#I just don’t like people not being consistent with canon lol

[i-keepmyideals]

Ayo, why do so many people think Gojo was lanky before his unboxing? He was stuck in a pocket dimension for nineteen days. Nineteen days is a lot of time but simultaneously isn’t when it comes to building muscle specifically. Also, the point of the cube was to trap him so he couldn’t move. He wasn’t deadlifting in the cube; he literally couldn’t do anything. At one point in time, Gege said time doesn’t even flow the same in the cube, and it’s more like there is no flow of time. Nineteen days for Yuji could have felt like a few seconds for Gojo. Gege could have changed their stance on that, idk, I haven’t read the chapter

My point is, Gojo hasn’t been lanky since high school, most likely. After Toji rocked his shit and nearly killed him, I imagine that would traumatize him at least a little lmao He improved his Infinity and gained, like, mast control over it and probably bulked up. This man is 28 and fights the strongest curses regularly. Aint no way he never gained muscle in the 11 years since his fight with Toji as a second year. I mean…even Yuji is shredded. The jacket Gojo wears is baggy. The black long sleeve shirt he wore? Kinda baggy. The blue button up? Pretty loose. Every time we see him in casual clothes, he’s wearing something loose or a jacket so we can’t see his frame very well. Plus, Gege drew this sketch two years ago so

Yeah, not lanky by any means

[i-keepmyideals]

THIS!!!! THESE TAGS!!!!! SAY IT AGAIN FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!!!!!

Gojo isn’t “morally grey”, and he doesn’t have a god complex. Let’s not forget at the young age of 17, he was nearly killed by Toji in a matter of seconds. I feel like that is one of the most humbling experiences anyone could ever have if they had a superiority/god complex and felt on top of the world. Gojo acknowledges that he is the strongest sorcerer. Not because he thinks he is infallible. He knows he is because of the Toji incident. He couldn’t save his best friend. Gojo places his trust in his colleagues and friends like Yaga, Ijichi, Shoko, Nanami. He acknowledges he’s the strongest because that is a literal fact. As OP said, the balance of the world shifted just because he was born.

Gojo doesn’t have a quick temper. In fact, when have we ever actually seen him angry? Nothing will trigger his anger easily. Does he put down everyone he talks to? Does he does making people feel little make him feel better about himself? Are people that are just coexisting a challenge to him in his eyes? He talks shit about evil curses all the time. I feel like that’s pretty valid. Fuck you, Mahito, you patchwork worm Shigaraki lookalike.

Does he isolate himself from everyone? He…he literally refuses to leave Nanami alone because he adores him. He has his friends and he loves being around them. He doesn’t isolate himself to prove he doesn’t need friendships and can live without anyone’s help; he loves his friends.

And most importantly: Gojo does not lack empathy like those with a god complex do. The ENTIRE series is going on because of his strong sense of morality and empathy. Yuji was supposed to be executed in episode 2 because the higher ups of the Jujutsu world wanted it to be done. They were going to play god with Yuji’s life, because who is going to challenge and stop them? Gojo would but he said himself people would just see him as a tyrant and that is not at all what he wants. He wants the change to their society to come correctly. For the corruption of the higher ups to be exposed and exposed and clear as day to everyone so everyone can work together and change it. The best way to do that is to raise and train the new generation of students properly so that they can be the change and better their world. Gojo took Yuji under his wing because he refused to allow someone to kill a child who was thrust into this world. As Toji was dying and talking about Megumi, Gojo then took it upon himself, at 17, to make sure Megumi would not go back to the place that lead Toji to become how he was, to the family that would then essentially pit twin sisters against each other. Gojo wanted the best for Megumi and staying at the hellhole that is the Zen’nin estate.

Gojo is not morally grey, nor does he have a god complex. Gojo is incredibly complex and that’s why he’s my favorite character in the series. You don’t have to like him. That’s fine. Don’t make up reasons for justifying not liking it, just keep it pushin. Pick up a dictionary and the manga and actually see what’s up

If you ever find yourself questioning your own intelligence, just remember that Jujutsu Kaisen gave us a character who is the undisputed strongest living being in his universe (so much so that his birth altered the balance of the entire world around him) and is canonically able to do anything he tries; who could have decided to spend his entire life doing absolutely whatever tf he wanted because there is literally no one and nothing with the power to stop him, but instead chose to use his strength to protect and train the next generation to be strong and intelligent enough to overhaul the current oppressive system that would have stripped those innocent kids of their lives and precious youth in the same way it did his own generation, and this was a good portion of the fandom’s reaction to said character:

mostly based on one (1) line removed from 5 layers of context. When the majority of the story wouldn't have taken place at all if not for his strong sense of morality. I am so Tired.

[pissfizz]

On one hand toya tenma hc is one of my favorite things ever and it’s very important to me but on the other part of me is coming to hate it bc fans are so insufferable about it

[jovialsongdefendor]

"Sonamy is canon and sonic likes amy back! he is just shy!"

What. Uh. The claim that "Sonamy is canon and Sonic likes Amy back but is just shy" is a misconception because it lacks clear evidence in the games or official media that Sonic reciprocates Amy’s romantic feelings in a meaningful or consistent way.

Sonic’s interactions with Amy across the games show that he cares for her as a friend and ally, but there’s no solid indication that he sees her romantically. Sonic often dodges or avoids Amy when she expresses her romantic feelings. While this is played for comedic effect, it’s far from a sign of shyness. It suggests that Sonic may not share the same feelings or simply isn’t interested in pursuing romance. Sonic cares about Amy’s safety and well-being, but this aligns with his general heroic nature and how he treats his other friends (e.g., Tails, Knuckles, or even strangers). His protective attitude doesn’t necessarily imply romantic feelings. And that some fans doesnt understand.

The evidence that some fans showed is mostly mistranslations that sega of the wester side do it on purpose when in the japanese version, where sonic is originated created, the text is completly different. So yeah, the voice over where tails read the questions about sonic having feelings for amy in the sonic cd resume of amy being sonics love interest they are already spreading wrong information, so yeah. They are literrally spreading a lie the america sega when they dont have any power on it lol. (sonadow wiki next)

"If anyone uses this to claim that it is Sonic saying that he is calling Amy his girlfriend, that is misinformation/disinformation, they are lying and it shows that they don’t know how to read Japanese at all.

This sentence has nothing to do with Sonic calling anyone his girlfriend. And what is in the parentheses is not a part of the sentence, that is a personal interpretation of what the person thought of after mistranslating the sentence.

What the sentence says is this: “Sorry but, I find a girlfriend to be an inconvenience (burden or discomfort).” or “Unfortunately, a girlfriend is something that I don’t want to inconvenience myself with, you know.”

The sentence in Japanese: “あいにく, ガールフレンドには 不自由して いないもんでね”

If you take the sentence apart (which you can see on this website) you will see each word on it’s own to see the direct translation.

あいにく = Unfortunately or Sorry, but…

ガールフレンド = Girlfriend

不自由して = Doing Discomfort or Inconvenience

いない = (something along the lines of) Do not (when paired with 不自由して)

もん = Something/Person/Thing

でね = You know

Another thing to point out is that the sentence in Japanese does not have the word or meaning “have” in it. “Have” in Japanese would involve the character or particle “が.”

One more thing to point out is that with the incorrect translation, if Sonic was saying that, then it does not reflect in the game it is in, nor future medias where he runs away from Amy constantly (like in Sonic Battle) or considers her only a friend."

Even Ian sayed that amys love is one-sided and sonic considered her as a friend, nothing more. Everyone, including employess, are just lying to this point!

And even in the video down below sonic sayed that is nothing complicated, and she is just a important friend that can be difficult to handle sometimes.

"Oh, but sonic sounds like a boy with a crush"

NO. That doesnt mean necesarrily that he have a crush People claiming "he sounds like he has a crush" are basing their argument on subjective interpretation of Sonic’s tone of voice rather than the actual words he says. Tone can be influenced by many factors: Sonic might be playful, casual, or dismissive because he doesn’t see the topic as serious.

His tone might even reflect mild awkwardness—not because of romantic feelings, but because Amy’s affection can sometimes be overbearing or embarrassing for him. When Sonic curtly responds to questions about Amy (like saying she's "an important friend" or "nothing complicated"), some fans interpret his brevity as embarrassment or an attempt to hide his true feelings. However, this interpretation comes from the fan’s desire to see a romantic connection, not from what Sonic is actually communicating.

Without concrete actions to back up this tone, interpreting it as proof of a crush is a leap. So no, friends, not everything has to be romantic.

And even in the japanese sonic channel amy is still saying that she is a "self-proclamed" girlfriend so... yeah.

And about that some fans sayed that in sonic unleashed sonic gets sad because amy doesnt recognize him and walks away, more like sonic gets sad because with that form his friends couldnt even recognize him anymore and thinks he looks like a monster. that doesnt show that he likes her romantically. He is trying to adapt to his new form, so is understandable that he felts sad with his new form if a friend doesnt recognize him. And about sonic flirting with lady percival thing: bro, sonic is acting normal like he do with knuckles, tails and even shadow. what are you into bro.

