#IM GLAD MY SHIP IS GROWING :D

[cherrysmokesaconha]

oh lord it's happening

i am infecting the ew fandom with 2trenchcoat i am converting ppl into liking the ship oh my god PLEASE HELP

[blacklegsanjiii]

Aahh your addition to actually girl sanji was amazing ✨ thank you

Its so funny to have them realising all the way to WCI/Wano, theyre all so silly. ALSO CHOPPER- He's new to the crew and giving them all a check up to get up to date with their physicals and he's all like 'dont worry Sanji your secret is save with me!! I wont tell anybody!!' And sanji thinks he's actually talking about the nr 3 burnmark (hc of mine that judge labeled all his children) so she's very thankful to him

Omg and the ship options... To many possibilities to choose from... Luffy going 'HES NOT A PRETTY BUT SHES A PRETTY GIRL?!!' Literally no fucks given nothing changes but he looveess the clothes and makeup nami gives sanji to wear (the liploss tastes like fruit and the dress fabric is so softt!!!)

Or sanami... Nami feeling attracted to sanji even though she's a lesbian and heaving a sexuality crisis cause is she bisexual??? But no she's still a major lesbian (or even funnier no attraction until its 'stupid guy -> stupid girl??!!!'

Honestly east blue poly would be funny as hell, so many possibilities

Also (sorry im rambling) SHES ZEFFS LITTLE GIRL 💥💥when she left with luffy, zeff 100% threatened the shit out of him (he also did this in canon but with his mind UvU) idk i fucking adore zeff and sanji protective of each other

And lastly??? All the regulars knowing??? Amazing, show stopping, ground breaking. Theyre coming to the baratie not seeing the cute waitress and when asked the staff says she has become a pirate cook of the strawhats

But whenever there's news its always talking about a guy and the wanted pictures are not so helpfull... So many possibility...

Have a nice day! Hope you had/have fun at your con :D

I'm so glad you enjoyed them! Fem!Sanji is fun to write, especially when no one knows she's a girl because how can you not know? She is Zeff's little girl! The dumb brat he gave up a leg for on a rock! She is his pride and joy, and everyone knows this!! Also, I love the idea of the burn mark and the confusion therein for Sanji because Chopper thinks she's trans masc when she's not, she's just waiting for her mom's genes to kick in more. Also the shipping, I agree with East Blue Polycule because you can fit all that in together in one go and no one is going ask questions. But I'm getting ahead of myself and skipping to the regulars first so that I can get some funny scenarios out of my head first.

First, Mihawk has watched this girl grow up and probably saw the fall out after shortly after Zeff butchered her hair. When he asked about it, he gave Zeff the most unimpressed look Zeff has ever received because good fuck he could have just braided it until they got into town? That's all he says about that because Sanji is still upset her hair is gone. Then some years later he's calling Zeff and asking when Sanji changed her gender and Zeff is confused because she hasn't but anyone and everyone are calling her a boy, even that crew she set off with. Mihawk is staring out of his office with the denden with an empty gaze as the greenhaired moron he almost slaughtered on the deck of Baratie is in his castle with one of his fellow warlords first mates and he's having a time but at least that hasn't changed.

Buggy is also probably really confused about 'Black Leg Sanji' and "his feats" and when Garp is arresting him they're debating whether or not Sanji would be a good marine until Garp calls her a boy and Buggy corrects him. Garp is staring down at the clown who looks back and is like 'wait, wait. Zeff's called her "princess" and you never questioned why he would call his son that?' to Garp's non-committal shrug of 'He's Zeff.' which, okay yeah, sure. It's Zeff but Zeff never used it in a derogatory manor. Sanji is quite literally his princess. She is the princess of the Baratie that Buggy used to do card tricks for because Zeff had no idea what the hell to do with kids.

Now onto the hilarity because East Blue Poly would be exceptionally hilarious. They all start dating and Sanji thinks Nami is going through a sexuality crisis because she's a girl where as Nami thinks Sanji's a boy and it's never cleared up. Sanji looks particularly butch because it made her life easier at Baratie, and she doesn't want to ruin dresses and skirts and blouses with cooking or blood. She also just never really wore make up unless Baratie was closed for some celebration or something, when she had a reason to doll up because she was so busy. Also she wakes up and goes to bed before and after everyone else so no one catches she's a girl. I think the hilarious exception of Ace clocking it in Alabasta and telling Luffy he's got the prettiest girl and the best cook wrapped in one is an amazing thing and Luffy goes with it but still asks why Ace called Sanji a girl and Ace is confused now. They never clear it up.

When Sanji is training and everyone is talking about forcing her into dresses Sanji is like 'I don't need to be forced, I love dresses! I just don't like ruining them with blood.' and coming back to Sabaody with a few dresses, skirts, blouses, more fem clothing and everyone is like 'you don't have to wear those if they make you uncomfortable' is sending some weird messages to her so she just doesn't wear them still. For the wrong reasons and everyone is confused. Like WCI when Sanji's in her wedding dress and fighting and mourning the blood on the dress and Luffy and Nami are asking her why she's in one because she doesn't wear that stuff and Sanji says she thought they didn't like them on her and the very quick explanation of 'we thought you were a boy!' is Sanji going 'How?' as Nami complains she had a sexuality crisis for nothing until Luffy asks about him, Zoro, and Usopp; Nami concedes that the crisis wasn't for nothing then.

Nami makes sure she's in a kimono like she and Robin are as an apology because they didn't realize that Sanji was a girl and was just dressing for convenience, she's not a boy and was a princess and she is loved.

Also my con was lovely but I'm so glad it's over.

[ghouldtime]

Yay!! I havent done one in like...a decade but here goes. I'm a female, late 20s 5ft0 and I'm a day care teacher. I teach the older one year olds. I'm american, I have long wavy dirty blonde hair and I'm on the curvier side of life. I'm very feminine. Not coquette feminine but like..sweaters, nails done, skin care on lock etc. I like to cook and bake and I keep a clean home. I'm very honest, but I'm not a blunt person. Patient, nurturing, I like to think I'm kind. I have anxiety, ocd and ADHD, I'm medicated for them tho. People say i have no backbone, people tend to take advantage of me but im working on boundaries. I love animals, kids, the occasional video game and nature. I like to be manhandled a bit in the bed room, oops. I'm definitely more of a "trad wife" even though I hate that term. I like honesty, masculinity of a nontoxic variety, and traditional traits I guess. Strength, provider, leader etc. I look for singing who can kind of guide me, keep me grounded. More responsible, not afraid to say no, will gladly take the lead and speak for me at public places. Order my food and make my phone calls for me lollol. I have a high sex drive, not sure if that would matter.

Thank you so much, this will be interesting. I feel like such a loser kid again lollol. 28 and married sending in a match up for a fictional character but this is fun!!

Hey there anon! Great to see you again, I hope I'm going to do this right and get you justice :D you sound like an absolute lovely person and I'm glad you dropped by 💚

I ship you with...

Sergeant Kyle "Gaz" Garrick

⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

Kyle is a character that many often overlook or underappreciate! He's a very interesting, complex character who shows a significant amount of growth in the series. He's the Captain's protege for a reason. Loyal to the core, he isn't one to stray from the ones he cares about for even a second. Distance and time and others can separate you from him but that won't let him feel any lesser.

A strong moral compass serves as his guide - he doesn't just want to keep the peace, he doesn't just want to do his job, he wants justice in every sense of the word - even if it goes against the books. He isn't one to sit back and do what he's told alone, he'll question the moment he has any doubts. The rules for him are a guide, and he's going to question them whenever they're going against the people he sees and what he feels. And the second he has a single inkling that something being done is wrong, unjust, unfair - he's speaking his mind.

While generally kind hearted and easy going, his temper is a flare ready to be lit by those uncautious and brash. Usually its due to others telling him things that goes against his sensibility, empathy, and internal guide urging him to do right and to help as many others as possible. He's easily frustrated, especially with the system he works for, and wants to do right in the world but feels limited. He still has much to learn and grow from but he shares a determination and curiosity that always shines through, even if it can be muddled by conflicting internal thoughts and wants at times.

⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

Your honesty and care for others is what first caught his attention

That sort of thing is so lost in the world - especially his world, so seeing it struck a chord within his heart he long since thought was buried

Seeing someone so genuine, so patient, and so true to themselves and what they care about was beyond incredibly refreshing

While he's friendly and usually quite polite externally, he doesn't let others get too close to him because of how many times he's seen others turn and betray one another. Trust isn't something that comes easily to him when it comes to personal relationships but he felt he could trust you, even rather early on

Such kindness wasn't something that could be faked, nor was the ability to foster others' and encourage them as well

Kyle isn't someone who is going to take advantage of that because he's SEEN that all erased time and time again. No, he's going to treasure that

The world lacks so many kind things so he's naturally going to cherish the good in the world that he fights so hard for

He respects the ever loving hell out of it and will do everything in his power to keep it that way because it's no easy feat when the world can be so awful at times

Gaz will ALWAYS speak up when he sees wrong and when he sees people doing wrong, he'll call them out on it. He most certainly would do that if anyone tried to walk all over you or use your kindness to their own advantage/gain

He will still tell things as they are, even if it's someone he cares about. That means he isn't an enabler, he isn't going to let people walk all over him. Not only will he speak up for himself but he will speak up for YOU, or to you

One of the many wonderful things about Kyle is he's adaptable. He knows how to make the best of the situations he's in or he'll sure try. Sometimes he may fumble a bit but each time is a learning experience he always takes to heart. Everything he does is genuine and he always strives for better

If you need him to take the lead? Sure, he's your man. The Captain brings him near everywhere and keeps Gaz near him for a reason. Need him to help? He's also your guy, he can follow orders, he's a soldier. Wouldn't still be if he was piss poor at listening to directions. He'll only contest if he doesn't agree with how its being done or the reasoning

He does feel the most confident though if he has the lead and can make choices to what he feels is best. He'll always take your opinion into account because he does care for you, but you can leave him to do what you need to and rest assured, he'll get it done

He's a natural born provider AND protector. A lot of his character centers around saving others from harm and his loyalty to every individual, that increases tenfold when its those who are actually close to him. He WANTS to help as much as he can, even if he's still learning the nuances

Convinced he's the perfect fit!

⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

Relationship Headcannons

He was the one who approached you and was drawn to you first. He's charming, intuitive, and when he has a goal - he's going for it

Your femininity is something he admires. Being in a world of rough and tumble, it's nice to have someone around who embraces something different so confidently!

Cooking nights are one of his favorite go-to dates. You both can do food prep together. He prefers cooking (it's not as exact as baking and it can leave him to do what he thinks is best and has a lot of wiggle room for creativity and experimentation) so he'll do that and clean up after himself, he'll leave it to you to handle dessert~

He's still helping you fully clean up, btw. Cleaning is something that's been drilled into him and he can't just sit there and LET someone else do all the work, no, he's helping

He also likes going on nice strolls too! It's perfect for enjoying the great outdoors without the pressure of hikes. Going out into a park to have a picnic date is yet another thing he loves. It's low pressure, easy, and doesn't have any obligations except spending time with one another

While he isn't as extroverted and outspoken as some, he still shows his love with little pet names and keeping a hand on the small of your back or fixing your hair if he's just passing. He'll be happy to keep you by his side or laze together doing your own things together

And if you're having a stressful day, he's just a call away - if he can drop what he's doing, he will, and he'll be right on over. His loyalty is unmatched, as is his drive to help you. Though his work can get in the way, he'll still do his best to still send messages when he can

He often memorizes what products you use and will restock them when he knows you're running low or if he's about to be deployed. He's just trying to give you one less thing to think and worry about while he's gone

He also hides notes around them for you to find, just to brighten up your day :)

He's not perfect, he still has a lot to learn and certainly can be too stubborn for his own good, but he will always take things to heart and learn from mistakes to become an even better version of himself

💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

Haven't done one of these before so hope I did it well! And still trying to work on my Gaz characterization to get him 110% down so I hope I did him and you some justice!

