#and i feel a little deranged for shipping them so hard

[scottcyclopssummers]

It is canon that Scott and Warren are in each other's fan clubs.

[imaginariumwanderer]

Mkay last post before logging off. Featuring silly pixel art I made w/ my mouse.

This chart was actually made out of pure self-indulgent a while back with no intention of being posted, I ended up scribbling(?) all over the thing. Hopefully it's readable when zoomed in.

It's "my ship in 5 minutes" but I can make it 30 if you want. WARNING: Tons of sappy yapping+pixel art download under cut.

About "tropes": The trope is called Angel-Devil shipping, oh but I don't think PV is an angel. He's more like a God for SM (at least that's my preference)… Thinking at all the possible tropes that suits them make me really wonder why some people consider Shadowvanilla a crack/pro ship. Enemies to lovers or villain/hero ships have been pretty archetypal since the day of olds. Compared to all the ships I've encountered in the past… Shadowvanilla is more or less the "slightly out of the norm" on the "problematic ships scale" <- typing this out make me feel like an old fandom veteran haha

About "how it happens": I have no idea where to put PV on that chart. He's the one who approached first, but not out of romantic intents, him falling for SM is as unexpected as can be. SM fell first and slowly, and in 'slow' I meant decades upon decades. It's inevitable, painfully so, spending all those years watching over this cookie who's so perfect in his imperfections, how could one not feel something? Of course it's not so simple, that 'something' is a horrid mixture of disgust, envy, hatred, understanding, both the need to preserve and destroy… And maybeee the tiniest crumb of affection? SM realized something around the first couple hundredth years mark, he then spends the next thousands in denial of it. No matter. Whether it's PV or the Soul jam, his birth-given rights. SM knows what he wants and he WILL get what he wants. (He's wrong on both fronts. And somewhere in the back of his mind, SM knows that. But he'll never admit it. He'll never ever admit anything. Until it's too late. In a way, the same goes for PV)

About a certain someone who's not clingy, but would die for attention: I think PV gets lonely easily. As he's hyper-aware of himself and considerate of others, appearing clingy is the last thing PV wants. So PV would put extra efforts in taking care of those around him, be it cookies, animals or the greenery in his garden. A healer is always busy, always helpful. If he's always needed by others then he would never be afraid of being alone. Ironically enough, this ended up making PV come off as a little overbearing. As of late, the only ones able to see through the facade are Hollyberry cookie and you-know-who.

Other scattered thoughts: These two are completely different yet can't be more similar, on the various sliding scales they're either stuck to one another or are flung to both ends. On another note, honestly I can't see these two doing anything domestic together, the most I can see is cooking, which is basically the same as magic in the cookie world. Anyways, are they in "love"? Are they dating? Not really, no. It's more of a a parasitic-turned-symbiotic-soulbond, a will-they-won't-they-destroy-the-world situationship (iykyk) I do enjoy relationships that's hard to put into words. Their feelings are somehow romantic, somewhat deranged and something much, much deeper.

My desire to ship these two comes from the desire to see them grow beyound their archetypes. Being with PV does give SM the chance to be horrible as can be, yeah, but I'd like to think SM does have a personality outside of being a villainous tormentor. He spends so long observing others, and now for the first time he's being seen. Now SM have met someone who can see right through him, who can glimpse into those dammed vulnerabilities of his. Being with SM does let us see PV in his darkest moments, but it's at the same time the moments where PV can shine the most, to prove SM that his ideals isn't naïveté or simple platitudes. In canon, SM+PV works well as enemies, but it is the many contradictions born when romance is added into the mix that got me shipping. They simultaneously break down and bolster one another's greatest traits. Like binary stars, they orbit around the other, so close yet so far apart, lest they collide. They could've been so perfect for each other. But not in this life, or the next, or the next...

Pixel art time! I have way too much fun w/ Smilk's many faces, his and PV's combined came to around 22 expressions. These are quick to made due to their small size (25x25 px). Zip file includes both the og and 75x75 sizes. I don't mind if any Vanilla milkshakers might use these, just please remember to read the my art terms and conditions first! (which can be found in my About)

Some disclaimer: some images may have different names. This is the first time I'm using Getuploader so sorry if something broke.

Link

[thebirdsareafterme]

maxiel, galex, scaniel, brocedes!

OOOH OK I am ready.

Maxiel: makes sense, compels the FUCK out of me

I genuinely don’t think there’s been a ship that has compelled me like Maxiel. They make me so insane and I’ve spent the last 8 months of my life going up and down all 200ish AO3 pages in the tag like some kind of deranged possum, searching for more Maxiel content. They just make so much sense in my mind. You have Max, who has been taught his entire life that his only purpose in life is to win races, who is this angry, strung up little kid when he first joins F1…and then he meets Daniel, who is so kind and charismatic and has always been taught to enjoy the moment and the process of it all and just treats him with so much love even when he’s not winning or when he’s getting criticized by the media…and Max finally learns how to enjoy life outside of racing for the first time. Even outside of the general RPF scene of it all, the absolute pivotal Maxiel moments are so important and have so much significance in the grand scheme of the sport. Daniel leaving Red Bull because of Max (to an extent) which then caused a ripple effect on a whole bunch of people’s careers and ultimately led to the Horrors that we are currently living through, but at the end of the day, it’s about “If it can’t be me, I’m glad it’s him” and that fastest lap into “Thank you, Daniel.” Yeah, I could talk about them for DAYS if given the chance.

Galex: makes sense, compels me

They’re everythingggg to me. I love the childhood friends to lovers thing they have going on. The Galex lore is so interesting, like the throat infection incident, the collarbone biking accident, the whole thing about George being Alex’s hype man/personal photographer as a kid… underrated ship fr. They have the best chemistry and their sense of humour actually work so well together, and I NEED more content from them. I also CANNOT ship either of them with anyone else because it just does! Not! Work! In my head. They are each other’s ride or die and I love that for them.

Scaniel: makes sense, does not compel me

I love their friendship a lot and I think they have so much weird gay energy between them, but unfortunately my day one Daniel ship is still Maxiel. I think Scaniel has potential for growth, but unfortunately they do kinda give off besties to me. I will admit they have had some good, shippable moments, but Scotty just feels like a straight man in my mind. I think it’s just the DR effect (every man within a 5 mile radius falls in love with him) that drives this ship forward tbh.

Brocedes: makes sense, compels me A LOT

THIS is THE SHIP of all ships. The lore goes so hard and it’s so devastating to me. I’m a sucker for a good childhood friends to lovers to enemies storyline, so they are right up my alley. It’s just the most insane story that when I tried explaining it to my casual F1 fan friend, they asked me if it was from a movie and I was like NO! This is irl!!! The way that they have a 6 hour, 3 part YouTube docuseries about their relationship is crazy. No other ship has as much angst as them, and no one will ever come close to being them. It’s the way that they fundamentally are a part of each other’s careers and that you cannot mention one without the other, it’s the way that Nico talks about that era of his life and how he could only stomach their childhood favourite cereal on the weekend before cinching the championship, how he ruined his body and soul to beat Lewis and how his retirement changed Lewis’ whole outlook on the sport!!! And through it all, there is an awkward third-wheel in the form of either Daniel Ricciardo or Sebastian Vettel just smiling through the most disgusting vibes a room could ever have, which, in my opinion, adds to the whole drama of the ship. This ship has so much narrative and character and it is so so devastating to think about, I need to see or make a Brocedes movie before I die.

