#are these even head canons or are they quick character analyses?

[flowerandblood]

The Fall from the Heavens (4)

[ canon • Aemond x Strong • niece female ]

[ warnings: oral sex, smut, angst, arranged engagement, violence, swearing, humiliation, chauvinism ]

[ description: A cool distance turns into friendship and more when two children see that they can find refuge and understanding in each other. However, naïve dreams collide with the reality in which every event has consequences and what once could have been love becomes a dark, newly painful obsession. Angst, sexual tension, obsession, violence, madness, very dark Aemond. ]

The story in this series is an alternate reality from the oneshot Stay and love, leave and die, in which Aemond reads the letters his niece has sent to him over the years. They are the same characters and it shows what would have happened between them − I have changed the background story from their childhood slightly for the sake of the plot.

* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *

Next chapters: Masterlist

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That evening she could not sleep; she felt anxious, felt that danger lurked all around her, the darkness in her chamber full of chill and tension. She pressed her lips together lying under the thick furs, recalling for the hundredth time the expression on her uncle's face when he recognised her.

Terror, disbelief, rage, disgust.

She knew that she would be facing him in the throne room the next day anyway, that they would be forced to remind each other of their existence.

She sighed quietly, wondering if her letters had reached him at all.

What if his grandfather or his mother simply did not deliver them to him?

What if his rage was because he thought she had abandoned him?

She felt a quick pounding of her heart, a naïve hope, anything she could grab onto in a situation that seemed to her to have no way out.

She thought she had to visit him, she had to see him, speak to him, end this once and for all, explain to him how she felt, how sorry she was that it had all happened this way.

Just like when she was a child, she slipped out of her chamber, walking ahead in the torchlight. She remembered what time the guards on watch at his quarters exchanged and took the opportunity, with her heart pounding fast, to knock on his door.

She swallowed loudly, horrified to hear the cold, sure, rough come in and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. She turned and saw his silhouette sitting by the fire, in his hand the dagger he was skilfully playing with between his fingers, his gaze fixed on her, his eye wide open as if he was anticipating this visit.

She didn't know what she should say, where to begin.

She wasn't sure if she was trembling so much from the cold or from fear.

She tried to repeat to herself that even though he looked different, the same man was sitting in front of her, the one who had stroked her hair all night as a child, soothing her this way when she couldn't fall asleep.

Grasping at these memories she finally choked out what she had come for.

"Did you received my letters?" She asked in trembling voice, trying to sound soft and calm, to be the opposite of his aggressive attitude, to make him understand that she was coming in peace.

She shuddered when she saw the dangerous glint in his eye, the dagger in his hand spun around its own axis and curled between his fingers again, an involuntary grimace appeared on his face that resembled a smile but showed that he was furious.

"Yes." He answered finally, and she drew in a loud breath, analysing his answer quickly in her head.

He had received her letters, all of them.

She could see it in his face.

Did he despise them? Did he throw them away? Did he burn them?

"Have you read them?" She asked, wrinkling her eyebrows in helplessness, feeling that this was one of the most important moments of her life.

She saw him settle more comfortably in his chair, lifting his chin high as he stabbed the blade of his knife into the armrest, running it over it, making shivers run through her.

She had the feeling that he had just imagined himself ripping her flesh this way.

"Yes, my Lady Strong. I have read them all. Many times, here, in this chair." He muttered, and she felt a jolt of heat, of disbelief, of both humiliation and desire at the same time, because here he was, just admitting that he'd read her letters more than once, yet he'd never written her back.

She thought it was all a punishment he was inflicting on her – even though he wanted her words, his reply would have shown that he had forgiven her, that he was seeking reconciliation, that he was weak.

It all suddenly became so clear to her that she felt lighter, understanding that there was no moment in which she could do anything more to change his mind, that exactly what was supposed to happen had happened.

She looked around his chamber and moved ahead, noticing that where there had been a small cupboard of books now stood three large, tall, oak bookcases filled to the brim with thick tomes.

"Does your mother-whore know you're here?" She heard his cold, indifferent voice and pressed her lips together at the thought that he was doing it on purpose, that he was aware of what would hurt her, that he knew her too well.

She felt a squeeze in her throat when she spotted the familiar name of the philosopher among his collection and stepped closer, pulling out the book she had borrowed from him when she dared to kiss him for the first time.

"My, as you put it, mother-whore, never knew when I visited you, uncle. I was very determined not to be caught." She said lowly, in a way tired of the fact that she seemed to be speaking to stone, a cold marble to which nothing could reach.

She heard him snort, clearly displeased that his question did not elicit the effect he would have expected from her.

"Do you often visit men like this?" He asked perfunctorily, as if there was an answer in his question, as if it was obvious that she was not waiting for him.