[helphelph]

Rating tmf ships but I come up with the wackiest rating systems because im insane

jailey - one if you cant look at the crowd look at me okay out of two princess stickers

Classic. It's not one of my favorites but defienetly in the A category. They have a good buildup and great chemistry. I think nobody would argue against that they're probably going to be endgame and I'm fine with that.

jaisy - is this really how you're gonna leave things out of two childhood friends

They're one of my favorites. Daisy's always there for Jake and Jake is always so kind to her. I wish we could have seen Jake being there for Daisy with her problems as well but Sean slid in there(not really complaining but alas). I really hope we see more progress in their relationship in season 2 although I think season 2 will be focusing more on jailey.

jean - one idk out of where did this come from

I dont find them as appealing as other ships but defienetly not my least favorite either. They're cute. I guess. Not much to say tbh I havent really thought about how a romantic dynamic would be between them.

jander - one hear me out out of hate isn't strong enough of a word

I havent really interacted with the tmf fandom much so idk how ya'll treat non canon ships that arent drake but I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say I like this ship. I also love lander ofc and thats the beauty of multishipping. But yeah I think jander is nice. B tier imo.

jia - 8.5/13

Ahhhhhhhhhhh. The sweet scent of unrequited love. I'm not that much of a big fan of them but I like the angst. Also they look good together lol.

jilly(?) - one slap to the face out of however many jake ships there are

Sorry Jake x Millyshippers, not my cup of tea. I just dont see much appeal to it really. But you do you gang. (No but seriously hwo many Jake ships are there?)

juke - why so serious out of jake's favorite jacket that he got from a thrift store down in blah blah blah...

Nottt for me. Don't have much to say about them. D tier.

drake - endless thoughts of what could have been out of its as if we never were

I'm afraid it was never casual guys. But jokes aside, Drew paralelling the people that canonically have a crush on Jake(or do in subtext) is just so dear to me. Like yesss feedmy delusions. I love the concept of unrequited love on Drew's end and Jake having no idea until it's too late. ("I'm not in love with you anymore." "I didnt know you ever were") They have so much capacity for angst and I love that.

drakailey - boaf? Boaf out of HEAR ME OUTT

Guys hear me out. Can't decide between Drake and Jailey? Have them both. But honestly I really like this ship. It's a fun dynamic to think about what can I say. Also they need more content tmf fandom I am begging you.

Lander - 10/10

I saw an edit of them that was Zander saying how he's "not like Stacy yknow" and Luke was like "Yes, and?" and I think that's beautiful. Their relationship is nicely balanced and healthy. I just wish the fandom would stop making Luke Zander's parent, always telling him to "calm down". They're widely mischaracterised in the fandom which Zander really isn't that hard to mischaracterise so idek how yall do that...

Milliot - how does this work out of one cactus with flowers

Don't get me wrong, I like them. I really liked them when they were first introduced and I am really glad they got a bit more fleshed out in the spin off. I really liked Elliot's character. What confuses me is that I'm usually not a huge fan of the nerd x troublemaker trope. But they work because Milly's not an asshole to other people (Except zoey but she highkey deserves it sooo)

Droey - three sappy nicknames out of fifteen "busy weekends"

I don't. Like this ship. No matter how much I dislike(half true) Drew nobody deserves to get cheated on. Zoey's an immature girl and she really needs to grow up (side eyes the jomies cameo in the spinoff). I know a particular of the fandom likes to make them be in sort of a "lavender relationship" and I'm not really against that I'm just talking about their canon selves.

Dria - we got rejected by jake out of pretty girls walk like this (if somebody understands the references I'm making I'm kissing you)

I meaannnnn... I just don't think Drew would go after his cheating ex's ex best friend. Now that I put it like that it doesn't sound too bad... I'm not opposed to it but I wouldn't really go out of my way to look up content for them.

Zia - 4.7/10

I'm really not sure about this yall. Not a big fan of it though. I guess I could say I'm neutral.

Saisy - three misunderstandings out of one red rose

They're cute, they have chemistry, what can I say? I'm not really a huge fan but im not against it either. I like it. B tier.

henriam - two best friends out of one room

(see what I did there? haha) They're just such a fun ship I dont really have that much to say honestly. They will kiss.

Driam - 8/10

I don't LOVE it but you know what I do love? Ya guessed it! It's the angst potential. Ooh one sided driam... with one sided henriam as well... wowww... yummy

Jenry- two dorks out of one hero academia

Pretty cute. Not my favorite but I do like it. :3 They're just so sillyy.

There are soooo many ships!!! I think I'l make a part 2 for this. This post is getting a bit too long.

[shootingstarrfish]

Curious Lebanese here⭐️

I don't know if you're Arab yourself, but I was really curious about why you went for سدرة (sidra) instead of نجمة (najma)? Is it because Sidra is given as a name more often?

Thought I'd share some fun fact(s) on the word/name too!

Sidra can also mean: constellation - the star shimmering in the sky.

its primary, more reknowned meaning and definition: a (type of) tree that grows in the highest heaven, to the right of god's throne.

And I've got to say that I feel incredibly happy and proud when people choose Arabian names for their children (OCs included, ofc lol) and Arabic vocab/names fanfiction titles!

I won't end my ask without complimeting your MC. They're too cute and I dig their style. But I'm afraid I must refuse the tissues...

hello curious lebanese anon! i am indeed arab as well, which was why i was really set on going with an arabic name :D

but thank you for the question! honestly there isn't a super deep reason, i did actually consider Najma initially cause that was what came to mind first for something star related, but i didn't feel it fit him too well in my head?? i also tossed around Shams (sun) since the sun is also a star and though i ship my mc with other characters as i please, i thought the sun and moon theme would be really cute for him and belphie! but i also didnt think that fit for some reason? but eventually i was gonna suck it up and just go with one of them, but i decided to do a quick search and see if there were any other names, and i came across Sidra and i had one of those "omg this is perfect" moments hahaha

but i really wanted to push myself to give them an arabic name at the very least since not much of them/their design really indicates anything arab, so i really tried to avoid the easy route of picking an english/japanese name and im glad i did! :>

and thank you for the fun facts and the compliments! his ego is probably very overinflated now but he kinda just shrugs at the tissue rejection and considers it your loss

[fraudulent-cheese]

MY THOUGHTS ABOUT EPISODES 5 AND 6 OF SEASON 2 OF TD2023!!!

MAJOR SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT!

I'll get the ships out of the way - WE DIDNT GET RAJBOW DIVORCE!!!! REJOICE!!! Their conflict wasn't solved well, but at least it's solved man! Rajbow is still alive!

Ripaxel is actually really growing on me? The shipping hasn't overridden their personalities which was a MAJOR concern for me. Glad to see Axel still kicking ass and Ripper being actually funny! ALSO THEY BROKE THE COUPLE'S CURSE! Neither of them have even been at risk of being eliminated which is kind of insane because usually the couples in TD have one partner (or both in gidgette's case) be eliminated right after they're established but THEY DIDNT! YIPPEE!

Priyaleb on the other hand... Yeah i don't care for them, sorry! they are the obligatory straights of the season for me, i REALLY don't care now that Caleb might be returning those feelings (i can STILL hold on to my grey-romantic Caleb headcanons >:D ) and i prefered when they weren't returned! Zee's involvement was funny tho, and Priya's pretty enjoyable in episode 5! They're cute but i DONT CARE.

MKULIA IS STILL IN THE GAME! Love how the only thing that bothered Chris was that MK stole his hair dryer XD that is very in character!!! They were fun in episode 5 and hey! They're still doing the alliance bit since they got a duo confessional in episode 6 so im excited to see where they go next!!!

Damien was fun in episode 6. just got nothing to add i don't really care for this man

i LOVE ZEE AAAAAA HE IS SUCH A SILLY LITTLE NOODLE OF A MAN lowkey might be one of my favs now (in canon) they figured out how to make imaginative jokes that have to do with the soda bit! He is such a vibe man

MK's been great too, i like how the cheating had consequences without those consequences being getting kicked off the game!

i'll mention the challenges before going over the eliminations, the iceberg challenge was pretty nice imo, i think Ripper getting involved with the MKulia cheating is fun and him ripping his shirt off is funny tbh. The snowball fight was really fun too!

The obstacle course is fine, the wall with the boots reminded me of Wipeout (which, fun fact, is called Total Wipeout in french) so that was pretty neat

The kayak challenge had a neat twist, loved Axel just punching Ripper off the boat and the confessional right after was pretty funny. Axel and her stupid ass boyfriend, it's great

OK ELIMINATION TIME!!! CANT SAY I DIDNT CALL THEM BUT I TOTALLY DID!!!!

I did say Nichelle might get eliminated since the writters have done nothing with her, but i... don't like what they did at all. The movie deals should've been real and Julia just snuck them on her bed since they were sent to production and they didn't give them to her yet. it just. sucks that all but one elimination while the teams were active were girls, especially Emma's and Nichelle's. Scary Girl is 100% coming back later tho so we'll see!

ALSO. DID I PREDICT EXACTLY HOW BOWIE'D GET ELIMINATED OR DIDNT I? Ok it wasn't exact but i was right on the money in saying Julia would get him eliminated by telling the others about him supporting the cheating. especially since she did it to save MK, im considering that an MKulia win. For once im actually satisfied with an elimination this season! dang!

My predictions are kinda the same - Scary Girl coming back, MKulia being real, Priya being eliminated soon - but i'll add my specific thoughts on who i think will be next in terms of eliminations next monday i think.

DAMN, this post is LONG wow

[rumble-aint-a-rumble-without-me]

WAVING!! I SW THE SHIPS!! PLWAASE!!!! - I'm a Female Virgo (Idk why i included my star sign I'm a huge skeptic) And I'm also straight!! - I'm a sucker for music, especially 50's, 60's, 70's! My god I can yap for hours upn hours about random stories!! - I'm hispanic, and can speak 3 languages!! WOAHHHZAAAAA I speak German, Spanish and obvi, English!! - I have long black hair that is super shaggy, and Dark eyes, that growing up people always said looked black. I also have brown skin, and wear a pretty good amount of eye makeup!! - I LOOVE TALKING!! AND MAKING PEOPLE LAUGH!!! sometimes I'll just say stuff, and people laugh when I didn't even mean to, it was a genuine thought! BUT IDM!!! I'm super extroverted! and looove love making friends!! NO QUIET KID IS SAFE FROM ME, THEY WILL BE MY FRIEND TRUST! - I'm not a fighter, but I have defended my friends and yes, gotten into fights for them, I never throw the first punch, I don't think it's right, and I don't fight for fun. - Also, growing up, I was diiirt poor, food stamps and all, we're in a better situation now, and I'm glad my little sister doesn't have to go through what I did! - OHH AND WHEN IT COMES TO SCHOOL IM THE WORST TRY-HARD - all a's, president of honor society, student council, and i'm in honors orchestra!! - I do have a band!!! ROCK BANDDD WOWOWOW!! I play lead guitar!!! -THATS ITT!!!

