#THEY'RE LITERALLY WRITTEN TO BE THE PERFECT MATCH

[wheelercurse]

Mike wants to be seen as a knight in shining armor, and Will sees him as a knight in shining armor, if you even care. 

[edsbacktattoo]

you know stede would play along with ed's innkeeper roleplay

OH MY GOD HE WOULD!!!!!! YOU JUST KNOW HE WOULD

he'd ding the bell without being asked to. he'd announce that he's got a reservation under some fake name, and then he'd ask ed to walk him to his room for him. i guarantee that fruitcake would even ask to see the ring of keys.

all ed wants in this stupid life is for someone to match his energy and be silly with. and then here comes drama-club-kid stede bonnet and blows it out of the fucking water. i hate them (lying)

[eff-plays]

Idk if this is a hot take of any kind but I actually really like that Astarion's romance starts off in an unhealthy way and evolves. That's like ... the point? Ya know?

It's interesting. It adds layers and conflict. It allows for growth and evolution. And Larian have claimed multiple times that it was on purpose, that many video game romances have sex as the culmination while here, some characters will fuck you immediately but then what? What happens after? Sex isn't the reward, but part of the relationship. There is more beyond. But people think that there being stuff beyond sex means that that's the only value that exists, and that the sex adds nothing. But in Astarion's case, it's extremely important?

It's complicated. His relationship with sex is complicated. They did it on purpose. That's the point. So what if it's not "uwu soft trust me I don't want sex please let's just hold hands" from the start? He doesn't trust the PC from the start, so why the fuck would he agree to that? He doesn't know them at all. He needs to do things his way because he's not ready for anything else yet. And if you feel sad for him, that's fine, because it's meant to be sad? But to the point of it becoming anger at the people who wrote it? That's weird, man. Astarion isn't real, you're not hurting a real person, and he literally asks Tav for it? In my case, he asks them twice before they say yes. They're not forcing him into anything. The only time you can force him is after the Araj scene, and he immediately breaks up with you after. So he's clearly perfectly capable of ending things if they get too toxic.

I swom to Jon just romance someone else at that point. Idk if this is my romance writer brain talking but well-written, not contrived, and non-abusive conflict is actually rare and sometimes difficult to write, but IMO every good romance needs conflict. Because at the end of the day, it's also a story?

It's not perfect because it's not meant to be. It's meant to be a starting point to evolve from. Sometimes things can be unhealthy without being abusive or problematic TM.

Anyway. Yeah I like how fucked up it is. Because Astarion is fucked up. It makes it more real and more compelling. I made my Tav fucked up to match.

"Well my Tav wouldn't fall for it and would realize ...!" Roleplay harder. Clearly Tav/Durge aren't meant to pick up on his manipulations from the start, or overlook them, or fall for them. There's a bajillion different ways to justify it. If you can't see past your own meta knowledge, romance someone else.

But if you really want the relationship to start without sex then just write that fic? Why are you demanding that Larian caters to your specific tastes and sensibilities? They had a story to tell and they told it. You not liking it is neither a personal a slight against you nor their problem.

[shinidamachu]

inukag was born to be shipped by me and I was born to ship inukag as well

For ages now I've been meaning to write about the reasons why I ship Inukag as fervently as I do and @inukag-week felt like the perfect opportunity to indulge myself, so here we go.

I want to start with how aesthetically pleasing they are. From their perfect size difference to the complimentary color scheme of their outfits plus contrasting hair and eye colors, Inuyasha and Kagome just look absolutely good together.

Their character design makes it clear from the get go that they're visually a great match. The association is so strong that the audience becomes unable to picture one without the other, as if they're two halves of the same item. Different, yet unequivocally a team, a pair.

Decades ago, they already had that classic quality to them and I bet they'd never get out of style even decades from now. And the rich lore that surrounds the pairing only adds to that aesthetic: the well, the tree, the beads, the robe, the sword, all of it enhances how iconic they are. Even something as ordinary as star gazing becomes uniquelly theirs.

Futhermore, I just absolutely love the entire concept of it. The subvertion of the fairy tale archetype, the idea of a love that transcends time, of soulmates who actually work on building their bond. Loving each other was both inevitable and a choice they made every single day.

Inuyasha and Kagome were just two teenagers from different worlds — literally and figurativelly — discovering together what love was. This made their relationship very compelling, because the excange between them is insanely substancial.

And their overall dynamic is so wholesome. There was a push and pull, a give and take, that made it fluid rather than static. Every single milestone felt organic and kept the audience thirsting for the next one.

Nothing felt forced or rushed. The slow burn was competently written to showcase their relationship being build on a very strong foundation, consistent in intimacy, mutual trust and acceptance — recurring themes for them and for the story — and so the stages of their bond had such a natural pace, it highlighted how genuine and healthy it was.

Consequently, there are so many aspects of their connection to explore. There's a never ending room for angst and for light hearted moments and you can adopt a more mature perspective or go for comical instead: they manage to be versatile without being generic and to embod the best clichés in fiction without becoming one themselves.

It's hard to think of a trope they couldn't pull off or an alternate universe that doesn't work for them. It gives the fandom plenty of freedom to be creative and to have the best time with it.

Plus, their chemistry was off charts. The romantic tension bleed through every single interaction. Their passion is so strong you could feel it even in scenes that had nothing to do with romance. And they didn't even need to kiss to achieve that level of synchrony.

They were also compatible. Inuyasha and Kagome balance each other quite nicely. Even in a relationship, they still keep their individualities and remain interesting both as characters and as a ship.

The very thing that dooms most pairings — opposite personalities — is precisely what keeps them together. Inuyasha and Kagome are completely different from each other, but they're actually extremely similar where it actually matters: their morals and goals.

And they longer they stay together, challenging one another, growing through trials and tribulations, inadvertently learning what each other's needs are and fulfilling them, easing each other's sorrows, covering each other's backs, saving each other's lives in every possible way, learning each other and learning with one another, the more their dichotomy turns into a duality, because they gain a more nuanced perspective of themselves, of each other and of the world.

It's a level of understanding, closeness and respect incredibly difficult to match. And for Inuyasha and Kagome, no one else even came close.

Another thing is that they're not just complementary to each other, but to the story itself. Their romance enhaces the overall plot. It has a structural placement in the wider narrative, strengthening its core themes and fulfilling the characters individual arcs, ultimately resulting in a more compelling journey.

So many romances are disposable to their own story, but Inukag was detrimental to theirs. Inuyasha and Kagome's interactions served as pivotal points of their respective arcs. Taking only the narrative into consideration, their relationship holds a lot of weight and greatly influenced everyone around it and it tied everything together.

That's why their happy ending felt so satisfying: it feels earned because everything went full cycle. All of that symbolism, all of those parallels paid off. Anything different from what we got would simply lack narrative and thematic cohesion.

