season 3. So, pre-drama-with-Ikuya and Hiyori’s-obsession-with-Ikuya. Those are some pretty complex relationships, too

[wmhalliwell]

OTP PROFILE GAME!

rules: answer the questions about your favorite ship (all time or current) then tag 10 people to do it too!

tagged by @easilydistractedbyfanfic

tagging: @jakkuvian @jedikencbi @lettersdeeplyworn @themyskiras @hvitserkk @fitzwilliamsdarcy @felicia-parker & anyone else who wants to. i can’t think rn lol

SHIP AND FANDOM: This was hard because I couldn’t remember a single OTP beyond Star Wars but HERE WE GO: Madwife from American Gods because I’m really missing them lately.

MOMENTS:

What were their first impressions of each other?

lol

Laura definitely thought that Sweeney was yet another man on his high horse, cocky af and feeling righteous and she definitely knocked him down a peg. But she was slightly intrigued by how he could tear her down just as much as she tore into him. 

And Sweeney? He hated her. He hated that he killed her, he hated that he HAD to kill her (because she existed), and he hated that she came back and took his coin. She stole his luck, his power, and she was his walking-talking shame. Thought she was a completely crazy bitch but it didn’t take long for him to get the feels.

A moment you think that both/one of them will remember forever about each other:

I want to say ~magic sex~ but that’s just me being petty. I think realistically Sweeney would remember that quiet moment on the side of the road with Salim praying and Laura shutting up for the first time ever and just sitting in the sun smoking looking dead but lovely. Laura doesn’t want to remember him, but she would probably remember that nugget of a memory after he teleported them to the bridge and she said a joke and smiled and he scoffed and smiled.

You know what, that second one may be one they both want to remember because it’s one of the first and few moments they’re both nice to each other.

A moment you think that both/one of them wishes hadn’t happened:

The post-sex argument where he makes her see that the shit between them is real and Laura hits him right where it hurts big time. It led to Sweeney getting himself killed after all. And Laura was just scared. She definitely regretted it after, even if she never tells anyone that.

What is Their Moment for you?

Oh god, where do I begin? I think it really, really hit me that they were a thing when the ice cream truck flips and Sweeney gets his coin. He has it RIGHT THERE but Laura’s strewn out across the road, dead-dead, and he can’t do it. He curses the gods and universe and he gives her back his coin. He never says anything to her about it. I loved them before, but that cemented it for me. I love other moments of course, but that one (even though it’s mostly one-sided) will always be it.

LIFE QUESTIONS:

Marriage? If yes, who proposes?

No. Not unless it’s the only way to bring one or both of them back to life. Laura was married once and it wasn’t great. And Sweeney is...well, he’s been married before too and he isn’t about to do it again. If they do need to, it would be necessity over the desire to be legally bound because they’re already magically bound so it pales in comparison.

Children? If yes, if one had to stay home with them, who would do it?

Nope.

Housing? Where do they live together?

They travel. Seedy hotels. Occasionally a caravan. Maybe one day Laura gets an apartment but they’re rarely in it. 

Pets? Do they get a pet together?

Laura gets another cat: a black kitten that loves to attack Sweeney. Sweeney hates the thing.

PERSON A & B…

Who would kill/remove the spider and who would leave it under a cup and leave the room?

Laura would kill it. Sweeney would hide it so Laura could kill it later.

Who sings all day long and who gets so used to it they don’t even hear it anymore?

Total headcanon but in a perfect world once the war is over and they’re just living life, Sweeney sings a lot. Old songs that Laura can’t understand and it’s annoying at first but then she kind of likes it. Laura doesn’t sing. She’s always the quiet one until she unleashes her sharp tongue.

Who can cook a gourmet meal for two and who can maybe use the toaster?

Laura is a surprisingly good cook when she gives a shit. Sweeney burns everything, even with his luck back.

Who wakes up before the sun rises and who would sleep in until 2pm if they didn’t have an alarm?

Both depending on how they’re feeling. Sometimes Sweeney gets up before the sun and sits in the perfect spot to be bathed in the light and then goes back in and watches Laura sleep until noon because it’s when she looks the sweetest. And sometimes Sweeney’s drunk half a bar and sleeps through the day and Laura gets up early from a nightmare and sits and plays solitaire and pets the cat and eventually flips the mattress to wake him up.

Who is more affectionate/touchy?

Neither are affectionate in public--they have a reputation to uphold duh--but their eyes say a great deal. At home, Sweeney is definitely more touchy but when Laura gets into a mood she can be pretty clingy.

Who wears the other’s hoodies/shirts?

I would love to see Sweeney try to wear anything that fits Laura lol. Laura often snags his shirts and wears them as dresses with a belt. Even the most horrendously patterned ones.

Who said “I love you” first?

Sweeney. Softly while she’s asleep and in a language she can’t understand. They never ever say it to each other, but they know it. It’s there.

[hadesisqueer]

I seriously laugh, even if it's not really funny (or maybe just a little), about how people just love to criticize Bumbleby even though their argument doesn't make any sense or just shows that they have double standarts.

The relationship is poorly developed.

No, it, in fact, isn't. Subtlely (although Burning the Candle isn't exactly subtle, and neither is the fact that Blake directly compared Yang to her former love interest) or not, the relationship has been hinted and developed since probably... The Red Trailer. Red Like Roses pt. II is basically foreshadowing for the four main characters. Black the Beast descends from shadows, Yellow Beauty burns Gold, anyone? Blake chose Yang as her partner the same way Pyrrha and Nora chose Jaune and Ren, their love interests. And do you really think Adam saying “I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love” and then Yang showing up looking for Blake as Blake looks at her terrified with her face zoomed and then they zoom Adam's face realizing it and saying “starting with her” was meant to be platonic? (Honestly, that was the moment when I confirmed to myself that the relationship was going to be romantic, and I've been proven right). Do you think that Yang admiting that she needed Blake in the same episode in which another girl admits she has feelings for Blake is a coincidence? Did you listen to All That Matters and said “yeah, this is about a gal pal”? Did you even watch vol 6 and 7??? Or just the show, in general? You probably thought Bmblb was about the bike.

I'm not going to make an analysis about their development or about all the Beauty and The Beast references, or about the Renora and Arkos parallels because there are already plenty of those. But honestly, dude, they're not even dating yet. They have romantic feelings for each other, yes, but the already well-developed relationship is still in development so just shut up and keep watching. Or not.

Second argument: It's forced. They're shoving it down our throats.

This one is funny because it doesn't even make sense. Like, how can something be poorly developed and be shoved down your throat at the same time? You were probably one of the few people screeching about Saphron and Terra Cotta, or Clover winking at Qrow, or Ilia being a lesbian, or May being trans, or Blake blushing and Yang gay panicking over her hair.

This one's a classic for basically every single LGBT character in any form of media. Watch whatever show you want, liveaction or animated, watch any film, read any book or comic, it doesn't matter; if they have an LGBTQ+ character, even in the background, you will find someone saying this. Just watch.

They were straight. They made them gay out of nowhere.

