#also these ship wars are so similar lmao

[crazy-ache]

SJM is a Zutara Shipper? That sounds like Elucien....let me explain

It was recently brought to my attention that Sarah hinted in 2017 at being a Zuko/Katara shipper in the Avatar the Last Airbender series. This was exciting to hear as I was in the ATLA fandom over a decade ago and Zuko/Katara was my first OTP and introduction to fandom. I have loved them a long time and they will always hold a special place in my heart. I want to explore why Sarah shipping Zutara is really important when it comes to Elucien because there are a lot of great parallels.

Note: if you know anything about the ATLA shipping fandom/wars...you immediately know what she means by this. Zutara is a fanon ship that was often baited by the writers. Her disappointment is a shared, common reaction to the ship.

A very long, detailed analysis is below the cut. This NOT for ATLA discourse. This is intended to focus SOLELY on Elucien. Read below if you are a fan of Zutara/Elucien....

ATLA Characters vs ACOTAR Characters

Let's start with the characters themselves.

We have Prince Zuko, the exiled and scarred prince of the Fire Nation, who was banished after his evil, power-hungry father (the Fire Lord) horribly punished him for embarrassing him with his kindness (not wanting innocent soldiers to be used as bait in war), which he viewed as morally inferior and weak. It is implied his mother, a gentle-hearted woman, was abused in the marriage. She disappeared when he was young to maintain her husband's political power, only so that her children would live. The loss of his mother is his greatest trauma, along with his desire to go back home and gain his honor and father's acceptance.

Then we have Lucien Vanserra, exiled and scarred son of the Autumn Court, who had to flee after his evil, power-hungry father (the High Lord) horribly punished him for embarrassing him with his relationship with a lower-Fae female, which he viewed as repulsive and below their High Fae status. It is implied his mother, a gentle-hearted woman, was abused in the marriage. His lover was brutally murdered by the hands of his father/brothers and he had to flee, never having the chance to see his mother again. Losing Jesminda is his greatest trauma, likely along with losing his home, Court, and family.

Let's also not forget...they BOTH WEILD FIRE! I do think the Lucien/Zuko comparison is quite obvious and direct, where the Elain/Katara is a bit more symbolic.

For our ladies, we have Katara, master waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe. She is the youngest daughter of the Chief. She begins the journey as someone untrained and incapable of bending her own element, in a small, impoverished village due to the effects of war and destruction on their nation/culture by the Fire Nation. Her mother was tragically murdered by the Fire Nation in order to save her daughter's life. This is singularly her greatest trauma. Throughout the show, we see Katara become a powerful and master bender.

Finally, we have Elain Archeron, who was once human and is the middle sister in her family. She was the daughter of a once-successful merchant. She also loses her mother and is very close to her father, who she also tragically loses in the war. She loses her humanity and her fiance, Graysen, in one fell swoop when they put her in the Cauldron. This is singularly her greatest trauma, one that we see she has trouble letting go, even becoming practically comatose when it first happens. We later learn Elain possesses magic and is a seer.

A little less here, but I am not surprised. Katara and Elain, personality-wise, are very different. However, I will add that both Elain/Katara are often associated as symbols of HOPE in the narrative. But this brings me to my next point which is where I believe SJM was influenced by Zutara when writing Elucien....

Shared Grief as the Catalyst

Every Zuko/Katara shipper knows the crux of their relationship is from their shared trauma. Despite being on opposite ends of the war, they both carry an immense grief in losing their mothers to the war. It is the first thing they realize they have in common, the first moment they share a genuine, sincere connection, enough for them to reach out and open up to each other.

Elain and Lucien also have a shared trauma. They both lost their first loves/fiances. Lucien lost her tragically. Elain lost him in a brutal rejection. It broke both of their hearts, and they both carry grief and complicated emotions around it.

The hurt and pain brought Zutara together. As a result, they understand each other in ways others can't. I have no doubt that Elucien will spark from a similar place of understanding.

Complimentary Symbolism

One of the most beautiful parts of Zuko/Katara is the use of opposite/complimentary symbolism. Two halves of a whole. Balance and unity.

Zuko= Fire and Sun and Blue Spirit Katara= Water and Moon and Painted Lady

Lol can you believe we got the line below...I couldn't come up with a more romantic symbolic line if I tried and that's canon folks

Lucien = Day and Fox and Spring/Loss

Elain = Flowers and Fawns and Spring/Life

Elain, often associated with gardens and flowers and roses, was asked what she needed at her lowest point. She said "Sunshine." Enter Lucien, the secret heir to Day Court and Helion, whose name means Light. The Fox and the Fawn. Elain "Made for Spring" Archeron and Lucien "Spring Court Emissary and Courtier" Vanserra. I wrote Spring/Loss and Spring/Life because Lucien had to see Spring become ruined/flee the one place he called home. There is strong foreshadowing that Elain will help in some way to revive spring and possibly bring it back to life, hopefully with Lucien's help.

Let's also not forget that Elain was formerly human and now living as a High Fae in the Night Court. Lucien is a High Fae who looked down on humans and now lives in the mortal lands. It's an interesting dynamic!

Betrayal

Okay buckle up. This one is important. The feeling of betrayal is important to the development of both ships. Let me break this down.

Katara is a victim of the Fire Nation. Zuko is the prince of the Fire Nation who once hunted them down to retrieve the Avatar. She often conflated her feelings toward Zuko with her feelings regarding her mother's murder by the hands of the Fire Nation', as evidenced here.

Katara: I'm sorry I yelled at you before. Zuko: It doesn't matter. Katara: It's just that for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face.

We see these messy emotions come back when Zuko joins the team to teach Aang firebending.

Zuko: This isn't fair! Everyone else seems to trust me now! What is it with you? Katara: Oh, everyone trusts you now?! I was the first person to trust you! [Places her left hand on her heart.] Remember, back in Ba Sing Se. And you turned around and betrayed me, betrayed all of us! Zuko: What can I do to make it up to you? Katara: You really want to know? Hmm, maybe you could reconquer Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King. Or, I know! You could bring my mother back!

Now, at this point, we know she has not forgiven him for Ba Sing Se. Remember, this was the moment they shared their intimate connection over their shared Dead Mother trauma. (In an episode called The Crossroads of Destiny nonetheless). She offered to heal his scar, and later when given the chance to choose between what is right vs. what he wants....he chooses what he wants, which is to return home to his father for his acceptance. Katara took this as a personal betrayal and we see she still imagines his face as the enemy by demanding he bring her mother back (even though it isn't possible/he isn't responsible for it).

You know who else has mentioned betrayal?

For a long moment, Elain’s face did not shift, but those eyes seemed to focus a bit more. “Lucien,” she said at last, and he clenched his teacup to keep from shuddering at the sound of his name on her mouth. “From my sister’s stories. Her friend.” “Yes.” But Elain blinked slowly. “You were in Hybern.” “Yes.” It was all he could say. “You betrayed us.” He wished she’d shoved him out the window behind her. “It—it was a mistake.” Her eyes went frank and cold. “I was to be married in a few days.” He fought against the bristling rage, the irrational urge to find the male who’d claimed her and shred him apart. The words were a rasp as he instead said, “I know. I’m sorry.”

Elain associates Lucien's involvement with Ianthe/Hybern/The Cauldron as a personal betrayal. Lucien, much like Zuko, is sorry for his actions that have hurt her.

Both Zuko and Lucien don't argue about the anger/accusations of betrayal. They own it. They just want to make it right.

In the same episode of the snippet above ("You could bring my mother back!") Zuko and Katara go on their infamous "field trip" or journey together, just the two of them. Despite Katara's anger, the two of them are in perfect sync. They are the perfect team and pair, moving fluid in their elements, sneaking around enemy ships. Zuko defends her desire for closure (however dark it may be) against her friends and family wishes. He never questions her. He supports her emotionally. He yells at an enemy solider- "Don't lie! You look her in the eye and you tell me you don't remember what you did." (OH COME ON, what is hotter than that!?) In the end, she forgives him. Not because of what he did. But because he understands her and gives her space and places no expectations of who she is or what she should do. He accepts her. All the dark and pain and light inside.

