#and i'm not gonna say she officially ships these two

[bamsywrites]

And Comes Dawn part vi

Ships: sauron/halbrand x reader, Galadriel x Halbrand, galadriel and reader DO NOT LIKE EACH OTHER AT ALL (yet), reader x ?????

Summary: some unwanted feelings bubble to the surface.

Tags: angst ish, reader gets mad, insecurities, the love triangles are officially starting, saurons pov next part is gonna be intense after some of this stuff.

Notes: this one might be meh, I wasn't able to edit much and my mind is kinda mush. The secret third ship is revealed. I'm also adding too, extending, and overall changing some of the numenor stuff. Again it's my fanfiction, I can do what I want

It wasn't long before bright light filled the room, you and your companions heading to the deck of the ship. You squinted as your eyes adjusted to the bright light of the sun and the blue of the sky. You saw the ship captain and spoke before anyone else, “Thank you, sir.

He nodded simply in a silent acceptance of your words, his attention turning to Galadriel. The two exchanged words, and you were resisting the urge to roll your eyes. You didn't like the elf. She seemed to think herself better and more worthy of sorrow. You could tell she looked down on you, fueling anger inside your stomach. Anger and annoyance were both feelings that you avoided at all costs. Your father's anger had been great and tragic. You didn't want to tempt the fates by letting your own go unchecked. This elf made it hard to feel anything but those feelings.

“Nearly where?” Halbrand asked, his voice was what brought you from your thoughts, he was trying to get an answer as to where they were going.

“Home,” the ship captain answered.

“Well that tells me fuck all,” he said softly so only your ears could hear.

“Halbrand.” You gave him a look.

“Sweet one,” he teased, returning the look.

Before you could reply, the words dried on your lips as you saw great stone faces carved into rock in stunning detail. You moved closer to the edge to get a better look. The hard work and detail on the face of the mountain was incredible. You were even more stunned by the giant carving above the city, almost as though it was watching over and protecting the city beneath.

“I've never seen anything like this,” you whispered softly.

“What is this place?” Halbrand asked Galadriel.

“There's only one place it could be, the island kingdom of Númenor.”

-

You looked at the buildings, the architecture, the people. It was all fascinating, as if there was no poverty or hunger. The buildings were gorgeous, breathtaking in the ways they were built, and you'd never imagined anything like this in your wildest dreams. A small part of you began to hope that you could stay here and not return home.

“I never imagined a man like me could build a kingdom like this.”

“Because these aren't men like you, your ancestors sided with Morgoth. Theirs sided with the elves, and the Valar blessed them for it. Though elves have not been welcomed on these shores for many years.”

“I wonder why someone would choose to deny you entry into their city,” the words dripped with sarcasm as they slipped past your lips before you could stop them.

A bark-like laugh filled the air before Halbrand stopped himself, clearing his throat and wiping at his mouth to hide his smile.

“Perhaps you wonder, but I know why you'd be denied entry,” Galadriel had stopped to look at you, as if daring you to say something more.

“My reasons are but one, and it is for someone else's sins. Yours would be for being an arrogant, insufferable..-”

“Let's keep going, shall we,” Halbrand placed a hand on your shoulder, and Galadriel opened her mouth to say more when the ship captain hurried them along.

When she was a few steps ahead of you. Halbrand started laughing again, softer this time. “Perhaps, sweet one doesn't suit you well after all.”

You huffed a sigh, “I should not have said that, I know.”

“I will forever sit and ponder how you were going to end that sentence,” he teased with a twinkle to his eye.

Butterflies stirred in your stomach as you looked back up into his eyes, a hint of a smile pulling at your lips.

“You must promise me, sweet one, not to provoke the angry elf. Can you do that?”

You nodded, but he cocked an eyebrow. “Use your words,” his voice was soft and a little husky as if he might have been enjoying this exchange more than he let on, “I want to hear you say it.”

“Halbrand, I promise not to provoke the angry elf,” you said in all but a whisper.

“Good girl,” he pressed a kiss to the top of your head before continuing the journey.

~

“If blood is the price to pay to leave this place, I will pay it.”

You noticed the guards moving closer, your eyes darting to the queen for her response to this threat. Galadriel was going to get you killed at this rate. Without thinking, your hand found Halbrands, lacing your fingers with his, and he squeezed your hand as if to reassure you before he spoke.

He was very well spoken, very convincing. He could command the attention of all in the room with his words. It was impressive, and in the end, they granted you 3 weeks. You hated the sense of satisfaction you had felt when they mocked Galadriel. You were sure there was a reason she was the way she was, but thinking she's better than the mortal races or more entitled to grief would never cease to fill you with anger.

“You were rather good at that,” you turned to Halbrand with a relieved smile on your face.

“Just be glad I'm not your enemy,” he responded with a wink, squeezing your hand that was still tangled with his before he followed the elf.

You found the ship captain once more, “I would like to offer my most sincere thanks. I will forever be in your debt.”

He smiled softly at you, looking at you as only a father could. “I did what was right. I am glad you will find some respite in our great city. If you are to need anything, I have a daughter about your age and I'm sure she has dress and other niceties to spare. Take these, though,” he placed some coins in your hands, “to aid you in whatever ways you may need.”

“I appreciate that very much.” He was a good man, you could tell it. Of good heart and strong character. He had dismissed himself politely, and you looked for your companions.

Your eyes landed on them atop the stairs. You didn't know what they were talking about but they were close. He seemed to be earnestly defending something, you knew not what, and she seemed to be arguing against it. Just as the conversation seemed to be closing, you saw as he pulled her closer to him with that smirk and sparkle in his eyes and suddenly it all came crashing down on you.

What if you weren't special? What if you read too much into it? What if he was like this with everyone?

Or perhaps you were special, but she was just more than anything you could be. She was a beautiful elf, a commander of armies, and what were you?

The daughter of a disgraced mass murder who had yet to do anything of significance.

Your lip started trembling. Perhaps you were too sensitive, but it felt as if your heart was breaking. Did you really have such strong feelings after a week? Perhaps you had been more interested in him. Perhaps you'd allowed your feelings to become too intense when his had not. And perhaps you only thought he'd been looking that way at you.

You found your feet carrying you outside of the palace. You weren't the one that was confined to the grounds, and there was no reason for you to stay. You thought you heard a voice calling after you, but you did not care. You wanted away and to be on your own to think. To figure out what you want for the future. To figure out your feelings to figure out your plans for the next 3 weeks.

~

You sat on a bench in some courtyard, eyes watching as the sun dipped below the waves. It was nice to watch, a beautiful sight, especially now that night didn't bring worries of being cold or being attacked. For the first time in what seemed forever, you would have a place to sleep that wasn't rocking back and forth. Your stomach was growling. It was starting to gnaw at your stomach, but you didn't want to get the stares from the locals. You knew you weren't entirely welcome. So, instead, you sat and watched the sunset until it made its way beneath the waves, and the only light was that of the fires and torches. Your eyes wondered, examining the amazing architecture. It's what you had been doing all day as a way to avoid the insecurities in your head and heart.

A group of boys about your age had drawn your attention,their laughter was boisterous and almost contagious. You were reminded of what little pleasures you'd lost due to the orc attacks; laughing with friends was one of them. You were grateful to see it amongst others and know that it still exists. You must have caught one of their attention somehow because he excused himself, telling his friends to go on without him before coming to sit with you.

“I…sorry I didn't mean to pull you away from your group. I'm just…”

“You're one of the newcomers. One of 3 that arrived today, yes?” He asked curiously, and you nodded.

“You match the description that was given. You seem a little lost," He smiled warmly at you. It was genuine, you could tell. He wanted to help you if you were to need it.

“I am, I admit, but I've enjoyed getting lost here. Your home is gorgeous. We don't have architecture anywhere near this in my homeland, the Southlands. It's remarkable.”

He chuckled softly, looking around him, “This isn't even the best the city has to offer.”

“That is impossible.”

He laughed again, shaking his head. “It is entirely possible, I assure you.”

You couldn't help but smile. He was full of energy, but at the same time, it was calming. It was easy to talk to him because he felt relaxed and relatable.

“There must be art and architecture where you're from. There has to be.”

You shook your head, “not like it is here. It would be like comparing a master swordsman to children whacking each other with sticks. We have wood carvings and some words engraved in stone but nothing like a whole, giant person carved in stone. Our cities are just wood or brick. It's not carved out like this. This is all incredible.”

“There has to be beauty, though,” he pressed his tongue into his cheek as if he wanted to say something else. “I have a lot of questions about your home. I've never left this island."

“There is beauty, yes. In the trees, in the green of the grass. In autumn, the trees turn red and orange, and they look beautiful at dusk.”

“So, there's beauty in the trees, in the leaves, in the women…” he watched you for a moment. You couldn't help but giggle at the comment.

“That was horrible, wasn't it?” He asked, looking down at his hands but laughing softly as he did.

“A little bit, but the compliment is very appreciated,” You stopped giggling and placed a hand on his knee.

“It sounded so much more clever in my head,” he chuckled with a shake of his head.

“My name’s Isildur. My father was the ship captain who saved you. I would like to buy you dinner as a way to say sorry for that horrendous comment I just made. "

You gave him your name with a large grin that made your cheeks hurt, “And I would love that, as long as you promise to tell me more about your kingdom.”

“It's a deal.”

[bixels]

your tags about mercy being one of the most complex characters- YES!!! theres a log in one of ana's gun inspection modes where it mentions how mercy DESPISED her healing magic/science being used for evil on the battlefield, and there's an ingame line of her saying "power boost working as envisioned!" and it just reminds me how she was lied to, forced unto the battlefield when in reality she just wanted to help people with her inventions and thats the only way they said she could do it. AGH. Hippocratic oath!!

Which is why I never seriously bought into Moicy (I get the hatefucking though) as a serious ship because realistically, Mercy would absolutely abhor Moira with every fiber of her being.

