#[ but FOR SURE would like to write a ship on here again at some point ]

[my-mt-heart]

I check in with your posts here on occasion and I haven't seen anything in the Walking Dead world since s10. I've toyed with a full rewatch, but I don't think I'm emotionally ready to revisit the show yet. And zero interest from the spinoffs and how the final season went doesn't help matters. Anyway, you said the trailer for the Daryl show has C & D almost unrecognizable with no emotional weight or history made a priority. Would you even want anything romantic to happen between them at this point? I personally don't, simply because of how ugly the spinoff has been, in regards to the idiots running the show and their complete lack of respect for the characters and THEIR emotional journey TOGETHER. I often think about if I would be excited or want to watch it if they did get together and it's always a hard no from me. I chooseto remember them from years ago when it was good and when they were the heart and soulof the flagship show.

One final question. Do you think it ultimately comes down to Norman's decision to not let them go canon? If so, why is the world is that such a concern of his? What could be so awful about that happening? For me, I know they're great friends (or used to be?) but I feel like he has some visceral and downright bizarre fear of letting that happen and I just can't put my finger on why.

I will only ever ship Daryl and Carol and I will always want romantic canon for them because that's the only route that makes sense for their story when we're following the flagship show and when they're kept in character. Now of course, Zabel and co are not following the flagship show (it's pretty obvious he didn't even watch it once) and they may as well rename Daryl and Carol because they sure as hell aren't keeping them in character. Daryl's been a complete asshole who apparently can't remember his own age and whoever thought of the "batshit crazy" line for Carol should have been fired on the spot. I wanted to watch a show that continued the story of characters I bonded with over the last 15 years. The spinoff is not about those characters. The spinoff is a handful of the slimiest misogynists who exist deluding themselves into thinking they can build a brand new, male-dominant audience from scratch with a showrunner who can't write his way out of a wet paper bag, while also assuming Melissa and Carol just being there, no matter what their role/storyline is, is enough to appeal to women.

Again, yes I still want canon, but the show needs to make a hard, HARD left turn, under different leadership and a different title, to bring the characters back to themselves. In the meantime, I have no intention of watching Zabel and co burn them to the ground.

As for Norman, he's letting his personal issues (which have nothing to do with Caryl really), bleed into the show and AMC is taking the path of least resistance for reasons I don't think anyone of average intelligence can begin to understand. No execs who know what they're doing would let somebody in Norman's condition have full reign of their IP. Their business practices are upside down. It's no secret.

[conquiistador]

What are your top five doffi ships

[ HMMM -- My top five? Oh woah, difficult question! I don't even think I have five ships for him ahahaha --- I definitely know what my favorite ship for him is: Doflamingo / Caesar . Caesar is my favorite One Piece character and yeah, I love them together. Currently writing a fanfiction for them in an EvilWins!AU. u v u //

Second favorite would probably be the classic Doflamingo / Crocodile . I had the fortune of writing it a few years ago with @videcoeur , and they really made me appreciate that ship .

Other than that I don't really have any ships for him that I "actively" ship. But I'm open for all kinds of ships. This definitely includes cross-over ships! And ships with OCs! If there is some sort of chemistry ( or maybe if it's just toxic, I love toxic ships ). Doflamingo is a very dark character and so I don't expect his ships to be wholesome or lovey-dovey LOL.

When it comes to writing ships on here, the most important things are that our writing mesh well, we get along OOC ( we don't need to chat a whole lot, but knowing each other a little is cool ), and we enjoy each other's portrayals. Oh, and of course that my writing partner is comfortable ( I don't have any triggers, but I wouldn't want to write something with someone and make them uncomfortable!! ).

Thank you for asking anon! I really hope that now that I'm being active on here again, I'll end up getting to write some ships for Doflamingo. 8) ]

[marvelseries19]

VANISHING POINT

Chapter One - Castaway

Chapter one | Chapter two | Chapter three | Chapter Four | Chapter five |

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x female agent reader

Genre: Angst

Summary: The mission was successful, however, your return home will not be as easy as you may believe. In fact, you're not sure you would be able to get back.

A/N: It's been a while since I've been excited about writing. So, here is the first chapter. I hope you like it. I rewrote a few times, but I think this is as good as it gets. I would appreciate feedback on it, and any comments, suggestions, questions, or just conversations about it are welcome. There are some posts that I would like for you to check out, there is some info and ideas that I wanted to let you know. If you saw a typo or something, no, you didn't. Enjoy :)

Warnings: +18, descriptions of injuries, language, etc.

Word count: 1.2k+

[You do not have permission to repost or translate any of my stories or claim them as yours.]

The Quinjet hummed steadily beneath your fingertips, the vast stretch of ocean below endless and unforgiving. The ride back to the compound was at least full of beautiful views.

It had been an easy mission, just surveillance on a suspected HYDRA base. It took a week to complete, and now you were on your way home.

You leaned back slightly, exhaling. Just a few more hours, and you would be back home. Back with her.

Your fingers idly reached for the chain around your neck, your thumb grazing over the cool metal of the ring that rested against your collarbone. Natasha’s ring. Your ring.

"So you don’t forget who’s waiting for you," she had murmured the night before, fastening the delicate chain around your neck, leaving a soft kiss at the nape of your neck. You had smiled, shaking your head, but you had worn it beneath your suit every day since.

You were still lost in thought when Control’s voice crackled into the cockpit.

"Quinjet 9, this is Control. We just lost your tracking signal. Do you copy?"

Your brows furrowed. That’s not good.

"Yeah, I’m here. Everything looks fine… But let me check." Your fingers moved swiftly across the controls.

"Check your navigation relay. We’re showing nothing on our grid." A knot of unease formed in your stomach.

"Navigation relay is showing an error," you reported, your voice tight. "Stand by. I'll reboot—" The comms crackled, then cut out.

Silence.

Your stomach dropped.

"Control, say again? I'm losing you—repeat last!"

A new sound sliced through the cockpit—a shrill, piercing alarm.

Your radar flashed red. Missile lock. Your blood turned to ice.

"Shit—"

The first blast struck the Quinjet’s side. The impact threw you forward, your head slamming against the seat as the ship lurched violently. The left engine flared and failed instantly.

Alarms screamed. The Quinjet spun into freefall.

"Unidentified hostiles—taking heavy damage! Engines failing—I’m going down!" You shouted into the comms, straining to regain control.

"09, respond! What’s your location?! Agent Sloane, respond!"

You gritted your teeth, forcing your shaky hands over the controls, trying to reroute power. But the ship was already lost. The only thing you could do was brace for impact.

Your fingers clutched the ring against your chest.

Another explosion. The world blurred.

The ocean rushed up to meet you.

And then... Nothing.

—

The tension in the command center was thick enough to suffocate. Maria Hill stood with her arms crossed, eyes locked on the central monitor where Quinjet 9’s tracking data had once been.

Now, just static. Nick Fury stood beside her, his jaw tight, watching the same feed with unreadable eyes. Agent Dawson swallowed hard, headset pressed to his ear as he scanned multiple screens, waiting for anything-any sign of life.

Then—a red alert.

Dawson’s heart dropped.

"No, no, no..."

He straightened, turning toward Hill and Fury. His voice was steadier than he felt.

"We lost Quinjet 9."

Hill’s eyes narrowed. This couldn't be happening. "What do you mean 'lost'?"

Dawson hesitated. "No comms. No signal. No trace. It’s just... gone. We don't know where it is."

Silence.

Fury exhaled sharply, running a hand over his face. "Shit."

A muscle in Hill’s jaw twitched, but she gave a curt nod. "Start a search. Now."

Dawson hesitated. "Are we letting Agent Romanoff know?"

Fury and Hill exchanged a look.

Hill's voice was quieter now, almost resigned. "We'll tell her soon."

But Natasha Romanoff was already walking toward them, worried about not being able to contact you.

And the moment she saw their faces, she knew something had happened.

—

The first thing you felt was pain.

It dragged you from unconsciousness, a dull, throbbing ache that rolled through your entire body in relentless waves. Your head pounded, the world tilting dangerously even though you weren’t moving. The distant sound of waves crashing against the shore filtered through the ringing in your ears.

You forced your eyes open.

Blurry at first. Then, sharper—too sharp. Sunlight burned against your retinas, forcing you to squeeze them shut again. You tried to shift, but the moment you did, agony tore through your right side.

Your breathing hitched.

Ribs—definitely broken. You pushed through the pain, blinking against the light, taking in your surroundings.

Sand. Golden, coarse grains clinging to your skin. Your tactical suit was torn and streaked with blood and seawater. You were half-buried in the surf, the edges of the tide touching your boots. Further up, debris from the Quinjet was scattered across the beach—twisted metal, shattered glass, pieces of what was once your cockpit.

Shit.

You bit back a groan as you tried to sit up. A sharp, white-hot burst of pain shot through your right shoulder.

Dislocated.

Gritting your teeth, you cradled your arm against your torso, barely holding back a scream. Your ribs protested with every movement, but you had to keep going.

Your left hand found your chain, fingers fumbling until they closed around the ring.

You exhaled shakily.

Natasha.

She had no idea where you were. No one did.

The Quinjet had gone down off-radar. You had no comms, no signal, no way of knowing if anyone was even looking for you yet.

You’re on your own.

For now, at least.

Your forehead throbbed, and when you reached up, your fingers came back slick with blood.

You checked yourself over as best you could. Right shoulder, dislocated; ribs, at least two broken; head, bleeding, probably a mild concussion; and finally your legs, sore but not broken. Good. Small victories.

Breathing through the pain, you forced yourself to move. You needed shelter. Water. Some kind of plan.

But first—the shoulder.

You swallowed hard. There's no way around it. It had to go back in.

You found a rock near the treeline, rough and sturdy enough for leverage. Your breathing was ragged as you planted your feet, braced your body, and slammed your shoulder back into place.

White-hot pain was felt behind your eyes, swiftly dragging you into darkness. Resetting your shoulder—or other joints—was nothing new, but never under circumstances like these or with this many injuries.

The agony was too much for your body to handle. So to protect you, it shut off.

—

A few months ago

"You’re fidgeting."

Natasha’s voice was amused, but there was something softer in her tone, something fond.

You rolled your eyes, stuffing your hands in your pockets. "I don’t fidget."

She smirked, stepping closer, the city lights casting a glow on her freckled cheekbones. "You do when you're nervous."

You sighed, exhaling a shaky breath. It was a stupid thing to be nervous about. You’d faced assassins, HYDRA, and alien invasions, but somehow, this moment felt more terrifying.

You pulled the ring from your pocket. A simple band, strong, unyielding.

Much like her.

Natasha’s breath caught.

"I know we never really talked about it," you said, swallowing past the lump in your throat. "And I know we’re both terrible at normal, but—"

She cut you off with a kiss, her fingers curling around yours, closing them over the ring.

When she pulled back, her voice was barely a whisper.

"I was waiting for you to ask."

—

You were jerked back to reality by the sharp, relentless pain in your ribs and shoulder, the ache grounding you in the present. But the memory of your marriage proposal still lingered, a warmth that cut through the agony like a lifeline.

You flexed your fingers. It worked.

Barely conscious, body trembling, you let your fingertips brush against the ring resting against your chest. A reminder. A promise.

And with that, you forced yourself to your feet.

[onepieceisreeeeaaalll]

may I request another Luffy x fem reader please. Where Luffy is always picking up y/n like anywhere and everywhere they go (they aren’t dating or anything yet either) and he’s just always carrying her. Maybe even one day she’s wearing a skirt and so she freaks out when Luffy goes to grab her but Luffy holds her skirt down while carrying her. I don’t know I feel like it would be cute. Thank you!

Carried Away - Luffy x Fem!Reader

Hey! This was SO FUN to write! I spent too long trying to avoid it because I was overthinking, but it's been sitting in my drafts just haunting me. Here it is! Hope you like it!

Tags: SFW, use of y/n, platonic, pre-relationship, gunshot, Marine shenanigans

Check out my masterlist if you like stuff like this!

~1.7k

》* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • 。* 。° 。* 。 • ˚《

Incident One - The Thousand Sunny, noon

“Luffy, you can't be serious.” Nami sighs. 

The ship has been sailing a course towards - well, you can't remember. Nami's the one who handles the navigation, and quite honestly, you didn't hear where she said you'd be going. Something about the logpose, needing to restock - the usual. The point is that it's meant to be an easy journey. 

So, everyone's a little surprised to see a random, abandoned dingy in the middle of the ocean. With a treasure chest in it, no less. 

“Yeah - duh! We can't just leave that there!” Luffy whines, gesticulating his hands at Nami. “We're pirates - remember? That's treasure!”

“We don't know that, idiot!” Nami snaps, reaching a hand up to smack at Luffy's head. “It could be explosive, like that barrel was forever ago! Remember that?” 

He's already barreling near the edge of the ship, though, eyes widen with excitement. You can't help but giggle at the energy he has. 

“Aw, come on! Let me go over and take a look! I'll be real quick. Besides, what if it is treasure? Don't you want the money?”

Nami seems to pause at Luffy's comment. Everyone looks between her and Luffy, before she lets out a very long sigh. If you look closely enough, you're sure you can see berrie signs in her eyes. 

“Fine. But seriously, only real quick. And bring someone along with you so you don't get stuck in the water. Like Zo-”

“Alright! Let's go!”

Your eyes widen the moment Luffy's arm snakes around your waist, rotating around it over and over again in rubbery fashion. You weren't even close to him, but for some reason, you're the one he's selected. 

“Wait!” You screech, your hands grasping at his arm, but it's too late. 

Laughing wildly, Luffy backs up, rearing his other arm before launching you against his side and sending you both over the edge of the Sunny. 

“Luffy!” You scream, but the sound of the wind passing by is too loud in your ears. And so is Luffy's laugh. 

You land on the dingy with a thud, your arms still grasping onto Luffy tightly. His arm retracts from the rotation around your waist, and while you breathe heavily to calm your racing heart, Luffy is already marching towards the treasure chest in the small space. 

“What the-” You start, but Luffy's quick to wave you over.

“Nami said I needed someone to come with. Here, check this out with me!”

Your head aches, and all you can do is stare at him as a groan slips past your lips. Well, you can't argue with that logic. 

》* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • 。* 。° 。* 。 • ˚《

Incident Two - A Nearby Island, morning 

Yesterday, that treasure chest proved to not have treasure itself, but some kind of treasure map. The crew was mixed. On the one hand, it seems like an obvious trap. On the other hand, money. Money won out. 

Much to everyone's relief, the map has led to a nearby island. The one the crew was headed to, anyway, so it was really of no inconvenience. There's the opportunity to restock, to fix gear, to get a bite to eat. It's a much needed respite after the long journey everyone's just had, so why not add a treasure hunt?

No one is more excited about this than Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp. 

“Treasure hunt!” They gleefully cheer, leading the charge down the gangplank. 

The ship is docked off the shore, hidden away by large trees and surrounding cliff sides. So long as everyone is careful, there's no reason to believe there should be any danger. 

You're gathering your things, sorting through them on the deck. Getting a free day with some berries in your pocket is rare enough as is. It'd be preferable to make the most of it. Maybe some new boots? Oh, or something to take up your free time! Knitting?

It’s while you're lost in your thought bubble that you feel something grab at you. Looking down, your wrist is clamped by - is that a hand? Attached to-

The rubber arm is long, outstretched from the bottom of the gang plank, and you let out a gasp as it reels you quickly away from where you're standing. 

“Luffy!” You whine, as exasperated now as you were yesterday. 

You're snapped to Luffy's side, pulled with such a force that your feet fly off the ground until you crash into his body. Luffy beams, moving his hands to straighten you up properly. You blow some hair from your face, jerking forcibly from his grasp. Even though he's strong, it seems to have taken him off-guard. 

“Seriously, what was that for?!” 

“Didn't want you to get left behind! We're treasure hunting!” Luffy grins.

“You can't just-!” You start to argue, but you're too flustered to really finish your statement. He's beaming at you too brightly, and that smile is too damn infectious. 

With a sigh, you pull away, walking down the hill ahead of the group. 

“I'm going clothes shopping!” You exclaim.

》* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • 。* 。° 。* 。 • ˚《

Incident Three - Town, noon

This is getting out of hand. You're aware of how much Luffy likes to grab at the crew, throw them around, and it's no secret that he prefers it to finding another route to having people do as he says. Luffy's impatient. Impulsive. Reckless. It's grown on you, sure, but there's something about the way your stomach lurches every time you're tossed around that leaves you uneasy. 