Don't mind the romantic sunset in the background

Going on an adventure? Likely against the wishes of friends and family due to it being dangerous? Doing whatever is necessary to help the girl forgive you/trust you? Giving her the necessary space and support to do what she has set her mind to? Helping her find closure and healing along the way? Falling love? Sure sounds like an Elucien book......wonder where SJM got the inspiration?

Azriel vs Aang

I cannot write this post without mentioning Aang and Azriel. This is NOT an ATLA shipping discourse so please no comments regarding the Kataang/Zutara ship war. I am using this as a comparison to Elucien/E/riel.

I have a feeling that SJM has written Azriel (specifically in the Bonus Chapter) to serve as a foil to Aang's dynamic to Katara. Which is that both characters feel entitled to their crush.

Aang, the young hero and savior of the world, has a long-standing crush on Katara that is not really reciprocated romantically throughout the series.

When the group goes to watch a play based on themselves, there is scene where the actors on stage go:

Actor Zuko: Wait, I thought you were the Avatar's girl! [Aang in the audience nods in agreement.] Actress Katara: The Avatar? Why, he's like a little brother to me! I certainly don't think of him in a romantic way. [Aang in the audience grows concerned.] Besides, how could he ever find out about ... this? [Actress Katara and Actor Zuko embrace and hold hands while Actress Katara pops up one leg. Aang gets up from his seat to leave.]

It can be interpreted that his nodding and getting upset is attributed to feeling possessive of his crush on Katara. That she belongs to him, as he is the Hero and the Avatar, and should get the girl. He is jealous of something that didn't actually happen between the actors on stage (he is only 12 to be fair).

Further evidence here:

Aang: But it's true, isn't it? We kissed at the Invasion, and I thought we were gonna be together. But we're not. Katara: Aang, I don't know. Aang: Why don't you know? Katara: Because, we're in the middle of a war, and, we have other things to worry about. This isn't the right time.

...and then he kisses her, and she doesn't want it/isn't expecting it, and runs away back to the theater. We won't get into that here.

Hm, this story sounds familiar....

Azriel ignored the question. "The Cauldron chose three sisters. Tell me how it's possible that my two brothers are with two of those sisters, yet the third was given to another."

There is a similar sense of entitlement, that also ended with Elain running away from the scene, upset. The difference being he rejected her at the urging (and convincing) of Rhysand because he knew it was a mistake.

Tension & Healing & Growth (What's Next)

"There is a great deal of tension, growth, and healing to be found for both of them (together)." - from Sarah J Maas herself. If she was a Zutara shipper, I can totally see her inspiration in elements of Elucien.

In the end, many Zuko/Katara shippers really believed these two brought out the best in each other in the best possible ways. (I know I did). And I think that's a big reason a lot of Eluciens ship Elain/Lucien...the potential of how they'll complement each other is so huge.

Just as Katara and Zuko were once extremely tense in their relationship, they underwent an incredible and beautiful journey of healing and growth. One that ended in....Zuko sacrificing his life for her. Animated in slow motion with romantic/epic musical scores. For the girl who lost her mother (who sacrificed herself to save her daughter). An epic friendship but no romance....which Sarah herself agreed she wasn't a fan of....

So I imagine she is going to rectify that narrative for Elucien. I for one cannot wait to read their story in their book.

[thebrokengate]

It is inherently the nature of the toxic canon shipper to attack the semi-canon shipper when their ships share a love interest unfortunately, because they’re afraid that semi-canon ship will become fully canon. And it is nine times out of ten that the toxic canon shipper’s ship is unhealthy or incompatible for some reason, so the idea of any other ship that is healthier that might take its place existing scares them. So they attack those shippers because apparently we control what the creators write and that totally makes sense. Go figure.

If I were a M1leven and genuinely believed that Bylers were delusional and that my ship was obviously endgame and in great shape, I wouldn’t spend all day harassing Bylers, but that’s just me

[citricacidprince]

HI I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE UR RELATIVITY FALLS TAKE!!!!!!!!! could you go more in depth or make drawings about the town o stans thats stans mind prison bubble thing? its just so intrestinggggggggg

sorry for the fangirling (fan enbying? fanboying? idk im still trying to figure it out)

Hiiiii sorry this took like,,,, a whole month, these kinda took a hot second, I kinda went wild with these lmao

(Also, thank you for your sweet words!!!!)

Anywho, I already mentioned some of my ideas here, but here are some actual concept drawings of the bubble!!

This is Stanley’s Prison Bubble during Weirdmageddon, Town O’ Stan: Where No Stan is Left Behind! A boardwalk town that’s very similar to Glass Shard Beach, New Jersey!

The boardwalk goes on forever and there are no residents other than Stanleys! There’s a beautifully awful beach with a huge pirate ship docked on the shore named Stan O’ War, owned by the ruler of Town O’ Stan, Captain Stan!

(I have more doodles of Captain Stanley I’ll post in a bit, I went a lil insane about him, he’s my little goober who’s trying soooo hard to not be upset <3 )

(This took WAAAAY too long please like my art pleaaaase 😔💔)

[fadingstudentbananacookie]

It's hilarious how Daemon and Rhaenyra's grandchildren carry the Green's legacy in spirit by destroying House Targaryen through internal conflicts decades later.

Aegon IV grows up to be far more extreme and gluttonous than Aegon II could ever be, coupled with a greater degree of cowardice (Aegon II would never). His sister Naerys is a little Helaena/Alicent-coded, but her cousin Daena mirrors Alicent more than I could imagine. And I am precisely talking about book!Alicent here.

Both Alicent and Daena were unapologetic in their pursuit of power after years of abuse and neglect, demanding the realm recognize their sons as kings by birthright. Neither of them gave two fucks about starting a civil war and I call that a slayyy. Go, my queens!

If Daena had been more like Rhaenyra, believe me when I say I wouldn't have liked her as much. It's their defiance that makes both Alicent and Daena more compelling characters.

I don't necessarily think Daena would have liked Alicent, but she would have definitely felt grudging respect and admiration for her courage.

Daeron the Young Dragon is just like Daeron the Daring (both are extremely popular among the nobles and the smallfolk). Both died young and were eternalized. Baelor the Blessed is obsessed with catholicism and guilt to a point that would even scare Alicent and Criston.

Aemon the Dragonknight is essentially a more refined, though not necessarily cooler, version of Aemond One-Eye. Aemon literally stood aside while his sister endured years of sexual and psychological abuse from her brother-husband. Aemond would never have stood by if Aegon II had tried to harm Helaena. His loyalty and protectiveness towards his sister would have driven him to intervene. Their love stories are similar too, with many fans shipping Aemond with Helaena, and Aemon with Naerys.

Elaena is intriguing, but there's not much to say about her or her sister Rhaena.

Daemon and Rhaenyra's grandchildren are worse than the Targtowers in every aspect. Alicent (the Hightowers) and her children de-stabilized House Targaryen during the Dance, but Rhaenyra's grandchildren did so much worse by starting a civil war that lasted for generations to come. Team Black got the realm and power back, and they still fucked up. Again.

Another intriguing aspect is that Alicent and her children had legitimate reasons to resist and fight for Aegon's claim to the throne by feudal right—even if those reasons were fueled by spite and revenge. Alicent endured years of sexual abuse from Viserys, bearing children he barely acknowledged. She was humiliated in court and called "mad" when her son lost his eye, and Rhaenyra's son faced no repercussions—not even a slap on the wrist.

The Targtower children were neglected by their father for years and were practically forgotten when Rhaenyra lived in the Red Keep with her sons in tow. (And if you think Rhaenyra didn’t use her father’s love and rejection of his other children as a political machination, then you’re an absolute idiot.) If usurping her throne was the biggest fuck you they could give Rhaenyra and Viserys, then I fully support it!

Despite their complicated and angry feelings towards each other, the Greens would never act on them to cause significant harm. They understood that they only had each other for support and protection. But Rhaenyra's grandchildren, who were also in a similar situation, harbored outright hatred for each other for no reason! You'd think after the Dance, they would have learned a thing or two about the importance of family, but the gang didn't give a single fuck LMAO.

