#and y'all know how much i love ships that are enemies who see each other and love one another bcs of the flaws and pain and darkness

[woodohwanedandproud]

OP tags: #important jwds first glance at each other moments #no but seriously jw really does make a lot of life-altering decisions the moment he lays eyes on ds #okay fine 1st and last gifs they aren't looking at each other but that's deliberate #it basically 'tells the story' of how jw didn't SEE ds for who he really is at the beginning but now he does #he SEES ds and he loves ds for who he is #he loves ds for all his flaws and pains and sadness #and y'all know how much i love ships that are enemies who see each other and love one another bcs of the flaws and pain and darkness #also ds is always always the one who's looking first (except mb the whole of the fishing scene) except the last gif which is just #jw looking and looking and looking #ds might be the one who always see jw first but jw will keep on looking at him from now on #he sees ds he loves ds he will keep on looking and loving and choosing to love ds #love isn't a fact. it's a hunch at first. and then later it's a series of decisions. a lifetime of decisions. that's love. #i choose you out of billions of people i choose you. we got it down to two people. i choose you. #and in the fishing scene jw sees ds first (from the back) but it was ds who realllllllly SEES jw and his intention when he turns toward jw

don't ever think i fell for u or fell over u. i didn't fall in love, i rose in it.

i saw u

and made up my mind

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

[bananakeiky]

This isn't about Hoyo I just needed to vomit some AFTG thoughts into a public space and I just finished ToS and I'm rabid. I have no idea how many of y'all even read this series but spoilers. And trigger warnings. Anyways.

Okay what the fuck ever the thing about ToS isn't just about of the extra trigger warnings and things that made me wanna throw up and cry at the same time. It's about how horribly, tragically awful it is that Jean is full of so much love. He always has been. It's not just haha what a pansexual no. Jean craves affection so fucking much. He's weak to pretty people and devastated by kind people. He clung to Kevin. He clung to Renee. He even clung to Thea, who affectionately called him Paris as he trailed her like a little duckling. He spits and rages and claws at them all, calling them every rabid name in the dictionary and beyond. He has a laundry list of insults for Neil, who freed him, one of the only people he truly trusts. It's just that he never expects it back. He never wants it back because it hurts so much worse when it's gone. People hurt him when it's gone. He says "I can take it" and "this is normal" because he would burn if he couldn't.

This is why he rejects the Trojans. Every "don't you see" and "why do you look away" is well-meaning but twice as hurtful because accepting it would mean Jean didn't hurt because he deserved it. Without that crutch it means he suffered for nothing. He hurt for nothing. Accepting it would mean that Jean would have to open up and fully comprehend the absolute horrors that were done not just to his life but to his personhood. To him. He was a child and a victim and he deserved to be saved and he wasn't. Not until it was too late. All of those years after being sold by his parents, yearning, aching to be loved by somebody and used as a toy and a scapegoat in return by anyone who touched him. Love is painful. Trust is painful. And Jean will love and love and love until it kills him and he knows it.

But this is why Kevin sent him to the Trojans. They may not understand survival and suffering the way the Foxes do, but they're genuine. They may be misguided with some of their efforts and need to take time learning how Jean works but they try and try and keep trying. They understand their own faults and healthy coping mechanisms and how to treat your worst enemies with respect. Hell, nearly the entirety of Jeremy's inner circle are in queer relationships with each other except for himself because he's too busy thinking about other people to work on that. This is what Jean needs to learn, that people can give without asking for anything in return. That people can be selfless and care for one another without ulterior motives. That love can be healthy and beautiful and not cruel.

And listen. I've been rooting for Jerejean for eight goddamn years. You have no idea how hard I fell when I realized that the ship that embodies the entire idea of healing, self-growth, and respect had been actualized and it's everything I ever wanted and more. The fact that Jeremy helps Jean buy his very first possession. The fact that he's so protective of Jean and thinks he's more important than exy, that Jean will be his success story. When he holds his hands and begs him to open up and backs off when Jean needs space, but never leaves and never gives up. How he spends so much time organizing people and schedules and events just so Jean can feel safe walking around campus. He never pushes too hard, but he never stops pushing. He's so patient. He wants Jean. He wants him so bad, but more than that, he wants Jean to love himself above all else. He's there when Jean has a panic attack at the pool, and sticks around as close as he can after Jean gets attacked. He stays up by the door all night when Jean goes out with Neil to an unknown location. All of this on top of revitalizing the Trojans, dealing with his shit family and the shittier rumors, having to train Jean out of killing his team and teaching his team to trust Jean in return.

Even after all of that his number one priority is always Jean, his head is filled with Jean, making the world comfortable and safe for Jean. It's making sure all of his friends know Jean. Never letting Jean be alone. Getting another twin bed so he can room with him. Always correcting himself, slowing down and speeding up so he can match Jean's pace. Fucking Barkbark. And yes, Renee could have done this too. She was the right person, and yes, the wrong time. But Jeremy found Jean at the right time, a time where he would dedicate everything to Jean. And if Jean one day turns around and wants to give that back, he'll be there, but he'll be just as happy knowing Jean is going to be okay.

ToS is a story about healing. It's about growth and battling the consequences of a life you did not choose. It's about unfairness. It's about what happens after a tragedy, and how to cope with yourself as much as you cope with the outside world. It's about becoming. It's about demons. It's about loyalty. It's about love. It's not about romance. Not yet. But it's about a romance that couldn't exist without it. It's setting up a story about someone who learns to accept that, tragically, he deserves to be treated like a human being. With love. And that he can still have it. That it's right there, waiting for him, when he's ready. He just has to reach out and take it.

[redwolf41-blog]

Ok, so this got a little out of hand so I'm putting it under a Read More. I just love this show so much and can talk about it so much and have no other outlet for it than Tumblr. So... Here you go XD I'm keeping the first paragraph above the line break to help y'all get a peek of what I'm blabbering on about under the break. I might add more to this, who knows.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I grew up watching Star Trek Voyager. I was between the ages of 3-9 while the show was airing, so most of the episodes I remember were either reruns or episodes in the last couple seasons. It was a show my father and I watched together all the time. I'm rewatching it again now, at 32 years old. I've rewatched it before, many years ago, but watching it now, and thinking about how it shaped me as a child has lent me a very interesting perspective of the show.

Captain Janeway was always my favorite character. She was someone I looked up to, and quite possibly my very first queer awakening. I watched the show mostly for her, so it was to her I looked and her actions I paid the most attention to. What little girl wouldnt adore her? She's strong, confident, self assured. She commands her own starship with grace and kindness and compassion, but also with a fierce determination that is almost unrivaled. For a little girl with no mother in her life, no other female role model? It was no wonder I turned to someone like Captain Janeway.

Watching these episodes, and watching her protect her crew so fiercely, watch her having to make all the hard decisions in an effort to do anything to get her crew home without sacrificing her own morals or principles, her trying to make as many friends with other races as she can along the way, affected my growth in ways I'll probably never understand, but will always be thankful for.

And its not just her actions that I feel this show did so well, but the relationships between the characters. On one side, you have Janeway and Tuvok, (a topic I posted about earlier), two old friends who stand by each other through anything and everything, an unfailing and fierce loyalty to each other that is a delight to behold. On another you have Janeway and Chatokay. Two people who used to be enemy captains who eventually see in each other something profoundly different. Their loyalty to each other is new, and takes time to grow at first, but, in my opinion, is no less fierce than it is between her and Tuvok. In her, Chakotay sees a future and perhaps salvation for himself. Its a beautiful relationship that never steps past the threshold of "what could have been." It feels like decades are left unsaid between them, and as a member of the audience I used to think that was tragic. I was so upset that they didnt get together when I was a child, but now? Its a relationship more media needs, in my opinion. They respect each other very much, and want the other to be happy, but they never quite take that extra step. Its a wonderful depiction of friendship between two people of the opposite sex. I dont remember if something like that was common in the 90s, but I feel like modern media has completely ignored this kind of relationship. They're too busy pairing off all the lead male and female characters. Seeing a relationship like Janeway and Chakotay is so important for people to see.

And then there's the crew. I finished watching Revelations just a bit ago. This episode, out of all the episodes Voyager ever aired, was the one episode I never forgot about growing up. The crew love Captain Janeway so immensely, they were willing to face down what could have almost been certain death (or worse) in order to get her back on the ship. Janeway's ship, previously running like a well oiled machine, was breaking apart at the seams without her. Their love, and their loyalty for their captain, and their willingness to do anything for her just like she's willing to do anything for them, is such a heartwarming relationship.