First of all, not everyone is straight or gay. There are orientations in between. I'm Spanish, and I always make this joke: the B in LGBT stands for bisexuals, not for bocadillo de atún (that means tuna sandwich in Spanish, and considering is Blake we're talking about, it goes well with the situation). Writers don't have make a character's orientation specific since the begining, because the character might not know. That's what makes it realistic, because it happens in real life. Self-discovery can happen at any age. You might know your sexuality when you're a kid, some people know when they go through puberty (like me), some people realize in their late teens/twenties, and there are people who don't find out until they're like fourty. And yes, I'm talking about Qrow and Fair Game in here. Actually, who says Qrow didn't know already he was bi or whatever and didn't have boyfriends and girlfriends in the past? The guy never said he was LGBTQ+, but he never said he was straight either. None of the characters have. You're the one who is assuming they're all straight because, well, heteronormativity. That's something I unfortunely do too.

Blake is already confirmed to be bisexual. She was in a relationship with Adam and had a crush with Sun and now. Does that mean she can't have feelings for Yang? Now, it doesn't. She has feelings for her. That's what bisexual means. She swings both ways. With Gambol Shroud. Come get some, motherfuckers.

When it comes to Yang, her sexuality hasn't been confirmed yet. We know she's wlw because she likes Blake, but she could be anything. For my part, until her orientation is confirmed (if it ever is, because I don't think it's always necessary to adress a character's sexuality; they like who they like, period), I think she's a lesbian. Yes, she made that joke about shirtless guys in early vol 1, but then she never showed interest in any male after that. Neptune tried to flirt? Uninterested. Shirtless Sun? Lame. Two huntsmen try to flirt with her? Pass. That joke could've been because she hadn't realized yet or maybe it was just that, a joke to annoy Ruby. I'm an out lesbian and I make jokes like that all the time to annoy my friends. But until it's confirmed, it's only a headcannon.

Them being a couple would ruin the team's dynamic because they would look more after each other and leave the other two teammates as second.

This one is just stupid. Yes, it would ruin the dynamic just like Arkos and Renora would ruin their team dynamic, right? And yet I still haven't seen anyone complaining about those two couples, just the same sex one. Damn, do you think having two sisters on the same team doesn't affect the dynamic already? (Pause to laugh because honestly, if I were Yang, I probably wouldn't take Ruby as a leader seriously. My little sister who I basically raised and who is nearly a foot shorter than me, ordering me around? I couldn't lmao).

It ruins the entire show

I'm not even going to talk about this one. If you think the show is ruined because two girls are dating, just stop watching it. No one is forcing you to ship the couple, you are allowed to dislike it and ship other things. Don't go around talking about “toxic wasps” (Pause again: who thought wasp is insulting? I laugh everytime I get called that) are obsessed with the ship because the ones who won't stop talking about it and making entire videos about how terrible it is and how it ruins the show are the haters. I haven't been in the fandom for much time, honestly. Quarantine made me watch the show. But the couple months I've been here have been enough for me to realize that the amount of toxic Bumbleby shippers is actually really small. Bumbleby shippers aren't obsessed with Bumbleby nor are they trying to force the writers to do what they want, the haters are.

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

Hello! I'm pretty sure I saw you mention a while ago that you were disappointed by confessions of the fox, would you mind explaining why? I've seen mostly good things about it myself. If I misremembered then I'm sorry and I hope you have a good day :))

I think this is one of my less popular opinions. And I understand - we so rarely get historical fiction with trans folk as the titular character (indeed, we rarely get any fiction what that). So I get people’s desire to laud it. 

For me though? It fundamentally didn’t work as a book. As a story.  

Let me count the ways. (Apologies in advance for the length of this.)

First: If you’re trans-ing someone who was historically cis instead of seeking to find a real, historical trans or gender-nonconforming person, I have questions. 

Most of the questions can be summed up as: Why? 

I struggle with historical fiction that takes a cis person and re-imagines them as trans as if there aren’t already literal historical, real trans people out there whose stories can be told. It smacks as (unintended, well meaning) erasure of lived experiences. 

Jack Sheppard, to the best of our knowledge, was a cis dude. There were trans folk in London in the 1710s and ‘20s. You might have to dig a bit for them, but they’re there. Because trans folk have always been there. 

Second: Characterisation 

This is more personal taste, but I found Jack and his girlfriend Bess to be inexcusably boring. How a trans, thief and gaolbreaker in 1720s gin-soaked London can be written as boring is anyone’s guess. But he was. 

Jack had no real personality and I found his story to be uninteresting. Oh, he’s the world’s best thief and gaolbreaker, that’s nice. But on its own it isn’t enough.

He had few to no faults. Childhood trauma isn’t a personality. Nor is being trans. And the author relies heavily on gender + occupation (thief-ness) to equal personality. So it falls very flat.  

Bess, his girlfriend, is a mixed-race sex worker from the Fens (even though actual real-Bess was from Edgeware). She seems to only exist to demonstrate that Jack is good at sex. She also veers a little into the Mystical Woman of Colour Healer Who Aids The White Person on their Journey of Self Discovery trope. 

Neither Bess nor Jack undergo any real change in the book. They exist in a weird stasis and experience no development, despite living through some harrowing things. They’re wooden dolls who move through the story without really engaging with, or being influenced by, the things around them. 

The other “main” character is a modern Academic who “found” this supposed “manuscript” of Jack’s life and is annotating it. His story unfolds in the foot notes and it’s just so messy if not a bit contrived. It didn’t make sense. I think the author was trying to convey that the Academic was in a sort of dystopian future, but if that’s the case it didn’t work. And if that’s not the case, the entire inclusion of the Academic’s story served only to annoy and take me out of the reading experience. 

E.g. There’s a scene where the Academic is being taken to task by the Dean for playing stupid games on his phone during office hours and like honey, lapsed-historian/academic here, trust me the Dean doesn’t give a fuck what you do during your office hours so long as you’re in your office and students can come bother you about their poor marks. 

The manuscript is supposedly being sought after by this pharmaceutical company for nefarious reasons that never struck me as being entirely realistic/believable. Also, the university was spying on this non-tenured, slightly useless Academic as if he somehow mattered? Which made zero sense. Anyway, it was stupid and should have been ripped out of the final version. OR changed substantially. 

Jonathan Wild, the thief taker (main antagonist to Jack), is probably the only interesting person. 

Third: Lack of Follow Through, or, the Fabulism Was Not Used Well 

The book tries to blend in some fabulism to the world by giving Jack the ability to “hear” the thoughts of inanimate objects. This could have been fun and gone to some interesting places, but it failed to deliver. 

I personally found the shoe-horning in of “capitalism commodifies everything” to be sloppy and heavy handed. It was done with little grace and didn’t sit right given that we are dealing with the early modern period. Yes, you can use the past to critique our modern woes, but do it intelligently. Don’t slap modern points of view and understandings of things onto the past and expect them to make sense. 

Anyway, Jack spends the book hearing inanimate objects talk to him, asking him to “free” them, or something. And uh .. .it doesn’t go anywhere interesting after that. 