Daemon and Rhaenyra's grandchildren didn't have significant opposition. House Targaryen still held substantial power and ruled over the other Great Houses. Although they had to be more cautious without having dragons to threaten others, the internal strife could have been avoided if Daena and her sisters had been treated like actual human beings rather than cattle. (If Alicent was treated better and her children were acknowledged by Viserys and the rest of his family). The lack of care and respect towards them sowed the seeds of war, leading to the internal conflicts that ultimately weakened the dynasty.

The generational cycle of abuse and neglect within House Targaryen is one of the main key reasons why they were driven to extinction in merely three centuries. House Hightower and House Baratheon only did so little to show their true color.

Rhaenyra's claim that "The only thing that could tear down the House of the Dragon was itself," couldn't be more accurate!

[olenvasynyt]

I feel like readers would be more sympathetic of Papa Archeron if SJM had written him better. He is so flat and practically useless in the first book, and was used as plot device in ACOMAF and definitely in ACOWAR. And (at least imo), the dramatic entrance with the ships felt forced, like SJM was trying to get her audience to cry without giving a very good reason why. It was performative, especially with how little effect he had in ACOTAR and ACOWAR.

I think what would have been interesting is if we got something like Mrs. Everdeen in The Hunger Games. A widowed mother struggling with mental health, and a daughter who takes her place as head of the house to hunt and take care of her sister. There are plenty of similarities between Katniss and Feyre, and we could have gotten more similarities between them if SJM wrote the same nuance for Papa Archeron as Suzanne Collins did with Mrs. Everdeen.

Mrs. Everdeen was so heartbreaking and very realistic for the situation she was in. And like Feyre and Nesta with their father, Katniss resented her mother for “tuning out”, for mourning and not picking herself up and helping her daughters. When Katniss is picked for the Games, she demands that her mother can’t tune out like she did when Dad died. She has to be there for Prim. She also got better when Katniss came back and gained confidence with their wealth, which encouraged her to go back to being a healer for the town and during the war in Mockingjay.

The struggle and resentment between them was excellent and I was frustrated with Mrs. Everdeen but I also understood her situation. But Papa Archeron, it was so hard, and SJM could have written him better. Yes, Papa Archeron suffered from an injury to the point where he struggled to take care of his family, and maybe he had guilt for putting them in the situation with the merchants, etc. But if we got a glimpse of his mental health or how hard it was for him, it would probably make a lot of readers appreciate him more. But instead silently carving wood by the fireplace and nothing else, and then he’s magically cured with Tamlin’s help and instantly jumps into his business again as if nothing happened. We see no struggle. And that is why he reads so flat.

I have sympathy for Papa Archeron because of what he could have been lmao. I gladly ignore SJMs writing and come up with some logical arguments for Papa Archeron’s character that can make me enjoy his story with his daughters a bit more.

[driftsart]

your designs are pretty similar to lillified's, are they are inspo for you? :0

Yes, they are! :)

I've been asked this a lot before so I thought I'd explain the differences and similarities of their au and mine using mostly the main 3 cons:

1. The designs

There are similarities and differences between her designs and mine, but yes, there's some inspiration.

2. The genders/sexualities

Most of my designs are males, and her's are mostly females. I rarely genderbend characters in my au, which is another difference. Like in her au, I don't really have a lot of straight ships/pairs, most of them are mlm or wlw. My design's pride flags (if they have one) are much different than Lillified's design's flags.

3. Personalities

My design's personalities and her's are much, much different, the personalities are one of the main differences. Most of her characters tend to hate/dislike each other or their company. One big difference is her Megatron's personality and mines. While her's is a moody, emo-like butch (which is a really cool take on Megs), mine's just a big softy lol.

4. Backstories

Backstories are one of the main differences between her's and my au. For example, Megatron's past with Elita One, or her time in the gladiator pits. My Megatron didn't know about Elita until he met Orion, and he was also a terrible gladiator in the arena. Starscream's past with Shockwave is also much different than mine, since my Starscream didn't know about Shockwave until he joined the decepticons.

5. The story

Both stories revolve around the Decepticons, but the story is very different. Her's starts with the Decepticons stranded in space mid war (I think?), while mine starts in the very begining. Both have lots of war scenes but in different ways. While she stated that her au would've been rated for a higher audience, I try to keep mine to where everyone can enjoy it, even if there's a lot of g0re at times. My main characters are Megatron, Optimus, Sentinel, and Hot Rod, while her's are Megatron and Starscream.

6. Ages

While most of her designs tend to be quite young, most of mine are much older, mostly in their 40's-50's, and even 60's. (Megs is 55, Star is 50, and Sounds is 56)

7. Art

Both au's have horror in them, and lots of g0re at times. The art is a bit similar, mostly a bit on the dark side at times (like g0re or broken parts).

Her Starscream does the k!lling, and mine gets k!lled/j lmao 😭😭

We both like MCR too lol ;D

8. Ships

Her main ship is Megastar while mine is Megop. Her's tend to be more wlw while mine tend to be more mlm. We both like the idea of Slipstream x Megaempress though. I tend to ship more characters than she does, some of the ships I have don't work in her au.

9. Anatomy of Cybertronians

Both have similar anatomy, but different ways of "making" a Cybertronian. In my au, they're either made artificially (which most of the lower class is) to create more bots quicker, or by making a spark, where both partners combine a small piece of both sparks to create a new one (it's a bit hard to explain lmao).

Cybertronians in my au tend to have hard bodies but a soft face, although most are also a bit soft where their "organic parts" are, which is mostly on the midsection (yet most have some mechanical parts to protect it I guess?).

There's lots of similarities and differences, I hope this helps a bit! :D

[crescenthistory]

hello miss Carina! I'm not very well versed in the marauders fandom (but I love your works) and was wondering what are the valkeryies?

hello my lovely!! i am SO HAPPY you asked

crescenthistory's introduction to the valkyries

since you said you're not well-versed in the fandom at all, i'm over-explaining to be on the safe side, sorry if you already knew all of this 🙏

"the valkyries" is a group name in the same way as the marauders (james, sirius, remus, peter) and the slytherin skittles (barty, evan, regulus, dorcas, pandora) are

unlike the marauders (who are named explicitly in the hp books through the marauders map), the skittles and the valkyries are fandom names for the different friendgroups at hogwarts

(nb, the skittles are sometimes called the emeralds by people who think that name is too silly lmao, and pandora is traditionally thought of as ravenclaw, despite the name being slytherin-centred)

these friendgroups, of course, often over-lap in fan interpretations as we love to have them all as one vast giant family

in OG fanon lore, the valkyries consist of the three gryffindor girls: lily evans, marlene mckinnon and mary macdonald

lily we know a "lot" about from the books; she is studious, fiery, kind/nurturing, stands up for what is right and loves her friends fiercly

mary is only named as a member of the order who did not die and is mentioned by lily in a flashback where she says mary was a victim of a muggleborn hatecrime

thus we as a fandom have concluded that she is muggleborn and kind. from there, interpretations of her vary, but i characterise her as sassy, down to earth, a bit flirtatious yet shy, kind of cottagecore-y

when we talk about the marauders era in a canon compliant way, most people believe that mary survived the first wizarding war and obliviated herself of any knowledge of magic afterwards because she couldn't live with the trauma. she went on to live the rest as a "muggle"

marlene is mentioned only once in the books and is said to have been a member of the order who was killed alongside her entire family

she is generally characterised by the fandom as being incredibly loyal and family-centric (blood and found family), outspoken/brazen, confident, passionate and kind

most people hc her as an avid quidditch fanatic (wants to be a professional player when she grows up, becomes either that or a healer)

these three shared a dorm at hogwarts and made up the foundation of the friendship between the marauders era girls