This is gonna be a really hot take for gay Overwatch-knowers, but. I preferred when Moira didn't exist as a character in the story and her whole selfish philosophy of 'progress at any cost' existed as Mercy's darker side. I was really interested in Mercy's 'holier than thou' demeanor (her battle uniform is an angel costume, for god's sake). I found it so interesting that Mercy was the one who turned Gabriel into Reaper (it was assumed canon until retconned by Moira). Or that Mercy "saved" Genji by installing ninja stars into his knuckles and turning his body into a killing machine (which is why, imo, I don't think Mercy would ever be in love with Genji. He'd be a constant reminder of the power she holds yet tries to ignore, the ways she's unbelievably fucked her patients up in the past. A reminder that she's not as good a person as others believe her to be). I'm personally really into the idea that Mercy has two sides in her: the side who truly cares about healing people and the side who's so full of hate and anger for the perceived enemy that she unconsciously fuels her rage into the people who rely on her. Turning people into living weapons to "fix" them and fight her battles. Reminder that she watched her parents walk out on her as a child to volunteer medical work for the Omnic Crisis, only for them to die and leave her orphaned and alone. Is she doing this to take care of people, or is she doing this to avenge her parents (the official site says it's only the former, but I think that's boring as fuck)? I think it can be both at the same time, but sometimes she prioritizes one motive over the other. I think the "angelic, cheery healer" is a persona she instinctively uses to veil her selfish motivations, to everyone and to herself. Reminder that she was also lauded as a savant, a prodigy, a teenage genius who literally revolutionized medical science before she could legally vote. You cannot expect me to believe that she's truly altruistic, that everything she does is for the betterment of humanity and out of the goodness of her heart.

I don't think she's a malicious person at all, just someone who doesn't want to admit she has ulterior motives.

Anyways, she's not actually this interesting in the game or the story.

[lukolabrainrot]

Calm theory anon here 🩷

I wanted to come on here to just remind people of a couple things. First of all, none of us are delusional. There has been plenty of people that have worked beside L and N who have made comments about them being in love. The other shippers want to make it like we are crazy. I have a couple truths though to remind them. How do we know when a celebrity is dating someone? The their team will make an official announcement normally done through a well-known magazine. Or more recently, you will see a post on social media that declares some with type of love between the two people. We never got any type of confirmation of any type of relationship between any of the "supposed" couples. Luke and Nic are allowed to hang out with the same group of people. They're allowed to hold hands with the opposite gender in big crowds. I've said this before and I'm gonna say it 1000 more times if I have to. These fan accounts that are giving people in Luke or Nic life a title before nic or Luke have given them one they are in the wrong. In your personal life, there are all types of people. Some people that you were extremely close to that are like family. Some people that you are acquaintances of. But if I'm looking at a complete strangers life. I don't know who that person represents in their life. It's one thing to theorize and make assumptions but to give titles that isn't our job. Now in the end of the day, Nic is going to hang out with JD. That is her friend unless she says otherwise. That doesn't mean that she's dating him. It's also OK that she hangs out with or tags him in pictures. We all know that each ship is going to justify being on their ship. So you're going to see comments that make you think that maybe JD is more than a friend. But Nicola is a grown woman. She can speak for herself. if she's dating anyone, she'll say it when she's ready. Personally I think the time article speaks volumes. The two people that she spoke on in that article are her dad that she clearly holds in a very high regard and Luke. So don't let the noise of the other ship affect your gut instincts.

Exactly!

Y'all I'm frustrated too... I want answers just as much as everyone, but we don't know these people. I'm not exactly a big fan of these SM games either, but we just have to be patient and see what happens...

But again, that Time article came out YESTERDAY. And it spoke VOLUMES.

[trash-sonamy]

Sonic and Amy's relationship through the years: why did it change?

From games to shows, comics to official publications, it's evident that the dynamics of Sonic and Amy's relationship have changed through the years, with Amy toning down her fangirling and Sonic often being the driving force of their ship with his flirting, teasing and subtle jealousy (as user @essycogany pointed out in this analysis). But why are we witnessing this change? Let's dive into some key moments and reasons.

Disclaimer: I'm going to disregard the "canon" factor because it's not relevant to the general public perception of their relationship.

Sonic X

Any good sonamy fan will remember the fateful episode 52 of Sonic X. I interpret this episode of the series as the key moment that shifted their dynamic.

From the beginning of the series, we see an Amy that is very vocal about her crush and chases Sonic around, with Sonic having a few not-so-nice moments of pushing her and trying to run away from her. Their relationship shifts through the series though, and we begin seeing more of Amy's side as a determined fighter (that scares even Eggman!).

I won't over analyse episode 52 as it has been done countless times before, but Sonic going back to his world and seeking Amy in the first place means she's a valuable friend (or something else) to him. This moment alone brought popularity to the ship and to Amy as a character, which brings us to the next point.

Character development

I'm gonna risk saying that Sonic and Amy are the characters that have suffered the most development throughout the years. There are other characters who had development and even met different versions of themselves, but Sonic and Amy stand out in my opinion for different reasons.

Let's analyse Sonic: from the beginning, Sonic was always supposed to be cool, a beacon of positivity and the embodiment of the hero that always saves the day. The first Sonic games are pretty straightforward about that. However, in more recent games and shows, we've been seeing different sides of him: he has made mistakes (and recognized it), he has been impulsive, he has felt grief, sadness and anger and he hasn't been shy about it. Sonic Prime showed us probably the most emotional version of Sonic we've seen, and guess what? That pleases the public because everyone enjoys a flawed hero.

Moving on to Amy. Amy has a somewhat controversial birth, given that she was (apparently) created to be "Sonic's girlfriend" / romantic interest. Her crush on Sonic was, for some time, her only personality trait. With new games and media, she gradually gained her space and we started seeing more of her. Her kindness, her strength, her empathy, her leadership skills — all of which exist despite her crush on Sonic. She became more appealing as we got to learn more about her, and solidified her position as a valuable member of Sonic's team.

The development of these two characters as explained above made it possible for the dynamic we have today to grow naturally: Sonic openly teasing and (very often) showing signs that Amy means a lot to him, which is a result of Amy being her own self and showing her strength and independency — traits that we know Sonic appreciates.

Progression of values in society

I don't want to make this sound more deep than it actually is, but it's true that certain dynamics wouldn't be acceptable today simply because we as a society have progressed. The trope of the fangirl chasing her idol everywhere might have been a fun gag in the 90s, but it's just not it for today's standards. It has been made very clear that Sega wants to stir away from that image since that, for Sonic Generations, they edited the scene from Sonic 06 where Sonic shoves his hand in Amy's face to push her away. This kind of behavior doesn't align with Sonic's current values either.

Teasing is just fun!

Honestly, teasing sonamy is just too much fun without the commitment. One of the writers for Sonic Boom once said it:

And isn't that true? It's refreshing seeing the cool, composed Sonic blushing or showing jealousy, as it is to see how Amy reacts to her crush behaving this way. As a longtime sonamy fan, I just love searching for all the small hints and teases and over analysing them (like I'm doing now). It's endless material for gags too — check this compilation of sonamy moments in Twitter takeovers.

In conclusion, Sonic and Amy's relationship changed as they progressed as characters and Sega aimed to please a wider audience, giving space for fans to interpret their relationship as they please.

I also want to state that the points are my personal opinions and obviously open to be discussed. If you think I missed any point, please do let me know. Hope you like this!

[dunmeshistash]

Do we know what the relationship between milsiril and helki is? Those panels of her manhandling him for kabru are really funny, they seem close? Saw someone say helki was kabrus foster dad and was wondering if there was a source for that

As far as I know there's nothing about a romantic relationship officially between them (I ship tho) this isnt gonna be very straight foward cause I'm honestly still trying to figure out whats their current relationship.

He was Milsiril prisoner partner from when she was part of the canaries, from their interactions it seems they got along (at least better than she got with any other elf, they're always together and it's shown she pretty much shuts off everyone else, other nobles don't seem to be that close with the prisoners they're responsible for)

Just to explain better in the canaries there's Noble children and Prisoners, each noble is responsible to "keep an eye" on two prisoners and Milsiril was the noble responsible for Helki (unclear if she had another prisoner under her).

After Utaya she requested for him to be freed tho, so he's no longer a prisoner after she retirers. From the comics tho (especially Rin's extra) it seems he stayed with the canaries at least for a little longer than Milsiril, perhaps something similar to Erique? (I think Enrique was released for merit(功労) tho while that's not implied for Helki(報労) so I dont think he would have served as a guard?)

The same page now points him as an current ex canary tho

But I think this translation isn't very accurate? The original says

"ウタヤの報労として 赦免、引き受け"

First line is "as a reward for Utaya" then bellow "pardon, acceptance/undertaking" something like that? The translations seems to imply he was pardoned and given to her as a reward? But trying to search on google I think 引き受け seems to have a closer meaning to "taken responsability for"? Something like that is repeated by Fleki here.

So from my not very clear understanding they were Canary Partners and she vouched for him to be released after Utaya and now he either works for her or they're just friends (which i think its more accurate by how he was laughing at Kabru and how he was joining the canaries on the Rin thing without Milsiril, but I'm very biased about my perception of their relationship tbf)

If anyone else cares this much about this background guy that has very few lines please share what you think, I'm sucking up all the crumbs

[the-one-and-only-taffie]

Back with more White Diamond x Sentinel Prime crackship nonsense baby!!!

Ever since I first thought about these goobers, I haven't known a single day of peace (mostly cause the ideas are just racking around in my brain)

So here's a list of headcanons I came up with for Prime Diamond! If you have any questions regarding this ship, my ask box is open. Double if you have any thoughts or anything to add, go on ahead! I hope y'all enjoy!

I may make a part 2 when I come up with more lol

For this relationship to even be possible (as possible as a crackship between two characters from completely different franchises can be), it will have to take place Post-Steven Universe Finale/Future when White Diamond is in her therapy, self-help guru era. And when Sentinel Prime is... alive.

Also, I have been trying to do research regarding this but since the results are so inconsistent, I'm gonna assume White Diamond is around 80 to 90 ft tall and Sentinel is around 60 (based on how he's double Orion Pax's height and apparently TF One Orion is around 33 ft tall). If you know their actual canonical heights or anything close to that, please lemme know!

As mentioned in a reblog, White Diamond would take an interest in Sentinel Prime as a sort of little DIY project. Though he tries to hide it, White with her supernatural intuitiveness can tell there's more to him than meets the eye (he's an asshole). Having been inspired by Steven to see the worth and beauty in imperfections, she wants to give someone like Sentinel a chance like Steven did for her. Though she is making genuine strides to improve upon her previous controlling and obsessive behavior regarding perfection, this aspect of her will resurface in her attempts "fix" Sentinel while in a relationship with him. She adores and finds much interest in his "positive imperfections," but helping him improve on his more negative ones wouldn't hurt, right?

Other reasons she developed an attraction to him is for the same reason all the Sentinel fangirls did: he's just so... pathetic. When he tries to impress her with stories of battles he's never fought in and gives her a tour of his treasure room full of artifacts he didn't discover, she can tell he's trying way too hard to impress her. She finds this cute and charming rather than douchey and desperate.

