#I'm shipping them straight to the iceberg

[srebrnastal]

What do you mean this is not what happened? There WAS a taste testing, no…?

I'm pretty sure someone already made this meme, but I'm ready to fight (I have a knife))

Funfact: Mid drawing this my Spotify played, like, six love songs in a row and it was diabolical.

[respectthepetty]

GMMTV 2025 - Hot Tops and One Bottom

GMMTV offered up ONE straight show, and even though I'm salty that I didn't get Midnight Museum 2 and despite the current state of the world, I have never been happier to be alive at this exact moment that I'm living in. GMMTV really cemented that it is Disney BL, and said FUCK THEM HETEROS!

As usual, I'm listing what shows I'm most excited to see from GMMTV's annual unveiling, but in order to be fair to the other shows, I will not consider one of the shows in the rankings because I am a Jaidee fan first, and a human second:

Dare You to Death

My boys are giving me ~Murder, Manipulate, Make-Out, and MAYHEM~ so I'm already seated, sat, and sitted. I've always thought Joong should play a character who was insincere and a bit crazy, and Dunk should lean into his haughtiness (emphasis on HOT), so even though all these other shows look great, they aren't JoongDunk trying to solve a murder while trying to not murder each other, and it would be unfair of me to hold that against everyone else. I was going to take whatever I was getting from them, but THIS?! Sorry, to everyone else, but y'all never stood a chance.

#1a - Memoir of Rati

Moment of honesty - Inn and Great are fine as fuck. They are already attractive to begin with, so to put them in a historical drama, of course, I'm going to eat it up. This is a serious piece about political and social tensions which I have no doubts they will carry into getting some awards for it. I was getting worried that these two weren't going to have another show together next year, but not only did GMMTV give them one of the meatier plots, the series also has Aou and Boom in it with an amazing story as well, so this was easily my top choice.

Or at least it was my top choice until . . .

#1b - Ticket to Heaven

Religious trauma aligned with Catholicism is my special brand of queer angst, so this series already has me all the way fucked up. Fourth is such a phenomenal actor and Gemini always acts his ass off, so I know they will have me in a fetal position every single episode clutching my rosary and praying for God's mercy since I'm already in my feelings about this. The heathens in the room better read up on some biblical references because if you thought I was doing too much over a cross necklace in Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo and the praying in The Warp Effect, I Saw You in My Dreams, and Marahuyo Project, block me now because that was only the tip of the religious iceberg.

#2 - Cat for Cash

Although I'm a vegetarian, I'm a Disney villain who strongly dislikes animals, yet even I was happy to see First getting advice from cats on how to make coffee and how to win over Khao. This is the FirstKhao romance we have been waiting for! It looks soft and sincere, and even though the plot involves hearing cats, First as the worst debt collector and Khao as a grieving sad boy are their most realistic characters they have ever played. The series also looks like it's going to make me cry, so thank goodness Satang showed up to make sure I would be emotional about every show GMMTV gives me next year.

#3 - That Summer

On the topic of Satang, I'm shocked that I clicked with this trailer. I was ready to write this off as a Hallmark series due to its plot about a prince with amnesia falling in love with a commoner until the trailer revealed that he doesn't have amnesia, and the commoner knows he is a prince. The trailer situated the problem will come from their class differences plus Mond is kissing a homie (in secret), and since I just asked for more series with sad wet boys on the beach, this show goes at the top for GMMTV delivering me something I didn't know I wanted but a show I definitely needed.

#4 - A Dog and a Plane

Tay and New got me by the throat in 2019 and 2024 with Dark Blue Kiss and Peaceful Property, and even when I wanted to be mad at Cherry Magic, I couldn't because these men always sell the hell out of a ship even when they shouldn't. I'm a Jaidee fan first, and a human second, but I'll throw on some polar bear and whale jammies any day to join the Polcas because Tay and New have not disappointed me once in their joint shows or individual shows. So here I am, super duper excited to see New play a GAY flight attendant (a stereotype I love to see) whose man is trying to screw Pun only for Tay to take the hush money yet still catch feelings AND FLIGHTS! Marc's there too, so it's time I was served openly gay men who are trying to join the mile-high club since it's been over a decade since I got Pedro Almodóvar's I'm So Excited.

#5 - My Romance Scammer

I support marriage equality, but I do not believe in the institution of marriage, so I'm thrilled that GMMTV decided to throw me some gay divorce the same year gay marriage was legalized! Next, I'm getting the odd ball couple of Ohm and Fluke with Fluke being a dummy who falls for the first man who is nice to him, only for Marc to think he has a great relationship with Junior, BUT IT'S ALL A SCAM! I will probably end up defending this show with my life because this is the romcom romcoN I deserve!

Side Quest - Tarot Card Series

The theme for this year's announcement was "Riding the Wave" but it should have been "Wheel of Fortune" because there were a lot of shows about destiny and changing the future, so I'm going to rank those in a quick sub-category:

1) My Magic Prophecy

This is the dynamic I want to see from Jimmy and Sea. Jimmy IS a doctor, so getting a clean-cut smarmy version of him will pair so well with muscular Sea being a jerk. I was going to make a quirky comment about how they can now see the future as a reference to Last Twilight, but I'm still salty about that show, so I'll just be happy for them and THIS show.

2) Head 2 Head

I'm excited for the Only Boo kids because I think they should've gotten the My Love Mix-Up remake since I think they do well with being complete opposites that make perfect sense being together. This is also how I found out that Surf from I Saw You in My Dream is now with GMMTV.

So although it was awkward to realize GMMTV had acquired another BL boy under my chismosa nose (am I slipping?), it's nice to see the company staying on brand as Disney BL in its attempt to capture all the Pokemon Avengers BL Boys.

3) Wu

Since I've been watching High School Frenemy through my dash, I know plenty of people will be ecstatic to see Nani and Sky play soulmates, again (because High School Fremeny is gay af!), but I'm showing up because I got the red bracelets of destiny tying the boys together!

The trailers this year were surprisingly lax on the colors, so I'm taking what I can get how I get it. Bring me the RED STRING OF FATE!

4) MU-TE-LUV

This is Club Sapan Fine with a different name so it's going to be campy and messy. But do I think GMMTV will handle fems well? No. Am I pressed about it? Also, no. Because I actually watch AND enjoy Club Sapan Fine, so if GMMTV wants to try its hand at wild wacky camp in an anthology-style series, I'm down to clown, at least for the queer episodes that is.

5) Melody of Secrets

This was originally going to be number three on my Tops List, but as the trailer continued, I got more confused. Then, Force's face blurred and it looked like he got snatched by a demon, so I got scared. Like real scared. I don't eff with los espookys, so I'll be watching this show with the lights on and my Care Bear squad to protect me.

Honorable Mentions

I watch ALL GMMTV queer shows (and even the ones that only I think are queer), so I'll still enjoy something about these shows, but they were just lacking that special razzle dazzle:

Burnout Syndrome

Director Nuchy. Gun in black lipstick. Gun being a sex worker. Off being an asshole. Thor. Poly(?). This should have been my Holy Grail, but I can't believe the show will give me a proper love conflict when OffGun are a branded pair. Also, Nuchy gave me ToddBlack, who I will NEVER be over, so even though I know she can and will give me *THE* toxic couple to root for above all other toxicitos, unless these two are about to drown each other in that bathtub and play Olympic-levels of mind games with each other, I'm reserving my excitement until it airs.

Me and Thee

A soap-opera loving mafioso. Pond in suits with slicked-back hair. Phuwin being beautiful. Santa looking delicious. Est back in his Naughty Babe assistant mode. Perth. COLORS! Just like Burnout Syndrome, on paper it looks like something I would devour, but a third of that trailer was Pond and Phuwin in a bathtub, and in my Michelle Visage voice, "stop relying on that body" even if that's the biggest reason I'll be showing up to watch.

Whale Store

Milk licked cat food off of Love's finger, and I fear this might be too lesbian for me. I don't kink shame, and I'm always down to eat a girl out go down, but cat food? Really, sis? On top of that, this felt like a JittiRain series with Love's character clearly hiding something that is going to hurt Milk's character, then the side couple was crying and making everything awkward. I support the lesbians. I support queer rights AND wrongs. I'll be repeating this even as I'm watching it.

Boys in Love

GMMTV was smart putting all the new kids in a show with Papang x Podd as the little older romance crumbs to keep us satisfied for the time being, but that's also why I'm being petty. If this is the stepping stone for Papang and Podd to be leads for GMMTV 2026, then I'll take what I can get, but I feel like Oliver Twist asking for more porridge, when I should already be getting a damn buffet!

Love You Teacher

This show almost had me in the first half. Sam's character was giving me everything. The premise was solid. Perth was an already gay man in a long-term relationship with his boyfriend. Things were going well even with the accident. Then, the show brought on the real plot --- seven-year-olds. Jesús Cristo. It was a lovely time up until then, and now, just like the cat food, I'm realizing new things about myself and my boundaries on a random Tuesday morning, and I don't like it.

Girl Rules

This is the female version of Only Friends saran wrapped in women's empowerment. No me gusta pero lo voy a ver because I support queer wrongs even when they are oh-so-very wrong.

The Love of Siam: The Musical

What. The. Fuck. But also, sign me up!

Dishonorable Mention - Only Friends 2: Dream On

I've reached new heights in my pettiness because this show is in Petty Prison before it even airs. My blog is a living record of how badly I wanted Minx Mix and Flirty Fluke in the first season of Only Friends. It was the only thing I could think about; then, I ended up hating the first season, so I counted my blessings that Minx Mix only showed up for two whole seconds and Flirty Fluke was nowhere in sight. And now this has happened. This is a lesson in "be careful what you wish for" because I have never been more upset that I finally got what I wanted. Unless the show gives Boston his cake and lets him eat it to, I'm not watching it. Not Minx Mix, Flirty Fluke, or Ohm's body could convince me to do this a second time.