But you've planned for this. It was a decision made out of necessity, nothing more. A cute skirt purchased in town, too short to really significantly cover anything if you were moved around. Sure, Luffy is…well, Luffy, but he's still a guy. At the end of the day, there's no way he'd risk your modesty. Right? He could respect that. 

That's the idea, anyway. 

Your shopping trip has ended, and you're sporting your new skirt, holding a bag of clothes casually in one hand. It's a beautiful day. The sun is shining brightly on the town, birds are chirping, and there's an arm around your waist. 

Wait.

Your eyes widen as you're pulled back forcefully, soaring several feet backwards into the air. A scream rips from your throat as you're pulled into Luffy's arms, and the rubber man is running with impressive speed through town. Your arms wrap around his neck tightly to hang on, and everything is whirring by so fast that you can't figure out what's happening immediately. All that you know is you're moving, you've lost your bag of clothes, and Luffy is the culprit. 

“Hey, (Y/N), good thing I found ya! I lost Chopper and Usopp, but they'll catch up. We're gettin’ outta here!”

“Monkey D. Luffy, what the hell are you-?!”

Gunshots. You screech, scrambling as you shift in his arms. Luffy groans with mild irritation, adjusting his hold on you tightly as he sends an arm onto a nearby pole. He launches you both up, and you bury your face in his neck. 

“Marines?! How did that happen?!” You exclaim, and your face turns red as your skirt flies up. An arm moves from his neck, quickly scrambling to pull the fabric down.

“Oh - yeah! Turns out that treasure map was left by them! Funny, right?”

“Funny?!”

"Well, kinda." He shrugs, before turning his head out to the Marines. "Stupid jerks! We wanted our treasure!"

"There's Straw Hat!" A Marine yells, followed by several loud bangs from their guns.

You gasp as he jumps between buildings, and bullets are ricocheting off of stone structures you both pass, nearly grazing you. You're pretty sure some hit Luffy, bouncing off of his rubber legs and sending them off every which way. But your skirt keeps threatening to creep up, and you're not sure how tightly you can hang onto him with just one arm. Luffy can feel you bouncing in his grasp, and he glances down at you with a look. 

“What's wrong? Put both arms around me or you're gonna fall!”

“I can't, my skirt!” You whine. “I'm gonna flash everyone!”

“Hm?” Luffy tilts his head, furrowing his brows as he looks down at your lap. Noticing your hand pinning your skirt down, he doesn't think twice. He reaches to grab your hand, pulling it around his neck. 

“Luffy!” 

“Stop whining, just hold on!” Luffy groans, and one of his hands moves to the fabric of your skirt before it can fly up any further. He holds it down, one hand on your skirt and the other wrapped around you tightly. 

Your face flushes, and you gasp as he jumps from the roof of a building down to a tree, and then to the ground. You jostle with every move, but your arms have secured you to his body. You're safely nestled against him, and you don't think twice about moving. 

》* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • 。* 。° 。* 。 • ˚《

Incident Four - The Thousand Sunny, evening

The ship lurches as it lands in the ocean far from the island the crew was on. You all let out a collective sigh of relief as the sails carry you far, far away from that Marine trap. By the time you and Luffy had arrived on the ship earlier, everyone else had barely made it, and Franky had already loaded up the cola to coup de burst the crew to safety. 

It's only now, in the aftermath of the fight, that Luffy's grasp on you loosens. He had been too caught up in punching and tossing Marines away to even think about letting you go. Your feet touch the deck carefully, and Luffy's rubber limbs retract as they snap back into place. 

Your hands immediately move to straighten out your skirt, and you hear a huff from your Captain beside you. Glancing up, you take notice of the way he adjusts his hat, looking at you with a tilted head and a confused expression. 

“Why're you wearin’ somethin’ like that, anyway? Makes it harder to fight, right?” He asks, and his tone is genuinely dumbfounded. 

Your face flushes, and words die in your throat. What explanation is there? I didn't want you to toss me around? Clearly, that didn't work, and it feels a little embarrassing to say as much. You're not sure why, but telling Luffy you bought a skirt because of him feels weird. So, you clear your throat, leaning back against the railing of the ship behind you. 

“Oh, um…just thought it was cute.” You lie, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear. “I didn't think we'd be running from Marines today.”

Luffy's quiet for a moment, and his eyes flicker to your skirt only briefly. He still looks dumbfounded. 

“Huh. M'kay. Just don't complain when I grab ya next time that your skirt’s goin’ up.” He responds with a grin, a playful chuckle sounding from his chest. 

This son of a-

"Sanjiiii! I'm hungry! Whadda ya got?” Luffy exclaims, turning away from you decisively. 

“Can it, Luffy, we just got out of port! I need to unload the groceries!” Sanji shouts from across the deck.

Even though you're still annoyed, and your skirt is still riding up, you find yourself laughing. Maybe the Captain grabbing you for adventures isn't the worst thing in the world. 

[vibrantshoyo]

SCKAP AU Part 4!!

The S stands for Sora

Masterlist

Switching gears to another blonde who deserved some happiness with their family!

Sora’s illness is still quite debilitating but she pulls through. I’m not sure what her symptoms were in canon so I’m just giving her a weaker body (like loss of bone mass) and a weaker immune system. So she can walk but it takes a lot out of her.

Since she lives, Judge decides to “kill” off Sanji a bit sooner, thinking that he absolutely needs to get rid of any weakness. Sora is of course devastated until Reiju comes by and tells her the truth. Then, she’s angry. Angry enough to plan to leave.

She decides to take Reiju and Sanji with her when she does. Constantly telling herself that she’s too weak to grab unwilling children, that Judge would keep too close an eye on the other boys…but she still feels guilt. Guilt that she doesn’t feel a huge hole in her heart at the thought of leaving Ichiji, Niji and Yonji behind. (It’s why she has photos only of them as babies…the last time she really felt connected to them)

Still escape towards the East Blue. At this point Sora’s not faring too well health wise and they have to stay in one place for her. That is until Reiju hears of a ship hiring for their kitchen crew. She convinces Sanji to go and learn how to cook from professionals - to learn about the All Blue. Lots of fighting to get him to go but once Sora joins in on Reiju’s side, he’s off.

They constantly write to one another while they’re apart until suddenly it’s been radio silence on Sanji’s end for far too long. Sora and Reiju hear of the ship he was on sinking and fear the worst. Just as they’ve reluctantly decided to declare him as dead, he shows up again with an older man with only one leg.

I’ve basically got Zeff taking them in and having him and Sora fall in love 🤭

Reiju and Zeff butt heads on his idea of women and not fighting them a lot as she grows up. Her skill and much more durable body do make him budge some on his ideals. So Sanji grows up not wanting to fight women still (because they’re not all as strong as Reiju) but once he’s on the crew he prioritizes Nami’s, Vivi’s and Robin’s safety over what he was taught.

Reiju doesn’t cook but she is the Baratie’s most popular waitress. Especially amongst the ladies (rip Sanji) while Sora is more of a business type that stays in the back (mostly due to health).

Enter Gin. The real difference here is that Reiju can join Luffy and Sanji in the fight. And once the poison gas comes out? Reiju really shines.

I’ve made her into a sort of Poison Vampire. Thought it’d be cool if she sucked out poison through a bite.

So Gin isn’t on his deathbed and I’ve decided to have him join the Straw Hats. Also think it’d be funny if he had personal beef with Smoker.

(Being the only grown ass adult, he almost cries tears of joy when Robin joins)

[linka-from-captain-planet]

idk if people are being intentionally obtuse or what but the problem is not that Siuan was killed off - it's the WAY she was killed off

it's not that she was killed, it's that she was betrayed, humiliated, dragged like an object, brutalized, and given the textbook-most-'here's how you dehumanize a human being' dehumanizing death ALL! so the camera could zoom in on Rosamund Pike screaming and crying

that's it

they took the black lesbian character and in that instant, made it crystal clear that her only purpose, value, and point after all this time was to be Moiraine's Girlfriend. in that instant, every second of screen time, every offscreen story beat, every interview or teaser hyping up and praising this character and her relationship, was all recontextualized. all along, there was never a Siuan Sanche in WOT On Prime - only Moiraine's Girlfriend - and now there never will be

it's not an overreaction to be disgusted by the way this character's death was handled. it's not an overreaction to have it sour your outlook on a show that went out of its way to raise a queer relationship from subtext to text - explicitly to give it the care and depth that many felt was missing from the books - only to put Tara in front of the window just so Willow could go off the rails again like 25 god damn years later but with a heaping helping of Disposable Black Girlfriend on top

it would in fact have been possible to kill this black lesbian character in a conscientious and tasteful fashion - even if it was still upsetting, baffling, stupid, or wasteful - and the fact is that the choice was made otherwise

some people saw the writing on the wall and those of us who didn't feel not just like idiots but betrayed idiots too

sure I'm certain some people are just upset their favorite ship got whacked and haven't examined it any deeper than that but it is deeper than that unfortunately!

[7s3ven]

SHORT STRAW. human! miles quaritch

IN WHICH… miles quaritch needs a scientist on his team, and you just had to draw the short straw.

Notes: scientist/doctor! reader, petnames, inappropriate jokes, age gap (not explicitly stated, but it is there),

—

As a kid, you were always quiet and introverted. As a teenager, you rarely spoke. Now, as an adult, you were on the most dangerous planet, working as a scientist despite having a medical degree. You weren’t even sure how you got on Pandora. All you did was get outstanding grades, win some awards, and then the RDA shipped you off. It’s not like you were complaining, you had nothing left on Earth.

Pandora was your home now and little by little, you grew comfortable with the new environment. You were working along Grace Augustine, a renowned scientist. And you were finally happy with where you were in life.

“Those idiots!” You heard Grace yell as she slammed her cup of coffee onto the table, accidentally spilling the hot liquid onto her latest report. She screamed out a string of curse words, causing every head to turn in her direction. "I need a damn cigarette!"

You hurried over with a pack, handing it over to Grace. "What's wrong?" You asked, furrowing your brows together lightly. You didn't have to question it too much to know what was running through Grace's head. You knew, based on the frown and sneer pulling at her lips, that it had something to do with Parker Selfridge or Quaritch. Maybe even both, with the way her eye was twitching in annoyance.

"Quaritch, that bastard!" She exclaimed, throwing a rage fit. "He wants a scientist on his team for today, even though I offered before, and he said no!" Grace clicked her tongue, banging a hand down onto her desk.

No scientist would willingly work for Quarditch, and Grace knew that. That's how you ended up in the conference room with about ten other scientists who doubled as doctors, Miles Quaritch, and Lyle Wainfleet.

You stood close to Grace, almost hiding behind her. The Colonel had always intimidated you; he towered over you, and you were rather scared of his strength. You had seen him punch another marine, sending the soldier flying back. So, it was safe to say you wanted to stay on his good side.

"Alright, everybody, grab a straw," Grace muttered. Some of the other scientists groaned, tilting their heads back in frustration. Drawing straws was the usual method the scientists used to decide who would write the next report or who would have to chug the year-old alcohol sitting in the cupboard.

"That's how you're gonna decide my team's scientist?" Quaritch grumbled, clearly unimpressed by the childish method. Grace merely rolled her eyes. "Just assign me your best one. Or better yet, assign me the prettiest one." He pointed right at you, lips curling into a snarky smirk.

Grace held out an arm, "She is my best scientist."

Quaritch shrugged, "That's a bonus."

Grace ignored him, holding out a handful of straws. Quaritch watched as each person picked a straw, their gazes darting around nervously and hoping they weren't the unlucky person. "Okay. Hold 'em up." Grace muttered. There was a moment of silence before her eyes flickered to you in pity. "Y/N got the shortest."

"Well, lookie here, I won." Quaritch didn't even try to hide the grin on his face, mocking Grace.

She scowled, pointing the middle finger at the marine. "You better keep her in one piece, you dog. I need her to finish writing her thesis."

"Yeah, I'll keep your pretty little scientist safe." He uttered as he walked around the table, stopping in front of you. "In the meantime, get that damn report on my desk before Selfridge has a fit again." Quaritch hooked a finger around your belt, pulling you forward. "Let's go, Wainfleet."

You barely had time to process the situation before Quaritch’s firm grip on your belt yanked you forward again, pulling you into unified steps with him. You struggled to keep up with his long strides, feeling the stares of your coworkers burning into your back.

As you walked, more like jogged, you could feel the intimidating presence of Lyle trailing behind you. He didn’t say a word, but you knew he was watching your every move. The hallway seemed to stretch endlessly, the cold, metallic walls making you feel claustrophobic.

Quaritch finally broke the silence, his voice gruff but not as harsh as you expected. "Listen up, Doc. I don't need a nervous wreck on my team. You’re here to get the job done, not to cower in the corner. You got that?" He poked your shoulder, and you quickly nodded.

“Good,” He continued, his pace not slowing as he spoke. “My team and I need someone who can act as a scientist and a doctor. We're lucky we got stuck with you." You heard a loud click beside you, and you turned your head to see Lyle grinning at you. He was replacing the bullets in his gun as a means to scare you even more. "We’re going into the forest, and I, more like Selfridge, need you to analyze some samples. Think you can do that, pretty?”

You swallowed hard, trying to keep your voice steady as you responded. "Yes, sir. I can do that." You kept your gaze lowered.

Quaritch glanced at you from the corner of his eye, his expression unreadable. “Good. Keep up that attitude, and you might just survive this.”

You didn’t know whether to be reassured or terrified by his words. You knew that Pandora was dangerous—more dangerous than you ever imagined when you first arrived. The creatures, the environment, and even the air could kill you if you weren’t cautious. You had never actually left the science base before, and now you were being dragged out against your will by a team that seemed to care more about their mission than your life.

As you reached the armoury, Quaritch stopped and turned to face you, his gaze piercing. “Suit up. We leave in ten.”

You nodded again, quickly moving to gather the gear you needed. Your hands trembled slightly as you secured your equipment, the heavy weight pressing you down. You had always been comfortable in the lab, surrounded by data and experiments. This was entirely different—this was survival.

Lyle handed you a weapon, and you hesitated for a moment before grasping it. You weren’t used to holding one, and the cold metal felt foreign in your hands. “Better learn to use that fast,” He said, patting your shoulder. “You’ll need it out there.”

You barely had time to attach the last handgun to your hip before Quaritch approached you again. "You ready, pretty?" He grinned down, hands resting on his hips. Without another word, he turned and led the way towards the rest of the marine team.

They lifted their heads, raising their eyebrows. "Who's that?" One of the only female members questioned, pointing at you.

"Our little scientist." The Colonel uttered, slinging an arm around your shoulder, "Play nice with her. She’s never been outside before.”

The team gazed at you, looking you up and down with a mix of curiosity and amusement at your height compared to Quaritch. Their eyes soon flickered to Quaritch's arm that was draped around you.

"New meat? The forest will eat her alive." The same female marine, Z-dog, smirked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

You heard Quaritch chuckle and felt his grip tighten around you as an act of reassurance. Or perhaps it was to keep you from running. "She’ll be fine. I’ll ensure she knows how to use more than just her brains out here."

Lyle, leaning casually against a nearby chair, grinned as he chimed in. "Oh, I bet you will, Colonel." There was a grin spreading across his face. "You always did have a soft spot for the smart ones. Just don’t get too distracted."

The team laughed, their voices rough and playful. Quaritch rolled his eyes but didn’t bother to deny it. "Don’t worry, Wainfleet. I can multitask. Besides, if you’re so concerned, why don’t you take her under your wing? Show her how the big boys play."

Lyle gave you an exaggerated once-over, his grin widening. "I dunno, boss. She might be too delicate for me. I wouldn’t want to break her."

Z-dog snorted. "Please. You’d be lucky if she didn’t break you first, Wainfleet. Don’t underestimate the quiet ones—they’ve got a lot of pent-up energy."

Quaritch raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying the banter. "You heard the lady, Wainfleet. Better watch yourself. Might just find out what this one’s capable of." He slapped you on the back.

You couldn’t help but blush at the teasing, not accustomed to it. Your science and medical coworkers never mocked each other; they were far too lost in their own worlds.