Sentinel Prime pursued her because, as stated in a previous reblog, "his diva ass was always going to try and seek out a gem fit for a king." He laid his eyes on an 80-90 ft giant alien rock woman and thought,"I need her." As any sane person would. She was supposed to be nothing more than another symbol of wealth for him to show off to the other elites and officials of Iacon City to further cement the royal image he works so hard to maintain. He definitely underestimated how overwhelming White Diamond can be, and I am not just referring to her height.

Sentinel would rather have his spark be extinguished than admit to this, but his stabilizing servos get wobbly at the idea of his alien girlfriend being so much taller than he is. His pride would never admit to this, nor would it accept someone taller than him accompanying him. He believes that as a "Prime," he is supposed to be much taller, bigger, and more imposing than those around him.

Whenever they make a public appearance, Sentinel insists that White shrink herself to a height more tolerable for his fragile ego. He bullshits an excuse about their buildings not being designed for a being as tall as she is. White obliges, but given how Iacon was built when the previous actual Primes were all gigantic and alive, she quickly figures his lie and confronts him about it. He'd just lie again and say he didn't want the other Cybertronians to be intimidated... by her beauty. Clearly, it's not because of some Napolean complex or something. Still, White is in her patience era, so she takes the compliment for what it is.

The "guy who doesn't like speeches" vs. "professional yapper" isn't a joke. Sentinel can't stand how much White Diamond loves to yap. She's the kind of person to have thoughts and opinions about anything and everything. Given that she doesn't breathe, she doesn't even need to catch her breath in the middle of speaking, so she can go on and on and on, much to Sentinel's annoyance.

He tries to get her to quiet down at times, but as White tends to do, she either doesn't hear him or straight up ignores him. Her monologuing, along with her height and just how shiny she is, is very overwhelming for Sentinel at times. The only good thing he finds about this aspect of his sweetspark is when she dotes on him and showers him with compliments and attention. As if an attention hungry fame whore needed any more of it.

Sentinel even allows White to indulge in her psychoanalysis, playing up the whole "tragic hero whose brothers and sisters perished in battle and now has to face the pain and weight of protecting his people alone" angle that she eats up. White does sometimes hit dangerously close to home, so Sentinel shuts her down before she could dig straight to bedrock and uncover the more unfavorable parts of himself he wants to stay hidden.

Speaking of staying hidden, the way White carries herself in public makes Sentinel was to keep her locked away in a jewelry box. White is excellent when it comes to using her words to inflict psychic damage or to build someone up. When it comes to social situations where charisma, relatability, and poise are needed, this is when White is at her most alien. She is not the most socially adjusted given that prior to the finale, she spent thousands of years hidden away in a world of her own delusions. She doesn't have much of a filter, something she has been working on to avoid upsetting others.

She has the habit of pointing out any interesting thing that catches her eye, especially about people, whether or not it's positive or negative. This has led to her unsettling the bots at best or offending them at worst. Sentinel then has to come in and use his charisma to difuse the situation and paint her behavior in a more positive light. Only for White to turn around and ask everyone if they ever noticed how Sentinel's wings move in accordance to his mood and how adorable it is. Everyone laughs. Sentinel is thoroughly pissed.

Sentinel definitely has more relationship experience than White Diamond. All of her knowledge comes from what she's heard from the gems that come to her for advice or from that human show the little green Crystal Gem recommended (she can't remember her name). In her attempts to emulate the behavior she's heard of and observed, she ends up coming off as cringe or detached from reality. At certain points of the relationship, she even imposes certain "deadlines" on courtship behaviors she expects from Sentinel. All his previous relationships were private, casual flings. He only made this one public because bagging a bad bitch like White Diamond is an accomplishment he felt he had to show off.

This may come to bite him in the aft when her radiance catches the attention of other bots. On these occasions, he acts possessive and showers her with attention, gifts, and affection. He tells himself and Airachnid it's because he doesn't want her to outshine him in the eyes of the public. In reality, he gets jealous and doesn't want to lose her interest and, most importantly, her attention. As overwhelming and embarrassing as she can be, a twisted part of him really craves her attention.

In private, Sentinel can flip flop greatly in how he treats White. On some days he leans on her for support and wants her to pet his wings while he vents about all the dumb, annoying bots he has to fraternize with and all the boring meetings he has to attend. White occasionally interrupts him with advice or her own views on the situation, which frustrates Sentinel. On other days, he's completely detached, not even bothering to give her the time of day. He is at his most consistently sweet and romantic when they're both in the public eye, performing grand gestures of love. This intensifies when they're on camera.

They present themselves as THE Iacon couple, but Sentinel and White argue a lot about pretty much anything. More often than not, White is trying to advise him on how to improve himself and his city, and Sentinel kindly tells her to shut up and mind her own business.

They are both very prideful people who can't accept when they are wrong. White is more willing than Sentinel to admit to it and compromise. If she believes she is 100% in the right, she won't go down without a verbal fight. She has yet to figure out how to properly counter Sentinel's "NUH UH!" though. She believes this is normal and healthy as she hears time and time again how arguments are a sign of a functional relationship. White knows how in the past she never allowed anyone to express their grievances or criticize her. If they did, she'd twist their words to further force her own viewpoint or take control over their mind and body. Seeing Sentinel passionately argue back while White practices her listening skills and only sometimes speaks over him gives her hope that she isn't regressing back to her previous toxicity. No one has told her that disagreements are healthy and normal, but frequent fights and arguments are not. And the kind of hellish circles these two go in just ain't it

[storytellering]

Do you think DMC has a incestuous subtext? I am kind of new to the franchise (and also the fandom... Which isn't really respectful that I can see) and I want to know if I am not the only one who thinks that it's pretty obvious why the ships between DVN have many believers.

First of all, welcome to DMC, anon! And OH BOY, you'll definitely find that that's the majority opinion, at least within the Spardacest circles - honestly, most "normie" circles too. Every grass-touching, non-internet poisoned dudebro I've ever met and talked dmc with has made one or two incest jokes at me about it, definitely noting how the rivalry between the twins is very charged - the only people I've found who flat out deny it are the antis. To go more in depth about the actual subtext there - well, one should start with the roots of dmc in dmc1, right? DMC1 is definitely a gothic game - it's everywhere in the aesthetics, the inspirations, the imagery and the environment, and what is gothic horror without the incest? The initial incest in Kamiya's dmc, before Itsuno stepped in, was definitely obvious in Dante and Trish (who I'm pretty sure according to kamiya at least were supposed to be endgame) - and like, c'mon. You can say all you want that she only looks like his mom, she isn't actually Eva, she doesn't even have her personality... but from a moral perspective, that's still weird as fuck if we're going by real life standards, right? You wouldn't fuck a clone of your mom without it being at least a little bit incestuous.

Then Itsuno stepped in from 3 on, and the incestuous undertones became more focused on the immediate Sparda family - the twins, and eventually, Nero.

...Do I need to even explain it? Sure, in 3 the twins bicker and banter like real brothers, but there's definitely a suggestive edge to it - so many quips between them that really cannot be explained by "oh haha brotherly banter" without it getting at least a little bit weird. Not to mention all the "impalement as penetration" comparisons that can be drawn, and I'll leave a nice little video that goes deeper into a lot of that (as well as the gothic inspirations in the dmc franchise) so you can hear it from the mouth of someone far more eloquent than me.

And then in 4... I mean, if the amount of people who almost ubiquitously shipped Dante and Nero as soon as 4 dropped and continued doing so until 5 officially confirmed their relation (which, to be fair, Nero being Dante's nephew had actually been hinted at all along, but exactly because of so many people shipping them and not wanting it to be incestuous/the dudebros not liking Nero very much when 4 was new, pretty much everyone in the english speaking side of the fandom had been in denial about it until 5 spelled it out in big, bold letters) is kind of the test, no? That the tension and chemistry is so obvious the moment the incest element is hidden or unclear, everyone is suddenly in agreement about it. I could go on and on and on about Nero's obvious puppy crush/hero worship on Dante, Dante's immediate fondness of Nero, how if you read the 4 novels it's even more blatant and in your face... but all I'm gonna say is that that initial fight scene was softcore porn and no one can convince me otherwise, lmao. Listen, I'm just saying that if the intention wasn't to be suggestive, having Nero wrap his legs around Dante to pull him closer, bite his gun, and then straddle him like that was a very poor choice. Honorable mention for the reboot, whose devs were VERY aware of the tension between the Spardas in the og franchise, called it out by saying their game wasn't gonna do "all that gay shit" (obviously in the early 2010s the issue wasn't the incest, but it being GAY incest 🙄) and then accidentally made their version of the twins SO very....... whatever the hell is going on with the reboot twins. Not not-incestuous and definitely not straight, I'll tell you that.

And then 5, again. Do I need to explain it? Nero and V are, once again, a perfect textbook example of "couple that had so much natural chemistry everyone was flocking to it before it was revealed to be incest", plus the way everything about Dante's story, at the end, now that he's a weathered old man, is made to revolve around Vergil... yes, Dante is a depressed old alcoholic because he pushed everyone away, because of the laundry list of issues he ended up with because of everything that happened in his life, BUT Vergil was always front and center within it, even when he wasn't there. That Dante's story quite literally begins and ends with Vergil... well. I dunno about you, that just doesn't feel like your regular siblings dynamic. Also another honorable mention: "I'll make you submit" is a totally normal thing to say to your estranged father. Not weird at all with absolutely zero implications. OH, not to mention, even if we stay purely within canon and don't even look deeper at any implications or subtext... the literal only canon couple is incestuous, too. Let's not forget Kyrie and Nero are adopted siblings, Nero was raised as her brother, and the game itself calls it out in the character descritption (in 4's character bios it says Kyrie is at once Nero's "lover and family") + it's quite literally spelled out in the novels (having Nero think that "well, while it's true that he's been raised with Kyrie as siblings, he would've liked her even if they weren't family"). There's SO much more I could still go into, I have quite literally spent the past 3 years replaying the games over and over and overthinking/hyperanalizing every single frame, rereading the novels and the mangas to the point I could cite them by memory, and it's just... I dunno. I saw someone else say this somewhere, but if you're into DMC and grossed out by incest... this might not be the franchise for you.