(either peter or remus is often hc-ed as being brought in as an "honourary girlie" in some of their hangouts because of their quietness and respect)

they are called the valkyries specifically because valkyries in norse mythology are beautiful female warriors who bring fallen soldiers to valhalla ("heaven") -> a poetic take on who they are

they are close friends with the marauders, depending on your hcs

i for one believe that marlene and james are childhood besties (because wizard families and quidditch) and lily and remus instantly connect (because of similar personalities and views), so the friendgroups are kind of merged immediatley

it also makes sense that the two gryffindor groups are connected to some degree -- i don't like the idea of them splitting up into "genders" so divisively, i view the different friendgroups as originating from their dorms and then mixing from there

where and how the slytherin skittles come in, usually depends on your hcs or the fic (as in, you go with what suits your story)

the obvious connection is regulus and sirius as brothers, so in fics where they are close, it makes sense that the friendgroups merge

other than that, the friendgroups usually merge through different ships: james/regulus, marlene/dorcas, lily/james, lily/pandora, remus/regulus, etc.

most people nowadays (ESPECIALLY ME) consider dorcas and (sometimes) pandora as either parts of the valkyries or at least good enough friends with them that they are together a lot

while i see dorcas and pandora as slytherin skittles/emeralds first and foremost, i will usually also include them in chats about the valkyries and will list poly!dorlene and poly!pandalily under the valkyries tag in my masterlist

they become integrated with the three valkyries at some point during their time at hogwarts; the original trio expands

i usually consider the shift to have happened around fifth year, but it's flexible

(if you want to know more about dorcas and pandora, i have a lot of headcanons about them under the slytherin skittles part of my masterlist)

i personally am an avid dorlene (dorcas/marlene) shipper and don't really entertain other pairings for either party, though i know some people are fond of marlene/mary

marylily is a huge other ship within the valkyries and is often considered "complementary" to dorlene

pandalily (pandora/lily) is also growing in popularity from what i've seen

if you want any headcanons for any of these ships (either on their own or poly x reader), i am more than willing 🥸

there are also wider friendgroups and other characters around at hogwarts that are sometimes mentioned or integrated into fics, either to serve a purpose or just for the vibes

some of these that i occasionally use are: the black sisters (reg&sirius' cousins andormeda, bellatrix and narcissa), amelia bones (hufflepuff), emmeline vance (ravenclaw), alice fortescue & frank longbottom, rita skeeter, ted tonks, the Bad Guys in slytherin lol (severus snape, rabastan lestrange, lucius malfoy, mulciber, avery, etc.)

i hope this gave you a better idea of who they are bubs! let me know if you want any more details or to chat about them<33

since any lore is essentially entirely based in fanon, it is very much up to everyone's personal preference and is even subject to change from fic to fic, but all in all the valkyries are lily, marlene and mary + other potential girlies(gn) they drag with them along the way 🤍

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

i love the pumpkin decor from anura and the skulls from silk cradle !! even though its not even close to halloween,,,(its always in my heart lmao) i was thinking about bishops (+narinder and/or labert, if your up for it) platonically with a child! black cat reader (who is kind of like in the spooky month skid and pump mindset LOL, but the town they grew up in, possibly outside the lands of the old faith, is very halloween-centered)

i hope this isnt too specific !!

Don't worry, Halloween's ALWAYS in my heart haha. I love those decorations too! And the ones from the blood moon ritual. Can't wait for that event again

.........

Heket

With pumpkin patches flourishing in her domain, it only makes sense for her to have celebrations and rituals surrounding the harvest season.

Yet she knows nothing of this "Halloween" you've rambled on about to her followers, nor why you became so excited upon discovering that Anura's environment reflects the autumn season.

That's because the town you're from is centered entirely around the holiday, with you living among ghouls, skeletons, demons, crows, and (of course) other black cats.

To you, every day is Halloween and you're loud and proud about it!

You introduced the idea of jack o'lanterns to Heket when she discovers you carving a pumpkin, sticking a candle inside after you gutted the entire crop, much to her confusion and annoyance.

"You there..why do you waste precious food?" She accuses, but you're completely oblivious to her anger.

"Where I come from, we always carve pumpkins! And we make cool things like this!" You show her your finished product: a Yellow Crown carved onto the face of the pumpkin. "I offer this to you, Lady Heket."

"I see, but...what am I to do with it?"

"You put it outside your home to ward off scary spirits! Like those who wanna wilt the crops!"

She had her doubts about these traditions of yours, but she grows to like this "jack of lantern" and puts it into effect almost immediately.

More followers join in, learning how to carve their own pumpkins and place them outside their homes.

It actually gives the incredibly superstitious and paranoid some comfort that they won't be haunted or plagued by negative spirits/energy.

Heket made a point to allow an overabundance of pumpkin patches during Halloween season so there's enough for both food and carving.

She also discovers people are willing to pay for the best-looking ones, so she allows the elders to run stands by the fields and make some coin.

Ofc, a good chunk of the profits go directly to her.

Shamura

Skull piles and skeletal decorations are commonplace in Silk Cradle, being trophies of wars and intimidating those who dared wander into their domain--grim reminders that it could be their own skull next.

You, however, find them nonthreatening as you've had similar decor back in your little town of Halloween (/ref).

Fake or not, you loved them all the same (plus the cobwebs, even though most are just part of the natural environment) and had to ask Shamura if Halloween was celebrated all year here, too.

Although their brain struggles to recollect things, they have books on holidays and their ancient origins..so they are aware it exists.

But it's not one they ever cared to implement.

Nevertheless, they permit you to decorate your home to your heart's content with whatever skulls and bundles of silk you found--as well as pumpkins shipped from Anura.

They're nicer to you bc you remind them of Narinder back in his youth, fascinated with the spooky and the taboo.

All the giant axe traps and toxic pits scattered throughout Silk Cradle never bothered you, as you've seen them back in the spooky dungeons of your hometown.

Usually the resident bugs would freak out any newcomer shelling in new traditions..but Shamura told them that you, specifically, are not to be harmed under any circumstance and that they allowed this.

You've actually befriended Hauras, sewing them a spidery Halloween cape for them in place of the gray rags they wore.

They wear it with pride to every sermon from there on, not caring who judges.

Kallamar

This bishop's paranoia is a force to be reckoned with.

Even if one hapless follower said the words "red crown" in any context, he'll strike them down for "preaching heresy". He's easily scared of the taboo and misfortune falling into his realm.

So Halloween is definitely the last thing he wants to hear about, especially with its association of black cats (who are in turn associated with bad luck and Narinder).

He keeps trying to shoo you away when you try explaining that's a common myth.

If he sees you using bones and skulls as decorations, he feels sick to his stomach and orders you to take them down.

Those can be used to forge weapons or intimidate potential dissenters! They're not yours to keep!!

Yet you never listen, oblivious to his demands as you try telling him they're harmless.

Would he ever punish you for disobeying with sickness or sacrifice?

No...or at least not at this stage in your life.

That would damage his already-fragile reputation as a leader even further.

But if you grew up into an elder and continued with these "twisted traditions", however, he'd punish you as retribution for the "torment" you've brought upon him.

He just wishes you'd follow his ways and his ways alone.

Fortunately for you, that retribution never comes as he's brought into Lamb's cult during your teen years...with you keeping the Halloween tradition alive and well.

And Kallamar has a more open mind now, although he's still easily spooked by the decor Lamb brings out during the Blood Moon Festival.

The first time he partakes in it, someone pranked him with a fake ear and it traumatized him so bad he cried and hid inside his shelter.

But you comforted him, forgoing the festivities and sharing your candy until he was okay.

You just show him how to carve a jack o'lantern for the remainder of the night, and he's in awe as it glows.

Every year since, Halloween becomes less and less scary for him--and it's all ironically thanks to you.

Leshy

As a young bishop, he's open to ideas for traditions, holidays, etc. for his followers to enjoy.

So when little kitty cat you hailing from a distant land of Halloween propose celebrating it...he's all for it!

The only problem is, well, his sight.

With the Green Crown, he can see the general forms of followers, his siblings, and most structures within Darkwood, but he wouldn't be able to see the tiny details that gave Halloween its magic.

But you explained how you could go for bigger and brighter things. Like jack o'lanterns (made of both pumpkins and turnips) and skulls of giant beasts!

He approves of it and lets you lead in decorating the village nearest to his temple.

Followers initially questioned why they had to listen to a child, of all folks, but they're grateful it's something genuinely fun.

From your town, you've also brought scented candles to really enhance everybody's spooky spirit.