[bookshelfdreams]

Hey I like a lot of the takes you have regarding the pirate show so I wanted to ask for your opinion on smth that's been bothering me for a while:

I have a deep seated dislike for Hamilton. Twinkifying the fucking founding fathers, romanticizing slave abusers and overall villainizing the wrong people while others (Hamilton at the front naturally) gets sung at. Speaking of singing - I really hate it. Shipping (i want to repeat) the founding fathers, the blatant white washing bla bla bla. Anyway those are all known problems and better people have said it smarter before and that isn't really my point

It's the fact that a friend of mine recently brought up that Ofmd pretty much is the same and I shouldn't scream so loud in my glass house. Inaccurate historically speaking, the blatant ignoring of the slave owning that the real Stede and Edward did and so on and so forth. Minus the singing perhaps if we ignore Frenchies and Izzys

So. Does it make me a hypocrite to like ofmd so much but despise the mere mention of Hamilton? It's a thing I'm really stressed about lately and that kind of ruined my joy about finally getting season 2. I would love to hear your opinion. or that of your followers for that matter.

Thank you 😊

oh thank YOU because I do feel that this is an interesting thing to examine and we do not talk about it enough.

I have never seen Hamilton, or listened to the songs (except some snippets). I have never been involved in the fandom. I really, really can't speak to what the musical itself did wrong and right. But I will say this: There was a reason it got as popular and received the critical acclaim that it did. I can't speak to how it addresses the systemic injustice baked into the USA from the very beginning, and I do have a suspicion that it glosses over a lot of uncomfortable truths. But I also feel it is important that we divorce the source material from the fandom it spawns because ultimately, Miranda isn't responsible for Hatsune Miku Binder Jefferson, or the whole hivliving debacle.

Just as David Jenkins isn't responsible for the handwaving of slavery in fanworks, or the great Izzy Hands Debate, or whitewashing in fanart, or shitty, racist headcanons of the characters of colour, or whatever deranged scandal is yet to come to light. This is true for all fandoms; criticizing fandom dynamics is a very different conversation from criticizing the canon.

Let's focus on the canon here, though, because defending the fandom is pointless, and not something I want to do. Curate your experience.

The first thing to say is: If you like ofmd but don't like Hamilton, that's not hypocritical at all, that's first and foremost a matter of taste. Things are good when we like them and bad when we don't. We don't have to find objective reasons for it.

If the fact that the historical Stede Bonnet was a slaveowner, and the historical Blackbeard also participated in the slave trade, are dealbreakers for someone, that's valid. People have every right to be uncomfortable with that. The conversation could end at this point, if we want it to (I don't because I love to hear myself talk).

If we look at the historical figures a little closer the first stark difference is the cultural context in which they exist. The founding fathers seem to be extremely mythologized in the american consciousness but also, are understood to be real historical people. The founding myth is fundamental to the way in which the USA perceives itself (that is, as a beacon of freedom and democracy), and it's pretty hard to reconcile that with the bloodshed and human misery it was founded on. It's uncomfortable; and it's not just an American problem. Every western nation/former colonial power has quite literal corpses in their closets they'd rather not talk about (just so you don't think I'm getting on a high horse about the famed Erinnerungskultur here; go ask a german person about Lothar von Trotha and what he did to the Nama and Herero to receive a blank stare). The difference is, that the founding fathers are too prominent and too important to just not talk about, so instead, they are sanitized to a degree that can be straight up historical revisionism.

That's not Miranda's fault. Nor is it the fault of any one particular piece of historical fiction, biography, documentary, or what have you. But it is the context in which Hamilton exists and, from what I understand, a culture to which it contributes. Especially since it's based on a biography of the real Alexander Hamilton, and (again, to my understanding) claims to tell a more or less accurate story.

Pirates, on the other hand, are perceived completely differently. They are mythologized, but not for ideological reasons, not as state-building propaganda. Pirates are more like folk heroes; cultural icons (near) completely divorced from whatever historical figure once lived. They are "real" in the sense that they are based on real people, but engaging with them, from the start, has a layer of removal from reality that engaging with figures like the founding fathers hasn't. Blackbeard is from a saga. George Washington is from history.

ofmd, specifically, makes clear at every turn that what we are told is a fictional story that has very little to do with any real events. It's openly anachronistic, it has absurd internal logic. Life-threatening injuries are walked off. There's actual magic. Dinghies are treated like spawn points in a video game. Everything, from the costumes to the vernacular to the story beats, tells the audience that none of this is real.

You wouldn't accuse, idk, A Knight's Tale, or Mel Brooks's Men In Tights of whitewashing history. I feel like ofmd plays in a similar league; it's a comedy very vaguely based on history, and it makes sure the audience knows we are not about to be told anything true. If you watch ofmd, you know this isn't about the real, historical Stede Bonnet or Edward Teach.

So. Let's examine the actual story, yes? The story that is told here is anticolonialist, antiracist, and challenges oppressive power structures as much as is possible for a production like this. It addresses these things and condemns them, both explicitly and in its underlying message. (I'm not gonna explain all of this, enough ink has been spilled about it by people smarter than me)

I do not know what Hamilton is about at its core. I know Our Flag Means Death is about authenticity in the face of the whole world telling you there's something wrong with you. It's about resisting dehumanization and reclaiming your personhood. It's about love, in a radical, system-destroying way, about breaking the cycle of abuse, about healing, and finding joy.

Yes, the real historical figures it's based on were all horrible people. Again, if that's a dealbreaker, that's fine. I'm not trying to convince anyone who is deeply uncomfortable with that fact; it's perfectly understandable.

However, for me, personally, the story as a whole is so far removed from reality, and so firm in its message, that I feel this is forgivable.

(Oh, and a lat aside, I also feel like likening ofmd to Hamilton seldom seems to come from a place of genuine criticism. Often it seems to be more along the lines of "Hamilton is cringe, and if I say ofmd=Hamilton ppl will be too embarrassed to defend it" which yk. feels kinda disingenuous to me.)

[micahdoesmusic]

Albatrio hair-brading headcannons (because I’m deranged)

Personally I feel Gillion would have some sort of sensory issues, especially when it comes to his gills.

At first when Chip pulled him out of the water, it was very difficult to not be overwhelmed and find solutions to calm himself down. He took extra swims by the ship when his dry skin felt unbearable, ripped out part of his shirt to free his Gills and fins, etc. But it was hard to deal with his hair.

In my mind Gillion has two patches of Gills. One on the side of his waist, (he ripped out a space in his shirt) and the other on his upper back above his shoulder blade.