Another marine piped up with a grin. "Hey, just make sure you keep her out of trouble, Colonel. The last thing we need is her getting lost out here and us having to play rescue squad. Unless, of course, you’d enjoy being her knight in shining armour."

Quaritch huffed, giving his teammate a mocking glare. "I’m nobody’s damn knight. And she won’t need rescuing. Right, Doc?" He nudged you.

You nodded quickly, trying to ignore the heat creeping up your neck. "Right."

"Atta girl," Quaritch said with a grin. He gave your shoulder a light pat before stepping away, his authoritative tone taking over again. "Alright, enough with the jokes. We’ve got work to do."

The thick vegetation continuously slapped your oxygen mask, causing you to stumble every second. The suffocating air clung to you as you slowly trudged after the marine team. You noticed how Quaritch, who was at the front of the pack, would glance over his shoulder at you. You could tell in his gaze that he saw you as a liability.

After what felt like an hour of jogging through the forest, Quaritch abruptly stopped, raising a hand to signal to the others. The soldiers halted with practised ease. You, on the other hand, clumsily crashed into Lyle.

"Alright, Doc," Quaritch grunted, turning to face you. "Before we go any deeper, we need to ensure you know how to handle yourself. No point in lugging around dead weight."

You felt a lump form in your throat as he stepped closer, his tall figure casting a shadow over you. He gestured to the weapon slung over your back. "First lesson: how to use that thing. Have you ever fired a gun before? Or, are you more of a delicate touch type?"

Despite being covered from head to toe in weapons you had never held before, you knew you still looked out of place amongst the hardened soldiers surrounding you.

You shook your head quickly, trying not to let Quaritch's words fluster you. "No, sir. Never."

Quaritch smirked, clearly expecting your answer. "Figures. Well, you’re gonna learn fast." He grabbed your belt loop again, leading you a few steps away from the group. "See that tree? That’s your target."

"Hey, Colonel," Lyle called out, “Didn’t know you were into giving private lessons. Thought you left the hand-holding to Grace."

The other marines chuckled, their laughter low and suggestive. "Careful, boss," Another of them exclaimed. "You might have to be gentle with this one. Don’t want to scare her off."

Quaritch rolled his eyes, but the smirk never left his face. "Don’t worry, boys. I’ll go nice and slow for her. Gotta make sure she enjoys her first time, right?"

You blushed, trying to focus on the task at hand instead of the suggestive jokes being tossed around. Quaritch stepped closer, grabbing your gun and handing it to you. Quaritch moved to stand behind you, his hands settling over yours on the rifle to line up the weapon with the tree.

"Feet shoulder-width apart. Don’t lean too far forward, unless you want to kiss the dirt.” Quaritch grabbed your hips, pulling you back. What must have been an insignificant touch to him felt huge for you. You had never let anyone touch you in that way, too busy with your academics. “Keep your grip tight; You’re aiming a gun, not giving it a massage."

Behind you, Lyle couldn’t resist another remark. "Hey, Colonel, careful where you’re putting those hands. Might give her the wrong idea."

Quaritch shot him a sideways glance, his smirk turning into a full grin. "Jealous, Wainfleet? Don’t worry, I’ll let you hold her hand next."

Behind you, the marines barely held back their laughter as they leaned against the nearby trees. "Colonel, you gonna take her to prom next?" Z-dog teased, earning another round of chuckles.

Quaritch laughed lowly before returning to you to whisper the instructions in your ear. You took a shaky breath, nodding your head to his words. You shifted from side to side, steadying yourself before you squeezed the trigger.

The rifle's recoil almost knocked you off your feet. Lucky for you, Quarditch was there to catch you.

"Oh, Colonel's getting handsy," Lyle exclaimed. The bullet you had shot grazed the side of the tree trunk, missing the target.

Z-dog laughed. “Maybe you should teach her to aim at something a little closer, Colonel. Like you."

Quaritch didn’t miss a beat. "She doesn’t need to aim at me—she’s already got me in her sights." He loudly clapped his hands together, gaining your attention again. "This time, don’t overthink it. Just line it up and shoot."

You nodded, focusing on the tree once more. This time, you steadied yourself better, and your muscles started to faintly remember the movements.

Quaritch gave a grunt of approval at your second attempt. "Better. Keep at it. You’ll get there."

You practised under Quaritch’s watchful eye for the next hour, gradually getting more comfortable with holding the rifle. The marines kept up their teasing, mainly aimed at their boss and how he was eying you like a hawk.

"Not bad, pretty," Quaritch finally muttered, his usual hardened gaze softening just a bit. "Maybe you won’t get us killed after all." He turned to the Marines, clearing his throat. "Let's move out."

The next time the group stopped was in a secluded part of the forest deep inside the jungle. Your gaze studied the trees and plants around you.

“This is it, Doc. Get to work.” Quaritch handed you the rest of your tools. Lyle sat down on a rock, fidgeting with his gun.

At first, you were so focused on collecting samples that you didn’t notice the eyes following your every movement. You could hear the quiet shuffling of Quaritch, Lyle, and the other marines as they spread out to keep guard. They continued with their teasing banter to pass the time.

As you crouched down to get a better look at some glowing moss, you could feel Quaritch’s gaze on you—intense, and not exactly subtle. The other marines noticed too. His eyes trailed over you, lingering on your body.

You tried to avoid talking to the soldiers as best as you could, desperate to return to the lab so you could study your samples. That was your definition of fun.

Your silence was interrupted by Lyle crouching down beside you. “Careful with those flowers, Doc. They look like they bite.” You glanced at the cluster of spiky flowers, shrugging.

“They don’t.” You quietly murmured.

“Well, if they do, I bet I could beat them.”

Quaritch, overhearing Lyle’s nonsense, shook his head. “That’s ironic, Wainfleet, considering you’ve lost every fight against me.”

“Yeah but you ain’t a flower, Colonel.”

Quaritch sly grinned before looking at you. “You sure you don’t need any help, pretty?” You quickly shook your head in response. The last thing you needed was a soldier ruining your research.

“Watch out for the Colonel’s ‘help.’ He’s got a way of making it sound real nice, but before you know it, you’re running laps around the base at 0500." Lyle pitched in.

Quaritch rolled his eyes, standing up and slapping Lyle on the back of the head. “Thats only if you keep running your mouth, Wainfleet. Which reminds me, you still owe me ten laps from yesterday. You can start now.” With a groan, Lyle stood up, leaving your side to run his dreaded laps.

You were pleasantly surprised that you had not tripped yet. You were naturally clumsy, always managing to make a mess out of the simplest of tasks. You walked forward to look at another flower but a vine that was hidden within the foliage caught you off guard.

You tripped and fell with a large thud, catching the attention of everyone nearby. Quaritch walked over to help you but not before laughing. “Careful.” He teasingly warned. The Colonel made no attempts in hiding how he eyed your body up and down. “You gotta watch where you step. Though, I gotta say, I don’t mind the view.”

You quickly scrambled to your feet, cheeks heating up. Lyle, who had been watching intently, snickered. “You sure you’re just out here for the plants, sir? No other reason?”

You were ready to head back for the day before a plant in the distance caught your attention. “I’ll be quick.” You muttered to Quaritch, hoping he’d let you look at it. He nodded after a long pause.

“I’ll go with her. The rest of you, stay here.” He ordered his soldiers before following after you. You had a skip in your step as you carefully manoeuvred through the maze of tree roots but you were soon too distracted to keep up the pace. Quaritch easily overtook you as you scribbled messy notes into a small notebook.

You were almost at the plant before you slipped again. You mentally cursed at your clumsiness and inability to stay focused of your surroundings. You couldn’t catch yourself in time before stumbling into Quaritch. The impact was enough to send him forward but he quickly turned so his back would take the brunt of the fall. You landed on top of him with a soft grunt, hitting your head on his shoulder.

You took a few moments to regain your breath before you felt Quaritch’s hands rest on your hips. “If you wanted to lie on top of me, pretty, you could have just said so.” He teased. “I always knew you scientists had a habit of being direct but this is a little much, don’t you think?”

You quickly pushed yourself up. “I’m sorry, sir! I didn’t mean to!” This was the loudest Quaritch had ever heard you talk. He could barely hear your whispers sometimes, having to lean down to understand your words.

“I ain’t complaining but unless you’re into dangerous places, you might wanna save this stuff for when we’re not in the middle of an alien jungle.” He drawled, causing your body to heat up with embarrassment. He didn’t let you stand up, wanting to see how much of a reaction he could draw out.

Lyle peaked his head around a bush, having heard the sound of you falling. “Are you guys gonna keep us waiting for long while you deal with all that tension? Because I have some coffee I’d really like to drink back at the base.”

“Calm your horses, Wainfleet. We’ll be there in a second.” Quaritch responded, letting you go like he hadn’t purposefully held you down.

In the end, you got the plant and you returned to the base safe and sound. You had expected the Colonel’s attention to be a one time thing but he followed you into the lab.

Grace arched an eyebrow at his appearance. “Here she is, Augustine, safe and sound like I promised.” Quaritch grinned, patting you on the shoulder. “The next time I need a scientist, I want her.” You were already scrambling towards your workspace, laying out your samples.

Quaritch turned to leave but he flashed you another grin. “See you later, pretty.” He called out.

[jingyichickenwings]

This is less of a Deep Cut and more of a case of schadenfreude, but I love when various members of a creative team are messy in public about their high budget group project. Reality TV for nerds. It speaks to a profound lack of media training or fucks given. You guys realize that future employers can Google you, right? Unintentionally hilarious.

Linke and Yee were told in no uncertain terms that their season 1 storyboard was shit, so they hired Overton, who hired half a dozen actual writers, and they did basically a full overhaul. The script was objectively much better. But this was Linke's baby, and several years later you still see signs that he is Big Mad that he didn't get his way, and that he doesn't know or care about what actually became season 1 canon. I'm sorry that your Jewish stereotype villain didn't get to be a pedophile, I guess? Idk. Yes, yes, I am sure your version of Svengali is really innovative. Maybe someday, buddy.

Meanwhile they start writing season 2 in early 2020, while the season 1 air date isn't until November of 2021. So, they don't have public feedback on the script yet, just, yanno, actual writing professionals. Anyway, according to Overton, they needed to fire the non-management part of the writing team because of the pandemic?! Lmao babygirl you do your best and I respect commitment to the official PR excuse but nobody sensible believes this. Netflix writers average 110k/year, and you needed six or so from season 1. That is not a big part of the overall budget. Also, y'all could have saved money with Zoom meetings.

So the very thing that saved the season 1 script got line-itemed "because of the pandemic". That sounds like an extremely convenient excuse for Linke to be like, no, fuck you all, we are going back to Plan A, the rough draft of season 2 based on his shitty version of season 1. Honey. That ship has sailed. You already lost this argument.

So presumably some combination of Linke/Yee/Riot/Netflix was like, it's important that we have at least one actual grown adult writer on staff. So Overton gets to keep her job.

Now, I want to preface this by saying that season 2 would have been even worse without Overton. That being said, there is a reason they needed a deeper bench of writing staff. Overton and Linke over-connect with the characters Caitlyn and Jayce respectively, to a degree that they frequently forgot to evaluate how other characters would likely behave in certain situations. It led to contrivances, plot holes, etc. There is a lot I could add here but tbh go read any of the meta already out there.

In addition to the Mary Sue type behavior, Overton thought it would be Neat to make the writing more like Avengers, like multiverse time travel fuckery is a shiny beach pebble and not narrative napalm. What in the ADHD was she thinking? Even if they had the run time to world build enough for this, there was nothing in season 1 to even suggest this as an option. And let's be fucking honest, multiverse a lot of why Marvel is on a downward spiral. If Viktor can go to Build-A-Bear Workshop and 3-D print a million Jayces, why should I give a shit about his kill count? He can just be kind, rewind, and try again. Actions are decoupled from consequences.

Anyway, moving back to the topic at hand of the Arcane team. Apparently, Overton, Linke and Yee only half-wrote season 2?! Linke said something about how they "extensively collaborated with Fortiche on the story"? Which, it's not inherently a bad idea to get creative feedback from your art team, but ummm, maybe the writers and Fortiche should have worked to a point of agreement on basic story beats. Based on a lot of what Fortiche has said, the art for season 2 passive aggressively advances what they wanted the writing to be against Linke's wishes. They literally have just been straight up disagreeing with Linke and getting paid for it. Which, to be fair, I respect the sheer pettiness! Linke can't write his own damn show but wants to slow down the very expensive art team? When the actual writers that got fired "because of the pandemic" would have caught a lot of the season 2 issues?

So post airing of season 2, Overton is all about that girlboss copaganda, Linke is having multiple public meltdowns and getting fired by Riot(?), and multiple voice actors and artists at Fortiche are being like "yeah, we actually wanted something else so there are now multiple competing narratives for season 2". Which is hilarious. The way in which the show is messy is the same way in which the creators are messy. These bitches are a cautionary tale about hubris and the need to engage in team-building.

(EDIT MARCH 11: the fired rumors seem to be old/inaccurate, see comments for details)

[jessicas-pi]

ok first of all. thank you SO SO MUCH for putting your thoughts out there!! The fact that you have thought about this enough to have this much of an analysis is amazing to me. And it really helps me see how my own story reads to someone else! And I just love hearing your thoughts in general!

And please know that this is not ever meant to sound like i'm being all wElL AcKTuAllY, I just get really excited to talk to you about my story and I'm gonna try to not come off too loud but if i do, uh... sorry in advance? just know that if I were saying this to your face, it would be with a big stupid grin as i bounce up and down and flap my hands cuz!!! im talking about my story!! you're listening!!! you have thoughts back!!! i have thoughts about your thoughts!!! let's tell each other our thoughts!! :D :D

Also, apologies if some things in the first bit are vague, I'm really trying to keep this spoiler free for future events 😅

So, first off! There IS a reason Sabine failed to rescue Ezra so many times. And there IS a reason Sabine got to "cheat the system" and save Ezra without a big lesson learned (though the time she truly saved him, she did pass a 'test' of sorts, but, uh, more on that in a further meta.). And there IS a reason that it doesn't make sense for the Force to test Sabine so many times without her learning anything!!

And really, the reason is pretty simple.

It's not the Force.

It's not some all-encompassing cosmic power leading her on a journey to become a better Jedi. If it was, she wouldn't have gone through all of that. Heck, she might not have gone through any of that! And that's why it doesn't make sense for the Force to test her that way.

Because it's not the Force, and it's not a test.

It's the Mythosaur.

It's an actual being with motives, and those motives are---hopefully this doesn't spoil too much, but---primarily selfish. Sabine isn't being guided to a lesson that will teach her how to let go of her attachment. Sabine is being made into a better tool.

And when Sabine finally saves Ezra, it's not because of her own merit. A lot of it does have to do with how she finally lets go of her fear of failing that's prompting her to try to blunt-force her way through the portal and just trusts the Force. But she never would have been able to do it on her own. There are massively powerful Force-aligned beings that are in the middle of a cosmic chess game here. Not exactly against each other, per se, but they have significantly different methods of doing things.

In the end, a lot of the weird Force things that happen aren't really caused by the Force itself. They're caused by...

Well.

If you know you know, and if you don't, you'll find out soon enough!

So, yeah! she doesn't save him because she learns a lesson. She saves him because someone powerful wants her to. and, I admit, she does have a bit of an attachment issue with him!

(But---okay, so I gotta be honest. I'm really, really jealous of how well you write metas. Because they always make sense and mine can be pretty confusing. So I just want to clarify! I am probably definitely guilty of exaggeration in the name of emphasis in this last meta. I probably definitely need to work on that in the future. But for this one, like... please do take the strongest statements in there with a grain of hyperbole-flavored salt!)

Ok, on to more semi-coherence!

I'm just gonna start off this bit by guaranteeing you that this fic isn't gonna go the easy fake-marriage-of-convenience path. It's a funny plot device, it's great for an unserious fic, but as goofy and self-indulgent as this fic can be, when it comes to the actual relationship development? We do things the hard way here. I maaaay be guilty of the fake-couple-on-a-mission thing in a future book though. sorrynotsorry XD

And---ok, so, yeah, the idea of her using his feelings to pull off a BFF-fake-notmarriage thing as a way to keep him close would be very Not Cool of her. But, remember---Anakin suggests the marriage idea, jokingly. Zhaya suggests they do the BFF-oath-of-fidelity vow. But Sabine?