Two-Bit Mathews! You both seem really up-beat and peppy and I think your personalities would mesh really well! He loves hearing you talk in other languages and has no problem fighting for you. Your little sisters would be pals too, I think he'd really love to brag about your achievements too! Two likes listening to your band play too :D

[s0lar-ch3ri]

omfg the fnc guy!! welcome to my blog (loved fools gold) and im glad to see we're on the same mental wave of insanity about the fish bitch and the "just-a-guy" bastard so fuck it ill research for making a dnd campaign later rn i must talk GAYLY (spoilers ahead)

i kinda felt like chip would be that "other chosen one" the moment it was mentioned (or jay but chip feels more connected to the destiny) but i do enjoy how in the idea of polar opposites are just the two images in a mirror, chip isnt any sort of special guy, hes just followed footsteps that he believed hed be lost without and in doing so he carved gillion out of the destiny he had been so harshly molded in like how someone may incorrectly put together 2 pieces of clay (if you only smudge the two sides of the clay together or dont do chicken scratching and just use water, you trap in air bubbles that will fucking explode the sculpture. another thing about uncooked clay is if the piece is big enough, you could still put it into the hole made and mold it to fit. am i implying that if it wasnt gill, someone else (maybe even edyn because shes also a tidestrider and still very close to gillion and shes also a triton in the undersea so still a possible target) would have been lied to as a "chosen one"? no, im stating truth because this is a genuine emotional abuse tactic, making one believe theyre special and the only one so they do what you say. :D).

gillion wasnt meant to be his own person, chip didnt know how to be his own person. while gill learns from chip and jay how to stop being a tool for others selfish needs, gill and jay cant exactly teach chip how to realize that his want to be like the black rose pirates or his want to be like arlin shouldnt be his only life goal. but yet chip fucking listens because of them. i forgot if i mentioned it before (and i struggle reading my own long posts all over again) but do keep in mind that chip only knows what he does about being a pirate from his time on the black rose. any ideas of a parental figure? arlin. how to defend himself and how easy it is to lie and stab someone in the back? price (and atleast some defense from the black rose).

just like his fellow co captains, chip didnt really get much a child hood i bet (growing up on the streets, then being put in danger on the black rose countless times because while its not mentioned you cant tell me that the most famous pirates in mana (or one of the most famous crews) being on the 4 seas would not; a, encounter a single navy ship or bounty hunter trying to make some gold; or b, never deal with a single bit of sea trouble, sea monster, etc; because that makes no fucking sense) and i feel like childhoods really help shape the person you are and how you think. and sure, i say gill and jay lost their childhoods (cause they did) but rather then following a persons shadow, they followed a persons/a group of people's ideals because the figures in their childhoods conditioned them for it. but chip? he was just a small kid they found in a town one day and let aboard the ship. rather then thinking of who he wanted to be, he probably thought about, oh i dont know, getting food to fucking eat because CHIP WAS A FUCKING ORPHAN WITHOUT AN ADULT TO PROVIDE FOOD TO HIM AND SHIT! all he knows is either self-taught or learned vaguely from the black rose/price. i talked a lot about how chips experiences have each changed him a lot (for better and worse) and this is no different! so yeah, chip having no knowledge of healthy relationships whatsoever has resulted in "i care about this person deeply and admire them a lot" -> "i will do anything to be just like them because theyre so cool" (silly way of phrasing but still gets the point across)

but that changes, and we really get to look on that with the talk ollie and chip have ("im not a good person ollie, im barely even a good captain") and the rooftop talk ("to the riptide pirates!"), though its seen more in the rooftop one. the banishing of the bastard shell makes it kind of hard to see chip learn through the world to stop letting someone who might not even be alive control his will to survive, and for good reason (but ill touch on that next). but we see the progress of him trying to change as he tells ollie he'll gonna try to make things right. and we definitely see how much it has controlled chip when jay points it out to chip that theres a chance arlins dead and gone and he needs to be ready to accept it if thats the case. all chip focuses on though is denying the possibility that arlin could be dead, because who is he without him? if he cant be worthy enough to follow the black rose and arlin couldnt help them captain, what was the point?

taking a break from deep and soul crushing questions, lets continue soul crushing and talk about the defense mechanism that is chip's lying. a part of his stop of being a bastard is his stop with lying to gillion (though he takes it as lying around him in general). however, theres someone who hes been lying to as well: himself. when chip confesses in the block that hes never had a plan before, he doesnt just mean for battle. he didnt have a plan if shit went down. he didnt have a plan if arlin was dead this whole time. he didnt have a plan if gillion would have disappeared for good. he didnt have a plan if the demonic contract came back to bite him in the ass. and so he lied. he told himself and the crew he knew, because hed lose himself if he didnt.

talking more on why for good reason the bastardness was more obvious then what seems a pretty key part in how he may act! unlike how bastard-y he acts, we dont actually hear chip say this sort of admiration, because he lied so hard he believes its just admiration, when really its an obsession. thats why only when a character mentions that need for change we can see how much progress he made and that theres no exact "start" to bettering it because it was all internal that we didnt see shit for. chip does a lot of visible changing, sure, but theres so much that goes on in his head and while hes an expressive guy, hes so good at hiding too. also considering how not saying anything is lying in gill's moral code (aka hiding shit), thats probably why we see more now of chips change!

alright, so i started this talking about how chip was "just a guy", but with my rambles it seems a lot like hes more then that and that goes several ways in my book. in the world of mana, he is just a guy, because everyone has similar stories. chip believes hes just a guy because of how amazing his crew is and hes just chip (ESPECIALLY when we see a bit of how insecure chip is about being magicless in humble beginnings when talking to jay that one time you know what i mean right). he thinks hes just a guy, but gill can see so much more (to keep back with the whole fnc posting). lots of misenterpitation (read "misinterpretation") of who chip is as a character. chip starts as just a guy but slowly and quickly evolves into more then that. so many possible answers

and now lets talk about how gill was never cut out to be just a guy yet still is just a guy but also isnt and- ill stop cutting corners now lol

while i love the idea of gill being heavily tormented by the elders in his mind and still believing the elders to be righteous in fics and shit, in canon we've seen him acknowledge that his destiny was used as a bait to get him to follow the elders (he says that they didnt want a hero they wanted a weapon in one ep i just cant remember which one) multiple times. he knows hes someone beyond destiny and hes unlearnt many unhealthy behaviors with chip and jay (i cant help but think he sees how chip acts and wonders how he can be his hero, and he gets caught back up in being everyones hero all over and theyre just so special to each other in the end anyways). and while yes hes super powerful and so strong and a fucking tank at the end he too is just a guy. but they dont see that, they see what makes him a hero and his overpowered strength. like how chip doesnt see all hes done for himself and hes more then just some dude in this world.

gillion wasnt meant to be humane, he was meant to be a weapon molded "to follow the goddess's wishes" as one may put it (quotes used cause its fake af). like i said, he wasnt meant to be just a guy. and as a result, hes both just like chip, but they dont reguard that. they see gillion as someone so far from "just a guy" and see chip as the pinnacle of just a random man. but theyre both. chip is the hurt yet attempting unresentment man who doesnt understand relationships who cant see anything but a bad person when he looks in the mirror, gillion is the hurt yet hiding resentment hero whos been always regarded as right and a hero yet it burdens him. at the same time, chip is simply chip and gillion is gillion (tidestrider, champion of the undersea, hero of the deep, singer/songwriter of the hole- /j (fr though, he really is hidden under so many titles there and ill probs add something about it on my jay and gill ramble thing lmfao)) and theyre just people in the best way possible.

random thing for chip i forgot to mention but i say his gaining of magic didnt just come from all his time with magic users but also was something he worked so hard internally without knowing and all his hard work was showing his power and he connected that idea to gillion and his water magic and his cool sword and triton shit, thus why at first he used shape water. however, part of his exploration means he needed to learn how to disconnect with that bad idealization, so it shifted into flames. a polar opposite of gills water. maybe he thought this meant they were so different and didnt mix ever, but fire and water are so similar if you look! they can be started several ways, both can be healing yet devastating, plus some fires can be on water! every opposite is always so connected to its opposite and thats not a bad thing ever. getting rid of one leaves one to reign for a while then die. and it for me means ever so much when just before hes dropkicked and downed, he uses his magic on gill, getting "the last hit", thats where the tactoos change. the last time they got here, he refused to keep fighting and wanted to let gill slice his neck. he had such admiration in him still then and he still does now, but its not that obsessive. now, when hes transformed out of the idea of being in the shadow of gillion, the non magic tattoos magically burn away that idea to him (im also certain arlin had wave tattoos, so symbolism to that heavy obsessive admiration burning away too).

chip has grown and while still admires many he does it now where its not life corrupting and living in the shadow of one and you can bet your sweet ass gill has some part in it!

ill probs do more a gill ramble later lmao anyways my neurodivergency has had me start at 7 and nows its barely turned 10 so yay

thinking about him (spoilers for jrwi)

thinking about how in atleast 2 scenarios chip has blamed himself more then needed, first with ollie ("i took him from his home") then with gillion ("i gave him the card") and each time he tried to put on a confident face but really it ate away at him inside.

thinking about how gillion is constantly taking on responsibility and chip canonically sees gillion as inspiration (humble beginnings, bizly says the inspo from the future is from gillion tidestrider) and its not like he only takes some blame but usually its all the blame because gillion knows how to acknowledge his faults somewhat.

thinking about how chip takes promises ever so seriously (ie, not even doing simple lies after promising gill that he wouldnt) yet hes such an example of "change doesnt happen overnight" and how he acts can be directly or indirectly related to past adventures and/or trauma (probably even how he copes is atleast somewhat connected to the guy he killed under price).

thinking about how chip grew up looking up to arlin and seeing what a great example of pirates the black rose were and trying to be something atleast somewhat great and feeling like he failed when hes the only one on deck with somewhat an idea of what a pirate is.

thinking about how chip would lie to protect his friends yes but became a lying machine to protect himself before and hid his intents because while he can absolutely trust his crew his instinct is too not because he got used to being on his own and putting himself first and now hes around people (mostly gill) who put themselves before him to help protect him.

thinking about how easily gillion made friends with people on islands and eventually it rubbed onto chip too (ie: gryffin, felipe, etc) as he unlearned the idea that hes alone in a cruel world that only exists to make him suffer and theres a light in everyones life that makes it even just slightly better, no matter the background (main example is gill again).

thinking about how much gillion is willing to sacrifice for his friends and when felipe wanted to stab him every night, it was chip who tried to talk sense into gill because he cares for gillion and (most likely) was worried that felipe may be lying about healing and may full on kill him.

and all these thoughts (and more) make me feel so much when they found the empty rowboat with nothing but ashes and a fiendish smell and gillion starts blaming himself so chip grabs his shoulders and says "its not your fault, you werent the one who made him grab the card" because somewhere in my heart it feels like maybe chip isnt just talking to gill but to the part of himself that keeps on trying to hold onto every wrong hes done, every sin that keeps him up at night, every lie that is amplified in his skull, that he deserves forgiveness and not everything in the world lays on his shoulders.

and with these thoughts, one more comes to mind: chip and gillion are so similar in backgrounds and morals and thats why theyre the ones that break each others walls and misunderstand each other and fight because they probably dont even fucking see it.

[fleetsonourgecentral]

hiya! i love ur writing sm, and this ship lol. if ur up for a writing prompt, i was wondering if u could do something with either scourge or sonic getting badly injured and the other having to do some emergency patching up before they can get to like. someone who actually knows how to fix it. (i think theres something similar to this in trip trip fall in love but what can i say im a sucker for characters getting injured and their unprepared partner has to frantically try to keep them Okay until real help arrives.) only if you want to of course, and if u dont feel free to ignore this lol! have a lovely day :D