Watching this show so young, during such formative years, its no wonder I turned out so much different than my conservative father. I can only speculate on why he watched the show, but very little of it would be flattering. I doubt he saw the same things I did, or internalized them in any way similarly to me. I feel like Voyager had a powerful and profound message of friendship, loyalty, strength of character, determination, and the importance of kindness and never giving up. I'm so very glad this was one of the shows I got to grow up with, and I wish more shows were like it.

If you made it this far, thank you and I'm sorry. I get rambly when I love something, so I'm both sorry for rambling, and thankful for anyone who made it this far. Feel free to share your own thoughts if you'd like. I'd love to hear them

[codajaiden]

I don't get the gist of Nightbow (Rainbow Steve x Nightmare) like, how does that work??

(warning I might rant so much y'all would explode, correct me if I'm wrong tho)

"enemies to lovers!" No. Lemme clear this up for you

Nightmare and Rainbow were created to kill each other, hate each other's guts, there is no conversation or part in SS or RQ where they went and be normal people talking to each other and stuff (not that I can think of anyways)

"for fun" I don't care if it's for fun, sure it's funny but like????? How is it y'all's favourite????

I'm someone who likes to go insane just watching plot, WHILE YES, STEVE SAGA WAS JUST A RANDOM STEVE SERIES AND WAS VERY RANDOM WHEN IT COMES TO PLOT, ITS SILLY, ITS RANDOM

But y'all are like "I can fix them", there is nothing to fix???? they are literally people wanting to kill each other and that is their goal.

Oh and let's not forget, I have my eyes on the people who write in Wattpad, don't think I have not seen their "freaky" writing at all.

It's not only Nightbow at least, I see the people here who ship Rainbow and Void together, same thing, but if we're talking SS then there was still no good interaction of them both to be on the level of actually being good friends. Still, Wattpad people are freaky about them too.

This can be implied to Favremyrainbow ig, but to me it's very bland and boring. I admit I did in fact ship them, but as time passed I just stopped because it was so cringe 💀💀

I don't want to be mean and rude when it comes to this but it bugs me every time.

Okay the only thing I can counter this is Alux x Petro.

Petro and Alux are basically Anna and Hanz in Frozen, gaslighting and manipulation exist but dynamic and trust are important. There is communication towards the two that leads into something in the plot.

Nightbow has none of that, they hate each other's guts. People say they can fix them, nah, with Palux you can make them worse (/j) HEJWJEJWJSJA

"Petro and Alux's entire dynamic is mainly built off of manipulation" YES but thats on Petro's side. Most people ship it due to it being tragic on Alux's side because everyone in this fandom likes doomed mlm i guess (I'm one of those people but again the plot reasons goes on for both of their dynamic)

"But he stabbed him" YES. I have not seen a single person who ships them currently its mainly a one sided ship. For alux its built off genuine love and care for Petro, knowing he's the only REAL connection in his life. The people who ship them (from what I've seen) mainly do it for tragedy and narrative purposes. no one is actually here WANTING alux to be stabbed and abused

And for Petro it adds much more conflict to his character if you add like any romance to him. like, loving the person your meant to kill and killing them anyways is a really interesting narrative plot idea. Its also really funny tbh but oh well.

Narratively it adds more to their characters as long as you dont romantize it and treat it like it'd be healthy especially at this point in the story.

This is literally doomed Yaoi (it's funny I wanna say that) and it works so well because of how they were narratively written this way towards each other. This cooked better than some enemy wanting to, excuse my language, have freaky SHIZ going on with the Hero 💀

Okay I'm done with my ranting I'm sorry for the people who like Nightbow but I'm sharing what I'm saying and y'all are gonna respect it and not be problematic. I feel like I should not be on the internet for a good while late and night this is how freaky I get when it's past midnight lmao

[robstetrician]

"but they totally hinted at zutara in the og series" NO! CEASE! STOP TALKING! that was a MAN and a WOMAN interacting with each other. you are no better than the crack shippers or the kataang shippers or anyone else ever.

I don't hate baseless ships. I am, in fact, a HUGE FAN of baseless ships. but the moment shippers (especially het shippers) start to pretend they're above everyone else because their ship talked to each other a few times, I lose my g-dang mind. your ship is not canon! that's fine! you need to learn to be fine with that just like everyone else.

am I inviting hate from the toxic zutara shippers? yes. hate away. at least I haven't been conditioned to find every minute interaction between opposite sex characters romantic because most modern writers put so little effort into heterosexual romantic build-up these days due to the fact that they know they can get away with it because people like you exist who cannot even begin to fathom any other reason as to why two opposite sex characters would be interacting in the first place. before you post your hate-fueled response, just remember you've been played by every lazy heterosexual writer who ever lived.

(btw this post is not for the regular ppl who ship zutara. y'all are chill. I love enemies to lovers. keep on making your little comics. this is for those folks out there who will not shut the hell up about it being "soooo much better than [any other ship ever]" and how it's "BaSiCaLly CaNoN." it's not. it's a silly ship. let it be silly and stop telling people to kill themselves.)

AND (toxic) KATAANG SHIPPERS. y'all ain't safe neither. I don't fuck with you, nor will I ever. honestly the concept of doing so has me a bit repulsed. just because your ship is canon doesn't mean everyone else's sucks. if you took even a second to get off your high horse, you'd have the perspective to see that a.) it's corny, b.) you're corny, and c.) you aren't the only people capable of forming an opinion. even in canon, your ship is goofy. LET IT BE GOOFY. STOP TELLING PEOPLE TO KILL THEMSELVES.

TLDR: ship wars are dumb. you're dumb. stop being dumb. Or, at the very least, stop being outwardly dumb. y'all have been consistently dumb for twenty years. we all know how the last hundred year war went. cut the bullshit before I travel across the world with my unlikely band of misfit friends and master all four disciplines of kicking your ass.

[cursedalthoughts]

Priority Research 6 Predictions - Sakura Empire

I would love a Sakura Empire PR for PR6 but they don't have that many options :/ However, I am going to present the most likely to y'all. This is the last PR6 prediction post, to check the others you can see the #priority research tag because I posted them all with that tag.

As always: Do not treat any of the following choices as guaranteed. I would not bet money on any of these specific ones getting added as part of PR6 this year, it's just the ships I see as Very LikelyTM.

Hizen

Honestly, the most unlikely. She's a bigger Izumo, and in terms of gameplay she is just a bigger Izumo and nothing else.

Her reload time is atrocious at 38 seconds for kind of good 410mm guns, but Izumo is free and Hizen costed money.

And you can't even get Hizen anymore.

Iwami

A strange battlecruiser, Iwami may look a lot like Hizen and that's because they're based on the same pre-Yamato designs. However, Iwami has a total of 4 cannons less in exchange of slightly better accuracy and a reload that's 10 seconds faster than Hizen's.

She also has Shimakazo torpedoes - 2 launchers at the rear with 4 torps each, and they have 20km range with ludicrous damage. The problem is that it's the 20km Shima torpedoes, which can be outrun by some ships and can also be spotted from the Moon.

Iwami also has another gimmick: half-decent secondaries. Kii at Tier 8 has better secondaries, imho, but Iwami's can be fun.

She would be PR.

Daisen

I haven't read much on Daisen yet, but from her stats, she's a fast little battlecruiser with incredibly bad armor, mediocre secondaries, very good main guns and 8 torpedoes per side. Those torpedoes do 20k damage each and have a 10km range, meaning she's no joke.

I don't know if she is PR or DR material, but I think she fits as a PR. Besides, unlike Iwami, she's very different from Izumo; meaning she wouldn't step on Izumo that much - which is my main concern.

Shikishima

The USS Georgia of the Yamato-class, Shikishima is the same hull as Yamato with somewhat better secondaries and six 510mm guns instead of 9 460mm guns. She's more accurate and reloads faster than Yamato, meaning that sticking Isoroku Yamamoto on this baby is very fun due to his buffs.

However, unlike Georgia, she would be a DR. A very powerful DR that would 'powercreep' (if you believe that thing exists in AL) most other UR BBs until Yamato comes out.

I imagine Shikishima being the weird one of the Yamato family. She would be a stealthy assassin, who kills her enemies from within the shadows. Mainly because that's how she is in the Tegarrian Lore (@tegarrianlore) lol.

Yoshino

Honestly, Yoshino feels unlikely. She is, effectively, a bigger Azuma with 8 Shimakaze torpedoes per side. Her gimmick is that she has excellent 310mm HE shells but also has access to anti-camping 20km torpedoes.