And even if they didn't end up together, they could never be circumstancial. There was a real reason why they met, a reason why the fell in love and why they had ever lasting impacts on each other's lives regardless. It wasn't just love for love's sake.

This is what makes them, in my opinion, an epic ship.

BONUS: their soundtrack is lit and their quotes are simply legendary.

[arty-holly]

I caught up with the bllk manga and it is a 5 course meal with the way it is serving rn.

Rin's moment came and it is mind blowingly perfect. I could’nt ask for more and there are so many delicious details it's terrific.

The title of this chapter is very interesting to me for reasons. Because Rin as a character is shown to be connected with death and suicide. Infact his 1st character defining line is " Soccer is a battle to the death". Later we find the seed of this thinking in little Rin. He's a weirdo who flings himself at pigeons at toy blocks and a completely opposite mentality to the other kids. The ultimate monster who fights someone stronger, gives his all, and then dies is incredibly cool to him. He hopes to be someone like him in the future . So is it really coincidence if the title of his chapter has a clever wordplay with a famous author who was also suicidal and who wrote a book called " No longer human"?

Now Dazai Osamu was an remarkable author and coincidentally (those who watched Bsd will know) he strived to do double suicides with the women he was in love with. So is it really coincidence that the words that comes out of Isagi’s mouth are " I'll die with you!"? Are you all seeing the romantic connotations here guys?👀

Moving on, just the general remarkable-ness of these recent chapters is blowing my mind.

To see Isagi, the master adapter, arguably the best person in Blue lock who can analyze others to perfection floundering at the anomaly that is Itoshi Rin is so great. This is the first and only time Isagi has been unable to decipher the thought process of another person to this extent. It's gonna make the time when he does get through Rin so much more satisfying. 💚

And its too sad that Rin is so chained in by his feelings that he can't kick a goal his teammates would kill to have because of his own mind( bro needs a therapist fr). It's so baffling to others watching from the outside, but to Rin, it makes perfect sense. It's the way he's almost begging for someone to come, someone to break in and-

The image of Isagi literally swiping away Sae’s phantom, almost reassuring him that he's here, he's real is too beautiful. When Rin is about to lose everything, Isagi is the one who is there. I'm pretty sure Loki would've benched Rin if he threw away a goal again, so Isagi is the reason Rin is still playing in this match. Just the visual framing in this panel is too good.

Do I need to say more?

The way Isagi's eyes look so bright as if he's giving hope to Rin. Rin's EXPRESSION 😭(All we need are some flower petals)

Tell me this isn't poetic beauty, come in my face and tell me this isn't the epitome of romance.

Regardless if it is romantic or platonic, I still adore the way they're written into each other’s arcs. I wasn't the one to notice this, but if Isagi had collided into Rin and Rin had not scored, Isagi would've been red-carded instead of being let off with a yellow card. ( His head was definitely not all there in this moment)Isagi Yoichi, thank your stars your lover is a genius , bro would've been cooked otherwise.

And at the end,

We see the old Rin again, finally enjoying the game he worked his entire life for. (Off topic, but he looks so cute and gorgeous here) and the catalyst for that is none other than our protagonist.

Isagi is the light that brings hope to Rin and Rin is the centre, the ideal for Isagi’s growth. They saved each other.

All of NEL hasn't been exactly amazing but Kaneshiro's writing peaked in these chapters. There is so much said in every panel, so much emotion expressed in each drawing, It's incredible.

[menlove]

any introductory beatles (just mclennon tbh) fics? 🤲

LORD OKAYYYYY i'll try not to go too crazy and just stick to my alltime faves.....

first of all anything @forthlin (milaway on ao3) has written literally ever. i am going to eat them one day. they are the yin to my yang and also the best writer this fandom has ever seeeeen. um. anyway! like i said, all their fics. but i'd Particularly rec your lucky break which is an au where john is a 30 something rockstar and paul is an up and coming musician in the 70s. and well! what can i say about this fic except it's sooo in character, hot, and also the reason i started talking to the best person on this earth so whatever

also completelyyyyy selfish but hey i only wrote half so i'm counting it but we also have an ongoing series: i want you, i need you, i love you where they're writing john's povs and i'm writing paul's! it's just basically our take on their timeline & relationship, but the third installment's going to be a fix-it

now onto me not being gay or selfish here's some of my favorites that i think are Must Reads.

Boy, You've Been A Naughty Girl

explicit. 49k. John makes Paul a bet. Paul takes him up on it. Crossdressing shenanigans and angst ensue, and ~feelings come out in the wash. 1961. rec notes: okay look. this one is just a classic. it's great. esp love it bc it's right up my alley with its "paul isn't an oblivious moron" takes. also.... hot.

I Still Miss Someone/I Know That I Miss You but I Don't Know Where I Stand

explicit. 64k. It's 1976 and Paul keeps showing up on John's doorstep with a guitar. Eventually John turns him away and Paul goes off to sulk in his hotel room the night before his flight from New York. Based on real events. rec notes: aaaaugh this one haunts me there's one scene i think of literally every time "i still miss someone" by johnny cash comes on, which is one of my fave songs. it's not a fix-it, but it's so so so good for the Vibes of their 70s relationship :(

Like Love, The Archers Are Blind

explicit. 22k. He wants to push Stuart out of the way, not even with a violent yank of his collar like he sometimes imagines. Just to melt into his place like butter sliding in a pan. Have it be an effortless breath of fresh air when John looks up at him and sees it all reflected back in his eyes. It’s you. rec notes: this one is just... soft. and so good for a snapshot of the hamburg vibe.

i was a younger man then (now) (post hoc)

mature. 27k. John’s twelve when a bloke appears from a flaming pie and says, “From this day forward you are Beatles with an ‘a.’” The bloke is Paul. Or: paul and john meet at all ages and eras and john is the time-traveler’s wife the way only john lennon can be rec notes: literally my favorite mclennon fic everrrrrr ever ever. other than your lucky break. this is everything. this is it. like it nails their dynamic even though it's a magical au. it explores their relationship sooooo fucking well. i think about it like weekly.

John My Beloved

explicit. 33k. They've always loved each other, in their own way… rec notes: OTHER FAVORITE EVER it broke my heart it changed my fucking lifeeeee it changed my world. major character death warning but fuck man. i think about this literally constantly. this fic haunts me. i think it changed me. i had to stare at a wall for like 30 minutes after finishing it. i got choked up.

two of us (burning matches)

explicit. 6k. It won't stop raining. Paul doesn't know what his feelings are doing. John's practising his right swing. Somewhere along the way, they fuse together. rec notes: this one is just cuuuute and perfect for the Early Days Vibes.

Grow Old With Me

explicit. 8k. fix-it. Paul breaks his arm, and John panics. rec notes: SOOOO FUCKING SWEET. this is what they deserved and i like to live here in my mind when the reality of what actually happened gets to be too much.