She considers it momentarily and says that it could work, and then dismisses it and says that they'll talk about it later. Because really, with more than five seconds of thought, she takes in the implications of what it would mean to him. In the moment when she's considering it, she thinks of their friendship and of the idea of staying beside him always, and that's tempting---but then she remembers the rest, and discards any vow as something to talk about later. (Later, as in, never. Or, maybe, as in, when they feel the same, and could make a vow in honesty. Because she won't hide behind a lie for something that big. She knows it would hurt him. He's too important to her.)

And, slight topic jump, but I gotta say---this bit you said here?

Not that I think that they would ever stop being friends; but if Sabine doesn't want to a pursue a romantic relationship with Ezra and yet that's something he does want in his life, then she knows that there's a possibility she will become #2 to him at some point, even if he remains #1 to her.

you are SO RIGHT. SO right. Like, not to go too heavily into possible spoilers, but... girl, have you been snooping in my Future Scenes I Wrote Now Cuz I'm Impatient document? Because that's practically a direct quote from Sabine during a Welp, Guess I'm Processing These Feelings About My Entire History Of Relationship Development With Ezra Aloud To A Friend Now conversation.

Also, on rereading my meta, I just realized I definitely needed to clarify something!!

So, when I said that ezra's feelings are soft and silent and hers are tumultuous and fervent, I wasn't talking about, like, a permanent thing for them. That part of the meta was supposed to be about their dynamic immediately post-reunion. I guess what I mean is, like, when they reunite, Ezra's all like "Sabine, hi! Missed you! How are you doing?" versus Sabine is like "oH my fORCE you're aLIVE you're HERE i watched you die so many times i failed you so many times YOU'RE ALIVE YOU'RE ALIVE you're BREATHING I can feel your presence and it feels like home it's YOU you're REAL you're not dead i didn't fail you i didn't let you die i saved you after all there was hope there was always hope I MISSED YOU SO MUCH"

So, like. Not the most healthy mindset to be in! But not a permanent thing, either. And, like... also, kind of understandable? I mean, the last interaction she remembers having with him was cradling his bloody corpse in her arms. that. uh. that kinda messes a girl up, yknow? So she's totally exploding with Ezra-Flavored Emotions right now. Everything she feels in this moment is bigger than what she'll feel later. And that's why she acts, like you were saying---selfishly!

The way she's treating his feelings isn't Average Sabine Behavior. It's Emotional Mess Sabine Behavior. She is completely out of whack here. Not that it's okay for her to mash down his feelings in any circumstance, but it's not how she's going to act once she can take a deep breath and cool down a bit.

Because the truth is that she cares about Ezra. And if she knew he wanted to talk about it, she would do it. She hides from it because it's the easy thing to do, but he's never wanted to talk about it with her before, either. She's trying to do what, as far as she knows, they both want. As far as she knows, he wants to get over it. And... he kinda does!

He likes her. He loves her. He really does. But he also feels that as things stand between them right then, the best solution would just be for him to get past his feelings. It's not like he only likes her romantically. They are friends. There's just this extra stuff on his side, too. So wouldn't it be simpler for him to get rid of some old feelings, than to wait and see if she'll get new ones? It's logical, yeah---but it doesn't mean he can't make himself stop feeling things, just like that.

And in the current moment, I don't think he's thinking about it at all! Sabine's here. She's happy. He's happy. If she did lie about him not saying something stupid---which he's actually pretty sure she did; Force-bonds can be real snitches when it comes to lying---that just means it's not going to be a problem for them! (...right?)

Both of them, I think, are still hoping they can make this work without needing to talk about it. They both like their friendship and they both want to keep it. And they're both afraid of losing each other if they talk about it, but Sabine is just as afraid of hurting him as she is of losing him. It isn't entirely selfishness, on her part. She's trying to keep something that's important to both of them---even if she's going about it wrong.

Anywayyy I have no idea if all this word vomit makes any sense whatsoever! But that's about all I got. And thank you so so much again for sharing all your real thoughts! I genuinely appreciate them, and it's given me Thoughts And Ideas to think about, too!

The Time Heals ‘Verse meta ramble, part 2: In Which I Scream Some More About Sabine And Ezra

Whoo! So! What was SUPPOSED to be a little backstory about The Line from Time Heals All Wounds turned into a massive rant. But that’s over, and you’re all as depressed as I am, and now we get to move onto other stuff!!

(spoiler warning continues!)

So now I’m going to ramble a little bit about the specific relationship dynamic between Sabine and Ezra currently in this because AGH. I just. I gotta talk about it. fair warning, the following rant has no discernible thesis statement and wanders around aimlessly. but hey, that's just how I roll.

Okay so Time Heals primarily follows Sabine. So that’s the lens we’re looking through. And it’s easy to forget that Ezra’s timeline is entirely different from hers. But it is. A story that has taken a year-and-a-half, more or less, for her, has been mere months for him.

Because Ezra died only weeks after the Battle of Lothal, remember?

It’s six months after that, when Sabine gets pulled into the past. It’s months after that when she rescues him. By the time they’re reunited on the Coronet, Sabine has lived an entire year in a galaxy without Ezra in it, and a few months more in a galaxy not knowing he’s there.

She has seen him die thirty-three times. She’s mourned him. She still mourns him. She dreams about his dead body in her arms. He haunts her. To an embarrassing degree, her life is centered around him.

Meanwhile, Ezra’s timeline looks like this:

—he purgills Thrawn into the unknown and Thrawn imprisons him —some weeks later, Sabine kicks open the door to his cell, slaps him, hugs him, proclaims she’s watched him die 32 times, provides no further explanation, and then someone tosses a thermal detonator into the cell and it all goes black —he wakes up somewhere on Mandalore during the Clone War and promptly gets adopted by four tipsy art majors —a few months later, the Force tells him to get a move on —he reunites with Sabine that afternoon and everything's great!

So as of chapter 15 of book 2, which is where we're at now, Ezra’s spent three, four months in the past—missing everyone, yeah, but missing Sabine least, because she’s the one who saved him, and that’s given him a gut feeling that she’s still around. To him, Sabine has been a wistful thought that comes and goes. He tells his friends stories about her and misses her. But he doesn’t mourn her.

Meanwhile, Sabine’s spent over a year believing that he is lost to her forever because she couldn’t save him. (She doesn’t know she saved him, remember? She’s forgotten. It’s all a blank, and she’s afraid to hope.) She is still in the vise-like grip of grief, even if she’s functioning around it. There has never been a moment when she has not been thinking about him. (And in a way, it’s his fault, because he loved her, and he told her so. And she cannot forget it, no matter how hard she tries.)

His feelings towards her are soft and silent. He's content to wait until he sees her again, without aching too badly at her current missing presence in his life. He is at peace.

Her feelings towards him are tumultuous and fervent. She's desperate to see him again and terrified that she'll lose him. it’s like nothing she’s ever felt before. She is the farthest thing from peaceful.

So, while Ezra's feelings may seem to run deeper than hers—he is kinda in love with her, after all—he's also completely normal about her.

Sabine, on the other hand, has been torturing herself with the memory of him for over a year. He's a bundle of guilt and grief and mourning in her brain. Her feelings for him are clear-cut, platonic, and so all-consuming that they verge on an obsession.

So really, he doesn't care about her more. He cares about her differently. But not more.

But—and this is important, not so much for the story, but it's important to me that you know this—Ezra doesn’t know she's changed. He knows the old Sabine, who was his best friend, even if sometimes she was distant. He doesn’t believe she cares about him as much as he cares about her. And he's resigned to that! It’s ok! He’s ok! He’s used to it, he’s used to hiding how much he cares, and nobody else knows. So he’ll go on hiding it and she’ll go on ignoring it and it won’t matter.

But the Sabine that Ezra entrusted his blade and his homeworld to with one last, long look is a different woman than the Sabine that kicks down the door of his cell on the Chimaera a few weeks (a year) later.

And where does the difference lie?

It lies in the fact that she lost him. It lies in the fact that he died in her arms. It lies in the fact that he has consumed every waking thought of hers for months. 

It lies in the fact that she will. not. let. him. go.

She didn’t let him go when he was dead. And now that he’s alive? Now that he’s with her again?

Well.

There is no holding at arms-length. She would clutch his living form as tightly as she held his lifeless body, if she dared. She doesn’t, but she still reaches out to him—bumping shoulders, brushing hands, touching him just to know that he’s there. He is everything to her now. It’s not a love like his. It’s wider than that. It’s relief and joy and comfort in his presence and an impossible dream come true.

If Sabine had been the same Sabine he knew before, maybe things wouldn’t have changed course. If she had gone on ignoring it and he had gone on hiding it, maybe time would have faded his feelings, and maybe she never would have grown any for him.

But in a world where she holds him desperately near, near enough to feel his heartbeat and know he’s alive—in a world where their fledgling bond doesn’t lie dormant and unknown, but is woven strong and glows warmly, tethering their very souls together—in a world where he is everything to her, and she shows it—now that’s a different story. As he slowly finds out just how much he means to her—and he's grown to mean far more to her now than he did before—it throws him off-balance.

And as for her?

Well, this is where my Ramble Part 1 becomes relevant! Because he told her. And she knows. And now that she knows, she can’t look past it like it was never there, because it is there, and glaringly obvious when she looks for it. (She can't stop seeing it.)

The path they've always hoped to take—the one where it goes away and they are fast friends with nothing more between them—is no longer an option. By admitting his love, the other version of himself made it impossible for her to ignore it. By holding him so close, she makes it impossible for him to hide it. (In a way, they've doomed each other.) And she knows he can’t hide it, and he knows she can’t ignore it, so the only choice they have left—besides honest, which is a thing neither of them is ready to face—is to do their mutual best to pretend it doesn’t matter, and not talk about it.

But it does matter, and sooner or later, they'll have to talk about it.