[obsidianpen]

What's so great about Harrymort, anyway? This ship basically consists of Stockholm syndrome, power inequality, and abuse. The same can be applied to Tomione but I understand that last one and I even started to appreciate this ship a lot. Hermione is the character most similar to Tom, if she had the ambition that Tom had, she could have become something similar to Voldemort in canon. But beyond that, Hermione is someone Tom/V could respect and have as an ally. She is someone who would be able to rule alongside him, and everyone would benefit from that, since she is fair and good. Also if Tom/V had her by his side, he would be a more stable version than the one in canon. So.. I understand why you like this ship so much but.. the more I think about Harrymort the more I feel disgusted. Harry is not a character that people respect and fear, he is just Harry. Just that. Some random boy. There's nothing special about him, and if it weren't for the horcrux he would already be dead since chapter 1 of the books. Tom/V is a prodigy, one of the most powerful wizards in the books, he wouldn't be interested in someone so ordinary. But let's say yes, that Tom/V is interested in Harry precisely because he is common and average, since they have a similar background - This is difficult to happen, V is not an empathetic character but let's pretend so - and because of the horcrux, of course it's because of the horcrux, that's the only reason, the only thing that makes Harry stand out among the others -not even that came from him lol so sad- If our hypothetical scenario happened, Harry would be a toy for Tom /V -he already is- "ah, but the fun is in how much Harry fights, he was going to fight, that's what he is" oh yes, this argument is the favorite of the Tomarymort fans, huh? He wouldn't be able to fight forever, this character has been in fight or flight mode since the beginning, he'll get tired eventually, V would be able to break him, and do you think V is the type to keep things broken? I don't think so. My point is Tomarymort is a ship that explores abuse, toxic and destructive relationships, physical and psychological torture, Stockholm syndrome etc. And that's fine if you like it but I think we can all agree that this ship and love should NEVER be put in the same sentence . Because love and respect would never exist between these two characters. No matter how good the writer is, some things just don't work. Just become them ooc, that's what happens most lol

Preface: I’m breaking this one down point by point, and then I am never responding to anything similar ever again. I will also not be posting anonymous responses to this. I hate being the middle man for a tumblr shipping war, so I’m not going to participate in that. If you want to respond, you can leave a comment or reblog it into your own page. 💖

What's so great about Harrymort, anyway? 

The drama, the intensity, the wrongness, the clashing of opposites, the most extreme version of enemies to lovers…

This ship basically consists of Stockholm syndrome, power inequality, and abuse. 

In some fics sure, yeah. But these are all really interesting - terrible, yes, but super interesting to dive into. There is a reason people like to read/watch psychological thrillers, horror, etc. I don’t feel like I should have to explain this very massive, common human drive, so I won’t. Go google it!

The same can be applied to Tomione but I understand that last one and I even started to appreciate this ship a lot. 

Cool, you like these things too! And you’re completely allowed to prefer Hermione to Harry. Whatever you want to read.

Hermione is the character most similar to Tom, if she had the ambition that Tom had, she could have become something similar to Voldemort in canon. 

Strong disagree here - she did have that ambition imo, she just… wasn’t evil, and she became Minister of Magic in canon, so. Pretty ambitious and somewhat similar, just in the legal, ‘good’ way.

But beyond that, Hermione is someone Tom/V could respect and have as an ally. 

Mm, no, she was a muggleborn, so in canon, a LOT of major shifts would have needed to happen for her to simply not be killed, or maybe tortured a hunch for fun, first, before eventually… being killed.

She is someone who would be able to rule alongside him, and everyone would benefit from that, since she is fair and good. 

Again, LOTS of things would have had to happen in canon for this to be even remotely possible. Unless you’re imagining some kind of AU where Tom Riddle is the same age as the trio, and they grow up together and can therefore influence each other on more equal footing…? But that’s Tom, not canon Voldemort, and you started this referencing Voldemort.

Also if Tom/V had her by his side, he would be a more stable version than the one in canon. 

Uh, would he? Assuming we’ve jumped over the impossible canon hurdles to get Hermione by Lord Voldemort’s side, by the time Hermione is even in the magical world, he’s been a bodiless spirit with a shredded soul for years. It would be a tall order for Hermione - or anyone - to make him more stable. I like arguing that Harry could sort of manage this in canon because of the horcrux connection, but that’s me making things up that are FAR from canon, and Hermione doesn’t have this. 

So.. I understand why you like this ship so much but.. the more I think about Harrymort the more I feel disgusted. 

Cool, your feelings are valid! You should probably stop thinking about Harrymort for your mental health. You can block tags/keywords/etc on tumblr so that you see less of it.

Harry is not a character that people respect and fear, he is just Harry. Just that. Some random boy. There's nothing special about him, and if it weren't for the horcrux he would already be dead since chapter 1 of the books. 

Well, that’s not true, imo. Harry was the best at Defensive Magic, he was an amazing flier, he is brave and bold and puts his life on the line for others without question - even people who don’t deserve it and who tried to harm him, like Draco. Those are all extraordinary traits that maybe some people make the mistake of ignoring and underestimating. 

Tom/V is a prodigy, one of the most powerful wizards in the books, he wouldn't be interested in someone so ordinary. 

If not for the horcrux, maybe not. But also, maybe. We don’t know what Harry would have been like if he grew up with a normal happy healthy family. Maybe he would have thrived in many ways, and he would have gleaned some interest. But even without that, see above comment to take note of some of Harry’s traits that he has despite growing up in an abusive home. Voldemort said himself that he values bravery. 

But let's say yes, that Tom/V is interested in Harry precisely because he is common and average, since they have a similar background - This is difficult to happen, V is not an empathetic character but let's pretend so - and because of the horcrux, of course it's because of the horcrux, that's the only reason, the only thing that makes Harry stand out among the others -not even that came from him lol so sad- If our hypothetical scenario happened, Harry would be a toy for Tom /V -he already is- "ah, but the fun is in how much Harry fights, he was going to fight, that's what he is" oh yes, this argument is the favorite of the Tomarymort fans, huh? He wouldn't be able to fight forever, this character has been in fight or flight mode since the beginning, he'll get tired eventually, V would be able to break him, and do you think V is the type to keep things broken? I don't think so. 

None of this logic adds up to me. How can you say all this about Harry and not apply it to pretty much everyone else, including Hermione? Voldemort WAS far from empathetic. Canonically. And yeah, sure, no one would be able to fight forever. But if anyone has a fire that would last an infuriatingly long time, I’d argue that it would be Harry. 

My point is Tomarymort is a ship that explores abuse, toxic and destructive relationships, physical and psychological torture, Stockholm syndrome etc. And that's fine if you like it but I think we can all agree that this ship and love should NEVER be put in the same sentence . 

Obviously this depends on what the story is. If it’s a story that explores all those former themes, then it’s probably not a lovey dovey romance anyway. But there are definitely stories that don’t have all those dark subjects, and if someone wants to write a platonic romance where the word love shows up between these two, more power to them! But you don’t get to say everyone in the world can never do a single thing in their fiction. People can write whatever they want! And you get to decide not to read it! Everyone wins.

Because love and respect would never exist between these two characters. No matter how good the writer is, some things just don't work. Just become them ooc, that's what happens most lol

I feel sorry for you. Where is your sense of curiosity, open-mindedness? Maybe you could never write these things convincingly, but some people are more talented than you (don’t take this too personally; no matter how good we are, there are always people more talented than us). It’s okay to not like things and to avoid them based on your comfort level/interest/etc etc, but just because you’re not looking doesn’t mean that such amazing jaw-dropping works that make you believe in the unbelievable aren’t out there.

💖

[explodo-smash]

Are you one of the people expecting bkdk to be canon? I just learned that there are people that sincerely believe Hori would have Deku and Bkg have an explicit confession of love. That he's going to be the first popular mangaka to have a endgame gay ship. I am in so many mlm ships of shounen but I've never had the delusion that the author would make them canon despite the evidences otherwise. Like I thought it's fine to ship mlm as long as we stayed in our lane and never harassed the author.

After speaking together, we do believe based on the evidence in the series that BakuDeku being canon is not an even vaguely unreasonable conclusion to reach. We think the story is written in a way you can reach that conclusion easily, so much that even casual viewers who aren’t shippers are questioning the nature/potential conclusion of their relationship.

One of the most consistent and convincing lines of evidence for us has been Katsuki taking on roles/positions traditionally reserved for female heroines/love interests (if you’ve seen anyone call him “narratively androgynous,” this is what they’re referring to). In the context of Jump magazine, we have a number of shonen heroines and love interests to compare Katsuki to. The similarities are so striking that many notable people (including the VAs for the anime) have taken to calling him the heroine of the series.

However, we do think things like homophobia (whether it’s the writer or the audience/consumerbase at large– in this case we’re primarily referring to the audience), the safety of everyone involved, and timing are all unpredictable factors people have to take into consideration when writing/reading a story of this magnitude. Needless to say, if Horikoshi is indeed planning an endgame for bakudeku, he’d also have to take these factors into consideration.

Horikoshi has a record of being pretty in-tune with his fanbase. He definitely keeps some eye on bnha’s reception–for example, he mentioned a while back that both the people who love Katsuki and the people who hate him will have something to look forward to in this finale (we can now see what he meant lol). He’s very likely aware of the people who love bakudeku and the people who loathe it. 