Hi!!! I'm so glad you like my writing! Sorry this took so long to get to djgdjgdjg I've been kicking my own ass trying to make myself finish writing this chapter for this fic I haven't updated in *checks watch* 8 months now! I am always up for writing prompts even if I take forever to get to them haha haha

~~~

Missions were something Scourge was slowly but surely growing used to. They'd started out as only an occasional event for him when the Freedom Fighters had no one else to spare, but somehow they became a regular occurrence the longer he stayed with the Freedom Fighters without fucking them over. They usually only sent him on ones with a high chance for a fight, since he "wasn't subtle enough to do anything more complicated than that" in Sonic's words, but honestly, he preferred that. Wrecking shit was something he knew like the back of his hand, and so much more entertaining than lounging around the base looking for something to do.

Somehow missions for the Freedom Fighters became one of his second favourite things to do in this dimension. Right after bothering Sonic and his friends, of course. They became familiar to him, and were quickly growing to be a comfort.

So he didn't expect his latest mission to be any different than the others. Fuck up a few robots, vandalize Robotnik's property, compete with Sonic over who destroyed the most stuff. And for the most part, that was exactly how the mission went. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Until the fight was over, that is.

Scourge stood amongst the wreckage of robots, running a hand through his quills to dislodge anything that might have gotten caught in there. He glanced around for Sonic, grinning when he spotted him a few feet away, and jogged over to him, opening his mouth to yell out his score and compare it with Sonic's.

As he got closer, though, he slowed down, mouth closing and brow furrowing. Something wasn't right. Sonic was crouched down, almost hunched over himself, still surrounded by broken robots. His ear twitched when Scourge got closer, but he made no move to stand up or even turn to look at him.

"I know I've beat you this time," Scourge said, more to test the waters than an actual desire to boast. "Forty three."

"Good for you," Sonic spat. He still didn't straighten.

Well shit, that probably wasn't good.

"The fuck's up with you?" Scourge asked, coming to a stop in front of Sonic, folding his arms as he stared down at him. "What, you that pissed over my score?"

Sonic ignored him, and okay, something was definitely wrong if he wasn't rising to the bait. Frowning, Scourge crouched down to get a better look at him.

Sonic was clutching his left arm close to his chest. His jaw was clenched and his brow pinched, and when Scourge tried to pull his hand away so he could get a look at his arm, he flinched away.

"Get off, I'm fine."

"Yeah, that's why you're still sat here holding your arm like I'm gonna rip it right out of your socket."

Sonic lifted his head just enough to glare at him. With a stubborn set to his jaw he gingerly rose to his feet, wincing when his arm jostled.

"Happy? Let's go."

"What's wrong with your arm first?"

"Nothing. Let's just go."

"Prove it. Show me your arm."

"What are you, a cop?"

"No, I just don't want Amy to skin us both alive if we get back and you did something stupid like hide an injury. So show me so at least one of us can get out of that alive."

"There's nothing you can do anyway."

"Don't care. Show me."

Sonic wrinkled his nose, and for a moment Scourge thought he'd just run off and drag Scourge down with him when they inevitably faced Amy's wrath, but then he dropped the hand cradling his arm and let Scourge get a good look at it.

And oh, ouch. Sonic's arm was bent harshly in a place it definitely wasn't supposed to be bent. No skin was broken, thankfully, but it was already turning a nasty shade of purple.

"See? Nothing you can do," Sonic bit out. "Let's just go. The sooner we get back, the sooner I can go see a doctor. Move it."

Scourge didn't. He just kept staring at the broken arm, discomfort churning his stomach. It wasn't that he was squeamish - he'd seen and caused plenty of broken bones after all - but seeing it on Sonic just looked... wrong. Sonic had an unreal amount of luck, and got out of most fights virtually unscathed. Scourge had been stuck in this dimension for a few months now, but this was the first time he'd seen Sonic with a serious injury, and it didn't sit well with him.

Nor did the pained grimace on his face, although knife to his throat Scourge couldn't put into words why it bothered him.

"Scourge."

"Hold still," Scourge said, "I'm gonna set it."

"Oh no, you're not fucking coming near it. No way do you know how to set a broken bone, and I'm not letting you fuck up my arm even more just so you can play nurse."

"I've set plenty of broken bones!" Mostly his own, since finding a trustworthy doctor in Moebius was about as likely as backflipping off the top of a tall building and landing feet first without snapping any bones, but still. Experience was experience, and his arms were no worse for wear from it, even if his ankles were a bit fucked.

"No. Fuck off. I'll let you amputate it before I let you set it."

"I'm not that bad!"

"No."

Scourge opened his mouth to argue further, but the glare Sonic sent his way was so vicious it promised he would bite Scourge's hand clean off if he tried.

"Fine," he huffed, shrugging off his jacket. "Come here then."

"Scourge-"

"I'm not gonna fucking set it you fucking baby. I'm just gonna put it in a sling."

Sonic eyed Scourge, then the jacket in his hands, like either of them would strangle him at the first opportunity presented. But he winced when he jostled his arm a little, and very, very reluctantly, nodded.

Scourge tied the sleeves of his jacket around the back of Sonic's neck as tight as he could. Sonic's quills kept instinctively flexing, and despite Scourge's best efforts to avoid them, they still pricked his hands.

"Watch it," Scourge hissed.

"You tell me how much control you have when someone's about to fuck with your broken arm," Sonic hissed back.

Rolling his eyes. Scourge double checked the sleeves were tightly tied and allowed the jacket to hang at just the right height, then helped Sonic ease his arm into the jacket to support it. Sonic hissed again, in pain this time, face scrunching up even further as his arm was jostled and jerked until it was settled.

"There," Scourge said, stepping back to admire his handiwork. "You were a little bitch over nothing."

"Fucking sorry for not wanting someone with no medical degree to fuck with my arm." The words were harsh, but there was no heat in his tone, so Scourge figured that was as close as he was going to get to a 'thank you.' "Now let's get out of here before more of Robotnik's minions show up."

"Sure."

They didn't race back like they normally did. There was no point, not with Sonic's arm broken; running would just dislodge the makeshift sling and jostle the arm even further, so just this once, it was better to take it slow, which Sonic definitely didn't look happy about. But hey, he was lucky enough Scourge was around to give him a makeshift sling, so he couldn't sulk too much.

"... Forty four."

"Eh?"

"That's how many robots I got."

"You're shitting me."

"Why are you still surprised? You know I'm better than you."

"The hell you are-"

"Then why do you keep losing?"

"'Cause you're fucking cheating somehow, I just know it."

"Unlike you, I don't need to cheat to win."

"I don't cheat to win!"

"My bad, you're right. That would require you actually winning."

"I can take that jacket back at any time."

"Do it, coward."

Scourge didn't. Told himself it just wasn't worth the nagging and whining he'd get when they got back to base, especially since Sonic would definitely rat him out. It definitely wasn't because he cared about Sonic's stupid broken arm that much.

And if the jacket sleeves began to loosen halfway home and Scourge retied them without a word, neither of them would say anything about it to anyone.

[saintobio]

hi saint!! i finally managed to find ur askbox open 😂 i love sn and sy and these are some thoughts ive accumulated while reading:

-i feel like yn shouldn‘t have gotten with toji before she resolved the issues with gojo bc look at where we‘re at now

- momjo istg collect ur boobas or ill throw mine. It‘s so annoying at this point how she literally discards gojos horrible treatment towards yn just bc he also went through a hard time, like pls i get shes hurt seeing her son like this but ur son wasnt as peachy as u think either 🥲 im not saying yn choice was the right one but ots very understandable and given her physical condition who wouldn‘t have lets be real. Also lmao the audacity to be mad at yn for leaving when she wasnt any better either.

- sachiro, oh my baby, he‘s so adorable i cant, it‘s sad seeing all the could have beens but at the same time everything is gonna go down so bad and i feel like if yn stayed, it wouldve been similar to this just with a younger sachiro

- ngl but gojohime is driving at 200 kmh and ots hard to figure put what yn is thinking about it. Like is she just saying she isnt feeling anything about it bc of her inner guilt that has been eating at her all this time or is it bc she really doesnt harbor any feelings for gojo anymore. The entire sy situation is fucked up and pls lmao its pure chaos

- u said there will be similar shit to bora bora right, i feel like gojo finding out about yn “cheating” on him with toji is gonna go down real bad i just dont really know which way, like is he gonna call out yn or be like i deserve this, i wasnt any better 😔✋🏻

- also regarding ships and stuff, im the beginning i wouldve died for a gojoxyn ending but it has reached the point where i think both should end up single to move on from their traumas and grow as individuals and then maybe actually go for a rs (with whomever it is) when healed from their issues.

- i really love your writing especially how much thought u put into it and all the effort and even though i prefer angst with a happy ending i cant wait for ur story to evolve and reach the end even though im 110% sure its gonna be filled with angst, thats how much i love it. Keep being amazing saint, wish u happy new year and pls at least gimme ice cream for all the angst thats about to come 🥴✋🏻

wooow thank you for taking the time to write your thoughts about the last ep. honestly just reading this ask makes me realize how messy that sy4 was lmaooo it's literally putting me on edge even tho i'm the writer!

but i'm really glad you enjoyed reading despite their stressful situtation :D shit's just about to go down from here tbh.

[lovebecomeshim]

hello! your zutara posting today has finally motivated me to ask this question because I came to atla very late(last year, to be specific) and I Love It Very Much but am 1000% out of the loop as far as why what remains of fandom (at least that I've seen among my friends) is so very strongly zutara. I'm not opposed to it per se I just don't really know what has driven it to apparently be such a popular ship? can you help me understand and maybe convert me a little bit?

Hey!! Your ICON! :D I can try but I’m not sure how coherent I’ll be; however I AM sure someone a lot more competent will be willing to add to this. Either way, I’m glad you asked because my plan was to drag down as many people as possible with me.

*smacks the hood of zutara* this baby can fit so much mutual love and support!

This got so long, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how to put it under a cut on mobile and it already got deleted once so I’m scared to mess with it lol. Moving on.

I’m gonna start this with a disclaimer that im on mobile so formatting is tricky and I’m also really new to atla in that I only completed my first watch through in like 2019??? So some of my info is all just based on what I’ve picked up from Discourse 👀 so anyway the sparknotes version: zutara was wildly popular from the beginning. To the point where the atla crew internally disagreed on which ship should be endgame. (Ex. Bryke [showrunners] asked the writers to rewrite The Southern Raiders to make Zuko seem less ideal for Katara than Aang [which failed, depending on who you ask]; the animation team purposefully created a visual parrallel between Oma and Shu in the Cave of Two Lovers and Zuko and Katara in the catacombs under Ba Sing Se in the Crossroads of Destiny; etc.)

The ship was popular enough that Bryke actually chose to display zk fanart at a con for the sole purpose of mocking the fans, but that’s neither here nor there. The entire episode Ember Island Players, while a love letter to/parody of the whole show, was an opportunity to address zutara’s viability as a canon pairing (while, again, mocking zutaras for romanticizing that catacombs scene). Point is! It’s always been popular but with it not being endgame, there’s got to be something that’s given it staying power.

And that’s honestly got to do with three things: their dynamic, thematic cohesion, and potential.

(You know what... you know what, it’s four things. The fourth is they’re so aesthetically pleasing together and individually. Like, they’re just good looking people [specifically when they’re grown but they’re also cute kids] and that absolutely doesn’t hurt) (but it’s not the Point, it’s just nice to point out sometimes)

The dynamic is hard to get into without also looking at the canon pairings, but I think I can do that without unnecessary bashing. It’s just that part of the magic of zutara is really highlighted by what they give to each other that their other relationships don’t.

First off, it’s classic enemies to (would be) lovers. The absolute truest form of it. It’s not too different from how CS started out: a rogue antagonist with a job to do—but no personal vendetta against the future love interest—who is deeply and emotionally invested in his personal storyline (revenge/redemption) with little regard for how it effects other people after his entire life and genuine good nature are marred by suffering, and a fierce warrior girl with a strong moral compass and her own personal investment in stopping him (protect her family and save the world doing it). Obviously frustration and animosity grew between them by the nature of them being on opposing sides, but that just lends itself to the sweetness of their later reconciliation.