In the undersea, Gillion’s hair probably would’ve been floating about, maybe passing over his Gills occasionally or resting on his shoulders at times, but it wouldn’t be constant. However, when Gillion comes out of the water, his hair sits right atop his Gills and it feels itchy and horribly difficult to breathe.

Naturally, he tries to move it or tie it but it’s a struggle for him. (Unfortunately Gillion isn’t great at small hand coordinated tasks.) Edyn used to braid his hair, so he attempts to at fail. Eventually he gives up, unable to make a difference. Sure he could cut his hair, but Gillion has a sort of attachment to it.

After a while of getting to know Chip and Jay, Gillion notices a few braids in Jay’s own hair. He builds up the courage to ask her about it, and she offers to braid his own. At first it’s awkward, but they settle into it. Once Gillion has to take out the braids in fear of his hair becoming matted, he comes back to Jay to ask her to braid it again, until eventually it becomes a routine.

Jay and Gillion sit together weekly, doing each-other’s hair as Jay slowly teaches Gillion. They begin to talk and gossip, enjoying the company on late nights in their makeshift washroom.

Eventually, I think Chip would find out about it. It wasn’t that they were hiding their little get-togethers, but it never came up during the day. He’d probably be woken up some night by quiet laughter, crawl out of bed and find them sitting next to each other on the redwood floor.

After explanation, Chip awkwardly watches them continue their conversation and watches them braid. He chimes into their chatter occasionally, but goes to bed after awhile. From then, Chip would occasionally join them to watch when he couldn’t sleep. A little albatrio bonding time :)

Some time later, Chip admits that he knows how to braid and offers to help Gillion in Jay’s place when she is clearly tired. He explains that Lizzie taught him how to a long time ago on the black rose, that he’d almost forgotten it with time but watching them brought it back to him. Gillion tied a small braid into his hair in return.

And now they all have little matchy braids in my brain weheheghs

[captain-mj]

Listen, just about every other month I find and reread your pricegraves fic where after graves betrayal he would do anything for price to forgive him, leading to some toe curling edging and overstimulation.

If you had it in you, another fic with other characters or pricegraves again, featuring edging and overstimulation would be lovely. Love your writing and that one is definitely one of my favorites. So funny with ghosts being the wingman. If not, Merry Christmas, happy holidays and I still can't wait to see what you got coming next.

All my favorite things! Also you're getting PriceGraves <3 If you guys want this in more ships, ask and I got you guys

Link if anyone doesn't know what they're talking about

This is basically post MW3 with my updated characterizations of the characters

Graves smirked at Price. "I threw Shepherd under the bus and you're mad at me? I'm the reason you could kill the guy."

Price hated that Graves was right but what he hated more was that Graves was saying all of this with his suit half undone. "How did you know I killed him? I did just a few hours ago."

"Heard he died. You're here. I'm no fool, Price." Graves drank from the shot glass he had. "Come to kill me too?"

"Considering it."

"Don't blame you. I'd kill you if I had the chance."

Price tapped his fingers on the table, looking him over. He was attractive. Especially like this. His hand was on his inner thigh, almost... posing.

Graves was posing.

Price started to notice the little details. His hair was the hot bed head messy, his shirt had been opened to expose his chest and the fucking whiskey glass.

Graves looked at him through soft lashes. "John. Are you going to kill me or keep staring?"

Price hadn't told anyone he'd be there. He doubted any of them would care if he added Phillip Graves to the list, but still. None of them expected it. Nor would they know that he even went there.

"Keep staring."

Graves sighed. "You come here. Dressed like that. Stupid fucking beanie." He drank the rest of his glass and set it down. "And all you're going to do is stare?"

Price swallowed and crossed the room, putting the gun to Graves's temple. Graves just smiled at him.

"I'm not drunk, don't worry. Just got a taste." He licked his lips and Price almost growled as he kissed him. His tongue darts out to taste the whiskey.

It's his favorite.

Price groaned and kept licking at him, trying to devour him. Graves stayed lax for now and let Price grab him and move between his legs. "Oh Captain, my Captain." He teased when Price went for his throat, nipping and biting.

Price hated how put together he acted. Just once, he wanted to Graves to act as deranged and feral as Price felt. He pulled at his clothing but didn't undress him yet.

"You can, John. Won't tell you no."

Price only finished unbuttoning Graves's shirt and pants, leaving everything still on. He knelt down and felt Graves's hand fall on his shoulders. "Not going to knock the beanie off?"

"I love your hair but you look... really good like that." There was a hint of breathlessness in his voice that had Price realizing he made the right choice. He looked up at him and Graves blushed a little before Price started to kiss down his stomach.

Graves tightened his grip on the arms of the chair and he looked up at the ceiling as Price gently and carefully used his tongue and teeth to pull his underwear down. He started to mouth at his cock, pleasantly surprised to find that Graves was rather sensitive. He jerked up and groaned at the feeling of Price's beard rubbing against him.

"Fuck." Graves groaned. "Come on. Do it properly."

Price had half a mind to leave him hard and aching for the comment but instead, he kissed the tip and slowly slid down.

Graves tilted his head back. "You feel so good. It's been a while."

Price hummed and slowly worked him over, feeling him tense and start to pant softly. Right when he was sure he was at the edge, he pulled off. A string of saliva connected them before snapping as he swallowed. He stared at him and Graves gripped the arm until his knuckles went white. Something close to malice in his eyes.

Price got up and grabbed the lube from the nightstand. He ripped the container open with his teeth and knelt back down. Graves kicked his pants off and spread his legs as Price started right back up at licking over his cock. Now he included his fingers, working him open.

Price kissed his inner thigh before biting into the flesh and making Graves keen. His cock twitched violently as Price worked him open, ignoring the way Graves moved and thrashed. He panted softly as Price threatened to make him come with his fingers but Price stopped right as he almost got there.

Graves groaned. "Are you going to tease me all night?"

"Considering it." Price threatened.

Graves went to protest but Price already saw how turned on the idea made him so he bit his tongue instead.

Price gave him nothing until he had came all the way back down, heavy breathing and flustered. "John..."

Price crooked his fingers and Graves almost screamed. He could see him biting his lip as his eyes rolled back. Precum leaked out of his cock.

Price smirked as he continued his tirade. Graves was perfect. So much skin was unmarred. Perfect for sinking his teeth in to. Not to mention the sounds. The soft keens and almost violent moans that came out of him. His eyes welled up with tears as Price brought him right to the edge again.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." Graves whined as Price pulled away, leaving him chasing the pleasure. "So good, so good. Come on, fuck me, John. You want to."

Price did. But he couldn't make this easy. "You lied on the stand. You hurt people."

"i protected my own. Surely you can understand that more than anyone." Graves's back arched as Price curled his fingers and pressed. He groaned and tensed around him, eyes rolling back.

Price slowly pulled out of him, watching how Graves swallowed and his head fell back. He yanked him closer to the edge and forced his legs wider open. Graves's hands fell to his side, having to hold himself up.

"Fucking hell." Price cursed when he slid into him. HIs eyes rolled back at the feeling. Graves's hands grabbed his sides and his ankles went over his shoulders. He shoved into him hard, loving the blissed out expression it got from Graves. He put his hands over Graves's head and thrust into him hard.