And deep deep down, they both know that, too.

~~~

tune in next time for what I expect to be a ramble about a couple specific scenes! unless I write a different ramble first! We'll see!

[penkura]

Holly Jolly Christmas

Summary: Your first Christmas with the Heart Pirates leads you out on deck for a few moments alone, only to be joined by your captain making sure you're okay.

Note: Just wanted to write something like this, Reader needing to step away to get their feelings in check and Law being willing to listen. :) Again, SORRY IT'S SO LATE. I went to see Sonic 3 this morning after church and it threw my whole day off. (:

“Oh come on, stay inside with us! It’s chilly out there!”

“I’ll be fine, Ikkaku, I just need some air!”

She rolls her eyes at you but doesn’t fight, instead being pulled away by Shachi for a dance while you laugh and step outside to the deck of the Polar Tang, taking a breath and feeling at ease. The holiday party your crewmates were throwing was starting to overwhelm you, a small break is all you need, some fresh air and the chance to collect yourself. It’s still hard to believe this is your life sometimes, that you’re a member of this crew and have friends that care about you, including a captain that wants you to stay safe. People who like and want you around, it’s so different from before.

Your first year with the Heart Pirates was coming to an end, right at Christmas time too. Never in your wildest dreams did you ever think a pirate captain would request you to join them after seeing you protect yourself from some robbers on your home island, you just wanted to be able to eat that night and keep your hard-earned money from them. Apparently it was enough that day to convince Law you would be a good addition to his crew, for some reason you felt like you couldn’t say no even though he didn’t scare you or anything. It felt like something told you that day to go, not like you had anyone to return to at home anyway. Most people on your home island tolerates you enough to pay you for small jobs, but no one cared when you left, you’re sure of that.

It didn’t matter though, once you were introduced to everyone, they all took a quick liking to you and showed you the ropes, taught you how the ship worked and everything you’d need to know for life as a Heart Pirate. You learned everything as quickly as you could, you didn’t want to be seen and burden or dead weight on the crew, and not one of your new friends thought that about you, they all gave Law good reports when they’d help you with anything.

You’re grateful for everything that’s happened the last year, watching your crewmates have fun tonight and enjoy themselves. It’s really like having a family again.

“There a reason you’re out here alone?”

Hearing Law’s voice just makes you smile at him over your shoulder, before he joins you leaning against the railing. Of course he’d find you, he’s very good at that lately. Sometimes it feels like he's actively seeking you out, though that could just be wishful thinking.

“I just needed some air, captain.”

“You don’t have to call me that when it’s just us, I’ve told you that,” Law rolls his eyes while you giggle at him, “Doing okay?”

You nod with a small hum, you know he won’t press too hard to find out what’s going on, he already knows everything about you. Law never pushed but always listened when you wanted to talk about your previous life, when he noticed you weren’t doing well one day and it ended in you sobbing in his arms for hours about your lost family. He was awkward about it but didn’t make you leave until you were calm again, it made him realize there was more that you hadn’t told him at that point.

You two were more alike than Law ever expected when he brought you on.

“I need to thank you, Law,” he looks over to you with furrowed brows, but you’re not even looking at him, “If you all hadn’t shown up last year, I probably—”

“Enough, you don’t have to thank me again.”

You laugh with a nod as Law rolls his eyes once again, before you reach over and hug him. It’s taken some time but you’ve gotten Law used to these random hugs, he’s even started returning them like he does now.

“Still though, I’m grateful…getting to know all of you and feel like I belong somewhere again…thank you for saving me, captain.”

“…we’re all glad to have you here.”

You both stay like that for a while, even though it’s cold out and you know Law will want you inside shortly to get warm again.  But these moments with just the two of you are rare, some people would question your relationship if it’s just captain and subordinate or something else there, but you’re happy with where the two of you are.

“All right, you lovebirds, everyone’s waiting for you to do Secret Santa already!”

The two of you almost up away from each other, Law giving Penguin a glare while you look away, your older crewmate having a smirk on his face.

“I won’t tell anyone, don’t worry. But really, come on! Everyone wants to open gifts!”

“Fine,” Law sighs, waving Penguin and keeping a hand on your shoulder, “We’ll be there in a moment.”

“Sure thing, cap!”

Penguin runs off to get everyone ready, leaving you and Law alone against. He’s obviously annoyed but it makes you smile anyway. It might be more than either of you are ready for, but you grab his hand and starts walking back into the Polar Tang.

“Better not keep everyone waiting, right, Law?”

“Yeah…guess so…”

You’ll tease him about the light blush on his face later, but tonight, you’ll keep the smile he gives you later on to yourself, and the fact you were his Secret Santa will be your personal secret until Law questions you about it.

You’re the only one who could’ve given him those coins from your home island anyway.

[cryinggirlnamedhelen]

NOW IM CURIOUS do you have a theory as to what happened to suo’s eye?? i’ve seen a few suggesting he’s a victim of human trafficking, was sold into slavery by his abusing/powerful parents, etc. i’m still not sure what i think happened 🥲

hmmmmmmmm ok so lemme be so frank here im still rlly new to the wbk fandom so im still no so familiar with the theories and inside jokes n allat so bear with me here ok

the human trafficking and slavery thing is actually really interesting because there are a lot of things about suo that stood out like a burning red flag to me while i was reading the manga. if you didn't know this, i'm chinese and i know a lot about chinese culture and i speak mandarin fluently. in chinese, suo can be written as 锁, which means lock. wbk has a lot of characters whose names represent them (ie; sakura - cherry blossoms are often representative of sakura in manga panels, endo - it can mean fire and it describes how he talks about takiishi like a "burning inferno"), and suo's meaning lock in chinese and him being fond of chinese culture and items is really interesting, because a lock holds something down or keeps it away.

and i know that there is a kanji (japanese writing) for his name, but this is interesting as well. the 2 kanji that make up "suo" mean "revive, resurrection" and "raft, wood". revive or resurrection almost means to be reborn in a way, or to live a whole new life or to come back from the dead, perhaps hinting that suo has revived from a near death experience or the lowest point of his life. the raft and wood part could imply that he escaped whatever he was locked to (likely trafficking) using some sort of raft. i also know that the letters combined means "sappan wood", which i just think is a reference to his character color because this is literally the color of sappan wood dye:

now let's get into the main part of this theory. we have heard time and time again that suo is fond of chinese items. his last name can be translated into "lock" in chinese. i've mentioned that he might've escaped from whatever he was locked to by some sort of raft. i'm going to talk about some heavy topics, so bear with me here. i believe that suo might have been born in china, got trafficked, then escaped to japan overseas using a raft with help, then changed the lettering of his last name. outlandish, i know. but i have evidence.

we know that suo doesn't move in his sleep from an official art by nii satoru. weird timing here, but in history, when african americans were on ships to be sold off to slavery, they were shackled to tight and compact spaces to sleep and eat. i'm so sorry if anyone is sensitive to these topics or thinks that talking about this stuff because of a manga is ridiculous, but since this is a theory, i had to bring it up. i'm sorry. but the slaves weren't allowed to move because there were so many people, and it would be too hot and too crowded if they moved around. plus, the shackles restrained most of their movement anyways. i suspect that suo might've been in a similar situation and just developed a habit of not moving around in his sleep.

i'd also like to mention that human trafficking is, unfortunately, still a heavy problem in china. north korean escapees--especially women--will nearly always require the help of a smuggler, who is a man (who, in this specific scenario, is chinese) who will smuggle them into china but sell them to human traffickers. i doubt that this is the case with suo, but i think it's still an important topic to bring up when we're making a theory about a character who could potentially have been trafficked.

now here's some more. here is a map of east asia.

as you can see, there are definitely ways to get to china to japan by boat. i don't think suo could have ever rafted here alone; i don't think some random kid would have been able to register himself an id or anything either. suo is 15 currently in the story, and we know that he's been in japan long enough to make a name for himself. and in case you're pointing out "but his first name is japanese!", people can legally change their first names.

the reason why no one knows who he actually defeated in middle school, if this theory is true (which is highly unlikely), is because he was middle school age, but not actually in middle school when he defeated them. maybe he was still in china at the time. idk.

so short answer: yes, he was human trafficked, and there was some sort of scar left behind. sorry i had a whole yap session, i kind of looked into the og mentioned theory because i'd never heard this theory before, but i ended up getting invested and made my own😭

[soulwrencher]

ok so like this is my first ask so sorry if its worded weird!! but could you write a drabble for ellie where like reader is dinas step sister or sum and like reader lives a few states away and dina wants reader to meet her friends so reader visits and meets all of them and ellie is like nervous and stuff and dina teases her for it and eventually dina ships ellie and reader tg (once again sorry if its worded weird..😭)

it's okay! so i'm not gonna specify readers relationship with dina lmao, reader could be a family friend too... and it's longer than a drabble, sorry. but here you go!

why don't you stay, stay here after hours?

ellie x reader, just fluff, not proofread, enjoy :)

you haven't been here for a while. but dina's apartment stayed the same, citrus-scented air freshener and deep brown eyes meeting you at the front door, it was all so familiar, even after all those years. however, you didn't expect a pretty face to emerge from behind her, in fact you didn't expect your little trip to good old hometown to be interesting in any way. when dina told you about her friends, you weren't expecting much, sorry dina. but shit, her friend is more than pretty, she's incredibly attractive.

"come on in," dina says, hugging you, miss pretty face standing awkwardly to the side. you let go, dina gestures towards her, you've been dying to know about her at this point and it's been only a few minutes since you got here.

"so, this is my friend ellie, we used to be a thing but—" ellie clears her throat, are her cheeks slightly rosy?

"we're really good friends, that's what i was trying to say," she continues, shooting ellie a glare. you awkwardly laugh, exchange some 'hi''s and 'nice to meet you''s with ellie, her raspy voice makes it harder for you to remember what you're here for. pretty auburn hair, strands falling out of her bun framing her face, green eyes and long lashes, freckles and kissable lips... what were you here for?

and ellie can't help but notice your eyes wandering, it's making her nervous. it's making her nervous that a gorgeous woman like you was watching her so carefully, she isn't used to getting this much attention next to dina who's incredibly extroverted and drawing all the attention.

she watches you leave and go up to dina's room. pulling dina aside, ellie elbows her.

"ouch," she hisses, rubbing herself.

"what the fuck? why would you mention we used to be a thing," ellie whispers. dina gasps, then covers her mouth, a sly smirk creeping up her face.

"don't tell me you like—" ellie cuts her off with a threatening, well not so threatening, 'hey' hoping dina understands that she needs to quiet down, you're literally upstairs.

"no, she's just pretty. you didn't tell me she's that pretty," she whispers, her face turning red. this will be a fun game for dina, for sure.

you all sit in her very cramped, but colorful kitchen, snacking and drinking while you and dina catch up. however, ellie can't help but steal glances from you, she couldn't help but study your face, the way you speak, the way you'd wheeze when you thought you said something funny, or when you—

"—and ellie is so, totally so single, incredibly single," dina laughs, pulling ellie out of thought. and you too, you've been thinking about ellie's green eyes lingering on your lips, is something on there? dina is the only one laughing while you and ellie are exchanging glances, for a second it feels like the world stopped for you to step closer to something unreachable.

"i guess i am? but why does that matter," ellie then responds, annoyance lacing her voice.

"because she's single too? and i just wanna be able to say that i'm a matchmaker," dina continues, stuffing chips into her mouth. you laugh, but ellie doesn't.

"you really wanna make us all uncomfortable, huh?" ellie mutters, fuck, why would she say that? she's been so overly self-conscious, trying really hard to leave good impressions, but having a pretty girl watch her bicker with her good friend, not how she imagined this to go at all.

"oh i'm not uncomfortable, don't worry," you say, the tension was thick. and dina notices this too, this whole thing took the wrong turn.

"well back in high school i walked up to someone thinking it was dina and scared that girl from behind, talk about uncomfortable," she scoffs. dina immediately throws back her head and cackles, but you can hear ellie's soft and low chuckles. fuck she's cute and you want to know more, know more about her and all the stories she had to tell and lived up until now.

and ellie is more than happy to see the smile that emerged on your lips when she said that, her eyes on you while you giggle at dina's silly stories about teenage ellie and dina's adventures. she just can't look away, your nose scrunches when you laugh, your eyes literally sparkle, you are just so endearing, and ellie would be a fool to pass up on this chance, on this chance to get to know you.

and you spend the rest of the afternoon at dina's place, laughter filling the room, glances and hands brushing filling up your heart.

"okay guys, we need to wrap it up, jesse is on his way and you know how he gets," dina shoots a look to ellie, both nodding in some secret agreement.

"can you get her to her hotel? but take it slow guys, never fuck on the first date," she chuckles, ellie scoffs while getting on her jacket, ellie would never be able to even hold hands with someone as beautiful and kind as you. but it for sure is a nice thought, a thought she saves for when she'll go to sleep later. and your thoughts are racing too, you're about to get in the car with ellie, she'll be driving you, you'll be alone with her, you are freaking out, but you can't let it show.

instead you awkwardly play with the leaves on the ground while you wait in front of her car after you said goodbye to dina.

walking out of dina's apartment, ellie can feel her heart jump out of her chest. she's a fucking wreck, but her urge for more is too big to ignore, she has to do something about all the feelings you made her feel. and for once in her life, she decides to make the first move once you're in her car, something dina always made fun of, telling ellie she's the biggest coward ever.

but not today, today she'll make you fall for her.

what she didn't know is that the second ellie opened the door for you and the scent of patchouli and tobacco filled your senses, you already fell, really hard at that.

you sit in her passenger seat, imagination running wild, the two of you could be knee deep—

"you comfy?" ellie asks, pulling you out of thought. you nod, yeah too fucking comfortable. you struggle putting your seatbelt on because your hands are shaking, but ellie is attentive, already helping you out, with shaky hands too.

to your disappointment, the drive was mostly quiet, so quiet you could hear your own racing heartbeat. but it's stupid to believe that someone like ellie would want to get to know you, you feel stupid for getting your hopes up.

ellie's eyes are on the navigator the whole time, two more streets and you're at the hotel. two more streets, she has to do something. the wheel is getting moist under her sweaty hands, she has never been this nervous in her whole life. but she might never see you again and does she really want to risk that? risk never going to meet anyone like you again? ellie clears her throat, she can't live with the thought of never having tried.

so she inhales deeply as she stops at the red light.

"so—" she starts, looking your way, making sure she got your attention. you tilt your head, you're gorgeous, god you are making this hard, ellie thinks to herself.

"—i made dinner, you should stay." ellie says, her voice low, eyes searching for yours in anticipation, she is about to explode.

"i'd love to," you reply. ellie smiles and hits the gas a little harder than needed as the lights turn green.

[valkyrie1435atla]

If This is a Dream, Don't Wake Me - MASTERPOST

Welcome to my blog dedicated to my Avatar: The Last Airbender fan comic. This is the masterpost with links to every part in chronological order, and the link to the spotify playlist of songs I've used in the video version of the comic. It will be updated with every new part I release.

-Synopsis- Team Avatar failed to defeat the Fire Nation, and suddenly find themselves back at the beginning.

Part 1: One Door Closes...

Part 2: Another Door Opens

Part 3: Lazarus Syndrome

Part 4: This Pain is Familiar to Me

Part 5: Delay (My Body Catches up to my Mind)

Part 6: You are Different From Yesterday

Part 7: Meeting you for the First Time (Again)

Part 8: We Need to Talk

Part 9: Get it Right This Time

Part 10: Tense

Part 11: A Change

Part 12: Boiling Point (My Worry Tears me Apart)

Part 13: Play-by-Play

Part 14: MORTEM OBIRE

Part 15: I Think Of You As My Own (All That Matters)

Part 16: Witness

Part 17: A Thankless Job

CURRENTLY ON HIATUS

~

-things to keep in mind-

I am only one person. This series is not my top priority in my life, it comes second to college, work, self care, etc. I am however extremely passionate about this work, and will update whenever I have the time.

I am an artist, not a writer. While I am working to improve my writing skills, some story elements may have continuity errors, and characters may act ooc sometimes. I really appreciate advice on how to write better

My preferred method of telling my story is through music. The video versions are up on my TikTok (@ valkyrie1435) and will be posted here eventually as well. I will definitely draw in a comic format, but to get the full experience, watch the videos.

This story will feature many of the main cast members, but it is primarily Zuko-centric. He is my special interest character, so naturally I draw him the most.

I am autistic, so my interactions in comments and asks may be awkward.

If you have a question not related to this comic, ask it on my main account, @valkyrie1435 also, don't write an ask if you don't have a question. Please use the comment/reply feature on posts.

I need validation. Like any other artist, I can only motivate myself for so long without outside feedback. Commenting and engaging with posts is very encouraged!

The story is a work in progress. I am not entirely sure the direction this series will be taking, so feel free to speculate or give suggestions on what you would like to see.

Ships will not be a focus. If you are looking for atla ship content, you won't find it here.

Link to Spotify playlist of songs I have used in the video version of the comic V

[evilbihan]

Bi-Han's fate - Pt. 2

Warnings: Mentions of depression and s*icidal thoughts.

Notes: First off, I want to thank everyone who read the first part, liked it, reblogged it or left a comment. Even if the fandom is smaller now, your support has encouranged me to keep writing. I hope you will enjoy the second chapter! If you'd like to be tagged in the upcoming chapters, feel free to let me know.

Disclaimer: Friendly reminder not to reblog this with weird shipping tags. I hate to say it in each post but I know some people in the fandom just can't behave.