Also the correlation one can draw from these objects to, you know, slaves, is uncomfortable. Especially as it’s the cargo of the EIC ships that Jack hears. I don’t think it’s intended in any sort of malicious way, but the allusion is there and I always found it to be distinctly uncomfortable. 

Fourth: Misuse of Marxist Theory, or, More Heavy Handed Moralizing that Annoyed the Dear Reader because it wasn’t subtle and, more importantly, it wasn’t done intelligently. 

So, the author is an academic - studies 18th century lit. Which is readily apparent as his Academic (self-insert) character is, I believe, supposed to be a historian and uh ... you can tell that the author doesn’t know enough to wing that. E.g. How he interprets some of the laws and customs of the time. Instead of understanding the social, economic and, most importantly, environmental issues that gave birth to laws like “the corporation of the city of London owns the streets so you can’t muckrake” he chooses to understand them through a very 21st century lens (and a Marxist one at that. I know I’m perhaps a bit uncool for this, but I find the application of Marxist theory to the early modern period to be ... not useful). 

Do you know why, mid/late 17th century London passed these municipal laws? Because of the god damn fucking plague you numb nut. You absolute buffoon. It had nothing to do with “oh the City/government is evil and wants to own you” it had to do with the fact that no one cleaned the goddamn street. So the city took over doing it. 

Prior to this, in London, you were supposed to keep the street in front of your building clear of waste, debris, refuse etc. No one did this, of course. I live where it’s cold and snows a lot and people can barely shovel the 2 sq ft of sidewalk in front of their driveway in the winter. I dread the idea of an average homeowner being expected to keep the street clear and clean. 

Anyway, guess what dirty streets attract? Vermin. Guess what comes with vermin? Plague. Guess what happened in 1665/66? The great plague of London! 

17th century England might not have understood germ theory, but they did understand correlation. (Also, the population of London was doubling at the back half of the 17th century and streets needed to be reliably cleared for through-traffic reasons etc. etc.) 

ugh, sorry, that one in particular drove me up the wall. Not everything is a capitalist conspiracy. Especially when we’re talking about municipal by-laws from the 17th century. 

And I understand the temptation to read a lot of modern interpretation of words like “corporation” and “company” onto bodies that used these same words in 17th and 18th centuries. But the weight, meaning and connotation of “the worshipful company of merchant adventurers” is different from, I don’t know, “the tech company google” or whatever. The early 18th century is when we start seeing the birth of the stock market, of “venture companies” (i.e. merchant adventure companies), of a lot of the language and proto-iterations of what will grow to be economic institutions of our time. But it doesn’t mean they’re the same and that difference is important. Because Jack Sheppard is a man living in 1720 he’s not going to be having our modern 21st century critiques of capitalism because his engagement with the economic systems of his time would have been radically different to our own experiences. 

Fifth:  Unbelievable Top Surgery & Recovery 

So, Jack gets top surgery. In 1720s fever-ridden London. While quarantining in a brothel. 

And he lived! No infection! No tearing! He was up and about in a matter of days. I don’t remember if his nipples survived the operation or not but somehow Jack did. Without anesthetics! Or you know, any concept of hygiene. 

His Mystical Girlfriend Who Exists to Show How Good Jack is at Sex is also somehow Magically Very Literate and also Magically a Surgeon? and performs this surgery on Jack in the middle of a plague. 

The entire ordeal was so poorly handled in terms of believability that I literally set the book down and said “what the fucking fuck” to the empty room then drank wine before finishing the chapter. 

An aside, it is funny thinking about the quarantine chapters at this point. I read COTF when it first came out a few years ago. Sweet summer children, we none of us had any idea how to write quarantine scenes. 

That reminds me: the entire quarantine thing was presented as the government trying to control movement and take away people’s rights etc. instead of a very normal, typical response that cities had been enacting since 1350. Samuel Pepys, who lived through the 1665/66 epidemic, barely even notes the restrictions. He’s like just “hmmm I’d love to go to the pub but I also don’t want to die. so. *shrug*” 

At the time of the author’s writing, most of us in the western world had no idea how normal and day-to-day disease was for our ancestors and yes, sometimes there would be crackdowns to try and curb it if an epidemic hit. That was part and parcel of life. So again, Jack and Bess wouldn’t be like “ooooh we’re 21st century slightly libertarian lefitsts who think the government is doing this to control us and for nefarious purposes”. Much more likely, they would have been like Pepys and viewed it as nuisance, albeit a necessary one. 

Sixth: Overall Lack of Realism 

I think I’ve noted the big moments where I was like “no one in the early 18th century would think that I’m pretty certain”. This isn’t to say people didn’t grouse, complain about London government (and the king etc.), critique or question the world they lived in. They absolutely did! Regularly. With great verve and gusto, if the broadsheets are anything to go by. But their critiques, their complaints, suggestions for bettering life, are not the same as ours. Because how could they be? They lived in a different world, were responding to specific things, grew up hearing and believing certain things etc. 

Jack, aside from having minimal to no character, really did read like a modern slightly-libertarian leftist who was plunked into a novel that takes place three hundred years ago. 

In addition to unrealistic political views, his understanding of body, gender, sexuality and identity also read as incredibly modern. Now this is harder, because we have so few extant sources from that time on those who lived non-gender conforming lives, and from their point of view, so yes creative imagining and interpretation is the rule of the day for writing that. 

But, we do know how in general the average person engaged and understood gender and sexuality and that would, naturally, inform anyone whose experience was different. And that base line of “probably what a typical cis Englishman or woman felt about their body and identity” wasn’t present. At all. 

Indeed, gender engagement at that time was interesting. The concept of the body, the role of the physical body, how it was interpreted is absolutely fascinating and the author could have done some really cool things with that. But he didn’t. He went for slapping a modern interpretation onto the past. 

At this point, write a dystopian novel and make Jack a fictional character. That probably would have gone over better, for me at least. The conceit can remain the same: It’s the year 4056 and an Academic found a manuscript from the year 3045 when the Dystopia Was a Thing - and go from there. 

--- 

I think part of what made this very popular and why people seem so taken with it is that it reads smart. It reads like someone who has immersed themselves in that world etc. because of the slang and language used. 

Yet, for me, as someone who has studied this period extensively, especially queerness in London in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, it read flat and unrealistic. 

I was initially very enthused when I started it. There are some posts to that effect on my blog. But it very quickly went south. It tries very hard to be Radical and Smart and Subversive and Critiquing Everything and so I think it fails at the fundamental thing it should be doing: telling a good story. 

(Note: The book does try and address racism in London at this time. It also felt a bit forced. And Jack seemed to have no prejudices or preconceived notions about Indian and Black folk which isn’t realistic. Like, it might make him #Problematic but my dude, you’re writing a man born in 1702. He’s going to have some iffy views. That can be challenged! Absolutely. But they still would have existed.) 

---

Thank you for the ask! I again apologize for the length of the reply. 

