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thegeminisage · 1 year ago

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star trek: the motion picture rewrite

star trek the motion picture was bad so i'm fixing it. here's how

problem #1: everybody got interesting setups and nobody got any payoffs.

problem #2: ilia and decker were just not that interesting (sorry ilia and decker) and they either needed to be more interesting or have less screen time or both.

problem #3: it took more than half the film for the enterprise to even leave earth. this seems like poor pacing, which the overall film also suffers from.

problem #4: those damn 20-minute cgi scenery sequences. enough is enough.

sorry in advance but this post won't make much sense if you haven't seen the first star trek movie, "star trek: the motion picture." i don't have the time or patience to re-explain the entire plot! the novelization also ties into this but i do explain some of that.

MAIN PLOT

it wasn't a GREAT plot but i'm keeping it mostly the same, except a few changes:

the enterprise leaves much earlier in the film. all the interpersonal drama can happen ON THE WAY to v'ger and it would make very little difference to the main script and series of events, but the reminds that they're only x hours away from interception would help keep things tense and moving along. also, it would get spock in here earlier. we went a LONG time without seeing him.

the engines can still fail at the outset and get fixed by spock, but it's kind of weird that he shows up out of nowhere. i would change this to kirk leaving him messages - and spock finally answering at the exact right moment (more on this in spock's section)

less of those long cgi sequences, obviously. the enterprise deserves all the fanfare in the world but we do have other stuff to do. maybe we can learn a little about v'ger through the ilia-probe in bits and pieces before we get there rather than learning all at once at the end - the book sort of did that and it was better. but i think we just need to cut them to allow time for a LITTLE more interpersonal drama - the balance of interpersonal stuff to plot stuff was WAY off, even after you consider how the tos episodes are somtimes

i don't think decker should fuck the probe.

the book and movie seem to disagree on whether the ilia-probe really "is" ilia or a very convincing copy. i think we would do better to leave it open, as scifi so often is, because both answers feel slightly wrong to me

kirk just taking the ship at the end and going "ok thattaway" was heartwarming but lacks any semblance of logic. rather than beaming down to debrief, though - in case they don't let him go back up - i'd like to see him doing a power move where the required personnel for his debrief come to HIM. and THEN when the dust clears he can go "thattaway"

CHARACTER ARC: KIRK

there's a lot more on this in the book than the movie, but kirk begins this story three years post his five year journey. in the movie he's framed as "washed up" but the book sometimes implies he's "damaged." starfleet offered him the promotion to admiral to keep him out of space because his was the first ship to come back relatively intact after a five-year and they're using him as a poster boy for their pro-space propaganda. (kirk wholly disagrees with "intact"; he lost a total of 94 crew members over those five years and objects strongly to his new legendary fame.) it's worth noting that bones begged him NOT to take the promotion and he and some other officers actually RESIGNED over it.

also, for the first year back on earth, starfleet totally just SENT HIM A WOMAN? to like keep him distracted and "happy." he got honeypotted into not going back out into space. how many planets have tried to trap people by making them happy? how many times has kirk refused to stay in such a place because it leaves him nothing to strive for? and then, irony of horrific ironies, he was trapped on earth. he doesn't realize this woman was basically sent to pacify him until the very beginning of the film/book. anyway, this woman's name is lori, she's gonna matter just a little bit later. after she left, kirk got pushed into a desk job he was utterly fucking miserable in. he notes that it was the only time he ever ignored bones's advice and he suffered greatly for it.

when the "intruder" (v'ger, obvs) is revealed to be approaching earth (via brain implants? stupid, let's just switch to everyone seeing it on TV), kirk, for totally normal reasons, jumps at the chance to take the enterprise away from decker ostensibly because he's got more experience but also because (the book gets into this) he feels like he's been jerked around on a string for the last three years by the admirals (specifically he names nogura to give us a face but they were all in on it) and also that he's totally dead inside. he has to guilt trip bordering on BLACKMAIL nogura into letting him back aboard (ie bringing up the fact that he placated kirk with a woman and sweet promises instead of like...actually caring about his PTSD). we're keeping that part because it's sexy and fun.

the question the movie seems to be asking is, "is jim kirk too old and feeble to captain the enterprise again?" i would like to posit instead we go with "is jim kirk too DAMAGED to captain the enterprise again?" they really put him through the wringer in season 3 in particular and that total nervous breakdown from the romulan espionage episode was supposed to have been REAL before they changed it, so i'm sticking it in that three year timeskip instead. in the book, jim fucks up several times - can't figure out his seatbelt, gets lost, and notably fails to be able to save his former honeypot lori and his new vulcan first officer (off-brand spock) during a transport malfunction - they get rearranged horrifically and then die right in front of him. rather than frame this as jim being old and out of practice i'd like to frame it around the totally untreated PTSD of space and his five-year finally catching up to him.

the book ALSO gets into how jim feels more at home in space, how being away from it gives him physical symptoms almost like withdrawal, and how he felt he has been brought back from the dead and out of a miserable, meaningless life when stepping aboard for the first time. IMPORTANT FOR LATER.

at the same time though i think we might greatly benefit from mixed feelings - perhaps JIM HIMSELF has wondered if he was too damaged to get back out there - if, after everything, part of him wasn't a little hesitant to go back out into the unknown and risk putting himself through the kind of hell he got put through in some of those later tos episodes. maybe he wanted the captaincy to prove it to himself, yes, but also it was something he was determined to do (even though part of him was a little worried about doing it) because he thought he was the only one that COULD. there's a hidden element in this film of facing one's fears to benefit emotionally, so it would be important to squeeze something like this in, even if it's only in hints or light implications.

the ultimate answer to jim's question of course is that he ISN'T too damaged to be back out in space, especially not if spock and bones and the others are out there with him. but to get into that we have to move to...

CHARACTER ARC: DECKER AND ILIA

i'm putting these 2 together because (sorry) i don't care very much. side characters in trek are always supposed to just highlight the main characters anyway, right? again, i'm so sorry. anyway so. in the movie and especially the book, ilia is pretty constantly sexualized - deltan females and their pheromones or whatever - and she has very little personality. decker is mostly just mad (justifiably) that kirk stole his job after 18 months of prep and sad that ilia got zapped, but we feel neither of these things very strongly. the movie doesn't even MENTION decker's father killing himself in space* which is a huge waste of potential when you consider the name of the game re: kirk's arc, at least in the book, is PTSD.

*matt decker, will decker's father, is the captain from doomsday machine (consider this a spoiler warning): when a giant machine showed up and engaged in battle with his ship, the constellation, he evacuated his crew to a nearby planet and stayed behind, planning to go down with the ship. unfortunately the machine was a planet-eater, and ate the planet his crew was on, so his crew all died while he listened to them beg him for help, and he later tried to suicide bomb the machine with the enterprise and then later one of its shuttles, which tragically ended in his mostly-pointless death. kirk did at least use the idea to suicide bomb the machine with the damaged constellation and have himself beamed out just in time though, and he had the record made that matt decker died in the line of duty, omitting some of his shadier actions so as not to stain his memory or whatever.

ANYWAY, i think the only way to make decker and ilia interesting is to foil them with kirk and spock. decker is who kirk was before his five-year: smart, capable, ready to take on anything and chomping at the bit to get out there and bite off as much as he can chew and then some. also, he's emotionally distant from women because of his status as captain/his need to not be tied down so he can explore space.

ILIA on the other hand is more like spock - she has limited telepathic abilities, she is othered and sometimes sexualized by the people around her because of her VULCAN BIOLOGY sorry because of her race, and she has a passion for learning and pursuits of intellect. and also a semi-formal telepathic link with decker - they had met before, and were preparing to bond (the way a vulcan might), and then decker more or less got cold feet and left her at the altar because his own passion for being in space left him unable to commit. but she WENT AFTER HIM (important for later) and wound up as the enterprise navigator.

for decker, instead of showing kirk up once near the beginning, apologizing, and gradually learning to get along with him, i think i'd like him to be showing kirk up a lot - being subtly snide when kirk can't work his seatbelt, for example. this film has no real antagonist aside from an incomprehensible alien entity, but we could bring a little humanity to it by having decker justifiably resent not only being confronted with ilia again but also having his captaincy snatched away from him after EIGHTEEN. MONTHS. of prep. that's some serious bullshit.

but, while decker IS younger and more familiar with the enterprise's redesign, while he's had more recent space hours and suffers from none of kirk's PTSD, what he lacks is experience - this was the whole basis of kirk taking the fucking ship to begin with, and the movie as it is kind of totally invalidates that plot point. to that end, near the end of the film when they're in v'ger, i would make a bigger deal out of kirk knowing better than to perform the scan - because that's what got the klingons killed (when v'ger interpreted their scan as hostile). decker, shaken, realizes his own hasty decision would have resulted in all of them dying horrifically, and rather than kirk grudgingly respecting decker first, we get it the other way around - decker grudgingly respecting kirk, and kirk returning that respect after decker stops being an asshole. this does the job of helping the AUDIENCE respect kirk after spending so much time wondering if he was indeed too washed up and damaged to do the job, and it helps to begin to warm us up to decker too.

also, it would be fun to have decker overhear bones arguing with kirk or spock or even talking to chapel or something, to know that kirk was thought too washed up EVEN BY THE ADMIRALS (who decker does respect bc he doesn't know better yet), and then for decker to realize later kirk got jerked around - and maybe realize, once he begins to see kirk as a person instead of an obstacle, that something like that might be in his own future even if he succeeds in almost every possible way, as kirk had. we might even use this to get into decker's dad basically killing himself after losing his crew - it can go other ways than right for captains. it can also go so, so, so wrong. (this would require some exposition, though, since we can't expect everyone to have both seen the episode and remember the details.)

another moment that wasn't used to its full potential is when decker basically has to honeypot the ilia probe - this is extremely difficult on him emotionally, and kirk knows all about the perils of emotionally difficult honeypot missions (sorry that i'm linking to this twice). i think decker realizing kirk has done this same kind of thing like a zillion times and that's part of what led to his breakdown gives him respect not just for KIRK but for the position of captain itself - he would have no choice but to do this to protect 500 lives, if it were him. you don't get to tap out when you're captain. and this is good for kirk too, because in sympathizing with decker (and the horrific situation of having to honeypot the image of his dead lover) he can learn to sympathize with himself, and forgive himself for being at less than his best during his own worst moments - some of them during the five-year, some of them after, when he felt weak and without purpose. it also gives him the job of connecting the audience to decker - through him, through thinking of decker as a younger version of him, we can forgive decker for being an asshole earlier and sympathize with his pain. and he becomes someone we root for.

as for ilia - i think she should have gotten to yell at decker rather than passively act like he wasn't even there and hide her pain. her pain at being left behind and betrayed and having to find her own way could mirror spock's (more on this in a sec) but it could also mirror v'ger and its abandonment issues, even though she was abandoned by a boyfriend and not god. there's only so much you can do with truly misogynistic writing but she could've been likable!! her sitch and spock's are the same and she gets to complain while he refuses! even one iota of a personality would have helped so much.