[daz4i]

I'm gonna sound a bit bitter for a sec so sorry for that, but i think the reason i can't get into most fyolai fics and such, in addition to a lot of ppl just straight up getting nikolai wrong as a character, is the flattening of their relationship in general and making it almost basic? or rather, i guess, just simplifying it, making it almost one sided at times

basically what i see people interpret them beyond what's in plain text is 1 nikolai is the only person to call fyodor a friend, thus making him stand out in his mind, and 2 they're both the same brand of weird/got the same quirks or sense of humor etc

which are both well and true imo. but my problem is, this is where it stops. this is what i mean by simplifying. it feels like it's only engaging with the tip of the iceberg of what they got going on, and it's a shame because their relationship can be so spicy

i think what makes fyolai interesting - in addition to the whole "i love him and that's why i want to kill him, i can't bear the thought of being tied to a person" - is that while fyodor is the first person to see nikolai, nikolai is the first person to outsmart fyodor

it almost feels like the reason people make fyodor like nikolai is for the sake of making a story about them happen and that's it. now, it's a romantic(?) fanfic, that's understandable, that's how most of them start. but it does feel unearned and at times even out of nowhere and pointless

nikolai is the first person to show fyodor that humans aren't as predictable as he thinks. that yes, he could read him, but not fully, not enough to actually manipulate him. that his method of cutting off all other possibilities is not perfect, and that at least nikolai will always get himself a way out. that's huge!! we've never seen anyone outsmart fyodor! the closest we got was whatever he's got going on with dazai, and he seems to be prepared for everything dazai throws at him anyway bc they're so equal. but honest to god going outside of his plan? ruining his plan, even? nikolai is the only one who could do it.

think about how that can impact fyodor's character! his world view! a blow to his pride that might actually change him as a person! this can be so interesting!!!!

i feel like this ship should be more about that. about how they're each other's special person - not because of titles of friendship, but because they truly challenge the way the other sees life

now, i will say, i don't expect fic writers to delve this deep into each character. it's just a hobby at the end of the day. let me emphasize, this post isn't to actually attack anyone, more like an observation with some bitterness about something i am well aware does not actually matter, bc i want to let it out and maybe change the way people see this ship if they agree. so i hope i made you see it this way, just like fyodor might show nikolai he's not as alone in the world as he might want to be, and nikolai can show him the same in return uwu

[armageddon-generation]

Fixing Netflix's Avatar: the Last Airbender

(Live action ATLA is a fundamentally bad idea because it disrespects the medium of animation and the original is near-perfect. But the wasted potential of this show annoys me, so there.)

This rewrite has 12 x 60 minute episodes, because squashing this story into 8 is insane. Maintaining its per-episode budget, this would still only make Netflix’s Avatar (NATLA) a little more expensive as their One Piece, which it's performing better than.

Each episode of the original show is 22 minutes, so even adapting two eps shot-for-shot per live action ep leaves each an extra 16 mins of runtime. For this new material I'm drawing on a lot of the comics and expanded canon.

If a NATLA change or addition isn’t mentioned (Azula and Ozai, the Cave of Two Lovers, the Mother of Faces, Kurruk’s dumbass knife) assume it’s gone because it’s Bad.

(Also, I recognise that my examples of dialogue are cringier than NATLA. But I’m not a paid for this, so you’ll have to forgive me.)

1. The Boy in the Iceberg

A pretty straight adaptation of the first 3 episodes of the original show smoothed together, removing the Zhao/Zuko subplot from 1x3 The Southern Air Temple

Extra scene- when Katara yells at Gran Gran for supporting Aang being banished, she narrates a version of the flashback sequence from 3x8 The Puppetmaster, showing the slow depletion of the South’s waterbenders, and how the ship Katara and Aang explored got there. This big extra action beat contextualizes how prosperous the South used to be, and Gran Gran’s anxiety over Katara’s bending

Extra flashback of Aang’s tattoo ceremony in the Yangchen chamber from NATLA– his whole class is there, cheering for him- Aang will find their skeletons with Gyatso’s, who died protecting them

2. The Shadow of Kyoshi

Combines 1x4 The Warriors of Kyoshi with 2x5 Avatar Day, where a village prosecutes Aang for Avatar Kyoshi killing their leader, Chen the Conqueror, long ago

Aang rides the Elephant Koi and provokes the Unagi right into a conflict between mainland and Kyoshi fishermen. Contrast how the two sides perceive Aang– Kyoshi as a big celebrity, the mainland as a criminal. He gets hit with the full breadth of the Avatar experience all at once, and naturally gravitates towards those who treat him better

They organize a ‘trial date’ where the mainlanders will return to demand justice, and Aang will defend Kyoshi’s honor This is how word spreads to Zuko.

Sokka’s subplot with Suki is unchanged from the original. THE SEXISM STAYS. The new NATLA stuff with them bonding over their parental issues and being non-benders can go after he’s been humbled

NATLA hyping up Kyoshi at the expense of Roku was bizarre fandom-pandering, especially as canonically Aang basically hates her. Here, Aang is initially convinced Kyoshi couldn’t have killed Chen because an Avatar never would.

This leads naturally into him and Katara reading up on Kyoshi’s past in her shrine as they do in NATLA, but Aang keeps getting distracted by the islanders' celebrity-worship. Eventually Katara leaves him to fend for himself in a huff.

Instead of trying to ride the Unagi, Aang goes to the trial alone and overconfident, but Kyoshi possesses Aang to confess she did kill Chen. Chen dying because he refused to retreat directly foreshadows Zhao dying because he refuses to take Zuko’s hand in the finale– wannabe conquerors crippled by their pride

Kyoshi possessing Aang is not pleasant. While he’s under she rags on him for abandoning his duty and not taking things seriously

Meanwhile, Zuko attacks the island. Sensing this, Kyoshi blasts off and lands in the middle of the village like in NATLA, brutalizing the Fire Nation soldiers.

When Kyoshi sees Zuko she tries to kill him- directly paralleling the flashback of her killing Chen, a moment of genuine fear for Zuko. Aang snaps out of it at the last second, refusing to kill him. Zuko recovers enough to strike, but Katara arrives just in time to knock him back again.

This moment foreshadows Aang’s conflict over killing Oazi– when Zuko says he should do it, Aang reminds him if he’d had that mentality in this moment Zuko would’ve never been able to redeem himself

The Gaang run, and Katara argues against what Kyoshi said– that killing is the only answer, that Aang deserves to be punished for abandoning his duty. This is a key difference to NATLA, which seemed to revel in tearing Aang down at every opportunity

Aang then puts the fires out with Unagi as in the original

3. The Price of Freedom

Combines 1x5 Imprisoned with 1x10 Jet, with a little 1x9 The Waterbending Scroll sprinkled in

Begin with Katara showing Aang her waterbending moves after Kyoshi told him to take things more seriously, and Aang totally outshining her, only for them to bump into Haru doing the same with his Earthbending. This is an initiation into Jet’s gang, using his bending to fight Fire Nation after his dad’s imprisonment drove him here. Unlike the rest of the outlaws, Haru has a mother to go home to

NATLA Jet helping Katara tap into her trauma to power her bending is interesting, but the execution was bad. Here he’s doing the same for Haru, too.

If we emphasize this aspect—Katara letting her rage drive her—her dynamic with Jet foreshadows her conflict in The Southern Raiders.

Playing both Katara’s Book 1 ‘love interests’ off each other contrasts them in an interesting way

Use the extra runtime to build Aang’s relationship with Jet—a Lost Boy looking up to Peter Pan. Jet is the kind of leader Aang wants to be as the Avatar, with his found family and ‘fun’ approach.

Jet’s target isn’t to destroy the dam, but to ‘get onto’ the Fire Nation prison, which doubles as a shipyard.

I liked NATLA’s slimier, more conniving version of Zhao. His introduction would fit perfectly here, replacing Imprisoned’s warden.

When Haru is arrested, Jet and Sokka clash in whether to help Katara go after him

Jet helps Katara because he wants her to see how broken and hopeless the prisoners are for herself.

Bato is also a prisoner here. He and Katara have an emotional reunion, which leads into her failed attempt to rally the other prisoners

Zhao summons Katara to his study after to taunt her and lay down the law. This Zhao is a wannabe scholar, obsessed with learning about and stealing from the other nations. Classic colonial mentality, and hidden in the background is the map he stole from Wong Shi Tong’s library, hinting at his plan in the finale. Katara also spies the waterbending scroll in the study, tying into her inadequacies in the opening scene

The Freedom fighters plot to hijack the Gaang’s escape plan and blow up the prison’s furnaces, killing everyone aboard. Sokka realizes and is captured.

When the truth is revealed, Katara fights Jet– another signature Katara RageTM moment where she summons a huge wave– and draws the guards’ attention. But it’s too late, and Jet triggers their plan.

It’s revealed Sokka escaped the Freedom fighters and neutralized Jet’s plan. Aang arrives with the coal, but the Earthbenders are still unwilling to fight.

Zhao uses the Freedom Fighters to taunt the prisoners- even their own people have given up on them. Then Haru starts the riot.

Zhao is tougher than the original Warden– Aang teams up with the earthbenders to knock him overboard

This shifts the conflict in several ways- Jet’s target is no longer innocent civilians but a shipyard with military, strategic value. At the same time, his willingness to sacrifice new recruit Haru is more callous than the original.

4. The Warrior and the Waterbender

Combining 1x9 The Waterbending Scroll with 1x15 Bato and the Water Tribe, and a dash of 2x4 The Swamp

Picks up where last episode left off; reinforcement Fire Navy ships are closing in on the prison as the prisoners evacuate, but Katara recklessly doubles back to grab the Waterbending Scroll in Zhao’s office. Aang follows.

The Fire Navy opens fire on the prison, triggering Jet’s bomb. The prison is crippled. Katara grabs the scroll and flees with Aang.

Katara’s necklace is lost in the chaos.

Thus we’ve cut the pirates but kept Katara endangering the group to get the scroll. Losing her necklace is now also a consequence of this

Aapa and Momo are separated from the group by the Fire Navy attack. Bato grabs a boat and directs the Gaang into a rapid river to escape the bigger ships- a precursor to Sokka’s Ice Dodging later.

Bato reminisces about similar times with their father and suggests Sokka and Katara join their Southern fleet. He’s headed to Omashu, the biggest Earth Kingdom stronghold in this region, where it’ll be far easier to find them

Aang hiding the map to Hakoda in Bato of the Water Tribe is often seen as his most unlikeable, childish moment, and the ‘Liar Revealed’ conflict is unusually contrived for ATLA. I’m cutting the that element but still exploring Aang’s separation anxiety through Bato

Aang and Katara reflect on last episode. Aang reiterates that violence wasn’t the answer, and her kindness and compassion is her greatest strength. It’s already saved him. He can’t describe how lucky he was to wake up in her arms, of all people.