The thing is that while they’re wildly different on the surface (he’s a hot-headed prince of a fascist regime who is trying to capture the Avatar to please his father; she’s a nurturing daughter of the chief who is trying to protect and train the Avatar in order to topple his father’s throne) they find out that they have so much more in common both in their experiences and their personalities.

(What follows is an excessive use of the word “both” and I’m sorry about that)(I can edit it. I can do that. That IS an option............)

They both have an innate sense of justice that they are determined to see done (zuko, at the war meeting, sticking up for the Earth Kingdom kid when the guards torment his family, choosing not to steal from the pregnant couple despite his circumstances, abiding by his word to leave the SWT should Aang come willingly, etc.; katara, literally.... at any point). They both have pretty one-track minds at accomplishing certain goals once they’ve put their mind to it, regardless of a lack of support in that endeavor (it goes without saying I guess, but zuko’s entire hunt; katara’s determination to get the earth benders to fight back, her determination to absolutely destroy Pakku until he agrees to teach her, etc.). They both lost their mothers at young ages. Their worlds are war-torn and traumatizing to them both, if in different ways, but that ultimately forces them to grow up too quickly to be wholly independent individuals. They both have issues with their fathers (for WILDLY different reasons, but). They both hold extreme prejudices that they need to learn to overcome (which ties into thematic cohesion)(bit like Lizzie and Darcy in that way but magnified by a million). They’re both extremely emotional and empathetic—which can and often does result in loud outbursts. Katara’s a bit better adjusted and can temper her anger for longer than S1 Zuko can, but they both feel that anger deeply and have no compunctions expressing it (Katara is, usually, more justified, particularly in S1. Again, S1 Zuko is severely maladjusted but at the point when they could’ve feasibly become a couple, he’s so much better off with the way he carries himself). They both struggle with feelings of inferiority in their bending abilities when confronted with prodigal benders like Aang and Azula, but have the work ethic required to double down and become two of the most powerful benders in the three remaining nations. This is a little more minor but it is a parrallel that appeals to some shippers that they both have these alter egos in the Painted Lady (notably fire nation coded) and the Blue Spirit (water tribe coded) that are pretty different from who they are day-to-day and are useful in accomplishing a purpose that they as themselves cannot.

(I’m.... I just realized that this could potentially get very long. Should I have made a slide show with bullet points??????)

Anyway, similar. I know there’s more but there’s literally so much to love about zutara that I’ll drive myself a little crazy trying to compile all the ways they’re similar. (Just gonna say that at this exact moment I went back to add more similarities.... so okay then)

Once they’ve reconciled, we see how all of these things only lend themselves to a deeper intimacy together than they share with literally anyone else. There’s a steady partnership that positions them as the mom/dad of the gaang, while also providing the support necessary to allow the other to not have to carry so much responsibility. A lot of zutaras will point out how zuko is actually depicted doing the more domestic chores that are normally relegated to Katara once he joins the gaang, since the others in the group are two 12-year-olds and sokka. The one that sticks out the most is how he makes tea for the group and then serves them, while Katara is able to just relax with her friends around the fire. Fanon expands upon this a lot to Zuko helping with the laundry or the cooking or whatever else needs doing since he, as a once-refugee, is used to doing his own domestic tasks. Before Zuko joined, Katara was the one mothering everyone, sewing for them, cooking for them, etc. She’s always tending to the needs of the group, and that includes emotionally. She does the emotional labor for the gaang 99% of the time, but when she’s the one falling apart, she’s usually doing it alone and without the comfort that she normally provides for others. Until Zuko. And that’s before they’re even friends.

Which is WHY people romanticize the catacombs of Ba Sing Se so much. Katara is verbally attacking Zuko out of her own righteous anger but also her own prejudice when Zuko, surprisingly, chooses to be vulnerable with her. He’s been on a journey that’s opened his eyes a bit, but he’s never actively chosen to expose the rawest parts of his past to anyone. But for some reason he chooses to do that with Katara of all people. While she’s yelling at him. He sees her humanity, and for once can look past his prejudice and empathize with her. And this time, when she breaks down, she gets to be comforted. Katara normally talks about her mother when she’s trying to explain to someone else that she sees and understands they’re pain, as a form of comfort to them. Here, Zuko uses the exact same tactic. He sees her and he understands. And for zuko? He’s not being shut down. He’s allowed to articulate his pain regarding his mother without being ignored and made to internalize it, and he’s allowed to process how he feels about his scar out loud without being told that he deserved it. And then he lets her touch his scar, something we’ve seen him actively avoid before. He’s completely open to her and she’s completely open to him and all it took was one five minute conversation. She was about to use the little bit of Spirit water that she had, that she was saving for something Important, to heal the scar that still daily causes him pain just because they had, somehow, connected.

Plus there’s the whole parallel to the star-crossed lovers forbidden from one another, a war divides their people—

And then zuko messes up, he regresses, he gets what he wants and he HATES it. And the sense of justice he had as a child has been restored to him against his will and he can’t think of anything he wants to do more than the Right Thing, so he joins team avatar. Before he does that though, we get to see his relationship with Mai, which is where comparison really comes in. And what we see is Zuko, fresh off of his encounter with Katara in the catacombs, trying to be emotionally honest with Mai... and getting shut down and dismissed. Which is just how Mai is and it’s fine, but not for Zuko. Still, he keeps trying, and he keeps getting ignored or scoffed at or yelled at. Which is really a larger symbol for how he doesn’t fit in his old life anymore, but again that’s about thematic cohesion. He tries to articulate his anxieties about returning home, he tries to make romantic gestures, he tries to explain how morally conflicted he’s feeling—and Mai diverts to some kind of physical affection to shut him up and a parting comment that is pretty much always, in essence, ���I don’t wanna talk about this.” So they don’t. On the other hand, once zuko and Katara are friends, we see him again emotionally distraught and caught up in his anxieties about facing Iroh, and it’s Katara who comes to him and listens to him and comforts and encourages him.

Similarly, we have Aang clamming up and getting uncomfortable whenever Katara shows any negative emotion, usually resulting in him making excuses or running away. Or, in the case of the Southern Raiders, lecturing her on how she needs to just let go of her anger about her mother’s murder. People have talked this episode to death and usually better than I ever could, so imma... keep it brief. There’s a serious disconnect between Aang and Katara in his ability to empathize with Katara and her needs that has her tamping down her vulnerability and amping up her anger. He tells her that he was able to forgive his people’s genocide and appa’s kidnapping (petnapping? Theft??), which is blatantly not true but also not an entirely equal parrallel to Katara’s situation, and continues making these little remarks throughout the episode. But it’s Zuko that Katara opens up to. It’s with him that she’s able to talk about the most traumatic day of her life, and it’s with him that she’s able to get the closure she needs, cementing their bond as friends and partners. This disagreement between Aang and Katara is then... never resolved. They just never bring it up and hear what the other is saying.

There’s a fic called The Portraits of Ember Island that has a line that so completely sums up the heart of the matter for why people love their dynamic. For context, zuko has woken up early to help Katara with the cooking and they spend the whole time just letting one another talk, and zuko stops to ask why she always just lets him talk. And so she stops to ask why he’s always helping, and it goes as follows:

There’s just... so much mutual support! Trust! Intimacy!! And it just continues like that from the Southern Raiders on, listening to each other, advising each other, watching each other’s backs! And then! Literally saving each other’s lives!! I will never be over the last Agni kai. Not ever. Zuko may have been willing to jump in front of lightning for anyone, but he actually did it for Katara. And in a show, that’s the thing that really matters. It’s a fulfilled trope usually exclusively applied to romantic pairings, and it ended up applying to Zuko and Katara. And then she ran out into the middle of a fight with tunnel vision just to get to him.

Also!! Also Zuko pushing Katara out of the way of the falling rocks at the Western Air Temple!! And Katara catching him as he fell from the war balloon that he fought Azula on!! Before they’re even getting along, they’re the ones reaching for each other. They come to this place of equal ground, as partners, who watch each other’s backs, call each other out but still listen attentively and understand, and provide the support that the other has been sorely lacking up until they knew each other (whether that be from lack of effort or lack of understanding from others, or an unwillingness to accept it for themselves).

Then, trailing along under the surface of this, we see the themes of the show totally embodied by Zuko and Katara as individuals and in their relationship to one another. There’s a YouTuber, sneezyreviews, who has a, like, 2-hour explanation on why she not only loves zutara but also believes that their endgame would’ve actually elevated the writing of atla to new levels particularly because of thematic cohesion and resolved character arcs. It’s the zutara dissertation I never knew I needed, and it’s funny and eloquent and effective, so I’m just going to sum up her section on thematic cohesion to the best of my abilities and then link it for whenever you have the time. And I HIGHLY recommend it, especially if you want a full understanding of what makes zutara so great and gives it such longevity.

Guru pathik has a line that goes something like this: separation is an illusion; things that seem different are just two parts of the same whole. Iroh also tells Zuko something similar: balance and strength are achieved when the different nations come together and influence one another and celebrate what makes them each unique. And this lesson is a massive central arc that both Zuko and Katara go through, moving past a black-and-white, good guys-vs-bad guys, us-vs-them mentality and into a greyer, more nuanced view of the world. Zuko sees the fire nation from an entirely new perspective and while he still loves and hopes for his nations future, he surrenders his blind loyalty to them in exchange for an unflinching loyalty to peace and love. Katara too had to come to terms with the fact that cruel people exist in the earth kingdom and water tribes, while some fire nation citizens are just regular, kind people who also need and deserve to have someone speak on their behalf. And this is honed in directly on how they view each other. They grow in their individual journeys to be open to the humanity in the other and then, once they’ve found that, they’re able to grow more in compassion for others in a beautiful feedback loop. And this is all matched in the symbolism repeatedly and intentionally associated with them in canon: sun and moon, fire and water, yin and yang, Oma and Shu who found love despite their warring nations. Their individual arcs are completed in each other and complement the themes of atla beautifully.

The canon pairs... just don’t. Which, again, is fine. But the very things that give atla longevity and popularity are anchored in zutara. Kat@ang doesn’t accomplish this. They’re... nice. Sweet. Especially when you erase a good portion of their interactions in S3. It could’ve been just a sweet love story. (Personally, the dynamic between toph and aang accomplish the same thing that zutara does, with complementary personalities that fulfill the theme of opposites blending in harmony) M@iko, on the other hand, is less sweet but I think wasn’t even supposed to last. Zuko’s relationship with Mai seems to represent his relationship with his old life as a whole. He can’t be emotionally vulnerable, he’s goaded into abusing his privileges, his agency and opinions aren’t respected. They just don’t have common ground with which to discuss anything that matters, so they don’t. As far as themes, the relationship doesn’t fit with atla. It’s zuko returning to and sticking with what is (on the surface) like him, what’s expected. Fire nation with fire nation. Fluid water bender with the flexible air bender. Like with like, separated from what is different and challenging and complementary.

And all of these things combined of course lead to the potential for the ship. I don’t know how familiar you are with the post-atla canon but... well, miss “I will never turn my back on people who need me”, miss “I don’t want to heal! I want to fight!” ends up living quietly in the SWT as a designated healer who turns a blind eye to the water tribe civil war happening right outside her front door. Which can be fine! People change! Some people just wanna stay inside. I just wanna stay inside! But the potential future for zutara is so much more satisfying, with Katara becoming the most unconventional Fire Lady the uppity old cads who are stuck on the old ways have ever seen. Fanon has her serving as a voice for the other nations within a kingdom at the point of its biggest political upheaval, as a confidante to Zuko who can actually help him while he’s trying to figure out how to move forward and make reparations. They have the opportunity, together, to accomplish what they both have set on their hearts to fight for: positive change that lends itself to harmony and balance. And the steambabies! A popular headcanon is that their firstborn daughter, the crown princess, is actually a waterbender, which causes such an uproar among the people who are adamantly clinging to the old ways. It’s just a future full of potential to be forces for good together, full of trust, intimacy, joy. The exact era of peace and love and balance that zuko announces that he intends to ring in with the start of his reign as Fire Lord is, again, magnified by the very personal zutara relationship. And we love to see it.