ALSO, on that point, at least one conversation between her and spock would have done a lot to make her more interesting too, because then she would be adjacent to him. spock, too, left his home planet to chase after a space captain he was in um a relationship with, and that bit of kinship ("your answers are not here") could lead to a bonding moment - i think spock would respect what she's doing and that would lend her a lot of credit in the eyes of the audience. much like v'ger, much like spock, ilia has left her home to find out who she is, and part of that answer lies within emotion, within the people she loves: in this case, decker. i would also, if we HAVE to fridge her (DO WE?? more on this in the ending section), choose to have her take a blow meant for decker - her last act being one of love, because the film IS ultimately about love's importance, even in spite of all the pain it also causes (see: decker in his grief).

which leads us to...

CHARACTER ARC: BONES

we have to have a brief interlude here for bones. unfortunately, bones in this movie is little more than an extremely loveable afterthought. while fixing his ENTIRE deal is out of the scope of this tumblr post, what i WOULD do is give him more screentime by having both his AND spock's lives upended by the same event: kirk, the Main Character(tm), choosing to take the admiral stripes and "abandon" them.

i think theres enough evidence in tos to argue the case that bones places a lot of importance on jim and spock's lives - he claims to hate space, but he never resigns, and he finds meaning in taking care of them, even if (to my own interpretation), he can sometimes feel like a third wheel to their legendary "friendship" (so legendary that it's historically important both in-universe and in real life). when kirk agrees to "retire" and let starfleet make him their poster boy because he has PTSD and burnout, bones CANONICALLY objects to what starfleet is trying to do to him so strongly that he literally resigns. again, kirk notes in the book that "retiring" is the only time he ever ignored bones's advice and he came regret it deeply. so kirk needs bones back - in the book, he says outright he needs bones back because he, gaslit, cannot trust himself to be making solid calls emotionally, and he wants bones to call him out if he steps out of line.

for fun, i think bones should be a little more pissed about being "drafted" and like genuinely grumpy rather than fond and gruff - at least, until kirk apologizes. he tells bones all about being yanked around by the admirals and being honeypotted and how much he regretted not listening to his advice...and the gaslighting, not bones's medical expertise, is why kirk feels he needs bones now - why all of earth needs him, because this is a mission to save the entire planet. i think bones LOVES to be needed and especially by jim and/or spock, and he of course has a natural desire to caretake, so after the apology he could soften up to "gruff." he found meaning in what he was doing on earth, but he finds meaning in this too, and kirk telling him that of COURSE he can leave if he wants solidifies his decision to stay, even at the end of the film when the immediate threat has passed. put simply: he loves kirk and spock, and, like them, he wants the three of them to stay together, even though they previously broke his heart.

i think also that once spock comes aboard this gives bones a second job, which is to poke holes in spock's outward unemotional demeanor, which he genuinely is doing from a place of love (since it was bones who said the release of emotions is healthy). instead of standing around and being a lovable and nostalgic set piece, this would give him an actual purpose and an arc, even if his arc (healing spock via negging, healing jim via not gaslighting people) is holding up the other characters.

and speaking of spock...

CHARACTER ARC: SPOCK

post five-year, spock goes back to vulcan to undergo the kolinahr, a ritual meant to purge all remaining emotion from vulcans. he does this because he detests his human half and the many weaknesses and challenges it brings him etc etc but i also would like it if he does this because kirk retires - he has no logical, ready-made excuse to be around kirk and bones anymore, and just like kirk, he truly felt at home on the enterprise, where people valued him for his skill and what he could do rather than what he was (or wasn't). (this sentiment from spock is semi-canonical - it's in william shatner's tarsus iv novel, collision course.) kirk and bones are both an important part of his support system and it is crumbling without any way to save it - of COURSE he chooses not to feel emotion rather than face that pain. every human being ever has wished at some point or another they could numb themselves rather than hurt, and spock is half human, too. (that said, i would also not complain if kohlinahr was spock's way to escape the trauma of what the five-year did to HIM, making him feel emotions differently than what he believed was acceptable, changing him fundamentally as a person, and kirk only agreed to resign because space wasn't worth it without spock aka because he got dumped, but this is a minor detail.)

while on vulcan, kirk, equally adrift, sends him messages (this does admittedly make more sense if kirk only resigned because spock did) - but spock is potentially kind of mad at him (if kirk resigned first) and also trying not to feel anything, so he ignores those and goes out into the desert to get rid of all his gross icky feelings. when the masters read his mind and see that jim accidentally contacted him telepathically (which...girl WHAT was that all about did they bond fr during amok time) and that "his answer is not here," he reads or listens to all the messages at once (maybe including the deleted one spock prime had from aos...ouch), gets emotional (or resists, but it's a near thing), and realizes that if he can't purge kirk from his mind he has to at least find out why. the last message can be about the intruder (v'ger) and their fucked up engines, spock can feel reluctant concern and race to the rescue.

spock is initially very very cold to his old shipmates because he is trying to hold onto his logic and not allow the emotion back in his mind, but absolutely nobody is having this. like in the movie, kirk and bones drag him away to the lounge to interrogate him (he should admit to feeling kirk telepathically here just as he did in the book - i don't know that i'd go into the whole bond business in this movie because that's just writing fanfiction and is also a lot of exposition but i would never deny fanfic writers their fodder).

later, after talking with ilia, who did a brave thing (in spock's eyes, anyway, because he is terrified of what HE'S doing) by chasing down her man to give him an earful, spock is troubled, which prompts bones to start going IS THAT AN EMOTION I SEE MR SPOCK? (and make him more troubled). i think spock grieves ilia's death in his own way because of how much like him she is, or was. all of this culminates in his choice to attempt to mind-meld with v'ger, in the end - if he isn't a human and isn't a vulcan, WHAT is he? if he can't live with the emotion and he can't purge it, what is he supposed to do? if he dies in the mindmeld so be it, but at least he will have been useful - iirc, i think it was roddenberry or leonard nimoy who said that was always a primary motivation of his.

of course, AFTER the mindmeld, he does indeed realize that logic is pointless without emotion, and that he's been adrift not BECAUSE of his emotions but because of his refusal to deal with them and his refusal to feel. so spock, too, will decide to stay at the end of the film.

side bar on the scene where spock cries for v'ger: it's kind of dumb because v'ger is so unknowable. i think spock crying could be a bigger deal - maybe with happiness, as he holds jim's hand, or maybe when he thinks they're all gonna die (kirk says when he sees spock crying "it's not for us" but like what if it was though). i'd prefer him to cry after he finishes laughing post mindmeld of course but either instance could work.

and finally...

THE ENDING

i don't mind the ending in its plot - that v'ger really was just looking for its creator, as a child looks for its parent - but i really want the question of whether or not the probe IS ILIA to remain open. if you make an exact copy of a person that truly believes it is the original, is it? if it's indistinguishable from who ilia used to be even to itself, is it ilia? i like leaving this open because i DON'T like fridging her, but i also think it stretches believability to have this machine magically extract a consciousness and put it in a robot when we had a whole episode of s1 revolve around this exact same plot twist (is chapel's now-android fiance really still her fiance just because he thinks he is?)

it should be spock's idea to have a human join with v'ger - it was the joining with humans that ultimately led to HIS feeling emotions he was unable to ignore, which ultimately led to his understanding and acceptance of emotion and its value in general. spock would see the ilia probe as still being ilia, but in distress, as he was when he came aboard the enterprise, as v'ger is now. and he knows what fixed him (holding jim's hand lol sorry i mean accepting his emotions) and what would fix her.

and then of course decker does join with her - volunteers, insists even. i think he takes the chance on optimism and hope - something kirk lost along the way due to various traumas - but also because this film is about the importance of love, and he can't bear to live without his, even in facsimile. it's partially a sacrifice too though - decker's life and body as he knows it in exchange for the earth's safety - because that's what kirk would have done, what he HAS done. he did learn from kirk after all.

and kirk learns from him too - decker, who by now will know about the awful years the brass put kirk through prior to the start of the film, would tell kirk to give 'em hell, like it's something that can actually be done, because at his heart he's an optimist, and that's something kirk sorely needs emotionally at this low point in his life. a very gen-z-saving0the-millennials moment. (apologies to both gen z and millennials.)

so after the dust has settled, kirk, who has just saved earth, can basically ask for anything he wants, and what he wants is not to get sent out to pasture again. so that leads into him refusing to leave the ship and letting the admirals and everyone else who wants to debrief him come to HIM instead of him going down - he finally has back what he needed, which was simply control and agency over his own life, and his loved ones - since spock and bones decided to stay aboard. i would have liked some challenging action moment prior to the ending with the ilia-probe and decker included, a moment to highlight that kirk has still got it (kind of like his badass moment in the deadly years where he saves the ship in .2 seconds once they cure his dementia). but insisting that they see v'ger directly and not deal with its probe is okay too.

FINALLY, after we've established that kirk is In Control again and not just like, stealing a starship, we can do his scene where he begins a new five-year mission, and when directing sulu, says, "out there - thattaway."

THEMES

HOPEFULLY this ties together the various themes and foils in everybody's arc - the main ones being the importance of dealing with emotions, even painful ones, the importance of love, and the question "who am i?" - the theme of seeking answers

kirk wants to know who he is - is he still a starship captain who braved the unknown and returned alive? he tried to numb himself (or rather starfleet tried to numb him) after his five-year mission with a woman and a desk job and it didn't help - he had to risk getting back out there to do himself any good at all.

spock asks if he is a vulcan or a human, and seeks to answer the question by purging emotion, but must answer it by accepting the emotion instead - and he learns this from v'ger, who is asking the same question and cannot answer it without emotion anymore than spock could. spock is and always will be both vulcan AND human and no amount of resistance on his part can change that.

bones feels adrift without loved ones to take care of - who is HE if kirk won't even listen to his advice not to "retire" - and of course he is someone who takes care of others. which is a little sad because it's not a deeper arc, but it sort of rhymes with his whole deal in tos and there ARE five other movies. there's also a little bit in there about being willing to try again after your heart's been broken, which is also something kirk and spock are struggling with, to have the trio's arc rhyming with each other.

decker asking who he is - is he a real captain or a psycho case like his dad and kirk, is he someone who could have been ilia's husband - and ilia wondering if she is someone who could have been his wife, and later the PROBE wondering if it's truly ilia or not. MORE questions that have to be answered by overcoming fear of emotional pain - decker takes the chance and joins with her to answer both his own question, and the probe's - and, of course, v'ger's.

THIS CONCLUDES. my movie rewrite. i am so glad to have gotten it off my chest, which is the main reason i wrote it, but i don't think it's terribly popular...so if you actually read this whole thing you're a rock star. okay BYE!!!

#liz makes stuff #liz's star trek stuff #liz's meta #star trek #star trek the motion picture #star trek: the motion picture #star trek tmp #personal #star trek blogging #WHEW. that too so long. barely finished in time. wrath of khan SOON!!!#tmp lb #tmp #st ep edits

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ripslingerfan13 · 7 months ago

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Acceptance ( for @cartoonicle )

Blaine gives Mariana a special gift in hopes of finally gaining her acceptance!