Taking into account that he tends to be very intentional with his writing choices, he’s written this story in a way that not only centered bakudeku’s relationship over others (notably Izuku + Ochako’s, the character he’d presumably end up with if things were going predictably?), but also went the extra mile to distinguish their relationship as unique, closer than all their other relationships, the “biggest pillar of the story” (x, x). He didn’t have to do all of this. This extra push is what’s giving bakudeku that undeniable chance at an endgame right now, because it’s come to a point where no one can ignore the implications of scenes like this:

On the flip side, we don’t think people’s hesitation is unreasonable. It’s scary! If bakudeku were to fall flat of all this buildup/our expectations, it wouldn’t be the first time the romantic implications between a pair of boys in a story like this was ignored. Hell it wouldn’t be the first time a popular pair in general, (gay or not) got ignored in favor of what the author just felt like doing, regardless of what any previous developments in the story or interviews or official artwork would have us believe. There’s enough written evidence that canon bakudeku wouldn’t be surprising, but there’s also (at the time of writing this response) still room for things to go another direction, for all of this to be recontextualized and passed as something else. 

As per social norms/patterns of behavior, this would be disappointing as hell but not surprising. Especially for people who have been let down before, we completely understand the need/impulse to distance oneself from the idea/hope that bakudeku may become canon.

In all honesty, if it turns out bakudeku isn’t canon or left open-ended (say, an ending where they’re partners of some kind/the closest to one another without that explicit romantic confirmation), we would be frustrated/heartbroken. Not because we feel like Horikoshi shouldn’t do what he wants, he should. But because there’s been a clear effort to bring LGBTQ+ readers into the fold, and tell and portray our experiences in MHA. Horikoshi has done a beautiful, incredible job of writing various LGBTQ+ and marginalized experiences as a metaphor in his stories. Toga is a prime example. This is something that readers around the world have noticed, and it’s something MHA is special for (see this data x, and the further context/commentary on it given here x). 

We think it’s intentional. This story and the relationships in it have invoked experiences close and personal to many of us. Things are in a state right now where we wouldn’t just feel baited, we feel like readers would have a right to feel unsatisfied.

That being said, feeling unsatisfied doesn’t equate to feeling empowered to harass or bother others. Especially not Horikoshi himself, and also including other readers who had differing expectations. This is really the case across the board. We should all be able to control our anticipation/expectations without becoming assholes. 

It’s not just the shippers, by the way. People who work on the series or work closely with Horikoshi have rooted for bakudeku to go beyond. Izuku and Katsuki have already done what a good chunk of the readerbase thought impossible and became friends. People see their writing, their potential, and they want more. The voice actors (x, x sorry for the crunchy pic it's all i've got atm), academics (x), musicians (x, x) , editors (x) and more have all kind of rallied around Bakugou and Deku’s bond, with a particular sensitivity towards the deeply and uniquely intimate nature of it + how it evokes romance.

We’d like to see MHA exist free of the burdens previous popular shounen series have had placed on them. But that’s a conversation for the ending. As far as the fanbase goes, I think it’s super important people practice humility and caution when speaking to others. We have NO way of knowing what will happen. People who have been traumatized by situations like this in the past have a right to be anxious, people in general are allowed to withhold judgment until we have all the information we need. However, we don’t think having hope or confidence that this narrative might lead us to a canon bakudeku is unwarranted or delusional.

At the end of the day one thing is true, and this was something we had to fight to “prove” much longer than we had to prove Bakudeku had romantic potential - it’s that Kacchan and Izuku’s lives are going to be forever intertwined in this new era of their world that births from the finale. 

They’re forever intertwined in a way that’s not replicable for any other character in the series, and that’s amazing all on its own. We’ll just have to wait and see how far they take it! Thanks for reading if you got this far, and Happy Holidays!

[astriddestelle]

I have a bone to pick with my modern day itafushi writers. (Love all yall still)

Why do yall consistently write Yuji as a jock. I know he’s buff and athletic but my dude is canonically not a jock. He does not care about sports or winning only a good time.

Bro is a geek/dork in a jock body. He likes watching movies, reading manga, and weird occult shit. In what world is that jock? (Yes we can be both and people are multifaceted but you know what I mean) dude is a straight up dork come on.

Yuji does not care about sports he’ll play it for fun and that’s it. You know who does care about fitness Maki. Y’all be making her goth/alt when she would be the jock. Girl is all about sports and competition.

Also Megumi is canonically not a nerd. Bro was legit fighting people in middle school he’s a big ass delinquent people. He’s just smart. Other than that he’s a straight up delinquent if not that then he’d be the loner/alt.

I know nerd and jock is cute but if you want it that badly at least switch it up and make it more accurate and do like delinquent and golden boy or something.

That is all. Everyone’s free to do what they want and don’t like don’t read but this has just been bugging me for a bit.

Nobara would be a prep, (think Courtney and Heather from TDI) she’s all about being in charge, fashionable, strong, proving her worth. It’s giving Queen bee mixed with student council.

And since I’m on the topic. Toge gives me artsy vibes, Panda mascot lol, and Yuta is the one normal guy in a school of cliques haha.

Also is it Yuji or Yuuji?

[catenary-chad]

Some of my Electra headcanons (exhaustively long LOL)

My mental image of Electra takes VERY heavily from irl US train context, which I largely explain here.  I very much tend to make Stex characters into reflections/parodies of real industries and politics vs some independent train society.  It’s more train Hetalia with the kid playing them acting as the government/railroad authorities.  I’m prone to sidelining or outright chucking canon out the window in favor of realism for a lot of things (especially since the real life thing is often more nuanced and interesting).  Which leads to many… almost hilariously contrarian preferences for them (though they aren’t that incompatible with canon portrayals). 

I’m actually not that consistant on how I picture many aspects of the character.  The variety of depictions in canon is part of their appeal.  But the following are things I tend to do consistantly

-I use they or he inconsistently between posts.  Honestly I see Electra as a pretty neutral character in my mind and I don’t see them as caring much about pronouns.  

-Electra was always a trial/exhibition unit and genuinely doesn’t remember life outside public scrutiny.  Basically a train child star.  Situation akin to Amtrak testing X995/X996 in the 70s or the X2000 and ICE 1 tours in the 90s.  Basically going around the country on publicity tours and trial runs (where possible- which isn’t many places beyond the Northeast Corridor).  They eventually go into regular service on the NEC and just become another one of their class, but tend to be its public “face”.

-The race depicted in canon is basically a trial of different engines.  Racing isn’t Electra’s main career (or anyone else’s), they’re just normal trains in their countries selected for the event.  Electra just works normal regional trains, downgrading to commuter trains later in life and maybe freight work depending on how sci-fi our timeline gets.  

-They have poor boundaries and social issues from not really being around other engines or working in normal situations early on.  They don’t tend to get into deep, attached relationships.  Ironically, they’re actually very outgoing (almost too bold a lot of the time) and VERY affectionate.  They endlessly crave being cuddled and held and pet, and once they feel safe around someone it goes from “please pet my head” to “you have free access to my butt now” in no time.  It generally fades with age, but they have a lot of weirdly childish tendencies (for better and worse) ala Michael Jackson for similar reasons to him. 

-Personality-wise, I tend to make Electra a lot warmer/hotter than most others.  A lot more outgoing, surprisingly approachable, and someone in constant motion, but also a lot stronger willed, pissier, erratic, and downright mean.  Mentally I always think of loud, fast, snarky northeastern transit/rail fans who shit talk EVERYTHING (but also secretly want it to get better).  Mainline electric trains in the US are just so synonymous with a string of big cities known for being loud, fast, and/or abrasive that I tend to mentally associate Electra with varying shades of their stereotypes.  

-I’m generally very sympathetic to Electra lashing out and throwing tantrums because well, they DO have a lot hanging on them and considering the pressure that would have been on them then and now, trying to look less like a backwards embarrassment to the Nationals and justify their existence to a government who could care less about them…. it’s a wonder they aren’t pelting the preservationbait choo choos with tourist railroad flyers, telling them how ugly and unglamorous the main line actually is now, and hijacking the show for an extended rant on who REALLY got wronged in US rail history.  They have their own feelings dismissed in favor of short-minded populist pleas and romantic sentiment time and time again and that can lead to them getting bottled up and exploding on people.  

-Electra actually becomes pretty reasonable to deal with when not stressed and agitated and people are working with, not against them.  They tend to be domineering and smug, but are a lot calmer and can be reasoned with if you actually have a rational conversation.  Physical touch or talking about non-transport interests are easy ways to soothe them.  They can be pretty fun to hang around if you’re like minded and can withstand their personality, they’ve seen and know a lot and can go on and on about things they care about. That and train gossip… they know so much damn train gossip from being in areas with so many connections from elsewhere and being physically in so many places.

-I lean heavily into them being a “stereotypical liberal” and being treated like one because I think it proves a lot of points about rail electrification politics in the US.  Others act like they’re whiny, entitled, and out of touch… but it’s something that really is practical, is popular almost everywhere else in the world, and USED to be pretty common in the US too.  People will make fun of them saying “civilized society is where you can walk out and buy nice rolls and pastries at any corner store!” and “we should do VAT and just pay employees to begin with instead of having tipping”.  I’m not very consistent on what basis I give them, but basically all of them are super European because there aren’t really any US-based companies making them later in the 20th century and uh, it shows.  