[saiscribbles]

Lily seeing the painting in The SU Movie: What’s this Oedipal, Freudian, Jungian, Narcissistic painting?!?! (Despite the panting being a normal cherub painting and misusing a psychology term… again)

Lily seeing the Marcille and Fallon bathe together: This is just fan service! They’re naked and therefore it’s there to appeal to weebs!!! (Despite that bathing/ being in a hot spring with friends is a common thing in Japan and other countries as well)

Lily with “A place farther than the universe”: Oh yeah the high school age girls shake their boobs in front of older men but you can easily skip that part the rest of the anime is so wholesome!

Yes and Lily conveniently didn't mention the two scenes of teenage girls bathing together in her Antarctica anime.

Cause after all if Falin and Marcille bathing together in Dungeon Meshi is a "fanservice bath scene" then these must be too right?

Lily also censored the scene of Hinata bouncing her boobs at Kimari while the girls are all encouraging each other to seduce grown men to get on the Antarctica expedition because "we're high school girls, after all". Which just makes it look even worse.

Have I mentioned this show was entirely written by a then 50 year old man Jukki Hanada? Who was also a writer on Re:Zero? Which Lily makes fun of at the beginning of the video?

Who writes a ton of these moé Cute Girls Doing Cute Things shows which are generally aimed at grown men with the appeal being how simple-minded, bubbly, uncomplicated, pure and cute the girls are. Generally paired with highly niche male autist interests, you know such as big ice breaking ships.

Non-sexual objectification is still objectification. Yes sorry I'm gonna be one of those feminists ruining your anime.

By the way these screenshots are from a cut I put together of things Lily would normally complain about in any other show:

I watched it in Japanese subtitled because that's the only thing available on Crunchyroll. The dub is only available on the Blu-rays which I doubt Lily actually bought. Which means I have officially supported this show more than she has lol.

Needless to say I'm not doing a react to her video on it and this mini react is enough. The show is a boring paint by numbers affair about teenage girls and grown women all wanting to go to Antarctica for no real reason other than the plot demands it because that's the premise. Like Shirase's missing mother wasn't even a scientist or an engineer or anything she and her two friends also just spontaneously decided to go to Antarctica, one of the most dangerous places on Earth, cause it sounded fun.

The writing is lazy and contrived at every angle because it's just in service of watching moé anime girls be around highly detailed machinery. Also there's no lesbians Lily is lying to you.

[tumbleweedsthesecond]

CLONE HIGH CLOTHING SWAP!!(I'm gonna lore drop abt them but more importantly Anna )

Yayy lore time. So Anna is the clone of Anastasia Romanovna but she says she's the clone of Anastasia Romanov. This is because the other Anastasia Romanov is more well known and I like to include historical references in stuff. From what I know her body was never officially found, she was considered a mystery she was important because of that. Many people think she lived and escaped instead of being killed. Some people also pretended to be her or tried to for money from the aunt as is shown in the Disney movie. specifically Anna Anderson I think which is why I nicknamed her Anna. (If anyone needs to correct me on some of this stuff Ik its been a while since I've done research on the topic I've been researching other stuff.)

When Anna was cloned her foster father believed she was that Anastasia, so up until she was like 11 or so she believed she was Anastasia Romanov, she felt important. She watched the movie and loved the idea of being a princess, of being the one everyone was waiting for. Until one day scudworth told her she was wrong and got the names mixed up. So Anna saw Ivan and cried her eyes out. She didn't want to be the clone of some guys wife. She wants to be more important than that and not live in his shadow. She thinks she's important and seeing her dad disappointed about that really hurt her. So she decided that she was going to just cope. She'd forget everything scudworth said and live that lie. And it felt great for her, she brags about it alot. Though she's gone so far into coping she does almost believe it. because of that she's obsessed with popularity and living up to the real Anastasia Romanov. She wants to be famous, she studies hard and everything. She's even a cheerleader. Because of the coping thing it does make her view other people just as extensions of their clone parents. She thinks everyone thinks the way she does cause she's preppy. Also on why she expects people to be extensions of the clone parents is also due to some self loathing because of who she really is. That doesn't make her any less annoying though but I forgive her❤

Orginally Anna and Ivan were a ship because she couldn't fight her genes or whatever that's been erased actually I decided it'd be more interesting of she was a lesbian. ivan and her are still rivals. She doesn't know she's a lesbian yet tho cause comphet she's also Topher stepsister!! Basically they hate hate each other at first for obvious reasons and Topher even blackmails Anna. Then he does reveal who he's a clone of and she full on ignores him and calls him disgusting for like a week. But eventually they talk and they become a little closer? Anna starts understanding people aren't just their clone parents and she still like trying I guess? Topher also learns to not blackmail her so yay They have some solidarity, a little. They still don't like each other but its more in a sibling way.

Okay now Fyodor. Gonna guess no-one(but like one person) knows who Fyodor Basmanov is. I learned about him through some movies, basically Ivan the terrible had this alleged male lover. He was in the Oprichnina, like a secret police Ivan had made, and he rose in ranks fast. He was known as the favorite of the Tsar many people thought they were a thing(probably). There was rumors he'd wear skirts and dance for Ivan and stuff. Whether or not that's true in the Ivan the terrible movies he's in they actually do address it. In the 1940s two part one he sings this song abt killing people in a dress and a mask that is supposed to resemble Anastasia Romanovna in the beginning of the film. Which is actually why I made them do a clothing swap in the post. In the 1991 version he is sooo pretty and I can't understand everything in the film because no subtitles but I was able to get some context to what was happening. The story from what I know goes Fyodors the favorite and he uses that alot over other people, he sits next to the Tsar during meals and stuff, poisons people for him etc, then he tries to trick this other guy to get rid of him with witchcraft but word got back to Ivan and now they think Fyodor committed treason. So hes like no not me!!come on Ivan listen to me I'll tell everyone about us or something like that I don't know I could only understand some and he's dragged away. Real Fyodor apparently did get accused of treason by Ivan and he was ordered to kill his father. Some say then Fyodor was executed others say he was just sent away I don't know what really happened. Shrugs. Anyway

I made a clone of him just because I can ❤yay❤ he's Ivans ex friend they don't hang out anymore because Ivan thinks he's better than him. Fyodors just a chronically online guy that uses discord too much(gamer). He wears skirts too not for Ivan just cause I like gnc characters. Yay❤. Also Ivan and him weren't a thing though Fyodor probably does have a crush on him for a bit, the most Ivan does for him is buy him discord nitro. Which he doesnt do anymore. Fyodor does still sometimes try be friends with the bleacher creatures mainly cause sometimes he feels like he's nothing without Ivan so. Yeah. He's unsuccessful tho he's annoying af. He's cringe. He thinks it's funny tho

Anyway just realized I made three clones of Ivan the terrible lovers and I don't ship any of them with him(Maria's the third ill post about her another day. Her and Anna get together tho) this guy had like eight wives. I should really just clone all of them and make them a polycule(minus Ivan ofc) this is why I shouldn't study historical figures

[helluverse-rewrites]

Talking about the Plot

Okay so I think (???) I got everything out of the way. I talked about the characters that got a rewrite, and then I talked about some ships. I might be forgetting something but I'll just take care of it later if that's the case

Anyways it's time for the fun part >:)

So season 1 is gonna be about the original premise of the show. I. M. P going around and killing people for their clients, you know, what the shiw was originally about. This season is to really get to know the characters and their relationships with one another. Even little things like likes, dislikes, and hobbies. Of course there are still hints and small scenes of what's to come in the next season, but for the most part it's going to be about I. M. P

One thing about season one is that Stolas (and the Goetias in general) are a huge mystery in season one. We only get a couple mentions about them, and Blitzø sometimes mentions about meeting up with Stolas. We also get the rest of I. M. P constantly referring to Stolas as "that damn bird" so the audience can at least know he's a bird of some kind at least

(I'm saying this like none of you guys know who Stolas is-)

Now season two is where it gets interesting This is where most of the important characters get introduced. I want each sin to have an episode where the audience gets introduced to them. I'm debating whether or not to introduce Ozzie in the first season. But yeah, we also get officially introduced to Crimson in this season. This season is really where the plot kicks in and we also finally get to see the Goetias faces! In fact, the first scene of season two is where we finally get to see Stolas for the first time! I. M. P is still out there doing their job, but this season has a lot more focus on the Goetias and Sins, to get to know them a little better. Most specifically Octavia because she's probably the best character tbh

Now season 3 is probably the season that I have no real idea on what I want to do with it. Because for me, I need to see what canon season 3 will be like so I have a basic idea of what I want to do to change it. Which is partially why I'm waiting for season 2 of Hazbin to come out before I do anything with that. But I will say I definitely want to end it at season three. So this is where all the crazy shit happens

[knightyoomyoui]

KNIGHT'S ALL-TIME FAVORITE TWICE FANFIC STORIES OF GREATNESS: PART 1

Heyo, Knight here! I mentioned from my previous post days ago that I decided to share some of my favorite TWICE fics that I finished reading since I reactivated my Wattpad account back in 2020. I just feel like my fellow TWICE AU authors who made these deserves much appreciation and recognition, so I made this. If you haven’t checked them out, oh you better do so. There will be more for me to share, so for now, take a look at these five stories that will be included here.

1.) "Adore You" | Mina x Nayeon by Nabongsbunny (Fluff, Smut, Angst) (2020)

I remember when this was my very first TWICE AU that I'd read after months of getting introduced to TWICE back in 2020. A friend of mine requested that I read this one after I asked her about fanfiction that features K-Pop idols, which I learned that other people were also doing it too. And my God, when I gave it a try... Although I was shocked at first at the unexpected lesbian smut that greeted me (and through the rest of the story, which my friend shyly apologizes to me for not making me aware of, lol, but I didn't mind it that much since I'm just in for the story), but all I can say is that the narration is so beautifully written, and all of the characters, especially Nayeon and Mina's, chemistry was carefully built through their backstories, moments, and decisions in life that actually can be put into real-life situations in which, despite being disappointing, you can't help but not blame them for it because... well, it's love. Also, this story was the reason that got me into listening and loving the song "Adore You" by Harry Styles. This one serves as like the official soundtrack if this would be an entire film, but you won't be surprised why the author perfectly chose this song to fit for Minayeon's story. A little glimpse to give about the story, if I remember correctly (it has been more than a year since I read it, but I'm planning to give it a reread because of how perfect it is), Nayeon is the bratty CEO of her company when she met Mina as the team leader who was appointed by her parents to take care of her as they send her to LA to enter a boarding school. There, she realized that this isn't actually their first time meeting each other when Nayeon finds Mina familiar, which brought her to recall where it all began, and the rest is one hell of a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Give it a read for yourself if you are fine with reading TWICE AU that features a ship or pair and doesn't mind a girl-to-girl relationship. I'm probably sure it would end up as one of the best TWICE AU stories you'll ever read. No wonder it became an iconic fanfic in the community. Try to ask a Minayeon fanfic to others; I bet this would be the first or one of them to be mentioned.

