#there's something very romantic about her being a rebel to the end

[bulletproofteacup]

i mean i can see Toph coming into the position as a police officer from the sense of "these idiots couldn't police worth a single fried octopus and somebody has to do it right," but also any type of bureaucracy would instantly lead to so many ethics violations. Whoever thought of this makes me super concerned for their idea of policing

Reblog if you also think Toph shouldn’t have been a cop.

I want to see how “unpopular” this opinion really is outside cop-worshipping Reddit.

[rosenotactuallyquartz]

pearl’s character development & her relationship with rose

character development for a complex character is complicated & often nonlinear. pearl has incredible character development, but a lot of her issues are overlooked or misunderstood. as her relationship with rose gets misunderstood, her growth tends to get oversimplified by claims that it’s about “getting over her,” etc. i think that’s not the case & it’s much deeper than that.

early character development

pearl’s character development is seen as early as the now we’re only falling apart flashbacks. she doesn’t see her own growth, & neither does greg who’s the flashback storyteller of the 90s, as they had just met.

but you know who notices pearl’s growth the most? rose. who’s known her the longest, who absolutely loves growth.

“pearl is happy/vacant, will do whatever is asking... no opinion of her own that isn't basic logic. pearl fiercely opinionated by end. bold, ridiculous, shameless, frivolous.” — end of an era

the first time they visit earth, rose says things like, “i couldn’t have done this without you.” she frowns when pearl says, “i could imagine it, if you would like me to.” in contrast, during the rebellion, pearl says she’s imagining things on her own, including a life with rose. she confesses romantic feelings & attempts fusion, which is unheard of & considered “disgusting” on homeworld. rose reacts by saying, “please don’t ever stop!” with a flushed face. pearl + rose are drawn to each other’s happiest & most genuine selves from the start. they encourage one another to embrace who they truly are.

it takes emotional and physical strength, but pearl defies homeworld’s rules & norms. before the war, rose gives her a choice: fight with her or be safe. pearl chooses to rebel with her, protesting that she wants to fight—all while homeworld claims that pearls are not “made” or “built” for fighting. there’s also the argument in sworn to the sword. she stands her ground, when all her life, she couldn’t even have her own opinions—let alone argue.

rose refers to pearl as my pearl, a term used for superiors on homeworld. she looks to her for strength & comfort, clearly admiring her. meanwhile, pearl’s feelings are very protective. on homeworld, she could never have the mindset that she could keep someone safe, especially a gem who’s considered superior. pearls were made to feel weaker, after all.

as time goes on, both pearl & their relationship continue to grow, and that’s evident even in rose’s final years during a more difficult time.

how rose felt about herself

“when a gem is made, it's for a reason. they burst out of the ground already knowing what they're supposed to be, and then... that's what they are. forever.” — rose, greg the babysitter

“self-destruction is a huge theme throughout the show. the struggle of feeling that you shouldn't exist, and what that can do to a person. a lot of the themes of the show exist within rose.” — end of an era

of course rose sees pearl’s growth. she admires it. on a flip side, rose herself feels that she is incapable of growth. in greg the babysitter, rose shows signs of being very deep in thought, with eyes that are noticeably more sad. she says gems can’t grow, but she sees growth in everyone, including the gem she loves so deeply. in this scene, she’s truthfully being self destructive, expressing her belief that she can’t grow. there are many reasons for this, some being that white gave her a colony “only to prove she would fail,” believing pink could never change. with rose’s unbearable guilt & war trauma, she questions whether white diamond is right. as she says this, she hides her pain by generalizing about gems.

rose says this while she’s in front of the ocean, something that pearl is so closely associated with. she admires growth and she sees it happen right in front of her, but she doesn’t think she’s capable of it. this is one of the main reasons why she thinks others are better than her.

so, rose’s pain makes her hide, become withdrawn. she thinks the people she loves are better off without her, as they will live on and continue to grow. she believes she’s stuck because she can’t grow. in reality, she can. she has; managing her destructive powers & becoming a healer, helping many gems who were harmed by homeworld. her mindset really is because of her abusers, & a lot of the things she’s guilty about traces back to their actions. and she has hurt others, but she dwells on it & forgets about positive things she’s done because of her mindset that “she only makes things worse & that’s what she does.”

she’s stuck because she can’t forgive herself & she hasn’t healed from a lot of things. sugar says that how she feels about herself causes pain for those around her. in rose’s final years, pearl can’t quite see or understand just how much rose loves her and all the reasons why. she can’t wrap her head around it, she can’t imagine the possibility that rose thinks she can’t grow the way she has. pearl sees her trying to change & she’s loved everything about her since the beginning. it’s fascinating how similar their feelings are; having so much adoration for each other yet self esteem issues complicate things.

how pearl felt about herself

homeworld’s society devalued pearls, treating them as replaceable servants. this has led to self-worth issues & issues understanding that she is loved for who she is, not just for what she can do. pearl rarely reflects on her trauma because she prioritizes the needs of others. her love for rose, who was often in danger—from being abused to having her identity discovered if she poofs—exacerbated pearl’s tendency to be overly cautious, protective. after all, she is driven by the constant fight-or-flight response they both experienced in their early years & other times they feared they’d be “in trouble” for being themselves. along with anxiety, she is intelligent & likes being in control, leading to perfectionism.

even when pearl makes significant progress, becoming her own person, becoming bold instead of docile, becoming opinionated & standing her ground, forming meaningful relationships, fighting against the environment that traumatized her, finding things she’s passionate about, & defying homeworld’s rules & ideas of pearls, other issues take more time. her perfectionism, ongoing trauma, and focus on others make it hard for her to see her progress.

the setback

pearl’s self-worth & self esteem issues worsen following rose’s death. she feels lost without rose. they’ve never been apart & neither of them ever wanted to be apart. who am i now in this world without her?

“everything i ever did, i did for her. and now she’s gone! but i’m still here.” —pearl, rose’s scabbard

now, more than ever, she can’t see her strength. she had worked so hard to keep rose safe so that this absolute nightmare wouldn’t happen. her whole life was about protecting rose from death. the loss is following a situation throughout the late 90s that involved confusion & a lack of communication. she also can’t understand why rose chose to leave a life that she dreamed of having with pearl, so she questions rose’s love for her. lastly, she’s so clouded by the pain of her grief that everything feels dark and confusing.

losing rose (not loving rose) brings about lots of setbacks in pearl’s growth. it’s painful, traumatic.

present character development

there’s significant growth when pearl slowly opens up about everything. the people around her begin to really understand pearl, her trauma, & the relationship she had with rose. she opens up to people who aren’t as close to her and therefore cannot be biased; she opens up to people who knew her + rose very well.

while pearl reminds us of the importance of letting people in & opening up about everything, it’s important to note that a lot of her growth is done without help from anyone else. so, when she can see her growth, she can understand just how strong & independent she is. another significant change happens when she returns to homeworld. from the perspective of the person she wasn’t allowed to be, after living in a safer environment for thousands of years, she sees how horrific homeworld is. she realizes just how strong she is; having so much trauma, becoming someone, & building a life that’s so different after leaving.

loving (and missing) rose

pearl: sometimes, i wonder if she can see me through your eyes. what would she think of me now?

steven: well, i think you’re pretty great.

the title of the song after steven says this is i’m still here. rose has passed, but there’s little pieces of her that are still here. eventually, pearl does see herself through rose’s eyes.

in sworn to the sword, connie + steven help pearl realize that the biggest argument between her + rose actually demonstrated how much rose loved her. she sees rose’s side, and then in mr. greg, pearl revisits the end of her relationship with rose, and she finds closure. in now we’re only falling apart, she revisits the beginning of her relationship with rose. this is extra significant because two of her closest loved ones (one who has a personality that is very similar to rose’s & one who lived with her and rose) help her see everything more clearly. she sometimes focused so much on the relief of rose being safe that she overlooked the incredible things she did.

but when pearl becomes more confident, she recognizes her own strength, courage, & importance. when she opens up & processes things, she is given an outside perspective, helping pearl see her value & worth to both rose and the world. she understands how much rose loved her & what she meant to her—she sees herself through rose’s eyes! & through rose’s eyes, she sees it a second time: her strength, her courage, her importance.

it was possible for rose to see herself through pearl’s eyes, too. that part of the story is incredibly tragic. while their trauma is not (all) the same, both pearl + rose demonstrate the importance of opening up & as connie said, “being honest about how bad it feels so that you can move on.” they both dealt with self worth, & self esteem issues, personal wounds.

on the bright side, pearl is beginning to understand that rose loved her just as much as she loves rose. now, she can see her own worth & strength, things rose saw all along. she can finally understand how rose was feeling—rose’s life was difficult, but she felt so, so loved by someone she deeply admired and appreciated. if only she could understand that she deserved that love.

pearl’s growth isn’t about “getting over” rose. she’ll always love her, but loving rose doesn’t “stunt” her growth. it’s so much more complicated than that. her growth starts long before steven’s time & rose sees it, even though it takes time for pearl to recognize it as well.

pearl was always strong, but she grows significantly when she realizes it.

[white-wolf-buckaroo]

In his own twisted way: Prologue

So here it is! First part of my new daughter of Ares fic! I hope you love it as much as I do <3

Word count: 2100 ish words

Warnings: mention of character death

Fic masterlist here!

Ares hated children.

He hated their whining, their crying, their clinging. He didn’t care for the drawings they did, or their “cuteness” or their wonder for everything new around them, and he hated when they cried like babies because of a scrape on their knee, or when they had nightmares and wanted to be held.

He didn’t like them, not even his own.

He hated how they reminded him of his own weaknesses. He hated how they made him feel something other than anger, something he couldn't name.

But he couldn't hate her.

Not entirely. Not when she looked at him with those big eyes, so much like her mother's, and a grin every time she saw him at her doorstep. Not when she smiled at him with that gap-toothed grin, so innocent and trusting, a polar opposite as to how everyone else looked at him. Not when she held his hand with her tiny fingers, so warm and soft, completely trusting him to lead the way.

She was his youngest daughter. Her name was Emily, and just as his other children, he hoped she would grow up to be a troublemaker, a rebel, and a fighter. Someone like him. He had hoped she would make him proud, or, maybe more fitting for him, at least amused. Useful for his battles.