However, if Yoshino gets added, she would be DR. Which makes me feel she's even more unlikely.

Shimanto

Takahashi

I group these 2 together as equally likely because they are the new additions to the Japanese tech tree - the Tier 8 and Tier 9 light cruisers - and both suck.

I enjoy the freemium Tokachi at Tier 7, as she's a Furutaka with 127mm guns and that HE spamming is fun, but these other cruisers with bigger 155mm guns simply aren't worth it.

However, we know their performance in WoWs doesn't mean shit for Azur Lane. The best example imho is FdG, who is just plain old bad in WoWs but is a murderhouse in AL. I believe they could be fun, little HE spammers in AL that have massive torpedo-buffing abilities, to both themselves and the whole fleet.

Hayate

A unique (for Japan's standards) destroyer that has both good guns and good torpedoes. They normally excell only at guns (Kitakaze) or only at torpedoes (Shimakaze) - Hayate is good with both.

However, in AL she could be the DR gunboat equivalent to Shimakaze's excellent torpedo perfomance. The Death by Thousand Cuts of AL.

BONUS - MOST UNLIKELY

Tokachi

As stated above, she is a Furutaka with destroyer guns. They reload incredibly slowly at 7 seconds between shots, but most of her turrets can spin 360º and do so incredibly quickly.

The problem is Tokachi is Tier 7. We have not gotten any Tier 7 or lower PR and I doubt Tokachi will be the first one.

Ashitaka

There is a saying within the WoWs community, "you can't say Ashitaka without saying shit".

She's bad. Attrociously bad. Absolute girlfailure.

A Tier 7 version of Amagi, she has worse guns, worse accuracy, worse shells, no armor, and worse health. With Kii being an option, and Amagi being researchable, there is genuinely no reason for Ashitaka to be in the game.

[erigold13261]

I see you might have a thing for codependent ships… (not complaining though, they’re really fun to see in fiction!)

(Ilia/Dagon) (maybe, but I see Dagon as someone who ain’t that possessive of anything, but maybe on Ilia’s end…)

Yamikumo/Kurourushi

Yuta/Rika

Pearl/Rose

Ruby/Sapphire

Pavitr/Gayatri

(To some extent Satoru/Suguru, Fumihiko/Ham, …Margo/Tila, Yinu/Peni due to their messed up experiences in the past)

I’d love to hear your thoughts! Are there any other MFers/pos with this type of ship feel? (And I apologize in advance if this take on Ilia/Dagon (StringSea??) is off)

[Just starting this ask but buckle up, I think it's gonna be a longer one than usual lol. Not even halfway through and realized this needs to be under a cut, so I'll be doing that :3. Oh yea, just finished, it's a long one y'all!]

Love when people notice things about me that I didn't even know about myself lol! I had literally no idea there were THAT many codependent ships in my library haha!

Though, looking up the term "codependent" says that one party is being manipulative while the other has a want to be controlled/satisfy the needs of the person who is manipulative/has an emotionally unstable personality.

Which I don't think fully fits a lot of these ships, but I think both you and I had a different idea of "codependent" where the partners are both just REALLY dependent on each other to the point they can't function that well without the other, which was my first thought of what codependency was and not one side being manipulative while the other tries to serve the other side.

At least that is how I see a lot of these ships. [Under the cut]

-For the Ilia/Dagon ship (StringSea songs like string cheese in my head lol. I might go with Sea String instead though I think that's already something else, but it's a good starting ship name!), I would say it's not codependent but instead obsessed with each other.

Pre-evolved Dagon was very dependent but not just on Ilia, on basically all the curses because they just weren't evolved yet so needed that dependency. Once they evolved and could do more stuff for themself (they could still do stuff before but needed help if another enemy curse was involved) they were a lot more self sufficient and didn't NEED any help but would still like it.

I wouldn't say Ilia is possessive of Dagon, but he is very protective. He's honestly protective of all the curses, Dagon being the most protective because the two are in a relationship.

The two can function without the other but just like being near each other a lot and so people can get the idea that they are codependent on each other.

Both would absolutely kill for the other and has (and not just in life or death situations, they have killed humans for the other just to eat or play with as well lol).

-Yamikumo and Kuroshi are absolutely codependent. There is no alternative to them at all.

Kuroshi is the much more dependent of the relationship because he literally needs Yamikumo to live as she infuses her flesh with cursed energy/magic in order for Kuroshi to actually be able to eat it.

Swap Uraume's cursed energy infused food used to do the same thing, but Kuroshi's powers have grown past the phase where even reinforced food barely gives any sustenance (and absolutely no substance), so he is at the mercy of Yamikumo and has a high priority to keep her alive for as long as possible otherwise he dies as well.

Yamikumo isn't as dependent on Kuroshi in a physical way like he is with her, but she mentally can't see herself living without him. He's been there for her for decades and is the one person she actually talks to and can be herself around him (not even her little brother sees her true self because she's always protecting him, seeing him more like a pet to keep alive rather than an actual human being, but that's a story for another time).

She could technically live without Kuroshi, but she wouldn't really want to. Her life would become boring and trying to find a replacement for him to the point she'd probably ruin a bunch of relationships around her trying to fill that void.

I can absolutely see her having a huge crash out if Kuroshi died and becoming a despicable curse user that would be very difficult to take down because of her technique and cursed weapon.

-Yuta and Rika are similar to Yamikumo and Kuroshi, but to a slightly lesser degree? Kind of?

They are both dependent on each other in the sense that their love is what pushes them, but they can absolutely function alone when needed and will even have other healthy friendships for the most part outside of their relationship (Kuro/kumo really only have each other and some fleeting friendships around them that aren't their biological familial relationships).

Rika is obviously the much more dependent and possessive one in the relationship. She used to never want to see Yuta with anyone else, especially other girls, but has been getting better over time where she can let Yuta have other friends outside of her.

Yuta is pretty good functioning outside of Rika, but I would say he is still real protective of her. Especially as he has grown stronger with his powers, he feels like he has to be the one to protect her as he is more offensively built compared to her more defensive powers (though their mindsets are swapped where Yuta is much more defensive and Rika is offensive in how they want to fight).

This could be a much more classic case of codependency, like the actual definition version. Where Rika is manipulating Yuta into staying in the relationship and Yuta wanting to do whatever she can to appease Rika, but it is absolutely not intentional on Rika's part.

Rika just truly loves and adores Yuta and has this want to keep them to herself. Yuta has a people pleasing personality (which he is working on to fix and be more tough when necessary) which makes him want to appease Rika a lot.

Neither are trying to actively alienate and hurt the other, but they are teenagers who don't know how to fully process their emotions entirely and found true companionship for the first time in each other so it's really hard for either of them to let the other go even if it would be much healthier for them to be apart (not saying it is, but if they don't work on themselves individually as well as a couple, their relationship is going to get very toxic in the future).

As long as they can recognize what their relationship is and can figure out ways to mature by themselves as well as together, they will be fine. But yes, right now they are highly dependent on each other to get the validation they crave (though Yuta has been making friends and so Rika feels alone sometimes which makes her more possessive and protective. Once she starts making friends, possibly with Mai and Momo, or even Todo and Yuji would be funny, she'll be able to start working on herself and being able to function outside of being by Yuta's side).

If you want to talk about the human with their entity/curse counterpart, then basically it's just that Rika (human and curse) is very dependent on Yuta (curse and human).

Curse/entity Rika is the most dependent on Yuta because she literally will go on a complete rampage without Yuta as an anchor (entity Rika can end up anchoring to human Rika and then to entity Rika once human RIka dies).

Human Yuta is dependent on curse Rika until the curse is broken, then he's more dependent on her as a tool rather than an emotional crutch. Similar with entity Rika, except he became less dependent on entity Rika once human Rika returned.

Human Rika is very dependent on curse and entity Yuta as emotional support and for keeping her alive with their healing magic/RCT. Curse Yuta is her last connection to Yuta and so I don't think she ever breaks the curse, at least not as a teenager, and entity Yuta is more of a stand in for human Yuta which she gets back once she returns.

Curse/entity Yuta is probably the least dependent out of everyone, in the sense that I can see them being able to survive without Rika just in a heatbroken manner. More of a depressed reactive (as in reacts to stuff coming to them) anger rather than being an active anger like Rika. Is based off of love for Rika but in a protective way, keep Rika alive way, not a kill everyone around Rika way that curse/entity Rika is with Yuta. Still loves and is dependent on Rika, but not nearly as much as curse/entity Rika is on Yuta (or human Rika is for any Yuta).