Especially for your Lord Leshy, who finds the smells delightful.

The pumpkin spice ends up becoming his favorite.

You've got him completely fixated on this event.

Plus it's a good opportunity for chaos to reign: with followers pranking one other and scaring each other half to death, dressing up like ghouls and skeletons.

The Bonfire Ritual is one Leshy likes to conduct to boost both his strength and cult morale (he's gotta benefit from all of this somehow too, of course).

Lamb

Not only did Lamb's cult know about Halloween...but they also celebrated it with the Blood Moon Festival.

You fully participated in the ritual every year, rushing outside just in time to see the moon turn blood-red and the sky darken for several days.

The ghosts of deceased followers usually terrified the living, yet you greeted all of them with smiles, waving goodbye as Lamb exorcised them with their book.

Crows, cattle skeletons, and even demons flocked to the cult as well, having been residents of your hometown, too.

And the decorations?????

You were obsessed and jumping for joy, wanting to decorate your little shelter and help everybody else with theirs!

And of course you participated in the many activities going on, including bonfire rituals, apple bobbing, and passing out soul cakes (yep you had a recipe for that from your hometown, too).

One year, Webber showed up and was initially scared since everyone was just staring at them and the spiders scattered around their feet..

But you greeted them warmly, showing them around the cult grounds and what the festival was all about.

Lamb themselves is impressed.

You're only half the age of most of their followers, yet you're active and very responsible (although only if your tasks have anything to do with Halloween).

So as a gift, they bless you with a jack o'lantern necklace. Not only does it light up at night, but its magical properties allowed you to lift up any pumpkin no matter its size with ease!

You vow to carve the biggest jack o'lantern the Old Faith's ever seen.

[thedarkzyxabyss]

Here’s a set of characters I created a few years ago for a small kingdom I made!

It’s a coastal kingdom which is famous for its large colosseum!

King Carrion

He/They

Seventh in line for the throne, Carrion was a mistreated, sickly prince (so much so that his family literally named him something that means carcass 💀). Looked down upon constantly, this guy wasn’t really guaranteed any future of any kind.

When a pandemic swept through his kingdom, however, he found himself as the only survivor due to living in a separate place (due to being ostracized) which saved his life. Now finding himself as the ruler of his small nation, he tries his best to keep his kingdom afloat despite being very unqualified for the task…

His face (along with parts of his body) is disfigured from abuse and mistreatment. He hides it behind a mask/prosthetic.

He’s incredibly shy and self-deprecating, but he is trying his best for his people.

Tries to keep up airs of a “competent and mysterious” ruler, but he’s really having a panic attack on the inside lol

Collected his guards with the help of Nexus. Honestly is like one of those dads that gets bullied by his kids

Nexus (guy with large star blast on his face)

He/Him

A skeleton of unknown origin. He applied to be a knight at an early age and worked his way up to be King Carrion’s personal guard. A extremely skilled and capable knight despite his origins and disability.

His right arm is actually missing! He doesn’t talk about how he lost it often.

A super chill guy, almost like nothing bugs him at all.

He doesn’t tend to have any presence whenever in a room full of people, and kind of doesn’t speak much unless spoken to.

Married his war buddy for tax benefits

Genuinely cares for Carrion despite everything the king has been through. Very loyal to him.

Neutral towards the other guards, but likes to mess with Soup a little lmao

Soup

He/They

A descendant of a sub species of skeletons that originate in one of the most unloveable, hostile places on the continent. Built to survive and adapt, these people were referred to as “the warrior tribes”, known for their immense strength, keen instincts, and violent behavior.

Works as one of King Carrion’s Guard, has a special role as a “Royal Executioner”

Part-Time works at the colosseum as a gladiator (although he dresses closer to a show pony 💀)

Currently in a situationship /lh

Annoyed with Nexus but he’s his superior sooooooo

Trains Caviar but also just likes fighting them lol

Steals Muffin’s food 60% of the time

Caviar

She/They/It

A young sea beast that has the capability to shape shift into a massive leviathan, known for causing typhoons and sinking countless of ships.

Works as one of King Carrion’s guard, usually works as a speedy alternative to sea travel.

Was mistaken as a merfolk by an underground business and was taken from her mother. She later bonded with a few other kidnapped children at their facility located in the middle of the ocean. She ended up single-handedly destroying half of the compound, and escaping with most of the other children to the nearest kingdom (which happened to be Carrion’s kingdom).

Loves to swim around and eat lots of fish, as well as caviar (lmao)

Likes to bug Muffin for snacks

Play fights with Soup lots

Muffin

He/They/It

A living suit of armor. Well, more technically, he’s a spirit that inhabits a suit of armor (kind of similar to/inspired by Mad Dummy in Undertale)

Works as one of King Carrion’s guard, less so actually doing his job and more so being a glorified cook.

A gentle giant, would rather not want to fight and instead resolve things peacefully

Loves baking

Gets bullied by Soup a lot lol

Dotes on Caviar

( also minor liatris jumpscare in the last image grgrgrrrhgghghgrrghgh i love my boy but i wanna gatekeep him but i wanna share him oughhhhh)

[mikimakiboo]

The people have spoken

Well, here's my boy :D

His name is Toxicity ! Pictures and lore under the cut because it's long lmao

Also if you have any questions about him please don't hesitate to send asks I'll be happy to answer 👉🏻👈🏻

Fun fact: I created him because I wanted to ship Hate with someone but I didn't want it to be with Nightmare, and since I couldn't find anyone I ended up making a whole ass oc (so yeah Toxicity is shipped with Hate lmao)

Hate is by : @/6chimeraqueen9 (I think ??)

He's a tall demon-like skeleton (approximately 1m80) with green wings (his wings look like the Lightfury's wings in HTTYD except they're green instead of white), a green tail and an emerald horn

His magic allows him to make people toxic towards their partner/family/friends/anyone but he doesn't use it often, when he makes someone toxic it usually means that the person they are toxic with was a jerk and deserved to be treated like shit in his opinion

He also has a passion for chemistry and biology and he can make lots of different potions, using his magic as components to vary the results and make anything he wants

He also cannot use his magic to fight as it is not made for that, so instead he learnt how to build bombs and use firearms (here's him with a gun as a shitpost lmao)

He is usually pretty stoic and doesn't show much his emotions, he actually has troubles expressing his feelings and needs time in order to put them into words, so he'll usually stay silent and will tend to bottle it up (same with love, he'll show it through act of services, quality time or gift giving instead of verbally)

One good way to determine what he's feeling tho is by looking at his tail because it will wag or move according to his mood

Noowwwwww his backstory:

He was born between two wars in an isolated universe where peace was an abstract concept, at a time where no one trusted each other because anyone could be a spie, so everyone was either ready to fight anyone in their way or manipulative to either get people on their side or not be suspicious

The ambient toxicity mixed with some left-over magic from the previous war ended up creating a child around six years old (similar as to how Paperjam was born from the mix of Error's and Ink's magic, instead in that case it's magic residues and toxic atmosphere)

He roamed around at first, trying to find someone who could guide him and teach him how things worked, but due to his aura (that he couldn't control yet) he was only met with aggressiveness and ended up having to learn everything by himself (all while living outside since he didn't have any family)

He was a teen when the second war started, so too young to be enrolled in it, and stayed in the city instead

By that time he had learnt to control his aura, but with the war it amplified his magic and as a result he had to wear gloves as to not influence people by touching them by accident (which happened frequently)

His universe ended up collapsing on itself due to its instability (multiple wars, emotional unbalance, ...) but he luckily managed to escape, becoming an out-code (he was a young adult, around 20yo at that time)

Since he didn't have anything else to do and nowhere to go he started traveling the multiverse until he settled in a calm surface AU in which he discovered his passion for chemistry and biology and started studying it

He still travels during his free time and met other out-codes like that, some of which he became friend with as well as universes he likes to visit sometimes (he met Hate during one of his trips)

He still has an apprehension of physical contacts when he is not wearing his gloves so he mostly never takes them off (except for laundry or cleaning himself and sleeping, of course)

He also has troubles opening up to someone or trusting others as he grew up mostly alone and didn't have anyone in his AU since they were all suspicious of everyone

Also the hole in his tail is actually an injury, he got stabbed when he was a kid as he was trying to steal food and it didn't heal properly so it made a hole (that's why he doesn't have it in the last pic)

And obviously he learnt how to build bombs and use firearms in his AU, firearms he learnt by watching the soldiers and training in the forest, and bombs he learnt by disassembling those that didn't blow up and looking at how they were made in the factories (mostly by sneaking inside or looking through the windows)

Then it was a lot of practice and he is now able to create little portable bombs and use firearms

So yeah that's my baby :D

[rochenn]

hi! perhaps 🍒 or 🍑 for the ask thing?