And at barely six years old, she was a true daughter of Ares: she loved adventures, exploring the wild, she didn’t mind getting messy or dirty, and she stood up to whoever opposed to her. However, she was also gentle, kind, curious. She loved nature, and stories, and the stars, and learning. Her little soul was still pure… something Ares bewondered, even if he wouldn’t admit it to himself.

But she was a mistake. A mistake he had made with a mortal woman, which he had tried to ignore, and he almost succeeded at it; he had visited her very few times, enough for her to know who he was, but not sufficient for him to get attached.

Until the day he found out she was dead.

Her mother, not the girl. The woman he had once loved… or, more like, had had a relationship with, was dead. The woman who had birthed and raised their daughter alone, without his help, without his care. She was now gone, leaving their daughter orphaned, alone, and unprotected.

Ares had been fond of her. He hadn’t loved her, no, not really, or at least, not in the romantical way. She had been someone he shared interests with, with whom he formed a connection with, and as a result of that, came Emily. As an immortal being, he was more than accustomed to death (it kind of came in the job description for being the god of war), and especially the death of mortals; their lives were brief, like the blink of an eye, and it rarely affected him anymore, if ever.

But Emily was alone now, without any family left, and even if he was the god of war, and all the brutality and horrors that came with it, he wasn’t exempt of having feelings (on the contrary of what he said about himself). They were the reasons why he found new lovers from time to time, and had children with them every once in a while.

Even the god of war longs for some sort of connection and human emotion.

So he had no choice. He couldn’t have Emily live with him, for obvious reasons, and he also didn’t want that. No, he’d take her to the only place where she would be safe from the monsters that would end up eventually finding her: camp Half-Blood. The camp for demigods, where his other children were. The children he hated, and who hated him back.

He was sure Emily would end up hating him as well. They all did… it was only a matter of time.

So there he was, driving a car towards Long Island, with little Emily sleeping in the backseat, her head leaning against her teddy bear, breaths even and rhythmic. He tried to not pay attention to her wet cheeks, still glistening with tears shed for her mother, or how she had raised her arms up at him upon seeing him when he picked her up, wanting to be comforted by her father; Ares tried to not think about how much she trusted him, with his rough exterior, and without really knowing him, and most importantly, he tried to not think much about how moved it made him feel.

The car stopped in the middle of the road, not too far away from the entrance to camp, hidden in the heart of the forest. Ares reluctantly turned off the engine, and silence followed, only broken by Emily’s breathing, and the faint sound of morning rain falling on the roof of the car.

Ares took a deep breath, pushing back the conflicting emotions that surged within him.

He didn’t know why he was feeling like this. It made him extremely uncomfortable in his own skin, and that was something he didn’t experience often. Perhaps Aphrodite had played some trick on him… making him actually feel something at the prospect of leaving his young daughter all alone at camp half-blood. Something like… dread, and pain, and not the one he was used to. This was pain that came from other feelings he had, that usually blossomed in his chest the few times he visited Emily, or when he looked at her from the rearview inside that car, watching her sleep soundly.

But he didn’t know how to do it. He didn’t know how to be a father, he’d never really had good role models to learn from. He didn’t know how to comfort children, talk to them… or hell, love them. And he didn’t want to even try to… because that wasn’t like him. He hated children. Why even care about his own? He was an Olympian, and Olympians didn’t do that.

When the rain stopped, Ares stepped out of the car, and went to the backseat; Emily only stirred in her sleep when he fumbled with the seatbelt, the unfamiliar task more challenging than he’d like to admit, and she kept on sleeping when he took her into his arms out of the car.

She had with her only her teddy and a small backpack filled with her essentials; Ares hadn’t grabbed more of her stuff when retrieving her.

On top of the hill, where the whole expanse of Camp Half-Blood could be seen for those who had divine heritage, Ares stood, listening: it was very early in the morning, the sun hadn’t risen yet, and the few people at camp were still sleeping; in a few weeks, most of the cabins would be full of demigod children, running around, training, and relishing in the beginning of summer. Emily would have settled until then, and she’d be ready to begin her training alongside her half-siblings to become a warrior, just as every Ares kid did.

His daughter woke up before sunrise, while he was still standing at the same spot. She mumbled something, her little eyes fluttering open, cheeks warm against the skin of his neck. She clutched her bear tighter, tired.

“Daddy?”

Ares hummed, not used to a small child talking to him in such tender voice. Like everything involving Emily, it made him feel that unfamiliar warmth he was uncomfortable with… but that he longed for when he didn’t have it, missing it.

Emily raised her head, slowly starting to look around, and at Camp Half-Blood. Her new home.

“This is where you’ll be staying from now on” he said, watching her. Her little eyebrows frowned, and then she looked at him, directly in the eyes.

“With you?”

“With people like you” he clarified, making sure she understood it “Demigods. Half-bloods. Remember what I taught you about the gods?”

“You are one. It’s your job”

She didn’t really get it, that was obvious. But she was still very young, and he didn’t really expect her to do so. Compared to him… well, his life had been already so long, that her presence in it was like a single grain of sand in the beach: small and imperceptible.

And yet, she was the only one of his children he had brought to camp himself. The only one who he had stayed around enough time for her to call him daddy to his face. The only, and first one, for many things.

At sunrise, a centaur emerged from the big house at camp, and noticed pretty quickly the silhouette of the god on top of the hill, and the small child in his arms.

Ares watched Chiron make his way slowly up to them, and he set then Emily down to the ground, helping her put her backpack on (which looked comically enormous on her little form); she grabbed his hand when she spotted the centaur, tiny fingers clutching his own, nervous. He couldn’t really blame her: she was facing many changes in a very short period of time.

“Ares” greeted Chiron, reaching them. The god acknowledged him with a nod, watching the centaur shift his gaze from him to the little girl by his side, trying to hide behind his leather coat “Hello there, young lady” Emily shyly waved back at him, and introduced herself after Chiron did “I assume… she is yours?”

“My flesh and blood” answered Ares “She will be staying at camp from now on, permanently”

Chiron nodded, and stretched out a hand for her; Emily, encouraged by a nod from her father when she looked up at him, went to the centaur, still uncertain.

“She will be taken care of here”

“I sure hope so”

Chiron looked down at Emily again, smiling at her, trying to ease up her nerves.

“Let’s go to your cabin then, young lady”

He gently guided her to the pathway that led to camp, Ares still standing there, watching them go. But Emily turned back around before leaving, searching for his eyes.

“Daddy?” she asked, with the same small voice from minutes before when she woke up “Aren’t you coming with us?”

He wouldn’t. He knew it from the beginning, of course, and Chiron also knew it. The pain in his chest, however, was unknown.

Ares told her no, and he bit the inside of his cheek when he saw sadness invading her gaze. She ran up to him, raising her arms up again, reaching for him with tears in her eyes. She was all alone, and he was abandoning her as well.

Chiron looked away, his heart breaking silently for the young demigod, while Ares stood there, conflicted by his feelings (those damn feelings he couldn’t handle).

“Listen kid” Emily still had her arms raised up, not budging, and he gave in, picking her up “You’re gonna stay here, you like it or not. Don’t go soft on me now”

Emily pouted at her dad, sniffling.

“But I want to stay with you”

“Yeah, but you can’t. You’ll stay here. That’s final”

She made a mad face at him (which made her look more like an angry kitten in his eyes, actually cute, but he wouldn’t admit that), frowning.

“You’re a meanie, Daddy”

There it was. She was starting to hate him too. Yep… All of them did.

“Sorry to break it to you, kid, but life isn’t fair”

He set her down, but she didn’t move, instead looking up at him with her big eyes. She looked like him, he noticed then, very much so in her way of staring at his face: she was fierce, but also vulnerable.

“Will you come visit me?”

Ares sighed, waving his hand as if to shrug it off.

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Maybe sometimes. Now go”

Emily sighed, mirroring him perfectly, and obeyed, going back to the centaur. She did look back at him one time before leaving, though, waving at him.

“Bye Daddy. Love you”

Ares felt that uncomfortable pressure in his chest as a response to her words, feeling like his insides tightened, constricted, twisted and turned all over. He watched her go in silence down the hill alongside Chiron, and he dared to take one last look at her before leaving for good, having completed his self-imposed task of taking his daughter to camp.

“Goodbye, little warrior”

Tough exterior be damned, Ares cared for his daughter.

In the quiet of the moment, where no one was watching him, being completely alone, he allowed himself to hope: He hoped she would be happy. He hoped she would be safe. He hoped she would forgive him for leaving her there.

And he also hoped he would someday be able to forgive himself for doing so too.

***

Taglist: @strawberryys-stuff @ladysybilchronicles

[valengory1234]

Little fanfic inspired by the prompt below

Find the prompt here.

Red isn’t even sure how they got into this situation. All she knows is that she’s looking at three very familiar colors, and questioning all of her actions up to this point. 

Chloe had come bouncing into their room earlier with news that only she found exciting; there was a spell to reveal your one true love and a friend of hers had gotten their hands on it. Red was less enthused. True love, or love in general, wasn’t something that interested her. Being raised by a tyrannical mother who claimed love wasn’t it had made her quite jaded, even if her mother was a much better person now. The thought of messing around with magic to see a part of the future also had her uneasy given their adventures time traveling.  

Chloe had brushed her concerns off citing that she was only going to use it for herself, but the Princess of Hearts did not give up that easily. She made a grab for the bottle the blue-haired girl was holding just as she was about to open it. They struggled against each other, and the bottle ended up in Red’s hands as she ran to the other side of the room with Chloe in hot pursuit. They were both knocked to the floor, and powder spilled out with Red holding the lid in one hand and the bottle in the other.  

The colors blue, white, and gold formed tiny fireworks that stood out against the red backdrop on Red’s side of the room. The girls laid on the floor in quiet shock until the sparks died and disappeared.  

Chloe was the first to get up, running to the other side of the room where the lights had once been flashing. Shaking her head she rushed back to the rebel still on the floor. Not to check on her however, she just reached for the bottle that she was holding. There was nothing left in it.  

Red slowly sat up as she processed the familiar colors she had seen in the fireworks. She had never been in love, and she had no idea what it felt like. Taking a glance at her roommate, she considered how close she felt to her, her feelings confused after this reveal. Is that how she saw the princess? Chloe was her first friend, and the first person she had ever cared for to this extent, but did that make it romantic? She didn’t grow up with romantic love, or any love for that matter. Stopping Uliana’s prank had changed her mother for the better, but Red’s memories of her abuse stayed the same, creating an odd dissonance that she had to live with. Was love what she felt for Chloe? Did she feel romantically for her? Before she could even confront the possibility, Chloe let out a cry. 