-Acts more like a urban transit fan than typical foamer, constantly going on about logistics, fictional subways for places like Cleveland, going on and on about the economic merit of electrifying lines, figuring out whether a Deep Level London Underground train would fit in one of Musk’s stupid car tunnels, and crying about the trolleys vs “omg big boy!”. They just do not care about the romance of steam engines or fallen flags or how luxurious 50s sleepers were, just screaming at the state of electrification and public transit in the US over the past 70+ years.  

-When compared to subways, they get REALLY offended… on behalf of the subway.  Electra is genuinely very defensive about being electric and standing with other electric trains in the US due to their history of government and corporate obstruction.  Even “low-class” public transport is closer aligned with their needs than anyone on the uncivilized unelectrified high iron out west.  They know there’s a high chance they get demoted to commuter service in New Jersey and aren’t above anything.  They’re not even hostile towards freight service- they know they’re bound to get drafted into it eventually and would be good at it, they just get pissed at how backwards the big Class I railroads are and how they perpetually get in the way of electrification and their fellow Amtrak comrades.  

-Bonus: yeah Electra will joking call anywhere not electrified “uncivilized” only half-jokingly.  Leading to hilarious declarations like calling Ohio and Texas “savage wastelands”and vigorously defending cities like Baltimore and Philadelphia.  I mean, they’re basically immobile in that 90% of the country so can you  really blame them?  

-Pretty much all trains probably hate cars to some degree but Electra REALLY hates cars.  Electra has probably been victimized by cars the most of the main cast, government investment in highways was one of the main dooms of electrification in the US, and highways were never expected to be profitable vs Amtrak.  Oh they HATE cars on every fucking level and think they are Moloch Incarnate.  Even comparing them to Moloch vs Satan is a very old anti-car messaging thing because they burn things and early car accidents disproportionately killed children.  Buses are on thin ice.  Planes are grudgingly accepted as a necessary evil but a more humanoid Electra wouldn’t fly unless there was no other option.  

-Make various whines, whimpers, chirps, hisses, screeches, and buzzes akin to actual electric trains.  They are not quiet and actually make a lot of distinctive noises.  Electra is one of those incessant hummers, which is cute at first but gets grating after a while (a lot of things about them are this way).  Their cooling fans are also fucking LOUD, especially when set in older periods.  I think most if not all the 80s-era engines I associate them with sound like vacuum cleaners.  I’m inconsistent on how cold tolerant they are, but they tend to be more vulnerable to overheating vs being too cold.  Traction motors make plenty of heat, ESPECIALLY with old dynamic brakes that basically are resistance heaters like space heaters.  

-It’s something I’m very vocal about but I have hilariously contrarian physical preferences for Electra vs… almost everyone else.  My mental default is that they’re short and very cute, but also unambiguously an adult.  MUCH denser and beefier than most picture, electric engines are not “fast but weak”, they tend to be compact and very powerful for their size (and often end up becoming mixed traffic later in life).  I wildly oscillate between Koffi Missah and 90s-era Mykal, who look wildly different other than the above two things but I love both of them visually for different reasons.  Koffi has that MJ/Prince look to him and cute boxy appearance that matches the irl AEM-7s used then.  Mykal has the soft face and curvier silhouette that resembles the generic image of more modern electric engines… even heavy freighters tend to be very smooth and “cute” vs American-style diesel ones.  There’s also the weird parallel between him having the kind of soft, smooth, flat features a ton of black guys have irl but are weirdly pretty rare in media, which matches how electric trains are everywhere but largely ignored by train media.  I tend to draw Electra the latter way more because it’s fun and I think the combo of “idealistic yet weirdly average” is super fitting.  

-“passenger geared” Electra looks more like the above, but can be “freight geared” and suddenly turn into uh, 2013-era Mykal. Not as fast but actually very capable on heavy freight service, especially on steep inclines (VERY common crossover for electric express locos irl).  Electra generally shifts more to freight service later in life.  

-Older Electra mellows out a lot and is much sweeter and gentler.  Smooth, handles the Freight like they’re all carrying eggs and fine china, very efficient and doesn’t move more than they really need to.  Still VERY firm when pushed by others, and pretty snippy and testy, but a lot calmer with a lot less pressure on them.

-Little visual things… I’m very consistent on Electra having deep brown/black eyes (though I’m equally fond of them being bigger and heavier lidded OR strongly almond shaped).  I see them as having basically no body hair and probably not much of any on their head either, not even eyebrows/eyelashes.  They actually wear falsies out of necessity and just like getting fancy with them.  Probably due to some nebulous autoimmune condition they keep under wraps.  

-Very in tune to electronic music (mostly favoring older 70s-80s era stuff), appreciates subtle differences between various synths and tones and has a very good sense of pitch.  Quickly falls into pretentious prog rock territory, they love their weird time signatures and microtonality and questionable concept albums.  But don’t you dare insult disco around them.  They might be disco’s biggest defender.  They think listening to “stupid meat and potatoes troglodyte rock” from the time is the real insult.  They also listen to a lot of weirder world music and like it the more authentic it is.  

-They downplay their interest and abilities in visual art but are genuinely really good at bold, graphic stuff and makeup. They genuinely enjoy a lot of modern abstract art most people hate and take even the most pretentious money laundering pieces at face value.  

-Electra’s kind of a snobby coastal urbanite but I tend to make them a lot more down to earth than most others.  The kind of trains they’d work on were decently nice but not really fancy (ESPECIALLY vs older passenger trains most other characters are associated with).  They’ve been weirdly sheltered due to their upbringing but are just too closely associated with regular regional and commuter trains to be fully out of touch.  They’re a lot more utilitarian in associations than steam excursions or whatever UP corporate/anachronistically pre-Amtrak passenger train Greaseball runs.  Yeah Electra assumes people know more about art or music history or public transport politics than they probably do, but they’re also the type who’ll explain that kind of stuff if you don’t and broadly support public education in general (because more educated people tend to vote for the kinds of politicians who help trains like them lol).  Kind of goes full circle where they’re seen as pretentious… but a lot of what they support is just the norm in Europe, even in countries that aren’t that rich.  

-I have a weird amount of eating-related headcanons despite them having no reason to.  So apply these to a more humanoid setting.  I think they go from noticeably hungry to weak and exhausted VERY quickly, but also get knocked out by overeating, so Electra eats smaller meals very frequently.  They also just have a sensitive stomach in general, it’s partly why they hate flying.  They have a lot of food intolerances and a system prone to upset.  Definitely lactose intolerant, doesn’t handle high fat well, probably has issues with legumes and specific vegetables and some random artificial ingredients.  Not terribly picky based on taste/texture but comes off as fussy because a lot of things will just genuinely make them sick.  It’s stuff that can be managed with home or over the counter remedies, it’s just really annoying to deal with. 

[rist-ix]

I don't mean to rush you at all, but I was wondering what the status is for a new chapter of to know to want or even tbhtbh? I really love your writing, and it's been my Roman empire for the past 2 years lmao. Every post you make makes my day. Also, I don't remember if it was ever acknowledged in your fics, but what exactly is the nature of valtor and griffins relationship? I, for one, would love to see more of griffins reaction to sparkshipping lol. It would be comical. Thanks 😊

Oooooh Griffin is an all time favorite of mine, and I will NEVER forgive WinxClub for dropping this tidbit of her past with Valtor and then never expanding on it. And I actually have no consistent answer what the relationship between them could have looked like, it changes with the weather for me. I know popular canon is that they were a couple for a while, and I can definitely see that. I do think I would prefer it if they were genuinely just friends though, because Valtor is big on using other people's attraction to him to manipulate them, and him and Griffin being platonic would add a tragic layer of genuineness in my opinion. Make that eventual betrayal hit all the harder. Doesn’t mean they wouldn’t have hooked up a couple times tho, just for the heck of it.

And you're not rushing at all, don’t worry! I know I've been dragging my feet for these last few chapters, and I can already tell it’s gonna stay that way for the next ones too in all likelihood, but I am still working on it.

Current prediction is that I’ll have it done around Christmas — unless Donald Trump gets elected president. In that case I will move into the woods and delete my ao3 account, leaving all my fics unfinished and tbhtbh forever trapped in this transitional state of angst and never tied-up loose ends. Also, I will make Sky x Bloom the final pairing. Also, I will kill off Darcy.

