#To ship or not to ship

[moss-covered-thoughts]

An out of order list of things I'm debating for my BatPham fic. Pls pls pls feel free to drop your thoughts, I have too many ideas to sort thru

PS to ppl following No Questions Asked-- may or may not contain spoilers! I literally have no idea yet! Don't look if you don't wanna know what could happen

- older/time skip Danny: short or long hair? Or same? I was originally thinking an undercut but I keep seeing ponytail Danny

- Jason half-ghost au: fire core? Is that the consensus? I kinda wanna change it up and do wind core or electricity core. I like the idea of storm motifs for him

- can't decide if I like dead in main (Jason/Danny) or dead tired (Tim/Danny) better but I'm leaning towards Jason cuz red hood is my fav bat. I don't know as much about Tim. Maybe I should just not do ships??? Dunno if it'd be better to stick with platonic stuff

- Jason and Bruce: reconciled??? I like the idea of him still working out his shit with Bruce/ not having a fluid dynamic yet. Lotsa angst potential. But maybe too complicated for a BatPham au that's already angsty as hell?

- punk Danny vs soft Danny: love love love the punk Danny stuff I've seen buuuuut of he like, gets adopted by Bruce a literal billionaire uhhh can see that being conflicting ahah. The other option is soft Danny, sweaters and warm tea and finding peace where he can kinda deal. But also on the other hand, anarchy

Hmhmgmgmgm that's all I got for now. It's almost 4am and my brains like oh??? Oh???? DPxDC???

[fromthestonymountains]

Tangled meets Frozen (again).

I imagine Rapunzel and Anna being best friends. And you can guess how I think the other two would get on...

[elmodoescrimes]

When in doubt of a characters sexuality, make 'em bi, then you can ship 'em with whoever!

[chaotic-orphan]

Have to jump on the Oskit discussion here because I am INVESTED. Not the biggest fan either but the other anon who said that Ambrose and Jude would be a power couple made me laugh out loud purely because Ambrose would totally bring up Jude’s ugly shoes later on and he might completely revamp Jude’s closet which….*snickers*

Now I am the biggest fan of Kit and Ambrose having somewhat sibling vibes but I think it might only happen if there’s like a forgiveness arc or something cuz I don’t know about Kit but I ain’t forgiving no one who essentially stole a month of life and cut me, like hello? But jeez have I begrudgingly started to like Ambrose. This is the problem with good writing lmao!! Also I love Kit with all my heart if I have to already mentioned it.

After mulling over the latest chapter (which was delicious by the way), I have decided Mr. Silver is indeed not the supervillain. Will be re-reading the story again this weekend to see if you’ve sneakily introduced a character 😤 that I might have forgotten about.

Can’t wait for the next chapter 🫶🏽

OMG AHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!! Ambrose would absolutely have to revamp Jude’s entire wardrobe because, and he would say this to Jude: “I can’t be seen with a slob” and then “we’re burning the shoes.”

Yes I completely agree, Kit will never be able to undo the scars that Ambrose forced Kit to give himself. Like you cannot get over that, and Ambrose sat and watched it the whole time while Kit cried for him to stop and show mercy and Ambrose *enjoyed* it. Kit could never kiss him because that is all he would see and he’d always wonder in the back of his mind, if Ambrose was compelling him to love him or not, which is a fun road for gay angst, but not in this timeline baybayyyyy!

No, stop, because I love absolutely cruel, sadistic, stoic, cold whumpers and now Ambrose is growing as a person and thinking about people other than himself and his found family of friends he built for himself, and it’s such a change in him that I am like wait, you’re kind of a decent-ish person? Doesn’t excuse or forgive his actions towards anyone but he’s trying to do better?!?!!! Or is he just doing it all for his own selfish gain of defeating not just Mentor publicly, but Supervillain too?🤔🤷

I’m a be so real rn, the Supervillain is going to have to be retroactively hinted at, because I only decided like two chapters ago who it was and how it could be, and like it’s going be a lot of exposition and infodumping and backstorying for it to make sense because I’m not the planning kind of writer I’m the go with the flow kind of writer and honestly Supervillain walking in and fucking everything up was so organic that i was like WAIT FUCK. WHO TF ARE YOU?! WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?!