“Oh my god! Oh my god! What is this? What is this?” her toned turned to disgust as she heaved and looked at Red. The red-haired girl stared confused, almost frightened from her spot on the ground. The blue-haired princess began to pace. “No, no, no, no. This can’t be. This can’t be happening.” 

“Chloe?” she didn’t have much time to consider her feelings, but already felt deeply frightened at the other girl's rejection. Hurt started to wind its way into her chest.  

“You can’t,” Chloe stopped to focus back on Red. “You can’t possibly! You haven’t even met him. It’s Impossible!”  

“What?” Chloe started to pace again and hyperventilate. Red hurried off of the floor and somehow stopped the princess in her repeated tracks. “Chloe, what is going on?” 

The blue girl came back to her senses it seemed and stared at Red with confusion and hurt that seemed to mirror the feelings in her own heart.

“Red, you cannot fall in love with my brother!” So much for her coming back to her senses. She was right in one way though, Red had never met Chloe’s brother; he was like ten years older than them.  

“Okay?”  

Red was confused as hell.  

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

i was thinking about how ariel from the little mermaid is criticized so harshly for "giving up her voice and family for some guy" when there was definitely a lot more to it than that.

ariel had dreams outside of eric. she wanted to see the world, she wanted to get acquainted with humans and human traditions and she wasn't satisfied with her life underwater. that was the whole point of "part of your world", she barely mentions eric in it. he was just a bonus in her new life, not her entire purpose.

why am i talking about a random disney movie? it's because i was thinking of lumity, and how amity also rebelled against her family for a new life. except.. amity really only mentions luz (and "the others" because let's be real, she did not give a shit about willow and gus at that point). amity's sole reason to go against her family's values was luz.

this, if anything, could be considered "giving up everything for a love interest" but people don't see it that way because amity's parents were shitty to begin with. but if you look at the little mermaid from a different perspective, you could argue that king triton wasn't a very good parent either.

he literally throws a temper tantrum just because his teenage daughter has a crush on a guy. ariel is legit terrified in that scene, and regardless of whether triton had good intentions or not, he made his daughter feel unsafe and turn to an impulsive decision in a moment of emotional distress.

all of this to say, you could argue that ariel had no reason to stay with her family either, given that her father lacks emotional sensitivity and does not sit down and try to communicate with his child, instead of destroying her collection and scaring her away.

coming back to amity, i can understand that luz inspired her to actually do something about her abusive parents, and that's sweet. but we never get to see what else amity wanted. since they never established a friendship arc between amity and gus or willow (she apologized to willow, sure, but the rekindling of their relationship happens much later on), all we know is that amity is tired of being abused and she wants to be with luz.

from an abuse victim's perspective, amity standing up against her parents was powerful. but unlike ariel, amity doesn't seem to want anything besides luz. and she never explores what she wants to do, now that she has successfully cut herself away from her mother's influence. her whole life revolves around luz after that.

there was that abomination brawl episode but even that ended up being about luz. the brawl was just a quick montage, it only existed for the emotional drama that came later on. in fact, even when the plot was focused on amity, it was more about her relationship with her father rather than her autonomy and personal interests.

there's a reason why a lot of people liked the mean girl version of amity. she had personality, she had interests and goals, she had CHARACTER. it was all fake and a result of trauma, but it was there and it helped flesh out her character. but after she is redeemed? there's nothing left of the old amity, not even the more positive/neutral traits, and her only personality is "luz's awesome girlfriend".

amity's arc should have been about exploring what she wanted outside of her parents' wishes. abuse often turns you into a shell of a person and recovering from years of trauma isn't as simple as getting a romantic partner. it takes therapy (and that is canonically an option in the boiling isles, let me remind you), it takes self-reflection, it takes giving yourself the permission to choose your own destiny and explore yourself outside of your abusers' expectations.

and amity gets none of this. her trauma and arc was resolved too quickly, even for a show that was cut short. they just gave her a makeover, got her into a relationship with luz and called it a day. the only reason people aren't giving her the ariel treatment is (probably) because lumity is a queer ship.

[amber-jinx]

A bit of a controversial question

Who do you think Chloe was in love with more, Max or Rachel? And what do you like/dislike about Amberprice and Pricefield?

Boy, been so busy I left this sitting in my inbox, oops!

This is indeed controversial cuz at the end of the day we won't be completely sure of either of the ships' dynamics unless we are Chloe herself, so it's all up for people's interpretations. (*whispers* therefore I hope we can all be sensible here)

Personally I don't think love could be measured in a way, like you could be head over heels for someone you've met for only over a month, and we can't exactly say that is more or less than a long-term friendship. I think even Chloe might not be able to choose one. I view Pricefield as a deep friendship, as with Ashly Birch's take; And AmberPrice as more of a romantic dynamic, even though they weren't official girlfriends.

If we refer to the intensity and passion of Chloe's love, due to the state of her life she was in when she got closer to Rachel and the AmberPrice dynamic, I'd say it's definitely more than Pricefield. With regards to how long-lasting it is however, we see that Chloe never forgot about Max even after not getting a response from her for 5 years; this is the kind of enduring love that friendships (which I personally appreciate a lot for) usually have -- is more prominent in Pricefield. These are not mutually exclusive and so all the infighting is really unnecessary haha, why not AmberPriceField! They're both what Chloe needs in her life ^^

I got into Amberprice because of the amount of chemistry they have, the mutual attraction they have towards each other and how they always have each others' back despite being in darkness themselves -- they're each other's angel and it's definitely touching. Sharing clothes and stuff freely and crashing each others' places? Cute. Mentioning the other around other friends often? Hella cute! There are also multiple elements of surprise, like you'd think a rebel like Chloe wouldn't care for a perfect student like Rachel, who instead turned out to have a wild side, and Chloe turned out to be a softie on the inside. Stuff like these makes their chemistry much better than generic straight relationships I've seen in the media growing up. And the fact that Chloe still held the belief that Rachel wouldn't leave without her after all that she's gone through, definitely says something. Rachel was very genuine with leaving town together. Also true love on this end.

On the other side of the coin though, I really wished they had communicated better, the both of them. (It's a pity they were too young and without guidance to navigate all these) Yes Rachel I know you care about Chloe's feelings and wanna protect her, but being honest and open can go a long way. Chloe could've better regulated her emotions and how she comes across, such that she'd not come off as pushy or react as negatively e.g. give Rachel "the stinkeye"; if they worked on themselves and are actually allowed to improve, a healthier relationship would've blossomed. I also felt like there wasn't anything holding them back from them doing overboard with doing wild things together, like drugs and weed. They kinda spur each other on without the voice of reason or given the chance to mature after getting out of arcadia.

These AP shots come from Life is Strange: Rachel's story "the diner" ep, which gave me new insights on some of the nuances that could've been present in their dynamics. Pretty well-made given its constraints!

As always I can't say too much about Pricefield cuz I've not seen all their interactions, so I can only make individual comments. Take them with a pinch of salt!

On the good side Chloe's enduring love is always impressive, like remembering Max's birthday after all those years and immediately gifting her William's camera and taking her back. Moments where she emoted and expressed her appreciation with Max felt really genuine and I like how she's really supportive of Max, lifting the latter's confidence when Max was insecure, not to mention standing up for her in front of Nathan, David, Joyce etc. Very wholesome. On the other hand Chloe could've better nuance the manners of her speech, especially when she's angry -- Max is helping her so much after just reconnecting her for 5 years, it's not really an obligation and so I think she could've held back on some of her words at Max, which still comes down to emotional regulation, but I also understand that she was going through really tough times. I also didn't particularly like how she'd only change her wallpaper to Max after Max followed her wishes, even though that's not super abnormal for an 18 yo.

Max the sweetheart is honestly endearing when she doesn't hold back on positive words for Chloe, and when Chloe's off-balance she'd also be able to provide the voice of reason to put them on the right path. It's giving secure attachment style-- except the bad texter part. I just wish she'd stand up to Chloe a little more to avoid getting them into even more trouble, but that's just a personal take. My main issue with Max is her not writing to Chloe as much in those 5 years, but friends grow apart and it's only natural. As with DE, we'd have to take into the account of survivor's guilt and that nothing last forever, so if they ever separate, it is also understandable and inevitable in life.

The OG did a good job on developing Max and Chloe's bond, and it makes sense why so many ship Pricefield, which I'm not against :) hope my slightly rushed response has answered your question pal! And as always, thank you for asking <3

[oh-shtars]

@cocoapowderpictures @signed-sapphire @ficsinhistory (+ others)

Guys, Wake Up!! It’s the ref sheet for the guy you were all happy to see mentioned in the last post ;3

Character Notes:

- Works as the Royal Announcer and as Rosas’ tour guide

- He’s of Greek heritage :)

- I decided to make red and black his key colours to symbolise his boldness and how he’s a secret rebel in plain sight.

- In the RFTS!AU, everyone above 18 has given away their first wish and afterwards, as many as they’d like. Flazino is 21 and like many others, has no idea what were or even how many wishes he did give away.

- Does he love Asha? Yes. Very much. Romantically? Nope. Are they just friends? Yes but also no.

- Acts like a very bouncy and outgoing guy on the job but is actually pretty reserved and calmer whenever he’s just being himself and casual. As a result, he gets exhausted for forcing himself to be extra ‘quirky’ while working.

- The reason he’s so “extra” on his tours is because he wants to make the most out of the only few highlights of his day. Flazino dreads the in-between moments where it just feels like he’s just….waiting. But for what exactly? With no memory of his wishes, he doesn’t have anything to look forward to the next day. Anything that could motivate him. Something that he could pursue. But there’s…nothing. (He hates staring at the ceiling thinking about this every night.)

- One of the only few dreams he does have is his love for learning/using magic. And Flazino is not planning to give that away this time. And thus, he hangs on to it tightly despite the fact its use is forbidden.

- Flazino gets little sleep in most some nights to read and learn about small-scale, simple magic-casting. (It’s the only time he could with minimal risk of getting caught.) It’s a way better thing than spending the night in dreadful emptiness and it’s a distraction from his otherwise, mostly bland day.