2.) "Move On" | Nayeon x Female Reader by @vorrentis (heavy Angst) (2018)

Is it a bit ironic that I'm not really into reading female reader x member if I'm a guy who's gonna read it yet I also read stories that features a ship in TWICE, which members are both female? Well that would be my case of not attempting to give this one a read from Vorrentis' goated TWICE one-shot book on Wattpad. Quick fun fact: Vorrentis is one of my favorite Twice AU authors and my inspiration for starting to write fanfics on my own. Okay, now back to what I was saying, thank goodness my curiosity finally had me check it out by myself a few weeks ago. The summary of this story would be Nayeon and YN, two ex-couples who broke up after Nayeon mysteriously disappeared, and YN didn't know where she went until she found out that she'd be marrying Jeongyeon, whom they both know as a friend of theirs. If you give it a read, you will see how YN would almost curse Nayeon's life to the depths of hell for breaking her heart after what she did. Beware, this story contains LOTS of strong languages because, like I said, it's heavy angst filled with confrontations and arguments. What I love about this is how the author did a great job on making the dialogues felt so real, as if when you were reading it, you can feel the intensity because it's like you're sharing the same room as them as a nosy spectator or let's say you are their child (lol). And oh, since I mentioned about how Nayeon's sinful act devastated YN's vulnerable heart brutally, here comes the mindblowing double twist that would be thrown to you as it reaches the climax. Had me gaping my mouth in shock at the back and forth of revelations.

3.) "Stuck In Fairytales" | TWICE x Male Reader by ZAKY14 (Fluff, Angst) (2020)

I found this one pretty interesting because it reminded me of "Knock Knock"'s storyline in the MV, minus the theorized creepy twist that ONCEs put in there, and when I read it, I was so entertained throughout the chapters. The author, Zaky, is known on Wattpad for writing a bunch of Twice fics, some of which feature other idols too. The story of this one is centered on "Lao Bang,"  the name of the reader here, who accidentally discovered an ancient storybook. He opened it and got sucked in there to be part of every story it contains inside, explaining why this book has arcs that feature some of the popular Disney fairytale characters that TWICE would be portraying as. This one has a sequel by the way, and it will continue to tell Lao Bang's story after he successfully escaped the book.

4.) "The Life I Never Had" | TWICE x Male Reader by Mashimuno (2020)

If you love superheroes and some action/comedy genres like me, this one is definitely for you. “The Life I Never Had” tells the story of YN, a guy who got teleported off Earth since he was 5 years old and grew up to be trained as a bounty hunter in the planet he got thrown at. One day, during a mission he got beaten up badly with his sidekick and forced to retreat onto a nearby habitable planet , and there he ends up at the Earth where he was born which is also where TWICE would be living also in this story (they're still portrayed here as idols, just like in real life, btw). It also has a multiverse concept that we usually see in Marvel and DC films. Read it if you want to see how YN would meet the girls and how his connection with them gets stronger, and it will teach him how to live an unparalleled life that he never experienced in the universe he used to live for his entire life as they get to know themselves more throughout the chapters while facing YN's adversaries from the other planet.

5.) "Sociopath" | Nayeon x Male Reader by @nichuuu (Fluff, Angst, Smut) (2023)

Back in February, I tried to search for some TWICE one-shots on Tumblr because not gonna lie I get tired of seeing bunches of smuts and nothing new in my feed. Then I found this one. Me loves tsundere because of how often I see them in animes, and the way the author made it possible by writing Nayeon's character like that in this story where she is the CEO of her company, famous for being a... well, let's say she is an evil boss who is a huge antisocial until she meets YN, who applied as her 25th secretary (insane, right?). The story is basically about how a devil meets an angel who will slowly change her perception of the reality of life, and through the people around her who will result in her change of heart. The more she also begins to fall in love with our male lead here, they also face some challenges that are related mainly to Nayeon's tragic past that brought her hostile side to emerge and live with it. The prologue was effectively hilarious when I first read it, and I knew right then that I would be reading such an awesome story. I even finished the whole chapter in just a day! It's truly one of the best rom-com TWICE fics I've read, and I highly recommend it.

[liliesmultiverse]

⋆ˊˎ-•̩̩͙- *̩̩̥͙ things i'm most excited for in my home reality!!

: ̗̀➛ my relationship. this is what i’m most excited for, my relationship with aaron. we’re quite literally soulmates and i don’t care if it’s cheesy to script that. it’s a private relationship because honestly it’s nobody’s business but ours. we haven’t even told our families yet but they’ll find out at christmas. we don’t exactly plan on announcing it publicly anytime soon. we aren’t gonna hide it though, we’re just gonna let people speculate until we are ready to officially come out with it. and oh my god, i scripted he has a few tattoos as well but there’s one that i absolutely love & am 100% gonna lick. eventually. anyways… just look up james potter tattoo and you’ll see what i mean.

: ̗̀➛ my parents relationship. i absolutely adore my mom, she’s my favorite person in the entire universe and she deserves someone who’s hopelessly devoted to her. like my dad (chris) absolutely adores her and practically worships the ground she walks on. he brings her to every single one of his movie premieres and all of the award shows. he spoils the absolute fuck out of her and is just absolutely in love with her.

: ̗̀➛ the greenhouse. okay, so i scripted me & aaron have a greenhouse a few yards away from the house and it’s huge. like it has two stories, huge. imagine the greenhouse from hogwarts legacy, okay? it’s really really beautiful too. intricate glass, ivy crawling up the sides in random directions, a cobbled-dirt path leading from our back patio to it, fairy lights lighting up the path. we only have plants on the first floor right now but we hope to eventually have plants growing on the second floor too.

: ̗̀➛ my fans & community. definitely one of my favorite parts. there’s a ton of extremely talented editors, fanfic writers, etc. everyone is extremely kind as well and my community is very welcoming. it’s a free & open space where you can talk about anything, even shifting. no hate happens and anyone who tries to is completely ignored and blocked immediately. they’re also very patient and treat me as a human instead of demanding content on a daily basis, which makes me feel bad bc i haven’t been streaming on twitch or uploading youtube videos since my break-up with reneé :(

: ̗̀➛ winter snow. starting from the first day of the season to the last day of the season, it snows all season long no matter where i am in the world because having lived in a state that rarely gets snow in this reality fucking. sucks.

: ̗̀➛ stargazing. i’ve scripted there’s absolutely no light pollution, never has been and never will be. i want to be able to enjoy late night stargazing picnics with my boyfriend. i want to be able to search for constellations and point them out happily when i find them. i just want nights with a sky filled with stars.

: ̗̀➛ the marauders fandom. i have made some major changes to this fandom because holy fuck, i love the marauders but the fandom sucks in this reality. for starters, it’s a lot less toxic. everyone’s headcanons & opinions are respected and haters are blocked immediately instead of being interacted with. like my community, it’s also open and welcoming to any new fans. i did script a certain ship (not starchaser) was a lot less popular so it doesn’t appear in nearly every single fic and that a certain fanfic doesn’t exist as well. i’m not saying which ship & fic but the two coincide so i’ll let you guess.

: ̗̀➛ the food. oh my god the food. it tastes 1000x times better but especially when aaron cooks for me. he’s an amazing cook and is even learning how to cook italian dishes. all the food he makes is completely homemade as well so just ughhh. i also scripted that water tastes like cherries.

[victoriansnakearts]

So here's something that I realized after Ghostfuckers and it honestly sort of...soured my view on Moxxie and Millie as a couple.

Don't get me wrong, I do like Moxxie and Millie as a couple, they are cute. But that episode just highlighted something for me and that is....why exactly are they together?

Look at past Merc Millie and present day Millie. They are so far opposites in personality, I feel they are completely different characters....the different appearance just does that moreso.

But this just makes me scratch my head as to why Millie and Moxxie are a couple. I mean sure we can speculate and go off and say that Moxxie charmed her, or showed her the things he's into or it's some kinda opposites attract sort of thing. (Though this is just headcanon)

At the same time though....I just don't even see it? With S1 Millie before the flashback sequences in S2, I could see that Millie and Moxxie could become a couple, the ol' rough n tumble farm gal getting with that city boy.

But the Ghostfuckers flashback sequence with Millie? I have a harder time seeing that this version of Millie would find Moxxie interesting(which even Blitz says that she'll hate Moxxie, of course obviously some humor thrown in for a laugh, but still). It seemed more like she would find more appeal with Blitz, which honestly within those sequences...she does!

Which by the way, as per S1...Blitz has been wanting to screw both Moxxie and Millie....right ok. So here's the issue as well with Mox n Millie as a couple...

You're going to tell me, that Blitz WASN'T wanting to have sex with Millie throughout the WHOLE time that they were killing in Hell? That he didn't put on that charm of his, flirt with her, hang out and shoot his shot to bone her?

Gonna tell me that...he waited for them to get married and then...that's when he decided he wanted to screw them?.....What?

That's another thing I'm not getting, because I can see Blitz and Millie as per their Mercenary iterations totally fucking......there's no way Blitz wouldn't want to get into Millie's pants before she got married and honestly I could see Millie wanting to get into his with their interactions.

Which it seems I'm not the only one, because apparently I've seen some people actually ship Militz(the official ship name it seems), just due to the flashback sequences of them together and showing the bond that Blitz n Millie have.

But dialing back a little bit, while I like Moxxie n Millie as a couple...it's cute, but the same time that's....kinda all it is? It's just...cute. Which is fine don't get me wrong, but this episode just.....I dunno....it's confusing to me now. Of course maybe it's again S2 just not meshing well with S1, or maybe it's because this couple is just 'there' to be the 'cute married couple' it's just now left me wondering now WHY?

Sure I get that the episode was a Blitz n Millie focused one, so maybe expecting some sort of Moxxie n Millie stuff was out of the question...but it's just odd, considering that they are married and we don't really get any insight to it.