……………………………………………………….

I hope this works…

Blaine stood nervous outside his niece’s door, he’s been trying his best to be a good uncle to her… but it’s not been easy. Especially considering Mariana straight up despises him. However he had just recently discovered a way that will hopefully at the very least put him on the path of her at least not wanting him dead. He quietly knelt down and slipped the note under her door before giving it a quick knock and running off hiding behind a corner.A moment later Mariana swung her door open with a clearly very annoyed look on her face holding the note in her hand as she scanned the area for her least favorite uncle, Blaine quickly ducked back as not to be spotted. Already knowing her uncle was hiding behind the corner rolled her eyes at his poor attempt at hiding from her, glancing at the note in her hand very tempted to rip it up right there and go back in her room pretending it was never even there. But curiosity got the better of her and decided to read it.

Mariana, I know and I understand you hate me and want nothing to do with me at all, and believe me I fully deserve it! But even still I would very much love to know more about my little brother’s precious daughter, so if it’s ok with you maybe we could at least talk. Even for a little bit I would very much enjoy that… I also kinda got you a bit of a late birthday present. You don’t have to accept but I think you would really like it, I left it in the fifth room down in the lowest level of the palace. Trust me I’m certain you’ll have a lot of fun with it!

O-k… Really weird way to phrase it? Mariana thought as she finished the note… she wanted to ignore any and all attempts her uncle made at getting close… but she was just way too curious about what Blaine had gotten her and needed to know. So she closed her door and made her way down to the lowest levels…

… 1 2 3 4 aand 5! Standing in front of the fifth door Mariana hesitated for a bit before opening the door… “What the Hell?!” Ok I’ll admit ‘this’ is not what I was expecting?! What Mariana was staring at was three grown men tied up in the dark and a bat with a red ribbon wrapped around the handle sitting in front of them. She picked it up holding it in her hand as she read the second note attached to it.

So I’m just going to get straight to the point so you can enjoy yourself, these three are your dad’s old academy bullies! They locked him inside his trunk as they destroyed all of his books and bottled ships! Two of them were also at the gala and planned on doing a lot more to him and maybe even Gwen if they wanted. I’m honestly surprised they’re even still alive after Lance and I dealt with them, even more so that they didn’t even warn their third buddy about what happened because I caught that guy sneaking around the palace mostly where Frederick prefers to train and ‘convinced’ him to tell me where the other two were hiding. So here they are!

Have Fun!

Love Uncle Blaine!

A very sinister smile spread across her face, a maniacal laugh escaping her lips as she gave her three prisoners the darkest of smiles…

Maybe Uncle Blaine isn’t so bad after all.

…Hours later…

Mariana trotted happily into the kitchen to see her Uncle Blaine assisting her mother with dinner. Without a word she grabbed a nearby step stool and cheerfully hopped up giving her new favorite uncle a grateful kiss on the cheek. He chuckled lightly at this and picked her up, holding his niece in his arms for the first time. “I take it I'm accepted now?” “Yes you are accepted! Thank you for the great gift Uncle Blaine!” She hugged him tightly and affectionately.

“Honestly I'm a little too scared to ask what you got her that resulted in such a complete 180.” Gwen frowned a little as she carried a bowl of salad out to the table…

Frederick however had a sneaking suspicion he knew exactly what his eldest brother had gotten his daughter to gain her acceptance… as all three exchanged the darkest and most sinister of grins.

Needless to say those three spent the rest of their lives being tortured by not just Mariana but her Uncle Blaine as well…

The End.

#cursed princess club #cpc #cpc blaine #CPC original children #cpc frederick #cpc future #future kids

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a-strange-inkling · 2 years ago

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why do you have nancy and jonathan ending up together? at the end of s4 it seems pretty clear that she and steve will be something in the future. especially because eddie is convinced of their connection with the whole “she didnt waste a second” quote to steve.

Ooo good, good ask! Sorry if this is a bit winded and feel free to disagree, this is just my humble opinion... I obviously have more thoughts about this than I thought lol

So, I did it for Steve really.

I think that boy deserves better than what he had with Nancy. Not Nancy herself, but the relationship they had. I mean, she left him for Jonathan (and kind of cheated on him 😬). She's also still with and seemingly in love with Jonathan at the end of season four and I just didn't want Steve to be the second choice for a SECOND TIME if you catch my drift. I like Stancy fine, it's cute and there's good chemistry and if it happens and it’s better, cool, I guess. I just think he deserves better than being Nancy's rebound. They also want really different things out of life, and I want to Steve to be with someone who wants the RV and the kids and that family life he's dreaming about... Nancy doesn't seem to want any of that.

And I don't know about the true love thing based solely on saving him... if she loved him, she wouldn't have left him or hooked up with Jonathan?? Keep in mind that I don't have a crazy passion for either ship at this point. I liked Jancy well enough in season one and season two, but I now do not remotely care who she chooses in season five (if all three of them are still alive by the end to even choose from... I'm worried about Steve). But the Steve and Nancy reconnection in season four kind of felt like love triangle fodder and red herring-ish to me (which they did already at the end of season one, I don't know why they're doing it again, but whatever) and I'm fairly sure we're still getting Jancy in the end. Just my theory, could be wrong. Again, sadly, do not care.

And while I love Edward, he doesn't really KNOW these two people or their dynamic or their history, by his own admission, and his take feels a little more spurred by losing Chrissy. To me it felt like: 'I didn't get my chance man, but you should take yours while you can’ sort of thing. But, hey I could be wrong. Maybe it really is foreshadowing for Stancy. And that's cool!

But the whole jumping in after him like... that's sort of a stretch... I mean, any decent person would DO that for a friend without question. Are we really going to accept the fact that Robin cares less about Steve and she won't jump in after him immediately because she's simply not in love with him romantically like Nancy supposedly is?? That doesn't make sense to me.

Eddie must not have great friends if saving someone from certain death is the equivalent of true romantic love and nothing else. It's human decency, sir! And I get it's the quickness and the thoughtlessness of it... but still, that's kind of who Nancy is. I'm certain she would do the same for Jonathan, Barb, Robin, Mike, any of the kids, hell even Eddie. She'd jump without a second's hesitation for any of them too. She's a leader and a fighter. It’s what she does.

Anyway, that’s why I went in the direction I did.

Thanks for the ask! 💖

#hellcheer fan fic #old haunts #old haunts universe #old haunts cinematic universe #old haunts ask #hellcheer fanfiction #anon ask

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notmoreflippingelves · 6 months ago

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For the pairing ask meme: Jo/Laurie from Little Women (really curious about it!) And Carla/Mateo from EoA (because kinda love your Mateo roasting and takes 😁)

Jo/Laurie (????)

This is hard, because I don't know whether I ship it or not. I do but I don't. I think if I were to guess I'd say overall, I primarily don't except for Winona Ryder!Jo/Christian Bale! Laurie from Little Women (1994). I guess I'm going to go with "no" overall, because honestly as much as I love that adaptation, Christian Bale Laurie is arguably too "cool"/suave compared to book!Laurie (who tbh is more than a bit pathetic sometimes). Like I'm genuinely a little "What are you thinking?" when Winona!Jo turns Bale!Laurie down but I am mostly okay with it in all other incarnations. I do also mostly like Amy/Laurie and Jo/Bhaer as much if not more , so yeah I'm not really cut up about it Jo/Laurie not being endgame.

Why don’t you ship it?

For me, it's largely that there is a sense (more pronounced in some adaptions than others) that Laurie wants to be a March Girl™ (gender-neutral) more than he wants to be Jo's life-partner which is not really the idea ship vibe--even if I can't exactly blame him as I too would do almost anything to be a March Girl. Like sure Jo was his first choice by far and I do believe that his eventual relationship with Amy is genuinely based on more than "settling"--but I also feel relatively sure that he might have hypothetically settled for Beth or Meg under other circumstances. And that's just not a solid start for a relationship, if your s.o. could've hypothetically is always low-key considering your sibling as a backup plan if things go south with you too. (I mean you could say that the same is true of Laurie/Amy, but I do think it's less bad b/c Amy has literally been in love with Laurie since she was 12 and because overall their personalities "mesh" a little better than Jo/Laurie).

I also worry a bit about how Laurie's wealth might hypothetically impact the Jo/Laurie relationship. I do think that he would continue to be supportive of her writing and theatrical dreams, but I can also see him overcompensating/supporting her "too much." Unlike Bhaer, I don't think Laurie is capable of offering her constructive criticism that is necessary for her work to improve. He's too much of an inherent simp who thinks Jo March is already the most amazing human to ever exist (again can't totally blame him for that) to even conceive of the possibility that she has genuine strengths and weaknesses. I can also see him throwing his money and influence around a little in order to get her published/earning favorable reviews. Jo is fiercely independent and so achieving her dreams on her own terms/by her own merit is supremely important to her--arguably more important than her achieving them at all. Laurie interfering in her career even positively/with good intentions would inevitably cause a lot of conflict between them and create some self-doubt of Jo as to whether she really "earned"/"deserves" her success at all.

What would have made you like it?

As I mentioned I do sort of like it even as I also dislike it. I guess I would like it more consistently/wish it was endgame if Laurie was just a wee bit less eager/obsessed/convinced they were "meant to be." Also if we had a stronger sense that Jo herself wanted the romance specifically as opposed to just Laurie staying in her life. Another thing that makes me a little wary about Jo/Laurie is the meta-aspect of knowing that Louisa May Alcott was very adamant about not wanting them together. Her publisher pretty much insisted that Jo needed to find love in Part 2 and so she created Professor Bhaer in order to give Jo an alternate love interest

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

A lot, especially since I don't not ship it even if I don't ship it. Their "meet cute" scene at the ball is one of my favorite scenes in the book and arguably one of my favorite "character introduction scenes" in all of literature. I think that the two of them have great chemistry and a really supportive dynamic. They care deeply about each other and have so much fun together. (You see this as well in the sequels. Even though they're both romantically with other people, they are still go-to confidants and partners-in-mischief for each other).

I also think that narratively Jo/Laurie has to "work" on some level in order to justify the direction that story takes. The first time that you encounter the story, the reader/viewer needs to really like them together and assume that them being endgame is inevitable. It gives Jo's decision to reject his proposal more poignancy and agency. She needs to love him deeply and know that he loves her--even if they can't love each other in the same way--in order to fully be able to choose herself and her goals over him. If he's not an otherwise desirable option, her choice not to choose him isn't a real choice. She needs to be conflicted, tempted even, if her decision to prioritize her own dreams and needs over his and her family's is to hold any real weight.

And Alcott (and most of the adaptions) do a fantastic job of making Jo/Laurie seem plausible/desirable so that the rejected proposal emotionally fulfills its narrative purpose for Jo's character development (and a lesser extent Laurie's and Amy's as well).

Carla/Mateo (I ship it albeit very low-key though Carla probably deserves better)

What made you ship it?