- Flazino also notices that he’s not the only person experiencing this weird emptiness. He just seems to be the only one who acknowledges it instead of pretending it’s “fine.” After a few years of waiting for his wishes that are probably never coming, Flazino attempts to negotiate with Magnifico for a “better Wish System” but he always ends up getting ignored though.

- Flazi sort of isolated himself in a way because he couldn’t stand the fake satisfied faces people are going with their lives. He was so damn happy to find out Asha has her own doubts of the king’s wishing system too. He basically stuck around after that.

Flazino: “I swear- I canNOT continue like this anymore. There’s something unfair about all this and I’m SICK of pretending there isn’t just because everyone says so- I don’t sound that crazy, right?”

Asha: ……………. Uhhhhhh No? I get it. Sort of??

Don’t you wanna get away? From the same old part you gotta play?

‘Cause I got what you need, so come with me and take the ride,

It’ll take you to the Other Side!

‘Cause you can do like you do, Or you can do like me,

Stay in the cage, or you’ll finally take the key,

Oh damn, suddenly you’re free to fly,

It’ll take you to the Other Side!

(Can’t resist another “The Other Side” opportunity. It’s one of my favourite catchy songs and it fits well. X3)

[angstintensifer]

Huntlynn headcanons.

Hunter was absolutely smitten with Ashlynn since day one and always tries his best to impress her. He will go out of his way to look good on dates and especially on outings like a dance or something important but his looks don’t matter to Ashlynn, she always adored him for who he is.

The enchanted forest is their safe place and they still go on dates there even after their relationship was public.

In the beginning Ashlynn tried to push Hunter away because of their destinies and her fear of what would happen if people found out a royal and a rebel developed romantic feelings for each other.

She went back to him later that day and changed her mind because she also believed their love was worth fighting for.

Hunter is known to make occasional surprise visits at the glass slipper during Ashlynn’s work hours when he’s bored or because he misses her, he also wants to check up on her and make sure she's not overworking herself.

When their relationship was a secret Hunter would passed messages to Ashlynn via bird to be romantic.

Hunter can always tell when something is bothering Ashlynn, if she's having a bad day he can sense it and will do everything in power to either comfort her or cheer her up.

Hunter was hard to read at first for Ashlynn, because he was so used to hiding himself in front of his family and friends but eventually Ashlynn could read him easier than anyone else could.

During their true hearts day breakup, they were both miserable for those hours apart. Ashlynn could barely stop crying but held most of it in to convince herself it was the right thing to do (it wasn’t)

Hunter was utterly devested and had a big breakdown the second he was alone with his feelings.

Ashlynn wanted to avoid the dance because she knew she would see him at it, but went because Briar convinced her. Hunter went because he felt at least seeing her around would make him feel better even if she didn't want to be with him anymore.

They were constantly glancing at other when their relationship was a secret, it was a bit obvious they were together. (Cedar also said this in her webepisode so)

Despite being raised to be tough huntsman, Hunter is very gentle with Ashlynn when it comes to physical affection. He adores, hugs and cuddles. He will find any excuse to hold her hands.

Hunter doesn’t find shoes interesting but he could listen to Ashlynn talk about them for hours, because he loves listening to her talk and watching her get so excited.

Hunter taught her some archery and they often go on archery dates together, it gets a bit competitive but they have a lot of fun.

In return, Ashlynn tried to teach Hunter to dance because she’s good at it and the first time ended badly with him tripping and getting slightly injured, but she patched him up herself.

They both dreaded the legacy day. Ashlynn attempted to break up with Hunter on legacy day to spare them any possible future pain but they both decided they would face the day together instead of giving up on what they have, even if it was secret.

Hunter doesn’t like to give up on things and while he understood every single one of Ashlynn’s doubts and concerns, he wanted her to know he would fight for her whether she choose to stay with him or not. He always have a choice if she wanted out.

Hunter was the first say “I love you.” He said it on legacy day before the ceremony. And Ashlynn was in shock to hear it and didn’t reciprocate the words until after the ceremony in regret that she signed the book after what Raven did.

But Hunter knew she felt the same way.

It’s implied in the books that Ashlynn gave or made Hunters leather bracelet, so I like to think she did.

Hunter is very good at doing Ashlynn’s hair and likes to braid it or just brush it for her.

[flilisskywalker]

I guess what keeps me up at night is asking what's the point of Sabine's search for Ezra, like... as an emotional arc.

(This text is an adaptation of the thread I wrote on Twitter)

Because when I rewatch the fourth season of Rebels, I get the impression that they are paired together in many episodes as a way to prepare us for a hurtful goodbye between the two at the end of the show, which is to me the same reason why they decided to go heavy on confirming Kanan and Hera's romance because they knew he was going to die.

I don't really know if the parallels between Sabezra and Kanera are intentional considering how Filoni talks about the former, but Ezra does become Kanan (even has a whole stretch arms sacrifice) and Sabine does become Hera (Deep grief for losing him) and not in a "The kid got this from his/her parent." sense, but in the sense of that the situation is really similar, which is interesting because it wasn't like this originally.

Ahsoka made Sabine's grief towards Ezra not being by her side all the time a thing.

Instead of simply letting Sabine's mission be about bringing Ezra home like in the original animated epilogue, Filoni complicates things a little bit by implying that Sabine is not doing this for Ezra, but for herself. Beyond that, almost every character notices how devoted she is to him and it even confuses some of them.

Thrawn, for example, has studied Sabine. He is well aware that Ezra is her compatriot and friend and yet... he is confused by her choice. Sabine states "You wouldn't understand." and then accepts to be stranded on Peridea just to see Ezra again. Once she found him and even after hearing he wants to get home, she did not say a word about Thrawn being his only ticket home. Instead, she simply enjoys time with him.

If you know Sabine Wren, you know that she would never ignore a huge Imperial threat and put in danger people like Hera, who is definitely an older sister type of role model to her, or feel that Ezra is the only family she has, so I do understand why people think she is very distant from the original show.

There might be a reason for all of this. A reason that I'm not sure Filoni wants to dive into, but the way he's been writing Sabine, the vagueness every time Ezra is the conversation's topic, feels like she has fallen in love with him during his absence and honestly? This makes far more sense than any other explanation.

We've seen in Star Wars before, fiction in general, that love is blind. Sabine's focus on finding Ezra is described by Baylan as something that blinds her. Not only this would justify her out of character attitude, but also the parallels with Kanan and Hera.

Star Wars live-action TV shows this year have been interesting to decode. In both The Mandalorian season 3 and Ahsoka season 1, there's a lot of subtle implications that characters want to build a life with somebody.

Mando does this in Chapter 22 - Guns For Hire, an episode surrounded by romantic love, where a droid bartender tells Din and Bo that human life is so short and then they look at each other. They want to be together, but that has not been verbalized yet. It is still very much in the subconscious.

Ahsoka does it in Part 7 - Dreams and Madness, by showing Sabine's lack of urgency regarding Thrawn and simply enjoying Ezra's company. It really implies that this was what her mission was all about: Be with Ezra. Her real desire is build a life with him, but that desire is still in the subconscious.

I believe Favreau knows all of that when it comes to Din and Bo.

BUT DOES FILONI KNOW THAT WHEN IT COMES TO SABINE AND EZRA?

[theqtinkblot]

The Great Seven’s Forbidden Spells:

Author’s Note: This is something I’ve thought about while reading some Twst fics. So we all know that the Great Seven are still the classic Disney Villains we all grew up with, so it be possible that they still had their own villainous and or dark spells under their belt, right?

Summary: MC is in the library looking through some history books, doing research for an essay assignment. But as they looked, they stumbled upon a chapter in the book that reads: “Forbidden Spells, Beware.” Being curious as they are, MC begins to read each of the spells from the book. This is the list of spells and their history.

Call of the Jabberwocky

“Throughout the Queen of Hearts reign, she had created and enforced her rules throughout the Queendom of Roses. However, in the first years of the Queendom, many of her subjects would not obey and plan a rebellion with an enemy kingdom. But before they could raise their swords and storm the castle, they would soon become the meal of a ferocious dragon-like beast called the Jabberwocky. The legend goes, “One, two, through and through, the rebels went snicker-snack, losing their heads and the rest cowardly ran back.” It's unclear if the Queen summoned the beast, yet whenever she was asked, she only gave a simple grin.”

Roar of Revival

“It’s a well known rule in Sunset Savanna, the world is connected in the great circle of life. However the King of Beasts believed that a soul can persist after their death and so, he created a ritual that would allow any of his followers to revive him long after his death. To achieve this, they would need to sacrifice a sacred bakora staff and cast a powerful roar within a volcano to bring the mighty king back. Many historians had attempted to cast this ritual but were unsuccessful.”

Deadly Seafoam

“Before the Sea Witch became the most powerful being in the Coral Sea, a lot of her spells had to be perfected enough to grant the merfolks’ wishes. Even so, some of her earlier spells were considered deadly, mostly in terms of what happens to a person if the deal wasn’t met. One potion she tried was given to a mermaid who wanted to become a human, however when their debt wasn’t paid on time, the person ended up dissolving into sea foam the next morning. Needless to say, this spell was banned by law after this incident.”

A Lamp’s Chain

“The Sorcerer of the Scalding Sands was very knowledgeable about arcane lore, from alchemy to astronomy. During his studies of ancient artifacts, he was able to discover the whereabouts of a magical lamp that can grant any wish. However, even after gaining the lamp and becoming a powerful sultan himself, he later discovered that by obtaining phenomenal cosmic powers from the lamp, the owner will forever be bound to it. And should the lamp be destroyed in any way, that person will die as well. As they say, “all magic comes with a price.””

Control of the Heart

“As this would be the first era of magic, many people in the Shaftlands would believe that magic was considered deadly. None have been more dangerous than having the ability to take a person’s heart, allowing them to take control of a person’s life or even ending it if they were truly wicked. The Fairest Queen was rumored of having this dark ability, yet many of her servants would debunk these claims and say she was pure of heart. Historians would debate whether or not these claims were true or a ruse.”

Fruit of the Dead

“The Lord of the Underworld never took a lover or had any companionship during his rule, but he was able to create a sort of measure that bound any soul to the underworld. Myths have stated that if a living person was offered a pomegranate seed by the lord himself, they would forever be tied to the underworld and can never leave. Though many would consider this as a romantic tradition in the ways of a marriage proposal, this was ultimately forgotten by the masses and be regarded as just a myth.”