Go vote damnit

[dustorange]

opinions?… 😬😬

https://www.tumblr.com/melmov/750293558453501952?source=share

link

Wfa =free, comics = $3.99 per -> subsidized demand -> market distortion -> :/ :(

The claim of that post—“people have gotten tired of unrelenting grimdark” e.g. actual DC main runs and therefore prefer “slice-of-life fluff [that] also presents a coherent, easy-to-enter, balanced storyline” e.g. WFA—is directionally accurate but its also sort of talking about a Different Group of People than DC Comics Readers.

in particular there is a group of people who have been pretty much totally deracinated from developing or being capable of developing their own opinions on media or humor or life. because of social media and maybe also they r very young. there is a general valence to that part of fandom: the incorrect quotes, the Canva-post-derived politics, the memetic vocab + jokes and like this weird very limited view of redditizedhistory and culture+literature consisteing of the binding of Isaac and twoheadedcalf poem. and so there is just genuinely not the ability to process things that haven’t been run through a filter of accessibility. and WFA, which has BEAUTIFUL art and lots of very sweet moments, IS super accessible and its also sort of been through the preapproved foundfamily neoliberal kitsch machine and come out with a passing grade. but yes it is missing that like elusive Something and it also lacks a seriousness and it isnt the Characters. it’s something else. And its so pretentious to say its for people who don’t have the like stamina ??? for longerform storytelling but yes if you pressed me i would say its a bunch of people, primarily young genz and millennial girls/women, whose critical mental faculties and attention spans have been fried by social media and underexposure to challenging original content

that’s a different new group being lassoed into dc stuff from the previous existing audience. The DC Comics Reader People. i don’t know how much of this to do gender politics with but comics fandom has DEFINITELY gotten MUCH more female in the last 2 decades and there was a distinctive male comic book go-to-the-LCS-and-get-physical-copies and rigorously-autisticslly-fight-about-minutia-of-canon culture. Men also r going to be the one who GENERALLY prefer your fightheavy “”””grimdark””” comics, as opposed to women who doooo generally prefer social relational content. And also women-dominated comics fandom spaces are obviously qualitatively different from men’s fandom spaces. So PART of the reason WFA outsells real DC stuff is market distortion and PART is the DCfan genderdemographic shift that favors content like WFA

I rly hesitate to endorse a lot of Canon dc tumblr’s posts about the fanony WFA-style stuff bc it seems so clear that a the latter is enjoyed primarily by a group of very young people and it also feels like there’s a weird power imbalance intellectually between fanon and canon people. AND I AM A BIG BELIEVER IN LET PEOPLE READ AND ENJOY THE CONTENT THEY WANT and they shouldn’t be shamed for enjoying something as visually sweet and cute as WFA. and a lot of canon tumblr’s rants abt fanon stuff r clearly sort of excessively vicious and insecure attempts to feel superior. although admittedly quietly they r correct but it comes off cruel idk. also i think that BATMAN and superman and to some extent some others ARE indeed very flexible in terms of what is canon and what you have to consume to have consumed The Character and The Story. ive never seen BTAS but as far as im concerned, someone who has only watched BTAS is someone who has the right to do whatever batman stuff they want.

Related questions are: Is mainline DC batman stuff GOOD right now? and Is WFA good? I agree that mainline DC stuff isnt the best right now and i haven’t read WFA so i can’t comment on its quality but i honestly don’t think its the case that “WFA is better written than actual Batman comics, so thats why WFA is more popular” lol

[pinkiemachine]

Hi! So, I was wondering... You said all heroes before 24 are in the YJ, where does that leave the original team of the NTT? Are they in the JL now? Do the Outsiders exist anymore? (and if you don't have this all figured out or have a different plan for canon it is okay, I just overthink things)

So, I’m a little confused by your question—the “original” team was the Mighty Teen Titans, the second gen was the New Teen Titans. Typo? Idk.

ANYWAY—REGARDLESS—I’ll try to answer your question as best I can :)

So, one of my main objectives when it comes to the superhero teams is trying to keep things simple. I don’t want there to be a whole bunch of different teams for people to try and keep track of all the time, because that makes it harder on the average viewer. At the moment, the only teams I’ve greenlit so far are The Justice League (there will be a few “generations” for them as well. Changing members over the years, like Aquaman leaving to become king of Atlantis and being replaced by Green Arrow and Black Canary), the Teen Titans (I’ve posted plenty about them, but yeah, there’s three distinct generations for them, each led by a different Robin, and yes, Jason would have gone on to lead his own team if he hadn’t sadly passed away), speaking of which, the Outlaws, led by Red Hood. Additional members: Arsenal, Artemis of Bana-Mighdall, and Bizarro. Then, there’s the Green Lanterns of Earth. (Yeah, that whole “each sector has only ONE Lantern” thing doesn’t really sit well with me. Besides, it’s not like DC listens to that rule anyway, lol.) So, the team consists of five members: Hal Jordon, Guy Gardner, Jessica Cruz, Kelli Quintella, and is led by John Stewart. While he leads the Lantern team, Hal is the active representative on the Justice League, helping them on missions periodically when the rest of the Lanterns are preoccupied. Kyle Rayner comes in later, during the adaption of the Emerald Twilight arc, leading up to Blackest Night.

Finally, there’s Young Justice, which unfortunately is the least fleshed out of the teams right now, but it too will have distinct “generations.” However, which members are included will vary depending on the characters themselves. For example, among the original Teen Titans—Robin/Nightwing, Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Cyborg—Cyborg went on ahead and became part of the Justice League before Young Justice was founded, leaving Nightwing and Starfire to lead the new young adult team along with newcomers like Batgirl and Supergirl. I’ve been thinking maybe once Raven finishes her arc and defeats her father, Trigon, she can go ride off into the sunset, maybe by going back to Azarath. Either way, the point is she moves on. I haven’t decided about the rest yet. After that, some of them, like Nightwing and Starfire, go on to be part of the Justice League. Then, the next gen of YJ comes along: Robin/Red Robin (Tim Drake), Spoiler, Cassie Sandsmark (who’s usually Wonder Girl 2.0 but to avoid another “multiple Robins” or “multiple Superboys” fiasco, I decided to make her an original hero called Olympia), Miss Martian, Conner Kent Superboy (I’m also looking for a potential new name for him, but I’m coming up dry), Aqualad 2.0 (Kaldur), and Impulse. I have not written anything for this gen of YJ yet, nor for the generation after them, and I can’t say when I will.

What I can say is that I have no plans currently to include the Outsiders. That may change, but personally it seems like a bit too much to include them on top of having the Teen Titans and Young Justice and The Justice League. If there are to be more superhero teams, they really, really, really need to justify their existence by having a specific goal or reason for being.

Thanks for asking :) I enjoy the questions.

[atopvisenyashill]

I think the people who are the most down on this show are the ones who fell they’ve been robbed of something they were never promised.

this show has not been following book canon for a very long time, since the moment emma darcy’s was monologuing over the great council and Jaehaerys didn’t have a beard down to his ankles lol but now it’s a problem because the parts that they wanted to be book canon aren’t. Which is fine, I get it but… I thought we all kinda of agreed following the canon wasn’t going to happen to the fullest. They had changed the entire of alicent’s character from the beginning and many ate it up, endorsed it, until that canon fell out of their preferred wants and headcanons for this show. Not to say, Alicent didn’t have… problems but they were already there in season 1. We weren’t ever going to get book Alicent and if we do, it’s going to be for Helaena and not her sons which pissed people off because, as someone mentioned before, many of the fans wouldn’t choose Helaena over Aegon or Aemond so why would Alicent.

Even more with Rhaenyra, who I think is following her book storyline for than anyone, even with the few tweaks they made to it. They are mad that she is doing nothing, and taking up screen time but want the writers to follow book canon, as if that isn’t book canon.

Overall, I don’t think people know what they want because they don’t know what character they want. Many take parts from book and show and create a whole new character then are mad about THAT character being off.

They want Alicent to be bloodthirsty and to protect her children and use Driftmark as an example, forgetting that Alicent was trying to phase into the background minute Jace mentioned bastards and Aemond started smiling about it. They want Rhaenyra to be fire and blood but forget they weren’t getting that until another son died. They wanted Daemon to be doing backflips off dragons but didn’t realize we aren’t there yet. Season 2 has problems up the woozow but specific complaints are so stupid and specific that you’d think the writers couldn’t do this correctly without the entire hotd fandom in the writers room with them.

I think the people who are the most down on this show are the ones who fell they’ve been robbed of something they were never promised.

god YES exactly, that is the CRUX of the issue. they wanted the parts of canon THEY liked to be included and the parts of canon THEY didn't like to be jetissoned and their own headcanons to be confirmed and then every time that doesn't happen they FLIP THE FUCK OUT. and it's like LISTEN do i think the age shenanigans were funky, silly, bordering on stupid? yeah, i haven't been shy about saying that lmao. but like, that doesn't mean i can't acknowledge the character that exists on the actual screen and see the way their arc is written and whether they're internally consistent as a character. but for so many people, the sheer idea that maybe the character on screen is different than the one they made up in their mind is a failing when no, you just made a different character up in your mind!!