1967

mature. 11k. canon-divergent au. In 1961, John Lennon and Paul McCartney left abruptly on a trip to Spain, via France. In 1967, they finally come home to face the consequences. rec notes: the style of this one is INSANE. it's so unique and i love it sososososo much. also the plot? is super unique???? basically it's an au where they never came home from paris and it's.... so fucking good. i love the way it looks at their dynamic like fuck. it's just perfect.

Way Up Top

explicit. 12k. Falling out of the sky, together. | Snapshots of the Beatles in Greece, July 1967 rec notes: LOVE this one for its portrayal of all non-mclennon parties. it fleshes everyone out, especially jane and cyn, in ways a lot of fics just skip. just sooo well written and melancholic in a great way i think.

When You Are Young They Assume You Know Nothing

mature. 26k. But Paul knows John. There’s something about Paris, though... rec notes: THE paris fic to me. this is soooo good and so fucking soft and it just. augh. it killed me.

a brief interruption, a slight malfunction

explicit. 12k. During the rooftop concert, John remembers why he used to find Paul so irresistible after a show. One more time won't hurt, right? rec notes: perfect breakup era fic. my rec notes on ao3 were "this was devastating :)" so. god. this fucked me up.

aaand honorary mentions to the two non-mclennon fics i've read but !

Knocking at Your Door

george/paul. explicit. 6k. It's easy enough, this time, to lean in and touch their lips together. A firm press of his mouth to Paul's; first at the corner, then right on the centre of his yielding, expressive lower lip. Paul and George: a few meetings over thirty-six years. rec notes: the opening sentence to this made me sick to my stomach and then the rest of the fic destroyed me permanently

Where The Sailors Go

ringo/paul. explicit. 5k. A drunken German mistakes Paul, alone in Hamburg's red light district, for a rentboy. Ringo, the Hurricanes' terrifyingly adult drummer, intervenes. Things happen, but Paul can't stop thinking about John. rec notes: PRINGOOOOO. with background mclennon. this was so real to me. also in the same universe as this fic is (It's Just) Another Day which is a transfem paul mclennon fic that rooocked my world. it's still a wip but holy fuck. made me rearrange the way i see paul tbh.

[do-you-ship-it-polls]

Do you ship it?

long reason under the cut!

they're the perfect version of the "love triangle turns polycule". like even in canon. things that happened with this trio in canon: - one is a prince and keeps skipping out on his duties to go adventure with his girls - the two of them who CAN fly continuously carry the one who's not as good at it around, even later on in the show when she learns how, they still grab her and hold her by the waist or arms - always cupping each other's chins - always holding hands - are always the perfect balance. when two of them are arguing, the third is there to ground them and calm them down - exchanged rings literally the first day they met. not joking. rings that go on the third finger of the left hand and they all have matching ones. - have a magical glow that appears whenever they feel super happy, but only when it's the three of them, not with someone else around, not with anyone missing - when stuck in a cave that forced them to tell the truth, their three truths were "i'd give my life to protect you" "i'd give up being prince for either one of you" and "i really, really like you. both of you." - are sorta implied to be able to sense each other - the two of them that were childhood best friends went off on an adventure and missed their third even though she hadn't known them for that long - they get jealous when outsiders try to butt in or join adventures - always willing to throw down/fight for each other - two of them teach their third all about their culture since she's not native to the land - the same two wanted to see her home only after 1 day of knowing her because they wanted to know her better - slow danced together at the end of the first season, all three of them miyumo propaganda. they're in love. i've written 14 ao3 fics for them and they're the most popular ship in the tag now, ✨you're all welcome✨

tag: @yumomia

[thezombieprostitute]

All Your Lovin'

A/N: This is written for @the-slumberparty's Sundae Bar. I'm using the following prompts:

🍧Cookies and Cream: soulmates – it's a match made in heaven and without one, the other just feels incomplete. Your characters are soulmates, but how their fates align is up to you.

🥄Caramel: drunk/delirious/not in their right mind – one or more of your characters is not thinking straight

A/N2: Character is female. Implied shorter/smaller than Syverson. No physical descriptors used.

Warnings: Drinking, Implied vomiting. Please let me know if I missed any.

Finding your soulmate should be relatively easy. You sing, they're called to your music, and when you look into each other's eyes, as you sing, you know, and both of you get a matching tattoo on your neck, like magic. Simple, right? Well only if you're okay with singing in public places. And not horribly shy. And able to make eye contact with others. And actually have the ability to sing.

People liked to joke that “soulmates are only for the brave or stupid.” Well, apparently they were also for the drunk. Just about every drinking establishment had a karaoke machine these days. Not that karaoke actually helped. Your singing needed to be heard by your soulmate so they would have to be in the same building, if not the same room as you. Otherwise you'd probably be looking at some “public disturbance” charges for singing too loud outdoors. It's been long established that looking for your soulmate is no excuse for bothering random strangers.

This is the line of reasoning you gave your friends that they promptly ignored before dragging you out for a night of karaoke bars. It was an annual tradition you'd started in college, a variation on a pub crawl. And you weren't going to stop until one of you had found your soulmate.

“And you're not getting out of singing this time,” Jenny tells you.

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” you reply, feigning innocence.

“Every time we're the only ones up on stage and singing,” Tina rebuts. “You're going to go on stage at least once tonight, no matter how drunk we have to get you.”

Elena jumps in, “and since I've already met my soulmate, it makes sense that I'm the designated driver tonight.” Everyone giggles at the memory of when Elena's soulmate, Jake, had started singing Journey and Elena literally dropped their drinks to get to him.

“O-okay,” you agree. “But I'm gonna need my phone to look up beginner friendly karaoke songs. I'm gonna need to be at least a little tipsy. And you'll have to help me make sure I only go up after someone who sounds like a beached whale.”

The girls screamed at your acceptance and you let yourself get caught up in their energy.

It's been three bars and you still haven't taken your turn at karaoke. You really don't understand how these people can do it, even if they're drunk. Singing their hearts out, often poorly, and keeping their eyes on the crowd.

Each of your friends, except Elena, have had a go with no luck. You're genuinely rooting for them to meet their soulmates and not entirely because it'll get you out of having to perform. They're keeping their promises and letting you look up potential songs and keeping an ear out for the worst singers.

“Oof, that guy is desperate,” Tina comments on the guy in the suit trying to sing Immigrant Song. Definitely not meant for his vocal range.

“Yeah, you're going up after him,” Jenny informs you. “You'll be a welcome reprieve after that guy.”

You nod and they help you get signed up to follow Mr. Suit. The song selection doesn't have many of the beginner friendly songs you'd seen suggested. Then you spot a song that actually makes you smile: Gimme All Your Lovin' by ZZ Top. The song you loved singing and dancing to when you're in the kitchen. It would be perfect, right? You could just pretend you're in the kitchen singing along, right? You select the song and get ready.