A Fae’s True Name

“It’s common knowledge amongst the fae of Briar Valley that a name holds power. Even the Thorn Fairy’s name was considered the most powerful. The reason for this is that if a fae is able to get a human to tell them their name, that person has given the fae complete power over them. However if a human is able to trick them into learning their true name, the fae would forever be bound to them. As such, the Thorn Fairy concealed her true name to prevent others from gaining her power. Nowadays, fae don’t seem to be too concerned about conversing with humans.”

[survivalove]

hii what type of tropes do u think katara fits ?? and what type of tropes do u think her character subverts ??

Hi anon! I’m not gonna lie this is a heavy topic which has been weighing on my mind ever since my Katara rant a few days ago. Tbh, I wasn’t going to make a post about this, just cuz I feel like maybe I talk too much 😂 but you just gave me the perfect excuse so here we go:

1. Girls are Healers, not Fighters

I want to start this off with the issue of misogyny in the Northern Water Tribe and how the fandom discusses Katara’s portrayal in LoK. First of all, the NWT not allowing girls to fight is misogyny and Pakku telling Katara to “go in the healing hut with the other women” very much sounds like “go in the kitchen where you belong”. This is something everyone understands.

However, I think we start losing the plot when people only focus on this aspect and ironically parrot the same misogyny when they talk about female healers in the franchise and in media. Let’s look at Yagoda. Yagoda is a recognized master. She doesn’t teach in her house, her kitchen or her bedroom. She teaches in a school alongside other master healers and students. When the Yue was stillborn, who did her family turn to at first? Pakku? No, the healers. During the civil war, did Katara just sit at home twiddling her fingers like so many in the fandom would have you believe? No, she was single-handedly healing dozens of rebels in her White Lotus outpost. The importance of female healers in the franchise and media in general should not be diminished when speaking out against this misogynistic trope. I just had to get that out of the way.

So, how does ATLA subvert this trope with Katara? They show her developing her healing abilities alongside her fighting skills. One does not hinder the other. When Katara discovers her healing ability, she gains respect for possessing a talent so rare and revered, by a man originally from the nation that wiped out the male and female waterbenders of her tribe. When Katara saves Aang’s life, the most important moment in the entire show IMO, in the same episode, she is also shown facing off a major enemy in battle and winning. These two sides of her are constantly shown in balance to the fullest extent of her power, without one skill being diminished to highlight the other.

2. The Hero’s Girl

I think this is another trope that’s prevalent in media, particularly shonen animes which ATLA gets compared to so often. A lot of times these female love interests are never in the main story without the main male character. They seemingly have a one-sided crush, fall apart at his feet, interacts with him only when he needs her (and only him), and can sometimes be a pick-me when it comes to any competing female characters. I think a lot of people see Katara this way solely because she gets with Aang in the end, when this does not even come close to how she is portrayed.

Katara is an extremely developed character. Her arc is largely independent of Aang even though there are so many parallels between the two. Katara initially sees Aang as just a friend and even when she starts seeing him as a potential love interest, she’s not begging him to notice her or accept her affections. She gets jealous but isn’t competing with anyone for his attention for long and she has relationships with other characters that further the story whether Aang is there or not. She doesn’t exist solely to be with him, in fact she even teaches him. Katara and Aang being endgame is not integral to either one of their stories. They don’t agree with each other all the time and when he pushes their romance too far, she isn’t framed in a negative light for rebuffing his affections. No one in the narrative forces her to be with Aang because he’s the Avatar for status, or anything else. Love is not her biggest priority and she chooses to put off her romantic feelings until the war ends.

Now does she get jealous of other girls who seem to like Aang as well? Yes. Does she cry and get emotional when something happens to him? Yes. Does she spend an episode pestering the fortuneteller about her future husband and get excited at the idea of falling in love? Lol yeah. Does she blush and hug and kiss Aang often? Literally every other episode. But that’s not all there is to her or their dynamic. I think some people often overemphasize the fact that Aang and Katara do get together in the end and act like it automatically voids the rest of her development in canon when it really doesn’t. Like I said in another post, I know a lot of Katara stans that don’t ship her with anyone or can discuss her character at great length without mentioning romance. People who choose to focus on her ending up with the hero to ‘defend’ her are more doing her a disservice if you ask me.

3. One-Dimensional Female Characters

This sort of ties into everything I just said and is also something the franchise achieves with all the female characters, but even more-so with Katara. Katara has several behaviors that directly contradict her general personality traits:

In the Chase, Katara lectures Toph about the importance of doing chores and being a team player and in the same episode, insults her, picks fights with her to the point she leaves the group entirely.

Katara loves her brother and always cheers him up when he’s feeling him down, but she still will tease and pick on him, and on a darker note, lashes out at him in the Southern Raiders when he doesn’t tell her what she wants to hear.

Katara turns up her nose at the wrestling tournament they find Toph in and winces as she attacks The Earth King’s soldiers, but still partakes in fighting the war because it’s for the greater good.

Katara from a young age had to take up the societal expectations that her mother would have had in her family and in her tribe, but is still a child and often takes delight in activities children enjoy, as she should.

The point is, Katara isn’t one-dimensional. There are a lot of contradictions within her that are usually juxtaposed one after the other. Yet, most viewers can only focus on one side at a time, usually choosing to focus on the negative aspects of her character. They will complain about her being motherly as if she never has fun. They will focus on the one time she was out of line with Sokka just to attack her character. They will cry she was too hard on Zuko, after 2.5 seasons of him chasing them down.

Most annoying of all, they will compare her to other female characters who are less hypocritical in nature and, in my opinion, simply not as complex as Katara. Don’t even get me started on how community is such an integral part of Katara, Sokka and Aang’s characters and how their character development often get overlooked in favor of characters with more individualistic and straightforward narratives. But this is about Katara.

Katara is an unapologetically feminine character that is sweet and kind without serving some villainous agenda that gives her a reason to be on par with the male characters when it comes to fighting skill. Her strength gets questioned in ways that Azula, Toph, Mai and Ty Lee’s do not. She subverts a lot of misogynistic tropes that a lot of 2000s female love interests in media suffered from and still do. She’s a very difficult character for most people to wrap their heads around, simply because she doesn’t stick to the script that most fmcs who look and act like her, do.

If we pretend she’s not fictional for two seconds, Katara is a hypocrite and hello? Who isn’t. It’s human nature for people to change their minds or do things that don’t really match up with that they’re say about. People who get mad at Katara for this, are essentially saying they’re mad because she’s not a flat character and they don’t even realize it. Her contradictions aren’t just one-off moments and her grief over her mother’s death isn’t something she only brings up once or twice. These occur over and over again because she is the other main character and with that comes a lot more screentime for her to be hypocritical, grow and show development to a level that the other female characters can’t.

[reunionatdawn]

My Analysis of the Best Paired Endings in 3H (Part 3: Claude/Hilda)

Byleth: (His easy smile is striking… But that smile doesn't reach his eyes…)

Claude is a Leo, a fire sign ruled by the Sun. Leo traits include being confident, comfortable being the center of attention, drama-adoring, ambitious, loyal, fiercely protective of their nearest and dearest, generous, luxury-loving, sunny, and big-hearted. Like Edelgard, his goal was to usher in the dawn of a new age as supreme leader.

He bears the Crest of Riegan, which is associated with The Moon arcana. The general meaning of The Moon is that everything is not as it seems. It is also the Major Arcana of intuition. It tells you that something about a situation or person in your life is not what it appears to be, and you need to trust what your instincts are telling you in order to see past this illusion.

Claude: When I first saw you wield the Sword of the Creator, I wanted to use your power to my advantage. I wanted to use you to make my dream of a new world come true. But before long, I realized what I really wanted was to see that new world…with you by my side. I still feel that way, you know. I always will. That's why I have to leave.

Claude was taking advantage of female Byleth's romantic interest in him to achieve his dream. He admitted as much himself in his S-Support. That explained why his Goddess Tower scene was all about his political ambitions and lacked any genuine romantic undertones. Supposedly he fell in love with her somewhere along the way. But something felt off to me. He couldn't even attend Byleth's coronation?

Byleth & Claude After ascending the throne as the first leader of the United Kingdom of Fódlan, Byleth sought to rebuild the war-torn towns and villages and to help guide the reformation of the Church of Seiros. After a few months of peace, remnants of the Imperial army joined with those who slither in the dark and marched upon the capital city of Derdriu. The new kingdom lacked the power to repel the invaders, but when defeat seemed imminent, a battle cry rang out from the east. Claude, the newly-crowned King of Almyra, led a mighty army that broke through the rebel forces with ease. This show of solidarity forever altered the course of history, heralding a new age of unity.

If he is paired with Petra, he postpones his return to Almyra for years due to his love. With Lysithea, his love for her compels him to give up the throne entirely. Even when he does return to Byleth like he promised, it's to defeat the remnants of the Imperial army and TWSITD. That earns him the title "King of Unification". But there's nothing in their paired ending to indicate a marital union.

Claude did care about Byleth as more than just a tool. But to me, it felt like the writers were trying to portray that he didn't love her romantically, albeit in a very subtle way. Which I actually found to be a very great idea. He definitely had a reason to marry Byleth for political purposes, considering his dream. And I liked that his reputation as a schemer finally amounted to something in the end after all. Besides, he had more chemistry with Hilda, anyway.

Hilda: It's just a legend, sure…but I prefer to be cautious about such things. One of the guys was pretty handsome, and he came from a good family… But that doesn't really tell you what a person's like on the inside. I want a life partner who's good-hearted and good-looking.

Claude is a very flirty person in general and has a lot of chemistry with most of the girls he can Support with. But he was particularly flirty with Hilda. Even their C-Support was surprisingly sexual. But their connection gradually developed into more than just physical attraction. The tagline for the game was, "Sweet memories twisted by time's cruel hand". Claude has many sweet memories of his childhood and Hilda is the only one who takes an interest in them.

Because of this, she was the only girl he offered to bring home. Claude is usually a very guarded young man who keeps his secrets close to his chest. He was afraid of his Almyran heritage being exposed because he's been the constant victim of racism. While Hilda made the occasional off-hand racist remark (moreso out of ignorance than malice), Claude still offered to introduce her to his family, showing his trust in her character and her ability to be judge people for who they are on the inside, not their heritage.