and it's always always this "team" thing that makes it worse too. everyone wants THEIR side to be fleshed out heroes but when the OTHER side gets to be fleshed out it's a huge problem. i have absolutely bitched about the exact thing you're talking about with rhaenyra - we are so clearly building UP to a ruthless fire and blood queen because that is narratively much more interesting than coming out the gate that way but everyone has an issue with it! "this is a story about misogyny" yeah and the misogyny is still there! they aren't cutting it out by also showing rhaenyra has her own dark impulses! "i don't want to hear about the ratcatchers again after-" can u admit that two things can be wrong or are we in kindergarten. and this is the same issue with baela rhaena and laena - they ARE horrifically underwritten esp when you compare them to other "main but not thee main" male characters a la criston, targtower boys, and jace and we got THREE (3) new white men to focus on. the way they're written in comparison sucks! it's bad! COMMA BUT. there is a constant refrain of “baela should hate jacaerys” “jacaerys is usurping baela” “baela should hate rhaenyra” “why are they so selfish about baela & its not criticized by the narrative” and it’s insane it drives me crazy. i’m sorry that you (general you) wanted baela to be a very different character than she was in the books, but that’s the fucking plot!!! it does NOT actually deepen her character if she were to turn against the blacks - why would she do that. what are the greens offering her??? like, her specifically??? are they saying they’ll make her queen? give her driftmark? no? then why the fuck would she hate jacaerys & rhaenyra when she derives her power THROUGH THEM! "laena would hate that her kids are engaged to bastards" no she would not she would not give a single solitary shit. rhaena liked being engaged to lucerys!!!

and this is the main issue for me is that it often feels like criticism is coming from a place of “how dare they not change it in a way that makes MY FAVES look better” and that always happens but it’s been particularly egregious. you want them to stay close to the books but then you’re mad that they don’t “fix” the books the way you want? come on. it’s why i said i feel for the aemondwives but i’m also a little judgemental bc it’s like no i don’t think this came out of nowhere, i think it was done SLOPPILY in places but alicent turning against aemond for his violence has been loudly broadcasted since aemond was introduced. why are we acting like aemond wasn’t clearly shown to escalate in his behavior throughout s1? and that while he’s escalating, alicent is still holding onto the idea (however naively) of peace?? everyone shaking about how cool he looked when he burned aegon, did they expect her to hug him and go oh thanks for taking out your brother, my firstborn, and the only other battle ready dragonrider to defend the capital, you’ve always been my favorite aemond.

you're definitely right that it has a lot to do with how the audience wouldn't choose helaena over the boys so why should alicent. and that is ALSO FRUSTRATING because on the one hand it's like yes, that's because helaena is not given the screentime she needs and deserves (why did we need to see alicole fucking that often grilled CHEEZUS) but at the same time - the show itself is directly critiquing this idea that helaena isn't "worth" choosing. She's a child bride and a teenage mother living at the whims of her family with little control over her life, and she's outwardly as miserable as Alicent was internally - she is Alicent and that is why Alicent chooses Helaena again and again in s2, after being a bystander and arguably a negative force in Helaena's life up until that point. Alicent choosing Helaena is Alicent choosing herself but the idea that Alicent is not constantly self sacrificing for her sons is just inexcusable to people.

[steveharrington]

Have we seen Steve interacting with authority figures? I feel like we must have at some point but I can't think of any... which is maybe why I struggle to imagine what Steve and Hopper/Joyce sharing a scene might look like. I guess there's that scene with Barb's parents?

we HAVENT ‼️ hardly anyways! off the top of my head i’m fairly sure that the only adults we’ve seen steve interact with (and i define interacting by him talking to them directly or vice versa) are barb’s parents like you said, the guys he walked up to cleaning the theater marquee, and the russian general. genuinely cannot think of anyone else. isn’t that so upsetting

i wouldn’t call barb’s parents or the movie marquee guys authority figures per se, but i do think you could kinda categorize ozerov that way. at the very least, he has massive power over steve (literally has him tied up and drugged). i think it’s notable that of these instances where steve is sharing a scene with an adult, he is consistently doing some sort of repentance. cleaning up the marquee, visiting barb’s parents after she died in his backyard, and being beaten for finding the operation (which served as a larger message to steve that once again reminds him he was an Evil Little Boy). we’ve never seen steve interact with an adult to receive comfort or protection—it’s always the opposite, actually. uncomfortable at the very least, literally being tortured at the most.

i think a very underrated moment is steve threatening ozerov by saying that hopper is going to save them. i think it’s sooooo genuinely deeply sad, actually! he so confidently thought hopper (and other adults ie the us calvary) were going to come save him and robin, when actually no one even knew they were down there. if dustin and erica hadn��t saved them, literally no one would have!!!! the same protection that hopper and joyce provide the other kids/teens don’t really extend to steve and robin, which makes sense logically since they’re kinda on the outskirts. they are not their children or close friends of their children. but i think that line is so meaningful and sad because it kinda implies that steve thinks of himself as falling under that umbrella of protection, but he doesn’t :(

that’s not to say that i think hopper is canonically like “fuck steve harrington i don’t care about that kid”, but the writing in st thus far hasn’t really been dynamic enough to give us glimpses into the various ways that All these kids/teens/adults are inherently tied together after going through category 5 monster moments every half a year together. i really hope season 5 remedies that (it sounds and looks like they might?) by giving us these rare interactions between characters who have almost been killed by the exact same Creature several times but have somehow never talked. i also want so badly for someone to acknowledge that steve becomes the de facto adult when joyce and hopper aren’t around (i know mom steve jokes got annoying but they stemmed from his behavior clearly modeling that of a Parent with the kids) and maybe give us insight into how steve views himself….does he feel like an adult? would he view hopper as an authority figure, or would he almost see him as a peer and equal considering they both end up being the meat shields when it comes to fighting people and monsters? i need to know…..

i do think we’ll get at least a crumb of steve and hopper in s5, at least because david harbour and joe keery have both talked about wanting to share scenes and it would be so mean of the writers to just be like no sorry we don’t have time for a 2 second interaction in this 10 hour season LOL but we shall see <3

[dukeofdelirium]

I really don’t understand when people say stuff like Zuko supported Katara the most, like, he supported her 4 times. Aang was consistently supportive of Katara from the beginning, like the only times he arguably didn’t was when he didn’t want Katara to kill a guy, or when Katara first mention her mother’s death to him (and even then she was trying to tell him the Air Nomads might be gone).

People also say stuff like Zuko and Katara were equals, but it’s not like Aang (or the others) weren’t equals, Katara never looks down on Aang, rather the opposite, she values his opinion and has a lot of respect and admiration for him and vice versa. Honestly my main issue with Zutara is that, while they have a really strong and believable friendship and romance between the two would just be so forced and out of nowhere, objectively speaking there’s barely any build up. I can genuinely believe Aang and Katara develop romantic feelings for each other because we see they have a strong friendship and a strong bond.

It seems to me a good chunk of the fandom either confuses fanon with canon or hyper focuses on Aang’s faults (many of which aren’t even faults) and hyper focuses on Zuko’s redemption and good qualities while ignoring his faults as shown here: https://www.tumblr.com/araeph/153886578765/zutarians-act-like-kataras-romance-with-aang-is?source=share

The people who say this stuff are zutara shippers lol. Idc what they say. Most of them haven’t even watched ATLA in over a decade, and when they did watch the show, they only paid attention to the episodes with Zuko and Katara. And even then, they ignored any scene without them in it, considering they forget context for like… everything.

People love to project fanon onto canon with ATLA. They act like Zuko and Katara have this extremely deep bond that only they fulfill in the narrative but the canonical truth is that Katara and Zuko aren’t even really friends by ATLA’s end. They’re like… acquaintances, who know next to nothing about one another and never seem to care to want to know, either. People play up their relationship for dramatic reasons because they find that juicy or whatever but Zuko is not Katara’s best friend by the end of ATLA. Aang is lol. I mean seriously, do you really think Katara would ask to hang out and spend quality time with Zuko in mundane settings? Or that he would ever do the same? No. They formed an alliance and became friendly acquaintances for the sake of ending a war. Katara accompanied Zuko to the FN not to shower him with love but to defeat his sister. The second the war was over, Katara was nowhere to be seen around Zuko except in group settings, and the second she got a chance to be alone with Aang, she took it and didn’t think twice.

Also the whole mention of Aang not commenting on Katara’s mom being dead in episode 3 is such a dumb argument from zutara shippers. The point of that conversation isn’t for Aang to shower Katara in affection and condolences. She’s just telling him the reality of the war he’s slept through. Of course his immediate reaction to hearing someone she loves died is to deny the possibility that his loved ones are dead. That was WHY she brought up her mother. She didn’t say this to get some kind of condolence from Aang, she said it to let him know the reality of war. Aang was in denial about the genocide of his people and desperate for that not to be the case. Completely understandable reaction, btw, to the idea of your entire race and culture being exterminated. And it’s not like Aang didn’t listen to her or care about what she had to say or how she felt; her relating her mother’s loss to his loss over Gyatso literally pulls him out of the avatar state.

[wizardofrozz]

Eternal Embers

Dragon!Kix x reader, ARC Trooper Jesse, Captain Rex, Clone Trooper Hardcase

Word Count: ~ 3k

Warnings: canon typical violence, mention of war, angst

A/N: I just recently realized the link for this fic doesn't work anymore, so I figured I'd repost it 🥰 enjoy some fluffy dragon shifter Kix really hoping that I'll have some new fics to post soon, fingers crossed lol

The wind howled through Carida’s mountains, although they acted as a buffer around the Republic outpost. Troopers filtered through the camp, sleeping in shifts to give their brothers a break between Separatist attacks. The constant flow of boys in blue also had your medbay bustling, but, as the binary suns started to set, the stream of injuries started to ebb. You finished securing a bacta patch onto Sterling’s blaster burn, lightly patting his arm above the bandage with a smile.