The drums start up, you close your eyes and bob your head to the music, just like at home. Your singing starts and the audience is, thankfully, into it. You do your best to ignore them as you sing. But then the guitar solo hits and you realize you're just on stage with nothing to do. You open your eyes and see all those people staring at you. The panic hits and the alcohol sours in your stomach, forcing you to run off stage, straight to the bathroom.

It doesn't take long for your friends to join you in the bathroom. They're telling you how proud they are of you for taking that step. How you sounded so good. That you're going to be okay.

Elena suggests heading out for some fresh air and you enthusiastically nod, still not able to talk, mind fuzzy from everything that happened.

The outside air is definitely calming. The girls continue to praise your effort and promise you don't have to do any more singing tonight.

You're getting ready to tell them you're okay to move on to the next bar when a voice behind your group says, “excuse me, ladies?” Everyone turns and you see a very large bear of a man with a buzz-cut and dark beard, wearing a Lynrd Skynyrd t-shirt. He's holding his hands up as a gesture of no ill-intent and maintains a respectful distance.

“Sorry to interrupt, ladies, but, uh, I think one of y'all is my soulmate,” he says as he looks directly at you. “Your singing called to me but ya didn't open your eyes until the guitar solo, then ya ran out.”

Jenny eyes him, suspiciously, “you could just be saying that.”

“That I could, Ma'am,” he nods. “But, um, if'n y'all would oblige me, I could sing some Gimme Three Steps? My company'll tell ya I don't mind making a fool o' myself for a lady.”

You keep your head down but give your friends a small nod and they gave him the go-ahead. Sure enough, just a few words into the song you feel the pull of his rough voice singing about a girl named Linda Lou. You look up, into his eyes and feel a spot on your neck getting warm. Your friends gasp and start cheering, spotting the matching tattoos you now have.

He stops singing as you walk up and take his hand, introducing yourself. “I'm Sy,” he offers, a tinge of pink in his cheeks making him look more like a cuddly teddy bear than the giant of a man he is. You giggle at the thought and he breaks out into a smile, visibly relaxing. “I'm out here with some of the guys from my platoon, if y'all would like to join us? Or if we can join you? I'm sure you're not up for leavin' us alone together just yet.”

“We're actually doing a karaoke bar crawl,” you tell him. You look back at your friends, “is it okay if they join us?”

“So long as I'm not the only non-drinker,” Elena nods. “I can barely handle you girls, let alone you girls and a bunch of military men.”

“No worries, Ma'am,” Sy nods. He points back to where his friends are, “Rogers has us covered. Any one of us gets too much, he pulls rank, doesn't pull punches, and gets us in line.”

The entire time he's talking, you find you can't look away. Your soulmate is large, handsome, polite. Your usual problems with eye contact don't seem to show up with him. Probably because the part of you that knows he's your soulmate also knows he will never hurt you in any way. He makes you feel safe in a way you didn't know you could. The way he smiles at you, with a glint in his eyes, makes you feel very hopeful about all of this.

Tags: @alicedopey; @delicatebarness; @icefrozendeadlyqueen; @ronearoundblindly

[iamnmbr3]

The more I read HP, the more I can see the unintentional drarry moments J.K. Rowling has set up in the narrative.

And while I get she's not notoriously good at writing romance, but I just don't understand how there's no reason at all for us to think he'd end up with Ginny.

Unlike romione one day he's crushing on Cho and the next he's kissing Ginny and there's that. We barely even know how he really feels about her, hell, we learn way more about Draco unwillingly than we do about her and I'm just ???

What exactly do we know about Ginny that wasn't information someone offered Harry that he didn't pick up on by himself? We barely know the color of her eyes, but wr get a 15 page essay on how Draco looks?

At this point I just feel bad for her because girly deserved better

There is definitely some setup for hinny (unlike lupin/tonks that really comes out of literally nowhere at all) but yeah it's not much and pretty easy to miss so it feels like it comes out of nowhere in book 6 - especially because Ginny's characterization and narrative framing change in book 6.

If she'd continued to be written the way she was in book 5 and her relationship with Harry continued to be written the way it was in that book it might've felt more natural. Instead in book 6 Harry is actually less close to her than in book 5 - no longer confessing his problems or feelings to her; he doesn't even ever tell her about the prophecy nor does he feel any desire to share what he's learning about Voldemort with her, even given her experiences with Tom Riddle in book 2. So she's actually much more tertiary to his life rather than increasingly involved.

If they were going to get together I think book 6 should've been the slow burn buildup book with them getting increasingly close and some will they or won't they energy going on and then they finally get together in book 7. I guess JKR kinda did try to do the slow burn thing it just didn't really work for me.

I actually have mixed feelings on whether this is a flaw. I say it didn't work for me but I mean that only in the sense that I don't buy them being soulmates who ultimately end up together. Harry and Ginny's relationship as depicted in the books does actually feel realistic to me and is interesting as is - just not as something endgame. She idolizes him. Harry thinks he might be dead soon and wishfully mistakes lust for love - partly because he'd feel bad just having a casual relationship with his best friend's sister. But after the war they realize they don't really know each other and aren't that well matched. Each needs someone else and they go their separate ways.

I think that's compelling and realistic. So if we ignore the epilogue I actually totally buy what happened in canon. I stg the whole book series is a perfect setup for 8th year or postwar drarry. It's why I prefer drarry fic that is post canon rather than canon divergent and only ignores the epilogue.

And yeah. Harry doesn't really respect Ginny and consistently sidelines her. I mean neither of them even ever gets each other a Christmas or birthday present. Even in 6th year when they're dating. They're not that close. Can you imagine Harry shopping for a present for Ginny? He's great at buying things for Ron or Hermione because he knows them well, but Ginny? Does he even know her well enough to know what to get her? No.

[queerplatonicshipshowdown]

Round 2, Match 6

Moiraine Damodred and Lan Mandragoran from Wheel of Time vs. Camilla Hect and Palamades Sextus (Campal) from The Locked Tomb!

Propaganda for Moiraine and Lan: Not submitted

Propaganda for Campal:

They're two people who have spent their whole lives together and are hopelessly devoted and loyal to each other. While some people do read their relationship as strictly romantic or platonic, it has way more going for it through a QP lense! They've been lifelong friends, and in their culture are essentially non-romantic life partners as a necromantic wizard and his bodyguard/champion. It's actually strictly taboo for them to engage in a romantic relationship because of this. But nonetheless they remain close to and devoted to each other, going so far as to use necromancy to keep each other close after one of them dies, and then going on to share a body until it becomes physically impossible to do so any longer. So they burn both of their souls to merge together into one new entity, creating a walking metaphor for queerplatonic partnership. They endlessly support and encourage each other, they're a perfect team when it comes to both peaceful study and combat. They know each other inside and out, long before they had to share a body, they were inseperable.