tl;dr zutara isn’t for everyone. Some people just don’t vibe with it. Some are nostalgic. Some love the canon they grew up with. Some have been disappointed for years. Some just see themselves in other characters and want their happiness instead. Whatever the reason, that’s fine. But for me, I love the way these two, from the moment they give each other a fair chance, are able to lower their walls and prejudices to see the other for the kindred spirits they are. They see each other’s humanity, and their response is to pour out love and support and compassion. I love that they’re a power couple in battle. I love the symbolism and, honestly, soulmatism that colors their every interaction. I love that they embody the whole storyline of atla in their relationship and how it develops, which is notably why their seasonal arcs always culminate in each finale with how they relate to one another. I love that zuko adopting a waterbending move is what actually saves his life and then katara’s. I love the chemistry! And I love the future they could’ve had, instead of the ones they were given.

So, in conclusion: I just think they’re neat and I hope you do too, at least a little bit. Even if it’s just respectfully from a disinterested distance cause you do you. And now here is the video I mentioned. I’m sorry this post got so long and then I gave you an even longer homework assignment, but I can’t recommend it enough. She says it all better than I can.

[actualbird]

Hello, Zak. I just want to say thank you for your content, it makes me super happy and your analyses have become a solid part of how I perceive the NXX.

Non-ToT related ask: what do you recommend for beginner fanfic writers and content creators (for ToT and fics in general)? I'm thinking of posting more on my blog but I'm not experienced in using Tumblr or writing. (please do not misinterpret this as self-promotion!!! i just need advice owo.)

hullo!! thank u so much for the kind words, waaahhh, im glad u enjoyed my works :DDD

and no worries, i dont see this as a self-promo and also oooohhh!!

i'll cut ur main ask up into parts, hehe!!!

the only writing advice i'll ever give: read a BUNCH

i think this is important for all kinds of writing, fanfic or not. the bedrock for writing is reading.

go to fics other ppl have written that you personally really love and enjoy. go through it again, this time taking note of the bits that struck you in any way.

like, if theres a line that hit hard or a fic thats structured in a way that you found interesting or a certain kind of characterization that you cant get enough or anything that piques your interest, take note of it

and then look deeper and pick it apart. try and figure out how the author pulled that off in the writing. look at the things you yourself enjoy reading and study how they managed to do the things that impressed you

to word it differently: study, HAHAJKJADBFKSD but it's a fun kind of studying, since ur sources are texts you like!!

the "pick it apart" method is a more active kind of way to "study" but in general, even reading without that active mindset still enriches the writer brain. subconsciously, you'll gravitate towards doing things in writing that you enjoyed reading from other stories. reading is fuel for a writer

like, in my opinion, no writer at all can grow by just staying inside our own head. we grow by looking around and learning from things that resonate with us

-

in terms of what u wanna write, just go wild, write what you want

idk if this is something that resonates with you, but when i was starting out writing for tot i was HELLA ANXIOUS cuz the stuff i wanted to write (found fam shenanigans, shipping uncommon ships, several thousands of words of character analyses) wassssnnnttt exactly the stuff i saw everybody else in the fandom writing. if this is something u arent worried/anxious about then hell yea! skip to next part! but if it is, then i tell u this:

write it anyway. even if it feels like something nobody else wants. if you want it, write it anyway

because fandom surprises you. it surprised me! turns out theres a whole lotta people who like the stuff i thought nobody would be interested in

additionally, write what makes you happy and what youre interested in cuz it really shows in the writing itself. i cant rlly explain it in words, haha, but like...i can tell when somebody is super passionate about their piece in the words of the piece. enthusiasm brings life into writing and enjoyment in general is, in my opinion, the whole point of fandom anyway :D

-

tumblr is a mess tbh, do you want an ao3 invite?

tumblr. is a mess. however, among the social media websites right now, it's actually the best for written fanworks thanks to the lack of word limits and the blog focused structure of the whole site. that being said, it's a niGHTMARE keeping things organized on tumblr. my masterlist of totworks doesnt work anymore on desktop cuz i broke thru the link limit kjbkHBSKF IT ONLY WORKS ON MOBILE NOW and i had to move the whole masterlist to a gdoc for desktop accessibility kabfskafa.

so if youre writing fanfic, i VERY MUCH recommend getting an ao3, if you dont already have one. and if you need an ao3 invite to register for an account, send me a DM! cuz ive still got three invites in my account, im very willing to send you one :DDD

buuuuuut, i do also make a lot of fanwork thats not technically a full fanfiction piece (hcs, analyses, minific rambles, etc.) and those do seem better just staying on tumblr. so for posting writing on tumblr, use tags!!!

some main tags for tot that i think would be useful to totwriters are:

#tears of themis

#tears of themis fanfic

#tears of themis headcanons

#[character's full ENG name]

#tot [character's ENG first name]

#[character's full CN name]

#[character's full ENG name] x rosa

#[character's full ENG name] x reader

tho if ur blog is new and has just be created recently, keep in mind that theres a tendency that your posts wont show up in these tags until tumblr has "ensured" that youre not a bot akjbfkjsfas. tumblr whack like that. how to make tumblr realize ur not a bot is by following a some other people and reblogging a bunch of posts. interacting with other blogs, basically. this is non-bot behavior and will pull ur posts out of the nether and into the tags eventually

other stuff that might be helpful would be adding a wordcount at the top of the post (apparently ppl like this? akbfkjfksa i had no idea until i joined this fandom) aaaand a title and/or short description of the post that gives an idea on what the post is about

i see other totwriters on tumb doing cool stuff with like, banners and formatting. those seem nice!! i dont do them personally because im not great at visual aesthetics KBAJSFKSAJFSA but if it interests u, go for it!!!

OH ALSO, if ur gonna be posting a lot of fanworks on tumblr, making a masterlist with links of every post is a great idea!!!

i think thats all ive got? kjKABKJFAS forgive me, i just clocked out of work, so my brain might be a little scrambled.

i hope this helps!! and i send best wishes to you and your writing :DDD

[nct-lian]

nct 127’s relation to lian

TAEIL + LIAN: IL-LI

taeil used to wake her up for school when she was still a teenager :((

such a soft but overlooked duo

will appreciate each other forever and ever

lian teaches him roasts in english that he can say to johnny

remain each other’s hype man and woman

taeil was the first to suggest he and the other nct members react to the trailers of her dramas on video so they can boost them in popularity

promotes the HELL out of lian’s solo career over twitter

lian loves coming up behind him and just giving him hugs because he’s soft (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞

they watch movies together a lot! but taeil has to come down to the fifth floor because lian hates it up on the tenth one

he was once able to grab her hand in an airport and they held hands the entire time :(( a few pictures went a little viral

they share hoodies NSHDHSHCJA

lian keeps bugging him to get an instagram

taeil will ALWAYS take her side in silly arguments she and the other members have sometimes

he makes fun of her height because she’s shorter than him-

he also used to help her with her homework :(

cried when lian went on her first date

“my child is growing up (´∩｀。)”

had to do a background check on the guy before he even allowed him to come in contact with her again, though

JOHNNY + LIAN: JOANN

johnny is her dad, period

no questions asked he is her father

will give her piggyback rides all the time

he was once woken up by her jumping on his bed and asking if they could go shopping

at 6:00 am

he actually got up, got ready and took her shopping but since it was so early, the stores were all closed

he took her out for japanese fluffy pancakes, though!

whenever lian is sick, johnny makes her his mom’s homemade chicken noodle soup recipe :((

speaking of johnny’s mom, she loves lian to death and always asks johnny if he’s taking good care of her

if they’re not being asked any questions or having to translate anything during interviews, they always whisper jokes in each other’s ears to try and make the other one laugh

because of how lian dies during the trailer of her new drama, johnny cried in front of twenty-two other men while they reacted to it

he was NOT embarrassed

“how are you guys not crying? this is so sad. what a cruel world we live in ໒( ˵ •̀ □ •́ ˵ )७”

kept screaming at lian’s “dream of you” performance video

“WHY ARE YOU ON THE GROUND DANCING LIKE THAT?!” “JISUNG COVER YOUR EYES-“

he once effortlessly picked up lian and moved her somewhere else because she wasn’t standing where she was supposed to be

everyone says that their ship name is something a white, suburban mom would be named. now nctzens pronounce joann like “joanne” ･x･

it was said on the zach sang show that johnny used to measure her height every month to see if she grows or not, and that’s the only reason why he has her height memorized

TAEYONG + LIAN: LIYONG

has lost lian in so many airports it’s not even funny

“hyung, what happened to lian?” “oh, you have GOT to be kidding me-“

whenever he doesn’t see her he goes into panic mode and starts asking if anyone has seen his little sister

“about this tall with really shiny hair? her cheekbones are insane, i swear. OH OH OH SHE WAS WEARING JOHNNY’S HOODIE- you don’t know what johnny’s hoodie looks like.. okay, well thank you for your help.”

one of the first members that she was comfortable with

lian said that he was her role model :’(

as the leader, he’s always taking care of her and will not sleep until he knows for sure she’s eaten

because of how lian never participated in any of nct’s first bit of promotions due to being too uncomfortable around them, she was allowed to skip out on the viewings of their relay video letters

but she was still required to make one for somebody and that somebody was taeyong ˵ ຈ ︿ ຈ ˵

she said that she was glad he was her leader and that she hoped to become closer one day

he cried

declares that he will take care of lian till the day he dies

taeyong had yelled at lian’s former manager until he voluntarily quit working for her- he had found out that lian was being overworked to the point where she collapsed during their dance practice and he wasn’t okay with it

always cheering her on backstage when she performs solo

he always tries to include her in guiding the members for their dances because he knows how happy it makes her

instead of having her carry her glasses around with her, he does it instead :D

“nana, do you have to wear your glasses now?”

taeyong tucks her into bed every night he can ᕕ( ཀ ʖ̯ ཀ)ᕗ

YUTA + LIAN: YUN

totally doesn’t have feeling for her, yeah

yuta is obsessed and when i tell you he’s obsessed, he’s obsessed

did i mention obsessed?

he’s jealous of everyone :(

yun stans insist that the only reason yuta is so touchy with winwin and mark is because he’s trying to cover up his feelings for lian

bye if that’s true-

hyuck wanted to give her a hug (a rare occurrence) and yuta straight up just said,

“mine. go away”

i have proof guys :// johnny recorded it and literally posted it on instagram

lian died internally when yuta cut his long hair because she couldn’t put it into ponytails anymore :((

but his hair is growing back now so she’s able to do it again :)

yuta teaches her japanese every tuesday and thursday!

we don’t bring this up because it’s pretty embarrassing but,, when nct 127 were backstage before performing kick it, yuta asked doyoung (who was in a direction where he could get a clear view of lian’s face) if lian was staring at him

how do we know this, you may ask?

it was caught on camera and everyone made fun of him for a solid week straight

he’s caught staring at her from afar way too often for comfort

lian says that he’s very pretty

much like the other memebers that have instagram, he makes story countdowns that he posts about a week before lian plans to release her solo music

DOYOUNG + LIAN: LIDO

another member of the lian protection squad

doyoung was the first to start calling her cupcake

it all started when doyoung was sick and lian made him cupcakes to make him feel better

will slap anyone who makes a flirty remark towards lian

was embarrassed for yuta when he asked if she was staring at him

said “no” and walked away

lian is the only one who ever shows him any mercy :’)

they have very similar taste in decor so they often go shopping together for things to put around the dorm

doyoung said that he spends the most time in lian’s room because it smells like vanilla all the time

he spoils her SO MUCH

like so much

half the plushies she owns at the moment were gifts from doyoung