[riveir]

wishlist plots & aus.

i’ve been meaning to do this for a while but because i’m a person that really strongly prefers plotted interactions and also runs into problems with actually getting those more developed things going, i figured compiling wishlist stuff and stuff that comes from my own brain might be helpful. i’ll keep this linked in the pinned post if anyone ever wants to draw from it for a starter call or whatever, and to also make it easier for me to find if plotting ever hits a road block.

peace corps. this would technically fall under the umbrella of one of river’s canon au verses, the one in which he lives but is in the less realistic scenario where he rejects his parents’ wishes and goes ahead and joins the peace corps. this could be a really good way to get muses from two different canons / universes / etc. to meet, because the organization brings all these people together into one group sent to work somewhere overseas. river works as an english education teacher, and where they’re working can be totally open. could be used as mentioned before, but also as sort of a stepping stone for river to start a life beyond the states / open up opportunities for him that will take him away from home, etc etc. just a fun way to take him out of his usual settings and throw him in a new place under new circumstances, whether your muse is in the corps with him or if they’re just in the same place and they meet under different circumstances.

political dynasty. rather than holding a high position with goldman sachs, river’s father has an influential political position ( like a diplomat or foreign ambassador, which could explain river living years of his life at least somewhat abroad ), something that would put the family under a microscope on a national scale. could be a very kennedy-esque thing where politics is sort of just like the family business and river would be expected to carry that mantle as well ( which, obviously, he doesn’t really want ). this could go a number of different directions because the barkleys would be considered high profile individuals: bodyguard stuff, danger stuff, etc. i’m open to anything here, this would just be the groundwork to set up some conflict that would be more specific to your muse and their circumstances, since this is pretty adaptable on river’s end. i’d also be willing to write river older than i usually would ( as a younger adult ), because i think being nationally known would change his circumstances a bit and yada yada i can elaborate on that more if anyone asks, if we wanted to go the route where river himself is the political figure, probably a junior congressman or something. he could pretty controversial, as mental health advocacy and gun control would probably be two of his biggest agendas / two of the most important components of his platform.

modern royalty. similar to the above, but rather than coming from a political family, river comes from a monarchical family. obviously not based in the united states but could open up similar plotting opportunities as listed above. for one example he could still be attending a traditional university, and could open up opportunities for your muse to be a classmate of his ( as a friend sure but maybe there’s some benefit your muse could gain from making friends with him or something shadier like that ), or maybe you’re super annoyed that he’s there because like who cares about the royal family and why does he get so much attention, or maybe your muse knows he hates the attention and it gets to a point where he actually has to be fearful about it and there’s some way your muse can help him out.

fake dating. this is a jam of mine always. river could have several reasons of his own to be in a fake relationship, and this could work especially well in another au like the political dynasty or modern royalty scenarios, but it could totally come more from your muse’s end as well. it could also be a thing where river’s parents are trying to set him up with your muse if that would make sense, because that’s a very wasp-y rich people thing to do. 

period aus. this one is super open but river could work really well for this type of thing, especially because his family is so old fashioned in a lot of ways and very traditional in how they expect their family to be and how they expect river to be and all that. also could work super well for this letter writing plot i have in my wishlist tag.

ghost!river. this would have to be plotted for sure because the way river’s “ghost” canonically manifests is as an extension of the other person; he exists to give them advice or as their moral compass/conscience or something like that. it can be different depending on the muse, but he manifests at their own will and serves some sort of purpose for them. he’s more of a guiding force of some sort rather than an actual ghost coming back to reveal new information or anything like that. he wouldn’t do anything that the other muse wouldn’t think he would do, and wouldn’t tell them anything they didn’t already know. the exception to his in river’s canon is when the protagonist has a near-death experience and sees river in the afterlife and they have an actual conversation as two separate entities, and that could definitely be something i’d be up for, too.

champagne problems. this song off of evermore has enormous river energy. from the genius description of the song: “’champagne problems’ tells the story of a woman who shocks her would-be fiancé and their loved ones by turning down a marriage proposal right before christmas ... the song depicts ‘longtime college sweethearts [who] had very different plans for the same night, one to end it and one who brought a ring.’ the song implies that the protagonist has a history of mental illness, which the town subsequently stigmatizes in their gossip surrounding the failed proposal.” river could be either of the people in the couple for obvious reasons ( either the wealthy person from the well-to-do family all expecting the proposal, or the person who breaks it off and is subsequently - or, maybe, already is - the subject of that gossip ). the circumstances of the breakup can vary depending on the specific relationship between the muses: maybe they were really in love and had a great relationship but the influential family just had too much influence and pressure, maybe the stigmatization and gossip was a bit too much, maybe neither of their hearts were really in it and it was just an advantageous thing that appeased the big family but the other person ultimately just decided they couldn’t go through with it. as i am with everything i’m totally open here. it also totally doesn’t have to match the exact circumstances and can just be based on the general idea. ( in the same vein, here’s a link to some cool folklore-based plots )

apocalyptic danger. or to be honest, any sort of scenario that creates a life or death (or near life or death) situation for one or both of our muses. in all honesty i just love raising the stakes.

musician or actor river. even though it’s not my favorite alternative path to explore for him to seriously pursue acting or music as a career, it could open up some potentially cool dynamics that i’d be down with. maybe river plays piano in a bar or restaurant or whatever at night during college and your muse loves open mic night. maybe they’re doing a show together in college or maybe even out of college if i think it would make sense that river could get to that point in life. maybe river’s actually achieving some level of success and has some degree of notoriety. idk this is just an option that could be cool if we develop it enough ( cause like i said, without that development and specificity to our muses i’m not as into this route for him specifically)

childhood best friends to lovers. ( or some variation ). self-explanatory, just my favorite trope. some wishlist stuff here.

wishlist post #1: “i just want a plot where it’s two rich kids who live in neighboring estates and their families always throw parties together and they have vacation homes in the same spots and their elite parents are too busy to notice when they sneak off to fuck in that second guest bathroom that no one uses or get high in the back library and makeout”

wishlist post #2: “give me a we broke up because i had to move away because of school and we knew we couldn’t do long distance but oh my god i’m home for christmas and you’re still beautiful and we’re wine drunk slow dancing to the sound of elf on the television and you smell like hot chocolate and i miss you so much please don’t let this end again plot !!!!!”

wishlist post #3: “someone give me “you live in the apartment across the hall and you’re so fucking hot but i get so awkward around you even though you act completely normal and i stutter every.time. you’re out of my league anyway but then one night my stupid roommate locks me out and i forget my key and you see me sitting the hallway so you invite me in. and obviously i say yes but holy crap what is happening” plot pretty pls”

wishlist post #4: “au where it's a blind date gone wrong/really awkward first time/two people who just get off on the wrong foot but keep on running into each other and then slowly fall for each other”

wishlist post #5: “give me best friends who harbor feelings for each other . they’ve acknowledged the feelings but they don’t do anything about it , because the friendship is too precious . and when one of them is finally ready to say “ fuck it, let’s take the risk ” , they see the other making out with another person”

i also always just want more college things and things in pre-established canon universe aus ( all linked in my pinned post, but including hogwarts, gossip girl, legacies, riverdale, etc ). i’m also always down for plotting ships.