PERHAPS I WILL DO BOTH

🍒 What’s your favorite character dynamic to write? (Can be romantic or platonic, specific or general!)

Ohhh man Star Wars is so full of good stuff. Dooku & Asajj, Dooku & Maul, Dooku & Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan & Ashoka... those last two have been particularly fun to write together in Gone with the Light. I think I'm weak for lineage interactions ig.

But yeah, I'm writing Rifle atm and Codywan (especially the middle-aged veteran version) is just such a blast to figure out. But that aside, no matter what era they're in, the constant pressure of their circumstances creates perfect friction... These two are incredibly similar in some aspects and not always in a good way; I think they're uniquely capable of bringing out each other's worst. Both are proud, principled, emotionally repressed for one reason or another and so focused on a greater goal (win the war) that their equally shared kindness can get lost and has to be manually retrieved.

Also uhh the power imbalance (outside of Rifle because things are a little different there) and how they both maneuver within it is what makes the ship so entertaining to me. 20+ year age difference 💥 experience gap 💥 superior-subordinate job dynamic 💥💥 Cody has no human rights and has been conditioned to obey the Jedi since day 1 💥💥💥 I swear figuring this shit out is SO fun. They are horrible and they are everything. I love putting them in Situations that mitigate their differences (like on a mission) only to thrust them back into the sterile bureaucracy-governed "peace" aboard their star destroyer or on Coruscant. Idk I think Codywan is just so versatile and could go a million different ways depending on context and that's what's beautiful about them, I think <3

🍑 If you could make a connection between your favorite character and another work you care about (whether a crossover/fusion or a wonderfully “pretentious” literary reference) what would it be? How would it work?

Leave Your Rifle by the Door is already Cody in the most Disco Elysium predicament I could feasibly wedge him into, except his Dolores Dei is not an ex-wife but his bygone days on the front. Lmao. He has a very "my wife left me :(" attitude about the job he lost

I've been struggling with art over the past weeks but I very desperately want to find the sauce to create Star Wars art in a DE style. With the swirling thoughts and messy painterly vibe and everything. It is my dream <3

[bloodymyhands]

plots i want to write out, house of the dragon edition:

if you see this and you're interested in any of them don't be afraid to hop into my inbox or send some memes or something!

alicent:

more threads with alicent & her children, so i can sort of deep dive into how she feels about them, the things she regrets about raising them, her desire to keep them safe

adding onto that, would LOVE a thread where she's speaking to one of her children, or a close friend, and she reveals the nature of her relationship with rhaenyra in the past :( she deserves support

this is the self indulgent bitch in me who wants an alicent/cole thread where they talk abt rhaenyra

would love a thread or two with a rhaenyra! something post episode 8 or post episode 3, exploring the fact that alicent is coming to terms with everything and wants rhaenyra to understand. bonus points if it's shippy because yes

would love an au where rhaenyra takes her prisoner or lets her stay in dragonstone, and would love to write threads about others such as daemon, jace, coryls, and other team black characters are discovering that she's allowed to stay and being like what the fuck

more threads of people yelling at alicent AND more threads of people hugging alicent. both of them please

i need a ship au where the other muse is a queensguard and see all that's happened to her and they become someone she can rely on, open up to, and seek genuine comfort and joy from

post-dance au where she's living on a farm with her daughter and granddaughter <3

rhaenyra:

more rhaenyra vulnerability, she needs a hug fr. would also love to write more ships with her, she deserves them all. someone who is genuine, without ulterior motives, and just wants to support her

threads with a mysaria i beg I BEG

more threads with rhaenyra & her children. adding on top of that, would love threads with rhaenyra and alicent's children. rhaenyra with aegon, aemond, jace, and helaena please i beg

similar to my alicent one, would love a thread with one of her children, where she reveals the nature of her relationship with alicent in the past and they support her

i would love some threads with a daemon! as long as you're okay with me not shipping them, but i do find that to be rare unfortunately :(

dragon riding threads obviously, preferably one when they're not in mortal danger!! or even ones where they are LMAO

i know we all love fluff and smut but i would some intense, dramatic, back and forth emotional threads where the stakes/weight of the war is heavy in her conversation with the other

aegon & aemond:

threads with their siblings, would love some big emotional moments, especially after aegon's injury and/or maybe even threads within their childhood as well

similar to the points above, but threads with rhaenyras and alicents with either or would be amazing

these are newer muses to me and i use them less so i would love more chances to write them!

other:

more house of the dragon aus with any of my other characters especially my primary ones!

[daylesspax]

WOO

OKAY (UHGzhJKL:JNBVH B We're doing reeeeeeeeally similar things right??

But like, there's a biiiig difference at the start

I'm using Megatron for Odysseus, right? His thing in the comics of going from like, protesting miner to ruthless warlord? That's basically Ody (/lh /s) :D

ALSO, because I'm a lover of the gay robot divorce (obviously /lh)

Optimus as Penelope. HERE ME OUT

What if when Megs gets back to Ithaca or whatever (I'll replace it with Kaon probably) he's like, not himself, sooooooo that leads to war or smth, idk, I'm still working on the first part

Also we're literally reading each other's minds, I'm thinking of Sentinel being Poseidon (Because it just fits???) And I don't Megatron would like him in the comics either loool

I ended up with Bumblebee as Telemachus too (He gets TWO dads. Sorta)

For Megs's crew, it's just gonna sorta be the rest of the Decepticon army lol. I'm thinking Eurylochus would be Starscream(duh), I'm not sure about Polites, I'm thinking Jetfire maybe? I'm not sure how much sense it makes, maybe I could use TC instead.

THE CYCLOPS AND THE SIRENS!!!!! HEAR ME OUT!!

Instead of a Cyclops, it's a TITAN. I literally have this planned out, like omg

They're running low on Energon to power their ship but then their censors pick up large amounts of Energon on a planet. But they soon realize, it isn't a planet! It's a city floating out in space, Celaphus, the dead city. Celaphus thinks they're taking the energon away from their citizens (Who are all dead if you couldn't guess lmao)

The sirens would probably be Sparkeaters in an abandoned space station :0

(I would type more but my hands are getting sore klmjhgyfcgh)

Ok ok OK! THIS IS VERY COOL!!

The sirens as spark eaters is so good…

And we have the same idea for the cyclops!!!

And for me the crew would either be the elite guard or the miners!

And I’ve experimented a few times with Orion/Optimus and Megs/D being two seperate people just because I’m horrible at remembering different transformers off the top of my head since I usually make up shit as I’m listening to the music and haven’t really properly fleshed out anything… heh…

So sometimes I’d assign Optimus as Penelope and Orion as Polites :D

(It’s so so hard for me to think of multiple sunshine/‘bright’ characters when I’m trying to stick to a single continuity…)

[cielelyse]

Hii! do you have any one piece ships you like other than zosan? if so, would you want to write about them at some point?

HI ANON WHAT A WONDERFUL QUESTION, I LOVE IT, THANK YOU! I would not be myself if I don’t answer tumblr asks with needless ramblings so I’m sorry to have subjected you to this, though you have brought this upon yourself 

YES! I definitely have other OP ships I like! These are my favourites in order:

1. Luffy x Sanji

I actually love LuSan just as much as I love ZoSan! I have a LuSan draft in my gdocs, which I'm not sure I'll ever finish but it's there! I love them a whole lot. This is also embarrassing to admit, but the only reason why I’m not making progress on writing for them is because Luffy is SO HARD to characterize. Every time he shows up in The Spilhaus Project I’d worry about whether or not he’s in character, whether or not he’s saying the “right” things, whether or not his actions are sound, etc. I DON’T KNOW WHY THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MY BRAIN, I APOLOGIZE ON ITS BEHALF

Funny thing is that every time Luffy shows up in my ZoSan fic, I'm half trying to characterize him well, and half trying not to turn it into a LuSan fic lmao. At some point I'll get that LuSan fic written!