-With Pearl/Rose, oh absolutely Pearl is super dependent on Rose. That was like a WHOLE thing in the show and will be in the Eriverse as well (most of the SU canon is pretty much unchanged in my mind right now, if I put more thought into that part of the AU I'm sure there will be big changes).

Rose isn't as dependent on Pearl, especially not later on in their lives. She still holds Pearl in great regard, but in all honesty, Rose doesn't really depend on others all that much in the first place.

It's not even a codependent relationship where Rose is using Pearl, as Rose wants Pearl to be free and be her own gem, but Pearl is constantly wanting to be of use, to be a tool, to Rose. So it's more Pearl creating this toxic relationship that Rose doesn't really see/hasn't noticed yet because she's too busy trying to become her own gem as well.

So it's definitely Pearl having dependency on Rose while Rose is sorta oblivious to just how much Pearl is still devoted to her.

-Ruby/Sapphire. Pretty sure these are the two that literally made me start liking this kind of relationship in fiction so much lol!

Like these two cannot, for most of the story, function without the other at all. Once they fell in love they became a perma fusion so that their love could be it's own gem entirely!

It was beautiful but also making them stunted in their growth, which they were able to work on as the years went by and they started to become their own gems outside of Garnet, but still hold that love between them while unfused.

I love them so much and while they aren't as messy and toxic as some of the other ships on here that I adore (Yamikumo and Kuroshi the most I love), they are still messy enough to be still so interesting and loving at the same time!

-For Pavitr and Gayatri, I don't see them as codependent at all. Neither one truly depends on the other at all. They are literally just the healthy version of Yuta and Rika lol.

These two just love each other a whole lot but aren't putting the other on a pedestal (other than like how Gomez put Morticia on a pedestal, which these two do to each other), suffocating each other in their love, or ignoring/hating the world if it doesn't revolve around either one of them.

For the most part, they are just a healthy, loving couple that can go about doing their own thing or enjoy each others' company. They don't have separation anxiety for the other and have full trust in the other as well. They build each other up and push them to do better and progress in life.

So yea, Pav and Gaya are not a codependent relationship.

-SatoSugu I can definitely see being codependent. Neither would probably admit it, but you can see it in how they act when they are not with the other.

Plus also, I think the way they fight would absolutely be explosive but they literally can't stay away from each other that much.

Satoru is absolutely the more clingy one of the relationship, and Suguru can do his own thing more often, but they each enjoy each others' company and will destroy the world to be with each other.

Even when Suguru left Satoru for a while (to become a father and then be brainwashed by Kenjaku), he still thought a lot of blue and wanted to try and make the relationship work.

They definitely depend on each other. They are each others' best friend. They love each other until the end of the world. Though Satoru is the one more willing to crashout because of the relationship while Suguru needs more external forces (so a similar relationship like Rose and Pearl except that Suguru returns Satoru's feelings).

-Fumihiko and Ham I don't see as being codependent. Not really?

They are absolutely close, but I don't see them as like needing each other to live. They definitely help give extra purpose and meaning to the others' life (especially Ham having Fumihiko pull her out of a pretty bad depression in the case of her aunt situation), but they aren't like fully dependent on each other.

I kinda see the two as being on a similar level of Pav and Gaya. At least once they get back together during the culling games does their relationship become a lot more healthy and stable compared to what they had before.

Actually, now that i think about it, I can absolutely see their first go of their relationship being really codependent, especially on Funihiko's end where they were so reliant on Ham to feel like they were being a good comedian that it was one of the added reasons that Ham had to leave when her aunt got sick. Ham literally couldn't be the rock that Fumihiko needed because of her situation.

It's only after the couple of years separated and the crisis of the world that the two were able to mature into two new people that could give the relationship another chance without it delving into codependency on each other.

So they were a codependent relationship that was able to work itself out over time and try again to be a more healthy relationship.

-Margo and Tila... Yea, I can see it.

Tila is very dependent on Margo for a lot of things. Though honestly, she's dependent on a lot of people throughout her life, especially her friends and the mermaids, but now she's mainly dependent on Margo. Not in the sense of the definition of codependency.

Tila has a lot of mental problems that she has to work through each day to try and have a normal life. Margo helps her with that as best as bit can (as well as Tila having communications with the rest of the Sayu Crew still to this day).

It's much easier for Tila to live with Margo in her life than it was without her as Margo gives her a really good ground to reality (though there are still stuff Tila struggles through even with Margo there). Not to mention that Margo is a comfort person for Tila, someone who she feels extremely safe with, so of course she is going to become really reliant on keeping Margo around.

And Margo loves Tila a lot. She's happy for the most part to be helping Tila. There are some rough days, but bit sticks through it because bit loves Tila.

Byte knows she can go off and live on bits own with no problem. But bit wants Tila in bytes life. Bit wants to be here and helping Tila even if bit knows she will have to also be a care giver to Tila at times. Byte knows that Tila is dependent on bit and doesn't mind it.

It's why it's such a tragedy that Margo took the risk to try and help TADC domain. Bit wants to help people and thought bit would be okay, only to lose byteself to the domain and effectively killed byteself in the process. Leavin Tila forever.

And absolutely we know this destroys Tila. If it wasn't for the Crew and Club, who knows what would have happened to her as she spiraled from the loss of Margo.

So kinda, they have a relationship where Tila is fairly dependent on Margo, but bit is happy to be there caring for Tila.

-For Yinu and Peni? I don't know. I honestly don't think they are a codependent relationship. They are more trauma bonded in my mind rather than codependent.

I actually think both would be super hyper independent and even after years of being together would sometimes have hard times asking the other for help or feeling like they can depend on the other (not in the sense of lack of trust, but more in not wanting to cause stress onto the other).

Instead, the two have become close by bonding over their shared trauma of losing family and having to put so much weight on their shoulders (Peni having to deal with causing the death of nyas father and Yinu feeling responsible for having to make a living for their family basically from the age of 5).

They are both a lot more mature than they should be given that they are just in their early 20s. It really is just the fact both were forced to grow up way too soon and so are still trying to figure themselves out outside of being the responsible ones.

So they are basically the opposite of dependent where they are trying to be as independent as possibly while still being in a relationship. Both are definitely going to be there for the other when needed, but neither are going to actually go out of their way to tell the other they need help until it is too late and there is a blowout (you can expect fights between them to be similar to Satoru and Suguru, very explosive and harsh but making up in the end).

-Two more relationships I want to add that are in the same boat kinda are Eve/Zuke and Eve/Purl-hew.

Both relationships have Eve using another person to make herself feel whole. She saw the potential that Zuke had and wanted him to be like her in an unstoppable and unreachable position. Purl-hew on the other hand was more of a replacement for Zuke for a small bit of time before she moved on from them.

We already know from the game how her relationship ended with Zuke, with her putting his hair on fire and him running away. Then her finally getting closure for that relationship later on.

During the relationship Zuke wanted to live up to her expectations but couldn't and was just so overwhelmed. While he wasn't the one depending on the relationship, he absolutely felt that he had to be there for Eve and make her feel better until the hair situation and he couldn't take that kind of role in a relationship anymore.

As for Eve and Purl, like I said, Eve was using Purl as a replacement for Zuke. The two actually acted pretty similar with their cool guy personality, which was what first drew Eve to Purl. That and the fact that Purl also does have an artistic side as well as an analytical personality that allowed Eve to desire their input (once Eve found out about these traits, because Purl tried to keep up a blank personality for a long time but let snippets of their interests fall through the cracks which Eve picked up on).

The problem was, Purl was a Navy warbot and child abuse victim. They were created and molded to follow orders. So when someone who has a higher rank than them tells them to do something, they do it (and Eve is a higher rank than 1010 in their eyes). That means that Purl felt they had no ability to say no to Eve. No say in whether they could actually want or deny her wishes.

So without even knowing it, Eve ended up taking advantage of Purl, and since Purl has a complex of needing people to need them, there were times they went out searching for Eve to desire them just so they could feel like they were a useful tool.

It is a complex relationship that was on and off again. Eve didn't know she was using Purl, thinking that they could just tell her no, and Purl was just following orders but still was able to get something out of the situation (which is how Purl justified it).

To this day, Eve doesn't know she did anything wrong to Purl as Purl has never told her what their mindset was. I have played with scenarios in my head where Purl finally does tell Eve what she did to them, but honestly I don't think any of those scenes would be canon. Purl would be taking that shit to their grave, especially once Haym started dating Eve.