And Supervillain was like: “i’ve always been here biiiitttccchh”

And I’m like: ???? You literally are not in the story?!?! Make it make sense?? Like that’s not how this works

*then Supervillain just appears in the story and fucks shit up and turns the whole thing upside down when it was just meant to be a simple fun whump fic of gratuitous violence and magic whump and control, but nope!*

He just showed up, announced his arrival and destroyed all the vibes and said: “this is my story now 3:)” Thank you for sharing ahahahahahhaha Ambrose would absolutely have to dress Jude, it would be a control thing or else he wouldn’t be seen with Jude😂😂😂

[sofiadragon]

Tony Stark: **Makes a factual observation about how bonkers the NYC invasion was and accepts Loki's claim that the scepter made him nuts. Slantwise reference to his own time behind enemy lines saying what he needed to say to avoid being murdered hidden in a joking pop culture referance.**

Stephen Strange: **Reasons that Loki is at least capable and informed enough to be an asset to the team. Having him on their side is preferable to having him as an enemy, so is as polite as he ever gets. Agrees with Stark about making stupid decisions when mentally compromised while looking at his hands.**

Loki: **What is this... Validation of my worth and utility? Understanding my feelings and situation? How dare you make me feel positive emotions!**

Everyone else: Weren't they just bitching at each other for an hour? How did they get from there to a pile of limbs on the couch watching a documentary about penguins?

[zimtastisch]

13 Gründe warum Sprotte und Titus ein superlustiges Couple wären:

1. Hallo? Klassisches Enemies to Lovers-Trope? Vielleicht sogar Enemies to Friends to Lovers... (ich seh da großes slow burn Potenzial)

2. Titus und Frieda, die sich um Sprottes Aufmerksamkeit streiten 3. Titus, der beleidigt ist, wenn Sprotte Frieda besuchen kommt und nicht ihn (siehe 2) 4. Titus, der in Frieda und Sprottes Mädelsabend platzt, weil er NICHT eingeladen wurde 5. Sprotte, die Titus langsam dazu bringt, Frauen als mehr zu sehen, als jemanden, der zu Hause bleibt, kocht und die Wäsche macht (Was für ein wunderschöne Charakterentwicklung wäre das denn?) 6. Titus, der Friedas Handy klaut, weil er mit Sprotte telefonieren will, die aber immer mit Frieda quatscht (siehe 2) 7. Luki, der angeekelt davonrennt, wenn er Sprotte und Titus beim Knutschen in der Küche (oder im Tischtenniskeller) erwischt 8. Sprotte und Titus, die sich ständig wegen Kleinigkeiten in den Haaren liegen 9. Titus, der sich nach einem Streit mit Sprotte bei Frieda ausheult, weil er generell keine Ahnung hat, wie Frauen ticken 10. Titus, der Frieda fragt, was Sprotte mag, weil er nicht weiß, was er ihr zum Geburtstag schenken soll 11. Frieda, die Titus erklärt, warum er Sprotte wieder mal verärgert hat 12. Frieda, die Titus Tipps gibt, wie er Sprotte nicht verärgert 13. Frieda, die für Sprotte da sein will, obwohl sie es ein bisschen awkward findet mit ihr über ihren großen Bruder zu sprechen

[apparentlyautistick]

Hmm.

[myemuisemo]

Galadriel & Halbrand: Bizarro-World Eowyn & Aragorn

The relationship between Galadriel and Halbrand up to episode 7 of Rings of Power is an inverse of the relationship between Eowyn and Aragorn in Lord of the Rings, in ways that make it damn enticing.

She’s a frustrated action girl who loves horses and rejects any effort to squeeze her into a passive role or even to limit her violence to defending the home turf. No, she wants to be out making change and slaying things. He’s (purportedly) a secret king who offers the means to fulfill her dreams.

But the power dynamic is reversed. Aragorn is of the noblest human blood going, on a high and noble quest, while Eowyn is a princess of a lesser ally. Conversely, Galadriel is among the highest of high elves, with a high and noble quest, while Halbrand is (she thinks) a “low man” of much skill and little ambition, the promised ruler of a lesser ally. Just as Aragorn won’t marry Eowyn because he’s got an Elf back home, Galadriel wouldn’t think of stooping to Halbrand because she’s got an Elf husband (who might or might not be alive).

SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 8 ARE ABOUT TO HAPPEN

It’s a really tantalizing set-up, not just to Galadriel (who dearly misses having comrades in arms), but to viewers. We get a male-female relationship with the development and nuance and camaraderie that Tolkien reserved for male-male buddies. It’s shippable. Looking back over the series, it’s not a healthy camaraderie, as it looks like Galadriel pushing slacker!Halbrand in service of her goals, with little regard to what he’s telling her. But hey, he’s not even the worst of Redeemable Bad Boys out there in popular literature: the people he hurts on-screen are undeveloped or actively annoying, and he clearly feels some kind of remorse for his past and some kind of bond with Galadriel.

(I do think he’s genuine in feeling regret about his past, just not the right parts of it. I do think he feels a real bond with Galadriel, but that bond is formed from their anger, pain, and obsession. I don’t think either feels toward the other anything like the courtly love that het couples have in canon, but he feels something.)