He gifts her his handmade necklace from The Fortuneteller

This is a crucial way I'd like to shift shift Katara and Aang: In the original Katara does the vast majority of their emotional labor, and though it’s beyond doubt she loves Aang, there’s not *much* to set up her romantic interest, and so it comes off a little one-sided wish-fulfill-y. To improve this without pushing romance early, emphasize what Aang has to offer Katara. Here he’s her emotional support over their mutual betrayal by Jet

It also reiterates how dependent Aang has quickly become on Sokka and Katara, justifying his separation anxiety as their potential departure looms. He focuses on the waterbending scroll to strengthen that connection they have – ‘after Jet, let’s do this the right way’. But his talent only heightens her frustration

At the same time, Katara realizes her necklace is gone– losing a connection to her heritage VS Sokka growing closer to his through Bato.

Appa and Momo get a comedy subplot like in 2x4 The Swamp, because if I get to Book 2, that’s one of the episodes I’d cut

Meanwhile, Zuko investigates the wrecked prison and finds Katara’s necklace. He trails the reinforcement ships, who rescued Zhao and whisked him to a Fire Nation Colony port. They clash, but Zhao has no interest in an Agni Kai

Zhao has hired June to track down his escaped prisoners. Zuko offers her a more lucrative job finding the Avatar

Meanwhile Katara’s conflict from The Waterbending Scroll plays out. June captures her when she’s isolated herself to practice, and they pounce on the others. Sokka manages to get them free by turning June against Zuko over Aang’s reward like he does the pirates. Aang fights Zuko for Katara’s necklace while she uses her waterbending to get Bato’s boat back into the water while Bato and Sokka fight June and the Shirshu– playing on Bato’s stories of him and their dad wrangling wild beasts

They all escape on Bato’s boat– Sokka finally gets his turn at the coming-of-age Ice Dodging, using Katara and Aang’s improved waterbending to pull of an impossible escape

Aang steals the animal whistle that finally attracts Appa from June- mirroring Katara stealing the scroll

5. Omashu

Combines 1x4 The King of Omashu with 1x12 The Storm

Aang is anxious because Omashu was where he was going when he abandoned the Southern Air Temple- to find refuge with Bumi, who never fit in and made his own rules

The Gaang and Bato arrive in Omashu. Desperate to postpone Sokka and Katara leaving, while Bato requests an audience with the King, Aang drags them off to do the mail chutes– a desperate ‘look how fun I am! Please don’t leave!’ and his last chance to relive the high of his friendship with Bumi

Bato’s audience with Bumi is interrupted by news of the chaos the Gaang have caused. He’s cripplingly embarrassed when they’re matched in– ‘you really are your father’s kids’

Aang realizes who Bumi is quickly. He’s overjoyed– but Bumi is aloof, and demands to know why his friend abandoned him. A more personal version of the old fisherman from The Storm

Aang runs off and Katara follows. Sokka defends Aang to Bumi- he didn’t believe in Aang at first either, but the kid quickly changed his mind. Bumi ‘imprisons’ Sokka and Bato

Meanwhile, Katara finds Aang in his and Bumi’s old hangout spot, and he tells her how he learned he was the Avatar and ran away- his half of the flashbacks from The Storm. He understands if Katara wants to leave him and go with Bato now she knows

A royal messenger arrives– Bumi wants to bargain for Sokka and Bato’s freedom

Because Aang already knows who Bumi is, his challenges all link to key memories from their friendship. One was a meetup with Kuzon, Aang’s Fire Nation friend. Even before he was the Avatar Aang brought the nations together

After Bumi is satisfied with their final fight, he reveals he decided to forgive Aang before the challenges even started. They weren’t meant to torment him with the past but help bring lessons from it into the future.

This way we get to explore Bumi having a more critical reaction to Aang like in NATLA without sacrificing the core of Bumi’s character, or the fundamental goodness of their friendship

Bato parts ways with Sokka and Katara at the end

6. The Winter Solstice

A pretty straight adaptation of 1x7 The Spirit World and 1x8 Avatar Roku

On the Fire Nation side, I liked the NATLA addition of one of Iroh’s captors being a victim of his siege on Ba Sing Se. Unlike NATLA, this should be the first time Iroh is ever truly serious in the show.

When Aang sees the burnt-down forest, he flashes back to when he was a small child, and the monks taught him (with the same kids from his tattoo ceremony) how to care for scared natural spaces through Yangchen’s Festival (as featured in post-canon graphic novel The Rift). This more explicitly intwines Hei Bai losing his forest with Aang losing his culture

We follow Sokka when he’s held captive by Hei Bai. Building on his coming of age with Bato, Sokka has visions of returning home a warrior only to see it lain to waste– everyone he was charged with protecting dead. This foreshadows the loss of Yue.

Speaking of Yue, I’m keeping NATLA having her visit Sokka while he’s trapped in the Spirit World, guiding him out of his vision, but when we meet Yue the context of this will be very different

Sokka re-emerges from the Spirit World worried about home, but learning about the comet reaffirms his commitment to Aang

When Aang gets stuck in the Spirit World, he gets properly lost in the shifting, alien landscape we only saw in the original’s Book 1 finale

This sequence is inspired by the scene in The Legend of Korra Book 2 (hear me out) where Korra turns back into a toddler. Here, Aang’s panic turns him back into the age he was in the Yangchen Festival flashback

This story shouldn’t feature Koh, who totally overshadows Hei Bai in NATLA, but as Aang runs through the Spirit World, confused and alone, discontented spirits shout and jeer about the Avatar’s failures– specifically referencing Kurruk’s war with the spirits

Roku’s dragon swoops in to save Aang from himself. When he takes Aang to Roku’s Temple, the Fire Sages sense him and ward him off, to create more continuity between the story’s two halves

Similarly, when meeting the corrupt Fire Sages in person we call back to and contrast with how the Air Nomads upheld their holy sites

When the good Fire Sage is chained up alongside Zuko, he asks if he’s the son of Lady Ursa, and obliquely hints at Zuko’s familial connection to Roku

After his disastrous encounter with Kyoshi, Aang is cautious around Roku, but Roku is apologetic (‘this war is my fault’) and supportive. Unlike when Aang was taken over by Kyoshi, Roku inhabits Aang with permission and after agreeing not to kill anyone

(side-note but I’m not keeping the Gyatso scene because it’s contrived and dulls the personal impact of the genocide)

7. Masks

Combines 1x13 The Blue Spirit with the Zuko portion of 1x12 The Storm

Appa is injured fleeing the blockade and Aang is angry. He draws Zhao away from Sokka and Katara, and gets captured and transported to another of his prisons.

NATLA’s additions work best here. Lu Ten’s funeral, Zuko’s crew being the 41st legion. Lu Ten’s funeral should be the second time Iroh is serious and melancholy all season.

DO NOT have Zuko fight back in the Agni Kai. Stupidest decision in the show

Once Aang has saved Zuko from the prison, add a flashback from his perspective, which I’m adapting from the (honestly pretty good) M. Night movie prequel comic Zuko’s Story:

Immediately following the Angi Kai, Azula visits Zuko to mock him.

Later, she finds him sleeping on the docks after failing to gather a crew, and gets him his crappy ship and ‘crew of failures’, which ties nicely into them being the 41st division. Azula presents it as a mercy, but she’s just sweeping all the trash under the same rug.

This introduces Azula in Book 1 without being OOC or ruining her armor of perfection too soon

8. The Northern Air Temple

Adapts 1x17 The Northern Air Temple with an extra subplot: Conflicted about what to do with the settlers, Aang meditates and consults Avatar Yangchen, the Air Nomad Avatar before him, and they debate Aang’s responsibility to preserve their culture

If you must show the genocide, show it here– in brief, traumatising flashes as Aang explores the Temple. NATLA’s take on the genocide was pathetic. The Airbenders put way too much of a fight– they should be overwhelmed by huge columns of fire, dragons etc- think this fan-comic showing two Airbender boys trying to escape the attack on the North

The Mechanist’s son Teo studies Air Nomad culture. This gives his character more meat and explores the appropriation conflict presented through the Avatar Aang Fan Club in The Promise comic; ‘My culture is not a game’

Katara asks Aang to teach her to glide to pull him out of a dark spiral. Again, building that Aang/Katara dynamic, this should be a fun parallel to Penguin Sledding in episode 1– Aang unlocking Katara’s inner child, giving her a freedom she never had before him. It should really emphasize their trust. Let Aang be confident and encouraging!

The Mechanist is making weapons for Zhao (just like his shipyard), and it’s revealed Zhao deliberately spread stories about Air Nomad survivors to lure Aang into a trap, which is a tactic Fire Lord Sozin used to mop up the Nomads who survived his genocide. This idea is from The Lost Adventures comic Relics, fits with NATLA wanting to be ‘darker’, and ties into the genocide flashbacks

Zhao arrives with a battalion, ready to spring his trap and take the Temple

Now the battle for the Temple directly mirrors the genocide sequence- Aang explicitly defending his home like he never had the chance to before

9. The Old Masters

Combines 1x18 The Waterbending Master with 1x16 The Deserter

Jeong Jeong surrendered himself to the North when he fled the Fire Nation. The conditions here naturally suppress his firebending, as seen in Book 3 of The Legend of Korra

Sokka learns about Jeong Jeong during warrior training. Aang’s frustration with Pakku’s teachings pushes him towards Jeong Jeong to learn firebending too

Contrast the two elements, how Aang struggles more with firebending after getting water so quickly

Aang burning Katara and her discovering she’s a healer intersects perfectly with the North funneling women into the healing huts– is this really what she was destined for?