Probably their interactions in late S3 most of all (especially the finale). I think there is clearly attraction and chemistry between them. They seem to have similar, slightly dorky and clumsy personalities that seem like they would mesh well. And shallow , I know, but their character models are also attractive and look good together.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

Is it bad if I say that I like how easily Rita!Carla was able to make Mateo look like the biggest fool in all Avalor?

I think there is a lot of potential for the two of them to bond. They're both very family-oriented, and I think there's a lot of potential for them to grow closer as being the only (and a little coddled/spoiled) children of very loving but somewhat smothering single parents (Victor and Rafa)--as well as missing their absent other parents (Ash and Mateo's father).

They are also arguably THE characters (well them, Victor, and Olivia) who are most actively interested in learning magic. (Gabe and Elena express some curiosity but specifically in the context of magic being a tool to protect the kingdom as opposed to something they want to learn just for itself). So it's nice to think of magic being another way that they can grow closer/flirt/have fun together.

I also adore the Delgado father and daughter relationship and enjoy thinking about how Carla/Mateo would impact Victor and his relationship with his daughter. Whether he's supportive (most likely) or hesitant (my personal head canon), it has the potential to be really fun/funny and heartwarming.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Carla/Mateo is one of the only Mateo ships that I can tolerate. Sorry not sorry. It's this and like two non-existent rare pairs . And even then, I don't think I am ever doing more than casually enjoying it, since my Mateo indifference is so strong. (I do really like Carla though and have a few more ships with her).

#little women #elena of avalor #carteo #for all that I dislike greta gerwig's little women in nearly every way #i will give her props for realizing that laurie is supposed to be a bit pathetic (affectionate) and chalamat delivered in spades #f*ck nearly everything else about that adaption tho; cringefail laurie and laura dern marmee deserved a better movie #moment of silence for the fact that no one has ever casted Daniel Brühl as Friedrich Bhaer #he has the perfect vibes in terms of being quieter and more scholarly love interest to the more openly/classically charismatic Laurie #while still being capable of delivering Bhaer as a swoonworthy love interest in his own subtler way #i dream of his umbrella scene even if I'm not entirely sure who I would've cast as Jo opposite him #and on top of that Brühl is literally actually German like Bhaer unlike Greta Gerwig who casted a Frenchman of all things #(no disrespect to your countryman saemi but he didn't even try to do a German accent)#I mean sure he was hot but...hashtag NotMyProfBhaer #I do like Gabriel Byrne as Bhaer a lot though even if he's still older-seeming than I think Bhaer needs to be #how did bhaer become the main character of the tags; this was supposed to be about jo/laurie and carla/mateo???

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novelmonger · 2 years ago

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Thoughts on Jedi Apprentice 11: The Deadly Hunter

This one! THIS ONE!!!!! 8D I am so excited for this arc of the story! The Hidden Truth will probably always be my favorite, but after all the epic Xanatos stuff, these next three books are the best part of this series, in my opinion. Definitely some of the stuff that's stuck with me the most, even after all these years.

Let's dive in!

Chapter 2

We begin with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan landing on Coruscant after a series of missions. (Note that Obi-Wan is now fourteen. Since I'm pretty sure he was thirteen in the last book, and there was no mention of a birthday, and because they hitched a ride instead of using the ship King Frane gave them, I think we're supposed to understand that they've had other adventures in between.) Instead of going straight back to the Temple, Qui-Gon wants to stop by a cafe run by a friend of his.

The friend is Didi Oddo, who runs a tiny little hole-in-the-wall cafe that's seen better days. He's the kind of guy that seems to be friends with everybody, whether they're an upstanding citizen or a shady individual, and he doesn't hesitate to let those who are going through hard times eat for free, nor does he hesitate to coax more money out of those who are doing well. I'm not entirely sure why, because his description is just that he's a "small, round man with a melancholy face," but I always imagined him as a Little Person (though not his daughter, Astri). Couldn't tell you why, but my brain persists in imagining him that way ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Regardless, I like him. He's a bit dramatic, especially when insisting how innocent he is despite being surrounded by criminals on all sides XD

But we're not just in for an ordinary friendly reunion. After a bit of small talk, Didi takes them into his office in the back, to beg Qui-Gon for help. A bounty hunter seems to be after him, and he has no idea why. He serves plenty of criminals, but he insists he isn't one himself (though he seems to be toeing the line a little bit, since he sometimes gambles and buys things on the black market :P). So he wants the Jedi to go find the bounty hunter and convince her that there's some kind of mistake. Qui-Gon agrees, though Obi-Wan doesn't think it's a good idea. It doesn't seem like any of their business.

"'Here is a man who seeks out criminals and the dregs of the galaxy in order to get information, which he then sells to the highest bidder. If you live in that sort of world, you deserve whatever bad luck comes your way. ... I don't understand why you're helping him,' Obi-Wan said, frustrated. Qui-Gon hesitated. Then he said, 'It's because he is my friend.'" - And here, once again, we see the interaction of a Gryffindor and a Slytherin ^_^

Chapter 3

"'This place doesn't look as if it provides a soft landing to me,' Obi-Wan observed, casting a dubious eye at the Soft Landings Inn. 'More like a full-scale crash.'" - Ahhh, this book is already off to a good start XD

The Jedi go to the inn where the bounty hunter is supposed to be staying. As Obi-Wan commented above, it's not exactly an upscale place :P Anyway, they locate the bounty hunter's room, and walk in to find her sitting there silently. She's a humanoid with a shaved head, and she has a whip that Didi told them about. They try talking to her, explaining that there must have been some kind of mistake, but she doesn't say a word. Instead, she suddenly attacks them with her whip, choking Obi-Wan and tripping him up, and cutting open Qui-Gon's shoulder. Besides just being a normal whip, it also has a laser mode. While they're still reacting to the sudden attack, she slips through the narrow opening of the window, her bones compressing so she can fit through the gap. Qui-Gon says this means she comes from the planet Sorrus.

Chapter 4

The Jedi return to the cafe and tell Didi what happened. After getting his wound patched up, Qui-Gon grills Didi to see why someone would send a bounty hunter after him. Obi-Wan suggests that instead of some sort of official warrant being issued, which would be unlikely for a simple cafe owner, maybe it was a private commission because of some piece of information sold to Didi that someone doesn't want to get out. Didi can't think of anything in particular, just a senator resigning and a gang called the Tech Raiders moving their headquarters. Neither seem like big enough pieces of information to kill someone over.

In the middle of the discussion, Didi's daughter Astri bustles in. She's kind of clumsy and preoccupied, and complains about how Didi complains every time she tries to do something to improve the cafe, particularly in terms of their sketchy clientele. In particular, she's proud of getting a famous philanthropic scientist, Jenna Zan Arbor, to book their cafe for a medical conference. (This will be very important later!) I like Astri. She makes for a fun dynamic with Didi as they banter back and forth. I keep on wanting to call her Astrid, though I don't remember ever having that problem when reading these books before....

This moment gave me a chuckle: Qui-Gon: "Besides, it will give you a chance to see the seamier side of Coruscant." Obi-Wan: "Just what I always wanted."

Chapter 5

The first step is to track down Fligh, the informant who sold Didi those pieces of information. I like Fligh; he's fun in a scoundrelly-but-mostly-harmless way. He's also a total coward and pushover who is easily convinced to talk because he's intimidated by the Jedi and because Didi has been kind to him in the past.

Fligh: "How else does one survive on Coruscant?" Qui-Gon: "One could get a job." Fligh: "One could, if one were a different being. However, one is not."

Ultimately, they don't learn anything that seems particularly significant from Fligh. He heard about the Tech Raiders from their representative on Coruscant, and he learned about the senator resigning from an official memo that made it to his hands.

They stop by the office of Senator Uta S'orn, the one who is resigning, and let her know that her resignation has leaked. She seems genuinely surprised and distressed by this news, because of how it might affect support for some legislation she's going to introduce. It seems unlikely that she would have put a price on Didi's head, and even though now they've learned that Fligh must have stolen her data pad, since she lost it and that's where her announcement was saved, that doesn't necessarily mean much. Fligh could have just not wanted to admit to stealing something like that directly to the Jedi's faces.

Chapter 6

The Jedi track down Helb, the Tech Raiders' representative, in a bar. But it seems like a dead end, because Helb intentionally told Fligh about their new location so that word would get out and people could find them, like free advertising under the radar. Fligh owes the Tech Raiders a lot of money, but they have no reason to want to kill Didi.

As they're leaving the bar, Obi-Wan spots the bounty hunter again, watching them and wearing a disguise that makes her look like an old man. Unfortunately, she gets away before they can catch her.

Chapter 8

When they return to Didi's cafe to update him, they find Astri bustling about in a near-panic, preparing for the important meal for Jenna Zan Arbor. The Jedi go to talk to Didi as the guests begin to arrive...only to hear that Fligh has been killed.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan go to investigate Fligh's murder, telling Didi to stay in the cafe where it's safe. They don't learn much at the scene of the crime about who did it, but they do pick up on an intriguing clue: Fligh has been strangled with some kind of cord, and all of the blood has been drained from his body before it was dumped in an alley.

(Side note: I just remembered that this precise scene was when I learned the word pallor. Don't let anyone tell you Star Wars isn't educational! XD)

"'Do you ever get used to death?' Obi-Wan asked. 'No,' Qui-Gon said. 'That is how it should be.'" - It can be easy to forget just how young Obi-Wan is in these books, because of how much more competent he is than your average fourteen-year-old, but Qui-Gon doesn't. He has Obi-Wan stand back so he won't see the gruesome sight of Fligh's body, and he checks to make sure Obi-Wan's okay afterward. I love that, even though he's seen so much by this point, Obi-Wan is still affected by death, and Qui-Gon protects him from the trauma of it as much as possible.

Chapter 9

When the Jedi return to Didi's cafe, they find it suspiciously dark and quiet. Warily, they go in to find that all the guests are gone, and there's a mess in the kitchen and Didi's office, like someone ransacked the place looking for something. They rush upstairs to the living quarters, only to find the bounty hunter waiting for them there, having knocked Astri out and tied up Didi with her whip. After a short fight, the bounty hunter escapes yet again. Qui-Gon recommends that they leave Coruscant and go into hiding, and Didi decides to go to a house he owns in the mountains on a nearby planet. He's never been there before, because he just recently won it in a game of sabacc, but it's so remote it should be relatively safe.

The chapter is fairly ominous and action-oriented, but this moment of banter was fun: Didi: "I might--ah--have gotten myself in a tiny spot of trouble. Nothing serious." Astri: "Sure. This isn't serious. Just another ordinary evening in the cafe. I get knocked out on a regular basis."

Chapter 11

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan finally go to the Temple. Obi-Wan, poor kid, finally gets something to eat while Qui-Gon meets with Yoda and Tahl to update them on the situation. When she hears about the manner of Fligh's death and that he stole Senator S'orn's data pad, Tahl connects it to Senator S'orn's son Ren (what a choice of name!), who was Force-sensitive. But Senator S'orn didn't want to give Ren up to the Temple, so he was never trained and eventually wandered off to find himself. Six months ago, he was killed--by strangulation, and his blood was drained!