"Jesus Christ, John. You're so big." Graves looked wrecked, teeth still digging into his lip. "I can finish now right?"

Price put his hand around his throat and fucked him nice and slow. He'd slow down to a crawl when ever Graves started to get close. Teasing him,, letting him get close, so close to the line. He balanced him there, watching him grit his teeth.

"Ask nicely."

"Fuck you."

Price stopped to let Graves come crashing down, hips furiously working to get them moving again. "Wait, no. John, come on."

"Ask nicely."

Graves glared at him for a minute but his trembling legs gave him away. "Fine. Please?"

"Please...?"

"Please Captain."

Price tightened his grip and slammed into him over and over again. He pressed into the hollow of Graves's throat, feeling him tense before coming hard between them. After all the teasing, he was so sensitive. Price pinned him down and kept going, enjoying himself. He took all the pleasure he wanted as Graves tried to catch his breath.

"You're going to let come too, aren't you commander?"

Graves panted softly as he stared up at him, already getting hard again. "Fuck you." He moaned and his eyes slipped close when Price jerked his hips.

Graves turned his head to the side and tried to pull his wrists free from Price, but he refused to let up. The pleasure was overwhelming, but Graves didn't say a word, just took it like a good boy. It took a bit, but Price managed to get a few tears out of him.

When he was about to finish Price grabbed his chin and forced him to look up at him. He took in those pretty blue eyes as he came, watching the soft blush across Graves's face as he realized why he just grabbed him. The eye contact burned but Price didn't plan on pulling out yet.

Graves tried to look away but Price wouldn't let him. They sat there for a moment before Price's fingers trailed down to Graves's hard cock.

"No need, Captain. Really." Graves answered gruffly before Price started to stroke him. He whimpered as he kept going.

"Got one more in you, don't ya, love?"

Graves groaned but let him keep going, not really having a choice. When he tried to move his hands, Price caught his wrists and continued pinning him. It was too much too soon but Graves still felt himself slowly winding back up.

He came with a sharp sob that filled him with more shame than what he just did. Or more, allowed Price to do to him.

It hit him hard and his legs shook pathetically around Price who simply pulled out, watching the way Graves couldn't help but try to keep the connection between them. Tears were still streaming down his face but he quickly wiped them away.

"Good job, Captain. I assume I'm off the hook?"

"For now. Might show back up."

"If you don't bring a gun, I might let you fully undress me next time." Graves grinned at he fixed his pants.

Price thought he was a little too coherent but he'd correct that next time he showed up.

[mama-qwerty]

Thinking about Dread again.

Was going through my saved images and came across these, from the third season.

My deranged beloved has become a sad little meow meow.

So pensive. So frustrated. So defeated.

(My favorite image of him in this scene. I love that pose, it's so natural and conveys so much about his mental and emotional state.)

I still think the way they handled his 'redemption' completely missed the mark, and could have been done much better had they planted a few seeds to begin with. But the pacing of the whole series felt so odd, and I wonder if they had something different planned before Netflix (possibly) cut their time shorter.

(For the record, I think that's part of the problem with the Knuckles series. It felt like there should have been more in that, but Paramount told them they only had 6 eps to do what they wanted in 12.)

But Dread? My beloved little gremlin of a pirate? Oh, he had so much potential. He could have been this wild card, this character who continued to be him despite everything, who was so anti-Knuckles it was entertaining and fun and just a joy to watch him have so much fun being a bastard.

I get that they couldn't keep a Knuckles as an absolute asshole, but watching this delightful character go from this

To this

without seeing anything in between was jarring. The last we saw of Dread before season 3 started was him fighting with Ren as Sonic and Nine took the shards away. He was enraged to have lost his Beauty. Again. We have no idea what happened after that, but this descent into depression seemed sudden and out of character.

But considering how he behaved after his first loss of the shard (when he lost his first ship and crew), maybe this isn't that much of a stretch. He ran before, jumping nose first into denial, and tried to cover his feelings of defeat by being a party pirate. Now his Beauty is lost once again, and he's in a strange city, on another planet (in another universe!) and has made himself at odds with the people there. (With his other him.) He couldn't even contact his crew because he'd turned on them before leaving.

So here's Dread, completely out of his element, the one thing he'd lusted after his entire life gone. It would figure that he'd maybe have a bit of Ren's depressive state, and fall into a "What's the point? What I want always seems to be just out of reach. I'll never have my one true desire." mindset.

And maybe, since the shards were all gone, he's feeling some kind of mental shift. I've theorized that the shard's energy was what made Dread so batshit, and now that it's gone, maybe he's starting to think a little more clearly than he'd ever done before. Instead of that drive to "FIND HAVE KEEP" that gem, he's feeling like a failure for not being able to fulfill that quest. That duty. Because maybe to him, it didn't feel like the normal greed of pirate plunder, the urge to just take and steal and collect as much booty as possible. Maybe to him, because he's a Knuckles and they're hard wired to protect, it was something more personal.

That shard, according to his instincts, was his to protect. And now that it's gone, he's a failure and feels empty. He's coming down off that energy, the inexplicable hold the shard held over him, and is essentially going through a withdrawal of sorts, and dealing with the possibly conflicting emotions it dredged up.

There was so much potential for him. And the writers wasted it, by having him simply join in on the attack on Nine without examining his (very likely) ulterior motives. I don't like that they used that Jack character to draw Dread's selfish desires back out - those should have still been there! The whole agreement to join in should have been a plot to simply get him near his Beauty so he could pull a double cross.

This made it seem like Dread didn't even think about his Beauty during the whole battle. WHAT?? Being near it should have made him almost feral with the want to get to it. I would have loved to have seen him be another obstacle to the shard, so the heroes didn't only have to deal with Nine and his endless army of bots, but also this deranged pirate who was overcome with treasure lust.

Missed opportunity.

Ah well.

Just lookit this handsome bastard.

My beloved. Dread is possibly my absolutely favorite variant of Knuckles. I just love him.

[saintsenara]

Hi! I love your blog, and every word of yours is golden. Big fan here.

It's not exactly a deranged ship I guess, but what are your thoughts Voldemort/Regulus?

I'm trying hard af to put them together for a fic, for reasons, but honestly? The deeper I dig the less I see it work. Can it work?

thank you very much for the ask, anon! this one got a couple more shoutouts from people with taste:

now... you are not the only person who's attempting to smash these two together for a fic, and so i speak from experience when i say no, it doesn't work.

by which i mean, it doesn't work as a relationship which does anything other than ruin regulus' life while voldemort drifts by unbothered. but that's what we all want from this pairing, right? and embracing that dysfunction... slaps.

as i've written elsewhere, regulus' reason for joining the death eaters is evidently a desire to be seen as singular and special, and his disillusion with the organisation is clearly connected to realising that voldemort considers him completely irrelevant - just another one of the faceless minions he sends out as cannon fodder.

i very much like him thinking that being permitted to offer voldemort a service in both senses of the word is a sign that the dark lord values him above all others, only to discover that he's actually just one of voldemort's collection of fuck toys and voldemort has no more affection for him than he does for his morning toast.