“Thanks, Doc,” he sighed, a tired smile spreading across his face. 

“Get some rest,” you urged, lightly pushing him to lay back. Sterling’s eyelids seemed to grow heavy, the veil of exhaustion weighing him down until the snap of tent flaps had him bolting upright. You spun on your heels, blinking rapidly at the two troopers that came busting into your medtent. 

“Jesse! What the hell?” you scolded, sidestepping a cart as you hurried to where Jesse and Hardcase were still standing.

“Fierfek, he’s not in here,” Jesse hissed just loud enough for you to hear. 

“Hey,” you snapped, grabbing Hardcase’s arm to pull him to face you, “why are you bursting in here like your asses are on fire?”

“Have you seen Kix?” Hardcase asked, completely ignoring your question. Air caught in your throat as you picked up on the way his voice ticked up in concern, a rarity for a man like Hardcase. 

“No - no, I thought he was in one of the other tents,” you stammered, tightening your grip on his arm. Jesse and Hardcase turned to look at each other and even with their helmets on, you could tell there was something you were missing. 

“Come on,” Jesse murmured, nudging Hardcase’s shoulder. He tried to pull out of your grip but you held on, yanking Hardcase back toward you. 

“Doc, we need to go.”

“Not without telling me what the hell is going on,” you insisted, following Jesse outside and pulling Hardcase along. 

“Doc,” Hardcase whined, lightly shaking his arm to get your attention, “don’t do this.”

“I know you’re setting up a search party and I’m coming,” you stated, releasing Hardcase to cross your arms. Jesse’s hand clenched at his side and you were almost sure his jaw was doing the same thing under his helmet. There were maybe three people who were aware of the tense back and forth between you and Kix, Jesse being one of them. 

Ever since you had joined the 501st, you and Kix had been doing some version of this ridiculous dance. Kix would lean over your shoulder, his lips too close to your ear as he murmured instructions or praise, or him sitting close enough that his leg pressed against yours when inventory needed to be done. His feelings towards you felt just as obvious as yours but he always seemed to take a step back, putting space between you and him until the cycle started all over again. And yet, you couldn’t seem to keep him at arm’s length, falling back into his orbit without even trying. Maybe it was the longing in his eyes even when he pulled away that kept you coming back…like a moth to a flame. 

Maybe it was something in your expression or Jesse’s own bleeding heart that had him letting out a somewhat dramatic sigh. “Fine, fine. We’ll need a medic anyway.”

“Thank you,” you whispered, resting a hand on his arm. Jesse nodded once before herding you and Hardcase toward the command tent. 

Rex was already waiting, absently twirling one of his blasters as he scanned the rocky slopes surrounding the camp. By the time the small search party left the camp, it consisted of you, Hardcase, Jesse, Rex, Hawk, Fives, and Echo. You couldn’t hear what Hawk yelled over the drone of the gunship’s engines but based on the way the rest of the boys tensed, you assumed it was important and tightened your grip on the overhead strap you were holding. The gunship dropped into a canyon, kicking up dust as you jumped down, and you threw a grateful smile at Hardcase when he steadied you. 

“Fives, Echo, head north. Hawk is flying south. Hardcase, you’re with me heading east,” Rex ordered, glancing toward you and Jesse. You took a minute to glance around, trying to figure out where you even were. From what you could tell, you were in the middle of two mountain ranges and you tried to look for any signs of a battle but there was nothing. No scorch marks, no rubble, just smooth mountain faces that made no sense. You jumped when Jesse nudged you, snapping you back to reality just in time to see Fives, Echo, Hardcase, and Rex heading off in their respective directions. 

“Jesse, what are we doing out here?” you asked, hugging your rifle a little closer. The only response you got was the crunch of gravel under his boots but you continued to stare holes into the side of his head. Finally, his shoulders lifted in an exaggerated inhale and you almost smiled. 

“We, uh, got intel that the Seppies are traveling through pre-drilled tunnels in the mountains. That seems like the, uh, best way to move a prisoner, don’t ya think?” You almost wanted to call him out on the lie but you had a feeling it would get you nowhere. 

“Where do we start?” you asked instead, scanning the jagged rocks lining the wide passage. 

“I’ll take the left side. Just look for any tunnels,” Jesse replied, almost sounding relieved that you didn’t push him. You let out a soft sigh, falling back a step but keeping Jesse in your peripheral as you trudged along. You almost didn’t realize how much farther ahead Jesse was until your com beeped, dragging you out of your mindless wandering. 

“What’s up?” you huffed, searching for familiar blue armor. 

“I took a left down a tunnel so be careful out there by yourself,” Jesse warned, the frequency crackling slightly. 

“I’ll be fine,” you mumbled, following the gentle curve of the path. Your eyes followed the rocky slope upward, tracing the sharp peak of the mountains that stretched hundreds of feet over your head. The twin suns had almost set, making the chill in the air more prominent and you tucked your arms tighter against your side. You were so distracted by the environment around you that you almost walked right past a large opening in the mountain face. 

You squinted into the darkness, searching for any bit of movement only to freeze when you heard the echo of rocks hitting the ground from deeper in the tunnel. It wouldn’t take Jesse long to get back to you but something told you to take a step forward like an invisible string reeling you in. You glanced in the direction Jesse had gone before slipping your pack off, rummaging through it to find your glowrod and securing your rifle to the side of the pack. The warm, yellowish light illuminated the entryway and you chanced one last look over your shoulder before taking a few slow steps into the tunnel. 

The walls glistened faintly, drawing you closer but when your fingers brushed the rock they were dry. A thin layer of dusk stuck to your skin and you rubbed it between your fingers, mesmerized by the way it twinkled. The loud crunch of rock shifting behind you made you tense, your muscles locking up as you found the courage to turn around. At first, you didn’t see anything other than a few rocks settling, your glowrod carefully scanning the wall opposite you. The light seemed to bend around the dark boulders, casting shadows across the walls. 

You looked back down at your fingers, the faint shimmer of dust still coating your skin and you froze. 

The growl was faint, barely above a whisper, but the silence of the cavern made it sound deafening. Something scraped against the ground, making you jerk to your left, your mouth dropping open when the light reflected off a large, slitted eye. Then it blinked. Your gasp was almost silent as you scrambled back only to step on one of the dislodged rocks that sent you tumbling onto your ass. And all you could do was stare up at the beast as it lifted its head. 

Despite the adrenaline pumping through your veins, you couldn’t look away. Brilliant blue scales shimmered in the low light as it moved, seemingly shifting from navy to sky blue every time you blinked. The creature shook its head and you watched the black-tipped spines lining its neck shift. Its massive head turned slightly giving you a full view of its face. Two horns extended from either side of its head, black tips bleeding into a powdery blue and finally blending into the scales encircling its eyes. The creature’s nose curved into a sharp point, resembling a beak and your eyes lingered there for a moment. 

You jumped when it moved again but instead of a growl, this time it made a soft chirping noise as it lowered its head almost like it was…trying to look smaller. Some part of you was screaming to run, to get as far away as possible but there was something about the creature that had you shifting onto your knees. Dark eyes locked onto you, watching every move as you inched closer. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” you soothed, despite your voice shaking lightly. The…dragon…warbled softly, those sharp spines bristling as you reached out. You patiently inched closer, your eyes scanning its body, noting the large wings tucked up against its back. 

“Doc, you read me?” You stopped immediately, glancing down at the com on your wrist briefly before looking up at the dragon again. Although, it didn’t look frightened or even startled, no, instead it made another chirping sound, one that sounded almost…happy? 

“That’s Jesse,” you said, meeting the dragon’s dark eyes. It canted its head, blinking slowly before lowering its head to gently nudge your arm, nostrils flaring with a sharp exhale. You took that as a sign to reach over, opening the channel but not looking away from the creature’s face. “I’m here.”

“Maker, you scared the hell out of me,” Jesse sighed, his voice coming out a bit grainy and far away. “Where…you?”

“I, uh, found a…friend,” you replied, a nervous smile lifting the corner of your mouth. The dragon made a slightly different chittering noise, its beak snapping together quietly as it sniffed your arm again. Even through the rough connection, you could hear Jesse’s sharp inhale. 

“Oh you asshole,” Jesse hissed, making your brows knit together. “What did I tell you?” Before you could answer, the creature looming over you opened its mouth, a low rumbling sound coming from the back of its throat. When you looked back up at it, you could’ve sworn it was glaring based on the way its dark eyes narrowed. 

“What am I missing here?” you finally asked, mindlessly resting your hand on the dragon’s long snout. This time the noise that rumbled through its body was softer and if you didn’t know any better, you might’ve compared it to a purr.

“You found your partner,” Jesse grumbled and you went oddly still. It took a few seconds for your brain to comprehend what that meant as you turned your head, just watching the way the dragon pressed into your hand. It…he…seemed perfectly content but as if he could feel your stare, his eyes drifted open. 

“Kix?” Of course, he couldn’t verbally respond but the soft chirp that was followed by him nudging your hand with his nose was enough of an answer. Your eyes followed the slope of his head, admiring the way the colors shifted and you decided that even in this form, he was still breathtaking. Then it clicked. 