I appreciate NATLA trying to make Princess Yue a more active character because she’s not given much in the original and Sokka’s love at first sight crush on her is pretty shallow. However, making Yue too active undermines the point of her character in the original; that she lets herself be a passive vessel for duty right up until her final choice to help the Moon spirit

To that end, keep Yue being a waterbending healer– she is the personification of the system Katara is rebelling against. When Yue was young, she had dreams of defending the North with her father that were quickly squashed by her duties. Katara does what Yue wishes she could have

Sokka connecting with Yue because she comforted him when he was alone in the Spirit World is good, but here instead of being a revered spiritual leader, Yue’s trips into the Spirit World are secret, rebellious things, straying outside her strict duties and endangering herself. In this way Sokka is the face of Yue’s own private rebellion. She is both terrified and thrilled by the chance to meet him in person

Her fiance Haan is still a douche

Keep Gran Gran’s betrothal necklace pushing Pakku into self-reflection. People rag on him only letting Katara train with him because of nepotism, but that’s how it be sometimes when pushing societal reform. Personal change first. I did like how NATLA emphasized Katara inspiring other women to fight, so that can continue into next episode, showing how Pakku’s personal reflection led to widespread change

Katara being ‘her own master’ felt like forced girlbossery, especially as her level-up in the original show is already very quick, but I like the idea of her drawing from other bending styles to fight

Instead of the cut pirates, it’s the Yu Yang Arches who assassinate Zuko for Zhao

10. The Siege of the North

A pretty straight adaptation of 1x19 and 1x20

Katara and Aang spar in the opening and she trounces him- a nice progress marker from the stuff with the Waterbending Scroll. The footwork/moves here foreshadow the energy of their dance in 3x2 The Headband

Yue arrives looking for Sokka, having snuck away from Royal duties. Katara asks about her intentions with her brother– wasn’t it just announced that she’s engaged? Yue insists it’s platonic.

Yue: Have you ever looked at someone and just seen… freedom? [Aang’s laughter in the background] Katara: ...Just don’t break his heart

Sokka arrives to pull Yue away. Her brief trips into the Spirit World give her a wider perspective of the war’s impact than the North’s isolated leaders. Sokka taking her up on Appa sets up the possibility of her leaving with the Gaang to become an envoy to the South or a Spiritual Leader, making her sacrifice hit harder

They bond through their mutual anxieties over leadership

Sokka: You’d be a great diplomat. You’re charming, kind, clever but never condescending, even to a Southern peasant like me. And you’re so strong, to put up with everything you do. Yue: What I put up with is hardly comparable to the dangers that Southern peasant has fought through. Sokka: You have so many responsibilities. So many people to protect, so many relying on you– I know how hard that can be. At least a little.

They discuss why Yue’s parents are so protective and controlling, explaining her Moon backstory earlier on. Framing her father’s protectiveness this way emphasizes Yue’s sacrifice as a final act of agency and embracing her true destiny

Instead of Roku, Kurruk leads Aang to Koh because he’s familiar with him, letting him better pace narrating his backstory with the spirits than monologuing straight to camera

Kurruk warns Aang against letting personal attachments cloud his duty, and letting those he loves be hurt- we transition from the face of Kurruk’s dead beloved to Katara frantically searching for him.

Sokka/Katara discussing protecting Aang vs protecting Yue

Show the female waterbenders from Katara's healing class supporting the warriors in the battle, and fighting alongside Pakku

As Zhao marches through the North he finds his old master Jeong Jeong in his cell, and they talk before Jeong Jeong escapes. Follow this with an extra scene of Jeong Jeong crossing paths with Iroh

Now we get the full Zuko vs Zhao Agni Kai, played as a direct parallel to the staging of Ozai’s. Zuko spares Zhao, only for Koizilla to snatch him as he walks away. Zhao still refuses Zuko’s hand.

In NATLA, Katara called out to Koizilla and Aang turned as if hearing her, but it was still seeing the restored moon that stopped his rampage. I’m adjusting things so Katara’s words wake Anatlaang from the Avatar state- proving Kurruk wrong about attachments- and Aang communicates with the Ocean Spirit like he communicated with Hei Bai, pointing out the restored moon. Then the Ocean releases him

We linger on the destruction like in NATLAatla la s, setting up Aang’s fear of the Avatar state in Book 2– ‘Kyoshi would be proud’

[hydrogenperfoxide]

thoughts on Netflix Atla

okay like. I need to get some of this out. They want this show to be prestige TV, behold the cool action, behold the grittier tone (we show people being burned alive!!), behold the shitty Prestige TV lighting! They want it to be not a kids show, but they also trust the audience EVEN LESS than the original show did.

Like Gran Gran gives the original show's "until the fire nation attacked" and proceeds to explain to Aang (with zero softness) that he's been trapped in ice for 100 years and that he's missed an entire war and failed the whole world. And then to the whole group of people goes "He's the last airbender."

Katara in the original show was figuring things out, she's still 14 or whatever so she's not even as gentle as could be going "oh yeah, everyone expected you to save the world and also all your people are dead" but Gran Gran over here just drops that shit like it's nothing. Zero compassion.

But it's also so so so very clearly intended to explain everything to the audience. And it's not the only time the show does that same dry over explanation of the plot and implications. In the second sequence we have the rando earthbender (what is this section adding to the show??) talking to Sozin, and Sozin reveals the battle plans are false intel, but we get a whole explanation of what that means. There's so many unnecessary lines of dialogue there. "Your battle plans are already on their way to the Earth Kingdom" "Good that means all eyes will be on the Earth Kingdom, all eyes but ours." Why? Why could we not have said "Good, now my enemies will be distracted."

Sure we don't get the guy exceeeeeedingly slowly figuring out that they're fake plans but it brings the pacing of the scene so much tighter.

Sozin is then like "My sights are set higher. Much higher." which is a campy as fuck line read in the least campy way. When someone said it's like Ember Island Players, honestly i wish it was. Instead what we got was Season 8 GoT but it's Atla this time.

After this we find out that for some reason they still hadn't told Aang he was the Avatar (so we don't see his alienation because of it) which is weird (also he can straight up fly without a glider which is straight up a bad change) and then we have to witness the genocide of the air nomads. Cause we gotta be edgier and darker in this show.

Katara's playing in the Southern Raiders ship which has significantly less relevance even though it partially existed in the original to familiarize the viewer with the interior and exterior of Fire Nation ships so that when we see them later they aren't so confusing.

Iroh has no levity to him. I like Paul Sun-Hyung Lee but wow is this not great. I'm guessing it was a direction thing.

Last big gripe is that to further take Katara and strip her of the beginnings of her prowess as a warrior, after already not having her cause the iceberg to crack (imo bad choice) they don't have her fight Zuko or his men at all. Sure she blocks a fireball, but where's the awkward fighting?

Instead she makes a column of water over 100 feet tall. So they're like "no it's unrealistic for her to beat fire nation soldiers without training so we'll just make her one of the most powerful waterbenders in terms of raw power right out the gate." I'm all for Katara being strong, but where's her AGENCY? Why isn't katara fighting???

I hate this show so much (the effects aren't even good)

[itwoodbeprefect]

911 season 7 episode 2:

we know this man waving a gun around and shooting people is eeeeevil because he says lady captain.

mr. cruise director has the dongle! because he's eeeeevil too. or at least stupid

fjdk i was expecting them to pull a "i'm not a medical doctor" with how this guy was acting, but no, he IS a gp, it's just that for the drama we need bobby to have to tackle this alone

asshole driver: "are you important? do you matter?" fjkdfd. cool it with the existential questions, my guy

"you come at me again, i'll have your badge." "i'm not a police officer." "a- and you won't be anymore either!" smooth save! well done! also love that when chimney says he's not police we see him just turning away from giving hen a confused Look. besties!

ah, of course we need to give hen a guilt complex over a choice she makes as captain.

having a firefighter be in charge of taking care of your gunshot wound is really...... gambling with your life! ba-dum tss!

bobby answering to "are you happy?" with "yeah. yeah, i am." somewhat bafflingly had me close to tearing up. god, i love that for him.

said "nooo" out loud when machine room man followed the cable and opened the door. the poor guy did not deserve that :(

anyway, a bomb! if only starsky and hutch had been on this boat doing tense homoerotic bomb collection in weirdly long sweaty scenes, this could all have been prevented

not at ALL the point here (everything is sad and awkward in understandable ways, i'm not getting into it), but this is such a gorgeous jacket

guy who desperately wants his chips cashed out: "did we hit an iceberg or something?" fjdkfd. do you think they ever play titanic in cruise ship movie theaters, or is that a subtly banned sort of movie? also, second titanic reference in two episodes, together with the comment athena's therapist made! can we get three?

i know the wife guy trope has fallen out of favor, but. bobby is doing it very well.

SO annoying that athena doesn't pick up her phone while she's on a sinking cruise ship taking on duties that the injured captain can't perform. >:(

fdjkf i love that karen is absolutely right when she tells hen that athena and bobby's cruise is going to be totally fine and there's nothing to worry about, except this is the world of People Who Are Involved In Big Giant Emergencies Every Two Weeks, so hen, in worrying way too much, is the one who's actually right. these two episodes are just married couples with one partner WAY overreacting in a way that turns out to be Correct. if things keep going this way in a few more seasons they might start to figure out they're main characters.

now bobby is WET and still looking for his wife. the universe just doesn't want to give this man the normal sweet honeymoon he was trying to have.

"where is she?" "saving the ship." "of course she is." tired wet middle aged golden retriever man considers wishing his wife were a little less heroic: part [insert number here].

fjdkfd. hen on her hunch going straight to the 911 call center, my god.

"you wanted an activity we could do together." taking a wild guess, i'd say this wasn't on bobby's list, but at least you've got some nice mood lighting

they ARE getting me with the bobby/athena scene here. they absolutely are.

also. i can't not think about due south mountie on the bounty at least a little bit. truly impossible not to do that

fjdkfd. always nice if you're a fictional character who does terrible things and then gets a very dramatic chance to prove you're maybe also an okay person

the chief going "YOU can't find their cruise ship?" seems like a deeply correct sort of response to me

fjdjfkdjk. hen looking shocked and upset when the chief tells her that the los angeles fire department isn't responsible for actively looking for ships that haven't sent out any sign of distress and are in an area they're not responsible for in the middle of the ocean, which is also not the fire department's usual sort of thing... that's very funny, very 911.

"i really don't feel like being second-guessed right now" says hen, while following a slightly insane hunch that could cost her her job and probably deserves a little second-guessing. or one-and-a-half-guessing, at least. love you so much, hen, but the only reason this will work out is because you've got writers behind you.

fdjkfdjkfdfd. of COURSE a man had to drop onto the (very pretty!) skylight after the boat turns upside down. we can't be told about a goofy thing athena fears because it happened in a tv movie and then NOT have that pay off at the end of the next episode! wonderful, i love it, this is huge dramatic 911 nonsense at its best. <3

[mundanesalad]

for the violence ask game: 3, 16? >:) (for any fandom)

[Choose Violence ask game] I chose to give some different examples. For variety.