Pairings: Bi-Han x Sektor, Kuai Liang x Harumi

If you haven't read it yet, please check out Part 1 first.

@yandere-transformers-rock Chapter 2 is out!

"Two of your ribs are broken", Liu Kang concludes after adding gentle pressure to his injuries to assess the damage.

Bi-Han resists the urge to hiss in pain when he feels something beneath his skin shift under the fire god's touch. He doesn't bother responding as he swats Liu Kang's hand away and pulls the fabric of his tunic over the darkening bruises along his left side. He's well aware that he deserves them – and far worse – for what he had said about Smoke's family. His youngest brother's sudden outburst had surprised him regardless. Sure, his intention had been to provoke Tomáš, to anger him and perhaps even to get him to finish what Bi-Han himself had started, for Tomáš to kill him and release him from the purgatory his existence had turned into. The Enenra's intervention, however, had not been part of his calculations. Initially, he hadn't been picky about who would get to kill him, it didn't matter if it was Tomáš or the Enenra, but then he had seen the haunted look on his brother's face, how he had trembled, his eyes full of a fear he had last seen on the day father had brought Tomáš home... And now all he feels is nagging, all-consuming guilt.

"You still haven't touched your food“, Liu Kang reminds him, nodding to the full plate he had placed at his bedside earlier. Bi-Han still doesn't understand why the fire god is willing to stoop as low as to personally bring him food like an ordinary servant. He's almost tempted to ask, but then again, he's sure that it's just a ploy to earn his trust. Liu Kang is putting a lot of effort into that, he notices. Does he really believe Bi-Han will be fooled so easily? Why he's still of interest to the fire god is beyond him. He serves no more purpose now. If anything, he's a threat, a liability. Why doesn't Liu Kang simply dispose of him?

"I won't eat." As if to prove his point, he pushes the plate a little further away from him.

"Why do you wish to keep suffering?" Liu Kang lets out a sigh when he receives no answer and in a far more serious tone, he adds: "You're dying, Bi-Han. Not at the moment maybe, but if we continue the treatment and you're cured... your organs won't be able to take up their normal functions again. And if we stop the treatment you will be consumed by chaos magic once more."

"I'm well aware."

Liu Kang goes quiet for a while. "What you said to Tomáš earlier was uncalled for."

"He wanted to hear the truth and so I told him."

"I know you angered him on purpose. It was cruel of you to do that. He cares about you." Liu Kang gets up and begins to busy himself with the preparations for his treatment.

Bi-Han watches him. „If he had cared, he would have obeyed me.“

Liu Kang places a stack of clean towels on his pillow and a wooden basin by the bed's headrest in case he gets sick again. "You are so devoted to your clan. Do you not wish to return to the Lin Kuei?"

"What for?" He doesn't care if the bitterness in his voice gives away his misery. "I have failed in my duties. I am no longer grandmaster."

"Your warriors are still loyal to you and you alone", Liu Kang interjects. "Sektor had conditions when I took you here. Every month, she demands a detailed report on the progress of your treatment. I have told her your condition is improving. Do you truly wish to disappoint her?"

Sektor... Bi-Han feels a pang of guilt as he thinks of her. They had always been kindred souls, sharing the same goals, the same ambitions. Surely, she would understand his decision. She knows him better than anyone else. She would understand that he prefers to die with dignity. He knows Sektor would continue on. They had promised that to each other a long time ago. If one of them were to die, the other would keep going. He had become a blight on his clan, a grandmaster too weak to even save his own life. He hates to admit this, but he's ashamed to face his warriors again. How would they still respect him?

"Sektor will understand", Bi-Han says with as much conviction as he can muster. "Why? Are you worried she will blame you if I die?"

Liu Kang ignores his question. "What about your brothers?"

"Why should I care for those traitors?"

"They still care for you. Tomáš came to see you, did he not?"

"Has he left yet?" Bi-Han tries to sound indifferent, to pretend he doesn't care. A small part of him fears the answer. He doesn't want to admit this even to himself, but he had been glad to at least see one of his brothers again. After all the time that had passed, he had assumed they had forgotten about him entirely. Not once had he dared to hope for them to visit him, instead covincing himself that he doesn't want to see them, even when their loss had left aching scars on his soul.

"He's still here. He chose to stay, even after how you treated him."

"Because you wouldn't let him leave?"

"Because he won't give up on you. And neither will I." Liu Kang's voice is firm but gentle. Reassuring. The promise of salvation if he's willing to accept it. Bi-Han hates that something within him wants to extend his hand towards that light, wanting the comfort Liu Kang so willingly offers to him after every misstep, after each betrayal, and yet he flinches away again, as always when he's shown compassion and kindness, retreating into the shadowy corners of the darkness that had taken over his soul. Maybe because he knows he's undeserving of comfort. Maybe he doesn't even deserve the mercy of death.

"Instead of wasting your time on me, you should go and help Tomáš."

"What do you mean?" Liu Kang takes a seat at his side again and Bi-Han inhales deeply, bracing himself for what is about to happen next. He's familiar with the steps of the treatment by now – and with the agony that comes with it, but he still tenses up each time he sees the medical equipment, the little silver tray with the needles on it, the strange apparatus the healers wheel into the room each time... He loathes the procedure.

Reluctantly, Bi-Han extends his arm to the fire god, pulling up the sleeve, so the first needle can be inserted into his skin. He doesn't show it, of course, but he dreads that part of the treatment the most. He despises needles. Seeing them makes him feel sick to his stomach. He used to be unbothered by them before his torture. Yet another reminder of how weak and utterly pathetic he had become. Fortunately for him, Liu Kang seems to be aware of the effect needles have on him now. He always talks to him during this phase of the process. Distracts him. Positions himself at an angle that makes it harder for Bi-Han to see the vicious little metal spikes.

"Did he not tell you?", Bi-Han asks as he feels the needle prick his skin. "Can you not see what is happening to Tomáš? He wasn't himself when he attacked me. Something else took control of him."

"The Enenra. I know."

Another needle follows, this time stinging his neck. Then a third one. It pierces the back of his hand, stabs a vein that runs all the way up his forearm. Thin, almost translucent tubes are attached to the needles, draining the infected blood from his body.

Bi-Han keeps his gaze trained on the ceiling to stay calm, only briefly glancing over to glare at the fire god. "Then why haven't you cured him yet? Surely, it must be within your power if you're even able to cure me."

"It's not that simple", Liu Kang explains calmly. He places one hand over Bi-Han's chest, where the chaos magic manifests itself in a horrifying scar at the center, just beneath the layers of his robe, like a dreadful, undead heart. Light spreads from Liu Kang's palm, burning into his very soul.

It's painful beyond imagination. Bi-Han finds himself gripping onto the edges of the bed, his jaw tensing.

"I took a risk when I began your treatment", the fire god continues. "Geras and I were unsure of what would happen to you once we start removing the chaos magic from your body. It is infused with your very being. Therefore, it's impossible to disspell it all at once. In fact, we still don't know for sure that it won't kill you once fully removed. The same could happen to Tomáš. Do you still want me to attempt curing him now that you know?"

"No", Bi-Han snaps. "Only a fool would meddle with things they can't comprehend. What good are you? What good are your godly powers if you can't save anyone?"

Liu Kang lowers his gaze and for a moment his eyes almost appear to glow less, as if the light within them is suddenly dimmed by his sadness. "I have asked myself that question many times, Bi-Han. When I created this timeline, I had hoped that things would play out differently and I could undo past mistakes, give everyone a better life and a chance at peace. I wanted Queen Sindel to grow old at her husband's side. I wanted Kenshi to keep his eyesight this time. I wanted you to live and be the grandmaster you were always meant to be. Unfortunately, even though I created this timeline, I am not in control of how certain events unfold."

Bi-Han scoffs. "So you won't help Tomáš at all?"

"That is not what I said. His condition is indeed concerning. I will speak to Ashrah once she returns. She knows much more about the Netherrealm's demons than I do. She might know a way to help him."

"And until then?"

"Until then he will be safe here with us. Should anything happen, Geras and I can intervene."

That won't suffice, Bi-Han wants to say, but he chooses to keep quiet instead. He doesn't need Liu Kang to think he still cares about his brothers. Why should he concern himself with what becomes of Tomáš anyway? Deep down he knows the answer. No matter how much he resents Kuai Liang and Tomáš for betraying him, he is still an older brother wishing to protect his younger siblings, an instinct existent even in death. He knows it's his fault that Tomáš lost control to the Enenra earlier. He knows Tomáš must hate him after what he had said and done, even more so than before... And yet he still didn't choose to leave. Bi-Han cannot understand why, but he has no time to think about it.

He cries out through gritted teeth when Liu Kang's magic pierces deeper, eating its way through the darkness within him. It fights back, of course. He can feel it seeping into his bones as it tries to flee from the light. Dizziness and nausea overwhelm him. He manages to turn his head to the side just in time to avoid throwing up all over himself. Inky blackness spills over his lips and into the wooden basin below like a physical manifestation of all his wrongdoings, of his hatred, greed and thirst for power and the void in his heart fueling it all... He deserves this. Every last bit of it.

Liu Kang's brows furrow, his expression somewhere between focus and concern.

Something is wrong, Bi-Han can tell. He screws his eyes shut as the pain grows more intense. Heat spreads throughout his body, terrible, scorching heat, as if his skin is being set on fire. He had undergone this same treatment countless of times, he knows what it's supposed to feel like, he's familiar with the pain... but this is different. It's not supposed to feel like this.

Suddenly, it all stops. The heat. The agony of burning alive. In a heartbeat, it's all over. His chest rises and falls quickly in short laboured breaths. Slowly, Bi-Han blinks and opens his eyes to see Liu Kang leaning over him, a somber look on his face.

"I cannot continue treating you. Your body has grown too weak."

Bi-Han doesn't respond. He expects to feel triumphant that in the end, this means he will finally have his wish. Is that not what he wanted? Instead, he only feels numb.

"I will try to find another solution", the fire god reassures him quickly, mistaking his silence for disappointment. "For now, you have to start looking after yourself better. If you want to last a bit longer, you have to take your medicine daily from now on."

"Still so determined to save me", Bi-Han spits. "Do you enjoy watching me suffer?"

"I know you want to live."

"Is that so?"

Liu Kang gestures to his bandages. "Someone with skills as lethal as yours wouldn't have missed his own heart."

-

Tomáš doesn't sleep that night.

Maybe it's out of fear that the nightmares will return, that the Enenra will take over once more and its grip on him will be permanent this time. Maybe it's because he can't stop reaching for his mother's hunting knife, checking that it's still there, still intact and not another thing broken to pieces like his past or the brotherly bond Bi-Han, Kuai Liang and him once shared. But above all else, sleep won't come to him because the vision Geras showed him keeps replaying in his mind. How could Bi-Han keep such secrets from him? What else is there that his brother knows and he doesn't? In the morning, Tomáš tries to gather up the courage to go and confront Bi-Han. He's anything but eager to speak to him again after yesterday's events, but he holds onto hope that somewhere within the depths of Bi-Han's corrupted soul, the person he saw in that brief flashback is still alive. With each step he takes down the long, silent hallway that hope fades a little bit more. For all he knows, Bi-Han might refuse to speak to him entirely.

Tomáš enters without knocking, ignoring the way Bi-Han looks up and immediately glares when he sees him.

He's not intimidated by it anymore. Instead, he can't help but frown as he notices how much worse his brother looks compared to yesterday. His skin is pale, thin like paper, so thin he can see the veins bleed through it like a pattern of black cobwebs. The room itself looks no different, except that the table that got destroyed in their fight yesterday had been replaced by a new one. On top of it sits a bowl of medicine and a plate of food. Tomáš stays by the door this time, crossing his arms and leaning against it. The karambit is not on him today. He left it behind in the safety of his own room. He won't allow Bi-Han to use it against him this time.

"What do you want?" Bi-Han growls. He doesn't bother to conceal his hostility towards him.

"The same thing I wanted yesterday. Answers." Tomáš tries to make his voice sound steady, but he doesn't succeed.

"You've always been persistent. Most pests are", Bi-Han scoffs, each word dripping with mockery and malice.

It stings, even if Tomáš does his best to pretend he's unaffected. "Is that what I am to you? A pest?"

Bi-Han ignores him.

"Then why did you look after me all these years?"

His older brother shows no reaction.

"I know what you did for me. I know everything now." His voice shakes as the words finally burst out of him. "You were protecting me. I saw it. It was you who brought me tea every day. I had no idea it was you. Why didn't you tell me? Why–"

"Will you quit babbling like a fool?", Bi-Han snarls, looking both annoyed and confused.

Tomáš takes a deep breath. "Geras showed me the past. I saw you talk to Master Xiaoqing. You had him prepare something for me. A potion."

"I don't know what you're talking about", Bi-Han lies half-heartedly.

"Yes, you do!" Tomáš almost shouts. He didn't mean to raise his voice, but he's tired of playing games, of all the lies and secrets. "You knew I had nightmares, so you asked Master Xiaoqing to find a way to make them stop. Why did you do it if I'm just a pest? If I was never a brother to you, why did you go through all that trouble, even keeping it a secret from father? You've always treated me like an outsider, like I didn't belong with the Lin Kuei. Wouldn't you have wanted him to cast me out?"

"Why would I have wanted that?"

"You tell me. You're the one who always hated me."

"I never said I did."

Tomáš laughs bitterly. "You made sure to let me notice."

Bi-Han's eyes narrow. "How? I let you train with us, I let you join us on missions. I never excluded you from anything. Why would you think I hated you?"

Tomáš thinks back to all the times Bi-Han had shut him down when he had tried to offer advice, how his brother had barely ever spoken to him outside of missions or their training – and even when he did, it was only to bark orders at him or to criticize his form. Then again, he thinks of the scene Geras had showed him, how worried Bi-Han had seemed about him, and what he had once been so certain of no longer makes sense to him anymore. He doesn't know how it took him so long to come to this conclusion, but he realizes he hardly knows anything about Bi-Han. His oldest brother is a stranger to him.

"You constantly reminded me that my blood is not Lin Kuei", Tomáš finally responds. "You always made me feel like I'm not good enough. Tell me what I did wrong. How did I fail you?"

"You haven't failed me", Bi-Han says surprisingly gently. Then his face darkens again. "Not until you chose to turn your back on the clan that raised you."

"How can you hold that against me? Look at all the awful things that have happened since you decided to join Shang Tsung. Look at what happened to you, to me, to Kuai Liang. To this whole timeline. This can't possibly be what you wanted."

"It wasn't."

"Then what did you want, Bi-Han?"

"No more than what the Lin Kuei deserved. Our freedom. Recognition for our efforts. The power to protect the Lin Kuei's legacy."

"You could have told us! You could have told Liu Kang you want to negotiate."

"What for? So he would dismiss me?"

Tomáš sighs. "I understand you were frustrated, but have you ever thought about us?"

"Of course I have!”, Bi-Han snaps. "I wanted to share the Lin Kuei's glory with you."

"We never wanted glory, Bi-Han. We already had everything we wanted. A home. A purpose. We had you. To me, that was enough."

Bi-Han turns away from him, looks out the window again just like he did yesterday the first time they had talked. He wonders if it's because there's nothing else for him to do in here or if his brother simply misses being able to go outside.

"Do you want to join me for a walk?”, Tomáš asks after realizing he will get no other answer.

Bi-Han's eyes light up, only for a moment before his expression darkens again. "I am confined to this room. And even if I wasn't...", he trails off, but doesn't finish the sentence.

Tomáš watches him clench his fists helplessly. He doesn't know what had happened between yesterday and today, but he can tell that Bi-Han seems weaker than he did only mere hours ago. Perhaps he had spent all his energy on their foolish fight yesterday.

Tomáš sighs. "If you need help walking, I can–"

"I don't need your help."

"It's still early. The monks have gathered for their morning meditation and Lord Liu Kang is with them. No one would see.” He figures it's Bi-Han's pride that won't allow him to accept his assistance. He knows his brother wouldn't want to seem pitiful in the face of others. Thinking about it, it no longer surprises Tomáš that Bi-Han is so rigid and tense all the time. He can't imagine how tiring it must be to always put on a strong facade, to never be able to express exhaustion, sadness or pain. With everything that Bi-Han must have kept bottled up inside him, Tomáš doesn't know how he didn't snap even earlier. He only wishes his brother had shared his burdens with Kuai Liang and him.

"There's nothing wrong with needing help", he tries again, refusing to give up so easily. He's well aware of how stubborn Bi-Han can be, but he won't let that deter him from helping his brother.

Bi-Han glares daggers at him. “You'd go against Liu Kang's orders?”

"When I needed it, you were there to help me too."

When Bi-Han doesn't protest anymore, Tomáš carefully reaches for his arm to help him up.

With a hiss, Bi-Han slaps his hand away. “Touch me and you'll lose a hand.”

Tomáš resists the urge to roll his eyes, but he decides not to keep pushing. Instead, he stands closely at his brother's side to make sure he can offer assistance if needed. He watches Bi-Han sit up slowly, swinging one leg over the edge of the bed and then the other. When he finally stands up, his legs almost give out from underneath him. Tomáš rushes forward to catch him, but stops when Bi-Han holds up a hand to let him know he's fine. He staggers for a moment, but manages to steady himself. His first few steps seem shaky, his legs wobbly and weak from disuse. Tomáš lets him lead the way.

The morning chill makes him shiver as they step out through the temple doors. He watches Bi-Han squint and raise a hand to shield his eyes from the daylight blinding him. It makes him wonder just how long it had been since his brother had last left his room. Although he understands Liu Kang's concerns, Tomáš doesn't agree with his decision to confine Bi-Han to that small, nearly empty room in the temple. If he was trapped in a tiny space like that, stuck in bed, he would lose his sanity too. He approaches one of the benches, sits down and waits for Bi-Han to follow.

Once they're both seated, Tomáš draws in a deep breath.

"You still haven't answered my question. Why did you help me if I was never a brother to you?"

Bi-Han huffs. "Your nightmares were getting worse by the day. Mother and father refused to take action. They were convinced it would get better in time, but it didn't. Something had to be done. Even I am not as cold-hearted as to take joy in watching someone else suffer."

"So it was just pity?"

Bi-Han says nothing and Tomáš feels his chest sting. Did Bi-Han ever even consider him family?