Holst: But what if the next king of Almyra turns out to be a kind and decent man? What if Hilda even likes him? Claude: Uh, if Hilda wants to marry that hypothetical heartthrob, I'm not gonna stop her. Look, what's all this really about? Holst: Apologies. My imagination ran free for a moment. If that is what Hilda wants, then I will not stand in her way either. Claude: Your imagination's definitely still running there. Holst: I'm just as worried about Hilda's future as I am about Leicester's—maybe even more so. Claude: I completely understand, so let me just say this… I believe that both Leicester's and Hilda's futures are as bright as they can be. All I ask is that you trust me.

Claude and Hilda don't need Byelth to choose the Golden Deer house to get married. Golden Wildfire proves that. Holst approves of their relationship. His A-Support with Claude even foreshadowed the Claude/Hilda paired ending. So, it definitely feels like it's the one Claude ship that's most rooted in "canon".

Hilda: I don't understand why anyone would want to risk their life for someone else. When you die, no matter how you died, it's over. To me, it's more important to enjoy life. We only live once, after all. It's a waste to spend all your time working and being responsible, right?

Hilda was the only character I did not recruit on my AM New Game+. If I had to guess, I'd say she was probably not even gonna be recruitable outside her home route, similar to Dedue and Hubert. I left her behind because I didn't want Claude to be alone. But also because she truly belonged on that bridge in Derdriu defending him. It's the ultimate fulfillment of her character arc, showing how she's changed from a spoiled and lazy girl into a mature woman who will try her best to not let down the people she cares about.

Hilda and Claude were the only lord and retainer I felt comfortable shipping because their differing social status had practically no effect on how they related to each other. Hilda could see through his fake smile because she was just as manipulative, constantly flirting to get people to do things for her. In CF, she died for Claude because she had fun with him and found him sexy, not because it was her duty as a Crest bearer. Claude expected her to run, but she stood her ground.

As a lord, Claude was in the middle. He was ambitious like Edelgard but not quite as ruthless. He shared Dimitri's distaste for war, but would compromise those ideals in pursuit of his goals. What I liked about Hilda as a retainer was that she supported him emotionally, but she also challenged him on his decisions when it was necessary. She questioned whether being king was really what he wanted when he was a natural free spirit at heart.

Claude: You and I may not hold any grudges, but if you look to our history, you'll see it was the Kingdom who tossed us to the wolves first. When our people were fighting for independence from the Empire, Faerghus attacked and conquered Leicester for themselves.

Claude certainly had good intentions, but in the end, he was perhaps a bit too motivated by self-interest. In VW, he realized that, which is why he stepped down in favor of Byleth. In GW, there is a chapter called "The End of the Alliance". Claude becomes king of the Federation and allies with Edelgard. He announces his intention to eliminate the church and invade the Kingdom using historical disputes as a justification, however questionable that may be.

Claude: If you're going to lead Fódlan, then the Alliance lords will follow you. Back in the day, the Alliance split off from the Kingdom. I'm just putting us back together again.

In AM, there is a cutscene called "The End of the Alliance". Claude puts aside all historical animosity and willingly unifies with the Kingdom. Why the change of heart? He admitted he wouldn't do anything unless he had something to gain, but Byleth and Dimitri selflessly came to his rescue. And because of that, he gives his Hero's Relic to Dimitri, something he did not to for Edelgard. Symbolically this gesture is so important because he always thought he needed the power of the relics to realize his dream. But he doesn't.

Claude & Hilda Trusting the affairs to his comrades with whom he had fought, Claude departed for his homeland. While in Fódlan he was no more than a noble, upon returning to his homeland of Almyra, he was a prince of the realm. Having grown strong and mature, he gained recognition among the royal family and eventually wielded influence in national politics. Several years later, the king of Almyra retired, and Claude succeeded to the throne. Simultaneously, a queen was introduced – none other than Hilda. Leveraging her brother's support, she unexpectedly demonstrated diplomatic prowess, contributing to the establishment of diplomatic relations between Almyra and Fódlan. Furthermore, with two consecutive queens from Fódlan, the values of Almyra began to evolve.

In AM, Claude's fate doesn't change much compared to VW. He still goes back to Almyra, presumably with Hilda if she wasn't recruited. So, I don't even think their VW paired ending would be any different in the AM timeline. And their marital union is what will help Claude achieve his dream. He didn't need Byleth, the Hero's Relics, or to become supreme leader. Marrying Hilda opens Fódlan's Locket. This is the only ending where Hilda gets involved in politics instead of making accessories, but it is better for her character development, and I think she'd be happier that way in the end.

[rosenotactuallyquartz]

Any headcanons on why Rose's Rainbow Quartz looks the way that she does?

pearl + rose = rainbow quartz

(& what she tells us about their relationship)

here’s what storyboarder katie mitroff said about their fusion in we need to talk:

“I LOVE these two so I was absolutely ecstatic to draw this scene. I remember being really pressed to pack all of their passion and Pearl’s smugness into one moment that lasts the length of a guitar solo… and their fusion that’s just an embodiment of that into one giant, shamelessly beautiful dancer!”

fusion is the ultimate connection between gems and the personification of a gem relationship. it’s important to note that pearl and rose had a stable fusion, which tells us that they were in perfect sync physically, emotionally, & mentally. had they been too flustered, confused, not connecting well for whatever reason in we need to talk, their fusion would not have worked that way.

their dance signifies a strong emotional, romantic, sensual, and emotional relationship. it becomes someone who is unique, strong, & vibrant.

boldness

everything about rainbow’s disposition, body language, & appearance is bold.

her boldness represents just how passionate pearl and rose’s relationship is, and she’s also a reminder of how their love started. together, they rebelled against homeworld, a place where diamonds and pearls are not considered equals. love between pearls and diamonds was unheard of and considered wrong. during the rebellion, when pearl and rose began to feel for one another, a ruby-sapphire fusion resonated with rose. she wanted to fight for the beauty of these relationships, and fight against those who perceived certain gems as inferior & relationships between “inferior” and “superior” gems as gross.

despite how not allowed their relationship was in homeworld, rose still looked pearl in the eyes when she confessed her feelings & replied with, “please, don’t ever stop!”

rainbow demonstrated everything they fought for in the rebellion, her boldness representing that they were never afraid to love each other despite the homeworld’s disapproval.

her stability and her boldness also shows just how sure they were. neither of them ever thought like homeworld did, not even a bit. this relationship would never be easy, and there was a lot of danger around them, but they were courageous and loved each other shamelessly, because they knew their love was beautiful.

but that’s not all:

“Rose falls in love with Pearl’s surprising boldness that comes out of left field.” — end of an era, page 86

rose’s consistent love for pearl is so intense yet such a second nature to her, such a part of her, that one of her favourite things about pearl shines through rainbow quartz.

pastel pink, blue, ??? more on her appearance

rainbow does not look or act more like pearl or rose. rose does not overpower pearl, or vice-versa. for example, her hair is long and large like rose’s hair, but the tips of her hair and the color are very similar to pearl’s hair.

her exact colour palette is not quite known due to the tinted lighting of the music video. whether this be the creators’ intentions or not, i like to think that her unknown colour palette represents something about their relationship, too. pearl has early memories of rose when she would juggle, scribble drawings, struggle to control a spaceship, spend ages outside with her little playmate. their closeness lasted so long that not even their best friends could possibly know everything about their dynamic. no one knows about all the memories they share, simply because it would take a ridiculously long time for them to tell all these stories.

however, what we do know is that pearl and rose’s pastel colours really seem to show—lots of light pinks and blues. her movements are incredibly gentle and graceful. there’s a softness to her, despite how bold she is. i think this symbolizes the softness of their relationship, the comfort and sweetness. their fusion was initially thought of after they witnessed love. as a result of this, they also met garnet, someone who would be very important to them. their best friend, and together, they learned about and experienced all types of love.

her design is very 1980s, as this was reflecting the era. her dance skills reflect pearl and rose’s dispositions. pearl is very graceful, and her movements often resemble a ballerina’s. when she attempted to teach steven about his powers, she brought up creating his own dance. this is a pearl thing, not because she’s a pearl, but because she’s herself. it’s a part of her, and rose always encourages her to be herself. so, of course this part of pearl is shown in rainbow quartz. her dance moves also suggest a sensuality, and she shows this shamelessly. many other gems are more private about this sort of thing if this is something they’re interested in, but it appears that both pearl and rose were comfortable with being rather open about this aspect of their relationship at the time. not so much that it was uncomfortable for anyone, more in a flirtatious, implied sense. so, we have a dancer who is sensual like both of them, but she also has pearl’s type of gracefulness and rose’s type of playfulness.

name & crystal

there’s also symbolism behind her name, rainbow. i know what you’re thinking, sapphic relationship and the rainbow flag. it’s funny, and it’s very true. but it’s not just this; throughout history (even around the time of their first fusion), the rainbow has been a symbol of hope. after a dark and gloomy rainfall, there’s a beautiful rainbow. after pearl makes pink disappear, rose reforms, and as sugar says, “the dust clears, revealing an endless honeymoon” (end of an era timeline). after the war, pearl + rose live together for thousands of years. heck, after centuries of being traumatized by homeworld, both together and in separate ways, they share a love that goes against homeworld’s rules, norms, and beliefs. a fusion is a relationship personified, and everything about pearl and rose’s love signifies something warm in the midst of something cold and dark.

i could have a whole post about crystal properties and how they relate to the characters’ personalities. but i’ll touch on this a little bit for rainbow. rainbow quartz is a stone that reflects every colour of the rainbow. how interesting, because white diamond stated, “as for me, i’m certain I don't need you. after all, i’m every color of the light! but you're a part of me… the part i always have to repress” in change your mind, when she spoke to steven, whom she believed was rose. “white believes that because her gem channels white light, she is essentially a gem light form all the time” (end of an era, 116). pearl and rose both know rose is a diamond, yet as a fusion, they are rainbow quartz. i believe this represents comfort, acceptance, trust, healing. we all know that rose was in a lot of pain, and no one could have changed that. she was deeply ashamed of herself, but a very important aspect of her relationship with pearl is that pearl knew. rose told her every secret she could say, pearl was aware that she was pink diamond, and she was aware of the abuse she experienced. she even saw some of it, as confirmed in now we’re only falling apart as well as pearl’s behavior when white diamond is brought up. rainbow suggests that pearl wanted to help rose heal from her abuse trauma. when she was with pearl, rose was able to feel better about herself & white’s voice in her mind quieted down a bit, even if it never completely disappeared. quartz suggests that pearl loved rose as rose and not as a diamond, and rose still felt comfortable as a quartz, as her new self, around someone who knew the individual she used to be. however, please note that things are not all good. it’s incredibly apparent, just how much pearl wanted to protect and heal rose. it’s partially why she became so fixated after losing her, it’s why she struggles to think about herself. in my opinion, pearl’s feelings for rose are a lot like the song two by sleeping at last: “no, i don't want to talk about myself; tell me where it hurts. i just want to build you up, build you up, until you're good as new and maybe one day I will get around to fixing myself, too.”