3: screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

Ok. This one will take some time to think about and I want to come up with a few different examples because i've been on this hellsite for so long. And the thing about tumblr is that "you curate your own experience" so its really easy to NO WAIT I CHANGE MY MIND THE WORST TAKE I EVER SAW WAS FROM THE USSR FANDOM "Jews weren't persecuted in the USSR and everything you've heard about the pogroms was USamerican propaganda" which is just straight up wrong and historical revisionism.

Disco Elysium: Every single absolutely noteworthy bad discopost has been from the subreddit, which i do not look at. Therefore the only infamous tumblr take I can remember are the terfs who say nobody can be trans in Revachol. I think they should take a long walk off a short plank.

Guilty Gear: I see frequent bad takes from both the fandom and the fighting game community side of GG, but nearly all that shit is on twitter and reddit. (I'm not kidding when i say the GG subreddit has some of the worst moderation I've ever seen on a game subreddit. It's all shitposts and you cannot find any helpful information there. I can and WILL complain about horrible twitter takes all the time.) Anyway theres a gg confessions tumblr (i will not link it but its not hard to find) is an entertaining trainwreck. The worst take I saw there was "Sol, Jack-o, and Asuka would be the best polycule ever!" which is like. You had to have engaged with the story enough to come to that conclusion but you used absolutely zero brain cells in that thought processing. No critical thinking skills. You saw some pretty people on a screen and shipped them without listening to anything they were saying. (TL;DR One of Sol's defining characteristics throughout the entire series is that he wants to kill Asuka and not in a "hot rivalry way" but in a "you deeply and unforgivably betrayed my trust and bodily autonomy and that's not even the tip of the iceberg" kind of way.)

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: [Long, drawn-out pantomime of opening a bottle of whiskey, pouring a generous amount into a glass, and downing it in one go] It's not worth talking about in public.

16: you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

Disco Elysium: To put it lightly, I do not think Kim would have anything more than a mere tolerance for Jean.

Guilty Gear: Everyone is wrong about Faust except for me and my friends. I'm writing this 30k word fanfic, and oftentimes I think "Is my characterization of Faust too serious? Am I making him too solemn? Like yeah, his combat is silly but otherwise he's very straightforward when he speaks." and then I look at his story dialogue and think to myself "No. It's the fanon's perception of him that is wrong." ALSO. Anyone saying that his characterization in Strive is "him returning to being a serial killer" will die by my hand. Regardless of his uncanny appearance now, mentally that's the best he's ever been in the whole franchise. FUcking fight me on it. I'll 214s->PRC->236h* your ass.

Fallout: The Legion do NOT get a pass because they "allow gay men"!!!!!!!

(* teleport on top of you and give you a haircut. I'm not kidding that's what that combo does.)

Thanks Yarrow! This took me too long.

[kandyrezi]

[ ♡ / ♢ ] Meikai x Rocma HCs;

@ungojirasapiente asked: hi, this is my first time requesting something on tumblr, sorry if i did it during a bad time or if something's iffy with the request, but could you do some Meikai X Rocma headcanons, i know it's a bit of a weird ship but i'm the only one who ships it and i wanted to see some content from some other people :D (it can be either fluffy or yandere stuff, i don't mind )

(a/n: yeah sure, why not. i love crack ships.)

- : - : - : - : - : - : -

✧; the two of them would likely meet on meikai's ventures outside the sea; he has never really left his home, and despite how many stories he's heard of coming from the land far from the sea kingdom, he would become curious and want to experience different cultures from where's from.

✧; upon his arrival to the iceberg isle, he would stay there for the entire day, asking around and getting to know the residents, getting variably mixed results from both warm greetings, hostility, or mild unease.

✧; rocma is understandably wary of any newcomers and outsiders, so she keeps him at arm's length, with a rigid and firm posture, and making sure everyone else is safe. she especially doesn't trust any witches (or sorcerers, despite them being a rarer sight), as they have in the past come to the iceberg isle to forcibly collect and take away animals to be their familiars.

✧; but she senses no threat from him (though she keeps her guard up), when meikai affirms he already has familiars, and isn't there to take anyone away by force.

at the end of the day, when the sun was ready to set behind the horizon, would the first non-hostile words she says to him be; "...aren't you cold in those clothes?"

✧; the iceberg residents are fascinated by meikai's presence, especially peraco and mafuyu, and the former insists on seeing some cool magic tricks, for which meikai is more than glad to oblige. mafuyu is easily impressed and wowed, particularly by the shiny, floating blue stars that meikai manifests out of thin air. the little seal thinks of him as a fun, cool uncle!

✧; the sea in the south is too warm for a polar bear like rocma, so meikai would visit her periodically, when he isn't attending to his duties given to him by the sea king. but those in the sea kingdom closest to the great sorcerer would likely notice his frequent absence.

✧; whenever he comes for a visit, he brings as a gift some mikans for rocma (which he learned are her favorites, from peraco, obviously).

✧; meikai has taken rocma flying on his broom, once and just once, over the vast arctic sea. the feeling of being so high up in the air with no solid ground to safely land made the polar bear feel agitated, alongside with the growing temperature the further they would venture from home. during the flight she sunk her claws into his arms and stated firmly, "i want to get off."

"a-alright, we'll turn back around." he says, momentarily startled with the pain from her claws, but tries to ease her fear, "don't worry, rocma, you're safe with me."

"i'm not... worried." she refutes. (she's lying.)

✧; on particularly cold and stormy evenings the sorcerer will stay on the iceberg for the night at rocma's house. it's his turn to make some hot chocolate for the two of them, and he, of course, adds some heart-shaped marshmallows on top of the foam. the polar bear is too stoic and straight-faced to say she thinks it's a cute gesture, so she just mumbles, "ah... i see that. thank you."

✧; (rocma has tried the coffee that meikai brought with him once as a wake-up drink for a change, but she didn't like it, insisting it made her feel jittery. sharpening her claws and practicing her combat capabilities on the punching bag hanging from the ceiling remains the best morning routine.)

✧; despite meikai's level-headed nature, and intelligence, he isn't the most observant of other people's feelings. combine that with rocma's taciturn personality, being a bear of few, blunt words with a penchant for aggression—but rocma has a kind heart (deep down), and so does meikai, he's easily able to adapt to any quirks another person (or animal) may have.

- : - : - : - : - : - : -

(a/n: peraco is 100% the one who plays matchmaker btw.)

[roleplay-abiogenesis2]

do you have a ship bias list for any of your muses mun? :o

//Guilty! Honestly, who doesn't?

I have a vast majority of muses who have never shipped with anyone and for whom I have no fandom-fed ship bias. Some boys are just good on their own, and if stuff happens and clicks, that's great and all, but not something I necessarily look for. And then there's GLaDOS, too. The queen of the blog needs no ship to thrive in my heart.

I will talk about Cyno simply because, out of my full multimuse roster, he's the only one who has achieved shipping stage. The only other being Sephiroth, who has his own sideblog.

Anyways, Cyno. Odd ball, this one. I find that my favorite ship for him keeps swinging, and it's highly dependant on mun rather than muse. If a mun makes me vibrate with their writing, my brain will find openings to get invested into a ship between my muse and theirs.

Before writing with anybody, my shippy fixation for Cyno started with Candace, I just thought the two of them looked great together. This was before I knew the Genshin characters to any less-than-superficial degree, mind you. After Candace, my attention moved to Nilou for a bit. I think I started to give Tighnari a chance after writing with Shae, her Nari just stole my heart and still does. Now I love all the silly foxy rangers out there.

I remember growing interest into Cyno x Aether after that, but that has yet to happen, so it's still in the drawer and waiting to be explored. Ironically, while dipping my toes into this ship by starting to write with Pluto, that was when I gave their Wanderer a shot (without expecting much of anything) and was bludgeoned behind the head by Cyno x Arakan straight out of left field with a random hug joke thread.

These two are by the tippy top of my shippy iceberg and still clinging tight to it. I blame my obsession for all Wanderers on them.

And there's so many I could write more paragraphs about! Thanks to lovely A, I was able to fulfill my Cyno x Candace dreams, and I'm head over heels for them with each new reply. Then there's unexpected out of fandom ones that I never saw coming, like with Maxie's Genesis, and that I now consider as good as canon!

There's lots of other ships I am absolutely intrigued by but haven't had a real chance to fully explore yet (Alhaitham, Xiao, Albedo just off the top of the head~ and thanks to Spencer, Chongyun right now is being very loud in my brain) and that I am shaking to write. I do have RP partners with these muses and I'm staring with bloodshot eyes at them. But these are just a few!

The truth boils down to what I said in the beginning: it's not the muse that my bias stems from, it's the mun. If the mun gives me continuous threads with good plot and character growth, chemistry, and in general a muse that does show care for what goes on with my own muse (while having stuff of their own to share, of course), I know I will fall for them and so will muse. I crush on writing, more so than characters.

This is more a gush fest than a list, but I hope it works as an answer~

Saru-mun\\

[housamo-stories]

History project part 10 (Housamo)

Everyone was enjoying themselves as they explored the vast ocean liner, seeing the VR augmented night sky full of twinkling stars and the ocean a flat calm reflecting the lights from the ship like a mirror, it was all dazzling to everyone to see something like this brought in front of they're eyes, MC was in the engine room with the crafters explaining how the towering reciprocating steam powered engines work when they get a call from Hephaestus.

MC-yes Heph?

Hephaestus-Mama it's almost time for the final event.

MC-ok, but just hold on while I get everyone back up on deck.

Hephaestus-y-yes Mama understood.

MC then tells everyone that they all need to go back up to the upper decks as the main event will be starting soon, everyone complies to their request before going up the maze of stairs and ladders to get back up to the upper decks, once everyone had gathered on the top deck MC gestured them to follow them to the bridge, as they did so they told Hephaestus to turn on the .N.P.C's, and with the push of a button there are people inside and outside the ship wearing old fancy clothes and sailors uniforms.

Ryota-who the heck are all of these people?! They dress sort of like Claude and Snow.

They all watch as Men and women walking by not even taking notice of any of them.

Kengo-what's the deal are they ignoring us or somethin'?

Tsathoggua-No Geeez, they're not real, they're just .N.P.C's.

MC-that part is true, But they once existed.

Shiro-you mean these people actually lived?