Something in the way he said it, in the superiority in his voice made her feel rage; she moved towards his chair and stood in front of him, looking at him with furrowed brows.

Who was he to speak to her this way?

She saw that he lifted his gaze to her, surprised, apparently completely not expecting her to dare come so close to him, the hand with his dagger froze in mid-motion.

"Have you no shame?" She asked with regret and disapproval. She saw that his nostrils quivered dangerously, his healthy eye turned black, his lips pressed into a thin line.

She knew he was about to say something, something that would make her hate him, make her unable to look at him, and she decided that she would be the first to express her opinion, her suffering.

"I don't know who you are, the man who sits now before me, but if there is even a fragment of the boy I was meant to marry in you, let that boy know that he was and will be the only one in my heart. He was my beloved friend and I failed him. It is hard to live with the thought that someone you loved so deeply has died in a way, but there is neither a grave to pray over nor any hope of peace for his soul. What I fear is that the boy I knew has disappeared among the darkness and is dying in it every day."

She muttered, and although she tried to hold them back, tears of helplessness and despair ran down her cheeks as the last sentence left her lips.

She had lost him, lost him forever, this boy who had soothed her fears, who she had looked up to with such pride and joy, who would never speak to her as this man did now.

It seemed to her that she had put him into a state of complete shock, as he looked at her with his mouth parted, his healthy eye wide open – he was breathing faster, completely frozen, as if he didn't know what to make of her words.

She couldn't believe how much he had changed, his white hair long and beautiful, partly tied back, his scar pale, hidden under a black eye patch, his jaw even more sharply defined, his chin pointed, his healthy eye gleamed in the firelight, his leather tunic and breeches framing his well-built body.

He was a handsome man.

She thought about Daemon's words, about how it was better to rip her heart out than to humiliate herself, but she thought she was unable to do that.

That she needed to feel his closeness this one last time.

It seemed to her that her body threw itself towards him on its own, climbing into his lap, pressing her face and hands against his tunic, his familiar warmth, his scent filled her nostrils.

She heard his dagger slide out of his hand straight onto the stone floor with the loud clang of steel.

For some reason, her body relaxed completely and she burst into sobs, as if those years of suffering and separation had poured out of her like a river; she began to babble and apologise to this little boy who certainly felt alone, who couldn't cope with what had happened and with what he had lost.

She shuddered and hopped up, feeling something hard throb between her thighs, then again and again – she looked at him in disbelief, his gaze terrified, his breath heavy.

She thought she was going to hear him say that she should leave, that she was humiliating herself, that he didn't want to know her, that she was pathetic, but he just stared at her, apparently unable to get a word out.

She looked at his lips – they seemed even fuller and softer to her than they were then and she wondered if they would be as pleasurable if she touched them.

Just this once.

"– can I kiss you? –" She asked so quietly that she herself barely heard the words leave her lips. She saw his pupil narrow, his nostrils twitching restlessly.

She felt a throbbing inside her, as well as in his breeches beneath her when he leaned in slightly, exactly as he had done then, wordlessly involuntarily betraying his will and she threw her hands over his shoulders, pressing her warm, thirsty lips to his in a sweet, loud kiss.

It seemed to her that their bodies were moving on their own, his hips rubbing his twitching erection against her from underneath making her feel something like warm tickling between her thighs.

One, slow, tentative kiss turned into a second, a third and a fourth, his hands suddenly on her body, clamping down on her hips and neck as if he wanted to make sure she didn't leave his side.

She shuddered, looking down at him with slightly parted lips, suppressing a moan when she felt his free hand slip shamelessly under the material of her nightgown and clamp down on her naked buttock, rubbing his hardness against her hidden womanhood with slow, uncertain rocking of his hips.

No one had ever touched her like this before, and she wondered if this was his first time, or if perhaps he had already tasted another woman's body, sinking inside the ladies of the court or the servants.

She felt an overpowering jealousy and pain at the thought, at the thought that he might have desired and taken another, and she thought that this night he would desire only her.

That she would spend the night with him and then leave, surrendering her fate to destiny.

"− uncle −" She mumbled, responding with movements of her hips to his treatments, feeling her insides begin to swell once she had decided what was going to happen.

He waved his hand into her hair and kissed her, greedily, aggressively, quickly, his slick tongue forced it's way deep into her throat.

It had nothing to do with what they had done as children – now their lips teased each other with a loud click of their saliva, his tongue trailing over her palate, licking her encouragingly, inviting her to let their tips touch.

They licked each other like this, panting and moaning into each other's mouths – she let him push her hips closer to him, rubbing his hard cock against her with increasingly intrusive, shameless movements as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her breasts against his body.

Gods, he wanted this.