I really like this bit that Qui-Gon says to Obi-Wan: "You are too hard on yourself, Padawan. That can become a fault if you are not careful, for anger at oneself is a destructive thing. Every living being can be impatient, can turn away at a first glance, can avoid getting involved. It is a natural impulse. We are all creatures who want peace and comfort. Yet we are Jedi. Our own peace and comfort is not what drives us. We are dedicated to a larger good. But always remember that the peace and comfort of just one being is what drives us, too."

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan go to see Senator S'orn again. She admits that the reason she's resigning is her preoccupation and grief since her son died. She also mentions that her friend's data pad was stolen at the same time, when Fligh overheard them talking about trying to find a good cafe to host a meal and recommended Didi's cafe. And guess who that friend was? Jenna Zan Arbor!

Chapter 13

Obviously the next thread to follow is to talk to Jenna Zan Arbor. They go to her room in a luxurious hotel and investigate her possible connections to what's going on. She didn't report the theft of her data pad because she had backups of everything on it, and it wasn't sensitive personal information like what was on Senator S'orn's. They find out from her that the legislation the senator hasn't been able to push through because of her premature resignation had to do with creating a coalition against a black market tech gang - obviously, the Tech Raiders!

On their way back to the Temple to get some sleep, the bounty hunter shows up again, this time disguised as one of the hotel's valets. She manages to push Obi-Wan over the side of a railing, and he almost goes kersplat on the ground far below, but he manages to catch himself with his cable and climb back up. This is interestingly similar to what he does in Episode II in his fight with Jango Fett....

The next day, they track down Helb at the Tech Raiders' base on Vandor-3, a nearby planet. When they confront him, Helb admits that he hired Fligh to steal Senator S'orn's data pad, but he flatly denies putting a mark on Fligh's head; he's too useful. But then Helb lets slip that both he and Fligh lost a sabacc game to Didi the other day, and Helb is the one who gave the house to Didi to pay off his debt. And where did he get that house? From a mysterious old man he met in the tavern the same day the Jedi first spoke to him. Uh-oh....

Chapter 14

"'Have you ever used a blaster before, Astri?' Qui-Gon asked cautiously. 'How hard could it be?' Astri said. 'Point and shoot. Easy as making a meal.' After having seen her kitchen, Qui-Gon was not sure he trusted her shooting." - XD

Thankfully, the Jedi get to the "safehouse" soon enough to find Didi and Astri are completely safe. As they explain the situation, Astri admits that she paid Fligh to pass along tips for who might be a high-paying customer to drum up business. She also lets slip that Fligh actually gave her Jenna Zan Arbor's data pad for safekeeping, not telling her where he got it. She'd stuffed it in a broken oven and forgotten about it until they left to come here, but took it with her because her own data pad was broken. All the information on it is encoded, but Qui-Gon sends it to Tahl to decode it.

Just when they're about to head out to somewhere safer, Didi mentions that there's a caretaker, an old woman who comes by once a day with provisions. And there's only one person that could be....

Chapter 16

EEEEEK, the exciting conclusion!!!! 8D The bounty hunter turns up and attacks them, and an exciting battle commences! They manage to get up to the second floor of the house and out a window to the landing platform, but discover that both of their transports have been disabled. As the bounty hunter comes after them, Obi-Wan spots her cruiser down the mountainside, and they head in that direction. The bounty hunter basically sleds down the mountain on her back, getting to the transport before they can get to it in all the snow, and heading them off. She shoots Didi and grabs Astri with her whip, pulling her in and grabbing the data pad from her. Obi-Wan pulls off some really stunning moves in the fight, but Qui-Gon tells him to help Didi and Astri while he goes after the bounty hunter. He jumps into her cruiser as she's taking off, and then, the last thing Obi-Wan sees: Qui-Gon is shot and falls into the cruiser. The bounty hunter's ship flies off for parts unknown.

"Had Qui-Gon been captured by the bounty hunter, or had he captured her? Was he mortally wounded? Was he alive--or dead? The anguish of not knowing made Obi-Wan want to crash to his knees. But there were wounded he had to care for. Qui-Gon had told him to stay. 'Don't lose heart, Qui-Gon,' he whispered. 'I'll find you. Hold on.' He would find a way to bring back his Master." - And we have to leave it there until the next book! Worst cliffhanger EVER! D:

#star wars #jedi apprentice #the deadly hunter #qui-gon jinn #obi-wan kenobi #the mystery in this one is really intricate and engaging #and the next book...ohoho BOY do I remember the next one >:)

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quieteclipse · 1 year ago

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randomly happened to see To The Stars I Love and decided to read it, and i must say, it was far more interesting than i thought it was going to be. i genuinely can't wait to see how the story progresses.

i'm so glad yujin and yeonjun were never a thing.

and a part of me wanted yeonjun to stay the undercover aroace king, but i am starting to ship him with chowon more and more. although it does feel kinda weird, because there's only been a few parts so far that's really convinced me of their romantic chemistry. but i also like the aspect that he takes his job as an actor seriously.

speaking of which, uju kinda gets on my nerves idk like i know he and chowon had their little thing in the beginning—which, i didnt even think was real at first, i thought their backstory was actually the prologue bc it went so fast all of a sudden—but he just feels so disingenuous. and i felt so bad for chowon when it's made clear thst uju really does love yujin and her style of acting more.

side note: ruby also kinda gets on my nerves? she hasnt even done anything, but i just always get annoyed by the 2nd LI's (one-sided) love interest. they're always so annoying bc it feels like they butt into situations they have no business being in (which is exactly what ruby did in the recent chapter). but, at the same time, her character design is kinda cute, particularly her chibified form.

let's see, my impression of yujin is that i thought she was going to be a bit more intense at first, which she kinda was, but she's my babygirl who deserved better. and i think if it comes to it that she actually ends up dying in the end, i might actually cry. i really hope she doesn't, i feel emotional just thinking about it now.

lastly, chowon. i like her a lot more now that she is interacting with the main cast of characters. with her initial look, i thought she was going to be one of those annoying, stand-offish & wholeheartedly reluctant people throughout the majority of the series, but i'm glad she's not. i hate her hair, though. she's got those old school anime bangs that look disconnected from the rest of her hair and i hate it. but at the same time, i didn't really like her "done up" self either when they did the table reading. it didn't feel like her at all, even if she was technically pretty.

ultimately, the cast of characters are fun and the plot is really interesting. i'm invested to know the full details of yujin's accident and how the gang will handle it. i'm also invested in whether chowon is going to get back with uju (i hope not), get with yeonjun (kinda hoping for it?), or get with nobody (also a pretty solid option).

#jk.txt #jk.w #to the stars i love

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flammelikeshookdust · 2 years ago

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Probably not gonna draw it because A) I'm lazy and B) I think there are enough angsty Peter Pan retellings as it is, and I'm not sure I could pull this off in a way that's actually interesting, but I've been thinking about the "James and Zarina are Peter's parents" AU, and how this could fit with the actual Peter Pan story.

So my idea is this: Zarina finds a way to become human sized with pixie dust or something, she and James somehow work through their issues, they end up together. Zarina gets pregnant, to everyone's surprise, since that's not a thing with fairies (my headcanon for this would be that on top of being now human sized, she spends so much time with the pirates and wants to be with James so much that it ends up changing her a bit and she gradually becomes more human and less fairy). A few months later, Peter is here and for the next few years, they all live happily on the ship.

Then one day, Zarina disappears. Nobody knows why. Maybe something happened to her, maybe she decided to leave for some unknown reason. They look for her, they wait for her, but eventually they have to accept that she's not coming back.

And that's when things start to turn sour between James and Peter. James is the first one who stops looking for Zarina. He somehow convinces himself that she left him, got tired of him, realized how bad and unlovable he is, etc... He just goes full self blame and self hate, but he also makes it everyone else's problem. Kinda goes "she left me because I'm a terrible person, this was always going to happen, so I'm just gonna stop trying to be a decent man, let myself be a monster so that I can at least tell myself that she was right to leave".

This change doesn't happen overnight though. Even though he's bitter, for a while, he still tries to be a father to Peter. But Zarina disappeared just as Peter was entering a complicated age. Just like James, Peter is convinced that his mother decided to leave. And like James, he blames himself. But he also blames everyone else. He's angry at his mother for leaving without a word. He's angry at his father for not trying hard enough to get her back, and part of him also ends up believing she left because of his dad. He's angry at the crew and the fairies because none of them have a good explanation as to why his mother is gone. They all expect him to act like a sweet little kid but none of the adults around him have their shit together.

So one day, after a heated argument with his dad, Peter decides to leave the ship, and he also decides that adults suck and that he'll never grow up if that means turning up like them. Tink, who acts like a very protective aunt, finds him and tries and fails to convince him to go back to the ship.

A few days or so later, Tink goes to talk to James, explains to him that Peter is still angry but that he's safe, she's watching over him, and that he'll come around eventually. And James, who at this point is all "everyone I care about is leaving me, I guess I never deserved to have them in the first place" just gives up on Peter like he gave up on trying to find Zarina. He tells Tink that it's alright if Peter doesn't want to come back, he's not a good father to him anyway and the fairies will take better care of him than he would. Tink thinks that's super messed up but it's not like there's much she can do about it except to keep watching over Peter.

And that would be where they leave things at. Peter's constant provoking of Hook is half him still blaming his father for causing his mother to leave, half a sad attempt to get his father to acknowledge him.

#Just felt like collecting my thoughts about the angsty part of this AU don't mind me #Hookdust #The pirate fairy #Peter Pan

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beepboop358 · 2 years ago

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Helloo, i'm probably just repeating what everyone else is saying but i need to get my thoughts out 😅

On the one hand, the only thing giving me a little bit of hope at this point is the framing of all the couples at the end. On the other hand, i didn't see a single real (as in obvious) hint of mike reciprocating, did you?

But okay, plot-wise, how could they move from mlvn to byler after such a big love confession? I know we can say it was weird or forced or just copy-pasted from what will said earlier, but i'm sure most casual viewers loved it and found it super romantic.

Unless they open s5 with a honest conversation between mlvn that ends in a breakup, i just don't see that relationship ending at all, and even if that happened i doubt there would be a way to develop byler in a satisfying way.

Alternatively the most i could imagine is mlvn break up whenever in s5 and then at the very end we have byler touching hands during an emotional conversation or sharing a long look and a smile.

What do you think?

Hey!

The framing at the end gives me hope too, but then I think about if they’re just oblivious to the implications that shot has or if its intentional queerbating.

I think if they’re going to do byler in s5, the only way they can explain that love confession is that everything Mike said to El, he meant about Will. It would be the only convincing way to explain to casual viewers why it wasn’t genuine, and even then it still wont be a great way to handle that, and i’m not even sure they’ll be able to handle ANY of the relationships well anymore. So much was under developed and not given the development it needed in s4, like barely anyone had any development… It’d also be the only way i’d be okay with byler happening in s5 now, because Mike saying his life started the day he met El, which was when Will WAS MISSING is such a horrible thing to say about your best friend. It’s so cruel. And Mike only saying he loves her because she’s dying and Will encourages him to? She deserves better, and if Mike is being genuine in that speech, then Will deserves better too. And Mike deserves better than his character arc being reduced to simply a boyfriend.