While the relationship between Eve and Purl wasn't a true actual relationship, more like fuck-buddies, they both still depended on each other in an unhealthy and toxic way that did way more harm to the two of them than it did help.

///////////////////////////

And I don't have any other ships in mind to add. I probably could come up with some more, but honestly this is such a long ask already just by answering your examples and adding 2 more of mine.

It was really fun to get to make a big answer again! I tried to get this done in one go but absolutely couldn't. So if it feels disjointed in some sections that's because I had to save and come back to this ask a few times lol :3

[mercuriart]

god. i know i don't get into shipping discourse and I'm not looking to start (reblogs are off for a reason), but holy shit.

y'all say you like the enemies to lovers trope, but your only concept of enemies is two people who had the slightest of misunderstandings (caused entirely by plot reasons, god forbid one of them, or both, was wrong with their interpretation - no, they couldn't know better) and were never really opposed to each other. the moment two characters dare to be actual enemies, or, the horror, slightly hostile rivals, you faint.

(nevermind if the point of the narrative is change, or getting better; it doesn't matter if both characters learn and grow from the experience while learning how to coexist, the moment they so much as say a bad word about the other, the relationship is doomed forever)

y'all want interesting queer relationships but cannot conceptualize a dynamic not being purely fluff and love all of the time. if someone so much as makes a mistake that hurts the other, either the relationship is irredeemably toxic, or y'all pretend it hasn't happened - either way, nobody has agency, either nobody is at fault or the one that is is a monster. i'm not even going to mention the cases where a character, due to how they see the world or the pattern they were born into or whatever the fuck else, ends up hurting the other - you know full well how those cases are treated.

(was this a story about learning to ask for forgiveness and do better? was it about cycles of trauma and how to break them? who cares, the result is the same)

you want hurt/comfort, but the only hurt you'll take is plot induced - characters are always perfect and never hurt each other unless they're one of the Big Bads. you want angst but god forbid characters react like people to being hurt and in pain. you want complex dynamics - as long as that complexity is having different favorite colors, and not learning to reconcile two different ways of viewing the world.

[nutcasewithaknife]

y'all are being too amazing in the tags for me to leave all this there.

#YOU UNDERSTAND ME#listen like. ok. how it goes for me is#yeah dfs imo is gay and not really bending the other way but i do have an image of him and qwm coming across each other post canon#and they sleep together at least once out of sheer want for physical comfort#and they're two of a very few people from Before who could and understand both lxy and llh (@difeisheng)

#dfs doesn’t need 10 years of recovery#instead he sneaks out and goes to find the one person who might know what was so very Wrong with lxy at the end#because dfs could tell that lxy wasn’t himself and he doesn’t know how to deal with what happened#qwm is understandably alarmed when the injured dfs appears at her doorstep#but she’s mourning too. she doesn’t chase him away#because the sigu sect is in pieces around her and lxy is Gone#but dfs isn’t here to kill her#to get a final revenge on lxy#no#dfs is here for answers#together they manage to find out the truth about what happened to sgd#or at least enough of it#and by the time fdb comes home dragging llh behind him neither of them are the people they used to be anymore#mysterious lotus casebook (@jianghushenanigans)

#This is so funny I was just spitballing a role reversal au with kingsandbastardz#And I was talking about how qwm and dfs would be sworn siblings#I can see it though. Especially if it happened after she and lxy/llh broke up#Breaking news! The mengzhu of the sigu sect and the jianghu's number one villain have gotten together!#(This DEFINITELY has not happened before)#I think they would work though (even if it's for like a case or something?)#Their relationship is built on mutual respect and dfs certainly wouldn't coddle qwm as xiao zijin did#He'd certainly be chivalrous and they'd be one of those couples you always see arm in arm#But he wouldn't be like yeah you're a woman. Sit back while I the man do all the work#Plus it's not like a marriage alliance WOULDN'T look good for them#Also the gossip would be INSANE (@mx-myth)

#i imagine them meeting in the ten year gap and they should be enemies (di feisheng killed qiao wanmian's fiance) but instead they're both#mourning (they were both in love with the same impossible guy and don't mind sharing with someone who also understands him)#i just think they would be able to give each other solace the way nobody else can give them#because nobody else feels what they feel#they're the two people who no matter how much time passes will continue to miss what they had#(Fang Duobing misses what he could have had; Yun Biqiu yearns for what didn't happen)#so yeah just. put the two of them in the same room and watch them break down crying the way they couldn't either with anyone else or#alone before#because here is someone who understands the depth of their pain#even post canon nobody shares exactly what they have even tho Fang Duobing comes close#but he doesn't share their knowledge of Li Xiangyi only Li Lianhua#and both parts of him are an important part of him#(something that Li Lianhua would like to deny)#anyway. i think they are so neat#i dont want to ship them romantically i want to ship them in a breakdown way (@endrega23)

Also, the tags that made me wheeze so hard because I forgot to even think about it:

#xiao zijin would be Livid i think (@ari3su)

#pairings that would make xiao zijin combust on the spot (@moondal514)

okay if we're gonna be qiao wanmian posting, may I present: qiao wanmian and di feisheng

[booasaur]

avatrice is just so perfect so good. it makes so much sense that after all the cruelty she experienced ava would fall for bea who's so methodical and patient, bea who's so deliberately thoughtful and kind and compassionate. and after so many year of practicing control bea would fall for someone who lives so unrestrained with so much joy and curiosity. ugh just meant for each other. and a bit of a queen/knight thing going on too

Oof, anon, that's so well said! They match sooo perfectly, it really couldn't be anyone but Bea for Ava and Ava for Bea. The parts that contrast, the parts that complement, the way they like each other as people even outside all that.

It had to be Bea who first pointed out to Ava to think outside of herself, but so fairly and gently that then she was the one Ava turned to for comfort, earning her trust that quickly and keeping it. And it wasn't a one way thing, their relationship isn't just Bea being the cool, infallible one who helps Ava, when Bea was struggling with being gay and the perception of it, it was Ava who was so accepting it prompted that frankly super romantic "It was everyone but you."

What's more, even as they keep these core tenets of their personalities, you can see how each affects and slowly changes the other. Bea absolutely grounds Ava and has taught and trained her to be more mature and patient and a better leader, but also provides stability and a home base, a partner she knows she can count on, invaluable after everything she's gone through. Bea is more willing to try new things, more open to what might make her happy instead of living only for the church and accepting their harshest judgments.

This has been the culmination of decades of subtext f/f ships that seemed so perfect if only the writers would go there, best friends, enemies, rivals, partners, narrative foils of all kinds, and every time we'd say "if that were a man and a woman they'd go there" but they weren't and they didn't, not until now. Finally it feels like what we're seeing and that the writers are writing is on the same page.

I'd also like to give credit to the three things that for me were so necessary to this ship's success. First, it's main character/main character. I've always talked about this, right, the trajectory of canon f/f over time, starting with temporary sweeps stuff, then guest stars, then side characters, and even when including mains and leads, often the love interest was still a side character who might leave at any point. But this is as main/main as you can get! And doesn't it show? The amount of time, story, development? Whole plot decisions hinging on their feelings for each other? It's incomparable.

Second, the fact that they did a multi-season slow burn. I've talked about this before as well, the vanishly small number of shows where characters who were introduced in one season get together in another. Even smaller when both the characters were in the first episode, indicating their importance to the show, being a pivotal character from the start. It pays off in such a rewarding way when we get that anticipation and building of tension and speaks to the commitment and patience from the writers in doing it over such a long arc. Everything we know about these characters and their relationship we were allowed to observe over a significant amount of time and get truly invested in. Not to criticize those that write the full arc within a season, especially in these cancel-happy times, but y'all can't tell me this didn't feel AMAZING.

And lastly, for the most part this remains a very character-first kinda show, and I have not a single criticism for how they handled Ava, Bea, or Avatrice (though I'm not happy about certain other aspects). What we know about Ava and Bea, their traits that you can list so clearly, they're such fully formed characters and their actions feel so organic and rooted in what we already know about them. That's been so vital in appreciating their whole romance, it's always just made so much sense.

Oh, the queen/knight thing! I didn't even think about that but it's definitely there, and my favorite kind, where the knight character is awesome and protective, but the queen is fighting for the knight just as hard in her own way (see also: Dani/Grace >_>).