[basketballandtextbooks]

disaster take

i saw this discourse on other blogs and come to the realization that most people probably won’t agree with me but... here’s my two cents:

wendy and kyle are very similar characters, not identical, but the character writing in south park is usually quite shallow (for any character in the cast) and normally any depth that can actually be found in any one character is entirely coincidental or accidental on the part of the observer. For example, in a previous post I mentioned that Kyle probably learned to dance after the events of the rain forest episode, and we know he must have because of highschool musical. This creates and interesting nugget of character depth that fits with his overall character but the connection is most likely entirely accidental. Did the writers think that deeply about Kyle’s character, or did they just forget the throwaway joke they kin-assigned Kyle for one episodes purposes?

for me these gaps between writers intent and interpretation are entertaining and it’s very fun for me to play detective, putting together the whole characters through the lens of ‘death of the author’ and figuring out how the characters behave based on not only their behavior in any one individual episode, but how the inconsistent and shallow character writing makes an overall character-arc (no character is more fascinating in this fashion than Eric Cartman, who has the most cohesive and entirely accidental character arc that spans from episode one and showcases a fascinating and horribly flawed individual)

All of this stated, the similarities in how Kyle and Wendy are written may not be intentional, but the fact is that given the same exact situation they respond similarly and to varying degrees. A good example of this is when they are jealous or their ego is bruised, they both have a tendency to have excessive if not murderous reactions (teacher into the sun, nuke canada, burn down the school, bully your friends)

I don’t think anyone can really make a good faith argument denying that they have strong similarities. There are of course differences, during the smurfs Wendy showed a much cooler head than Kyle would in the same circumstance. They do not need to be identical to share strong similar characteristics

Now for how fandom has perceived Wendy.

There is good reason that some individuals feel that the fan-reaction towards her isn’t entirely based on her writing being inherently ‘worse’ than Kyle’s. It also isn’t true that everyone who loves Kyle and hates Wendy is sexist or suffering from a case of internal misogyny.

That said, Wendy is held to a higher standard than Kyle is. Or more accurately, she is held to account for her actions in canon and Kyle is not. A primary example that I’ve heard multiple times in explaining why she’s a ‘bad’ character or a ‘bad’ person is that she broke Stan’s heart by dumping him. Some accuse her of cheating on him (with either Gregory or Token, pick your poison).

We can dismiss the cheating accusations immediately, there isn’t even a sliver of evidence she ever cheated. The times where she pursued other love interests they were either broken up or not together.

But the underlying message that hurting Stan makes her a bad character and not holding Kyle to that same account when Kyle, as early as the super best friends episode and as terribly as the assburgers episode, has a pattern of hurting Stan and in worse ways.

Wendy dumped him, that’s awful, but she’s allowed to have different feelings for other people and she’s allowed to end a relationship with a boy who constantly vomited on her. But the fan perception of this is “what a bitch” while the reaction to the style friend breakups is “oooh the angst”

This is only one of the ways we can see her being held to a different standard than Kyle. Not every fan is guilty of this, but enough people share this sentiment that is entirely justified for people to point out what appears to be underlying misogyny in how the characters are treated.

There are arguments based more on her writing than her actions, I have heard the ‘she’s always right and that’s not realistic’ on at least four different occasions now. But not only is this factually untrue if you’ve actually watched the show, it ignores the many times Kyle has also been right for seemingly no other reason than the writers convenience. Making him the moral center of the episode or a center of a joke. I find the ‘she’s too perfect’ to be a bad faith argument because the research behind it is shoddy and even when the person behind it acknowledges cases where she was wrong (killing her teacher, bullying, petty grudges to name a few) it’s always hand-waved away as ‘oh, okay, that once, but other than anything that disagrees with me, she’s too perfect. This is a very clear case of confirmation bias. Any evidence that backs the argument that she’s too perfect is guarded and anything that refutes it is discarded.

There will be some fans that hate her and love Kyle for completely unrelated reasons to holding her to a different standard, sexism, or internalized misogyny. But it is a fact that a significant amount of the fandom holds her to a completely different standard and a very possible reason for that is either her gender or how she disrupts their precious ships.

I would make the argument that she has a far stronger and more engaging characterization than Clyde using the same standards I set above where I judge characters based on the totality of their appearances rather than on individual episode. A even removing that framework and basing solely on episodes that focus on them individually, she has a stronger character. And yet I have never once heard or seen anyone making the argument that they dislike Clyde because his character is too flat. This is another case where she, and the majority of the female cast, is held to a different standard. I’ve never seen anyone say ‘it’s hard to write Gregory because he has very little character and the writers only created a flat stereotype’. But I see that sort of perspective all the time for female characters that have more screen-time and development than Gregory ever had.

I love all the characters above and I find their characterizations and lack thereof to be a fascinating puzzle that I spend my free-time putting together.

But female characters in South Park do suffer from what I would consider a form of internalized misogyny. Most fans don’t do this on purpose (thus internalized) but the society we’ve been raised in has a tendency to put men and women on different scales.

This isn’t a scale that’s fair to either sex. The unconscious mentality that “its okay if he has no personality because he’s a guy” does men a disservice too. If you do fall under the category of someone who judges the female characters more than the male ones, I’m not trying to say you’re a bad person or even that you’ve done a bad thing. I want you to reconsider your opinion. Take a moment to actually think about it. I know I’ve been guilty of holding men and women to different standards. In both real life and fiction, I expect less from men. I look down on them in an unhealthy fashion that if I don’t address, could lead to ending up in harmful situations or harming someone else.

fiction is a lens that we can use to better understand reality. I am an advocate that you can treat fictional characters in any way you like and it doesn’t fucking matter. You want to kill Wendy because you think she’s an annoying bitch? Go for it. It doesn’t matter. Wendy is not real.

I don’t want you to change your fandom behaviors, I want you to reexamine them and ask yourself how deeply the disparity in how you view men and women goes. If you use fiction as an outlet for misogynistic or even misandrist feelings, I think that’s valid, but I want you to know that you’re doing it.

If you hold men and women to different standards, whether in fiction, real life, or both, I want you to be aware of it.

Now the elephant in the room.

Damien is one of the most popular characters in South Park and he has one episode focusing on his character. His personality is frequently discarded because in canon, he’s an uppity little git who is both petty and weak. He wants to be liked, is affected by bullying, and cries to his daddy about it.

In fandom he is frequently portrayed as a cool and collected impervious person who, yes, has a temper but instead of how petulant and bratty he appeared in canon, fandom portrays this as ‘badass’.

To put it simply, fandom has a tendency to ignore canon entirely in the name of what’s ‘hot’. They want the prince of hell to be sexy and dangerous, so he is just that.

The majority of popular fanon characterizations fit these same molds. They want Butters to be cute and sweet, so every character flaw he’s ever had is hand-waved away.

How does this relate to my topic?

Fans of the female characters are not impervious to this. Heidi Turner is an extremely flawed and vicious individual who would stoop to any low to protect her damaged pride. She is also a victim in a toxic relationship that put her through a horrible experience. And so the fandom either acknowledges one half, how cruel she can be, or the other, how pure a victim she was someone protect her. And neither combine her to a whole character. A person who was in a bad situation, had a lot of positive traits, bad things happened to her, and she didn’t bad things in return. Her penitent for cruelty in some earlier episodes when she was still a bg character is completely hand-waved away by both camps.