[bonus points if one of the dark lord's other side-chicks is barty crouch jr., who's also convinced that voldemort's affection for him is singular. regulus undoubtedly has the same level of daddy issues, after all...]

but while crouch embraces the fact that delulu is the solulu, regulus decides to go full woman scorned, and makes it his mission to punish voldemort.

and his letter? well, that's in revenge for voldemort having once called him "bella" during sex. "there's no way the dark lord will forget my name now!" he thinks, as he folds his iconic little note into the fake locket, unaware that voldemort will spend the rest of his life:

a. not noticing regulus is missing.

b. never feeling the need to check on the locket.

rip king, you'd have loved eternal sunshine.

[hp-confessions]

That one Bellamort hating anon…..

Look, I’m a die hard Harrymort|Tomarry shipper and by no means a Bellamort shipper at all, but my gosh is there is a lot to unpack there.

Why do people think it is better than Harrymort just because Bellatrix would accept Voldemort's immoral character and would love him for who he is?

…Really think about what you just wrote. I’m pretty sure that you answered your own question here. The fact that she would accept & love him no matter what he does or who he is, is a pretty amazing reason for their ship to be good, and better. Like, Idk what you were getting at with this part 😭

That girl is deranged and obssessed

Okay, and that’s an issue because???

Have you really read any Tom|Voldemort x Harry fic? They literally always write Voldemort to be crazy obsessed with Harry and the most deranged, out of pocket, motherfucker to step foot in Harry’s life.

She is enraged by just hearing about Voldemort's blood status which is a proof that V wouldn't feel comfortable telling her about his past, in the beginning of their "relationship".

Well duh, she doesn’t like “filthy” blood, but Voldemort isn’t just anyone. He is her master, lover, and god. He doesn’t count. His blood will never be/could never be “filthy.” To her, his presence is an honor, and his blood is special and its own thing. Anyways, I guarantee you Voldemort wouldn’t have gave a fuck if someone was uncomfortable learning about his blood status. The little fucker lived for making people uncomfortable and humiliating them.

Voldemort needs someone who's on more equal footing to him even tho he would absolutely hate it.

Well, it’s definitely not Harry. Harry’s a victim. Perhaps you’re talking about Dumbledore? Riddledore shipper found?

He needs to feel that anger and hate in order to become better.

Once again, riddledore?

And there’s no getting better for him or fixing him because he, himself, doesn’t want it. Even in canon, he denies repentance and in return damns himself.

Bellamort is the easier ship. Harrymort is the ship of redemption, of drama, of passion, of trying to develop genuine respect for each other, of humanity.

You’re right, Bellamort is the easier ship (and the most canon). All that about Harrymort is great too, absolutely love it! But truly to Voldemort’s character, he would’ve chosen Bellatrix in a heartbeat. He doesn’t care about respect, redemption, humanity, or whatever. He cares about himself and power.

They are soul bound. They feel their emotions and share dreams.

Harry is the only one with another soul in him. And i’m pretty sure the whole “feeling emotions and sharing dreams” thing is one sided on Harry’s part because he’s the one with Voldemort’s soul in him.

Voldemort is obssessed with Harry.

Because he wants the kid 6 feet under ground, hope that helps! 🤗

Even if he doesn't view him as a human being in the canon story, fics can still make Voldemort evolve in this aspect. With Bellatrix it's just boring

The first half is funny as hell. But if Voldemort can “evolve” in fics for Harry, why not with Bellatrix? I don’t get what the blockage is or what’s stopping it.

Let's say she would get over his blood status. That she would stop putting him on a high pedestal. She can love him maybe

If she knows his blood status in canon, then she did get over it because once again that’s her man right there. When it comes to him, he can and does get away with everything. She’ll just deny deny deny. His blood isn’t “filthy”, it’s special and superior, like him (to her, at least). And she does love him, an unhealthy amount, in fact. So idk what that “maybe” is for.

Bellamort shippers claim she would love him for all that he is and wouldn't want him to change. Maybe. I suppose he might feel more free with her since he would feel loved with no conditions

They’d be right, ultimately. And he most definitely would, which is why, like I said, he would choose her over Harry.

But that would just be pouring oil on the fire. He would still continue to be the same monster because she would fuel his ego and narcissism. He wouldn't change. She would love him yes, but that's it.

So? Light it ablaze and let it burn.

This lowkey reminds me of the lyrics:

“Fire on fire would normally kill us

But this much desire, together, we're winners

They say that we're out of control and some say we're sinners

But don't let them ruin our beautiful rhythms

Cause when you unfold me and tell me you love me

And look in my eyes

You are perfection, my only direction It's fire on fire”

Like you can’t tell me that isn’t Bellamort.

Anyways, once again, no one is changing him. Not a soul, because HE DOESN’T WANT TO BE CHANGED. He likes who he is.

He would still murder and kill. He would still think of her as a fuel to his ego. Someone that loves him and doesn't challenge him in life. Someone that gives comfort and excitement but nothing else.

He always will murder and kill, no mater what. And he would love that about her, he has a big ego. He doesn’t even like people like that, so what she offers him, he would like.

Not to mention they would abuse each other and not in the thrilling ways I like to read about.

Huh?? Abuse each other?? There is a very big power dynamic here. The only one doing the “abusing” is him, and there would barely be any because she is pretty fucking obedient and loyal. So what is he going to abuse her for?

With Harry it is different. Harry challenges him. Harry makes him angry. Harry makes him question reality. Harry makes him change and of course he would hate it but that makes for a more interesting story

So did Dumbledore, and what happened to him?

Once again, for the hundredth time, Harry is not making him change. NO ONE IS!!!

With Bellatrix he stagnates. It is definitely a more realistic ship in regards to canon but to me it is just such a bore.

Ahh, I see!

So what you were getting at is that while Bellamort is the most canon, the one that makes the most sense, and the most realistic, it’s just not your cup of tea. You prefer the tropes and dynamics in Tom|Voldemort x Harry fics instead. That while both ships are toxic, you lean towards the more toxic and difficult ship. I get it!! I also prefer it.

Was just really confused on why you were confused people found Bellamort to be better than Harrymort, and all the other nonsense you were talking about.

~

[bullet-prooflove]

Driving past a graveyard on a lonesome street

I can't stop thinking of how deranged he looks in this gif

Every Christmas Eve Harm visits the Vietnam War Memorial. He sets a small bouquet of flowers down against the glossy wall before he presses his fingertips to his father’s name and tells him he’s thinking of him.

This year it’s you that goes to the memorial, you that leaves the flowers, you that runs your fingers over the engraving before you tell Harmon Rabb Snr his son is thinking about him somewhere in the Indian Ocean.

“I appreciate you taking the time to do that for me.” Harm tells you over the phone later that evening, the line crackling like crazy and you have to strain your ears to hear the even timbre of his voice.