Yeah overall almost all canon ships in the hellverse have this problem, there just isn’t any chemistry between them. Like for m&m I originally saw the appeal I was actually a fan of them in the pilot more so than the show. (Moxxie was far more grumpy and the straight man which paired well with Millie’s sweet and caring personality)

In season one it was just the honeymoon phase which was fine but by season two it never really expanded beyond that. Then unhappy campers came into the picture and kinda ruined any amount of interest I had in the ship.

For one Millie was destined to be a nothing character and any “development” would just be to put up any male character

As for moxxie I can’t help but feel he’s codependent on Millie in an unhealthy way like he needs her to constantly build his self worth. (At least that’s what it feels like with the same repeat storyline they do with him) like that’s all Millie was made for to boost moxxie.

And now with Millie’s past I cant see why she got with him in the first place. My best guess is that he was a sweet guy and she kinda pitied him but that’s not what I see as an amazing romance lol

Merc Millie x blitz does definitely have more chemistry. In an alternate show I feel like both of them are capable of standing on their own (if Millie had more time to shine) and both of them could build each other up. like blitz sees her strength and knows she deserves more and can achieve goals despite being an imp. Millie can see blitz for what he truly is and knows he’s a good person. I don’t know if I’m making sense but I feel like they could be a good power couple in alt timeline.

I kinda hate how they doubled down on the two being platonic and how Millie is his “first friend he doesn’t want to fuck” (I know fizz was a crush but isn’t he more of a friend to blitz???)

Anyways I’m rambling but now you’ve got me wanting to do au art for this ship lol

I’d also say that Millie x striker and blitz x fizz have way more potential that what we currently have too (why is it always the non canon stuff that’s way better 😔)

[noangeleither]

"fixing" the panic attack scene to be more platonic ™

im extremely active on twt and have been noticing a sydcarmy tweet go viral multiple times a week (like w thousands of interactions its crazy), and its really great to see how much people love and see it for this ship. recently carmys panic attack scene went viral again, and naturally, some ppl gave their piece about how we are all dumb for interpreting it as romantic. that sydney represents his love for his job or his duty to the restaurant (*sigh*).

this scene imo, is the most concrete proof of this ship. i can excuse (not really) interpreting every interaction between them thus far as platonic but this scene....i just refuse. this is gonna be a long post, not analyzing the scene per se because i can't possibly say anything that hasn't already been said but more "fixing" the scene to fit the narrative of antis, and i hope in doing so really shows there's no other way to interpret this scene as other than romantic. again its gonna be a long post bc im just ranting and i think i will lose my mind if i dont type this out.

lets go.

so first off i like to think of this scene as an equation/experiment. simply a problem that needs to be solved.

problem/reason of panic = ...we will discuss this...

solution # 1 = claire -> failed

solution # 2 = sydney -> worked.

Problem/Reason

s02e09 opens up with carmy and claire finally consummating their relationship, with an interesting song choice might i add and carmy dissociating, looking sad, or broken (???) after. because many have said carmy pulling memories of sydney from his psyche to calm down have to do with work i always remember that, it really doesnt make any sense?

carmy is clearly having a panic attack due to him not being "fixed" as soon as he made it official with claire. he felt pressure from his family both currently and in the past to date claire because she is amazing and perfect. add mikey also being a part of that crowd, and carmy so desperately trying to connect with him when he cannot, is why i think he looks so despondent after that scene. i truly think he thought he would be a changed person after everything with claire and when that didn't happen he flipped...

we know this is the reason bc his panic attack starts with their sex scene and the lyric "I dont know" from strange currencies by REM.

this isn't to say that he isn't nervous or stressed about the soft open but its clear that he's not having a panic attack about work nor have we ever seen him have a work-related panic attack (correct me if I'm wrong). in s1 he has one or two due to him greiving his brother.

platonic fix: To make it about work I would have added scenes like when Carmy started that stove fire in braciole, his meltdown in review, some scenes of his horrible time at EMP, and him grieving his brother. i think these would represent his fear of failure, falling back into old toxic habits pertaining his career, the fear of fostering a toxic work environment like the ny chef and also the idea of "failing" mikey

but theres a reason why none of this occurs bc its not about his job or the opening of the bear. this is explicitly about his personal and romantic love life.

Solution # 1 : Claire

carmy proceeds to try and calm down by thinking of claire through literal rose-coloured glasses...

the music is distorted, he's thinking of his abusive family, he remembers every one pushing him to date claire bc shes a #goodthing.

again...this is not about his job and wouldnt make sense to think of sydneys place in his work life as a soultion to his clear personal problem....

platonic fix: in the story of carmys love life claire and sydney act as narrative foils. they have been compared and contrasted for all of s2. my platonic fix for this would be making the NY chef this first "solution" of a work-related panic attack. he represents a horrible time in his life but also represents a time when carmy was at the height of his career. when carmy gets locked in the walk in and has his monologue, its alluded to that he will revert back to that mind set in order to not let everyone down.

NY chef abused him for so long, it makes sense that carmys psyche would readily go back to his insults and the time he himself was an isolated 'psycho' bc it yielded results.

nothing is black and white and i DO think sydney represents a healthier approach to the toxic mess that is the culinary world and does represent that for carmy. if the show was invested in that, sydney and the NY chef could be overtly contrasted like sydney and claire have been.

BUT again this isnt about his job and dedication as a chef...thus why he tries to think of claire to solve his personal problem, and it fails.

Solution # 2: Sydney

LMFAOOO.

carmy then in a crazy plot twist starts thinking of his platonic work bestie sydney adamu....the love song dedicated by the show to his relationship with his girlfriend is then made clear highlighting some pretty damning lyrics about desire and love.....all platonic btw. yes you are dumb if you think otherwise (*wink*)

I actually have two platonic fixes for this...

platonic fix # 1: if we only wanted to focus on sydney as a person who calms carmy down because shes his work bestie who represents his responsibilty to the bear and the postive change they are trying effect in the culinary world, i would add scenes where they are...you know actually cooking???

i think its pretty crazy how the memories carmys immediately jump to are ones that have little to do with their jobs. when they first meet (would also like to note that when carmy first laid eyes on Sydney, he forgot she was there for a job, so this is his raw reaction to seeing a pretty girl lol) and when she comes back after she quit and their break up fight.

i would add their scenes in carmys kitchen (even tho this is extremely damning bc they were flirting DOWN - they don't make this easy at all). this represents their collaboration skills and the way they WORK and bounce ideas off of each other seamlessly. specifically the scene about him wanting to give her a star, representing his duty to her and the restaurant.

*and no shade to carmy but if his responsibility to the bear/syd as a co-worker was bothering him this much and calmed him down wouldn't he have just immediately called the fridge guy.....anyways*

platonic fix # 2 (the best one): if i was chris storer and joanna calo and i REALLY wanted to sell it that carmy isnt in love with sydney then i would put every single member of the OG beef crew + Nat to calm him down not just Sydney.

im talking to them laughing at family, carmy giving tina his chefs knife, richie in his new suit, carmys one on one w Marcus/trying his donut, nat telling carmy shes pregnant (signifing rebirth/wanting to rid all the toxic abuse from his family), carmy trying sydney risotto, and her face when he said it was tremendous etc etc...you get the gist

and honestly?

even as i type this out im tearing up a little bit bc that would have been really beautiful. carmy is changing. he can and is getting rid of old toxic habits from his family and the mess that is the culinary industry. things are changing for the better....that would be beautiful....IF his panic attack was about any of these things lol.

and to even look at this scene without this need for symmetry and we entertain the idea of carmy thinking about his job as a solution for his personal problem...carmy has said himself (s02e01) that this isnt fun for him. i dont think that means he hates cooking i kinda disagree with the ppl who think he isnt passionate about it. i just think currently its something that doesnt bring him joy but i do think its something hes starting to or at least could have started to enjoy if he just committed to working with syd...

conclusion

theres a lot of....delusion? denial? straight up bias? yes all of that, going on.

idk what is happening bc this show is really great at being subtle. but i dont know whats more in your face, dumbed down, even a toddler could understand, than this scene. if you dont come out of this understanding that carmy is falling in love/currently in love with Sydney...and i hate using this term..but you just arent media literate.

bonus: bc it makes me laugh and connects the purpose and solutions.

i think we need a Snyder Sydcarmy Cut™ of bolognese and omelette.

the start of the episode is when sydney and carmy fight over claires inclusion in the menu, and also when sydney randomly asks him to define his relationship with Claire. the episode would continue until we get to the table scene.

i think its WILD how as soon as Sydney asks him to define their relationship, carmy starts calling claire his girlfriend. then the show proceeds to insert sydney in their romantic montage, shows her tattoo about heartbreak and someone getting in the way of your relationship...THEN proceeds to have carmy compare these two women in his mind and only calms down after seeing Sydney.

i could talk about this scene for AGES. wheres the straitjacket....

[genericpuff]

The Kiss Bet Episode 172 - Hot Pot and Venting About How I Want My 70 Cents Back

Okay, look, this isn't a post I was expecting to make today but it's something that just happened and I have to fucking talk about, so let me preface this with some context.

I had to buy coins recently and because I switched to using my iPad for reading comics on, I got a "new reader" type deal from Webtoons for a coin bundle that got me like 100 coins for $5; because technically it was a 'new account' as Webtoons operates their in-game currency model on apps, not on actual emails (meaning if you use the app on an Android phone and then switch to an Apple iOS device, they're technically two separate accounts which you sync the reading data between via the account info linked via the email, therefore they have two separate coin wallets).

So with more coins than I knew what to do with, I decided to start FastPassing The Kiss Bet again, which I had recently stopped FP'ing around the S3 mark, as it's recently devolved back into the "will they won't they" trope, but instead of between Sara-Lin and Joe, it's between Sara-Lin and Joe's younger brother (the "true endgame") Oliver.

Now I don't mind the ship in essence. Joe was definitely not gonna be endgame, it was always gonna be Oliver, anyone who's read any amount of romance before - especially high school romances - knows how this shit tends to go, and The Kiss Bet isn't exactly trying to be groundbreaking or subversive in any way, it knows exactly what it's about and what it's trying to accomplish.

But it's almost become a little too good at this. Because in playing the "will they won't they" game for so long with a character that we know is endgame, it's basically been weeks and weeks and weeks of-

That said, after I caught up on the recent FP episodes, it seemed like stuff was finally moving a little bit. We were finally meeting Oliver's mom and his stepdad who he has a fractured relationship with, Joe was finally getting with his true endgame girl, Vicky (who's totally not an exact genderbent version of Joe lmao) and Sara-Lin was finally realizing she had feelings for Oliver.

And then the newest episode came out, Episode 172 - Hot Pot and Venting.