She shuddered when she felt his hand pull at the ties of her nightgown, in slow, gentle movement slipping it off her shoulders. He pulled away, panting loudly, to look at the sight of her bare chest, her plump little breasts; she gasped quietly and trembled when his fingers timidly run and squeezed one of them.

She felt something sticky run down her thighs onto the material of his breeches, felt the moisture between her legs.

"− uh − it tickles − here −" She mumbled helplessly, stroking his jaw with her thumb, not knowing completely what she should do next, somehow asking him to spare her the humiliation and take the initiative. She shuddered as his fingers ran over her lust-swollen, puffy lips.

"− it's understandable − you missed your uncle − hm? −" He asked softly, tenderly, startling her completely – she felt the muscles inside her clench around nothing at his words, the tension in her lower abdomen was unbearable.

She didn't know when he took her in his arms and stood up with her, when he laid her down on his bed; she watched as he took off his tunic, commanding her to lie on her back, and she obeyed him.

She squirmed in horror as he suddenly grabbed her thighs and spread them in front of him, lifting the material of her nightgown up, leaning his face between them.

"− Aemond − s-stop, uncle, what are you −" She mumbled in a trembling voice, trying to push him away, to protect herself; she tilted her head back with a sweet, surprised moan when she felt his rough tongue run over her puffy folds, licking what was leaking out of her.

"− o-oh, gods −" She mewled losing immediately the urge to interrupt him, laying obediently on her back and clasping her hands in his wonderfully soft white hair, pushing against him with her hips, listening to the sounds of sucking and licking, whimpering in front of him like a whore, understanding that it was obvious that he wanted to give her pleasure, that he wanted to satisfy her.

"− have you touched yourself here? −" He huffed with some kind of amusement and satisfaction, as if he had been dreaming of this moment all his life, of her at his mercy, with her thighs spread wide shamelessly in front of his face.

She swallowed loudly at the memory of the night she had sunk her hand into her heat seeking fulfilment, thinking of him, the way he looked now, the way he still desired her, and helplessly nodded her head.

She knew he would recognise immediately if she lied.

She heard him murmur with satisfaction at this information, as if he was perfectly aware, looking at what was happening to her now, who she was thinking of at the time.

She moaned in pleasure as his nose ran over her puffy bud hidden between her soft folds; she clenched her hands in his hair trying to push him away as he tightened his lips around it, licking and sucking it, making it almost painful. His hand reached for her mouth to silence her, but she clamped her fingers on his wrist, stopping him.

"− please, uncle, too much − too much −" She cried out pleadingly, trying to pull away from him, and breathed a sigh of relief when he released her from between his lips, looking at her in shock, apparently writing down in his mind that this place was extremely sensitive and delicate.

He hummed under his breath, returning to his earlier caresses, tentatively and slowly sliding his tongue into her tight, hot interior. She threw her head back, surprised at how pleasurable it was, her walls throbbing and clenching like crazy around nothing as he licked her shamelessly with a quiet, lewd clicks of his saliva and her moisture.

"− uncle − mghmm −" She babbled desperately, feeling something approaching, the tension and tickling in her lower abdomen unbearable, her hips rocking to the motion of his mouth.

She prayed shamelessly to the gods that he would just keep going.

"− it'll be wonderful to feel it clench around my fat cock one day − don't you think, sweet niece? −" He murmured between the flicks of his tongue, and she felt his words do something to her; she raised herself up on her elbow throwing her head back, feeling the wonderful, throbbing pleasure spill over her body in waves. She moaned some words, probably his name, feeling stunned and hot with fulfilment, her thighs trembling in his hands.

She fell on his cold bed, panting heavily, begging him to stop, but he made sure to lick her dry, as if he took unspeakable pleasure in her state and pleas.

He rose at last, breathing loudly, wiping his face, his eye wide open as if he couldn't believe what had just happened, with a quick, desperate movement he untied his breeches.

"Touch me." He muttered grabbing her hand; she squealed quietly when she saw for the first time what the erection of a man looked like. He tightened her fingers around its thick root, the tip of it pink and glistening, dripping from his own juices.

She breathed loudly, squeezing it with the kind of movements he was forcing on her with his palm, up and down, feeling it pulsing and twitching in her grasp, that it was swelling more and more, his breath erratic and heavy, full of desire.

"− fuck − fuck, come here −" He breathed out, grabbing her by her hair, pressing her lips to his in an aggressive, frantic, sticky kiss, tasting her own wetness on his palate, his hips rocking aggressively to the rhythm of her hand.

"− don't fucking stop − faster − fuck-fuck-fuck −" He hissed and groaned helplessly with some kind of immense relief, clenching his eye, his lips parted in pleasure; she squealed when she felt something wet spill out of him onto her nightgown, startling her completely.

He leaned in to kiss her, to reassure her.