“You don’t have to thank me.” You say softly as you roll the sleeves of the sweater you’re wearing up to your elbows. It’s one of Harm’s, his white one, the scent of his aftershave still clings to the woollen collar as you pull it up just a little higher. “I know how important it is for you.”

This is the first time in over a decade he hasn’t attended the memorial and it weighs heavily on his shoulders. The last time he was in Russia visiting his brother Sergi. The two of them had toasted to their father instead with gold leaf vodka that Sergi had bought especially for the occasion.

“I’m sorry.” He says quietly. “About not being there for Christmas.”

It’ll be the first one the two of you have been apart for in your time together. You’ve developed your own traditions over the years. Usually after the memorial you curl up on the couch with Harm’s homemade hot chocolate and watch ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ his choice, followed by your choice ‘Elf’ and then the joint choice ‘Die Hard’.

Christmas morning is usually spent with Harm in the kitchen, it’s his favourite place in the house. He treats cooking as a form of creative expression and you always reap the benefits with delicious meals he makes. You’d had the kitchen renovated when you’d first moved in so that the worksurfaces fit his 6’4 frame. When Harm was docked in Naples he’d fallen in love with rustic Italian influences, that’s the way the kitchen has been designed. It’s a bright, airy space with wooden cabinets, a steam oven, a stove and indoor gas grill. The dishware came over with him from Perugia, the glassware from Murano. The kitchen table where you share meals is French country, a vintage piece he’d had shipped from a market in England.

When you’re missing him you sit at the kitchen table with your laptop because being in his space amongst these things makes you feel close to him.

“There’ll be other Christmases.” You remind him as you cradle the phone under your chin tucking the couch blanket around your legs. “Besides it’s not like I’m home alone, Alden’s hosting for the rest of us strays. We probably would have ended up there anyway.”

“Has it started snowing there yet?” He asks you and you smile glancing out of the window because Harm loves a white Christmas just as much as you do.

“Just started.” You tell him. “It looks like it’s going to stick.”

There’s silence for a moment and you can feel his longing over the eleven thousand miles that stretch between you.

“Will you think of me tonight?” He says finally, his voice a little rough.

“Harm.” You whisper. “I think about you every night.”

Love Harm? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

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[acre-of-wheat]

Tagged by @spybrarian! Thaaaank you!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 

I have 26

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 

338,736

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I used to write Clexa, but now I just write Tanthamore

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Network Connectivity Issues (ahead by a lot)

A story I'm deeply in love with writing, due to its closeness to my heart and because of the novel way it's written-- which is live on a discord server whenever the mood strikes. Fanfic is typically serialized work, but this feels like...even closer to that immediacy, and it can be quite electric.

The Pieces

A collaborative collection of one shots in the Kinkverse universe (talked about below)

The Bite

Canon compliant fic about longing and how it can come out in your teeth.

The Stones

Essentially a sick fic with some fun world building

The Test

Long distance edging and denial. The fantasies were some of my favorite things to write.

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to! Sometimes it takes me awhile!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? 

Out of finished fics I suppose it would be The Beloved Prey, though I do have a handful of things I've written to continue that.

Unfinished it would be the unpublished sequel to My Own Echo.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? 

I think maybe The Stones. Magic holding and accepting Jade because of Kit's love for her feels pretty happy.

Oh! And Network Connection Secure. The Cam girls having a proposal moment that's distinctly them? Very sweet and I wrote it for Christmas.

8. Do you get hate on fics? 

Not on these ones!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? 

Yes, yes I do. The majority of my work contains it. I think the weirdest I've written (so far) is probably Spare the Rod.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I'm not really big on crossovers, so this isn't something I've done. I'll go hard on an AU though.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nah.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

Nope! Translation is an art in itself-- I think I'd find the idea of someone doing that a little daunting?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? 

Kinda! @swashbucklery, @spybrarian, @commanderbuffy and I have all written pieces in what we call the Kinkverse. It was a brain child of mine that started with The Lesson, but has since become a collaborative writing world. It's been one of the most lovely experiences of my creative life. J has also written some supplemental material for NCI that I adore. @barmaid-anon and I brainstorm deranged plot ideas constantly, and she is my best/worst little gay graphic critic.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I'm going to need to say Tanthamore.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? 

I'm not going to speak this into existence. I'll say that there are a few fics that I have agonized over for a very, very, very, very, very long time.

16. What are your writing strengths? 

I think I get to the point pretty well. I keep action and development moving. I think I do some good figurative language. I trust my instincts on where a story needs to go next.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

The Agonies. The connective tissue between important scenes. Not knowing what to have characters do when they're on their own. Run on sentences. Too many WIPs and not enough commitment.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? 

I haven't ever found it necessary? I guess I feel about it the way I feel about captions for another language. You know when captions will say "speaks in a foreign language?" Bane of my existence. Either translate it or get out of here.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Pretty Little Liars. I was a big Paily fan for awhile there. Those live back on fanfiction.net

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? 

The Past feels really good to write because it pulls together all these threads in my brain for the Kinkverse girls, and it feels very unifying for that vision. It's satisfying connecting the dots.

As for who to tag on this: @barmaid-anon, @commanderbuffy, @swashbucklery, @multiplefandommess, @vetiverriver, @onlyshestandsthere, @claymoressword, @kittanthaloselorashield

[puppy-phum]

Nine people you'd like to get to know better

thank you for tagging me bea @23point5degree ♥

tagging in return: @jimmysea @chinzhilla @spicyvampire @thasorns @icouldhyperfixatehim @stormyoceans @mooninagust @celestial-sapphicss @khaotunqs ♥

and now revealing my darkest secrets heh

-

3 ships

based on the fics i've been consuming lately (explains truly where my head is at rn):

the chocobros ot4 (ignis, prompto, gladiolus, and noctis) from final fantasy xv (you cannot convince me anyone would go to such lengths just for their "bro" even when said bro is royalty and the chosen king to save the world)

yuu kanda and allen walker from d.gray-man (used to watch this anime around 10 years ago and decided to do it again on a whim. it was as good as i remembered and i had to continue to the manga after finishing it. now am experiencing major brainrot bc like i saw someone comment, for a manga that doesn't aim to be a bl, it surely does make it hard to believe otherwise. i also adore the tragedy of it all)

chris redfield and leon s. kennedy from resident evil (maybe the most important thing were the ppl we met and could count on during the zombie apocalypse ♥ also damn, these bitches)

First ship

my first ever ship i read fanfics for was dominic x brian from fast & furious. otherwise, my first ever ship came from anime as i was consuming that before i ever touched any bl dramas.

my true first ship would so be soubi and ritsuka from the 2005 anime adaptation of the manga loveless. a bit questionable choice i admit, but i still collect the manga bc i find the story fascinating and delightfully painful. also, i love the concept of named pairs (soulmatism with a knife) and their ability to fight against each other

my first ever (thai) bl ship would probably be korn and knock from together with me. there was just something about them back then that made me feel slightly deranged. (with bonus yihwa bc i still think she's one of the best female characters in a bl)

Last song

ดาวหางฮัลเลย์ (halley's comet) by fellow fellow. (sea sung this during his solo stage in last twilight new dawn: live on stage and i've been addicted ever since. i usually listen to this on loop for hours, it's just so nice and vibe-y)

Currently reading

still stuck with midnight sun, for my thesis. otherwise, consuming only fanfics and hoping to get to the little prince soon.