CAUTION: FASTPASS SPOILERS FOR THE KISS BET OFFICIALLY BEGIN HERE!

Already I was a little petty over the title like "lmao ok clunky title but whatever". I swept it off as not a genuine criticism, just me being a nitpicking asshole over what's essentially Fluff: The Comic.

The episode cost 7 coins, which is about roughly 70 cents, albeit closer to a dollar for Canadian readers (here's something they don't tell you about Canada - our Monopoly game currency is just as fucked as it looks) and that's where I'm gonna get into my second disclaimer that I need to be perfectly clear about (and it'll be what we get more into later on in this post).

I understand the principle of paying for art. I understand fully that many of these webtoons are being produced on tight deadlines by creators who often can only afford 1-2 assistants, if any at all. I understand and fully agree that creators deserve to be paid for their skills, time, and efforts, not just as creators working on the hellsite that is Webtoons, but as artists in general who deserve to make a living the same as anyone else. Anyone who follows my stuff here knows I'm an artist myself so I would never debate the ethical necessity of paying artists for their work.

However.

I can say that, and also agree with the people who have stated in discussion circles such as on /r/webtoons that a lot of the comics that have started charging 7 coins have been suspiciously delivering less comic since. And it's not even so much in the literal panel count, the liquid volume of these comics have remained the same, but the calorie count has dropped significantly. Food metaphors aside, what I mean is that despite many of these comics maintaining their 40-60 minimum panel count requirement, they have in fact reduced the actual amount of content that happens in them, and The Kiss Bet's newest episode is a stark example of what I mean.

I am going to start by posting only post three panels - three panels that literally sum up the entirety of Episode 172 and what it chooses to spend its time on.

That is it. That is literally all that's established in this episode. I'd tell you to go read it yourself, but honestly, this is genuinely one of those rare times I can honestly say that a 40+ panel episode is not worth 70 cents and you'd be better off, and that's saying a LOT when these episodes are only priced at the cost of a gumball. At least Lore Olympus has entertainment in how bad it is most of the time, Episode 172 of The Kiss Bet is just nothing. You will literally get more substance and flavor from an actual gumball.

Literally every other panel in this episode is either repeating the same dialogue (Sara-Lin saying the same thing multiple different times to express how Oliver is holding her hand or how his stepdad is a dick) and then Sara-Lin and Oliver staring at each other. Over. And over. Again.

I am not joking. I did not cut anything out in that sequence. That is where the episode ends. Complete nothingburger, seemingly cut off right as it was just getting started like Cait Corrain's career.

Out of the entire episode, there were 45 panels. So I can safely assume Ingrid's minimum panel requirement is at least 40 per episode, that's me assuming the best that she didn't exactly meet her panel minimum at 45 panels on the dot.

Out of those 45 panels, there were:

Two actual unique backgrounds that weren't gradients or just a single piece of furniture

4 separate panels of Sara-Lin freaking out over Oliver holding her hand and wondering if he even noticed

10 panels of Sara-Lin staring at Oliver either dumbfounded or asking him to repeat himself (or apologizing over nothing)

5 panels of the characters saying nothing

11 panels of Sara-Lin repeating information in different ways that could have been accomplished in half that time

Two separate occasions of Oliver getting Sara's attention from off-panel, literally formatted the exact same way both times (and both followed by reaction panels of Sara-Lin staring at him dumbfounded)

Way too many panels of Sara-Lin blushing in response to Oliver being an asshole tbh like literally this guy's a douchebag, Joe may have been the "out of her league" love interest but at least he was nice and didn't treat Sara-Lin like someone who just bought a Husky as a "starter pet" ???

Again, I don't usually like being a dick about the coin costs, and I definitely don't like being a hypocrite in telling people they should pay artists for their work while simultaneously posting their paywalled content like this, but I think there does come a point where it feels more irresponsible for people to not be aware of what they're about to pay for and how little they're going to be getting. This episode is literally one of the best - and worst - examples of how far the romance genre has fallen on the platform - when it's not being overtaken and oversaturated by problematic series that romanticize abuse and sexual assault, it's being dragged to death with the most boring executions of tropes that everyone has seen before and is only exciting for anyone who's never read a book or watched a romance movie, period.

And here's the thing where I do approach a bit more "hot take" territory, but every time I see this argument come up about episodes not being worth the coin cost, I see others who rightfully argue that 70 cents isn't that much to pay for what you're getting - weekly episodes of work that are usually always delivered on time, with more panels than you would ever typically see in a free to read comic.

But here's where I take issue with that argument, as much as the principle of it is sound, it misses the overall point: readers are paying for entertainment first and foremost, so can anyone who's actually paying for regular refills on their app currency step away from this and truly call it "entertainment"? Nothing was gained. The comic had 45 panels to say something, anything, and managed to not even squeak out so much of a word. Even the silent moments have no substance, they just reiterate information that we already know.

Do we really need another panel of Sara-Lin blushing at Oliver? We've known for weeks now that she has a crush on him. Do we really need another panel of Oliver getting Sara-Lin's attention? What is this actually showing of their chemistry? What is being shown here that hasn't been shown numerous times - with and without dialogue - for weeks now? What does the comic have to show for itself after four seasons?

Another point of the "it's just 70 cents, don't be an asshole" argument that people seem to miss is it's not 70 cents. It's $1. Because if you want to buy a single episode of the Kiss Bet, you can't just pay for the individual episode in isolation, you have to pay for the coins first, and $1 is the absolute bare minimum you have to pay to get 10 coins, which will only pay for one episode of a 7 coin series - of which there are many now, basically any series that's 40 panels or more will cost 7 coins and, shocker, those are the series that WT will tend to promote most, you'll rarely see the 5 coins series in the banner ads, and that's not even getting into how there are more and more series cropping up that have 5+ episodes behind FP rather than the traditional three.

So if you're someone who's (almost definitely) keeping up with more than one series? You can't just pay the $1, you have to pay at least $5 for 50 coins, and that will NOT go far anymore or cut as evenly as it used to when just about every series is now 7 coins. Webtoons knows fully well what kind of game they're playing by making the new coin cost an uneven number while still offering increments of 5/10 in their coin bundles. They undoubtedly want you to be left with an uneven number so that you'll be easily lured into buying more coins so you don't 'waste' the uneven amount you have left that isn't enough to buy the episodes for the series you want to read. Obviously this is more speculation and not fact, but it's a common business model and with the series that have adopted the 7 coin count model (rather than starting off with 7 coins outright) such as The Kiss Bet and Lore Olympus, it's becoming abundantly clear that either the creators or the platform itself is encouraging these series to meet their panel minimums with as little content as possible in order to get more money out of readers who are barely even being drip fed actual entertainment and narrative progression, let alone spoon fed.

And then there's the waiting. The goddamn waiting. So many of these series guilty of siphoning their content off through a hose that they're deliberately standing on are designed intentionally with the most egregious cliffhangers in mind to keep their audience hooked so they'll undoubtedly FP next week. Do you know what that amount of waiting does to a comic? To its readers? First off, it artificially extends the actual pacing of the comic to make it feel longer than it is, when in reality, many of these plotlines are happening in a vacuum of very short bursts of time. Case in point, Lore Olympus is commonly confused for having a plotline that takes place over the course of months, when actually when laid end to end in order of cause and effect, many of its subplots - including the romance of Hades and Persephone - takes place over the course of days. This over-inflates the plotline's actual depth and, even worse so, it makes it harder for readers to keep up with information that's being delivered, as it often takes weeks for that information to actually go anywhere - so by the time it does, many readers have straight up forgotten about it.

It's absolutely not okay that so many of these kinds of series are normalizing literal slow burning for an audience who's paying to be entertained. It's not a "slow burn". It's just slow, and deliberately so. It's absolutely NOT FUN to follow a comic that does not go anywhere week after week. It's frustrating. And before long, it starts to feel like gambler's fallacy, where readers have to essentially gaslight themselves into paying into it more and more convinced that it has to pay off eventually, based on a promise that was never actually made, only assumed in good faith. And readers should not have to fill in the bulk of the content that isn't happening with their own imaginations, which is something that happens a LOT in these series that spend so much time on the characters just staring at each other and saying nothing. It's not 'plot' to just draw characters blushing and have your audience fill in the rest of it entirely on their own. This is certainly a technique in writing, but in the case of The Kiss Bet and other comics like it, it's much less of a valid technique and more just flat out manipulating your audience into falling so hard into the sunk cost fallacy trap that they don't notice they're being robbed blind by the plot that hasn't actually happened - and they've been paying for that financial and emotional robbery out of their own pockets and brains every step of the way.

Again, I do not care about the coin cost in and of itself, seventy cents IS still an incredibly cheap price for weekly updates of a series that has to put out so many panels each week. But as a reader and a customer, I should not be leaving these updates with less information than what I started with. And I'm someone who's incredibly old school by webcomic standards, there are comics that I follow that have updated 1-2 pages a week for over a decade that manage to do more with their limited pages than Lore Olympus and The Kiss Bet manage to do after entire hiatuses filled with pre-production time.

Why does this page of Alfie manage to move both the intrinsic plot of the titular character as well as the external plot that's going on around her in one page made up of 5 panels better than what The Kiss Bet can do in 45?

Why does this page of Tamberlane manage to convey more information about the world's lore and the people in it in a way that's emotionally driven and clearly affecting the characters without outright info-dumping than what Lore Olympus has managed to spit out onto its plate since S3 started over a year ago?

How does Tales from Alderwood manage to be more entertaining and convey more meaningful storytelling through its characters in a single page consisting of zero dialogue than what The Kiss Bet can convey in its silent panels of staring, blushing, and repetitive stuttering?

Why are the creators who are relying entirely on their own efforts, resources, and ability to generate income through community interaction and support putting out better work with less panels and on slower schedules for FREE than what we're seeing from professional creators on a professional publishing platform who are being paid to do this as their job?

There's this saying in the tattooing industry: good work isn't cheap and cheap work isn't good.

At this point, 70 cents is not a 'bargain' as many people like to argue in defense of the creators. And while I do want to have good faith in the creators who don't pull this shit, the creators who clearly go above and beyond to do what they do in the pursuit of storytelling and polishing their craft to be the best piece of work that it can be - the comics that are worth paying 70 cents and beyond for - are not the comics that Webtoons is promoting to people. The creators of the works that genuinely deserve more than 70 cents per update are being left to fend for themselves without support from the platform, while those that aren't worth the price of even a flavorless gumball are consistently winning the Wonka Golden Ticket lottery.