They're two halves of one whole, literally, and nothing about that intense closeness and partnership is written to be romantic! Especially because other, similar characters in the series ARE written to read as romantic, and there's a distinct tonal difference to those relationships! Basically, they're two peas in a pod, two halves of a whole, clearly not quite platonic with it, but certainly not romantic either.

[vxntagedior]

hello! i've got a request if you don't mind. could you please write xavier x reader who's kinda like wednesday (in a way she's afraid of being seen vulnerable) but is really easy to make cry if it makes sense(?) maybe they're some kind of rivals and one day (a really bad day for the reader) xavier is a little too harsh on her (comparing her with some other girl so her competitive side who's rival with him is all "!!!") so she wants to go away to hide the tears but the boy is to mean this time so he follows her and see her crying. then she ignores him for 2 weeks bc boy needs to suffer a little. you really can do whatever you want with it it's just a thought. i always see reader being written as a badass but when a boy literally mocks her bad she's all oh please let me make out w/you<3 but cmon boys need to suffer a little too. deserve to be forgiven you know?? that's why i liked your aftermath the best! you're so talented i want to thank god for your brains! thank u in advance! take care! (sorry if anything's wrong, never wanted to make you uncomfortable)

adding salt to a wound

summary | after a harsh day, xavier just had to take another jab at you

pairing | xavier thorpe x fem!reader

warning | academic rivals to lovers, angst with a hopeful ending insecure!reader, their relationship is unclear at the end

word count | 1.2k

Just waking up in the morning, you already knew it was going to be a bad day. You spent the entire night last night on the phone arguing with your mother. What started as a normal catch up, turned into a screaming match between the two of you that probably woke up all the girls on your floor. 

Your eyes were still puffy as you cried yourself to sleep, your cheeks still a little swollen. You always hated crying, hated the pity that people gave you when they saw those tears, how it brought down your emotional wall, and letting people see you in a state that you hated. 

Your roommate didn’t comment on the subject which you were thankful for, hoping the rest of your day would go as smoothly as possible. Marissa, your roommate, the two of you weren’t always friendly with each other, constantly competing for that top spot in classes constantly. 

Going out for classes, skipping breakfast, trying to clean up your face to make it seem like you didn’t ball your eyes out for the whole night. 

Classes went as good as they could, none of your friends commented on your appearance, nor did they ask about your day yesterday. You stayed quieter than usual, listening to everyone instead of talking, something that they didn’t seem to notice which you were happier for. 

Coming back for the day, you liked the little moment of solitude you had before a Nightshades meeting. You were never good at keeping track of your time, constantly running late for everything, like you were now. 

Running from your dorm, trying to be as quiet as possible knowing curfew was coming up, making your way towards the Poe statue and down to the library. 

“You’re late.” God you hated his voice. Xavier had been a pain in your side since as long as you could remember. The two of you had just clashed the moment you met. It started as academic rivals but you soon were able to surpass him easily and since Xavier had made his mission in life to make your life as miserable as possible. 

“I was doing my history project.” You rolled your eyes, joining Yoko and Divina, as far as possible from Xavier. 

Before Bianca could start again, Xavier had interrupted her. “I don’t even know why you’re trying, we all know Marissa is gonna get a perfect score, showed it to us earlier.”

He knew that hit a nerve, everyone at Nevermore knew the academic rivalry you had with your roommate.

Ignoring him, you turned back to Bianca, Xavier letting out a smirk knowing he was able to get to you. 

Bianca continued to talk about the Rave’N and such, none of you really listening anymore. 

So you know who you’re taking?” Ajax was never the best whisperer, thinking he was, but everyone could hear their conversation. 

Turning his head slightly, Xavier could see you out of the corner of his eye, listening into his conversation. 

“Don’t know yet, I’ve been hanging out with Marissa a lot, maybe her.”

Your friends constantly teased you that your relationship with Xavier was soon to turn romantic, finally taking all your hate into passion. You thought about it, Xavier was handsome, he was an amazing artist, you couldn’t take that from him, and his personality was nice to anyone but you. 

As the meeting ended, you were the first one out of the library, making a beeline out towards your room. It was still fall, so the sun was starting to set, light still out. 

“Did you have to do that?” Divina glared at Xavier, “Look whatever relationship the two of you have is odd, but did you really have to hit her when she’s already down.”

Frowning, Xavier watched the rest of the Nightshades, making his way towards your room. Sliding past the housemaster and Weems, he knocked on your door praying you were the one to answer. 

Swinging the door open, your eyes widened seeing Xavier in front of you mid-cry. Xavier was just as shocked as you, never seeing you cry. 

“What do you want?” You sniffled, knowing you couldn’t keep your tears at bay. “Here to compare to Marissa again, go ahead, I’ve heard all day.”

Opening his mouth, Xavier tried to speak, his sentence never coming out. 

“Leave.” Your voice wavered, never giving him a chance to speak, you slammed the door in his face. 

Xavier stood there for a few minutes, taking in all that happened, reflecting on the two of you. It was best that he left you alone, leaving and going back to his own dorm. 

Going out for breakfast the next morning, Xavier watched as you came out, seeing you silently sit with your friends, giving them all a small smile, one that didn’t reach your eyes, making a face for everyone. 

During classes, you ignored him, during activities, you ignored him, during Nightshade meetings, you ignored him. He didn’t know how long it was going on, maybe almost 2 weeks at that point. 

Not keeping to his words, Xavier went to the Rave’N with Bianca, not that he truly wanted to. Seeing you walk in alone, your dress coming down to your thighs, you were beautiful. 

Xavier kept his eye on you during the dance, Bianca being annoyed, leaving him alone. All your friends were dancing with each other and their dates, seeing you sitting across the hall, seeing at a table alone. 

Your chin rested on your hand, just watching the sea of people dancing. 

Hearing the song change, a slower song, everyone eventually starting to couple up, holding each other close. 

Xavier saw how your face slightly dropped, seeing your eyes sullen, swallowing, Xavier got up walking towards you. 

Seeing the shadow in front of you, you looked to see Xavier standing in front of you, offering his hand towards you. 

Before you couldn’t even reject him, Xavier beat you to it. “You don’t have to talk to me, you don’t even have to look at me, but please dance with me?”

Looking down at his hand, looking back at him, before placing your hand in his. You let Xavier bring you out, standing closer to your friends, all who were looking at you and Xavier. 

Letting his hands fall to your waist, you wrapped your hands around his neck, happy that you wore heels. 

From the start of the dance, the two of you were barely close to each other, seeing a prominent gap between the two of you. Slowly, the two of you became closer and closer, ending with you, resting your head on his shoulder. 

Xavier rested his head on top of yours, swaying the two of you together. As the song came to an end, the two of you stayed together, still swaying together. 

Your face was turned to your friends, seeing the look on their faces seeing you and Xavier together. 

Still not talking to him, you pushed your face away, just simply looking at him. Xavier just smiled, looking down at you, seeing you give him a small smile before leaning back down on his chest. 