ERGO, I LOVE LUSAN WITH MY WHOLE HEART 

2. Nami x Vivi

They just have such good chemistry! I'm also a sucker for the pirate x princess dynamic. FUCK I LOVE THEM. My queens. I'll for sure have them as a minor ship in The Spilhaus project!

Funnily enough, I was so enamoured by Nami and Vivi's relationship that when Robin showed up, I expected her and Nami to have the same level of chemistry too since they're nakama. But they didn't! And I'm still sad about that! I thought I would love them even more than NamiVivi! Although this scene from Long Ring Long Land lives in my head rent-free:

MOTHERS???? MY SOUL MOANED. I WOULD BE SUCH A DIE-HARD SHIPPER IF THEY INTERACTED LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME

3. Capone Bege x Chiffon

Okay they are just too cute. 100% my favourite canon ship in OP.

4. Robin x Franky

Man I really like them. The contrasting personalities, the "it's not a crime to exist", the humour of Robin berating Franky in Chopper's body... I'm already writing hints of them in The Spilhaus Project but definitely will explore them more

5. Cavendish x Cavendish

Isn't this an iconic one. I will gladly participate in ship wars to defend this pairing.

Some honourable mentions:

Sanji x Usopp

Ngl when I read Skypeia I thought they would become one of the most popular ships in OP. Their dynamic was SO cute and so funny. I wish there'd be more similar interactions between them post-Skypeia (tho Wano and Enies Lobby were nice!) but ALAS

Reiju x Any Girl Honestly, I'm Desperate

Tashigi, Nami, Stussy... I have a huge crush on this woman and I'll take anything

Sanji x Pudding

I'm sorry but they're so FUN. (I didn't realize until after I finished the manga that Pudding is 16.) But while reading WCI I really loved their dynamic, I loved the arranged marriage plot, the secret villain plot, the way Sanji is so kind with her, the way she adores him in turn. Also them both spewing blood everywhere was hilarious

Noland x Kalgara

My doomed yaoi... I very much cried. I love them platonic, romantic, anything in between

There are lots of other ships that I'm intrigued by but haven't explored! I will at some point! Thank you for asking anon, this was such a fun thing to write on a Saturday evening and it made me happy :')

[mirensiart]

I'm now curious if you're thinking Xenoblade/LU crossovers, what races would the rest of the Chain be?

I mean, I was just brainstorming possible xenoblade races for each link lol but I'm not gonna do anything about it, I may sketch them as the races but if I have free time some day only hehe

Anyway my ramblings about each link and what race they would be below

Sky: pure blooded high entia from xenoblade chronicles 1. The high entia are an ancient race of long lived bird people that are secluded from everyone and live in a floating technologically advanced city. They all have white hair and white wings to match, their wings are long enough they can fly with them. Here's Prince Kallian from xenoblade 1, which is the vision I have for Sky since Kallian has like massive wings lol longer than others

Warriors: a Half blooded high entia. In xenoblade chronicles 3 there are no pure blooded high entia left since something happened in xenoblade1 and now they're mostly mixed with homs (humans). These high entia have small wings that are useless for flying, their hair isn't white and they have normal life spans. I see Warriors similar to Zeon from xenoblade 3, Zeon is the commander of colony 9 in Keves and uses a sword and shield. He also has the tiniest wings of all high entia in xenoblade3 and I think that's hilarious for warriors, like SMALL WINGS FOR YOU!

For four, wind and legend I see them as the Nopon race but from different nations. The nopon are this adorable race of furry creatures with hand like wings, they are either traveling merchants, craftsmen or they're into illegal stuff lmao and they get away with it thanks to being adorable

So, the nopon:

Four: Kevesi Nopon from xenoblade chronicles 3. In xenoblade 3 there are two nations that are in constant war Keves and Agnus, I see four as a nopon from the Keves side, he is a blacksmith that maintains the soldier's weapons and shields. I see him as riku from xenoblade3 since he's the one who maintains the weapons for the kevesi characters in game

Wind: Argentum Nopon from xenoblade chronicles 2! Argentum is a port city where all the illegal stuff happens LMAO there's a lot of nopon shops, lots of illegal trading and lots of ships with merch! I can totally see Wind as the nopon captain of his own ship doing illegal tradings in Argentum lmao some cute nopons from Argentum so u get the vision:

Legend: THE HEROPON OF FRONTIER VILLAGE FROM XENOBLADE1!!!!!! In xenoblade 1 there's a nopon village that selected a "heropon" to help with the main protag's party (in reality they were annoyed at him so they throw him at you and your party so he leaves with you lol) anyway, the heropon in xenoblade1 is my favorite character ever and I feel like legend would be selected to be that year's heropon against his will lmao here's the LEGENDARY HEROPON RIKI aka how I picture legend

Time: a gormotti from xenoblade2! The gormotti is a race of cat people that live from the earth and are also mostly farmers. There's two types of gormotti, ones that are more animal and ones that are more human. Time is the variant that's more human, like Milton here

Twilight: also a gormotti from xenoblade2 but the variant that's more animal than human, like this npc

Wild: ok hear me out....hear me out.... this is a spoiler for xenoblade1 but like...... if you wanna play xenoblade 1 don't read this ok this is a massive spoiler lmao

Ok?, ok so.... a face mechon for wild omg ok so in xenoblade 1 the kingdom of mechonis attacks the kingdom of bionis, mechonis is a mechanical kingdom with metal races like the machina and the mechon, the bionis have yeah you guessed it, biological races.

The mechon race cannot be destroyed by any type of weapon with the exception of the monado sword. The monado sword cannot hurt biological beings, just metal beings. The people of mechonis find a way to bypass it, by grabbing HUMANS and then PUTTING their DNA in a mechon, making a cyborg kinda deal known as a face mechon, by doing this, they make the monado sword USELESS cause since the cyborgs have biological tissue it cannot hurt them, since the monado can ONLY hurt metal beings

In xenoblade1 one of the main characters dies, the mechon grab her body and basically resurrect her as a cyborg aka a face mechon, she stays the rest of the game as a metal/biological being. Her body is fully metal, without organs or fluids, but her head is her biological one

There are other 2 characters that go through the same process

Anyway, that same thing happening to wild lol here's one of the cyborgs aka face mechon

Hyrule: an Urayan from xenoblade2! In xenoblade 2, the kingdom of uraya is a mostly underground kingdom full of caves and minerals, and it's people have rock-like skin, because of like, being a cave dwelling race! Here's some examples of urayans:

ANYWAY YEAH

I tried to simplify the absolutely INSANE plots of all xenoblade games to be as friendly for people not into it, but these are the races I imagine them all to be (:

[spacemagicandlaserswords]

The Clone Wars 4.09 ‘Plan of Dissent’ Reaction Take 2

I think out of all of the episodes from the Umbara arc, this is my favourite. If it’s possible to have a favourite with everything that happens. There’s so much of the clones themselves in this episode. So much of their interactions and personalities and characteristics and lives.

Hello to Fives' very nice thighs and crotch. There’s just something about a clone lying on their back, legs splayed, knee bent, as they do mechanical work on the underneath of a ship. Insert your own references to the 2 nickels meme here. Also inserting the gif of Tech doing the exact same thing because I can.

There are definitely moments where Fives voice gets husky and it is very nice. I am not complaining at all.

Obi-Wan is looking rather boxy there

Krell completely changes when he’s talking to someone with equal or more power than him. Slimy bastard.

I know they mean arms as in weapons but every time they say ‘arm’ all can picture is crates full of actual arms.

That tiny head shake from Rex. He is so done.

Ugh that look up from Rex. Ugh.