She’s an interesting character and she’s dumbed down for the pleasure of the audience, isn’t this the same treatment the men receive and thus invalidates my entire thesis that they’re held to a different standard?

For starters, the idea that an argument is entirely invalid because of one exception is in itself a fallacy, but to avoid acknowledging her existence would be confirmation bias. She is an anomaly, a female character given the same treatment as the male characters. Is it because she’s deeper or better written than the other female characters? I would argue no, critically watching her episodes she has tons of the same troped behavior that the fans love to despise in the rest of the female cast. Although unlike the other characters (both male and female), where I must do an in-depth watch of the series over the course of 20+ seasons in order to create a whole understanding of them, the majority of her arc happens over the course of two seasons.

An easily digestible amount of content. No one needs to put together the puzzle pieces to understand her like you do with the majority of the cast, it’s all there.

Except it isn’t, and this is why I mentioned her behavior in earlier seasons is discarded. The way people frame her is solely from the seasons where she’s a primary character, ignoring the clear characterization we got from her in earlier seasons that do help to create a more whole understanding of her personality and character.

That all said, there are still portions of the fandom who hate her purely because she blocks their kyman or style or insert-gay-ship-here. There are fans who hate her not because of her flawed personality or even that they find her character flat, but purely because they want to see ‘two hot boys kiss get the gross girl out’. Which is a pretty common mistreatment of Wendy as well.

Now, male characters are on occasion given this treatment but nowhere near as often. While creek shippers and crenny shippers might fight until their last breath, neither group seems to actually hate Kenny or Tweek. But in the ship wars of a ‘het ship’ vs a ‘gay ship’, the female character is frequently trashed by the gay side.

I could go into an aside about the troubling fetishization of gay men that borders on outright homophobia at times, but this has been surprisingly alot.

I guess my point is that any which way you fandom, try to at least understand that sexism is real and be aware when you might be perpetuating messages that can appear unbalanced. And maybe, ask yourself why you do that.

[unordinary-analysis]

(2) Can you maybe give your opinion on the ships between the main characters(Jarlo, Jeraphina, John x Isen, John x Blyke, John x Elaine, John x Remi, Arlaine, Arlo x Remi, Arlo x Sera, Arlo x Blyke, Blysen, Blyke x Remi, Blyke x Elaine, Blyke x Sera & Isen x Remi/Elaine(yep, I have seen all of these ships at least once) and reasoning why you think about the ships(s) in that way?

Okay now I already know this one is going to be fun and easy (thanks) :)

(Btw this got long lmao)

I am not the biggest shipper. I don’t really enjoy stories where the entire plot revolves around a love story. Don’t get me wrong, there are always some characters I want to get together, but for the most part, I don’t care if people get a romance interest.

Now on to the ships:

First up: John.

Jarlo: no. I am not a fan of this one. It’s like the fan base is trying to push them into an enemies to lovers relationship, and it just isn’t supported by the way either characters thinks and acts. Like, be serious, could any of you ever see John crushing on Arlo or dating him? No and that’s just because this is one pair of opposites that just don’t complement each other. Their dynamic would never fit as a couple, I’m sorry. I wish they could realistically date, because that would be so fun to read, but alas. They don’t suit each other (hence the whole enemies thing).

Jeraphina: friendship? Hell yes. Boyfriend/girlfriend? Hell no. I don’t think that these two could ever have a relationship based on both of their pasts and the nature of their friendship. Neither of them are looking for a relationship and both seem absolutely content with where they are now: friends. I doubt that these two will even remain friends for long... I don’t know. Like I always say: dynamic is everything. And a Jeraphina dynamic just doesn’t work. Both of them would be pushing and pulling each other, a battle of their wills constantly. If they ever did get together, which I doubt, they would not last long.

John/Isen: no... I kind of get where y’all are coming from, but it’s just too random. And especially considering the love triangle that Isen is already in and just the fact that these two don’t actually interact face to face all that much and whenever they do John just threatens Isen lmao.

John/Blyke: I don’t ship these two, plain and simple. For the same reasons as Isen. But I would actually love to see a friendship between these two. I was king of hoping for it when they became roommates and before Blyke knew Joker’s identity, but I think my hopes have pretty much been crushed now... :(

John/Elaine: you guys are just crazy at this point. No.

John/Remi: we saw a lot of recent interaction between these two. I’m struggling to write how I feel about this. One one hand, they don’t complement each other (personality wise), but at the same time, I liked how Remi actually listened to what John had to say (which he was looking for). I don’t think these two would fit together well, however, because of John. He just doesn’t take her seriously enough and even if he did, he basically hates her. So I don’t think so.

John/Cecile: this was a ship I noticed you didn’t mention, but I wanted to add it here because it has been one of the most intriguing for me recently. Their whole dynamic... I don’t know I just really like it. Both are looking to get ahead and are using each other to do so. And it’s not like they’re faking being friends, they’ve been very open about using each other because that is just their characters. I have said this before, but I think after all this Joker stuff is resolved (which I think will end with John demasked), when Seraphina inevitably leaves John, Cecile will kind of become his only friend. I think that Cecile could replace Claire better than Seraphina ever could because, unlike both of John’s other friends, Cecile knows and understands what kind of a person John is. Cecile wouldn’t be horrified by it like Claire and she hasn’t been lied to about it like Seraphina. I just think that John and Cecile’s personalities complement each other’s very nicely. Cecile is the only person I kind of ship John with.

In conclusion: The only person I could possibly see with John is Cecile.

Now on to Arlo:

Jarlo: see above

Arlaine: no. I get you guys because Elaine likes Arlo, but I already ship her with someone else and I’m not budging.

Pinkass: aka Arlo/Remi. I am a fan of this ship actually. I think that these two can fit together well without becoming super annoyed at each other, or at least, when they become annoyed with each other, it would be endearing. I like this ship better than Arlaine because I think Elaine is too soft for Arlo. Remi won’t break, she isn’t fragile. I don’t think Arlo is the type of person who would appreciate someone holding him back, and Remi wouldn’t do that. 7/10 for this ship from me.

Arphina: I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. I need an Arphina friendship. I don’t think these two would do well as a couple, but as friends? I would pay for that shit. I want Arlo and Serraphina to become friends after Joker is unmasked. I think it would be symbolic of a beautiful cycle: them ending where they started. Arlo and Serpahina were originally pushed together because they were the most powerful in the school. I think they both knew that and thought that they could never actually be genuine friends because of it. After the Joker aftermath, I like to think that they’d realize that being forced together is why they should be great friends. They can understand each other in a way that nobody else can. I don’t know... I have a lot of feelings about this. Not as a couple tho... but friendship Arphina is something I want to see before I die.

Arlo/Blyke: no. They have a mentor/student relationship right now and it works. Don’t ruin that please.

In conclusion: I ship Arlo with Remi and would like him to be friends with Seraphina.

Blyke:

Blysen: I would ship this if it weren’t for the love triangle they’re in right now. Sometimes, that would be the recipe for a perfect ship, but I just think that Remi would drive them apart instead of together, you feel me? I low key think this friendship is going to end soon. I think that Isen will become kind of a loner character soon to...