I don’t know how they’ll handle things in s5 at all.I could also see them leaving the whole thing ambiguous for both ships so they never have to address anything bc they seem to like doing that - and if they did that i’d lose my fucking mind!!

I hope we get the intricate byler development and m!leven closure i thought s4 would bring, in s5. I hope if they do do byler in s5, they do it right, and fully. But i’m not confident they will anymore. I hope we get a proper coming out from Will, a love confession from Mike, and apology to Will, and explain of what Mike’s been dealing with, healthy closure for mike & el, etc, but maybe thats just wishful thinking. I don’t even know if they’d fix mike & el’s relationship if byler wasn’t canon…

Thanks for the ask! I hope you’re well! xx

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thestalwartheart · 2 years ago

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I don't know if this counts as an unpopular opinion but: I am extremely conflicted about my feelings toward Madeleine's character, I don't like her but I also really don't hate her.

With Vesper and Bond, I loved that their love felt tangible even with the short amount of time they spent together. It never really felt too rushed to me and I think that Casino Royale did a great job at showing how love impacts Craig's Bond's work and personal life. On the contrary, Madeleine and Bond's relationship felt a little too rushed for me. It kinda felt like the Spectre was trying to mimic the type of love Vesper and Bond had but forgot what made Vesper and Bond's tragedy so good in the beginning. Casino Royale and Vesper/Bond was a lesson to be learned, a type of heartbreak that resulted from a romance that came hard and fast. Spectre just failed to create the same kind of hard/fast romance that they had. Madeleine Swann, as a character and the romance surrounding her, fell flat to me. The majority of her actions/dialogue either made me bored or slightly annoyed, she could've been so good if written a little bit better.

ON THE CONTRARY, though Madeleine is far from my favorite Bond Girl she is definitely not the worst person in the world. Sometimes it bums me to see how some people characterize her as someone vindictive or malicious (to the extent that some kill her in brutal ways in some fan works). Though the portrayal of her character was ehhhhh in the movies, the implications and the reasoning behind why she is the way she is is totally understandable. She went through a fair amount of trauma and I don't expect anyone to be able to just 'get over it'. She's strong in her desire to leave an unstable lifestyle behind and it peeves me when she's perceived as a 'villain'.

In short, they could've done better with her (and her relationship with Bond) but she's far from terrible. But it doesn't matter because in my delusions everyone's friends, okay. and the Aston Q recovered is still intact and definitely not shot up. : )

(sorry, I don't usually write that much so if this sounds all over the place it's because it probably is).

(also this is too long : P)

Unpopular/popular opinion or not, you've managed to capture my feelings on her almost exactly! I wasn't going to write much in response, but I've definitely gone too far, as always 😂

I hate comparing Bond women, but I did feel like Vesper was a more complete character, and you're absolutely right that their her and Bond's love seemed tangible. Whether that was down to the writing, the acting or the chemistry, I don't know. I found it a struggle to care about Madeleine much in SPECTRE, though I grew to really feel for her in during and after Matera. By that point, though, I thought her and Bond were a terrible match. Nor was I convinced by all the work the writers tried to do to convince us she was the only one who would ever truly "get" Bond. All in all, I was just left with the impression that she deserved better than she got. We're all flawed, and I'm not sure I'd have been any less disastrous/annoying in her place 😂

Beyond Vesper, I always got the feeling they were trying to call back to Tracy from On Her Majesty's Secret Service with Madeleine. Personally, I didn't think it worked particularly well, even if the end of NTTD managed a very poignant call back. I wish they'd just put some energy into fleshing out her character a bit better instead.

I'm going beyond the bounds of your ask and dipping my toes into some controversial waters here, but I do think there's space for a conversation around misogyny and fandom (as there is in any fandom where there's a well-loved M/M ship). Perhaps that's for another time (and for a conversation that includes Moneypenny too). Safe to say, I've gotten the 'ick' from a few conversations I've seen happening where people were really callous toward Madeleine. I don't think she deserves some of the hate she gets.

Having said that, I've read some darker takes on her in fics and found them interesting. I don't think they're necessarily misogynistic or bad because they exist. She was a "daughter of Spectre" after all, and sometimes it's fun to imagine what might have happened if she had betrayed Bond, but there are only a few authors I trust to explore the concept well. This might lose me a few hearts (sorry!) but I am constantly a little disheartened across most of my fandoms when the default is to kill off the main female love interest or make her evil. I think in the Bond fandom it stems from Madeleine being a very hard character to pin down, and in a lot of ways it's just easier to get rid of her. I'm not saying people always do it because it's easy, but the temptation is there.

Having said that, I've written her into exactly one fic (it might become a series one day), but outside that, I probably won't again. She feels too nebulous to me. I think she's a good person, but a weakly thought-out character. I much prefer her in fics where authors have tried to give her more of a voice. Mlle_Heloise's work has been especially key in improving my opinion of her!

I'm going to go and hide now 😂 Thank you for the ask! I know some people will have strong opinions on this, and I'm looking forward to the discussion!

Reminder that this is just my opinion, pls don't shoot. If you love her, I love that for you! If you don't love her, that's okay too. And please be kind to each other in the replies and reblogs!

#ask box #unpopular opinions #madeleine swann

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theemptyskies · 4 years ago

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Real talk.

Note that this is all my own opinion.

In an Azula Redemption fic, in my opinion, she would not have to apologize for anything she did during the war to anyone. Not Aang for shooting him with lightning. Not Mai or Ty lee for imprisoning them. Not the Gaang for chasing them. The only one I might concede is targeting Katara during an Agni Kai.

What she probably should do, is apologize for the way she treated Mai, Ty lee and Zuko when they were children. If it takes place post smoke and shadow then she should apologize for what happened then as well.

She does not owe Ursa anything. While Ursa did love her, she very much neglected Azula which left her feeling that something was wrong with her. She has every right to never let Ursa in her life again. There is no argument that can be made against it. Azula's feelings are valid. She was neglected by her mother. Ursa's personal feelings don't matter. She may have loved her but I don't recall any instance where she actually told Azula that, or spent time with her, or showed even close to the same level of affection. Ursa did kiss her on the cheek the night she left, however I will point out that she woke up Zuko and made sure the last thing she said to him was basically I love you while she left Azula unconscious, unaware of the action. We never even see a scene where Ursa says "I love you" to her.

It's what makes the hallucinations so tragic at the end of season three. Those scenes can be read in a multitude of different ways. My reading of them, examining Ursa's relationship with Azula, noting that every interaction they had was shown to be confrontational, referencing "The Beach" where she did show that Ursa's relationship and abandonment did hurt her deeply, implying that she did want her affection, is this.

Ursa's neglect of Azula throughout her childhood caused Azula to develop feelings of inadequacy. This feeling pushed her to try as hard as possible to earn Ozai's affection, where she succeeded until he left her behind before the final attack in the Earth Kingdom. Coupled with Mai and Ty Lee's betrayal, this caused her feelings of inadequacy to resurface stronger than before. Everyone left her behind. Her mind conjured the image of Ursa, the origin of her feeling, saying "I love you Azula, I really do.", things we never saw her say.

I read these scenes as the hallucination saying things Azula always craved to hear. Affections that were always withheld from her, hammering away at her already fragile psyche. Reminding her repeatedly that she was never good enough for either of her parents.

So no. I don't think Azula ever needs to forgive Ursa or give her a chance and there isn't an argument that could be made to convince me. At most, I think Azula should confront her as the core of a majority of her trauma, similar to how Katara did with Yon Rah.

For me, an Azula redemption is about her coming to terms with her trauma. It's about her finding her place in a post war world. Her rebuilding her relationship with Zuko, the only family she was ever truly close with. It's about her seeing through the lies and manipulations implanted by Ozai from a young age. It's about her gaining a good, healthy support system that won't give up in her.

It's about her, in the end, finally finding peace, whatever that happens to mean for her in your particular fic. If it involves romance, that's great. A lot of people who make "shipping tier lists" rank almost every ship with Azula at the bottom, often saying things like "nobody deserves to deal with a relationship with Azula" which, as someone who grew up in an abusive household who also relates a lot to Azula, I gotta say it kind of hurts hearing people say those things. Everyone deserves love.

If your fic doesn't include romance and focuses on her familial relationships then that's also great. She definitely has a lot on her plate and building that healthy support system is an amazing route to take your fic, leading to a great heartfelt ending.

Please note, Azula's misdeeds should not be overlooked. Anyone you want to have her connect with, she will have to earn it. But I feel like it's important to understand why some people behave the way that they do. Not excuse thier actions, but to help map out how they can make up for them. That's why we were shown Zuko's tragic past while also seeing him burn down a village and threaten defenseless elderly people.

With the way she's portrayed, it easy to forget this powerful, intimidating character, is just a child. She's just 14 years old. It's something I think a lot of people who write off her character as irredeemable don't account for. Whenever I dig past her surface level "bad guy" traits with this in mind, admittedly, I'm often brought to tears. She's very much a product of her environment. It's because of that, that I think she can learn to be a better person.

To recap, an Azula redemption in no way shape or form NEEDS to include Azula trying to make the Gaang like her. It was war and every one of her actions during it have no bearing on her, from her perspective. If you want her to connect with them then you can, just don't be someone who talks bad about a redemption fic because she doesn't. 🙂

She did treat Zuko, Mai, and Ty lee very poorly as a friend and sibling. So she does owe them an apology and they are also under no obligation to give her another chance.

Ursa does not need to be forgiven, nor should it be portrayed that Ursa did nothing wrong. Azula's feelings are valid.

The core of a redemption fic (for me) is character growth, in this case for Azula.

Romance is ok in an Azula redemption fic. I personally enjoy Azutara fics where she helps Azula through her mental health recovery and trauma. Citadel is an interesting fic that takes place several years into Azula's stay in a mental institution. Here's a link if you wanna check it out. Keep in mind, it's nine years old so comic events aren't a thing 🙂 https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6939866/1/5

Not having romance is equally ok. There are a multitude of great fics both post canon and AU that follow this route. Here is a fic recommendations for it. This one is an AU taking place during the war.

Her actions should not be excused because her story is a tragedy. She still did bad things.