Last movie

the newest resident evil animated movie resident evil: death island (2023). tells you about the depths of that particular brainrot :'D the latest acted movie would probably be the korean movie silenced (2011).

Currently craving

something more solid to eat, especially the pile of snacks i have stored away until i can eat them. got my wisdom tooth removed a couple of days ago and have been mostly eating soup, yogurt, porridge, ice cream, smoothies... anything liquid-y. starting to feel a bit bored but am gonna be free soon

[praxieserver]

Ummm kyndy :] for the ship thing

Ship It!

i dont think abt it much but i do like it!!

1 + 2) this was originally just the answer for question 1 but i felt like this could constitute for question 2 as welll

there wasnt anything that "made" me ship it per se i just saw it was a ship and was like "oh thats nice"

idk like,, girlboss x boyboss its good food!! i think tbh. men being balls to the walls whipped for women is one of the biggest ways i enjoy m/f ships. kyndy isnt even strictly m/f actually bc wendy genderfluid king!!! i think kyle being whipped for people he likes just give me the giggles the teehees

like!!! give me kyndy with kyle going "you. you are my absolute academic rival. like we are on good-ish terms but if you beat me one too many times i will blow up the school." to "🥺🥺🥺 yes ma'am?". like. imagining kyle being so headstrong and confident and top 1 in the class and kicking ass and then turning into a glorified pet cat when wendy's around is really very good actually. really very awesome. i feel like wendy's development would be thinking of kyle as just rivals to "*?*?!!$&*!*??##?!who's mans is this. bc he's mine now. bye."

kyle's in the nurse bc he was in a fight and he's like covered in bruises and cuts and looking generally intimidating trying to patch himself up and wendy comes to help he's just like "yeah it rlly hurts can u kiss it better *bats eyelashes" pretty please 🥺🥺🥺" i also feel like wendy would really be obsessed with kyle suddenly having his body possessed by cat but tries to keep cool abt it bc she thinks her thoughts abt him like that are a little too deranged. they kinda are tbh

also the drama with stan probably has good angst potential. i feel like kyle kind of feels bad bc that's his sbf's ex but also he really does love wendy and he doesn't really know what to do and this just goes on and on and creates a lot of emotional turmoil and stress in his head until one day shit breaks loose wendy and stan fight and kyle just kind of explodes right there he's crying and screaming etc. etc. and this kind of prompts all three of them to talk abt the whole situation reconciliation yada yada kiss kiss hug hug this answer is getting out of hand

3) Unpopular opinions on the ship

wendy girlbosses so hard she turns kyle into a malewife. i'm not actually sure if that's an unpopular opinion but there it is.

[rescue-ram]

I’m giving you Trapper John for the character ask.

Alas I already did The Son and Boy, but in my deranged mind there's a Venn diagram for this character and "Trapper" refers to the show version and "Trapper John" refers to the book/movie version, so just for funsies...

How I feel about this character

Okay so Show!Trapper is my fave show character, but Book/Movie!Trapper is HIGH-KEY my fave book/movie character. He is the funniest and most fleshed out (relatively speaking) character in the book, and Elliot Gould plays him with a certain nuance (especially in his first and last scenes) that I find really compelling

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Still just Hawkeye 😅 Though his freak-for-freak girlfriend Lucinda in MASH Goes to Maine is underrated mfmfkkv

My non-romantic OTP for this character

The other Swampmen 👍 Though I think canonically he and Hawkeye are heterosexual life partners by the end of the book kdkcjc

My unpopular opinion about this character

I think just liking this version of the character counts kfkfjfjdj But also, whenever I write about Trapper being autistic, I am thinking about the book version of the character who is so so so neurodivergent

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Honestly nothing. I think both the movie and the book are flawed, but I also think trying too hard to fix them would ruin what's there or so fundamentally change them they're no longer the works they once were. They stand self contained in my mind. There's probably a universe out there where Show!Trapper is a little closer to his book/movie counter parts and maybe I would've liked that, but I think it could easily be to the detriment of Hawkeye. I think Genie once said to me Hooker had three characters who were all half baked so the show got rid of one, gave Hawkeye a full set of character traits, and Trapper got whatever was left kfkckck.

[asspinkie]

Tav Character Worksheet

thank you for the tag @hybernating-bear <333

i'm doing my dark urge because she is my favorite! and also because i don't have a tav yet who has a developed enough background to share. i don't have a ton of photos bc i am lazy by nature but this is her:

Name: Finwe (because I am a fringe Tolkien fan and it sounded cool)

Sexuality: Bisexual

Pronouns: She/her

O T H E R

Family: She's a Bhaalspawn so her biological family is Orin the deranged as fuck and Bhaal. Not a great lineup, but she has strong familial companionship with her travelling companions.

Birthplace: Created by Bhaal!

Job: Pregame - murdering the innocent citizens of Baldur's Gate. During game - amnesiac ranger that's gonna save that stupid fucking city if it kills her.

Phobia: spiders. god, why are there so many of them in the underdark.

Guilty Pleasure: Uhm. Thinking about Raphael probably. But also, since leaving the Cult of Bhaal and forging her own identity, she's been trying out a lot of mundane things. Her favorites (which make her feel instinctually guilty because they're not murdery) are 1. saying out of pocket things to the other patrons of the rowdy mermaid to try to get astarion to laugh. he does not. and 2. eating so many baked goods

Hobbies: Doing something hilarious at every opportunity to piss off astarion. She's also trying to learn to play the lute but none of the criticism has been,,, constructive so far.

(sorry if the image quality is terrible! i am not tech smart)

M O R A L S

Alignment: Chaotic good I think? I spent the game picking the funniest (most likely to get her into fights) dialogue options and helping people. Shithead energy for real.

Sins: Death is a necessity and Finwe isn't afraid to be its arbiter if it accomplishes her goals. She takes things too personally and acts impulsively, but is often too stubborn to admit when she's wrong. She can also be on the manipulative side if it serves her purposes.

Virtues: She'll help anyone who asks (if their morals align with hers). She's also fiercely protective of her friends and will go to bat for them if they're threatened in any way.

(^the weed in baldur's gate just hits different apparently) (i just can't take good screenshots)

THIS OR THAT

Introverted / Extroverted

Organized / Disorganized (she spends hours on camp inventory with lae'zel. clipboard and everything)

Close Minded / Open Minded

Calm / Anxious / Restless

Disagreeable / Agreeable / In between

Patient / Impatient / In between

Outspoken / Reserved / In between

Leader / Follower / Flexible (she can and will drag everyone into danger. the only time she steps aside is when its their business - she won't make personal choices for anyone she cares about).

Empathetic / Unempathetic / In between

Optimist / Pessimist / Realist (has a lot of stupid hope that somehow pays off every time?)