Wrapping arms tighter around you, Xavier continued to dance with you hoping the relationship the two of you had was mended.

fin.

[scrunckled-idiot]

DOING THIS BECAUSE MY G/T BUDDIES ARE EHEEHEHHE :D

pocket and their relationships with their co-workers:

(relationships might have changed from their original post)

scout: literally the yapper and the listener. will hang out with the boy when things have been too quiet for too long. will listen to him go on and on and on about miss Pauling, the enemy team, how much he hates spy, how he's hungry and wants to go out for food, how he doesn't know what to draw next and that he needs some better pens- just general stuff, and they just nod along to every word. usually goes out into town with him or just uses him as fast travel. both are actually really creative together since pocket will go out and find scraps of magazines or trinkets scout can use in his scrap book. team work baybeeeee. scout sees them as like his tiny older uncle/aunt thingy, because believe it or not, pocket actually has some authority over the boy, like jiminy cricket. if jiminy cricket had no voice. especially when it comes to think before you act. you do NYATT annoy heavy when he's just woken up to do the night shift.

soldier: pocket... pocket isn't really sure. i mean yea he's ok, a bit handsy and brash, and loud, but in a- charming way? i mean- they're not that big of a fan of him when he has his little episodes or mood swings, because then more than likely THEY will be his outlet. WILL out of the blue start bolting after them around the base no matter the situation. off day? MOVE THOSE LEGS! sleeping? UP AND AT 'EM SUNSHINE! getting dressed? NO TIME FOR THAT! GO GO GO!!! thinks he's helping keep them on their toes on this gravel hellscape of war, but its just causing them even more stress (and cramps in their legs OW-) will also kidnap pocket and explain some sudden delusional idea he came up with and drags them along with him, which pocket reluctantly allows (not that they really mind it anyway. they kinda dig the fact of how much of a wild card he is :3). sometimes insists on covering pockets back during matches, which often pays off. how nice! :3

pyro: he doesn't talk, they dont talk, perfect. pyro sometimes follows behind pocket like a lost puppy, going wherever they do. pocket doesn't mind the company. sometimes has to endure a few tea parties with them though and reluctantly let themselves be roughly dressed in (partially burned) doll clothes and sit for an awkwardly long time with them in their room as they play pretend. pyro handmade them a tiny house out of an old mint box the second day they arrived. pocket still uses it sometimes, even though they have their own room. its just a nice gesture y'know?

heavy: heavy usually doesn't allow pocket near him and makes up some excuse that he's ill or something. pretty believable with how pale his face goes and how shivery he gets. but after hearing some gossip from medic about his Microphobia, pocket understood, keeping their distance. but slowly over time came closer and closer after medic asked pocket to conduct some exposure therapy. now you could see pocket sat on the armchair of heavys seat as he reads his book, possibly explaining the story or going off on a tangent about how its written to them.

engineer: pocket and engie are like this 🤞fr fr. goes to him for anything and everything. usually hangs out with him after missions or on off days. weather that be tinkering in his workshops, helping him in the kitchen when making dinner, or even just lounging around with him in general. pocket looks up to him (no pun intended) as a farther figure and sticks with him during missions when they aren't entirely up for it. willingly a test subject for any crazy contraption the guy makes, weather that be a sentient smart kitchen, walking sentry girl bot thing, miniature rocket boots- you name it. one time engie made a growth ray to see if pocket would like being well- normal. hated it, threw up and got REALLY REALLY ill for some reason, the perspective change was NOT GOOD ON THEM. interesting for everyone though (but hahah turns out they were taller than engie HAHAAHHA). engie has since locked it away somewhere and forgor about it.

demoman: demos pretty fond of the wee fella in all honesty, like a... like aaa... like a pocket buddy! (how creative) sometimes snags them up subconsciously when hes drunk off his ass and just carries them around with him all night in his hand, rocking them side to side as he mumbles under his breath. its- yea a little weird, but no harm done in the end (except for that one time where pocket nearly became his "hangover cure".) he's always saying how much they remind him of the wee folk in his childhood stories and shows them pictures from his books. listens to him during his piano time, tapping their foot to the tune, flipping the pages for him, sometimes even trying their hand at it by hopping from key to key. pockets getting better at it slowly but surely! doing these little jazzy duets with demo.

medic: least favourite, but doesn't hate per say, just a bit jumpy with him. keeps scaring them and popping out of nowhere and grabbing them, cackling. its not like that can do anything about him, he's their co-worker! AND he's the one who found out that they're indestructible! so they're gratfull for him getting accurate and speciful results from him but... still though he just kinda freaks them out with that- huegehh- smile of his. but they can somewhat tolerate him. from afar. a good distance away. in another room. out of reach. Mabey with engineer as a meat shield.

sniper: both are socially awkward so they dont mind each others rare company at times. sometimes joins him, demo, and scout on their mini trips into the dessert. he's a little weird and freaks pocket out sometimes whenever they catch him eating bugs or roasting a gecko over a candle but i mean- we all got our quirks right? (tastes great tho) likes to scared pocket by laying traps around the base or telling them fun facts like "you know an iguana or something could eat you and we wouldn't know, right? pocket has a fear of animals. he knows this. it makes it so much fucking funnier when he pulls one of the fuckers out from behind his back or car seat. pocket usually gets back at him by cock-blocking him and demo. other than that they're just chill like that bro.

spy: barely ever interact really, aside from the few times spy lent a gentleman's hand in their time of need. pocket knows spy, and spy knows pocket. they acknowledge each other sure. spy sometimes keeps some of his "relaxation tobacco" spare for them when he notices they seem particularly Shakey.

bonus!:

entire blu team: out to get the fucking traitor

miss Pauling: doesn't know

admin: KNOWS

Archimedes: THE ULTIMATE SHOW DOWN OF ULTIMATE DESTINY!!! *gets pecked to "death"*

wanted to do this cus @circushaven and @bluespace-skull did and i hav severe FOMO :')

[cheetour]

The Void Within's dialogue is sloppy to the point of not being fully literate*.

It's been noticed that the rough sketches and the final artwork don't match up in quality, and seem to be declining as the plot goes on. The same is happening to the writing.

This is, I am sorry, a post about the latest major Neopets update. Not only that, it's about the GRAMMAR in the dialogue for that update. Riveting.

I SWEAR I AM NOT JUST A PEDANTIC ASSHOLE, I GENUINELY WANT USERS TO KNOW THERE'S AN ISSUE!

Most people who complain about "incorrect" grammar in games and comics are wrong. Homestuck, Night in the Woods, We Know the Devil, and Captain Underpants all have fine grammar, just stylized.

I really, really, really like The Void Within. I think it's a fantastic idea, and I am determined to enjoy it as much as possible.

I am a professional editor. Noticing this stuff is my job.