"All I wanted was to be your brother." He no longer cares if he sounds pathetic. "Even now, I'm stupid enough to hope we can still be brothers."

"We could have been brothers, had you not left the Lin Kuei to side with Kuai Liang against me."

"Kuai Liang never made me feel like I didn't belong", Tomáš snaps. "And I don't believe you. If you wanted us to be brothers, why did you treat me so coldly?"

"Because I knew you couldn't be trusted."

"What? I've always been loyal to you. I did my best to–"

"This isn't about loyalty", Bi-Han interrupts him sharply. "Tell me honestly, did you ever sit at lunch, looking at each of the faces around you, wondering which one of them did it? Which one of them held the blade that ended your mother's life? Did you never want to know?"

Tomáš blinks. "I–"

"And if someone had pointed them out to you, what would you have done? Would you have killed them? If someone had given you the chance to get justice for what happened to your family, would you not have taken it?"

He opens his mouth to respond, to deny it, but he finds that he can't. He doesn't know what he would have done back then. It had taken him a long time to adjust to life within the Lin Kuei, to stop resenting himself for joining the clan that had taken his mother and sister from him. At times, he had been angry. Other times, he had only felt empty. In his heart, however, he had not once thought of betraying the Lin Kuei. No amount of retribution would have returned his family to him. Tomáš had always been painfully aware of that.

"I was your brother, but I was also grandmaster", Bi-Han continues. "I had to think of the whole clan. I knew the Lin Kuei took everything from you. Do you expect me to believe that you never resented us for it? That you never once thought of taking vengeance? I know I would have."

"Then we're different people, Bi-Han. I don't want to live my whole life resenting someone. I don't want to live for vengeance. With a score to settle. A life like that would be miserable. I never intended to seek revenge." Tomáš sighs. "Of course, it was difficult for me to come to terms with being a part of the clan that killed my family, but I wouldn't have hurt anyone, especially not you or Kuai Liang."

"Maybe not you, but what about the Enenra?"

Tomáš falls silent. Lately, he had been quicker to anger, his dreams filled with screams, with blood and violence. If Bi-Han hadn't made sure to weaken the Enenra's influence on him for all those years, Tomáš cannot tell what he would or wouldn't have done.

"Do you think I chose this?", he asks. "The Enenra possessing me isn't my fault, just like it's not your fault that Havik turned you into–”

Tomáš stops himself when he sees Bi-Han flinch at the mention of the Titan's name. Suddenly, he feels guilty. He shouldn't have brought that up. The last thing he wants is to remind his brother of the horrors he had endured.

"I know it's not your fault", Bi-Han says before Tomáš can apologize. "And I know I... missjudged you."

Tomáš stares at him, unblinking. Of all the things he had expected Bi-Han to say, this wasn't something he would have ever seen coming. He knows it's the closest thing to an apology he will ever hear from his brother and even though it's not quite that, in this very moment, it means everything to him. He swallows. "You can still fix things now. It's not too late for that."

"How?" Bi-Han's voice is so quiet, Tomáš almost misses that one word entirely.

"Live."

"That's it?"

"It's a start."

Slowly, Bi-Han shakes his head. Tomáš doesn't know why, but that small gesture of defeat makes him furious.

"What happened to not giving up?" He has to hold himself back from grabbing Bi-Han by the shoulders and shaking some sense into him. "You taught me that, remember? Whenever I practiced a difficult move and I couldn't get it right, I'd ask you to show me an easier one, but you always refused. You'd let me practice that one move a hundred times and then a hundred more until I perfected it. You didn't let me give up, so I won't let you."

He can feel his brother's gaze boring into his own. It's impossible for him to guess what Bi-Han is thinking. Tomáš doesn't know if he's just terrible at reading people or if his former grandmaster had always been such a difficult man to read.

"I see you haven't forgotten my teachings."

"You were a good teacher."

He means it. Sure, his brother had been strict, even more so than their father, and he had often lacked patience, but he had made up for that in other ways, always rewarding those who proved their resilience and discipline during training with praise and encouragement, never letting any of his disciples give up or fall behind. Even if his lessons had seemed harsh at times, they had always proven valuable later on.

For a while, they sit quietly without speaking. Tomáš doesn't mind. He can tell Bi-Han has nothing more to say and although he still has questions, he reminds himself to be patient. If he pushes too much, his brother might just shut him out again.

"I want to go back inside", Bi-Han tells him after a while.

Tomáš nods. His brother looks exhausted, he notices. It worries him that something as simple as walking is taking this much out of Bi-Han when he had easily been able to throw him into a wall just yesterday. He chooses not to ask. He knows how much his brother despises being fussed over.

Once they make it back to Bi-Han's quarters, Tomáš decides to open a window. Until now he hadn't even noticed how stale the air in the room had been. Besides, his older brother seems a little less pale now, so the fresh air must have been good for him.

"I should go and let you get some rest."

"Wait."

He stops.

"Before you leave... Bring me ink, paper and a seal."

Tomáš hesitates, slightly caught off guard by the request. He's not sure what Bi-Han needs these things for or why he's asking for them. He doubts his brother would tell him. Should he even be bringing him anything? Tomáš thinks back to what Liu Kang had told him. He knows Bi-Han is unstable, that he had tried to seek death before... But then again, there are much more lethal things to ask for than paper and ink. As he ponders over what to do, his gaze wanders over to the bowl of medicine. Of course, it's still full.

"No", he hears himself say.

"What?"

"I said no", Tomáš repeats.

Bi-Han scowls at him. "I demand you bring me–"

"You're not my grandmaster anymore. You can't demand anything of me", Tomáš says calmly. "How about we make a trade?"

"I already answered your stupid questions", Bi-Han snarls. "What more do you want from me?"

Instead of replying, Tomáš picks up the bowl of medicine and holds it out to his brother. "Drink this and I'll get those items for you."

"Again you disobey me?"

"You still want obedience? Don't think I forgot about what you did yesterday. I still haven't forgiven you for that. If you want a favor, simply asking for it won't be enough. You'll have to do me a favor too."

Bi-Han growls at him.

"If you're not willing to do it, surely whatever you intend to do with those things isn't so important." Tomáš nods to the bowl. "Drink or find someone else to ask."

He can tell Bi-Han is fuming. There's not a doubt in his mind that his brother would be strangling him right now if he still had enough strength left in him to do that. Fortunately for him, all Bi-Han can do is growl and mutter quiet complaints under his breath. Eventually, he takes the bowl of medicine and without breaking eye contact, he downs the contents of it in one single swig. Then he slams the bowl down so hard Tomáš can hear it crack. "There", he hisses. "Now get me what I want."

Tomáš fights back a smile as he turns around and leaves the room.

Even if just a little, he believes he managed to get through to Bi-Han today. For the first time since he left the Lin Kuei, he has a sliver of hope that things might change for the better. He doesn't know how, but he wants to believe they will. He's still not quite sure how to feel about what he had learned today, but at least he got Bi-Han to take his medicine. He decides to mark that down as a small victory as he heads to the library to find ink and paper.

-

Liu Kang misses his days at the Wu Shi academy. Lately, he often finds himself thinking back to them. He feels lost now, like a leaf at the mercy of a storm. It is odd to him that he still remembers the past so vividly, even after all this time... Being a clueless young novice, concerned only with how to keep his boastful friend Kung Lao out of trouble. The summer sun burning down onto his shoulders as he practices punches and kicks on a wooden training dummy. The laughter and jokes shared with his companions... He misses his old friendships. He misses those simpler times when he had mentors to look up to for guidance, when a bad decision merely brought him the punishment of sweeping the temple floors, not unspeakable ruin and disaster. Now his choices weigh so much heavier, each one determining the outcome of countless of lives. Each mistake a road paved to someone's demise. All his life, he had been prepared for this role. To one day take upon a task greater than anything a mortal soul should ever shoulder. He is the chosen one. But chosen what for? To watch history repeat?

"What good are you? What good are your godly powers if you can't save anyone?"

He does not know anymore. He had stood by as Kitana and Mileena had mourned their mother, as Kenshi had returned from his mission blinded once more, as Bi-Han had doomed himself following Havik into the realm of chaos... Each time, he had been powerless, unable to change the fates of those he had set out to save all those aeons ago when he first began with the creation of this timeline. His new era should have been peaceful... It was never meant to be like this.

For now, he sets his worries aside and knocks on the door to Bi-Han's quarters. As always, he receives no permission to come in and as always, he respectfully waits for a few seconds before entering regardless.

The former cryomancer greets him with the usual scowl. "You came. I didn't think you would."

"You called for me. Why would I not come?"

Bi-Han huffs. "Your current report to Sektor... Has it been sent out yet?"

Liu Kang shakes his head. "No, not yet. I wanted to wait for your... final decision first." He casts his eyes down and exhales slowly. "I don't understand you, Bi-Han. A few more months and you could have gone home. Now... I have to tell her you might never return."

"Don't worry, I have done that for you."

He looks up to see Bi-Han holding out a letter to him. "Have this sent to Sektor for me. As quickly as you can."

Hesitantly, Liu Kang takes the envelope. "It does not have to end like this, you know that."

"That remains my choice, not yours."

He doesn't try to argue back. They are past that point now. "I will make sure this letter reaches Sektor."

Bi-Han acknowledges his words with a nod.

"Have you told Tomáš?"

"That doesn't concern you."

"I have seen him earlier... He looked hopeful."

He gets no reaction and he's unable to read Bi-Han's expression. Minutes pass while neither of them speak.

"Is there anything else you need?", Liu Kang asks eventually.

"Without the treatment... How much longer can I live?"

"I cannot tell you. A few weeks... Maybe less." Most likely less, Liu Kang thinks, but he keeps that to himself.

"Good."

"The Arctikan Hailstone can still save your life."

Bi-Han shoots him a glare. "What do you want me to do? Crawl to my traitorous brother and beg him to grant me mercy? I'd rather burn in the deepest depths of the Netherrealm than to–"

"Enough, Bi-Han!" Liu Kang cuts him off sharply and a little louder than he had intended. He knows better than to let Bi-Han's words get to him, and yet he can't help it this time. He clears his throat, trying to regain his composure. "You need rest. If there's nothing else you need from me, I will leave."

Bi-Han doesn't stop him.

Outside, Liu Kang takes a moment to calm down and debate what to do next. He's holding the letter Bi-Han wrote to Sektor. He doesn't open it. There's a voice in the back of his head that tells him he should. In case Bi-Han sent out instructions to the Lin Kuei, plans for another attack on the Shirai Ryu, more scheming... Instead, Liu Kang chooses to trust him. He knows Bi-Han is defeated.

His brothers, however, do not.

Even if he's wrong and Bi-Han ends up betraying him once more, Liu Kang still won't regret trusting him. With what he's about to do, it would only make them even.

Upon returning to his study, Liu Kang has Tomáš summoned before him. He doesn't have to wait for long until the Shirai Ryu's second in command arrives.

It pains him to watch Smoke's expression falter, the small seed of hope that never bloomed already wilting as he fills him in on his brother's condition. He hates to do this, to bring Tomáš pain and to go behind Bi-Han's back, but he wants to believe his once most trusted ally can still be saved, even from himself.

"I made him take the medicine today. I thought I was helping. You told me if I stayed–" Tomáš stops, his voice cracking.

Liu Kang places a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You did your best, Tomáš. Right now, I need you to return home and speak to Kuai Liang. I fear that only the Arctikan Hailstone can save Bi-Han's life now."

Slowly, Tomas nods. "Kuai Liang told me he would search for it. He might have found it by now."

"Return as soon as you can. With the stone and with your brother, if he's willing to come."

"Kuai Liang won't want to see Bi-Han. I know him."

"Then the stone will be enough."

"What if Bi-Han still refuses to let you treat him?", Tomáš asks quietly. "Should we just... force him?"

"Restraining him is a last resort", Liu Kang explains. "I would rather not give him another reason to resent me. But I will do what I must for the sake of this timeline."

He knows Bi-Han won't forgive him. In all his years of being a god, Liu Kang had never felt so powerless.

-

No one is there to greet him when he returns. The gardens are so quiet, it's almost eerie.

It's the loneliest Tomáš has ever felt since the night he lost his family. Only back then, he had been given a new one. This time, he knows, he will lose whatever is left of that family too and then he will have nothing. The day is gray to fit his mood, dark rain clouds obscuring the sun and a cold wind blowing, making his teeth chatter as he hurries to get inside. If he had thought the Shirai Ryu's training grounds were quiet, the main building housing the grandmaster's office is as silent as a grave in comparison. Coming back here doesn't feel like coming home. He still puts on as much of a smile as he can muster, not wanting to worry Kuai Liang and Harumi.

Tomáš doesn't encounter anyone as he makes his way to Kuai Liang's office. He doesn't need to knock. The door stands open wide.

"Kuai Liang?"

At the sound of his voice, his brother looks up from the large stack of paperwork in front of him. "Tomáš. You're back. How did the mission go?"

Before Tomáš can respond, Kuai Liang's focus has already returned to the papers on his desk. He signs another mission report and sets it aside on a seperate stack next to the bigger one.

"There was no mission."

"Oh."

Tomáš waits to see if his brother has anything more to say. He doesn't.

"Where is everyone?", he asks.

"I've sent our recruits to Outworld", Kuai Liang replies as he gestures for him to sit down. "The Umgadi were generous enough to agree to show them around. The sooner they familiarize themselves with Outworld's dangers, the better."

"I see." Tomáš takes a seat across from his brother. "How have you been holding up?"

Kuai Liang sighs. "As you can see, I've been busy going through all these mission reports. Now that you're back, maybe you can help me look through some of them too."

"Of course, brother."

He reaches for the stack of papers, but his brother stops him by quickly placing his hand on top of the stack.

"What are you doing? You just came back and you haven't rested. You can help me with this later too, you know."

"Right."

Tomáš doesn't want to rest. His mind is racing, his thoughts wandering back to his stay at the fire temple. He feels guilty for leaving, the same way he had felt guilty a few days ago when he had left the Shirai Ryu after receiving Liu Kang's invitation. He knows that both his brothers need him. Kuai Liang cannot possibly shoulder the challenges and responsibilties of leading his new clan alone and it doesn't feel right to him that Bi-Han has no one by his side to help him through his recovery. One of his brothers is on his deathbed and the other drowns himself in work to avoid speaking about it. The family Tomáš had been so desperately trying to hold together is falling apart, leaving him behind in the abyss of it all, alone and with nothing. Bi-Han will have peace in death, the satisfaction of going out by no one else's hand but his own and Kuai Liang has Harumi, they will have offspring one day, their own family. Tomáš realizes that in the bitter war between his brothers, he will be the only one to lose.

"So what was it that Lord Liu Kang needed you for?", Kuai Liang finally asks, pulling him out of his thoughts.

There it is, the question he had been dreading.

Tomáš clears his throat.

"We need to talk."

The serious undertone in his voice is enough to get Kuai Liang's attention once again. He looks exhausted, Tomáš notices, though that doesn't surprise him given the circumstances. Despite the initial difficulties, their new clan is growing faster than expected. Training the new recruits is taking a tall on all of them. On most days, sleep is hard to come by, even for him. He stays up late, helping Kuai Liang set up makeshift beds for the Shirai Ryu's newest members and by the time their work is finished, he can already see the pale light of a new day on the horizon. Sometimes, Tomáš wonders why Kuai Liang still stubbornly refuses to accept any of the help offered to him by their friends and allies. He doesn't understand what his brother is trying to prove.

"Is everything alright?"

Tomáš feels a pang of guilt in his stomach at the concern in Kuai Liang's voice. What he is about to say will undoubtedly upset his brother, he knows this, and yet he has no other choice. This is important to him. He wants to save Bi-Han's life. He wants to reunite his brothers. At the very least, he's determined to try.

"We need to talk", he repeats and more quietly he adds: "About Bi-Han."

Kuai Liang's expression hardens instantly. The concern gone, replaced with hatred. His grip on the pen tightens, turning his knuckles white. "I'd rather not be reminded of his existence."

Tomáš sighs. "I understand, but please, just hear me out."

He watches Kuai Liang's gaze return to the paperwork once more and knows he lost his grandmaster's interest by bringing up their estranged brother's name. Maybe he should have waited. He should have tried a more careful approach. He knows he should have... But he's tired. Walking on eggshels around Bi-Han for two days had been exhausting enough. He doesn't have the energy to continue doing it around Kuai Liang too.

"He's dying." Tomáš finally says.

"He's already dead to me."

Tomáš doesn't comment on his brother's harsh words. Instead, he watches Kuai Liang closely, desperately looking for a hint that he still cares, some sign of sadness or regret. To his disappointment, he finds none.

"Liu Kang is asking us to bring him the Arctikan Hailstone", Tomáš continues. "He believes it can still save Bi-Han."

Kuai Liang calmly puts the pen down, reaches for the cup of tea next to him and takes a sip. "I don't have it."

Tomáš clenches his jaw so hard it sends a spike of pain through his skull. "What do you mean? You've been searching for it for two years and you still haven't found it?"

"I had other responsibilties. Building this clan into what it is today. Helping with Raiden's training. Protecting Earthrealm."

"Lord Liu Kang told you to prioritize the search for the stone." Tomáš grips the armrests of his chair tighter. "We can still find it. Tell me where you left off and I can help."

Kuai Liang doesn't meet his eyes. "There was never a search, Tomáš."

"What?"

"You heard me."

All of a sudden, Tomáš feels the urge to scream, to grab the cup Kuai Liang is drinking from so smugly and shatter it into pieces. "What do you mean? Have you lost your mind? You betrayed Lord Liu Kang?"

"Betrayed him?" Kuai Liang slams his hand down on the table, nearly making Tomáš jump. "Who do you think I am? I agreed to search for the stone. Nothing more. I'll do it when the time is right. And then it will go to Hanzo."

Tomáš stares at Kuai Liang and finds another stranger looking back at him. Cold, unforgiving eyes, a face twisted with hatred and rage... It's like he's talking to another version of Bi-Han.

He swallows. "So you will just let our brother die?"

"As he did with father. It'll be a fitting end."

"If Bi-Han dies, we'll never learn why he didn't save father. Don't you want closure?"

"He let father die for the same reason he did this." Kuai Liang gestures to the angry red scar across his face. "He's insane. He would do anything for power."

"Even if that's true, he's still our brother. He's still family."

Kuai Liang glares. "I already have a family and he's no longer part of it."

"Am I?"

His brother's expression softens for a moment. "Of course you are. We're brothers, Tomáš. How can you doubt that?"