Hopefully you all enjoyed my little ramble that I also hope is understandable. I tend to go off on tangents a lot. Considering it's 6:30 am where I'm at and I still haven't slept, this probably has horrible grammar and is likely riddled with typos. So I'm sorry about that bit lol 😅

#princess azula #azula deserves a happy ending #azula redemption #azula #this feels a bit ranty

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musicallisto · 2 years ago

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➴ musicallisto’s 1.2k sleepover

"☄️ comet: bringing back the fandom ID cards, only in written form this time - send me a fandom + any relevant information about you like you would for any ship & get your profile in said fandom (e.g. your backstory, powers, best friend, what role you’d play in that universe...). basically the same as my fandom id cards except you’ll get a written paragraph and not a picture (suggested by the lovely @blazogirlsoneshots)"

Fandom: @playchoices

About me: I'm a 20 year old (soon to be 21) college student with the pronouns She/Her from Germany, Europe. My birthday is on January 23rd and my Zodiac Sign is Aquarius (Element: Air). I'm a softie who likes cute stuff and cares about others. I try to spread positivity and joy. But sometimes I overthink too much and begin making up scenarios in my mind. I can be a little clumsy too. Plus, according to all my friends I'm a nerd. Which I'm not! Subjects I liked at school are Biology (I love Health topics!!), Chemistry and English. Literature and IT were also good. I need to learn French again (I don't need it but I want to). My favorite color is purple, but I also like light-blue, pink and turqouise (depends on the shade). My hobbies are reading (Fantasy & Fairytale), daydreaming, hanging out with friends. I'm also a Disney Fan (especially Disney Princess) and my fave is Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. I can't decide what suits better to me: Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw? And my favorite animals are horses, cats and bunnies. I don't have any pets, just an Aloe Vera plant. Should I name my plant "Aloe"? Or should I name my plant "Vera"? Just joking.

Congrats on 1.2K followers, you deserve it!! Your events and fandom celebrations sound fun. I'm really excited for this fandom ID card because I never heard of this before. I hope the info is enough. Again, congrats!!!

☄️ comet

Life in the Fae realm is peaceful, far removed from all the struggles of the human world. You've never been to that horrendous place, where misery befalls the kind and hatred plague the streets, but you've heard harrowing tales from your grandmother, who fled the persecution of her species—and from those stories you were convinced there was no better place in the universe than your safe haven, and nothing good could ever come out of the human world.

Well, that was before you met Nik Ryder.

Technically, it was before you met Nik Ryder, and also a little bit after, too. It certainly didn't help the redemption of humans that immediately following his arrival, a bloodwraith flew through the magical barrier and killed the king.

but you had seen Nik Ryder a few times around, accompanied by a young human (or so you thought—you would learn later they were actually the King's child) and though you forced yourself to stop, you couldn't help the crimson bud of jealousy from spreading inside your chest at the proximity they shared. after all, who were you to compete with the heir to the Fae realm — you, a florist girl who lived in a simple gabled house on the marketplace!

but even through your heartache, you didn't need to force any smile when one very disoriented-looking Nik Ryder showed up at your flower stall, early one morning, constantly looking over his shoulder as if he were being tailed by something - or someone. he was handsome and charming, so different from all the other Fae men, in an intoxicating way, and you somewhat zoned out as he spoke, but returned to your body at once when he mentioned wanting a bouquet to "apologize to a friend". because he screwed up big time, you know? and he needed to make it right, because they were pissed at him, and normally he would've ignored it, but not this time. so if you have any flowers that say, "I'm sorry", or the like? please. And you guess pretty easily that these flowers are intended to his friend, and you keep the professional tone as you ask him what colors he had in mind, but you can feel your heart rupture. He's a bit awkward, and asks what your favorite color is — and before you know it the focus of the conversation has shifted to you, your likes and dislikes and if you'll be, perhaps, attending the ball thrown by their majesties (is it how you should refer to them?) at the end of the week? You laugh at the idea, because why would you be attending a royal ball! and he laughs, too, and excuses himself for being so thoughtless.

The next morning, he drops by your stall, once again. "You won't believe this, but I've pissed off another friend," he jokes, and you laugh, wondering who this curious character really is. And the following morning he comes again. And the next. And every morning until the ball, just to chat with you and spend time together. One time you even catch his half-human friend eyeing you from a distance, a teasing smile resting on their lips, and you wonder if you did not invent the nature of their relationship entirely. because he prefers spending time with you, that much is clear. for an obscure reason, but you don't question it...

but then the ball happened, and all hells broke lose. And Nik disappeared, back to his world as quickly as he had come. You were shattered—you believed wholeheartedly that this was the start of a beautiful story, that you were finally getting the love you dreamed of. To be ripped of it so suddenly? It was torture.

Maybe it was the time you challenged all your beliefs, and paid the human realm a visit... if Nik was in danger, and your Fae powers could help him, you would sacrifice it all in a heartbeat. Maybe it was time to face off a bloodwraith.

#ladylamrian #1.2ksleepover

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yourcreepyneighborhoodelftwink · 3 years ago

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Ask for mod, Why do you ship ticcidrowned & when did you start? -♡

OH, BOY, this ship is actually my very first ship, so 13ish, back when little baby gay me was still convinced he was a cishet girl. Why I STARTED, I can't really say? I just latched onto these two characters, especially BEN, and a close friend latched more onto Toby, we realized that we can tonk them together, and "oooooooo, this is nice :)" (side note, she's still my bestie, and I know she's not on Tumblr anymore but she still deserves a shout-out for being the best)

As for why I ship it NOW, I just really like how they tend to mesh especially my interpretation of them, I'm biased shut up <3, and end up bringing out the best in each other and really being the exact person the other needs.

BEN's an introvert that spent most of his life and all of his death totally alone, and is so behind on social development, he's trying so hard to improve and learn to communicate better, but it's difficult when you're scared all the time that if you're not the smartest, most conniving person in the room, someone will take the opportunity to hurt you, and you inadvertently push away the people you're desperately trying to build a bond with.

Meanwhile, Toby spent so long being a punching bag, and has so much of the memories of it gone, and only the trauma remains. But he's hopeful and optimistic and determined to get better, and not let it affect his ability to make friends, to the point where he can tend to put himself in situations where he can get taken advantage of.

I think part of why I ship it also is that, by all accounts, Toby would be the perfect victim for BEN. Kind, too trusting, obedient. Except that he sees something in BEN that BEN doesn't. Something he recognizes in himself. A certain desperation for a connection. He wouldn't give up on BEN, and won't let BEN's need for dominance drive him away, and it doesn't take BEN long to discover that and mellow out and just... ENJOY another person's presence, like he's always wanted.

And it just goes off the rails from there, BEN would be the first to cradle Toby's face and tell him it's WRONG that he was treated the way he was, that he DESERVES to be treated with kindness, that he KNOWS his CIPA is less blessing and more curse, that he WORRIES for him and CARES for him, not just because he lets BEN be in charge, but because he's a good person who just got dealt a bad hand and was pushed too far. And Toby would be there to reassure BEN that he didn't deserve all his religious trauma, to not force him out of his cult and cause more harm by berating it, but just being there when BEN was ready to abandon it and begin the messy healing. He'd be there every time BEN was afraid of the water and reassure him that he didn't need to be embarrassed about his trauma, that it didn't make him weak, and they'd BOTH just try their damnedest to be the first to truly UNDERSTAND each other, even if it's a slow slog to get there, they WORK to get there

I am willing to admit there's a bit of unhealthy codependency going on there, to be fair, but it's MY mental illness, and I get to choose the headcanons <3

#takeover time #creepypasta #ben drowned #ticcidrowned #ticci toby #ask #ask me anything #ask away #ask me questions #ask me things

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byallmeans1 · 4 years ago

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Me, cleaning my throat on the rooftop before I shout:

The fact that it's been hinted that Levi harbored feelings for Hange doesn't take away from the fact that that he was also in love with Erwin. Both are valid and Levi is still good representation because bisexuals are often misunderstood (this probably isn't the right term I'm sorry) in and out of the lgbtq+ community and branded as "confused" or "attention seekers". The discource of Eruri var Levihan proves this more than anything that bisexuality still isn't accepted and makes the need for representation even more important. Both ships had buildup, read the manga and stop biphobia and bisexuality erasure in media and in general. Also I'm pretty sure Hange is non binary which is also overlooked and blatantly ignored by the fandom ocassionaly which honestly, shame... Thanks for listening my Ted talk!!

(jokes aside I hope I got the point across right and didn't say anything offensive... If I did I'm deeply sorry and most likely didn't translate my thoughts very well since english isn't my first language and i have the communication skills of a newborn... 😖)

You're so right, anon! I guess some people just can't ship one character with two people. You know, loving only one person in a lifetime is a wonderful concept (only in fiction though :D) , and even I, when I think of Eruri and Levihan, like to divide them into two different universes. But even in the canonverse its possible to ship both, when you throw that "one love in a lifetime" aside! Levi falling deeply in love with Erwin, caring about him and following him around, and when Erwin dies, Hanji is there for Levi? And Levi realises they have always been there for him? When farlan and Isabel died? When he had no friends, Hanji stuck to him like glue, not minding his usual grumpiness. They accepted him just the way he was. And so, after Erwin's death, Levi slowly falls for Hanji. You can literally ship both in the canonverse.

My personal headcanon is that Levi is a panromantic demisexual though. I don't see him as a bisexual person, but i agree with what you said about bisexuals being misinterpreted and being told they're just confused. That sucks.

To be honest, I suspected I might be a little bit biphobic when I was trying to figure out why Er3Hisu pisses me off so much. But then I realised Yumikuri was such a wonderful ship, perfectly build up from start to finish, and then, when Ymir dies Hisu is being shipped with Eren fucking Yeager. And then I found out Historias bisexuality is not the case. Its just that every ship with Historia and a dude fucking sucks, and that's Isayama's fault. He put all of his heart into Yumihisu, and then he just threw Eren fucking Yeager, who I hate with passion, at her. And then Farmer-kun, who doesn't even have a face. Like- does she even love him? The only Historia ship that made any sense imo was Yumikuri.

I'm sorry for being off topic but I just needed to shout EREN FUCKING YEAGER FUCKING SUCKS AND EVERYONE EXCEPT FLOCH DESERVES BETTER.

Now, back to the nb Hanji... I love the fact that Hanji is nonbinary, and I also love the idea of Hanji being a woman, as I grew up convinced she was (I watched anime where they used gendered pronouns and I didnt know anything about manga Hanji). When I found out hanji might be nb, that was the first time I came across this term. I loved the idea of the nb folks getting some representation, but i was also scared of my own ignorance, that's why I stuck to female hanji for long. Now I'm educating myself on this topic, because I can't stay ignorant forever. I wish I could do both Hanji's!

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picturejasper20 · 4 years ago

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Malachite Character Analysis

(Warning: Mention and analysis of a very toxic relationship.)

¨These two are really bad for each other. Malachite was formed through extortion and deception and held together out of revenge. Malachite is the worst relationship imaginable.¨

Malachite was a character that was introduced in Season 1 finale "Jailbreak" after Jasper and Lapis Lazuli decided to fuse together to defeat the Crystal gems.

In this post i'm going to examine Malachite as a fusion and what she tells us about Jasper and Lapis and their relationship.

Lapis Lazuli´s and Jasper´s backstory:

First let's talk a bit about Jasper's and Lapis´ past:

Steven first found Lapis trapped in a Gem mirror, after spending some time with her, he decided to free her and later healed her gem so she could return to Homeworld by using her magic water wings.

In the episode ¨Same Old World¨ (Season 3) Lapis tells to Steven her backstory about how she got trapped in that mirror.