MC-yes, right now your all about to witness one of the most tragic events in maritime history, suddenly a bell sounds followed by a shout "Iceberg right ahead!" which draws everyone's attention towards the bow to their horror they see a giant mountain of ice getting closer to the ship before hearing one of the crew members shout into the bridge "Hard to starboard!".

Kengo-what the hell is going on?!

Chernobog-It appears we will be in dire straights if we hit that giant mountain of ice!

Ahab-To ye stations!

the ship soon turns to port but unknown to everyone the iceberg tears into the ships hull opening 5 of her forward compartments to the sea, she then makes her way away from the hunk of ice everyone breathes a sigh of relief.

Shennong- that was a close one.

Ded-indeed I thought we would hit it for sure.

MC-but we did.

Kengo-what are ya talkin' about partner? we missed it by inches.

MC-did none of you feel the vibrations under your feet as we passed by?

Itzamna-now that you mention it, I did feel something of the sort as we passed by the Iceberg.

MC pulls out their phone and brings up a schematic of the ship before showing it to everyone.

MC-the iceberg ripped into the ships hull and double bottom, 5 of her compartments are flooding she was only designed to stay afloat with only 4, basically what i'm saying is that the ship is sinking.

Makara-Sinking?!

Tetsuox-I'm a terrible swimmer! you know that!

MC-guys calm down, we'll be fine after all this is only a projection of what has already happened a century ago, Heph can you teleport us to have a better view of the entire ship and speed up the sinking process a bit?

Hephaestus-yes Mama whatever you say.

Soon everyone is teleported off the deck and standing on the water aways enough to see the ship as it begins to sink, everyone watches as the bow sinks lower and lower into the sea until the water begins climbing onto the deck of the ship.

MC-this is being sped up, as it originally took two and a half hours for the ship to sink.

The well deck and front of the bow now fully submerge below the surface with a noticeable slight list to port, everyone sees lifeboats being lowered one after another while signal flares are shot into the blackened sky the water then reaches up to the bridge.

MC-Heph normal speed please.

Hephaestus-r-right Mama.

The ship sinks much slower now as MC begins pulling up monitors of the lavish interiors everyone saw earlier now either flooded or flooding with ocean water, MC soon gives another fun fact to everyone.

MC-just to let you all know the sea water flooding the ship is -2 degrees Celsius, that's 28 degrees Fahrenheit, help will arrive 3 hours from now, but she is now entering her final moments.

Makara-you serious?! That's way to cold for me.

Aegir-y-yes, I agree even I would dare not swim in such frigid conditions.

Everyone sees the water now starting to make its way up to the boat deck and see the lavish staircase on the monitor flood with people trying to escape the cold water pouring in, while this happens they hear a melody coming from the now doomed vessel.

Claude-what is this music we hear , it sounds...saddening

Snow-agreed, it sounds like...a funeral march.

MC-it's the white star's musicians, they were told to play music to try and calm the passengers...but now they're playing their swan song it is called "nearer my god to thee".

Everyone watches with sullen and sad looks on their faces as the bridge is pulled under and the staircase floods more and more before seeing the funnel above the bridge collapse, the staircase windows are busted in as the uneven pressure presses in and shatters them, the staircase fills with more water, beginning to drown the elegantly carved clock, then to everyone's horror the glass dome overhead shatters, a torrent of water raining down upon those still inside as the staircase finally goes under, the 2nd funnel soon collapses into the sea, everyone can hear the people yelling and screaming and the ship groaning and straining where they stand as they watch the stern rising higher out of the water, everyone notices the lights beginning to fluctuate in brightness and flickering, before long the lights flicker off completely, and to everyone's horror they hear a low groaning noise slowly build before seeing the ship split in two between the second and third funnel.

Ded-oh my goodness!

Snow-truly awful!

Claude-such devastation!

Moritaka-this is most dreadful!, I haven't the words

Kengo-wow this...is really bad.

Ryota-all those poor people.

Ophion-truly an appropriate death for a Titan.

Everyone stares on as the stern sinks back and finally disappears into the dark abyss, leaving those in the water struggling to survive the frigid temperatures yelling for help and clamoring onto floating wreckage, after a few minutes the screams begin to fade more and more before silence finally falls.

Jacob-why has it gotten so quiet? I can no longer hear any voices.

Aegir-I know why...though I wish that I didn't.

MC-hypothermia, the people who jumped from the ship would have succumbed to it sooner then those who stayed on to the end, it seems 15 minutes have passed since Titanic sank to the bottom, out of her 2,200 passengers, 1,500 were lost while only 705 were saved.

Ryota-that's so sad.

Mononobe-yes Ryota, truly a great loss of life.

The sun begins to rise showing many icebergs in the vicinity of the lifeboats, and in the distance a small ship with 1 red and black striped funnel now picking up the drifting lifeboats, the name "Carpathia" decorating the bow.

Shiro-Carpathia?

MC-Carpathia is of the Cunard line, a rival company to the Titanic's owner White star line, she was the only ship that responded to Titanic's .S.O.S transmission it took her 4 hours to get to her location though as all of you saw she was too late.

VR voice-simulation terminated, loading new simulation

MC-let me show you the interesting way the ship hit the bottom of the ocean, me and Hephaestus worked for weeks setting up everything for you to see it.

Everyone-sure.

The simulation begins and shows the ship splitting in two and the bow separating from the stern before heading towards the bottom before the mast falls destroying the bridge in the process before slowing in it's descent a column of bubbles following it to the bottom, soon the bow hits the bottom, the impact blowing off the forward cargo hatch and sending it flying several feet in front of the bow, the front half bends forward as the rest aft of the well deck settles a column of water soon pushes down on the ship collapsing the sections near the breakup area.

Shiro-it's incredible!

Triton-ya got that right, the ocean is both beautiful and powerful.

MC-you ain't seen nothing yet.

the simulation goes back to the ship splitting but this time it follows the stern as it sinks beneath the waves, the stern sinks backwards before the hydrodynamic forces begin ripping it apart like confetti, interiors flying in every direction, the docking bridge is ripped away before the poop deck is peeled back like a sardine can, the stern then rights itself as it begins to spiral propeller's first, large chunks being ripped away, the cargo cranes thrown off, the mast spinning in a circle, the stern soon hits the bottom with a muffled thud as some of it's decks pancake in on themselves, and the mast collapsing to the portside deck, debris torn off on the way down soon settling around the stern.

Arsalan-truly a sad end to a fine vessel.

Triton-such power and devastation, another reason why I respect the ocean.

Hombre Tigre-that was...horrible to see senior.

Surtr-even the giants of my homeland could not cause such destruction.

MC-you guys think that's bad, the ship was still brand new she sank 4 days into her maiden voyage, the date April 14/15th 1912.

Everyone-HUH?!

MC-yep and she sank over 12,000 feet to the bottom of the north Atlantic ocean.

Makara-that's way to deep for anyone to go!, especially me!

Ryota-so it wasn't even a year old yet that's a bit unfair!

MC-wait till you guys see the other ship's me and Hephaestus worked on.

MC then presses a button on their phone before a new simulation begins.

[chocolatepot]

I think the issue here is that it's not that "queer women in fandom have NEVER found one they like". It's that queer women in fandom may like them, they just don't hyperfixate on them or want to write fic/draw fanart about them, which is what OTNF is saying - it's really uncommon for any piece of fiction to garner that kind of response. And what people are complaining about is the conflation of "enjoying show" with "getting fannish about show". I don't mean this in an accusatory way, but why aren't you overtly fannish about the shows and movie you list? Are there different reasons that each one doesn't resonate with you to such an extent that you're going to write 50 fics about it? Yellowjackets is incredible, but I don't want to write about it, and I wouldn't want to write about it even if the characters were male - I'm not writing fic about The Terror, either. (Though people are writing Yellowjackets fic. There's about 3k fics, which puts it in the top 1% of fandoms on AO3, because as OTNF notes, very few fandoms are actually really big.)

My own dash is very stable: wall-to-wall OFMD and Good Omens, some MXTX books, a dash of Sherlock from a couple of people and a sprinkle of Queen's Thief. (Also kdrama gifsets I scroll past.) These are fandoms that people have been invested in for years, not flashes in the pan. Occasionally I see gifs for a new movie/show that I check out as a result. I know that Migratory Slash Fandom is/was a thing, but it is not the be-all, end-all of fandom, and I think a lot of the conflict over this topic comes from the fact that there's a multitude of subgroups who are clustered under "queer AFABs and trans women whose main ships are m/m" and who don't all like the same things or have the same priorities and can't be generalized. Sure, it's not about my individual experience, but at the same time, I'm still a part of this group that gets sneered at as misogynist and so my experience is relevant. I like a) canon queer ships that b) are the central pole of their stories but c) also have other plots going on. (There are some other factors going on with OFMD and Good Omens but this is enough for right now. Suffice to say there's a reason I genderbend so much.) I'm not that into anything that just has "plausible subtext" or where the queer ship I'm supposed to care about is very sidelined from the plot, even if I might acknowledge the show's quality or enjoy watching it - I have never been a part of MSF, and given the number of "I've never felt this way about a show before"s I'm seeing from fellow OFMD/GO fans, I don't think that's uncommon.

I also see a relatively constant, though small, amount of Locked Tomb Trilogy(?) art and meta, and I know it's just the tip of the iceberg because there are a lot of people who are hyperfixated/brain-go-brrr about it. And that's in large part because Gideon and Harrow are complete opposites who are SO intense about each other - the traits that typically make people get fannish about m/m ships! There's 5.6k of fic on AO3 for it, and probably would be more if it weren't for certain story-related things.

(And I get what you mean about Maggie and Nina in Good Omens, but ... they are minor, single season characters who are human coffee-shop AU foils of the leads, who are ancient beings that have been in love without being able to acknowledge it for 6000 years.)

Part of the problem OTNF is talking about is that the earlier post with the stats showed that fandom favors m/m over f/f, but actually favors m/f over both. More fics are written that include women than exclude them. And this still gets turned into "fandom hates women". If the issue is that fandom doesn't write enough women, period, then that's one discussion (which I think requires a preliminary discussion of what "enough" would mean in the circumstances), but if it's about the lack of f/f, then there's no reason not to also bring up the subconscious bias of all the straight hetshippers ... and people do not. It's specifically queer women who read and write m/m who get framed as a problem, which unfortunately does line up with certain other TERF factors, so I'm not surprised that the people who are reblogging the stats post to say that fandom hates women are turning out to be TERFy.