Blyke/Remi: Now, this is going to be confusing because I already said I ship Remi with Arlo, but I kind of ship her with Blyke too (I also kind of want her to stay single purely because of all the romantic stuff happening to her, but that’s for another time). I don’t know why I like this ship. I think it is because they both kind of have that white knight thing going on and I don’t know, they have similar ideals. They complement each other. Maybe a stronger friendship between these two would satisfy me, but I don’t know...

Blyke/Elaine: no.

Blyke/Sera: no.

In conclusion: mostly, I don’t really ship Blyke with anyone hardcore because I think he does well on his own, but the idea of him and Remi being together makes me kind of happy :)

Isen:

Isen/Remi: nah (see below).

Isen/Elaine: Okay I’ve said this once or twice, but the most recent time had to been a few months ago so I’ll explain myself here to all of you guys who didn’t read it before. One of the ships I ship is Isen and Elaine. I really want this to happen and I think that it’ll work between them and I know that I’m not making a lot of sense. Okay, so, Isen and Elaine both have this unrequited love thing going on. I don’t think they would go well with their crushes. Arlo would be too much for Elaine and he would’ve enjoy their relationship, probably feeling dragged down by it. Remi just... doesn’t like Isen. She’s nice and all, but she doesn’t really notice Isen like that at all and I feel if she was looking for someone, she would instantly look at Blyke. I think that Elaine would find the traits she liked in Arlo in Isen. Isen is smart and has good instincts. He is less noble that Arlo, but also is more humble in a way, if that’s the right phrasing. Elaine is nice like Remi is and, like Isen was compared to Arlo, more down to earth, and i don’t know, real. I don’t really know... Basically, I think that Isen and Elaine put their crushes on these pedestals, and I think they’ll realize that and fall for each other...? I’ve worded this really badly, but just know this is one of my favorite ships. I’m not even going to reread this paragraph even though I know it’s probably shit and all over the place. Just... think about it.

In conclusion: reread the whole paragraph above lol.

Okay that’s it I need to post this and I think I mentioned anyone I ship above so even if Seraphina and Remi and Elaine don’t have their own sections, they are mentioned elsewhere.

[regalpotato]

1, 7 & 12 for hicsqueak please? (it’s a lot sorry!)

Never be sorry for otp discussion ;) Also I rambled on far too much, so I’m sorry too.

1. - How do they fall asleep? Wake up? Any daily rituals?

Pippa draped over Hecate or snuggled against Hecate or in someway wrapped around Hecate. And yet, when they wake up, it’s always the other way around - Hecate’s the one clinging to Pippa. 

(At first Hecate was super embarrassed by this turn of events, but it kept happening and it always brings the brightest smile to Pippa’s face in the mornings, so Hecate ends up not minding so much after all)

Instead of doing her hair by magic, Hecate lets Pippa do it by hand (which Hecate comes to regret on the days Pippa isn’t there, because it makes her miss Pippa even more)

7. - What annoys them the most about their partner? Would they change it if they could?

As much as I want to scream ‘nothing annoys them, they love each other so much, i cry’, realistically we all know that’s not legit. 

Hecate:

I think Pippa’s ability to be so free and open - both with her personality and her (modern) magic - probably gets on Hecate’s nerves. More likely than not because of Hecate’s own insecurities and inability to open up to people than anything else, but someone being cheery when you’re in a bad mood never ends well.

Would she change it? Good lord, no. Pippa’s the bright spark in Hecate’s world.

Pippa:

Honestly, the first thing that comes to mind, is Hecate’s teaching methods. Pippa (in the majority of hicsqueak fanon) created her own school, with modern magic, for both witches and wizards. She high fives pents them and is proud of them and wants them to just try their best. There’s doughnuts and gay rainbow sparkles and I really want to see an episode set at Pentangle’s oh my god

Anyway, compare Pippa and her teaching methods/beliefs with Hecate’s ‘I’m going to terrifying you into doing well, because I actually super care about you learning, I just don’t know how to push you without being a super strict bitch’ methods. 

I think it would shock Pippa. I know she understands, probably better than anyone, what a huge (insecure, emotionally messed up) softie Hecate is, but it would still frustrate her (more than annoy, i think) to see Hecate pushing her students in such a way.

Would she change it? I don’t think she’d try to change Hecate in any way, or interfere with Hecate’s teaching methods or Cackle’s (especially not after the A New Dawn debacle). But I do think she’d try to gently push Hecate to be a bit softer. And tbh with Pippa in her life, Hecate probably would be a bit softer anyway.

12. - Is there a wedding? What was the proposal like? Any kind of honeymoon?

Me: Hecate would be indifferent, but Pippa would 100% want to get married.My brain: BUT WHAT IF IT WAS THE OTHER WAY AROUND?Me: 👀👀👀

I think they’d get married, yes. But they’d keep their own family surnames (and most likely carry on going by ‘Miss’ tbh - THOUGH LMAO IF PIPPA STARTED GOING BY MS PENTANGLE. JULIE HIGH FIVES HER FOR IT. HECATE HAS A GOD DAMN CORONARY - someone please write this).

Okay, okay, okay, so the proposal. I’m thinking Pippa would be far too terrified of pushing Hecate too far (especially since I’m assuming by this point she’d know why Hecate left the first time), and so it’s definitely not Pippa who proposes. 

Hecate (who either is the one who wants to get married, or just knows how desperately Pippa would like to be married - whichever way floats your boat) spends MONTHS agonising over the proposal. She has a ring (pink diamond engagement ring, because the only thing stronger than her hate for pink is her love for Pippa) picked out, and spends weeks like a dragon with a thorn in her paws/claws/whatever dragons have. Mildred gets a detention every other day. Dimity hides whenever she sees HB coming. Ada has given up trying to figure out what’s wrong. 

Eventually Julie calls up Pippa and begs her to save them from whatever has Hecate in such a state. 

Which freaks Hecate out, because Pippa can’t be there. Not yet. She hasn’t figured out how to propose. But Pippa manages to figure it all out, between soft words and even softer kisses. And says “yes” before Hecate even manages to get the question out. 

Julie high fives her for it when she sees the ring.

Honeymoon! Yes. Obviously during school holidays, because neither of them can be away from their respective schools for more than a few days without some sort of disaster. They probably go somewhere forest-y, because Hecate hates the cold (thank you S2 finale), and doesn’t particularly like the heat. A little cabin/cottage, all romantic.

Send me a ship and a number and I’ll tell you

[the-wind-walker]

Headcannon ship meme | ALL THE NUMBERS | Castiel and Eve (soulmate)

ship headcanon meme

1. Who makes the first move and how?

I’ve thought about this a lot with these two, neither have really been in a relationship before (Castiel for obvious reasons, Eve because she never found a guy she was really that interested in... for now obvious reasons), so both are kind of at a loss as to how to go about the whole situation. It’s not as if they’re uncomfortable with each other, they have a history and all and are certainly comfortable enough with one another.