With the constant push and pull, Kix only giving so much before completely disengaging. It had nothing to do with you and everything to do with what was staring back at you with dark slitted eyes and pearlescent scales. A small part of you wanted to be angry, to demand why he couldn’t just tell you, but would you have even believed him? 

“Oh, Kix,” you whispered, leaning a bit closer. You jumped with a surprised laugh when he exhaled harshly, right in your face, almost like a warning about the direction your thoughts were going. 

“Well, I don’t hear any screaming so that’s a good sign,” Jesse commented, his voice echoing through your com. You looked over your shoulder, offering him a smile as he moved closer and lifted his helmet off to look directly at Kix. “Told you she could’ve handled it.” 

Kix huffed through his nose, ruffling your hair as he lifted his head away from your hand. 

“Come on, you can either shift back for a ride to camp or fly. Your choice,” Jesse said, arching a brow that made his tattoo stretch slightly. Kix grumbled in the back of his throat, shifting into the shadows again as Jesse pulled you to your feet. “Best give him some room.” 

“Why?” you murmured, letting Jesse pull you back a few steps. Although, you didn’t have to wait long. Kix rose to his feet, his scales rattling as he shook off the dust clinging to him. The ceiling of the cave was low, forcing him to keep his head down as he maneuvered around the boulders in his path. It wasn’t until you stepped into the cool evening air that you could truly admire his grandeur. Large, black wings stretched high over your head, his tail sweeping side to side, and your lips parted in awe at his sheer size. 

“Alright, quite showin’ off, asshole,” Jesse teased which earned him another grumpy huff. Kix finally shifted his attention to you, his head tilting slightly and for a moment, he almost looked smug before his wings extended again. It was incredible to watch him leap into the air so effortlessly, the moon's glow making his scales twinkle. “Come on, Doc.” 

The trip back to the rendezvous spot seemed like it took forever yet no time at all. Suddenly you were standing in front of Rex, Hardcase, Fives, and Echo, the faint whine of a gunship approaching filling the evening air. No one mentioned the bantha in the room, already preoccupied with other random conversations until Hawk came into view. The only acknowledgment of what you just discovered was a wink from Hardcase as he hopped into the gunship. 

The small outpost was quiet, most troopers getting a few hours of sleep where they could. Which meant you hadn’t expected to see General Skywalker waiting when you made it back. You joined the small squad in saluting the general, anxiously waiting to see if Skywalker pulled you aside but he seemed to be content with Rex filling him in on what happened. There was an awkward moment when you stood next to the quietly hissing gunship, debating your next move until movement from your medtent caught your eye. Someone knocked into your shoulder, sending you stumbling forward a step before you turned a glare in Jesse’s direction. He only winked, jerking his chin toward the tent before letting Hardcase drag him away. 

It took a few minutes and even more deep, calming breaths before you finally made it to the medtent, standing just outside the slightly parted flaps. 

“You can come in, you know,” Kix’s disembodied voice called and for some reason, it was a shock. Hearing his voice spurred you into pulling the flap back, curiosity getting the better of you. Kix’s back was to you and he was in the bottom half of his armor, such a stark contrast to how he looked not even a standard hour earlier. 

“I’m not having a crazy, vivid dream, right?” you asked, surprising yourself a bit. Kix’s shoulders jumped when he snorted, turning his head enough to see you out of the corner of his eye. 

“Sadly, no,” he replied, turning to face you and crossing his arms. He would’ve looked relaxed to anyone else but you noticed the set of his jaw, the tension in the muscles of his neck as he waited for whatever came next. “It’s very real.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“How was I supposed to tell the person I - I’m…falling in love with that I’m also a beast out of a fairy tale?” The bombshells seemed to keep coming and it had to be written all over your face. Kix stiffened when you closed the remaining distance, stopping within arm’s length of him but he didn’t pull away. 

“You mean that?” you whispered, searching his face for any signs. 

“Yes,” he mumbled, looking down at his boots, “so how was I supposed to ask you to accept that?”

“By simply asking.” You rested a hand on his arm, drawing his eyes off the floor, and your heart ached at the vulnerability in his endless brown eyes. “We’ve made it through some of the worst parts of war together and it’s not over yet. I think we can handle this if you’ll let me in.” Kix squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a harsh exhale through his nose and you tried to fight a smile at the similarities you could already see. You let your hand follow the swell of his bicep, moving across his shoulder to gently cradle his face, drawing his attention back to you. 

“Together, huh?” he whispered, leaning forward until there was barely any space between you and him.

“Together,” you agreed, meeting him the rest of the way to press your forehead against his. Kix finally uncrossed his arms to cup the back of your neck and you let out a long breath, relaxing into the touch you’d experienced hints of and had craved for so long. 

“If forever does exist, please let it be you,” Kix breathed, the words brushing against your lips. Words couldn’t express the way you felt or how much you hoped for the same thing, so instead you tilted your head just enough to find his lips. 

You hoped Kix was what forever tasted like. 

Tag list:

@a-single-tulip @wings-and-beskar @returnofthepineapple @secondaryrealm @dystopicjumpsuit

@msmeredithrose @starrylothcat @multi-fan-dom-madness @trixie2023 @mythical-illustrator

@cw80831 @hetalianskywalker @capricornrabies @sev-on-kamino @dickarchivist

[startrekprodigyfan]

Okay yeah… I binged the whole season in one day.

It was actually surprisingly easy to do so. And while that means my planned slower recaps and speculation are basically out the window, I also now just don’t have to worry about spoilers for weeks on end.

I’m still going to keep spoilers under a cut though. Even if you block key hashtags, stuff can get through, and just making the spoilers further down a text post you have to scroll past to continue browsing tumblr doesn’t help either. Hide that content behind a cut, please!

Non-spoiler thoughts:

It was so good. It was honestly more Trek than I could’ve possibly expected. And to all those early naysayers who were confused by the Protostar and where it was supposed to be in the timeline after the first episode of season 1, all of that gets answered and put into context by the end of season 2. Thank GOD! Every single plot point people brought up and thought was a “plot hole” gets filled and explained.

It’s not as emotional as the first season, but the situations and events definitely still have a lot of weight and the stakes are so high for so long too! There’s a surprising number of dark events that happen throughout the series. Way darker than even I’m used to watching the animated shows that I do. Kudos for not skimping on the peril and stakes of the mission for the sake of kids being traumatized lol

And while there is the potential for more, if we never get a season 3 this would still be an extremely satisfying ending all the same. I am very happy there aren’t any loose ends here.

Prodigy is without a doubt the most reliably consistent Star Trek show that’s ever existed. Not a single episode feels like filler. Not a single episode wastes time or characters. Even the goofy episodes have character development and callbacks later, and I genuinely don’t think there’s a single episode that I would skip or not watch again. That’s an amazing feat in and of itself, but as a Trek fan that’s just unheard of! Kudos all around!

Now for my longer spoiler thoughts under the cut:

Okay…

How the HELL did you guys make Wesley Crusher’s time traveling arc sooo good? As a TNG fan I was always annoyed with the “traveler” storylines and with Wesley’s character in general. Even as a kid I never really liked him. But this storyline makes him interesting and gives a lot of weight to his powers. He’s almost like The Doctor from Doctor Who, someone who has so much going on in his head that he’s sort of lost it.

That honestly was the biggest surprise to me. I was convinced that Hologram Janeway (and the construct) were somehow manipulating time and events because of the wormhole. Janeway would be trying to help them, while the construct was trying to stop them. That was my working theory for the start of the series. Imagine my surprise when it turns out it’s Wesley Crusher! wtf!?

I do like that he gets to reunite with his mom finally. And that he learns he has a brother.

Incidentally that’s something else I was not expecting. How MUCH of this series was going to be timeline connected to the events of Picard and Lower Decks respectively. Like, wow… they connected the Mars Shipyard explosion and the Romulan evacuation plot points that made sense for the story. Like holy crap, then FINALLY getting into Starfleet only for the shipyards to explode and Starfleet is severely crippled. I did not expect that to happen, and it’s sadly realistic too.

I still hate the Romulan evacuation storyline from Picard, but as a matter of keeping things consistent it makes sense for it here. And while I don’t like it being a canon event, it’s overall good for the consistency of “prime” trek.

I do like that Dal became a second in command. I’ve always felt like Dal was never really destined to be the captain and that he’s always been better at helping others be their best selves. So it makes sense for his character arc that he learns he doesn’t need to be in charge to make a difference and that there’s no shame in being second.

Overall I am still reeling from how much Trek happened in this season. There’s never a dull moment. Unfortunately I am not optimistic about a 3rd season. Netflix picking up a mostly completed series to broadcast on their streaming service is far FAR cheaper than paying for an entire season to be created outright. And sadly, as much as I want more Prodigy, I have a feeling it’s just not on people’s radars enough for it to do gangbuster numbers enough to convince Netflix to pick them up for a 3rd season. I hope I am proven wrong, but I will not get my desire for more season unrealistically hyped up.

I do want to rewatch the entire show now, because there were clues left in the first season that only get answered at the end of season 2. And I love closed loop time travel storylines like that! I can’t wait to go back and connect the dots knowing what I know now.

An excellent series. Probably one of Trek’s best in decades. A true love for the material and the characters and the legacy of Trek lore all rolled into an amazingly animated package.