This turned out to be truly special, really hoping the show gets one more season at least to cap things off.

[inke-ri]

ok ok fine so- best moments of this new update:

(yes, this will be long, no I dont know how to put it under a read more on mobile. Sorry OTL)

- The Nightlights get actual unique personalities. In Homecoming, only Dart seemed to have one, while the boys were basically "cute boys who are always sparring". Here, Dart is inquisitive and forward, Ruff is a bit lazy but with a heart of gold, and Pouncer is playful and brave (he's biting at his tail like a dog would here lmao).

- Pouncer reminds me of his dad a lot. He follows you around because he wants to be near you, he sneaks after you as you go to a dangerous place, and even tho he is Baby, he still tries to use a blinding sort of light flash /shot to protect you from dragon hunters. He can get a little scared at times but he immediately calms down near you, and trusts you enough to follow you despite being afraid. The moment the fear disappears he just happily flies around like a dork <3 He's probably my favorite of the three but it's really hard to choose because they're all so unique.

- Dart is very much her mother's daughter. She's impulsive, wild, and does what she wants when she wants. She also apparently idolizes the Green Death, which is hilarious (for those that dont know, the Green Death is another female who moved and took over Dragon Island after the original Red Death was killed in SOD Universe, and yes, she is green). I'm not kidding, she killed a ship full of people lmao. Well, indirectly. She flew up to the Green Death and eventually led her to shoot fire at a whole ship of warlords. And eventually set fire to the whole fleet... in the open seas. Yea, those people are dead.

That said Dart is caring and protective and her special "power" is to rally and protect other dragons. She really feels like a mix of her mom's wild, more brutal side with her father's protectiveness. While she likes the Player character well enough I got the distinct feeling she bonds with dragons better, which I really love! She's just. Wild, but still open to work with people, just like her mom in this universe. Well, maybe a little more open than Mom. I also really like that both Pouncer and Ruffrunner had moments in which they were afraid and the Player had to comfort them, but Dart never did. She was always up and ready to go lmao.

- Ruffrunner is SO cute. Despite being a fighty boy, he's very attached to his parents and apparently wants to make them proud. He's also very lazy, he likes to nap around |D That said, he cares so deeply for others that he willingly puts himself in danger and draws enemy fire so others can attack properly. He's more tanky than the other two so he can take it. He's SO eager to help (and prove himself), be it you or his parents, which matches how his unique ability is to take hits to make sure everyone isnt attacked. He reminds me of the Toothless that was willing to die if it meant saving Hiccup.

- Bonus points for Toothless for being a fantastic dad to his kids and apparently not taking the Stoick route. He encourages Ruffrunner to be brave and look, this is just an excuse to show you how adorable they are.

- Hiccup remarks that Ruffrunner reminds him a lot of himself and how he wanted to make his parents proud of ALL of him. Why, yes, he referenced the "all this" line in the year of our Lord 2022. Did I mention I love this game? I love this game.

- As an AMAZING bonus, Valka was there and heard it, and she was actually a little awkward and upset at the thought of Hiccup suffering because of that. God. I love their dynamic. Just the right amount of awkwardness and guilt despite how much they love and understand each other, which makes perfect sense considering she abandoned him for 20 years.

- Valka in general getting focus and development is great. I love how every time she visits the Hidden World (she gets to see the Hidden World y'all!!!) she's in awe of it.

- Backtracking to talk about the Green Death for a second bc I love what they did with her! While she's just as violent and brutal as the Red Death, she didn't immediately go for the Warlord ships. Only after we rescued some baby scuttleclaws from those ships was that the Green Death attacked them.

I just love love LOVE that a dragon of the same species as the "pure evil"-type one from the first movie is not ACTUALLY shown as pure evil and IS capable of protecting and caring... just like any other dragon. I did not expect this but it was SO good. Between this and you being able to rescue and train one of Grimmel's deathgrippers, I LOVE how this game tells us that there are no true evil dragons. 10/10 point goes to School of Dragons.

- Just, this line from Valka:

I'm gonna be a bit salty for a sec because this. THIS. You have to respect these creatures and sometimes only watch from a distance- not every dragon needs to be trained, which is the lesson Hiccup seemingly had to learn in httyd 3. But learning about them, seeing them, living with them, even from a distance, is what leads to love and respect and inspires you to take care of them.

Not, y'know, shoving them down a hole for a thousand years. Even if it IS a very cozy hole. THAT just leads to them being forgotten and for people to still wanna use them for their own gains, like the timeskip show whose name I'm forgetting tells you.

Here they actually move back and forth between the skies and their ancestral home. I love that they have the freedom to do so.

- The King of Dragons lives! Somehow!

I didn't expect this- would have been cool if Drago's Bewilderbeast had taken over the King's duties to protect the original nest- buuuut y'know what? I'm okay with this. He deserved better and he's a good boi and I love him so yea.

Stoick is still dead here, and it IS heavily implied to still have been Drago-Toothless who took him out, so my best guess is that Drago's Bewilderbeast took the King out of commission long enough for Toothless to challenge him and become an Alpha on his own, etc, but he's recovered since?

- Hiccup arrives in the Sacturary after a while and... I dunno, maybe seeing the King of Dragons reminded him of his father, because he quietly mutters that "I miss him so much."

The shock and pain kept me from screenshotting the first comment from him. Ugh, come for my heart won't you. I love that Hiccup still struggles with being Chief, and missing Stoick, but is trying his best. I love how this game doesn't forget about him- there's a whole video sequence dedicated to his memory in one of the previous storyline missions when we return to Dragon Island for the first time. I'm very lucky to have played this game VERY on and off for years, because I still remember everyone's httyd1 models, Stoick being there, and his missions about the importance of being responsible and being a chief. I treasure them fondly since he's not around anymore- not even in this game.

- Speaking of Hiccup, he's surprisingly absent for most of the storyline! He only shows up every now and then and doesn't even participate in the battle with the Warlords and Stormheart- you work mainly with the Nightlights and Valka through this story. At first I wasn't sure why, but eventually I realized that I really liked this. It sort of shows that Hiccup can delegate- that we don't NEED him to be there at all times to do the right thing and fight for the bond with dragons. It shows his ideas are spreading- that he's changing the world little by little :)

- I also really like how they pair each of the nightlights with a King Dragon that inspires them. Pouncer with the playful, curious and brave Luminous Krayfin, Dart with the fierce, wild yet protective Green Death, and Ruffrunner with the gentle, protective and loyal Bewilderbeast. Amazing way to showcase their personalities and make them unique! Also goes to show how all 3 have what it takes to, perhaps one day, become worthy Alphas of their own.

- As a last bit, I love that they make the Warlords threatening- Griselda gets a bit of a spotlight, and I loved the tension between the three Warlords and Stormheart since they kept intruding on her turf. I love how the Warlords got a whole storyline for themselves after Grimmel is dead, even if the star of the show is still Stormheart.

- Also also, it takes the whole gang (minus Hiccup and Toothless), PLUS Player and his dragon, PLUS Valka and Cloudjumper, PLUS THREE WHOLE NIGHTLIGHTS to defeat them, instead of 6 kids in flight suits. While the game focuses just on you and the nightlights, everyone else IS there and they didn't NEED to spend money and resources to add that. I thought it was very cool.

- Stormheart in general is just such a good character. I love that we have a female villain in the first place, I love how after threatening you for so long she finally decides she's done and Player's gonna die... I love that SHE's the final boss of the storyline because SHE is the main antagonist of this story and has always been.

- Also, I love that we finally get to blow up her fancy ship that used enslaved dragons to create steam for it to move. It felt so satisfying after all these years.

- Also, it's cute that the Player character gets to pick a nightlight to bond with and train for free at the end of the story, with Toothless and the Light Fury watching on. The fact that they approve and that Hiccup trusts you with this is such a fun way to end this story and to show how far Player has come.

Overall, I both feel and fear this game is gearing up for a final storyline... Stormheart escaped, but her ship and most of her power is no more. Even her ally, Harald, has (perhaps surprisingly) betrayed her and gave us the info to destroy her ship. It feels like it's leading up to one final confrontation with her. If so, it will make the whole thing one hell of a ride, and I couldn't be happier to be able to experience it myself. This story and world is so rich, and it really sticks to the franchise's core, while being fun, educative, not afraid to craft their own unique stories, and so, so full of heart. As I said earlier, it really reminds me of why I love httyd as much as I do.

[stitch1830]

For the Ship Heacanon Meme:

5,13 (canon and modern au) 29?