Ultimately, I think it would be Castiel who makes the first move. He’s serious about his job and one of his jobs is to be this woman’s mate and damn it he’s going to do so. It’d be cute, though, because he doesn’t want to make her uncomfortable so he’d probably start small like holding her hand and kissing her head.

2. Who is the most insecure and what makes them feel better?

Eve Lauren Winchester is absolutely the one of the two who is the most insecure. She’s a Winchester after all, they are born insecure. But yes, Eve is the most insecure (especially when learning her soulmate is an angel, the insecurity just skyrockets).

One thing to help her feel better is to... well, it sounds typical, but you need to hug her. Give her a good tight hug and tell her that she’s fine, that there’s nothing to feel so upset about. Maybe give her a kiss on the head.

3. Who is the most romantic?

I’ve never quite completely thought about this before even those I think about these two damn near every single day. I feel like they could both be pretty romantic, both in their own little ways. I imagine they way they do things could be a little strange to some people on the outside, but this is because they’re kind of weird themselves (even with out the whole being different species).

4. Who can’t keep their hands to themselves?

Plot Twist: It’s Castiel. He’s always touching her in some way: pulling her to him, holding her hand, hugging her, or holding her to protect her during a fight. I imagine he likes touching her hair a lot as well, I don’t know he strikes me as a hair type of guy. Thinking about it he is surprisingly handsy with her. Not that Eve really minds.

5. Who says ‘I love you’ first?

Eve is for sure the one who says it first. while I imagine Castiel is more than happy to start it physically, I think Eve would be the one to flat out say it after a little while.

I imagine it could go one of two ways: during a desperate situation and she says during the heat of the moment *has a momentary flashback to time warp episode* or it’d be during a quiet moment between the two and pops off with it. Either way Castiel is shook.

6. Who would they ask if they ever had a threesome?

Can I just pop off with Crowley? He seems the type when seeing them together holding hands he’s just “So, have you two had a threesome?” and when they are just scandalized by it he adds “I can arrange one” and they are just floored by his audacity.

7. What do they get up to on a night out?

Nothing too crazy with these two, they’re such a calm pair, they just like walking together and sight seeing together. They’d probably just go to a movie, maybe get a couple of drinks together. I don’t know, they just aren’t a pair to do anything crazy really.

8. What do they like in bed?

Mostly they like softness in bed. Their lives are so violent and insane that I just don’t see them doing anything too outrageous, though they’re not opposed to trying different things together, mostly they’re very cuddly and clingy.

9. What is the most embarrassing thing they have done in front of each other?

There was a time Castiel sort of... popped into the room Eve was staying while she was singing really loud and dancing along with the song. It took her until the end of the song to realize he was there and she almost cried.

“How long have you been standing there?”

“At least three minutes”

“YOU SAW THE WHOLE THING”

10. What two songs, two books and two luxury items do they take to a desert island?

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11. What do they hide from one another?

They actually don’t hide a lot from one another, but I imagine Eve hides her real feelings a lot about certain things because she’s terrified of someone lashing out at her (living with John wasn’t east easy) and with Castiel probably the worst he’s hidden from her was the whole taking all the souls of Purgatory into himself.

12. What first changes when it starts getting serious?

This is a strange thing, because of the circumstances of their relationship and history. They actually did meet years ago when she was eighteen and she was in Heaven for a time and they’ve always had a strangely close relationship.

I suppose on his part he becomes even more protective over her, almost to the point of it being a little overbearing. I imagine angels don’t take lightly to anything happening to their mates.

13. When do they realise they should get together?

Pretty much when he came back into her life and explained the situation to her they figured “Well, might as well try and make this work, what else can you do when God wants it to happen?”. It wasn’t too hard for them since they knew each other before.

14. When one has a cold, what does the other do?

Well, only Eve can really get a cold and she doesn’t let him use his angel powers for “small things” on her. But the angel takes to spending as much time as he can with her and taking care of her, tending to her until she absolutely feels better and probably keeps her in bed the whole time.

15. When they watch a film what do they choose and why? Who gets the final vote?

Eve probably ultimately gets to choose, since Castiel doesn’t particularly worry about it much. So, they usually wind up watching a comedy film or a horror film, two genres Eve really enjoys, she’s a bit of a guru with horror films and their histories/behind-the-scenes. Castiel just likes seeing her chat about the movies.

16. When the zombie apocalypse comes, how do they cope together?

They just look out for one another and keep each other safe. Lucky one is an angel who can’t really get hurt and he hardly lets her out of his sight. He probably keeps hold of her hand the whole time to help keep her focused and grounded.

17. When they find a time machine, where do they go?

Listen, when Eve gets the chance to go to any time period she instantly wants to meet either H.P. Lovecraft or Edgar Alan Poe and try to talk to them and let them know how much she adores their work (especially Poe). She just paws at the machine “Turn it ooonnnn”

18. When they fight, how do they make up?

Normally, it involves Eve finally convincing Castiel through prayer or several phone calls to come and talk to her. They tend to actually talk things out and properly express themselves before apologizing to one another and hugging it out.

19. Where do they go on their first date?

Since going on a date is a more a human thing, Eve takes the reigns and does the whole nine. They go to a decent restaurant and to a movie. They they then walk around together and talk about their situation and how they want to work it out.

20. Where do they go on holiday?

Somewhere, anywhere far away from a hunt or anything else like that. Somewhere quiet and relaxing. They probably find a cabin to spend some peace and quiet in together and discuss baby names. Well, more like Eve lists off a bunch and he just quietly nods in response

21. Where do they get nervous about going with one another?

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22. Where does their first kiss happen?

It’s a little unconventional, but I can see it after the big fight in the barn between the angels and the demons. She’s just so happy everyone is okay, that he’s okay even though she’s a little mad at him about the Anna situation she just kind of hugs him and kisses him, leaving him a little shocked.

23. Where is their favourite place to be together?

Anywhere quiet where they can just be a lone for a moment, because these two are always so busy with missions and such. They just want some peace, it doesn’t matter where.

24. Where do they first have sex?

As much as I’d like for them to have a nicer place, it’ll probably be in a motel room because it’s the most realistic thing to happen

25. Why do they fight?

There’s lots of reasons they fight, although it’s not too often. It was mostly in the beginning when Castiel was very ‘hard soldier’ mode and she would get upset about certain circumstances. Like the Anna situation and nearly going with the idea to blow up a town.

26. Why do they need to have a serious chat?

Well, when you take all of the souls of Purgatory and claim you are God and kidnap your wife and child so you can all rule the world. Yeah, you need to have a serious discussion.

27. Why do their friends get annoyed with them?

Mostly because they cling so much to one another when they are together for even a moment and they get super protective of one another to the point where no one can say anything remotely rude about their mate.

28. Why do they get jealous?

Despite the fact they are literal soulmates they do get pretty jealous. Castiel is not too happy when guys flirt with Eve and Eve isn’t too pleased when someone makes a move on her angel.

29. Why do they fall a little bit more in love?

Because they talk to each other and protect one another

30. Why does it work (or not work) between them?

Even though it’s a ‘destined’ situation, they work because they actually talk about things and respect one another. They never force the other to do anything (and when that happens it’s called out and discussed).