has a tendency to watch over her and make sure she’s content at all times

“cupcake, are you hungry? i can make you some food if you’d like” “oppa, it’s 3:00am-“ “and?”

they take such pretty instagram pictures :((

at one point in time, doyoung was jealous of his older brother because lian used to crush on him a tiny bit :0

not because doyoung likes her or anything, she just couldn’t stop talking about how nice he looked in revolutionary love

disapproves of the staff giving lian such short clothing sometimes

“um, excuse me, she can’t wear that. are you crazy? go get her a new outfit, please”

JAEHYUN + LIAN: JAELI

not many people bring this up because we know it’s honestly a sensitive topic :|

but he lowkey has deep feelings for her (he makes it so obvious sometimes it’s kinda disappointing to see how oblivious lian really is to it)

jaeli + yun love triangle anyways

jokes aside, though, jaehyun loves lian so so much

once cried to johnny about how he doesn’t know what to do and that he didn’t want to make anything awkward by confessing to her

makes sure to be near her as often as possible

once scared away a whole kim taehyung from talking to her during isac ╰[ ⁰﹏⁰ ]╯ (let’s pretend bts were there for 2019 pls)

“jungkook, keep your friend away, please :D”

didn’t work, though, because they ended up having a conversation later in the day either way

*in the 97’ liner groupchat* “HYUNG IM SORRY HE RAN AWAY I DIDNT KNOW WHAT TO DOl

it was uncalled for but what can you do amirite ┐(´～｀)┌

lian pokes his dimples a lot and squishes his cheeks

just randomly hugs him but he’s not complaining

johnny isn’t picking sides but he became team jaeli after jaehyun broke into tears in front of him for the first time since they were trainees about how much he loves lian

sad,, i know

lian judges jaehyun for not sleeping with sheets

continues to believe he is not a human being, but a robot created in a lab

jaehyun smiles at her for no reason

JUNGWOO + LIAN: LIWOO

an instant bond formed between them when they first met!

jungwoo learned a lot about her and has developed so many ways to deal with her anxiety :(

gave the staff a guide on how to keep her calm when he went on hiatus because he couldn’t be there with her

buys her colouring books because he knows that they calm her down well!

liwoo went viral and become a popular ship when lian accidentally changed the nct 127 instagram profile picture to a jungwoo icon

she got scolded but it was iconic orange haired jungwoo with a chain-

an untouchable duo when they do double aegyo

nctzens think jungwoo is her favourite member

maybe because lian said he was

“ “who’s your favourite member?” hmm i’ll have to say woo-oppa!”

*cue jungwoo laughing at yuta’s face because he was that shocked*

they share secrets with each other so now they probably know the other like the palm of their hand

even though he’s off his hiatus, he still has to guide the staff members through lian’s little moments because sm staff suck at their job sometimes

they’re the two members who go grocery shopping together

more like jungwoo dragging lian to the grocery store with him but okay

jungwoo loves kissing her cheeks (〃▽〃)

their vocals mixed together are confirmed to be noises from heaven

lian misses his blonde bowl cut :/

MARK + LIAN: LIMARK

leader of lian’s natural length hair committee

like when i tell you mark hates her extensions-

mark was the first friend lian was able to make in nct!

they bonded over canada and it was very rare to see them speaking in korean

mark goes into straight panic when he’s with her sometimes

has to remind himself they’re like siblings

lian ans mark covered “your eyes” by hoody and jay park during a vlive!

it was adorable :((

lian had him saved in her phone as “android user” but now she doesn’t know what to change it to

they had a fight in 2019

mark let’s her call him the weirdest freaking nicknames ヽ ( ꒪д꒪ )ﾉ

mars bar, markie, mork, marko

AND IN RETURN HE CALLS HER MARIJUANA-

he says it’s because czennies consider her to be addicting and since marijuana is addicting as well he thought it’d be a good fit

someone on twitter absolutely ENDED HIM though and wouldn’t stop making fun of him (；⌣̀_⌣́)

they can read each other’s mind just by looking at each other

“dude i hate this shit why does she keep asking us who we wanna collab with?” *cue lian laughing hysterically*

“what’s so funny (゜-゜)” — interviewer

HAECHAN + LIAN: LIHYUCK

haechan makes fun of her kissing scenes in dramas

calls her short all the time

“lian give me a high five- oh haha nevermind it’s too bad you’re so short”

they’ve actually been so close to fighting each other and i’m not even joking

they’re the two members who fight the most out of all of them

but despite this, they love each other very much

hyuck says he’s the only one who’s allowed to make her mad

and if anyone else makes her mad he’d kill them

limark 2019 fight flashbacks where haechan kept threatening mark

there are actually moments when they’re clingy with each other-

haechan loves her hugs :((

like ??????? one minute they’re at each other’s throats and the next, they’re all lovey dovey hugging each other make it make sense ?????

lian could be speaking english and he’d say, “korean, please. i can’t understand canadian”

“shut up <3”

hello haechan cried and wouldn’t let go of her during her and mark’s graduation ceremony in 2018

she makes fun of him for it but never takes it too far

he goes to her for dance advice

during their nct 2018 weekly idol appearance when they were doing the random kpop dance thing, they beat everyone أ‿أ

[mrs-nate-humphrey]

I am curious: what are your favorite scenes from your main ships (date, dair, derena...)?

scenes involving milo don't count, sorry!

for me, it's really not just scenes, but body language & just in general, how they are with each other, you know? dan and serena grin at each other and hug SO much, you can tell that being around each other in s1 made them both so happy, and even after that glow fades the way they look for comfort in each other... top level stuff. the way blair looks at dan... we never see her as radiant at any other point. she was not looking at anyone else like this. and gosh, dan and nate. they're both so comfortable around each other that there's absolutely nothing weird about like. discussing that one ex girlfriend whom they both share AND both were in love with. there is literally no other duo who trusts/enjoys each other's company so much that they're comfortable in a love triangle. (probably because they're more in love with each other than with the girl, but that is not the point. or is it?)

anyway, more specific answers. under the cut. this is one of the longest answers i've ever written on this blog possibly but you KNEW that would happen when you sent this ask, didn't you? (affectionate)

derena: i tagged one of my ds reblogs as 'the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one' and like. look at them! this hug from 1x10 kills me in the best way. they are both the literal embodiment of :D when they see each other! i love 1x10 as a whole moment, their entire thing at cotillion is so sweet and they're both so happy. the fact that he is talking about his chemistry teacher during this kiss in 1x07. that bit at the end of 1x05 when they talk about their siblings (being there for their sibling because of fallible parents being a derena parallel makes me simultaneously really sad and really soft, tbh). 1x05 gives me SO MUCH SECONDHAND EMBARRASSMENT but the way they walk off together arms around each other does something to me - these are two people who are still getting to know each other but who really like what they see, and who trust each other and. are just having a good time together! back when derena was my OTP, the 1x11 "your story's about me?" was absolutely a fave, too, and i still adore it, albeit in a different, more nostalgic way. i like a dan who writes cute stories about serena. no empty shell sabrina van skoneker bullshit. she is so much like you, daniel! you'd be shattered if she did this to you. don't do this to her. tbh, most derena moments from s1 are just A+ romance. the bit in 2x02 in the jitney is so funny, they're SO bad at being exes. the bit in... 3x03 i think?? i don't remember... on the contrary. when they're talking about dan's fling w/ georgina and serena's relationship with carter, the ease with which they talk and how happy/supportive they are of each other's new relationships... yeah. love to see it.

i also really like any instance of them having honest/open conversations. 1x13, talking about how serena is concerned about blair. 1x08, serena talking to dan about feeling jealous of vanessa. this bit from the touch of eva or whatever that episode is. 4x04 i think. this is the conversation everyone is trying to get dan to have and he's avoiding EVERYONE else. derena interactions in 3x21 (can't find a gif right now) - the fact that dan is with serena when her dad abandons them, the fact that he goes all the way there with her. 2x07, "i'm really glad you're nate's friend. he really needs someone like you right now" (though i'm cheating, that's technically a d/n moment too klhdflkgf). there's a bit in s4 where he's advising her against having an affair w/ colin, i don't remember the ep number, but the way he takes her side so easily and naturally and puts due blame/responsibility solely on her professor... yeah. 4x10 i think this ep is?? idk. but like my tags say, im sentimental about this moment because while what dan was doing was irresponsible, sneaking her out of the ostroff, he was the only person in this episode who was actually talking to her and listening to her and taking her seriously. nobody else was doing that!!

i probably have more moments i'm not remembering, but we're only 1/3 into this answer and LOOK AT THE WORDS, good lord, i'm sorry.

dair: my favourite dair episode is hands down despicable b (5x21) which i have heard is an uncommon answer. i just love the conflict resolution of it all, okay!!! 1x04 & 2x08 are like. standard answers any dair shipper will give, and i'm no different. i love dan being able to give blair advice and blair actually taking his advice even though they're not friends yet!!! be right back, yelling at the intimacy of it all!! 5x16, with their getting together (this little kiss and dan being so startled by it), blair admitting a flaw she genuinely does have and dan saying it's not awful because it's her, which is just. romance at its finest. those vows, good lord. 5x18.... they're having fun! blair showing up at the loft in lingerie for dan... the delight on her face.... (i know this moment blows up in their face but when she's there she looks so happy and proud of herself and this was like THE moment when i was like. oh. dair is really the heart of this garbage show huh).

i think for me, the thing that really sells dan & blair together is the serena of it all. both of them love serena more fiercely than anyone else, and that is what brings them together. (fwiw i definitely think nate loved serena this much and this deeply, too; the writers just wanted to pop the serenate balloon, which even i think was extremely unnecessary and ooc.) but (& i have so much meta about this) their relationship grows beyond serena. their entire s4 arc is SO good. i love how comfortable around each other they are, in such an adult way, in the sense of like. they both bring so much stability to each other? morgan tagged this edit "the marrieds" and like. yeah. b offers to help him shave. they're having breakfast & reading the paper together.

all the love declarations we got that weren't a simple 'i love you.' be your charming wonderful self (how could she not love you/ tell me what would make you happy, dan) i told chuck he doesn't have my heart anymore (you spent your life earning the keys to set you free when you were free all along!!!!) dan's pep talk to blair in 5x21 (already linked a gifset earlier, here's another one if you want i guess). there's definitely more... but honestly, the way the dair arc was executed was so good - while i do have my complaints, i also think keeping those aside, it was SO close to perfect. i love dan & blair's banter and gradually becoming closer and closer and closer. it felt very organic and real and GOSH. the way penn & leighton looked at each other while playing dan and blair...... it's just SO MUCH.

date: this is the hardest, because it's. *screams*. maybe you saw me losing my mind over those 2 seconds of nate handing dan a waffle? i love almost every scene with these two, even the hellish s6 breakup scene. my favourite episode for d/n (& also favourite gg episode in general) is 2x06 - i love the homoerotic subtext of it all. nate pretending to be dan because dan's name is the first name that came to his head. dan flirting w/ nate while tied to that thing, in his underwear. them becoming friends. and 2x07 as a follow-up to that! dan getting nate to live in the loft with the humphreys for a while. i am so soft.

4x09 is a terrible episode in general, especially for serena my beloved, but the d/n moments in that one? off the CHARTS. this weird overly macho flirting, in some ways THE most iconic d/n line. this entire finish each other's sentences nonsense. someone (i think it was ana but im not sure?) compared the energy of those scenes i just linked to the book blairenate love triangle resolution, blairena choosing each other over nate in the books, date choosing each other over serena in the show (if only! RIP.) after the saints & sinners ball, this cute little moment of 'youre the only one who understands me. please tell me they went home together. i mean. how could they not have.

3x07, them watching vampire porn together. a tag i used on ao3 (& also on here, once) is 'nate brings out the himbo in dan'. here is a prime example. 'is she levitating?' i don't fucking know, dan, what do you think?? (i was telling my partner that that's what i love abt dair vs date. around blair dan is an intellectual, a librarian, an art historian, a museum curator. around nate it's like dan is competing to be #1 himbo on the show. can my girlfriend actually fly? i don't know, dan. i can't believe you're seriously asking such a question.)

3x12 pep talk. (sorry about the shitty quality!) essentially nate telling dan that he (dan) is hot and that he shouldn't talk himself down so much.

dan making nate gay in his book. you know. his book from which blair found out he was in love with her. nads (who i will not tag in this billion word long gushy meta, because i value her sanity) once called inside "wish fulfilment' and. i mean. yeah