Traditional / Modern / In between (this means gender roles i think?? the first person she encountered with amnesia was lae'zel. women are god to her.)

Hardworking / Lazy / In between (often accidentally hard-working because she doesn't ever think long enough to strategize and thus ends up doing everything the hard way)

R E L A T I O N S H I P S

OTP: Astarion, but she's also involved with Halsin.

Other ships: She is a little bit in love with everyone (someone new, Hozier vibes), but if she had to pair with someone else it would be Lae'zel.

Brotp: Her best friend, ride or die, is Lae'zel. they will fuck you up together.

Notp: She's not the best of friends with Gale or Shadowheart. Because she definitely led them both on and is incredibly evasive by nature, so things are a bit awkward now. She also absolutely hates mizora.

thanks again for the tag!! i had a lot of fun with this. i don't really tag, so if you want to do this, feel free!

[thousand-winters]

Hi! Owl House Hunter and/or Collector for the ask game?

Hello there!!! How's it going?

Starting with Hunter 💛

How I feel about this character

I adore him to pieces. I'm adopting him. I'm marrying Darius just so I can raise him with him and Eberwolf.

In all seriousness, I think he's such an amazing character. I know a lot of people out there (well, frankly only the weird guys who projected too hard on him and thought he was some cold badass soldier for some reason?) think his turn to be one of the "good guys" was too sudden or that he became useless once he turned sides but none of that is true, they just didn't pay attention to his character, to how he always went more for the defense or to quickly unarm an opponent rather than hurt them, to how he was kind despite it all, how eager he was to help. And also how damn exhausted and scared he had to be at Labyrinth Runners, obviously he wasn't going to be able to fight at his full potential, though I guess it's an useless point since those people only care for Hunter as far as how "badass" he is, not for his actual character.

Don't even get me started on how damn good and real he is written when it comes to a child that grew up controlled and abused. I feel like that's where a lot of the misunderstanding about his character comes from, that a lot of people who don't understand one bit about the trauma responses to abuse feel qualified to say that he doesn't make sense when he really does.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

No one, really. I used to like him with Willow but... well, that didn't last. This isn't about me being a hater tho lmao, so we're not going to get into that, it's just not my thing.

I don't care about any ship of his at the end of the day.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Mmmm... I'm gonna say Amity. They truly had so much potential as friends with their similarities, they always will be best friends in my heart. It's such a shame we didn't see them develop that friendship we saw in glimpses in TTT but that was once again due to the lack of time.

You will always see me sprinkle moments for both of them in my fics, I'm a little deranged over how much they understood each other in Eclipse Lake, for better or for worse.

My unpopular opinion about this character

He doesn't need to be involved in everything, oh my gods, give it a rest. I love him so much but no, he doesn't need to be Luz' legal brother or King's brother too or Vee's brother, or have like twenty different parents because "the more, the better".

Yes, yes, it takes a village, but tell me why the village has to all adopt him. I think there's a point to be made there with the fact Hunter needs freedom and "disorder" in some sense since he didn't have the opportunity to just be a kid and be a little messy while he was at the EC, but not like that. He still needs a semblance of stability because he was clearly craving parental love for the longest time but he's used to a guardian that made him second guess and it's going to be hard for him to adjust to one parent, let alone like ten and while he's jumping from house to house literally every day or every couple of days. That feels like it would be a nightmare for him with trying to guess expectations and at the same time that he has to learn boundaries? Hell no, that's gonna explode into flames.

I have no doubt all of those adults will be looking out for him, but they don't need to be their parents for that. After all, say, one can imagine the Parks are going to dote on him since he's dating their daughter, isn't he? And yet they don't need to be his dads for that. Lilith cares for Luz and King but she's not their mother, she's the cool aunt™️.

It takes a village but the village doesn't have to be a nuclear family. We can have more interesting, complex relationships than that. Plus, the village doesn't seem to exist for the other kids who also need support, funnily enough.

"Darius isn't going to be enough", well, he has Eberwolf to help, so there's that. "He needs a mother", oh, we're doing super nuclear family now? Funny how he doesn't need a father when it's the other way around, and funny how the same isn't said for Gus or Amity (nor it should but you get my point). "He needs more support because he's traumatized", oh, and the other kids aren't? There's Amity who's also recovering from an abusive parental situation and has Alador, who's trying but that's the thing, he's trying, he isn't perfect, and yet nobody says anything there.

Personally, I like the idea of Lilith and Hunter bonding over their similar experiences close to Belos but I don't want her as his mother. I don't think Lilith wants to be anybody's mother anyway.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I know this was also about the time we had, but I wish him getting powers from Flap absorving into him hadn't been done like that. I disliked it a lot at the beginning and while I don't mind it as much now, I feel like with how fast everything had to go because of the shortening, it came across a bit like "Hunter mourns the loss of Flapjack, but the second he gains powers from it, he's happy again".

Obviously we still had him looking a bit sad at all the other palismen and then the fragment during Luz's nightmare but... it just didn't look great. I wish we'd had more time to address that + maybe his complicated feelings over Belos because he kinda spent TTT ignoring all of that and then Flap died and everything went too fast and he didn't have time to process, you know?

Now the Collector! 🌠

How I feel about this character

I like them! I admit I didn't at first because I found them questionable and then inconsistent but they grew on me. That's a baby!!! I feel bad for having disliked him at some point lmao.

I think they're a very fun character, and there's a lot to explore with the implications of a practically immortal being with such intense powers... we're not going there though because it hurts to think about him all alone after everybody else dies. Who knows how long beings like them live.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

No one, I don't think. I mean, he's baby.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

King, definitely!!! Their dynamic was so complicated at first, which honestly makes it all the more fun. Fascinating too since the Archivists and the Titans seemed to be at odds and plus seem to be straight up dangerous to one another, but they're the youngest out of their respective... species? And neither wants control or anything, they just want to be friends.

I think they're very sweet, and the chances they'll have each other for a good amount of their lives is very good as well, especially with those huge lifespans both of them seem to have.

My unpopular opinion about this character

I used to be so conflicted on him and how he was in their introduction in Hollow Mind versus the after but I think it can make sense. They hardly had any reference for the world and how things worked outside of Belos and WAD pretty much confirmed he thought people could be repaired just like toys so like... alright. Being around a genocidal emperor sure didn't do him any favors here.

That was my only thing, but aside from that I don't think I have unpopular opinions about them, though granted since I don't think too much about them on a regular basis, I might just not know what the common takes about them are out there.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

There's no real need for this but I wish we had gotten some closure to the Archivists situation because they make me so nervous haha. Like if they target the planet again, everyone is fucking toast, one titan and the Collector aren't going to be enough to stop that, not even with everybody else. We got a very powerful cast of characters but not cosmically powerful, you know?

I also kinda wish the Collector had been established to, yeah, maybe explore for long periods of time, but also come back to the Isles fairly often. That's a child!!! He craves company and love!!! Don't let him wander out there on his own for so long! I think since they were there for Luz's quinceañera, he might actually come around fairly often to be up to date with all that, so it might just me worrying too much tho.

Thank you for the ask! From this ask game