Then at the big reveal, Halbrand pulls the power dynamic out from under her feet. The cinematography on this sets it up as equivalent to the big damn romantic moment where the pauper reveals to the princess that he’s a true prince after all. Look at the golden light pouring through the trees! Halbrand is clad in princely rainment (in the same color family as Galadriel’s dress), showing increased self-confidence, and has discovered Elf hair conditioner. Look at those held gazes. This is straight out of not only romance tropes but also the Tolkien playbook of het couples walking together in the garden and deciding they’ll defy life and death for each other. This scene is the uncanny valley of romantic meetings: it’s all there but somehow unsettlingly a little off.

The world stands still on the “I have been alive since before the first breaking of the silence” line. You can see Halbrand’s face relax and flood with power. (Charlie Vickers is brilliant here.) He’s acting like this is a big reveal that shows how awesome he is, which, well, he’s a Maia, who are as far above the Elves as Elves are above Men. It’s like he’s feeling the situation as “Behold! You set out to be the inspiration of a mere Man and instead you inspired a demi-god!” Meanwhile, she’s got to be feeling the implicit mockery of that earlier “without you, I’d be nothing, and I’ll never let anyone forget it” moment – if Sauron could contain his urge to pull people’s tails, he’d do much better. (He may be trying to redeem himself, but he’s still working with a toolbox of unhealthy behaviors and believing he knows best. He’s got that in common with Galadriel in this era, too.)

If he’d stuck to reminding Galadriel of their moments of camaraderie, instead of trying to lean on her with creepy!Fingon, he might plausibly have pulled it off (as a story – we know canon doesn’t allow this). They’ve both talked about how the past can’t be changed; he needed to stay out of hers and focus harder on the many times they’d talked about the possibility of redemption. Up to this point, he’s manipulated her by offering her the opportunity to master her fears, so sullying her past was a huge mistake. Is it made out of lack of respect for the foolish Elf who couldn’t see hints right in front of her face, or is it made because he wants so badly to have this one-Elf army by his side? Could be both – Sauron’s evil seems to spring from having his belief that he’s superior all tangled up with his wants and desires, to the point that it gives him blind spots.

As a sidebar, I hope Bronwyn and Arondir have a happy life in the Pelargir and are allowed to assume that the King Who Was Promised died on the way to Eregion. Thinking back to Bronwyn’s speech about “maybe my people are just destined for darkness and have no choice but to bow to Sauron” gives a sad spin to her being presented by Numenor with a king and savior who is Sauron after all. Unlike Galadriel, she did nothing to bring this upon herself.

[aromanticduck]

There's wholesome ships and there's toxic ships, but I'd like to coin 'sodium chloride ships', where the individuals involved are both horrible and dangerous people, but somehow being together renders them surprisingly well-adjusted (if a little salty).

[mewvore]

[catsofyore]

In 1944 a kitten named George (short for General Electric) was saved from drowning by a U.S. Navy crew member. George was then photographed and given a liberty card and detailed health record. Source.

[becuzmdsaidineededpersonality]

[screampotato]

Suddenly struck with a need to explain to you how boat pronouns work (I work in the marine industry).

When you're talking about the design of the boat, you say "it".

When the boat is still being built, your say "it".

When the boat is nearing completion, you can say "it" or "she".

When the boat is floating in the water you probably say "she", unless there is still a lot of work to be done (e.g. no engine yet) then you say "it".

When the boat is officially launched and operating, you say "she". If you continue to say "it" at this point you are not incorrect but suspiciously untraditional. You are not playing the game.

If you are referring to a boat you don't really know anything about you may say "it" ("there's a big boat, it's coming this way"). But if you know its name, it's probably "she" ("there's the Waverley, she's on her way to Greenock").

If you are talking about boats in general, you say "it" ("when a boat is hit by a wave it heels over")

If you speak about a boat in complimentary terms, it's "she" ("she's a grand boat"). If you are being disparaging it may be it, but not necessarily ("it's as ugly as sin", "she's a grotty old tub").

If she has a boy's name, she's still she. "Boy James", "King Edward", "Sir David Attenborough"? The pronoun is she.

If it's a dumb barge (no engine), you say it. But if it's a rowing boat (no engine), you say she.

I hope this has cleared things up so that you may not be in danger of misgendering floating objects.

[brawnie]

*grabbing mlm shippers by the shoulders* guys nobody needs to be the twink. nobody needs to be the sub. nobody needs to be the femboy. they can both be big fat hairy men who bask in each others masculinity or they can both be unspeakable monstrous creatures with inhuman genitalia it’s okay I’m holding your hand. Let me show you the way

[boreal-sea]

I really think everyone needs to truly internalize this:

Fictional characters are objects.

They are not people. You cannot "objectify" them, because they have no personhood to be deprived of. They have no humanity to be erased. You cannot "disrespect" them, because they are not real.

[saintmachina]

Shipping fictional characters isn’t representative of your moral values. It’s representative of your particular psychic damage and the themes and motifs that haunt you. Hope this helps.