The cost of 70 cents is relative. For some works it's a genuine bargain. For others like the The Kiss Bet and Lore Olympus, 70 cents is not a "bargain", it's not a "good deal", it's exactly the value of what you're paying for - cheap work that isn't good.

[yesbutmakeitgay]

A Little Taste Of Heaven

Carol Danvers x Reader

We’ve Loved A Thousand Lives

Same beginning, different story every time.

Part 13

Fluff, Bittersweet.

Beta'd by @cordeliasdarling <3

Word count: 2.1k

Masterlist | This collection | AO3

Carol walks back to her ship after another successful mission wanting for nothing more than to relax and rest while reaching her next destination. As soon as she enters the vessel, she hears shuffling and mumbling in the darkness, making alarm set into her.

She quickly makes her way to the source of the sound and finds a stranger’s silhouette, "Carol, thank god you're here," you exclaim as soon as you see her.

Carol frowns in confusion, pointing her lit up fist at you, "Who are you?" she asks mostly in confusion.

You look her in the eye intently, "Carol?" you wait for a response, "Danvers?" you insist, "Angel?" it comes out almost like a plea, "You really don't know me?" she looks at you dumbfounded, "Oh, crap." Your brain starts slowly connecting the dots.

She examines you from head to toe, you look mostly human and are wearing a vaguely familiar uniform, but she's certain she would remember meeting such a cute face before, "How did you get in here?" Her tone is firm, contrasting her doubtful features.

"I’m not sure," you hesitate, hoping she'll believe you, you gesture toward her fist, "Can you put that down?"

"Maybe if you tell me who you are."

You consider it for a second, "I really don't think that will help my case," she respects the honesty, "wait, I’m with S.H.I.E.L.D.," you suddenly remember, reaching into your pocket and pulling out your ID to show her.

Carol takes it and studies it, it looks official, except it doesn't resemble the real S.H.I.E.L.D. IDs, but she can sense your despair, "If you say so…" She really wants to trust you, but you're not making it easy for her.

Having her powers so close to you puts you on edge, "Please get that thing out of my face, you have no reason to be afraid of me."

"I'm not afraid, I am concerned," she clarifies, "I leave for two hours and when I come back there's a stranger in my kitchen."

"I am literally incapable of physically hurting you," you eyes travel to the ground in defeat, "and you're making me nervous," you add as if waving a white flag.

"Fine." She puts her arm down and stops glowing, finding your pleas sweet.

After some time, you speak again, "I think I know what happened," she lifts an eyebrow in curiosity, "but I’m gonna need you to have an open mind," she nods, gesturing for you to continue, "I was at the compound, training with America."

"Chavez?" she interrupts.

"The one and only, we were sparring in the gym and next thing I know, I fell on my back and then I was here."

Carol isn’t totally convinced, "Last time I checked, America was with Wong."

"That’s the tricky part," you worry your bottom lip between your teeth, "I didn't just change location, I jumped universes."

"Oh my god," she murmurs as all the blood drains from her face, you give her a moment to process the information as you also try to work it all out yourself, "what do we do now?"

You aren’t sure if there is anything you can do, but you have to try, lest things get even worse than they already are, "If I could just stay here until I find a way to reestablish communication with my team?"

"Of course, whatever you need." She starts to take her uniform off as you sit down to type away on your phone. She goes to her room and comes back out with her crocs on, "So, you've met me before," she deduces.

"Quite a few times, actually."

"Do I like you?" she pries.

"I mean, I sure hope so."

She gives you an amused smile, "Alright," she points to the cockpit apologetically, "I have to keep moving,"

"Oh, yeah, that's no problem, do your thing, you won’t even notice I’m here." She goes to pilot the ship, and you remain by the kitchen.

A few minutes later, you yell across the ship, "Is there any chance I could borrow a set of comms from you?"

"Sure." She walks over to you to hand you the device.

"Is it okay if I render them useless?"

She frowns, "What?"

"I need to rig them so I can talk to people in my universe," you explain.

"You can do that?" Her face lights up in amazement.

"I don't know yet, but I promise to replace it." Your eyes glimmer so sweet that she can’t resist them.

She gives in, maybe just to see if you can pull it off, "Sure, why not?"

"Thanks, Carol." you say absentmindedly, already taking the gadget apart.

She stops in her tracks, "Can you please not call me that?" she requests softly, "I get that you know me, but I don't know you and it feels kinda weird."

"Right, what should I call you?"

She quickly runs through all the options in her head and suggests, "Captain?"

"We tried that once, didn't do anything for me," you mumble under your breath.

"Huh?"

"Never mind, Captain it is."

After a while, you decide to make dinner for the both of you. You know your way around the ship a little too well, the Captain thinks, hearing you move around so much.

You go to the cockpit and gently rest your hand on her shoulder to get her attention, she jumps at the contact, though she isn't so mad about the goosebumps that appeared all over her body, you keep having to remind yourself that you’re not where you think you are, "Sorry, do you have any cumin?"

She looks to the side, "What’s that?"

You forgot she was totally uncultured before you met her, "Don’t worry, I’ll find it." You go back to the kitchen to double check every corner and continue cooking.

You're more careful about approaching her the second time, you stand by her side in her line of vision before asking, "Are you hungry, Captain?"

"I am famished, actually," she gets up and starts walking to the kitchen "let me reheat some leftovers—" she interrupts herself when she sees the already plated meal on the table, "did you make that?"

"Mhmm," you smile proudly, "my specialty, sans cumin." You both sit at the table, and she wastes no time before digging in.

"This is delicious!" she almost screams with her mouth full in surprise.

You're glad to know the Captain also likes your cooking, it might be considered cheating that you made your Carol's favorite, but you weren't gonna take any chances here.

"So, training with America, is that something you do often?" She asks as a way to fill the silence.

"Yeah, I work with all the new recruits."

About time they hired someone to do that, it’s not wise to consume all the Avengers’ time training the new kids, she thinks, "Do you know Kamala?"

An involuntary smile forms on your face as you think of your favorite trainee, "Yes, I do, she's very nice, safe for the fact that she's obsessed with Romanoff," you joke.

"Really?" She's so taken aback, disappointed even.

"Really," you confirm, "what's yours like?" The Captain only shakes her head in dismissal.

After you’re done with dinner, she clears the table and does the dishes, as she’s putting them away, the cupboard door gets jammed, "Let me," you offer, but she refuses.

"No, I got it." You can tell by her muscles that she’s using way too much force.

"Relax," you chuckle at her stubbornness, "this happens all the time in my Carol's ship, I’m the only one who knows how to fix it."

Her heart skips a beat, "Your Carol?" she repeats tentatively.

"I—you know what I mean." As you reach for the hinges your shirt rides up, and the Captain gets a peek at your midriff, the sight makes her mouth water more than your food did, and in one swift motion, you open the cabinet.

You settle on the couch for the night, and the Captain goes to her room. She goes to bed feeling all giddy inside, she hadn't felt this way in a long time. A part of her hopes it takes you a while to get back home so she can be around you longer, but before she can even form a solid thought, her eyes are already closing.

As soon as you know she's sleeping, you get back up and continue working. You knew Carol would refuse to rest if you told her you were still gonna be up, but you could tell how exhausted she was, so you had to play pretend for her sake. This is a very time sensitive matter, every second you spend in this universe you risk entangling the fabric of both your realities.

You've been working on the device long enough that your eyes are beginning to sting, it is almost dawn, when you manage to get a signal, "Danvers, do you copy?"

"Hey, hi, yes, I hear you!" your Carol answers triumphantly from the other end of the line.

"Finally," you scream whisper.

"Where are you?" The signal is choppy, but good enough for an improvised gadget.

"It's complicated, I’m sending you my exact location right now."

A ping indicates she's received your message, "Are you for real? That's so far away."

"It is? I have no idea."

"Are you okay? What's going on?"

"I’m fine, mostly safe, but I really, truly should not be here," you stress your words to get her to understand the severity of the situation.

"Right, I’m gonna go get Monica, and we're gonna get you back as soon as possible, okay?"

"Alright, thank you."

The twenty minutes it takes for your team to reach out to you again pass agonizingly slow, your leg is bouncing at a million beats per minute and you've chewed all your fingernails off to the bone.

A port opens up right where you landed in the kitchen, and your Carol comes through it, you feel relief take over your body, "Oh, thank God, it worked!"

"There you are." She pulls you into a tight hug.

The Captain is awakened by the noise and comes out of her room a little disoriented, "Could you please keep it down—" She freezes in place at the scene unfolding before her.

Your Carol lets go of the hug, keeping her arm around your waist and looking at her other self, "I’m assuming she's already explained enough so you won’t freak out." The Captain nods slowly with her lips parted, urging her brain to catch up.

"You’re looking good, Captain," your Carol smirks.

"Thanks, you too."

"Are you done flirting with yourself?" you ask, breaking their trance.

"Don’t tell me you've never thought about it," your Carol teases you.

"You know I have, that's the whole reason I married you." You lean further into her.

The Captain finally breaks the knot in her throat, "You two are married!

Your Carol looks at you with a frown, "I may have omitted a detail or two," you admit cheekily.

"Unbelievable," they both respond in unison.

Your Carol tosses the Captain a new comm device, and she catches it out of pure reflex, "This is for you."

"I’m gonna keep the old one and a souvenir." You wink.

"Now you're flirting with her!" your Carol accuses.

"It doesn't count as cheating if she's also you."

She rolls her eyes, "Whatever you say, Princess."

"Let’s get out of here, this ship is too cold," you tell your wife, "thank you for all your help," you tell the Captain genuinely.

"Thanks, Captain." Your Carol salutes her other self before sending a message to Monica to get you back home.

The Captain tries and fails to get the words out a few times, "Wait, is there another you in this universe?" she stutters.

Your wife and you share a look, "There should be," you guess.

Your Carol thinks about it briefly and agrees, "Yeah, good luck," she smiles, as you both disappear into a new portal.

Once the opening disappears, the Captain feels her heart drop to her stomach, she was so close and yet so far.

A moment later, Fury calls, and she reluctantly picks up, "Good news, Danvers, remember I've been telling you we're understaffed at S.H.I.E.L.D.?" she hums in response, too distracted by your absence, "We just hired a new member in the team, she's gonna help us train all new recruits."

"Really?" her face lights up immediately, "Any chance I can meet her soon?"

"Come down here, and I'll introduce you."

"Be right there," she beams.