the rainbow quartz crystal is soothing, healing, and it radiates positive energy. this reminds me of the time pearl and rose explored earth. it was their first good day, their first safe environment, and they spent that day together. it boosts creativity and clarity, which reminds me of their personalities. rose is very playful with childlike wonder, and this gives her a brilliant imagination. she daydreams a lot, so much that it makes her withdrawn, so much that it can be distressing sometimes. pearl is logical and she was able to take rose’s rambles and jumbled up thoughts and say, “that’s a brilliant idea, here’s how we’re going to do it!” this is why they worked so well together, pearl being rose’s second in command. after the war, they had many successful missions alongside garnet who’s wise and balanced with a lot of leadership qualities, and amethyst who provides a different perspective and is also creative with lots of positivity.

voice

there was this time when we were all very sad about the fact that we never heard rainbow’s voice. in the music video, she obviously couldn’t talk, then they let each other go after the song was over. i think this represents that, while they liked to show off certain aspects of their relationship, they also kept a lot of things private. they didn’t want to share many things and so much of their emotional relationship happened behind closed doors apart from obvious things they kept private.

rose also sounds different in now we’re only falling apart. in we need to talk, greg the babysitter, straight to video, buddy’s book… her voice is much softer. her laugh is much softer. when she was alone with pearl, she spoke loudly and rambled more and allowed herself to speak excitedly. i don’t think rose likes the sound of her voice. i think it’s an insecurity because she knows she’s quite childish sometimes but she wants to be different and she was supposed to be a leader on earth, but she questions if she even sounds like one. she permanently reformed as rose, but she could never change her voice, so it reminds her of pink. her scream once cracked the walls, signifying her pain and everything she’s trying not to be.

but in flashbacks from pearl’s perspective, we see a side of rose that really reminds us of steven! pearl highlights her awkward rambles, her loud and childlike exclaims that she has when she’s excited. pearl loved when rose was like this, she clearly seemed to think it was adorable. this helped rose relax more, but i like to imagine rainbow’s silence being a symbol of the fact that every time rose softened her voice or had an act that was not quite genuine, pearl would notice. she encouraged her to be herself, and the gems loved when she was as playful and genuine as ame is, but there’s still a lot that she’s hiding; still so much she’s ashamed of. it also symbolizes rose’s constant fear of hurting pearl, her guilt of hurting individuals from her past (even with her voice—her scream���itself). when they were together, rose was undoubtedly quite genuine but she definitely still had this fear of saying or doing something wrong and accidentally hurting pearl. sugar said, on page 95 of end of an era, that rose could never trust herself. although she could relax more around pearl, she had such low self esteem that she could never trust herself around anyone, as she feared she would hurt them. with this specific analysis and interpretation, the symbolism is even present in the episode’s title, we need to talk.

that being said, this is just symbolism and remember that rainbow’s actual voice could sound nothing like rose or pearl. a fusion is a completely new individual. we don’t get to hear rainbow’s voice, so we can only headcanon.

concept sketches of rainbow quartz by rebecca sugar and katie mitroff

to conclude…

so, rainbow’s appearance and disposition says so much about pearl and rose’s relationship. however, there is not a lot of information provided, but there’s so much symbolism. as for the section with my headcanons… there’s a bit of information that led me to believe them, but some are simply based on her energy and demeanor.

i love her. rest in peace, rainbow quartz

[enkisstories]

Gingerrose in 30 pics

So here is another look back on the first story one of my couples appeared in.

It's set in the Star Wars universe and branches from canon halfway through The last Jedi. For those unfamiliar with the movie, in the broadest strokes it is about the last defenders of the Galactic Republic being on the run from the evil space empire.

In my story the heroes get joined by a disgruntled General of said empire. General Hux hasn't grown desillusioned about the First Order, he is just very, very pissed about a succession issue.

In the beginning Rose and Hux are only ever part of group conversations. He's partially responsible for her homeworld's destruction and caused her sister's death a handful of days ago. And she's even more evil in his book, having bitten him. No, these two do not have anything to say to each other.

The group is chasing after an artifact that will lead them to a place of power, power that they must not let fall into their enemies' hands. At one point they have a group meal, and the sims separate themselves onto different tables. Rose and Hux end up at the same table, alone.

The silence is more suffocating than Rey's first attempt at mac 'n cheese.

Soon after that meal the group passes time by playing a vintage computer game. Both Hux and Rose think they have won and cheer loudly. For a minute or so they have forgotten whom exactly they enthuse with here...

...but on the next planet it's back to strictly avoiding each other again.

(Spoilered for length)

At this point Rose & Hux isn't on the table yet. To the contrary, Hux gets flirted at regularly by Poe, much to the dismay of that one's boyfriend.

Finn confronts Hux about this. The General admits that there may be a mutual attraction, but also that he couldn't be any less interested in pursuing a relationship with Poe. He also casually drops the info that he doesn't "sleep with people for recreational purpose" while not ruling out the possibility of romantic attachment in general.

The heroes solve the riddle of Exegol and succeed in de-powering their arch-nemesis, Kylo Ren. It is time to part ways with Hux, but the rebels cannot just let an enemy of that calibre go free.

After everything they went through together, Hux offers the heroes to join him to rule the world together. They extend the same offer to him - join us and help free the galaxy.

In the end there is no common ground to be found. Rose electroshocks Hux and he gets taken to a secret prison.

A few months later Hux has escaped crater prison, but so has a monstrous, telepathic plant called Godmother. The First Order and the rebels once again join forces, this time semi-officially.

The brief time with his own faction has once again reminded Hux that despite his rank he is very much an outsider at home. The only ones who ever treated him respect have been the rebels. Hux is looking forwards to working with them again, to the point where he buys those "enemies of order and civilisation" chocolate treats upon the reunion. But Poe sees something even sweeter and the flirting begins anew.

When the group walks to their space ship, Hux and Rose hang back significantly and even feel comfortable enough around each other to chat.

Zooming in I caught them holding hands like this and that pretty much sold the pairing to me. Now I just had to make it work somehow.

To combat Godmother, the heroes need a full genetic profile of her. Problem: Their enemy already controls the government and the part not yet controlled is busy sweeping the goings on under the carpet. Most of their investigation consists of breaking into places.

During one such forays into a restricted zone Rose breaks a computer and with that leaves evidence of them having been here. When Ben yells at her for that, the other four unite against him, acting as a union.

Then comes the infamous Rylothberry wine incident, where everyone gets drunk, Poe and Hux duel with lightsabers and Rose walks into their blades. Poe's blade almost cuts into Rose's shoulder. Hux blocks with all his (drunken) might.

What could have been the beginning of a love story ends instead in Hux agreeing to a threemating with Finn and the stricken Poe.

Finn hopes that once the other two have acted on their desire, they can move on.

Next door Rose confides to Rey that she has a crush on both Finn and Hux, but hadn't said anything, willing to wait which one would get together with Poe.

Now she has lost them both and it hurts.

The group has to retreat to an underground bunker, where they continue their work. Hux and Rose become lab partners. They enjoy the quiet hours working together, still not talking much.

Hux overhears Rose receiving a call from a distant uncle. Turns out she has jokingly asked for an arranged marriage as a child, when she had thought to be too shy to ever pursue a boyfriend. Now the uncle has found her a partner.

Since Rose' homeworld is officially occupied by the First Order, Hux and Ben change a law to void the marriage contract.

Rose is perplexed. What made these two think that she'd agreed to this wedding?

Although he has been a fool, this one time Hux has meant well, what results in the first kiss of the lab partners.

Rose repeats her offer to the General. The bait has become tastier, but he's not quite ready to jump ship.

Things spiral downwards when the group has finished an experimental antivenom to Godmother's mind control. Both Rey and Hux had temporarily fallen victim to her, so Rose sees no choice but to test the antivenom on one of her friends and she picks Hux.

The choice is logical, but a sacrifice on a personal level, especially since the subject surviving wasn't a 100% given.

Silence rules again between these two, only this time cut by the occasional snark.

Rey and Hux find themselves exiled from the bunker due to their lingering infection. They find shelter in a landspeeder factory, where Hux does some growing up.

Among other things he gets over his aversion to kitchen work, learns to bake and realizes that he has a lot more to apologize for than Rose has. Right or wrong, he needs to make the first step.

The duo returns to the bunker, where they have been sorely missed. Everyone admits to have acted on emotion rather than rationally.

This is the last scene Rose and Hux have together in this chapter. He will stay behind to coordinate the planet's defenses, while Rose joins the group that confronts Godmother in person.

Time passes. An elaborate scheme makes Rey Palpatine the new Supreme Leader of the First Order, supported by Ben and Hux. This leads to a civil war and an extended siege on the planet Batuu, that threatens to become the site of a second battle of Jakku.

Rey's faction of the First Order allies with the Resistance and so Rose and Hux meet again on Batuu. Watching an Admiral swing around his grandson, they think of children of their own...

The couple is seen all over town, not hiding their relationship in the least.

Rose continues her work as commander of the engineering corps. Poe coordinates Batuu's aerial defence.

Meanwhile Hux and Finn form a crime battling unit, essentially acting as cops, a lifestyle that agrees with Hux a lot. Together they manage to destroy a criminal syndicate that not just plagued Black Spire, but also aided the rival faction of the First Order.

During the investigations it comes to light that Finn is the son of a crimelady from Batuu, who fled the planet.

Eventually the topic of children and with that of sex comes up. Hux is afraid that Rose might leave him if he doesn't feel the desire as often as her. He admits that his low sex drive had always been a source of pride to him, a cut above crude nature.