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/746553097204203521/the-fandom-hates-women-response-to-lack-of-ff

The "fandom hates women" part of it comes from the fact that fandom as an entity just doesn't watch the kind of media that draws femslash, even if it ticks all of the boxes of things those very same people say they like. There are so many times I've watched a show that I've seen mega-popular Tumblr posts wishing existed, and then the fandom is so, so small comparatively and often in general. There have been superheroes, vampire/supernatural shows, fantasy shows, movies, books, the list goes on, that feel like they were generated out of Tumblr's desires for ideal fandom media, and everyone knows they're never going to attract anywhere near the same attention for fandom and fanworks because the common denominator just tends to be that if there isn't a full ensemble of attractive men to ship either with each other or with the women, fandom's not interested.

So it's not about prioritizing women in that sense, it's about people witnessing hypocrisy over and over again the second a show doesn't have a mostly-male ensemble. The people who are in these fandoms are frustrated that good faith attempts to get people interested are met with every excuse in the book that all eventually boils down to "I don't like watching stuff with women in it as much as I like watching stuff with men in it." And if that's how people feel about it... sometimes the conclusions are going to turn into the more uncharitable take of "fandom hates women."

--

Maybe, but whenever I see a "fandom hates women" reblog of my stuff, one or two reblogs further down the chain I get an overt TERF. I just had to go block several people today, in fact.

The first person to reblog with a comment like that is usually subtle, but their friends and friends of friends are not. The rhetoric that very quickly starts is the fandom equivalent of that "All the butches are becoming trans men! We're losing lesbians!" stuff.

Here's the thing: I've been in ten billion fandoms that were so awesome and fit fandom's supposed tastes to a T and yet no amount of promoting them could get anyone to try the canon. This goes for canons that are all men or all white men or all majority ethnicity men or whatever else.

The default state of media is to not engender a big fic fandom.

I agree that the rare outliers mostly follow certain patterns, but we extrapolate too far when we say that a lack of those patterns is why a fandom is small.

A fandom is small because that's the near-universal default.

--

Yes, a small slice of fandom consists of guilt-ridden queer fujoshi who say they want more f/f but don't make much of a move to make that happen. I tend to run into that a lot because of my own tastes and having friends who share those tastes.

Far more of fandom is people talking generally about how representation matters without saying they would personally join these fandoms if they existed.

Neither group is large enough to be the real reason some woman-heavy canon fails to take off to HP levels.

The real reason is not hypocrisy but the fact that most things don't take off like that. Most things without massive, massive audiences especially don't take off like that. And the very few things that do are flukes and don't actually predict that another similar thing will take off in the future.

--

Go to AO3's tag search. Search for all canonical fandom tags. Sort by uses and descending order.

Right now, I get 64,390 tags.

The first page, 50 tags, goes from HP with 497,845 works to the Thor movies with 59,266 works. By page 6, we're below 10 thousand works.

By the end of page 10, we're down to Labyrinth with 3,906.

Somewhere in the top 500 AO3 fandom tags (many of which are just franchise metatags for each other), we go all the way from megafandoms to medium size and down to relatively modest ones.

That's not a lot of room for a big f/f-heavy fandom given the trends in mainstream media and that mainstream media is where most really big fandoms come from.

--

I also notice that you're conflating a lack of desire to watch something that's primarily about women with a lack of desire to watch something that includes women.

There are tons of fans who want something more like The Mummy with a leading man and leading woman they love.

Granted, that's not me and that's not a lot of my fujoshi/slasher audience, but it's extraordinarily common. I know plenty of people who don't like canons that are only dudes, but since they also don't like canons that are only ladies and they don't ship f/f, this gets spun into "fandom hates women".

--

Let me be clear:

Conflating "lesbians" and "women" is a radfem position.

[srebrnastal]

Don't get me wrong, shipping Jimmy and Curly is a no-no for me, so maybe I shouldn't comment on it, but the fact that shippers didn't call them or tag them as “cummy” disappoints me quite a bit.

(I don't want any proship/antiship wars under this post, be chill folks, I don't want to wake up in the morning with 99+ messages on tumblr dot com LMAO)

[erinlindsayy]

thinking about it... erin & jay left in similar(ish) ways but people only saw jay's departure as horrible and rushed. it's just frustrating to see because it's been made very clear by these stans that they can't separate their petty feelings towards sophia from the show. i agree that tracy does get unnecessary hate (and i don't condone it) but stans are constantly invalidating sophia too. idk... missing erin but i also understand why sophia has moved on.

ok so I have many thoughts and I am just putting them under a cut in case anyone cares to read

Erin & Jay did both leave in ways that felt rushed. Erin's entire exit storyline felt like it came out of left field, and she was finally making progress..., but then Jay just leaves because suddenly he's got a random ex wife?? And PTSD that had never really been explored--and a girlfriend who was willing to help him work through it? But no, it was ERIN who left Jay? Jay essentially broke up with her when he left, so of course that whole departure was bound to be a mess. The writers completely fumbled her exit, and it was extremely out of character for both HER and for Jay.

And then!! THEN!!! Jay goes and leaves Hailey without talking to her first--and this time, it's worse, because he's actively married to her (and remembered this wife--which, also--did he ever divorce Abby? he must have if he was able to marry hailey, but that storyline went literally nowhere which is infuriating)

But no! Jay isn't horrible! It's not him--it's the writers, it's the storyline that is flawed, not the character! Erin is still public enemy no. 1, the big bad, the selfish and manipulative bitch from apartment 407 (or whatever her apartment number is lol). She left Jay! She's so evil! Her exit was written perfectly, and nooooooo not rushed or fumbled at all!

NO. JAY LITERALLY LEFT HER!! HE DECIDED THAT HE DIDN'T WANT TO LET HER IN, AND OPTED TO LEAVE HER WHEN SHE OFFERED TO HELP HIM, TO SUPPORT HIM HOW HE DID FOR HER, AND HE REJECTED HER.

Tracy does get hate, but the same people who defend her turn around and attack everyone else when they don't align with what they like/want/think. It's hypocritical. No one deserves that kind of hate. And also??? They're real people with real lives who don't even know we exist. And quite frankly, I don't care. I think the work they do is nice, and I like their activism and that they promote various things, but they're just people at the end of the day, and I'm not going to go out of my way to praise/harass someone when they're...,, just normal people (who happen to be known by a lot more people and have a lot more money, lol)

do I want erin back as a character? Yeah. I think she's got depth, and I think that we were finally getting to see her deal with more beyond her stupid mother, but then it all just got... ruined. But the fact that upstead shippers (and other people, not just specifically upstead stans/upton/halstead etc) keep saying toxic things about

A. her (sophia bush)

B. erin as a character

C. the people who: like linstead, erin, or sophia

is just frustrating. Me, as an individual, liking erin as a character, and liking linstead, doesn't take anything away from you or your life. Stop sending hate to people--actors and fans--because their likes and dislikes don't align with your own. Ship who you want! Like who you want! I love Hailey, and I love Erin! Awesome!

someone straight up called me delusional in my inbox once bc I really like linstead. And that's only scratching the tip of the iceberg as to the downright rude and offensive asks/messages/comments I've gotten about the characters I like and things I write. how is that acceptable?

anyways lots of rambling but oh well haha

[corvidaenightcrawler]

Starting a new post thread for Thalasso because it's tedious to scroll all the way down on the last one. This one is surprising short, like half of the first one, just as a little taste for what's to come. Just a snipbit. To keep you wondering and to keep the next chapter short. Enjoy?? I'm still not very confident in my writing at ALL like,,, there are still obvious flaws and even though I had much better hours to write today I was so spacey while writing. I'm getting better though. I just need to write more often and consistently. @dreamcatcher-ranger @gojoshugsquad @dachshund-games @outer-space-face

"No. 310?" No. 3 calls to me, brushing aside the black curtain. I wring my hands, the knickknacks in my pockets feeling just a little heavier than usual. I turn to the box.

"Yes, No. 3?" I don't lean as close as I usually would. I see their shadow tilt back, head lifted smugly.

"Say, you didn't see anything... Odd outside the shell yesterday morning, did you?" Their rough voice turns singsong.

"No, I did not. I didn't look at the sky at all, it's not really my jurisdiction to be up there." I lie through my teeth. I had in fact snuck to the outside of the shell in the early hours, during the small sliver of free time I had. I had dawned a gas mask and even stepped out on top of the shell ceiling, peering at the sun through the toxic brown smog. Bright red flashing lights overpowered the light of the sun like the bloody eyes of a god in the sky. The message was clear.

Argyle.

"Are you certain?"

"Of course."

"Well... Alright then. Be that way." Their voice boils into a hiss.

"I am being entirely honest with you, No. 3."

"That right?"

"Yes, yes!"

"Hmmm..." They flick their disgusting decayed tongue, flecks of vantablack saliva hitting the sheer curtain.

"I'll believe you. You are dismissed, return in two hours or so. Understood?"

"... Yes, No. 3." I choke on a sudden rush of violent animosity that makes my face feel white hot. I want to take my scissors from my sleeve and shove them right down their poison throat.

"Get out of my sight."

'Gladly' I think, nearly saying it aloud.

"Yes, No. 3." The second I am out of the Great Hall, my shoulders roll back. I can't anymore. I'm going to find that Argyle. I can already hear the Titans conversing with that awful creature we call our Single Digit. The bastard. I skip my room and go straight down the hall, my shoes loud against the smooth floor as I walk faster and faster. My jaw locks in place, the bones in my knuckles tense to white. No more of this. No more. No more.

I avoid the Caterpillar tram and take a sharp left into the storage room, shivering upon walking into the wall of frozen air. The songs of the ever-shifting icebergs below fill my ears.

From within the rickety ceiling of the small room, my Umbrapede wraps around the rafters and looks at me with those little violet eyes as I scramble through oddities and relics, searching for the device. My hands hit cold metal and I fumble with the odd contraption in my hands. I load it, priming it for use. This should do.

The creatures of Gaia sure had some strange motives when they made this. But, for my purposes? It's just perfect.

I extend my hand, the Umbrapede landing upon my shoulders. Wordlessly, I approach the chute. They lead right to the cargo pods. I scan the little buttons and levers until I find Argyle's spot in line. I flick the switch and a large square in the wall bursts open. I quickly stuff every pocket with supplement flasks, edible plants, and flares before approaching the square opening.