Now, PLEASE bear that in mind when I say:

tl;dr: Neopets is asking you to pay money to a product that does not meet the quality standards of a primary school English test for ages 10+.

*I don't mean to use "not literate" as a stand-in for "stupid and bad at writing." Literacy is very complicated, illiteracy is more common than you think, and there is no shame in being illiterate - you can be very intelligent and also have no written or digital literacy. I mean the literal "not able to use written language to its fullest extent".

It's clear whoever wrote the dialogue didn't have a perfect grasp of English punctuation. AND THAT'S FINE. Good writers don't always have good grammar, and you DON'T need fluent English to write good stories in English.

That's why writing, proofreading, and editing are all separate professions, and why a well-run creative project delegates those roles to separate people. They still matter.

People are more likely to notice grammar mistakes the more they read books. Correctly formatted English is how older, less online, and disabled people with visual or linguistic processing difficulties read. Text-to-speech doesn't work correctly on writing without correct punctuation. These are serious professional standards, and they exist for a reason. They're not worthless just because you don't understand them.

A good-quality publisher of books, comics, or video games wouldn't release dialogue like this to a paying audience. They would consider this standard unacceptable. They'd either use correct grammar, or stylized grammar. (Inconsistent grammar, with no logical or narrative rules, isn't a style. They're not choices if you don't know you're making them. They're mistakes.)

To an extent this is nitpicking, and most people wouldn't notice this stuff.

But Neopets is MAKING MONEY. They are SELLING PRODUCTS for this. They have MULTIPLE PHASES of NC Market sales for this plot.

As an educator, there is no way I could show this (perfectly kid-friendly) comic to a classroom of children - it would have no educational value. It's not written correctly or with any obvious care. If they paid attention to it too much, they'd get the wrong idea about the English language!

I think it's fair to say that if you're publishing an official Neopets story, and you want Neopets to be a kid-friendly, fan-driven, story-based brand with a target audience wider than "people who don't really care about whether stories are professionally written", the script should've been proofread.

To give you an idea of how many typos Chapter 3 has, here's one of the dialogue pages with the missing punctuation added; I also took 5 minutes to rewrite each line for coherency.

And THIS is a website showing you at what points in primary eduation we teach children to use commas correcty:

Art is hard. Programming is hard. Hell, good writing is hard. It's HARD coming up with dialogue and a plot that people actually want to experience.

Grammar is boring and sometimes pointless. It's not difficult. It requires only basic literacy. Children learn how to use commas at ages seven and up.

If you don't care about the story you're telling enough to check that it would get a good grade on a child's school test, how can you possibly expect anyone to pay for it? You need specialist skills to code a website or create a high-quality digital graphic, but the only thing you need to get this right is... one literate adult who cares enough to try.

So where are they?

**There is no shame in being illiterate, but there is CERTAINLY shame in selling illiterate writing.

tl;dr: Neopets is asking you to pay money to a product that does not meet the quality standards of a primary school English test for ages 10+.

Finally, here are some browser petsites/RPGs who have never prompted me to write an 800 word critique:

Fallen London

Pixel Cat's End

Lioden

[queenpiranhadon]

do whichever you want, I dont care lol

zenitsu agatsuma

Leo valdez

tanjirou kamado

grover underwood

they are put in order of how much I simp for them

A/N: I'm going to assume you want x reader because yeah lmaooo but since his birthday is today, I figured I'd do our favorite Uncle Leo hahahah Here's the masterlist!!

Warning(s): Cursing, mentions of being burned, blood, crying, you are Leo are best friends, angst with a happy ending, Leo is in love and doesn't realize it bahaha, reader is unclaimed, people be shit talking, there's no timeline for this, just insert it where you want lmao, reader is gn but is written with f!reader in mind, usage of Y/N, Leo refers to you as an angel

Pairing(s): Leo Valdez x Reader

•────•°•❀•°•───── ʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ ─────•°•☁︎•°•────•

Aw fuck.

Leo may or may not have royally messed up. Like a ton.

He didn't even know how it happened, because one moment he's walking through Camp Halfblood with you, his best friend in the entire world, and the next, he overhears some bastards talking shit about you and he just...snaps.

"Ugh who'd you get on your team for capture? Can't believe Mr. D thought it would be a good idea to split up the cabins and 'mix and match'"

"Yeah it's honestly super dumb- I'm not complaining though, I've got Annabeth."

"You're just lucky- I got Y/N of all people- literally the most annoying person on camp- and honestly the most useless too."

At at the sound of that, Leo whipped his head to you, just in time to see your eyes wide, on the brink of brimming with tears before looking forwards, attempting to pretend you didn't hear anything.

But you had.

And Leo knew.

You were unclaimed, and you mostly kept to yourself until Leo found you tending to Festus while he was away one day- and surprisingly the metal dragon seemed completely at ease around you.

Leo was awestruck, and ever since then, you two had gotten extremely close, the son of Hephaestus even found himself longing to be in your presence whenever he was on quests.

You were quiet, but around him, you opened up more, you were funny, and kind, and you have a quick tongue too, always engaging in light banter with him that never ceased to be entertaining to either of you.

To him, you were perfect- because you were there. His first best friend technically wasn't his in the first place, given that Jason, Piper and Leo himself were all under Hera's unnerving control. Needless to say, the three of them were still close, but Leo couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't genuine.

Along with the rest of the Argo II members, he felt more like a seventh wheel more than anything (if that was even possible) and deep down, the nagging thought that he was nothing but a burden always lingered.

Around you though, he felt like someone, like he was special - around you, he felt like Leo Valdez.

Maybe that's why he got so mad, he didn't even know he could get so mad- and the next thing he knows, a murderous scowl is painted on his face and he's lunging for the two other campers, fists ablaze.

But you were faster.

You, sweet angel you, saw what was coming the moment his palms tightened into fists, lunging forward to stop him, using your hands to stop him own.

In hindsight, you probably should've remembered his hands were on fire.

But even as pain seared your palms to the point tears where subconsciously running down your face, you swallowed, and stood firm.

"Leo, please." you beg weakly, and in an instant, his flames distinguish, and your blood now paints his first- horror overtaking his face as you stare into his eyes pleadingly. "They're not worth it."

Leo, in his guilt ridden frozen state, can only bring himself to look at you, and yet, he doesn't deserve it, your eyes wide and cheeks stained with tears- he can't believe he had done this to you.

He, of all people, had hurt his angel, his haven, his best friend.

But you didn't waver, when he buried his hands in his eyes, sobbing uncontrollably, you said nothing, engulfing him in your arms and pressing his face into the crook of your neck and he heaved, tears soaking into your shirt.

He was broken, but he knew, even if he didn't deserve it, you would be there to pick up his fragments, piece by piece, with your damaged hands, just so you two could be together again.