The problem is solved by all four agreeing to a semi-open relationship that only involves them, but no outsider.

Rose and Hux then win Batuu's first lightsaber tournament in the category non-force sensitives.

These duels normally have a clear winner, but a glitch in the game caused the finale to end in a draw. Never has a glitch been more welcome!

Although the letter of their alliance doesn't require him to, Hux shares a patent of his with the Resistance: He teaches them Hyperspace tracking, not just the makeshift counter Rose has already worked on, but the full technique.

At this point he believes in a co-existence with the annoying Republic and in Rey's ability to rule the galaxy.

However, after the civil war ends with Rey's faction being victorious, the First Order lets through that they are not interested in cooperation. They rebel against Rey in more or less subtle ways. The last straw is a trooper arresting Poe for having grown a beard - his ID no longer matches his appearance.

Hux publicly admonishes the trooper, only to get attacked by her.

Hux and Poe return to the Resistance base, where Rey is already waiting for them.

The reforming experiment has failed, the best they can hope for is for more First Order leaders to defect and help bring down the structure.

Rose and Hux - now a Commander of the Resistance - part ways again when Finn wants to explore his heritage and Rose and Poe go with him. Much to his relieve the crime syndicate lead turns out to be a red herring - the woman in question has been his nanny, not his mother.

The friends meet again at the Chapman farm on Batuu, where Finn meets his real mother and younger brother.

Rose, Hux, Poe and Finn decide to stay on Batuu. Poe will marry Finn, and Rose and Hux will build a home close to the Chapman farm.

---

Sources:

A new hope on Exegol

Godmother strikes back

The return to Batuu

These are chapters 5 - 7 of a story with my sims in the Star Wars/Batuu setting. Chapters 1-4 were starring my OCs with the occasional appearance of Kylo Ren and Rey as npc.

[heyclickadee]

Some kinda silly Techphee head-canons/thoughts under the cut (I wrote this ages ago but never posted it):

1. I’m honestly still not sure that Tech wasn’t trying to flirt back in “Entombed.” Not even necessarily in a serious way, because I don’t think that switch completely flips until “Pabu,” but in a, “Hhmm. She’s interesting,” sort of way, but his flirting language just ended up going completely over Phee’s head.

2. Likewise, I still like that things between them are moving really slowly and that we’ve barely gotten to (kinda clumsy and very mild) mutual flirting. It’s a negotiated relationship and not a whirlwind romance, and I appreciate that.

3. This is partly head-canon, but I also kind of appreciate that both of them are trying to figure this out. Phee has this interesting combination of having a somewhat flirty baseline personality while also being somewhat standoffish in the most extroverted way (I kind of head-canon that she’s one of those super outgoing people who still manages to keep people at arms length and has a vveeerrrry short list of close friends because emotional intimacy is terrifying), and that could potentially make it hard to communicate when she really likes someone.

And then with Tech—I kind of think it’s new territory for him. In a way. I don’t personally head-canon Tech as ace or aro, though I appreciate that other people do, and I honestly don’t have a head-canon either way on whether or not Tech’s ever hooked up with anyone. Maybe he hasn’t, maybe he has, could go either way, for me it just kinda depends on whether he ever had the opportunity or the time. What I think, though, is that any experience he might have with sex or kissing or whatever was limited to one night stands with people he knew he was never going to see again. Phee, though—Tech has had the time to get to know her a bit, and he could potentially have a life with her. And those are two things—time and the chance of a life or an actual romantic relationship with someone—that would’ve never been on the table before because those were things the GAR didn’t allow. That’s what I mean by it being new territory, and that could make someone cautious, however into another person they are.

Tl;dr: They’re both struggling to figure out what’s going on between them and I love them being gently disastrous because of it.

3.5: Kind of an aside, even though I don’t head-canon Tech as ace or aro (I identify very strongly with Tech, and I’m ace, but I also like leaning into the ways I think he’s very much not like me at all), I do actually kind of head-canon Hunter that way. And I mean that I headcanon him as being completely uninterested and even a little confused that other people are. Though I appreciate that other people don’t headcanon Hunter that way. (This is one of those cases where it’s really fun seeing other people’s interpretations).

4. When Tech comes back and if Tech and Phee do end up together, I’m really hoping that they’ll be a bit like Kanan and Hera in Rebels, in that they end up being best friends who are also very in love and extremely married in a science adventure battle couple kind of way. (I also really adore the sibling energy between Phee and Hunter, so I. Like. Need them to be space in-laws). Friendship and romance don’t cancel each other out and can not only co-exist, but strengthen one another as well. I feel like media does us a disservice when it says that romance ruins a friendship or that friendship is a stepping stone or, worse, an obstacle to romance. I want them to steal stuff from the British Space Museum and then also smooch from time to time.

5. I’ll admit that I’m kind of compelled by the fact that Tech and Phee won’t really get to grow old together. Even if they get to live peaceful lives, Tech’s going to be old long before Phee, and he’s going to die before either of them are really ready for it. And there’d be something interesting about one of them—I imagine Tech but it could be either one—saying, “This is going to be over too quickly, and that’s not fair,” and the other going, “No, it’s not—but let’s live life anyway.”

6. I’m on the fence on whether or not Phee and Tech would want kids if they do end up an item, but if they did (I mean, okay, if the writers make them want kids, but if we’re buying into the narrative here), I actually think they’d be good parents. Tech’s kind of already got a kid that he’s pretty good with (there was a learning curve and Hunter’s the main dad, but Tech’s right there co-raising Omega, and she’s his kid/little sister as much as she’s Hunter’s), Phee’s actually pretty good with Omega, too, and Lyana clearly adores Phee. It’s not the same as being primary caretakers, but it’s a step towards not being awful at it.

And it’s not as though they’d be on their own if they did decide to raise kids. (I’m including adoption of the very informal ‘a kid who needs a family and protection found us so we’re parents now’ Star Wars variety as a possibility here, btw). While I don’t think the the batch is going to settle down on Pabu all together all the time after season three (I have thoughts), any kid Tech and Phee would have would probably end up being raised by the wwhoooooolle family. Hunter, Crosshair, Wrecker, Echo, Omega, and probably Shep and Lyana are all gonna be Involved, not to mention the bazillion distant uncles (like Rex) that kid would have. That kid’s getting doted on.

6.5. Another aside, but I’m really curious how Phee and Shep met, and how Phee became part of that little family.

7. Tech’s and Phee’s relationship isn’t the one I’m the most interested in exploring going into season three—the sibling/parent/whatever relationships within clone force 99 are the ones I’m most invested in, and the Techphee stuff has been so low key that I don’t expect it to take precedence over anything else, or think it should —but I am still very invested in it and want to see where it goes.

[rockwgooglyeyes]

HI ROCKK WHAT ARE YOUR OCS THOUGHTS ON DEATH, LOVE AND ALIEN STAGE

(IF YOU POSTED ABT IT IM SORRY I DIDNT SEE IT😭)

Love youuu

I love you too, Sun, and don't worry, I don't think I've ever posted about this specifically!! Thank you for the question btw this one will be fun >:)

But this IS going to be long so I will have it as a read more lmao. OH also warnings for mentions of suicide/self harm/murder

Nausi is afraid of dying because she's fully atheistic, she believes that dying is the end, and she specifically afraid of dying alone. Her fear of death is why, when she can, she just incapacitates someone rather than killing them (she's only killed a few people, as both a rebel and an AREPH trainee). Nausi hates ALIEN STAGE because it is not only a waste of life (eight contestants in the 50th season with only one winning, in the 39th season we have 32 contestants, with only one being the winner) but she hates the performative aspect of it as well, her loved ones and fellow humans being forced to compete for their lives, being made to act out a story that they may not very well want a part in. She cherishes love, holding it close to her chest and doing her best to connect with people, but she doesn't expect love from anyone and is frankly surprised when someone reciprocates any kind of affection towards her, platonic or romantic. She is a physical affection/words of affirmation/acts of service person

Asuka doesn't think about death, much, save for the fact that he will do anything in his power to prevent his loved ones from dying (as it's an extension of leaving). Shame how that will end up for him. He is looking forward to ALIEN STAGE as an opportunity to prove himself to his owner because his owner (unnamed right now) merely treats Asuka as another prized possession in her vast collection. Fun fact, he picked up his possessiveness, in part, from her. Love isn't really something that Asuka conceptually understands but he knows that there are people in his life that he would do anything for, say yes to whatever they asked of him, and that he wants to be around for the rest of his life, and he may not call it that but that's love to him. He's a quality time/physical affection/acts of service kind of guy hehe

Yumi actively wants to kill herself because she views death as an escape from the prison that she has found herself in. ALIEN STAGE is a means to an end. Love is unexpected but welcome.

Faisal doesn't really think much of death besides that it's going to happen eventually. He dreads ALIEN STAGE but at the same time, he's immensely grateful that he won't be forced to participate, and that he'll have Zhuli by his side during the hardest moments. Love is something he has in small amounts and does his best not to take for granted. He tries his best not to drive away the people that he loves but he feels unworthy of their affection nonetheless and worries that they will eventually realize he is undeserving of their love.

Dian avoids thinking and addressing death whenever possible. He knows that it isn't some noble thing like the seygeins tell them but that doesn't mean he really wants to think about it much at all. Which is ironic because Nyx is morbid as fuck. ALIEN STAGE is something he fears. He is afraid he'll be forced to participate in the next season and he's hoping that his owner (Teneb)'s goodwill will hold. Love is a noble burden to Dian, a torch he is willing to hold, a weakness he will keep covered and hidden away in shadow for fear of it being exploited.

To Nyx, death is inevitable and always imminent. It could happen at any moment and he knows that but it won't stop him from living because what's the point of worrying about death at every turn, when he won't even know he's dead when he's dead? ALIEN STAGE is both something he despises and dreads because he knew that he was going to take part in it, it was something he's been prepped for his whole life, but he knows it's going to be his finale as well, so he can't exactly look forward to it. He hates it because it's taken many loved ones from him. On the love front, as I said in my Aurien post, "Love is a fickle, fiddly thing for him, something he doesn't understand and he has a difficult time identifying it." Nyx tells people that he loves them relatively freely because he never knows the last time that he'll see them.

(For other people's ocs that I mentioned, today there's only Zhuli, who belongs to @apriciticreveries)