It's finally time. After all I— no— we've been through. It's all built up to this.

————————[POV CHANGE]

The burden of yesterday pounds inside my skull, now that I've awoken, drained and sweating on the hot ship floor. I had the most wonderful dream...

In said dream, I had woken up lying in a field of soft yellow grass that tickled my fingertips. The sun was setting somewhere. I had laid there for a while before I decided to sit up, seeing a silhouette against the sun in the distance. I approached. The sound of my feet brushing the grass with each step was heaven.

I don't know how I ever recalled what grass looked like from the images shown to us as we are born.

The stock-still figure was Mistrum Calanthe, gazing out over a cliff edge at the blazing sun's warped reflection on a calm orange sea. Their hands were folded behind their back, fingers tracing the spool of golden thread, catching ultramarine sparks like blazing fireflies.

"Hi?"

"Hello..." Their antennae rustled in the calm breeze, the vague impression of a smile upon their lips. They didn't look at me, but their squared shoulders relaxed when I stood by their side.

"... Beautiful, isn't it?" Their voice caught on the wind, so faint, so breathless. I watched the light dance on the wave, ebbing and flowing with the tide as it struck, foamy white against the rocks.

"It really is."

"Do you remember this place, friend?"

Although now I only recognize it as an unfamiliar, alien landscape, at the time it was crystal clear in memories I don't have.

"Yes."

"Hmm. You know, most beings that end up here often forget their past, or try to. Some die first and never end up here." Their gaze shifted to the grey clouds forming in the sky.

"What do you mean?"

"Well... I think it's best if you learn that yourself." White shapes circled wistfully in the sky and caught the setting sun's rays on pearlescent wings.

"How?"

"It's not my job to tell you. But I can give you hints. This place will never be. It once was great, now fallen. Ruined. Maybe one day you— yes, you, Argyle— will bring it back to what I used to be. But it will never be the same. Some part of you was here before. Some primal fraction of your Light. I have yet to find mine. Maybe you'll have better luck."

"I understand."

"Good."

A long silence drew between us. Their breathing was slow and collected. At the very same millisecond, our antennae rippled. The air was electric with water, we could feel it in the air. A gentle, cool drizzle sprinkled down on my sore skin. I looked back go Mistrum Calanthe, they finally turned to face me, sunlight forming a crown of stars above their head and in their hollow white eyes.

"Don't ever forget me." Their cobalt lips parted to display their rows of little sharp teeth.

Then I woke up.

I stand on shaky legs and drag myself up, digging my claws into the wood of the table to hoist myself on my numb, tingling feet. I walk with gelatin legs, checking the time and nearly caving in on myself when I realize that the first task of the day is mere minutes from now. I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the one spot on the wall that hasn't rusted over into a gritty brown, the place on the doorframe where my palm has worn down the metal. My eye sockets look hollow and dark, my eyes simply like glowing balls of fire set deep in circles of outer space. I look awful.

I struggle to stand upright for several minutes, dozing in and out of consciousness until the screen jettisons from the wall.

The sight I am faced with is enough to wake me right up in seconds, adrenaline coursing through my veins.

This is easily the most of No. 3 I've ever seen at once. Their entire hunched upper body, antennae, and most of their face are visible. Their gnarled, blackened hands cover their pale face. The hands part a little to expose their revolting mouth of rotten teeth. They drool something dark and slimy.

"No. 999." The rage riding the edge of their voice is on the very precipice of the insidious growl of a predator.

"We have received beacon signals from your location. What have you done this time?" Huh? This time? It's the first time I've used the damn thing.

"O-oh, nothing at all. It was a technical malfunction, that's all." I stutter, unsure if somehow they can hear my reply through the screen. Apparently, they can.

"Ridiculous. Am I supposed to believe that?" Their hands shift again, covering their mouth but instead revealing one wide, sunken eye that rolls back into their skull and leaks a thin black fluid that flows in little rivers down their fingers and bone-thin arms like spilled ink.

"I didn't do it, honest, it just activated while I was repairing the electricals! A minor maintenance error on my part, that's all."

"Address me when you speak to me."

"I—" I swallow venom. "I'm sorry, No. 3. It won't happen again."

"You're right. It won't. Because if you do, you won't be able to make one ever again. Lights out." They tilt their head down and recover their face, gills on their neck oozing. A strange shape becomes known on camera, a white ring of ornate ivory driven into the top of their skull with sharp pegs, framing their head like a bloody halo that pins their long antennae down.

"You will continue with your duties. One more error and we come to deliver your replacement. The thin ice beneath you is cracking, No. 999. You won't leave to see another, just like the rest of them, if you pull anything."

"Understood, No. 3."

"Excellent." In the red light seeping through the black box, they look like a devil. Black muck absolutely pours from between their bony digits.

"Act accordingly." The feed cuts.

Enough, enough! If Mistrum Calanthe does not come for me, I'll either flee the moon or cast myself into the midnight sea. I can't tell whether I'd prefer the former or latter. I'm sick of this malignant evil. Now without trepidation, I dissect the part of my psyche that bears any semblance of reprehension at the thought of defying my orders. The vivisected corpse of guilt is hung dead in the halls of my brain for all to see. My Light pulses with such blind fury that I can see the glow through both of my shirts.

Completely deaf to my surroundings in a stupor of cacoethes, I rip a pipe from the wall that springs a needlepoint leak in the hull of my ship. I rub my hands across the surface of the weathered red pipe until my palms are raw. Angry tears flow from my eyes and hit the floor loud like rain. I can't help but smash some equipment. Not one instrument goes unbashed but a musical one, the only provided tool that has never been an adversary. The watercolor blur takes over my vision with such ferocity that the only reason I know that a cargo pod has slammed against the hatch is because the counterbalance throws me off my feet. I drop the pipe. The sound it makes when it hits the metal floor is an assault on my sensitive ears.

Nervousness finds my Light like sleep after a day of living hell, I pant roughly and heavily with every raw gill, I taste Light in my mouth as I bite down on my lips. I try my best to calm the ravenous anger that's flooding my ears and making me feel like I'm being crushed under waves.

I creep toward the hatch and press an ear against it, hearing nothing of concern.

Expecting the worst, ready to face the maw of potential demise, I open the hatch. The shiny silver Homeworld pod looks empty, devoid of any material.

From above, a bluish hand attached to a reddish brown suit jacket shoots from the hatch door like a universal dagger through the fragile fabric of reality. It takes me by the shirt and yanks me directly into the pod, nearly causing me to bruise my shins against the lip of the hatch door.

Four hands land on my upper arms and draw me in. There. There's that soft blue face.

"Hello, friend."

[charkyzombicorn]

EEEEEEEEE OKAY SO I WANNA TRY TO JUSTIFY LUCCI BEING SILLY AND THIS MIGHT JUST END UP AN ANALYSIS BUT MEH--

Lucci's very clinical, yeah? He follows orders and he will do anything and everything to achieve the final goal given to him. He mentioned that he joined the military so he could legally kill, but that on its own makes no sense because what's the point of legality when pirates kill eathother all the time without being regulated by a government? He's certainly not the cowardly type, so why would he be afraid of the government? There could be 3 plausible options I can think of:

1) Lucci has some reason to have been terrified of the government being after him as a child (maybe something to do with his parentage?)

2) Lucci was hunting 1 or more specific people and needed the network the military has to find these people

3) Lucci killed someone and was driven away from his home for it, so joining the marines was his only option to get off his island

And Of Those Three, I like the third the most, so I'm gonna flesh it out more. He was in a pretty standard nuclear family when he was 8, mom, dad, pet immortal pigeon, yk. But one of his parents beat the other halfway to death, so Lucci beat the attacker all the way to death. But the other parent loved their abusive spouse more than they loved Lucci, so they said that Lucci attacked unprompted, attacked both of them, and the town wasn't large, so they didn't have a prison and they just cast him out to starve in the woods or smth. But Lucci stumbled on visiting marines and said he wanted to enlist, so the men let him on their ship and ended up abusing him while he was there - burning the world government's symbol into his back. He still enlisted when the ship landed, not saying a word about it to anyone but beating the absolute dogcrap out of everyone from the ship as soon as he was strong and trained enough to. He was rewarded for the sociopathic tendancies he got with cptsd which only made them more provailent.

Anyways, the point is by the time Lucci was an adult, he accepted that him and the government were necessary evils - like how he was a necessary evil to his parents, like how the marines he sailed with were necessary evils for him to face to get stronger, blah blah blah, real toxic mindset.

But then he's given Rose to train. She's aggressive, and disobedient, and eight years old. He's cold and demanding, the same way his first superior officer was, the same way his parents weren't. She responds to it the same way he did when he was her age, by pretending she didn't care until the loneliness really set in. Then she was obedient, because she couldn't argue, because Lucci didn't treat her like someone to argue with, he treated her like a military dog. She grows up looking down with pin straight posture, and Lucci notices she doesn't have ideas anymore, not any that she shared. She didn't steal pieces of wood to carve and hide, or small pieces of machinery to take apart and put back together again. She was a perfect soldier, a perfect necessary evil.

But she wasn't evil like him. She wasn't supposed to be - she wouldn't bludgeon her own parent to death, she couldn't turn an entire island against her. She wasn't evil, she was supposed to be the one benefitting from him being a necessary evil, not following in his footsteps.

She was supposed to be better than him, better than he had to be.

So when he noticed her packing things away - tiny things, extra rations going missing, an old med kit, all hidden on an old ship that no one would miss except maybe Iceberg - he said nothing. Did nothing. Wished that when she left he would never get to see her again because he didnt want to lose the only life left for someone like him but he would also never give Rose to his superiors.

Rob lucci to Rosie

Literally exactly what he does to shut her up.

And because that’s how Lucci always treats her, no one bats an eye. There is good reason that Rosè is utterly terrified of that man, even after the time skip

Also @charkyzombicorn since this is your Selkie au

[abortionado]

The way y'all see Hotchreid is so wild to me I always forget people can have wildly different views on ships/characters. When I think abt them I'm just like, ah yes, soft babies.

It’s always interesting to see what totally different things people take away from canon!! I feel like the stuff that’s actually in the show is like the tip of the iceberg and then we all have an entire other world that we build on assumptions and ideas beneath that. For example did you know some people think JJ is straight