[intrulogical]

shakes you. YOU DON'T GET IT GUYS!!! working through intrusive thoughts is one of the best sasi episodes for how much it reveals about logan and remus and yes i am biased to intrulogical but there is!!!! a reason!!!!

obviously beforehand we just acknowledged remus as one of the people logan debated against throughout the series but no THIS time we have to acknowledge how they're two sides of the same coin!! they r the same kind of character!! there's an implied deeper narrative connection between these two by how much remus KNOWS about logan's vulnerabilities and actively pushes his buttons more than any other side does to get him to snap!!!

to explain, one of the reasons this episode is so important is because we gain the opportunity to learn more about remus as a character. in dwit, we're just introduced to his personality— gruesome, random LOL humor, a bother. but what wtit establishes is how he perceives being viewed as a bother AND how his "random LOL" personality is actually more deliberate than what we thought it is.

one— remus is bothered by being ignored. "you're going to pretend i don't exist so i'm gonna pretend you don't exist" is the BIGGEST evidence of that, coupled with the fact that this sentence exactly mirrors what apparition!nico said to thomas. in fact, the fact that these two match completely proves that what remus is projecting onto thomas through nico isn't just thomas' insecurities but some of remus' as well. this is my first talking point on why i think remus and logan are different sides of the same coin. they are suppressed!!! they are LITERALLY fighting for thomas' attention in the episode.

and they both lose. holy shit guys. they r literally the sides thomas hate the most and they literally both lose and thomas doesn't listen to them and!!! ARE YOU HEARING ME THEY R NARRATIVE MIRRORS!!!!!

and second— i'd love to add that remus is proven to be extremely deliberate. people like to write remus as someone "who does anything he wants for no reason" but that's not the entire story. think of it this way: remus HAS left-field goals and aspirations, but he is extremely committed to fulfilling them, which makes him deliberate. his entire thing in wtit is to bother thomas as much as possible, and he stays COMMITTED to that. he has plans and he thinks and he's smarter than what most people believe. why do you think he had a notepad w all his plans written on it????

again, he IS a mirror to logan, not only in methodology but end goals??? like do you ever wonder what role remus serves as a side. and i mean obviously he's intrusive thoughts and we all hate intrusive thoughts, but in essence, each side believes they are benefiting thomas whether you agree with their methods or not. remus imposes his ideas onto thomas because he believes them to be beneficial. in this situation where thomas is at his lowest, remus actually serves an interesting role of being thomas' alarm clock.

what do i mean by that? what i mean is, so much of the series shows the sides seemingly finding a perfect solution for each predicament they go through. but in reality, thomas going through issues by himself is SUPER unhealthy and unrealistic. remus serves as a reality checker to thomas. the more intrusive thoughts thomas receives in uncontrollable amounts, the more thomas would realize that hey, maybe i SHOULD go see a therapist for my problems.

AGAIN, ANOTHER MIRROR TO LOGAN BC I CAN'T GET ENOUGH. logan is the one who imposes the alarms in wtit to remind thomas to do certain chores. these two are basically cues for thomas to actually RESPOND to his mental health issues, but logan is more solution-based while remus is more emotion-based.

AND THEY R WHAT, STILL NOT LISTENED TO! but the important thing to realize is that, w so many implications about them being mirrors, something is Bound to happen, specifically to logan, that would eventually reach thomas and slap him into reality. remus and logan share the same goal, after all— to be listened to and for thomas to recognize his mental health issues. when remus says "gee logan now you're speaking my language" after logan got mad at him, remus is saying "now you understand why i use emotion as a means of getting other people's attention (and i hope you know who to use that against next time)" AND THAT MAKES ME INSANE. REMUS AND LOGAN R INSANE. they r scary powerful as a tandem and may change the course of thomas' life in the future and PLEASE SEE MY VISION Y'ALL THEY R MIRRORS

[threecheersforinking]

Some thoughts about Arcane s2

(spoilers obviously)

To start off, I have a lot of mixed feelings. I don't think it was AS bad as some people are saying, and I definitely don't believe that everyone's characters were ruined/OOC. In my opinion, the overall plot was more of an issue than any individual character's choices (barring a few exceptions). I'm not even going to go into the individual characters, actually.

Because to me, the biggest issues were this:

Lack of a focus on politics

Lack of a focus on Jinx/Vi's relationship

Classism is one of the central themes to this story, and an unavoidable aspect of season 1. It's almost too obvious to talk about. The overarching conflict of Arcane has always been about the tension between Piltover and "Zaun". So why was Viktor and his little army of mannequin clones the big bad of season 2? I do not buy even for a second that Zaunites would suddenly start banding together for Piltover just because they were both at risk of being murdered by some freaky aliens. Why would people in the undercity care? They're already dying and being mistreated. It was lazy, overdone, and not consistent with the thesis of the story. Yeah, having Sevika on the council representing Zaun in the last 10 seconds of the show was great, but how did we get there? Why was that not the focus?

As for #2, Vi and Powder are the main characters and their relationship is at the core of this story. It is the most important relationship in this story. Objectively. And their relationship was not resolved in a satisfying way whatsoever. It didn't have to be perfect, it didn't even have to be happy, but it had to be satisfying and make sense. And it did not.

I truly believe that if those two aspects remained the focus of the story, every other issue that people had with the show or any individual character's choices would no longer be a problem.

I keep seeing people mad that some characters died or their ship wasn't canon but the thing is, this has always been a tragic story. I am not mad that all traces of Vander are gone from Warwick. I am not mad that Jinx and Ekko didn't end up together (even though I literally actively ship them). I don't think everything has to be wrapped up in a nice happy bow for a show to be good. It just has to make narrative sense and be consistent with the thesis of the story, which it was not.

Here's my take: I think many of this season's issues could have been resolved had episodes 1-6 been spread out over 9 episodes with the events of episode 6 being the season finale.

Episodes 1-6 had elements of the central theses that I mentioned earlier. Jinx's attack reignited the suspicion/dislike of undercity folk, therefore upholding the classism aspect; Salo even says "I can't believe we were almost about to give those people rights" (not a direct quote but you get the idea). Vi had lost all hope that her sister was still 'in there', was thinking about Jinx and mourning Powder. The physical fight between them and the role Caitlyn played in it was narratively consistent. These episodes weren't perfect, nor were they as cleanly written as s1, but they had the heart of the story in mind. The real issue is what happened afterwards. They lost the plot, quite literally.

When I heard this second season would also be the final one, I was surprised, but considering there's nothing I hate more than when a story gets drawn out just for the sake of it/because it's popular, I felt like I couldn't complain. However, considering how much convoluted bs they tried to shove into this one 9 episode season, I am confused as to why it wasn't drawn out more. Was it a budgetary reason? An issue with Netflix? I can't figure out what the problem was.

In conclusion, I don't think this season was horrible. Definitely not the worst Season 2 of a beloved Season 1 I've ever seen, at least. But it's still disappointing that the impeccable writing of Season 1 was unable to be matched.