Make it Zutara 😍

:D YES some Zutara asks! Don't mind if I do hehe

5. Who says ‘I love you’ first?

I feel like Katara says 'I love you' first. After dating Zuko for a while now, she knows how she feels about him after a certain point and she just tells him. He immediately says it back without hesitation, as if he was waiting for her to say it...

Zuko probably knows that he's in love almost right when they start dating. Like, he just knows that Katara's the one after date 3 or something, but he's much more cautious about telling Katara that he loves her because he doesn't want to scare her into thinking that they're moving too fast or anything. Often he'll whisper it under his breath if she does something ridiculous but endearing, or when she's fast asleep he'll say it, but he doesn't say it to her until she says it first. Why? Idk, it just seems like a Zuko thing for him to wait for Katara to say it first haha!

13. When do they realise they should get together?

In Universe: I would say that they know they have feelings for one another, it just takes a beat before they decide to act on it. For weeks (maybe months?) they try to push down their feelings because they have different lives/responsibilities, they need to focus on their careers, etc.

But after many a conversations with their friends, they realize that their relationship is special and that it's worth exploring despite all the signs that tell them they shouldn't.

In short, I think it takes the convincing of some of their friends/loved ones to take the leap, but they also realize after months of dancing around feelings that they should give their relationship a try lol.

Modern AU: In a modern AU, I feel like Zuko asks her out after seeing her at the bars or they run into each other on the street! It's one of those moments where he has no idea who she is, but he just has to get to know her. They decide to go on a date, and the date goes really well, so they just... keep seeing each other until it gets serious!

I also like the idea of them meeting through mutual friends and they get set up on a blind date. Neither of them are really into it, but they're both a little too nice to bail on the date.

But then they realize that they're really enjoying themselves and they decide to keep seeing each other! They don't like it when their friends rub it in their face that they set Zutara up. Because they just never let it go. Every big milestone (and future kid) the Gaang is just like "Oh thank goodness we set y'all up!" LOL.

29. Why do they fall a little bit more in love?

I think Katara and Zuko have these moments where they just know their partner well and they trust them. They've been through a lot together as enemies, friends, and lovers, so they've come to understand all sides of their personality. When they learn a new side or a piece of each other, I think it just adds to their love and trust for one another.

They learn something new about each other almost on a daily basis, and I think that Zuko and Katara grow with each other really well. They can be their own person, but they know they can lean on one another if they need to.

......

Okay! I think that answers the questions. Thanks for the ask, and feel free to send in more asks if you'd like! Hope you have a great day!

Send me headcanon asks for ATLA (or other) ships!

[swanqueensalad]

Is your question thingy still on? if so, would you rate top10 episodes to watch if you want swanqueen :)

ahhh this is such a good question!! and my ask box is literally always open for anything, i love chatting with y'all <3

this is Not a comprehensive list, just ten great ones that come to mind (plus two bonus ones and a lot of rambling bc, as always, i got carried away).

i've tried to put them in chronological order for the show!

1. a land without magic (1x22)

don't get me wrong, there's a lot of incredible swan queen episodes in season one (the pilot, desperate souls, that still small voice) but the content in finale just does something to me man...

emma pinning regina against the wall, the intensity of the confrontation and regina admitting everything, the way they're instantly a TEAM despite all that fury and heartache because henry comes before anything else, the literal entire sequence paralleling charming fighting maleficent and saving snow to emma fighting maleficent and saving regina, i -

2. broken (2x01)

feel like this a bit of a rogue one since, again, s2 has lots of good stuff, but there's a LOT going on in the premiere! emma promising to protect regina for henry (which we know develops into this kind of sacred oath she fulfils at her own peril over and over throughout the years) and being so attentive to her, saving her from the mob, helping her to her feet, human-shielding her, and the look on regina's face when emma's touch restarts her magic and opens a portal to another realm - the literal requirements for 'true love'. so, so good.

3. the cricket game (2x10)

a classic. emma starting to not only see but fight for the woman regina really is. this strange developing trust and respect, the desire to not be enemies for a brief second before it goes wrong again.

4. and straight on til morning (2x22)

i will never be able to scream enough about the sq development in the s2 finale. regina being the most vulnerable and herself in front of emma, begging her to let her die as herself because she knows she's the only one who could understand and grant her that - and emma not letting her, emma jumping in and finding their shared magic together for the first time to save each other and everyone else. emma speechless, seeing everything regina feels for henry.

also "you might not be strong enough but maybe we are" is one of my favourite swan queen lines, because i think it just sums up the whole ship!

5. going home (3x11)

jumping to the 3A finale, what can i say? once again, as always when it comes to henry, they are a team above all else. the group hugs, henry calling them 'mom, mama', emma being a human shield again, regina whispering her name as she wakes up, ready to give emma everything she ever wanted for herself and their son.

the incredibly intimacy and intensity of their goodbye and all those things unsaid and unfinished between them. *chefs kiss*

6. breaking glass (4x05)

ok so despite the stupid frozen arc, season 4 is actually one of my favourites for swan queen content, bc you have emma promising to give regina a happy ending in the premiere and seeing that all the way through to sacrificing herself for her in the finale. and that's what dreams are made of.

i specifically mention breaking glass bc there's so much sq screen time. emma is gutted that regina thinks she'll never have her back, literally follows her around all episode trying to prove the opposite (in the same way hook follows her around lmao), elsa telling emma not to give up on her.

and there's that gorgeous scene where emma is so honest with her about the two of them having something special and unique and different from what they have with anyone else, and that hopeful 'it's a start' ... i ...

7. operation mongoose (4x22)

what would be a list of top tier swan queen episodes without the climax of all that 'fighting for her happiness' - the saviour sacrificing herself to the darkness to save regina. this was truly the peak of ouat i swear to go d

also lots of nice stuff in the alternate reality with emma, henry and regina!

(before i move on from season 4 i do have to mention bonus episode: lily - emma's super gay fucking backstory, regina telling her she needs her, the first (?) swan queen road trip!, regina talking emma down from shooting lily/beating up that dude because she believes so strongly in emma's goodness)

8. dreamcatcher (5x05)

i remember after this episode came out, there was a post circulating of a bunch of c$ fans saying they were literally worried sq was becoming canon/getting undeniable.

so yeah. everything in this episode is pure gold. the swan mills family dynamics, regina trusting emma with her most painful memory, emma crying over the dreamcatcher, and that deliciously tense argument on regina's porch that was so electric it made sq feel inevitable. ('don't miss swan me, we've been through too much' is another favourite line!)

9. only you (5x22)

swan queen road trip, them being married af the whole time plus regina once again being her most open and vulnerable with emma? what more do you need

10. wish you were here (6x10)

this is another episode i don't think i can ever scream about enough - there's just so much to unpack! firstly, emma becoming enfuriated and attacking the evil queen because she's upsetting regina. secondly, regina thoughtlessly wishing to be sent after emma to get her back. thirdly... emma swan waking herself up from a curse and remembering who she is, sparking her own magic back to life, because even in her most cursed unknowing state she had to save regina mills.

how do you ever get over that (also they're so soft together once emma's awake, i...)

honorable mentions go to

enter the dragon (4x15) - for regina's gay backstory with mal, emma being insanely protective of regina and literally following her around all night super unhappy about her being in danger ('if i see anything i don't like i will come in blazing' oof) all the while regina is doing it to protect emma in return, jesus christ -

birth (5x08) - purely for the scene at the well where regina begs emma to tell her why she's hanging on to the darkness (aka begging emma to admit she loves her, while emma is being super repressed but they both know that's what they're talking about)

i'll be your mirror (5x08) - for all that good married sq teamwork content in the mirrorworld, regina admitting she's scared to raise henry alone and emma promising to always be there and never let anything bad happen, and the softness and tenderness of them watching him dance with violet and realising they've done such a good job together... i'm so weak bruh

[namtanlovesfilm]

Hi Axelle! I love your 'favorite shows of 2021' post, it's absolutely gorgeous and as always you create beautiful GIFs! I wanted to ask you though, if you don't mind, why you chose each show and how the selection process went? Have a great day 😊

hi anon! thank you so much it means a lot ♡♡♡ I can absolutely do that, y'all know I love talking about shows I love!!! for the selection process, I have this list I keep of all the shows I watched this year which came in extremely handy, as well as my video ranking all the 2021 shows I watched that will come out in january on my channel. so I just look at every show & create a ranking, as well as listen to my feelings bc certain shows might’ve touched me more despite a lower grade, or the opposite. you'll see examples of that in my actual list:

bad buddy: I don't love choosing shows that are still airing, but this one became an instant favorite & kept making my weeks better so frankly it's my fave show of the year. it's the show that made me feel the most things in 2021 (except for not me which hasn't aired enough to be in the 2021 ranking but will deffo be in the 2022 one ;)), and just for that it deserves the number one place :)