"Then why did you lie to me? You said you would find the Arctikan Hailstone. You lied and betrayed Lord Liu Kang." He pauses for a moment. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"You compare me to him? After everything he did to us? How can you still speak on his behalf?"

He protected me, Tomáš wants to say, but he knows that it would mean having to tell his brother about his nightmares and he doesn't want Kuai Liang to needlessly worry about him, even if he's furious at him right now.

"I'm not doing this for Bi-Han!" Tomáš jumps to his feet. "I'm doing this for you as well! If he dies, will you ever be able to forgive yourself? If you don't see him one last time, won't you regret it?"

For a second, a look of uncertainty passes over Kuai Liang's features, but it's already gone the next. "Why save him? So he can betray us again at the first chance he gets? Have we learned nothing?"

"That's not up to us to question! Lord Liu Kang has asked us to save him. Have you forgotten why we founded this clan? The Shirai Ryu are loyal to Lord Liu Kang... We built this clan to serve him and Earthrealm." Tomáš narrows his eyes. "Or have you lied about that too? Do the Shirai Ryu only exist for your vengeance?"

He had trusted his brother. He had trusted both his brothers and both of them had lied to him.

Kuai Liang shakes his head. "Look at you! Look at how we're arguing! This is what Bi-Han wanted. He placed these poisonous words in your mouth! He wants to divide us and weaken the Shirai Ryu. Can't you see that?"

"I don't need anyone to put words in my mouth!", Tomáš snaps. "You think so little of me? That I need others to think and speak for me? Is it because I'm your younger brother or because you think of me as a fool?"

"That's not what I meant, Tomáš. You need to calm down."

"I'll calm down when you agree to do your duty."

"What is going on in here?"

They both turn around at the sound of Harumi's voice. She stands in the doorway, holding a tray with teacups and small colorful cakes. "I could hear you two yelling from down the hallway." She sets the tray down on Kuai Liang's desk and turns to face them, crossing her arms. "What will our recruits think when they return to you two arguing like this?"

Tomáš knows she's right. The last thing they need is to demoralize their recruits, but he can't help being angry at Kuai Liang for lying to him, for how little he cares that his own flesh and blood is dying.

"Don't worry, Harumi", Kuai Liang responds. "Tomáš is tired. I'm sure he wants to retreat. Right, Tomáš?" His brother turns to look at him. "You've been gone for a few days and I know we're all under a lot of pressure. As your grandmaster, I won't hold it against you that you spoke out of line today. You're dismissed now."

Tomáš grits his teeth. He feels his hands trembling with rage, so he clenches them into fists. "I will retreat then. Grandmaster. Grandmistress." He bows stiffly, turns on his heel and storms out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. As he hears the sound of their voices behind him fade, he can feel the last bit of his hope die, extinguished like a candle by a sudden gust of wind.

[celtrist]

Hazbin & Helluva Vs. Aromanticism

(Aka: I have a problem with the Spindlehorse team about this, not shippers.)

(Also this is mainly about Alastor but can go for Octavia and Mammon too.)

Alright, so I've cleaned up this uh... rant, to make things a little more clear hopefully. But to summarize here, this is about the team's lack of commitment when every other character is allowed full confirmation of their orientations but these (potentially) aromantic characters aren't.

While I have no beef with shippers (I think you can ship whoever with whoever you want, I ship Alastor too on occasion), there is some conversation about how the fandom might be a bit of a reason WHY they "can't" be confirmed as aro. But again, my main problem is more with the showrunners than the fandom at this point about this.

I'll also be getting into why it's "important" and the double standards against characters being aromantic.

This is not an attack, ship however way you wish (again, I do it myself). My intent isn't really to stop the shipping, that would be ridiculous. But more so to give my thoughts on why it's BS characters like Alastor can't be confirmed as aromantic when other characters are allowed confirmed orientations.

I will start off by saying I don't mind the shipping of Alastor. While it's NOBODY'S business but mine, I suppose it's important to clarify that I'm someone who does currently identify as aroace. I might be wrong but who cares, it's how I think of myself now at least to some degree (I do after all still have fictional crushes. Real-life romance is not an interest for me though, don't like 'em).

I'm gonna get what I don't think people talk about enough on both sides of being for and against shipping Alastor, and then I'll talk about the shippers as they're (I realized) not my main issue at this point.

A little history: So Alastor has been long time confirmed as an ace character. He hasn't been confirmed as being sex-repulsed or anything, but I can personally say I don't mind either flavor of him being repulsed or favorable (though I imagine the series will lean towards the former to counter everyone else's sex-favorable attitude and for jokes). This statement was initially taken VERY poorly by fans who, at the time, were shipping radiodust and radiobelle/charlastor, one more than the other. Care to take a guess which? The answer will not surprise you.

But then people realized "Oh, asexual doesn't mean he COULDN'T get with someone" and people even went further to "Being asexual doesn't mean he CAN'T have sex", both very true statements. So shipping was back on the menus boys! And his asexual was certainly blurred a bit (to the point where it wasn't even him being sex-favorable asexual as much as just not asexual, something that still happens but certainly not as bad). But overall, people were taking his canonicity as asexual with as much grace as a duck.

So here's where MY problem comes in. While I have some gripes with shippers, I had an epiphany that "Oh. It's not really the shippers I have a problem with. It's the people WRITING THE DAMN CHARACTER". Which, might I just say, is so much worst.

The shippers, while they got annoying at some points and certainly can be still, are just having fun. Because shipping just happens to be the way most people like to interact with characters in the media they're into. Hell, I am no different. I just have the misfortune of only really getting into rarepairs most of the time (curse you my bizarre tastes). I've even shipped with Alastor, I like AngelicSmile/radiojoy quite a bit.

Back on track. Now, what do I mean by my main problem being with the writers more than the fans with this? Well, queue this darling of a clip about the topic (this is the only clip I've found of the live stream, feel free to watch the whole video but just wanted the clip here).

This. Single. Clip. Infuriates me.

Vivzi, while I'm sure not meant to, pretty much implied "Alastor being aromantic and 'non-shippable' would ruin people's fun". I'm sure she meant it as a way to keep others from policing shippers (which didn't work, it still happens), it really just reads as "a character being aromantic is not a fun character". Like there's something wrong with being aro.

Not to mention some other things that would contradict this statement:

Viv in the past said "fans are allowed to ship outside character orientations", so... what makes that so different here with confirming Alastor as aromantic?

It being confirmed is not relevant to the plot. Great, so is every other orientation not relevant. Why can't Alastor be confirmed as aromantic but Vaggie can be confirmed as a lesbian or Vox bi? What does Vox being bisexual have to do with the plot? Neither is relevant to the plot, but one can be confirmed but not the other?

People were gonna ship him ANYWAY. Like, there's really no point in pretending. They were going to anyway because of the first point I already mentioned, but also people ship against canon orientations ALL THE TIME. It's just gonna happen and there's nothing wrong with that in of itself.

You've kind of just implied it's canon by not wanting to say specifically him being aromantic is canon or not. If Viv had just said "I don't wanna confirm his romantic orientation because...", then this statement would be fine and fair I suppose. But she had to call out him being aromantic specifically. And I mean, he COULD be something else (he was slated to be a couple with Mimzy originally after all), but the context doesn't seem like that would be the case. Plus, would she really feel the need to hold back from saying "Alastor is homoromantic" or biromantic or heteroroman- actually yes for that last one probably.

So riddle me this, with these points, why the FUCK would it be so wrong to confirm Alastor as a canonically aromantic icon and help get MORE REP for this very very very VERY underrepresented orientation? And I've thought of a few reasons to this, one of which being to avoid the same backlash that they got for Alastor being ace. Which, DID HAPPEN WHEN THE VOICE ACTOR AND SOMEONE ELSE ON THE SHOW CONFIRMED ALASTOR AS AROMANTIC BUT BACKTRACKED ON THE STATEMENT.

To which, fine. THAT'S on the fans (especially as no one would've complained if he was confirmed as homoromantic, which is a double standard VERY PRESENT in this fandom, but also many others quite honestly). But I can see another reason is to avoid others policing shippers about it.

Which, if that's the case, shit luck it's happening anyway.

To cower away from this orientation because of fans being upset says a lot, both about the fans and the creators. There is a whisper of "Alastor isn't allowed to be aromantic". That "being aro isn't allowed or appreciated".

We live in a world that at this point has a lot more lgbtq+ characters than ever before. At this point, there's just a lot of gay/lesbian and bi characters, and that's wonderful. But, there's barely a handful of aroace characters. And when they are, nobody wants to pay attention to that part of the character. So why can't the deer man be aromantic? I would imagine it would honestly make things a little better ship wise because ship wars wouldn't occur seeing as, well, there's no ship to be fought for. None of them could be canon.

So you might see where I'm leading into this, but I can only really think of one real reason Alastor being aromantic just "can't be confirmed" where as everyone else's orientations can be.

His popularity. Like, that's weird but walk with me here. Alastor is the most popular character in the fandom. There's honestly no denying it, he just is. And what do people do with the most popular character?

THEY SHIP THEM OFF IN A LOVEBOAT.

But wait, if he's aromantic, he can't be on a love boat. THIS IS BS-

And then... the outcry. And we HAVE seen this happen. I mentioned before, he was stated to be aromantic on two occasions by two people who work on the show, one of which is his voice actor (which I'll be fair, I personally don't think VAs always know the characters they play the best, that's the writers). But they had to backpedal because people DID complain. People WERE upset. So it's kind of shown just aromantism isn't really welcomed, at the very least not for a character like Alastor.

And that's the key: "Not for a character like Alastor". But if it were say, Niffty or Mimzy who are either overlooked or just not very popular, THEN it's probably more than okay for a character to be aromantic. Because no one wants to ship with them much, so they can be aromantic all they want.

AKA. The aro community is allowed the scraps but not the dinner.

At this point, you've probably noticed I switched gears from the creators to the fans because I DO think they could be a reason why Alastor "can't" be confirmed as Aromantic. I'll give credit, I'm pretty sure it's mainly on twitter and wouldn't be surprised if it was a "loud minority" thing going on, but the people have spoken. They vehemently cannot STAND the idea of Alastor being aromantic.

But I don't have a problem with these people quite honestly- I mean I kinda do, but my main issue is the lack of commitment when the other characters are allowed confirmed orientations. Why can't aromantic people get confirmed rep? Because "it'll ruin people's fun?" That's such a crappy reason because it's just saying being aro is bad on some level or isn't okay. Why can't the aromantic community get the dinner this ONE TIME? It's one character in a pool of many others that are canonically gay or bi, so why can't the aro community have this ONE popular character?

I'm not even asking for people to stop shipping him, I think that's perfectly FINE. It wouldn't change the canon. I'd appreciate more LOVE given to the aromantic identity (and I'm talking about the far end of it, so absolutely NO interest in romance as many have used aro Alastor but it still comes off as just normal shipping, but that's just me). There's such a double standard to the treatment of aromantic characters to the other characters in these shows (because Octavia and Mammon are in the same boat here), and the reasons given are so crappy that they sound more like off-hand excuses.

Again, I don't MIND people shipping Alastor, or Octavia, or Mammon who is randomly shipped with Adam the most. Let me repeat:

YOU. ARE. ALLOWED. TO. SHIP. THESE. CHARACTER.

But what I have a problem with is that these characters aren't allowed to be OFFICIALLY aromantic. How would it feel if this was a gay character? That they didn't want to confirm it but there's been indications with past statements and even in-universe stuff indicating so? I WANT Viv and her team to STICK with what route they were gonna go with.

And some might argue "what's so bad with nothing being confirmed?" Other than the fact every other character's orientations are allowed confirmation and Viv's crappy way of putting it in not confirming anything. There's, by all technicalities, nothing wrong.

However, if I may pose a counter, why is it fair for people to demand or ask for gay representation or confirmation but not aromantic? Because it's "not ruining anything"? If that's the case, I'm inclined to say that may be a bit aphobic. Because how is it that a character being aromantic can "ruin" the character or something, but a character being gay DOESN'T "ruin" the character. It's a double standard that I don't think most people realize or want to say because you don't want to be dissing on gay stuff.

But WAKE UP SHEEPLE. The gay stuff has PLENTY of things by this point. Whether through fan works or official media, it is growing and it is growing rapidly. And we should be HAPPY about that. But alternatively, Aromantic (and asexual) rep BARELY gets any attention in either fan works or official media. People would be UPSET if a ship like Angel Dust X Vaggie or Stolas X Verosika got into one of the top most popular ships. But Alastor? Nah, it's fine.

Again, while I don't mind the shipping itself, hopefully, you can understand how it might feel to see one of the most popular ships involve a character that goes against their orientation and it's YOUR orientation. It doesn't. Feel. Great.

And not everyone who ships Alastor even would LIKE him to end up with who they ship. Some people just like it staying in fanon. I have met SO MANY nice people who ship Alastor with characters that I personally don't really like him shipped with. But it's clear that I don't think THEY'D mind if he was confirmed aromantic because it doesn't change their life. They'll still keep shipping him because that's fun for them and that's FINE. People explore themselves through characters with confirmed orientations and they don't always line up with canon, and that's FINE. I don't think people should be policed on shipping with the deer man, they're just having fun. Would I appreciate a little more love for the aro identity? Sure (I mean just look at Alastor's ship weeks activeness vs. his aro week activeness), but if that's not how people have fun they shouldn't be forced to do stuff with it.

But Alastor being seemingly "not allowed" to be confirmed as aro has set a precedent that there's something wrong with being aromantic. And personally, it makes me feel a tad unwelcomed sometimes.

It's the precedents. Again, why is every other character's orientation allowed to be confirmed but Alastor's isn't? What is so wrong with him being aromantic? Hell, he might not even BE aromantic. But at least I'd KNOW instead of floundering around hoping upon a star for some aromantic representation.

It's okay to be gay but- WHOA HOLD YOUR HORSES THERE. WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO PUT A PAUSE IN THAT ARO BUSINESS YOU GOT THERE.

A character's worth is in how shippable they are. And if they're aromantic, they're not shippable. And unfortunately, there are just enough people to throw a hissy fit about it that Viv doesn't want to confirm it.

Because apparently being aromantic would "ruin" things.

[touchstoneaf]

You know what baffles me? It's actually two things, but it's both related to Doctor Who's fandom. Clearly I've been here for a very short time, so I guess I just missed something? But frankly it makes no sense to me when ppl argue between NineRose and TenRose. Like... it only matters when you are picking which era to write/read/draw in! Sure, their interactions are different, but why would anyone look at the two of them and think one is better than the other, when they are literally the same two people loving each other in beautiful ways?! It's a continuation of the same story, part of the arc of the exact same love affair! You can't take one away from the other! Yes their interactions have a slightly different cant, but you can literally hear moments where you could hear Nine saying a line that Ten said, or vice versa! It's just...

I don't get it. And why in the hell would somebody claim the age gap exists with Nine but not with Ten?! They're the same age? They're both 900 years old? Just, like, what?! Ten specifically acts younger because he's trying to make Rose (and Jackie) feel more comfortable with the relationship, but that's all! (I also write ships with aliens and humans and vampires and humans, so at some point I think the age gap thing just does stops being relevant, and it's just about experiences... but that's just my mileage. But IMHO you can't complain about it with one iteration but not the other of the same person!)

The other thing that baffles me in this fandom is people arguing about the whole Tentoo thing. It seems I've missed some kind of historical quarrel or something? Like... I personally don't prefer it for a couple of reasons, but it's not (as ppl seem to want to accuse others) because I don't think Tentoo is really the Doctor, or whatever ppl like to think is the basis, so stop accusing me of that! That's not the reason at all!! He *obviously* is, and just by the way he is able to say those three words to Rose without hesitating (and of course a little bit of anger), they were obviously going for a sort of combination of Nine and Ten so that Rose would get the best of both worlds there. And that's great. My issue with it is just that Ten prime has to go off by himself after, when Rose told him she would never let him do that, which... My main issue with that ending is just that Rose is only like 22 years old, and I don't think she needs to be settling down and having a kid already, and I think people shortchange her character when they say she only wanted to take him somewhere and settle down with him and quit traveling, when she *clearly* loved every minute of her life with him, and was the happiest she had ever been when she was out traveling with him, so I feel like it's character assassination to say she wanted to stop entirely and go get a house and have a baby with him right away. I'm sure she wouldn't have minded it after a little while, but I certainly wouldn't have wanted a baby at 23, I'm just saying. So my issue with it (though I understand why they had to do it, that they were doing their best to give Billie the correct sendoff with what they had), is that I think that it breaks the character's promise and her clear intention to stay with the Doctor who's stuck traveling... but...

Look. I don't think that the argument about whether Tentoo is "really the Doctor" makes any sense at all. I mean like it's just not applicable to my conceptualization of the characters, so why are am I getting accused of that when it's not even a consideration for me?! I understand for instance arguing about the shape of the triad between NineJackRose (or the existence of TenJackRose) and whether or not you think that was going on (which I don't think is even an argument either, it was at least emotionally happening, & whether any physical action was happening as well is up to interpretation! But why is that an argument, again? It's clearly there, and as to what you think the fallout is... that this entirely up to viewer's mileage and how it varies!).

Is it just me alone by myself thinking that none of these stupid wars even make any sense or should exist? Am I crazy, that i don't understand the purpose of these nonsensical arguments, or the necessity to keep having them at this point, years on?!

What am I missing, here?!