nate checking dan out at the derena wedding continues to be hilarious. hilarious in the same way as dan sexually fantasising about nate. canon really went 'let's give ivy some special easter eggs' and i appreciate them a lot!

i love the way they are around each other - so quietly attuned to each other. i showed my sister my date!husbands gifset, and she was like. yeah they're so married. and it's just stuff like how dan looks for nate over his shoulder, it's not even an active action, it's as easy and natural and intuitive as breathing, checking to see if nate is still there.

oh, that wasn't as hard as it could've been! okay. cool. im SURE there's more things i could scream about, because it's DN, the fact that they're non-canon makes me THAT much fiercer about them than dair/derena, to be honest. so many dots to connect!! anyway.

[ellovett]

list of people that made this year pretty neat :)

Hi all

Ok so 2020's almost ending (it just ended i started writing this post like....5 days ago??) and i just wanted to do this thing where i have a message towards everyone who supported me/who i think are just very cool and very epic, i only really got into the twst fandom just at the beginning of the year and im just gonna get straight to the point now messages are under the cut :)

@permanentlyexhaustedowl - AYAAAA ;;;;; bro you're literally one of my first long time friends here in the twst community and i just want to thank you for everything, our convos in either public servers or in pms, your love and support for my content,,or whenever i vent to you,,,,,just- your love and support man i appreciate it so much and i cannot thank you enough, you're just so sweet and caring and supportive and friendly just aghhhhhh ;;;;; even your reblogs make me smile uncontrollably and i explode, also all the brainrots i have about my interests ;;; thanks for listening to all of them,,even tho you really didnt have to ;;;;;; I love how we make our twst ocs interact and the little brainrots we have with them ;;; You've helped me so so so much and in so many ways, I am beyond glad that we're bestfriends, you're one of the nicest most caring people ive ever met and i love you so so so much, beyond belief ;; 💕 pls never stop being you?????? You quacking amazing person??????? 😎🤙💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕

@shoujoqueensstuff - AYYYY SHOUJOOOO!!! 😎🤙🤙 hhhh you're also one of the first people ive ever had a long time friendship with here in the twst community, and seriously bitch i love you so much ;;; so so much..i cant go a day without talking to you about literally anything and just vibing, the support and love you've given me over these months is insane i cannot thank you enough for that, all of our rps, convos or just pure brainrot have been so much fun, and i fucking love it that we built our own little world outside of canon,,all the aus we built with our ocs???? I love them. I love them all to death, including your amazing ocs, and even tho we live on literally opposite sides of the world you're always there for me whenever i vent or when im feeling extremely down or insecure ;; ,,im just so so so happy and glad that i met you and that we're bestfriends, i care about you so so so so so much- hhhh i cant put it into words my brain is dying i just- i LOVE YOU BIITCH, I AINT NEVER GONNA STOP LOVING YOU, BITCH.😎💖💕💖🤙🤙💕💕💖💕 TAKE MY LOVE BITCH 💕💕💕💕💕 thank you so much for sticking around ;; i love you and support you in everything you do so much I could never ever thank you enough for the friendship you've given me..

I can literally go forever on how much i love and appreciate the both of you, i can just scream into the void for all eternity,,but i cant put it into words anymore. You both made my year so great and so epic ;;; i love you guys so much

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Now the chaddams 😌

@thetwstwildcard - hi ma :D you're just so cool and so epic lizz ;;; i cant- all of our conversations and brainrots have been super fun and i enjoy your company very much;;; you are just so nice and friendly,, and your ocs (especially staff ocs) are god tier amazing, i will love the nrc mom squad to death. I am honored to be ur child and i love you and father claude (and my four (?) other dads you married) very much 💕💕💕

@alpyssketch - bringer of father claude,,,,i owe you my life alpy,,,,,,but no seriously you're also a very epic person and you're honestly so nice and sweet!!! You never fail to make me feel welcome in any conversation and you're just so damn friendly!!! We may not talk that often but I very much enjoy your company ;;; ily!!! 💖💖💖

@multi-ankin - another very cool and epic person!!!! you're very fun to talk to and you're also pretty funny in the vc fjfjfj, your ocs are all so amazing too! (djdjjd although my staff oc bias makes me go for kas) we should totally talk and make our ocs interact more in the future tho!!!!!! 💖💖

@just-patchy - pATCHYYY!!!! :D hi!!!! you're also a very cool person!! our interactions have been so much fun and i hope we can have more in the future ;;; the ideas you have for your ocs and how you put them into writing is so good!!! like really good!!! And your art has been greatly improving too!!! Never ever think that i dont see you as a friend because i do!! 😤😤💖💖 i care about you bro!! Never forget that!!

@bakujho - :D hi jho!! you're a lot of fun! And I THINK YOU ARE SO DAMN COOL AND BADASS it's unbelievable,,i look up to you jho i wish i could be almost as cool as you when i grow up ;;; the things you've done for this fandom are also very admirable! like the whole gravedigging (jellyfish) situation! But we're not gonna talk about it now- hhhhh you're just so epic jho ;;; seriously 💗💗

@Kurui - hhhhh you're probably not gonna see this ;;; and i cant find your tumblr (if any of the other chaddams could possibly show this to her thatd be so great ;;;) but nonetheless i still think you're just so fun and cursed ;;; and you give so many amazing ideas!!! Your ocs are all also so cool too! Your art is just so detailed you clearly put a lot of thought into them i just admire that sm ;; (also your edits are extremely cursed and epic i love them dearly-)

@twst-the-royals - JULIE :))) HELLO,,,you were actually the first ever person i spoke/interacted with in the fandom! And you were just so nice and friendly and patient with me ;;; im glad that i got to talk to you,,and we dont really talk that much now but pls pls PLEASE know that i care about you so much and that i support you in everything you do ;;; 💖💖💗💖 ill do my best to make you proud!!

@girl-in-the-tower - hey Az!!! ;;;; you're so epic and cool,,honestly i admire you so much, the lore/writing you have for your ocs/fanschools are just so well thought out and so well written ;;; i hope to become a better writer like you in the future, but for now ill just take notes and learn from you ;; you're super encouraging and supportive too!!! I know we dont talk much but i could never thank you enough for all those little yet meaningful moments ;;; 💖💖

@rikanoctrix and @mirrored-pomefiore - hi!!! i know we arent that close but just know that you two are huge inspirations for me when it comes to art, the both of you draw your styles so incredibly well and i admire that so so so much ;;; 💖

@ocean-water-tea - FATHER TEAAAAA QAQ okay so first of all,,,,how can you draw so well using ibispaint, i ask for tips, specifically on how to draw hair and tits 🤲 but seriously though you are so fun to talk to!!! So cursed!!! So ☊⊑⏃⍜⏁⟟☊!!! You encourage me to my true cryptid self (despite aya's protests 👀) and i thank you kindly,,,you are also very funny 😌 a funny little clown simp, and you're super friendly and cheerful too! I almost never feel nervous when reaching out to you ;;; I hope we can have more wacky adventures in the future 💖💖

@zonamemoryverse - HEYYY ZONAAA!!! you're a fairly new person and you've already come so far ;;; you're a very chaotic person to talk to and i enjoy all of our conversations!!! Also our interactions with our ocs were super fun too, and i love hearing any shred of content i can get from ur epic ocs,,,dont stop being epic!!! 💖💖

@namelessfish - Hi fish!!! :DD you've been a very supportive friend to me over these past few months,,and im happy i have someone i can relate my not-so-great experiences with ;;; please know that i care about you dearly and that ily ;; 💖💖💖💖

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@wondersbeyondcompare - JFFJJF BRO DONT THINK I DONT SEE YOU WHENEVER YOU REBLOG MY CRINGY ASS POSTS 👁👁 I SEE THEM AND I CHERISH THEM ALL I REREAD THEM ON SAD DAYS. All the little tags and comments you put on them always make me smile so hard ;;; im just very happy to know that you like whatever the hell im doing and it pushes me to do more!! You're incredibly sweet, dont worry!!! Ill be sure to make you proud!!!! 😭💖💖💖

@circuscarnage - Anna!!!! We dont talk that often but whenever we do it's always so much fun ;;; you're so sweet and i appreciate you so much ;; all the stuff you drew for my ocs are all so incredibly cute and i really have to give back- jUST YOU WAIT ANNA. IM GONNA MAKE FANART OF YOUR LOVELY OCS AND YOU CANT STOP ME- 💖💖💖💖

@twistedapple - hi crow!! :DD again we dont really talk that much but i support you greatly in everything you do!!! You're another epic and cool writer ;;; your writings for your ocs are just sooooo well written and are just so good!! You're also super good at art too!! And i hope to see more from you in the future!!! ;;; 💖💖💖💖

@not-twst-enough - Ellie!!!! ;;; bro you've been supporting me from the very start, from lillet's old ass bio to now, and i very much appreciate it!!!! You're also super friendly in the twst server too ;;; and all the content you have for your ocs is just so exciting! Good luck with the fandorm and all future stuff ;;; ily!!!! 💖💖💖

@fumikomiyasaki - FUMI. DONT THINK I DIDNT FORGET YOU DKDKDK,,,Another cool and amazing person!!! All our brainrots and conversations have been really fun ;;;; thank u for that,, You are very fun person to interact ocs with tho!!! Especially with ships!! MadScientist² will forever hold a place in my heart.,,,💖💖💖

@oiseaunoir11 - hey Al!! :) you were one of the many people i admired and looked up to when i first joined the fandom, your art is something im deeply inspired by and your shitposts at like...4 am in the morning always give me the big funny,,one thing i really admire about ur art tho is how you'd draw backgrounds :0 you've gotten so good at them!! And your poses look super natural and effortless, i hope to be almost of a better artist like you 🙇‍♀️🙇‍♂️ also i cant wait to see ur animatics 👀 they look dope- hope we can talk or maybe even interact ocs more! 💖💖

@leonasbitties - luuuu :))) hiiii,,,we dont usually talk on servers that often but that doesnt mean that i dont consider you as a friend! You have a lot of super cool ideas for ocs and your art is just getting better and better and better with each piece!!!! i look forward to seeing more from you ;;; 💖💖💖

@peteza-mozzarella - PETEEE :DDD another very cool and friendly person, you're literally the sweetest person ive ever talked to and i love our little chats!!! Hhhh you're just super nice and your ocs are super cute,,please never stop being you you epic bean ;;;; 💖💖💖💖

@the27th - Hi Andhra!!!!! You've been quite the long time mutual,,and your reblogs always make my day ;;; you're just so sweet and kind and i always feel at ease when talking to you, the hunger games sessions you host are always super fun even though im often asleep to even participate 😂 thank you sm for the love and support ;;; ill be sure to give them all back to you 💖💖 starting now 💗💗💗💗💗

@mamushroomoracorn - MAMUSH :DD we've only really started talking recently but you're just so nice and friendly ;;;; all of our talks have been so wholesome and great and im so happy about that, and your art is really really really good!! Ur art style is just so unique and so cool!!! ;;;; and dw mamush,, ill show the froggies like i promised soon 😔💖💖💖

@rookvonhunt - HEYYYY 👉😎👉 hi hello i would die for your ocs. If theyd ask me to perish then i will 200%,,ur so epic and cool and all of your ocs are just god-tier, i cant wait for what else you have to offer!!!! 💖💖

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@lawlessofdusk - lawless ;;;; aaaaa honestly you're just so kind and sweet, i couldnt thank you enough for all the love and support you've given me!!! And i desperately need more content of ur ocs bc they're all so cool and interesting 😤😤😤💖💖💖 i hope to talk to you more soon!!!!

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Fkfjfjfj i think that's all!! Id like to thank you all for sticking around with me with my first year in the fandom ;;; you guys make all the bullshit and drama here worth it 💖💖💖

If i forgot to include you in here then PLEASE DM ME I AM SO SORRY-!!!! I dont want to leave anyone behind!!! So please feel free to confront me about it ;;; happy new year everyone!!!!

[jackie-shitposts]

*fuses together and starts glowing for some unearthly reason*

Helo for figuring out who I am here is this award *digs into internet and brushes off the dust*

(no offense)

so a reintroduction feels necessary

My name is Dee/Sam (Sadist Angst-loving Multishipper), my pronouns are she/her, my blog only exists because of Carmen Sandiego, I ship whatever is not weird, and whenever I write fluff it's like the calm before the storm. I recently managed to write two consecutive fluffy chapters tho, personal achievement unlocked.

Also my life has turned into a comedy show.

My foot was stuck out at an angle and my dog came running towards me with her mouth open.

And that kids, is the story of how my foot got covered in doggo slobber.

Anyway

We talk a lot about Chase changing his name but NO ONE TALKS ABOUT LUPE PELIGRO

WHY U FORGET LUPE PELIGRO CS FANDOM

*disintegrates*

thank you for the reward i will cherish it forever

Nice to re-meet you, Sam :D so glad youre stickin around (i hope its cool i still call you sam, im accustomed to it) nice on writing the fluffy chapters dude- personally im a fluff supremacist so glad to hear it (and if u have carulia/carmivy/wlw fluff…send me way pls)

LMAO the dog slobber foot… at least youve never stepped in horse shit barefoot (i have)

YES LUPE PELIGRO NAME CHANGE I BET YA ANYTHING SHES A NB SHE THEY QUEEN

until next time, friend! *picks up your disintegrated dust and adds to the ever-growing pile*