1000 stars: a really touching & beautiful story that I'm planning to rewatch before the end of the year. definitely also an amazing series on every level, p'aof really is ruling this year's ranking lmao

blackout: in terms of cinematography, sound design, set design, execution... this is one of the most impressive shows I've EVER seen. it's literally so underrated but revolutionary, & deserves WAY more love. the fact that the four first eps can be synched despite being filmed at different angles is INCREDIBLE.

light on me: also one of the rare shows I was genuinely invested in this year, and for me the characters were really the highlight of it, I loved them all so much. great, great show, even for a love triangle hater like me :')

the debut: extremely underrated thai drama, as all non bl thai dramas almost always are. this one is super dark & fucked up, the plot twists shook me to my core, the acting was fantastic & it was a really well executed story that I couldn't recommend more.

squid game: won't say much bc well, everyone has heard of this show lol. it was incredibly good & even though it won't be one of my all-time favorite shows, it's still very much worth the hype imo.

mad for each other: incredibly lovable & flawed characters, deals with mental health, them going slowly from enemies to lovers was made really well & felt natural, and it was overall a really engaging story. I had a lot of fun, and I'm also OBSESSED with the female lead's character design! (and the female lead in general ngl chdhbshucid)

to my star: I didn't expect to love this one as much as I did, yet it's the show I rewatched the most in 2021 bc it's simply such an efficient story with really compelling characters that take an otherwise basic korean bl like the 15 others that came out in the past year, yet elevated it enough that it's one of my faves kbl ever with light on me & where your eyes linger. it's just very lovely & quirky in its own way, which I really enjoyed.

remember you: as someone who hasn't seen the original kdrama, I genuinely really enjoyed this show & found that it combined the thriller aspects of it very well with my fave thing ever, character development. I also found the acting to be really great & the tension maintained throughout the whole show really worked for me.

golden blood: this one is my guilty pleasure of this list lol, when my video on the official ranking will come out you'll see a couple other shows ranked higher bc they had higher grades, but this is one of the rare shows that truly kept me hooked for 8 weeks. I found the series quite original, I loved the characters & especially the main ship's dynamic. it's a highly flawed show yet I know it'll stay a favorite for many years to come, so even though I'm very biased about it, I had to put it on the list <3

xxx

[flyfreewithme776]

Havdurbrjnr marcia 👀

asjsjdjsdjdsj one of the very reasons I made the post

Send me a character and I'll list:

Favorite thing about them: Marcia my looovee... headstrong, ambicious, stunning goddess. My favorite thing is probably her kindness. It's made all the more prominent because she's so reluctant to show it 75 percent of the time. But show it she does, time and time again. She's just so genuinely good.

Least favorite thing about them: Nope, nothing, nil, my queen is flawless.

Favorite scene: Hmm it's been a bit since I've read the books, but a few come to mind. Y'all remember when she put up the Safety Curtain around the Palace? She really showed just how powerful she was, just why she deserved to be ExtraOrdinary Wizard, god it gave me CHILLS. and then she bent down to reassure this little girl that she would be perfectly safe from the Darke Domaine bc the Safety Curtain would protect everyone. I read that scene so many times I swear. Also that scene in Fyre when she and Septimus reunited after they had each thought the other had fallen down the Alchemie Chimney?? So so sweet and made me realize just how much these two idiots have come they really love each other so much. Aaaahhh there are so many little moments throughout the books. Suffice to say this woman has had my heart for years

Brotp: Marcia and Septimus ofc. How can I not love them? I read this post once talking ab how Marcia and Septimus clicked right away, like right from the start, even though in Magyk Marcia was spending just as much time around Nicko and Jenna and Aunt Zelda on Draggen Island, but nooo she immediately recognized this kindred soul in Septimus and asked him to be her Apprentice even though she'd never thought about asking anyone else in all the years she was EOW

Otp: (I'm gonna get so much shit for this) Marcellia. Angie Sage was a coward for not daring to go there. They had so much enemies to lovers potential. Argue with the wall. Also, the chemistry?? And that moment in Fyre the morning after the Alchemie chimney incident he wakes up and he's happy and he thinks back to her being alive and grabbing his hands and reassuring him that yes she's okay, and he thinks of just how relieved he was to see her, despite their differences. They absolutely had potential

Notp: Ummm who is she shipped with? ig Marcilo (yes, yes I know) but I didn't really like him after Flyte. He was way better in Fyre but I still think she deserved better. Just my personal preference

Headcanon: So many. I think about her a lot sksjds one of my favorites is that Marcia never wanted kids, never saw herself having them, but she sees Septimus as one of her own. Is this even a headcanon (thinking of that moment in Fyre when she practically called Sep her kid). Another is that she has the (very occasional) spontaneous streak. Her loved ones love it when that side of her comes out. Oooh I should write a fic about thiiis aaahh

Song that reminds me of them: Oh No by Morina

What I think their enneagram type would be: Type one (the reformer). In summary, ones are ethical with a strong sense of right and wrong. Can be wise, realistic, practical, noble, morally conscious and with a strong sense of purpose. I definitely see Marcia as a one — or perhaps a three: achievement-orientated, driven, and image-conscious. Pretty sure one fits her better though.

A fic that I like featuring them:

Book Byting Beetles by @madammarcia: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21800914?view_adult=true

The Midwinter Feast by @QwillReign: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29546193

[limerental]

yennefer!!

(For the 'Give me a character & I will break their ass down' meme)

How I feel about this character

I think y'all know exactly how I feel about her but in case you are new.... Yennefer is outright one of those characters that I know will be with me forever. She is stubborn and mean and traumatized and bossy and tender and powerful and intelligent and wonderfully human. I love her complexity and her conflicts and her complications.

All the People I ship romantically with this character

My ride or die, OTP, inevitable Yen ship has ended up being Yenralt. Her and Geralt are just so very similar and different in the same breath, and their relationship is not perfect but has so much potential and so much tender love that I just can't see any universe where they are not in some way very important to each other.

Also, of course, Yennskier. I love the ridiculous, exasperated, bickering, passionate, sexually adventurous, completely stupid, queer gender role reversal enemies to lovers of it all.

I also really like Yenskel, mostly when also with Geralt, because physically scarred character meets emotionally scarred character is just a good dynamic also Eskels tits.

Yengilla is a weak spot for me too because of the childhood friends to enemies to lovers of it all and because of the opposite reflections in the mirror of it all and the last minute role swapping, the ways that Fringilla's villain origin story starts when Yen makes a choice without regard to her, the fact that Yen's villain origin story could have started by choosing Fringilla at Sodden, etc etc

My non-romantic otp for this character

Yen & Ciri mother-daughter relationship :') I love Yen's fumbling attempts at mothering a young woman and Ciri's "at first i didn't like you but now..." and the first time Yen calls Ciri her daughter which is also close to the last time she ever sees her again and her fierce and unflinching and unreserved desperation to protect and find Ciri and her willingness to change who she is and give up her life as she has known it just for Ciri's sake... and in general, just the concept of this woman with such a complicated relationship with motherhood and agency finding herself thrust into the life of a girl who has no options left who is not her biological daughter and who she technically owes nothing to but who she commits to anyway... wow

My unpopular opinion about this character

Unfortunately liking Yennefer at all in this fandom tends to be the unpopular opinion lol so yeah, largely my unpopular Yen opinion is that she is a character worthy of attention, shipping, meta, headcanons, and general admiration and exploration.

But I've also found that in order to like her, many people sanitize off her bad qualities and flaws... and in the same vein, some people don't allow her to be soft and gentle and compassionate towards others, reducing and flattening her character.

In the Netflix show, I also am of the kinda unpopular opinion that Yennefer does not actually want a baby per se... at least, she is never the one to say anything about a baby out loud, always others putting that desire in her mouth.

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

In the show, I am big hoping for more soft Yenralt moments and am very much looking forward to see her interact with Ciri and overall be a badass. Basically I would love a season 2 that Yen haters just despise because there is so much good and wonderful and complex Yen content.

In the books, I wish we could have been inside of her head more and that there had been a nice Yen and Ciri and Geralt scene that didn't make me want 2 perish but alas