Ahahahaha it definitely looks like Fives is about to burst into an earnest and deeply emotional ballad in the music video as part of his 90s boy band. So, the important questions are: Who are the rest of the members of this clone boy band? And what is their name? These things, I must know them.

Look at Rex’s big beautiful brown eyes there

Paused the episode only to realise Jesse has an exclamation mark on the front of his chest plate.

Tup waving his space screwdriver grabby thingy around to make his point. I think it’s a calliper? It looks similar to the one Tech has on his belt or in one of his 2000 pockets. Just noticed Tup has the same hairline as Tech too.

“I do think his desire for victory has blinded him to the fact that there are lives at stake. I’ve never seen a General with these kind of casualties.” – I love this moment from Jesse. Especially because he doesn’t go after Dogma, he just calmly but firmly points out what isn’t right about this situation. The adorable nose scrunch is also out in full force.

“I don’t have a better plan.” Rex, you always have a better plan

Fives: Why don’t we just do the same thing we did before!

Lmao Fives’ little chaos face as he explains his plan

Gif by @nickleister from this glorious post

REX THIGH

That ‘do it’ from Rex was very Palpatine of him

“Yeah, he wasn’t really flying. More like avoiding crashing.” Tup going for the jugular there

Omg that was not subtle at all. “What’s going on?” “Eh, nothing.” *awkward*

Oh, Rex and Fives are fighting. That line from Fives about them all being not just another number really hit home too.

I know this is supposed to be a serious moment and all that but omg Fives is built like an absolute unit. Boy is thicc.

Well this is going well. Fives, why are you standing underneath the fighter that Hardcase is barely able to control?

Fives: Hardcase, what are you doing?! Hardcase: If I knew, I wouldn’t be doing it! CACKLING

Who's the random clone helping out Fives and Hardcase? They’ve got different paint but I can’t tell who they are.

“Great, this can’t get much worse” Well now you’ve gone and jinxed it

Oh, so that’s where that shot of Fives standing there comes from. Who knew the absolute chaos that was going on behind as Fives stands there looking all gorgeous.

Fives: “Nothing’s out of control down here.” Hardcase: *actively destroying everything*

Omg the absolutely over the top agonised full eye and body roll that Fives gives while he draws out a long “Uh” to try and come up with a cover story for what they’re doing. 

That has got to be a homage or reference to Han Solo doing basically the same thing in A New Hope.

“That’s gonna leave a mark.” Hardcase, you just melted the door!

“No harm done.” Says Hardcase, standing amongst the ruin he has just created

Absolutely losing it at Hardcase’s cover story for what they were getting up to. To be fair to him, he actually sold it fairly well and it was a decently believable cover story to come up with on the spot. Fives, on the other hand, cannot lie to save himself. Rex is not falling for his bullshit one bit.

Aaaaaaaaaah Hardcase’s little wiggly sneaky fingers. You utterly adorable dork. He looks so pleased with his idea at the end too. It’s the best idea guys!

Hardcase is in. He wants chaos.

Anakin telling Fives that the trick to taking out a control ship is to hit the main reactor from the inside? Well that’s totally not going to come back and bite him in his shiny black asthmatic arse in approximately 20 cycles or so. 

Jesse and Hardcase’s doubtful scrunched up faces as the listen to Fives’ “plan” are utterly adorable

"I can’t help you, when you get caught." — That exchange between Fives and Rex definitely sounds like Rex has put up Fives’ crazy bullshit before. And you can tell how much Rex cares and knows this is the right thing to do yet he’s stuck and he can’t do anything to help them or protect them when the shit hits the fan.

If those fighters are supposed to be locked down, then why are they conveniently sitting outside?

I found this scene of Dogma and Tup in the barracks really uncomfortable. I’ve been trying to reserve judgement on Dogma and not be so harsh on him because I know what happens in the end and he seems like a fan favourite. But it really felt like he was bullying Tup into snitching on Fives, Jesse and Hardcase. I don’t know what Dogma and Tup’s connection to each other is. They seem fairly close so I’m going with close or best friends, if not batch mates. I know Dogma thinks he’s doing the right thing (I know, please don’t come at me) but it felt really uncomfortable watching him bully his best friend/batch mate and vod into doing what he wanted. I think I’m reacting to this so much because I relate to Tup so much. The constant anxious worry. Being bullied and peer pressured into doing things you don’t want to do (hello school trauma). Out of everything that has happened, and a lot of truly awful things happen in this arc, it felt like this was the worst thing Dogma did. Even if he didn’t mean it, that doesn’t excuse it. 

Paused the episode at the start of the next scene and Rex is standing there in the dark looking down at his datapad and fuck me is he a tall glass of water.

The look on Rex’s face when he sees Fives, Jesse and Hardcase fly off in the fighters! I mentioned this in my first reaction post but man, is that a multi-layered expression. Deep long suffering at putting up with their bullshit. Admiration and respect that the crazy bastards went and did it. Worry and concern about what they’re about to do and how they’re all going to deal with the fall out. And probably a bit of satisfaction and amusement that it’s going to piss off Krell.

“I’m just doing it for fun!” Hardcase knows what he’s about

Well that’s a shit fight

Is that a blimp?

Fives, telling Hardcase not to get an itchy trigger finger is like telling you not to be a chaotic little shit. Utterly pointless

Omg the supply ship is even sphere shaped, just with a giant rectangle in the middle. It’s just a B-grade Death Star.

“I’m sure the report will make your strategy more effective.” Rex you sly bastard

So I know everyone says clones can’t lie to save themselves but Rex was pretty damn believable right there, covering for Fives, Jesse and Hardcase. It didn’t feel like a cover story that was made up on the spot either, so Rex had to have come up with it already. He knew they were going to go off on their own hair brained mission, and, even though he was disagreeing with Fives, he still came up with a way to cover for them and protect them as best he could. So he’s bloody smart and cares deeply too. Ugh, I love him so much.

Rex running interference for Fives, Jesse and Hardcase

“Regarding, what?” CACKLING

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” asdf;lkj why are you so badass. Though it does feel sad that all of this has started to pit the clones against each other. And doesn’t that come back in an even worse way later on.

Oh look, it’s a trench run to a reactor! I wonder where we’ve seen this before!

That tactical droid didn’t consider Fives in his equations

Oh man as soon as Hardcase’s fighter got hit, that was the moment you knew he wasn’t coming back. 

That gesture Fives made to stop his fighter made him look like he was using the Force

Nooooo Hardcase what are you doing

“This is for the 501st. Don’t wait for me.” *sobs*

Hardcase calls Fives sir. Again, I am baffled as to what the rank system is here, though I’m assuming ARC Troopers are at least above standard clone troopers in some way?

“If I know Hardcase, we better leave.” That speaks to a lot of experience with Hardcase making things going boom

“Live to fight another day.” Dammit now I can’t see the screen through the tears. Hardcase had a little happy smile on his face too.

Guys, you only blew up half of it! Though I should imagine the rest of it went up too.

That smirk from Rex. He knew.

Very interesting that Tup’s here with Rex. I wonder if Rex took him aside after intercepting him and Dogma or if Tup came to Rex.

It’s a tiny moment but Fives jumps out of the fighter and there’s a shot of his feet and legs landing on the ground and his kama is swooshing around his legs looking all badass

Rex’s look of concern when he sees only Fives and Jesse. He knew.

Oh Hardcase

It’s an equally blink and you’ll miss it moment but this is where that gif of Rex glaring over his shoulder comes from. I think this is going to be like the “On your knees” moment for me. Definitely hot in isolation but now knowing that Fives and Jesse just told Rex and Tup that Hardcase died, it’s going to take me a while to separate what’s happening in the moment from the hot glare.

Rex trying to take the blame for Fives and Jesse and then Fives refusing to accept this and making sure Rex and Jesse don’t get hurt and the agonised way Rex says “Fives!” and Jesse’s worried expression the whole time and just aaaaaaaaaaah *pained noises*

“Oh, do you?” I hate Krell even more. Piss off you overblown bullfrog

Being executed for disobeying orders seems way too steep. I could understand being reprimanded but shooting someone because they didn’t do what they were told? At least Krell gets what’s coming from him in the end.