¨It was thousands of years ago. I was only meant to visit for a short time, but I got caught in the middle of the war. It was awful. I tried to run, but... I was picked up by a Homeworld soldier and confused for a Crystal Gem, and used as a tool.¨

Lapis talks about what happened to her as it was an accident, a terrible tragedy in which there´s not only one person she can blame for all her problems. In a way, she´s potrayed as victim of the Gem war, she was on Earth for a visit and then she was meant to leave.

She was treated as a prisoner from gems who were supposed to be on her side, used as a tool and left behind on Earth like her life was nothing.

¨It soon became clear that there was no hope in stopping the rebellion. All of the Homeworld Gems fled, and all the panic of escaping Earth, I was left behind. And there I stayed. Freedom in my sight, but out of reach for ages, until I was found.¨

Then she spend thousands of year trapped in that mirror, alone, with no one to talk to, with her gem cracked on top of that. Anyone stuck in that situation who quickly became insane and would definely not be the same person that used to be before the traumatic event.

It´s not suprising Lapis was so angry when Steven free her from that mirror. While she didn´t want to get revenge on the Crystal gems she still had a lot of anger and frustration buried deep inside her.

As for Jasper, her backstory differs greatly from Lapis´:

Jasper was born in the middle of the gem war in the Beta Kindergarten, in less than a few hours she took more than 80+ Crystal gems impressing many Homeworld gems due to her strengh.

She was considered a gem role model in Homeworld, she was an example of what a quartz soldier should be. The issue was that depiste being highly respected by her peers, she couldn´t get out of her mind that she still was a gem that came from the worst kindergarten on Earth.

According to Peridot on ¨Beta¨ most gems born in the Beta Kirdengarten came out flawed or defective in some way. This was because Homeworld rushed the place during the war to get more gems.

Jasper was one of the few gems that came out ¨right¨ to the point she could be considered a superquartz soldier by Homeworld´s standards.

However not matter how much praised she got, Jasper thought there was something with her because of her origins. This made her develop an obsession with proving her power and getting more and more self-destructive as time passed.

¨Jasper is a bully in the truest sense. Deep down, she's afraid there's something wrong with her, so she has to feed her ego. She has to put other Gems down to stay on top. Who she is and where she's from gnaws at her all the time. She has a fantastic reputation, she's considered the greatest Quartz soldier produced on Earth, and that might impress other Gems, but it will never be good enough for her.¨

¨Because she loves honor, fighting, making her mark, and winning the battle, she'll actually go against her programming a little bit just to be the winner. So she can be self-destructive at times. She is tragically obsessed with proving her superiority.¨

Why is all this important? Well, it´s essential to know where these characters are coming from to understand why they decided to be Malachite in first place and why they were a recipe for disaster the moment that Jasper asked Lapis to fuse with her.

On one hand you have a gem that was spent thousands of years trapped against her will and carries a lot on anger and trauma inside her. On the other hand the other gem also has war trauma, it's very self-destructive and thinks she's horrible. Mix these two together and what you get is a unstable fusion made of hate and revenge.

Malachite as a metaphor for Jasper´s and Lapis´ relationship

Now that i have talked about their past. I going examine the scene in which they fuse into Malachite in "Jailbreak" and what the fusion tells us about their relationship.

After being defeated by Garnet (a fusion) Jasper decides to find someone she could also fuse with to win against the Crystal gems.

She spot Lapis Lazuli and grabs her before she can escape flying. She convinces Lapis to fuse with her to get revenge on Crystal gems. She reminds her how they used her and how they are traitors to Homeworld.

¨These Gems, they're traitors to their Homeworld. They kept you prisoner. They used you.¨

It's worth of pointing out that Jasper never tries to "force" Lapis into fusing with her in this scene. She tries using her, true, but she waits until Lapis accepts and gives her hand.

Now, Jasper could care less about Lapis in this scene. For her, she was only just a tool to get revenge on the Crystal gems and Rose Quartz. There wasn't any "trust" between the two.

As for Lapis, she tried escaping from Jasper first but after realising that she was about to being used again by someone who had kept her prisoner in the ship she snapped and decided to stop being treated like an object for once.

Moments later after they fused into Malachite, Lapis took control of the fusion's water powers and chained her down, dragging her into the bottow of the ocean.

¨I'm done being everyone's prisoner. Now you're my prisoner! And I'm never letting you go! Let's stay on this miserable planet... together!¨

As Lapis stated, she was done of being everyone's prisioner, she was tired of being treated like a tool by everyone. Control in her own life was something was constanly taken away from her. So by trapping Malachite (and herself) meant that was able to make choices again.

As for Jasper, i already mentioned that she only wanted Lapis to become more powerful. Jasper is a gem that shown to be obssesed with winning and fighting. She doesn't accept defeat easily and the more she loses, more self-destructive she gets.

In "Chilled tid" Steven gets a glimpse of what Malachite's mind looked like: Lapis and Jasper were fighting over the control of the fusion. They both were completely exhausted and beaten.

There's a visual methaphor about how they are both chained to Malachite in this dream sequence. This is very much like how it's really difficult to get out of a toxic/codependent relationship and how one feels trapped with no hope of getting out of it.

Another interesting detail is when Jasper takes control, all she's able to say is "YOU! YOU! YOU!¨ to Steven. It shows how crazy she gets when can't win a battle and how her mind deteriorates in the process.

The episode "Alone at the Sea" explores their relationship even further by showing which their main motivations were and how it affect them both.

First of all, the reason of why Lapis didn't want to be near the ocean again it's because it remind her of time she used to be fused with Jasper:

"Look, Lapis, I know you spent a really long time fused with Jasper at the bottom of the ocean, but you're not Malachite anymore.And water is a part of who you are. You can't let one bad experience take that away from you."

During the boat trip Lapis keeps blaming herself for the events of Ocean gem and Malachite:

"It's my fault. I'm the one to blame."

"I'm terrible! I did horrible things! I-I broke your dad's leg. I stole Earth's ocean! Go on! Tell me I'm wrong!"

She describes herself as "terrible". She thinks she don't deserve the kindness that Steven has giving her during all this time.

Lapis is a character who usually stuggles with change in the series. She thinks she won't be able to revover from her trauma, that she can't grow and become a better person.

She also mentions to him how she can't help but think of when she used to be Malachite.

"I'm really trying to enjoy it out here, but... I can't stop thinking about being fused as Malachite, how I used all my strength to hold her down in the ocean, and how I was always battling against Jasper to keep her bound to me."

"But it's not like that anymore. You don't have to be with Jasper."

"That's not it. I... I miss her."

"What?!"

"We were fused for so long."

This implies that after spending so much together Jasper and Lapis became codependent of each other. Steven, who was still a teenager in this scene, couldn't fully get grasp of why his friend who missed being in a terrible situation like that.

And Lapis was not the only one that felt like this.

When Jasper shows up, she shows she has been missing Lapis as well and she has been tracking her to find her.

In a very rare moment that would look out of character for her Jasper kneels down and begs for Lapis to be Malachite again.

¨Let's be Malachite again.¨

Keep in mind that until know Jasper has always been potrayed as someone who would do anything it takes to win. She's tough gem soldier who isn't afraid of her enemies. She's strong,cocky and agressive. So why did she ask to be Malachite again?

"I was wrong about fusion. You made me understand! Malachite was bigger and stronger than both of us! We could fly!"

She emphazises Malachite's power when they were fused. How strong and powerful she was.

This makes sense considering the factthat Jasper thinks of herself as "horrible" and "defective". She has a huge inferiority complex that comes from how Earth gems are perceived on Homeworld.

So, being Malachite made her feel "complete" and cover up her insecurities and personal issues.

"It'll be better this time. I've changed. You've changed me. I'm the only one who can handle your kind of power."

She tries to convince Lapis by saying how she's the only one that can "handle" her powers. This shows again how self-destructive Jasper can be as she was willing to go through that pain again just to feel powerful.

Another reason, i think, it's because she partially blames herself for Pink Diamond'd shattering. She probably wanted to be punished for her "failure" or wanted someone who she could follow again much like she started calling Steven "My diamond" in "Homeworld Bound".

As for Lapis, there are a few reasons she had her doubts of being Malachite again:

1) The fusion was a way for her to gain control back on her own life. She was tired of being tricked and used by everyone that she wanted to take her anger on someone.

"I was terrible to you. I liked taking everything out on you. I needed to, I-I hated you. It was bad!"

Lapis wanted someone to go through the same pain she had to endure for thousands of years. And that someone could have anyone. She choosed Jasper as she was the closest one to her in "Jailbreak".

When she was separated, she felt she suddenly lost that great amount of power that the fusion gave to her. She lost that "control" she had.

2) During "Alone at the sea" she describes herself many times as terrible and how she doesn't deserve the boat trip. She keeps blaming herself from her actions and how she can't get better.

Jasper even calls Lapis a monster in a moment, stating they very much alike:

"You can't lie to me. I've seen what you're capable of. I thought I was a brute, but you... you're a monster."

Lapis wanted to go back to be Malachite since she thought it was what someone as terrible as her deserved. She thought she couldn't grow into good person. Gems terrible as her and Jasper were meant to be together.

But Lapis knew better than getting trapped in that fusion again.

"NO! ""What we had wasn't healthy. I never want to feel like I felt with you. Never again! So just, go!"

In the end she refused to fuse with Jasper and realised how toxic their relationship was. It was a terrible experience and something she didn't want to take part in ever again.

Malachite as a character

Being fusion who is supposed to represent an very toxic relationship, Malachite is potrayed as very agressive, unstable and sadistic. She´s quite unpredictable since her actitude depends of who it´s taking control of her.

When her eyes are ¨cat shaped¨ it usually means that Jasper is the one controlling her. If her eyes are wide and open, it indicates Lapis is the one in control.

It´s difficult to affirm Malachite ever had her own personality at all,as her components were always fighting over her power and she was a mere tool from the moment she was ¨born¨.

¨A fusion like theirs is unstable, bound together by anger and mistrust. If that bond snaps, their anger will take over, and destroy.¨

She ends up being a pretty tragic character as her whole existence was filled by hatred and suffering to the point she didn´t know anything else. Unlike other characters from Steven universe she wasn´t given the chance to redeem herself.

It´s interesting how Malachite in ¨Super Watermelon Island¨ kept exchaching between ¨we¨ and ¨I¨ to talk about herself. This indicates again that she wasn´t fully her own person.

If Lapis and Jasper were to fuse again after having worked through their issues, Malachite would be a more stable and less agressive fusion. But that´s very unlikely to happen since it was a terrifying experience for both of them.

In conclusion: Malachite is character with tons of metaphors that talks a lot about Lapis and Jasper and who they are as people. She serves to show how toxic some relationships can get when there is a lack of basic trust and understanding and is created by mutual hatred. It´s an example of how complicated relationships can be and how a person it´s really more complex they appear to be.

#Steven universe #Lapis lazuli #Jasper #malachite #malachite su #su fusions #SU analysis #Toxic relationships #Body horror #character analysis #Alone at the sea #chille tid #Jailbreak #super watermelon island #Beta kindergarten #Gem war

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