"− easy, it's just me − shhh −" He whispered between one lazy, moist kiss of their lips and another, releasing her at last, her hand all sticky with his warm spend.

He ordered that nothing was to be wasted and that she was to lick it off, so she did so without a word of objection.

His seed was slightly salty and smelled like nothing she had felt before.

Like sin.

He watched her every move with satisfaction.

"− you are going to spend the night with me −" He commanded, and she nodded, not having the strength to oppose him or think about the consequences.

She didn't care.

"Mmm." He hummed contentedly, sighing quietly, pulling her by her arm along with him, laying down on his back, letting her embrace him.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she hugged her face to his chest, to where his heart was – his fingers began to stroke her hair, just as they had then, years ago.

He knew she loved it.

They lay in silence for a long time, their silhouettes surrounded only by the warm light of the fire burning in the distance.

"– I missed you –" She whispered at last and heard his hand freeze in stillness.

She was frightened that she had frustrated him and felt relieved when, a moment later, he placed a soft kiss on the top of her head, stroking her further with his warm palm.

It took a long time before he said anything, as if he needed to think it all over, to put it all back together in his head.

"Do you still wish to marry me?" He asked at last, apparently assuming that what the others were planning didn't matter and that he had to have a good understanding of what had happened between them, whether they wanted the same thing.

She lifted her head, looking at him already without fear – even though his gaze was cold and his face stern, she already knew what lurked underneath, that if he had built a wall around himself as a child, it was now a giant fortress separating him from everyone else that could not be taken by storm.

What they had done didn't change the fact that they still didn't know if they could trust each other.

"Yes." She whispered, tracing her fingers over the area underneath where his heart was beating. He looked at her for a moment, as if he wanted to make sure she was telling the truth, and then he grabbed her hand and lifted it to his lips, placing a warm, lingering kiss on it.

"− you have such big hands −" She whispered, looking in awe at the clearly defined lines of his veins. The inside of his palm was rough – she thought it was the fault of his daily holding of the sword.

"− they're not as delicate as yours − your skin feels like it's made of silk −" He murmured with some kind of admiration, gazing at the innocent play of their fingers brushing against each other in the air.

She felt a squeeze in her throat at the sight, the elation and pain, thinking of all the years she had dreamed of him coming back for her, of telling her that he still loved her. She felt involuntarily tears under her eyelids and pressed her lips together, trying to hold them back, however to no avail.

They flowed down her cheeks one by one, and she felt her chest begin to vibrate as did her breathing. He glanced at her, hearing this and they looked at each other for a moment in silence.

He lifted his free hand and with a slow, tender movement of his thumb rubbed the moisture from her warm skin.

"Don't cry. Come here." He said lowly, grabbing her waist and pulling her close, his hand slipped into her hair hiding her face in the hollow of his neck, her bare breasts pressed against his chest.

She breathed quietly, focusing on his wonderful, familiar scent and the embrace in which, even though she shouldn't, she felt safe.

It seemed so right.

"Tomorrow, Luke will lose his rights to Driftmark. Justice will be done, and I will announce that our betrothal was never officially called off. We will marry in the tradition of our ancestors, ending at last these years of misery." He said calmly, as if he thought it was the only sensible thing to do – his hand trailed involuntarily through her hair and down her bare shoulder, but his mind was far from her.

She swallowed loudly and tensed all over hearing his words, words concerning her younger brother's inheritance which, after all, Corlys had passed on to him, obviously aware that they bore his name but were not of his blood.

He felt her hesitation immediately and began to breathe louder, his fingers digging warningly into the soft skin of her arm.

"Say something." He muttered in an anxious, trembling voice, but she didn't know what she was supposed to answer, her heart pounding like mad, tears welling up again in the corners of her eyes.

She thought with horror that she had made the mistake of assuming that the fact that he could forgive her meant that he could also forgive Luke.

She had noticed it then, in the courtyard, seeing the way he looked at her brother, but she preferred to push it deep into her consciousness, to pretend that it would all be easily resolved, that they would live together in peace and prosperity.

"What will you do if he doesn't lose his rights to Driftmark?" She asked quietly, feeling her voice tremble with every word she spoke.

This time it was his body that tensed all over; she heard him draw in air loudly, his heart pounding like mad under her hand.

"Is your mother-whore plotting something again? Hm?" He growled, gripping her cheeks painfully tight in his hand, forcing her to look at him in a sharp, aggressive motion.

She felt that familiar terror again, fear at the sight of madness, darkness and hatred lurking in his gaze.

"– n-no, I swear –" She whimpered with difficulty. She saw him tighten his lips, his nostrils quivering restlessly in a quick, laboured breath, his eye opened wide.

"Is she the one who sent you to me? To soften me up, to fucking distract me, to divert my attention?" He hissed with growing anger and a note of desperation, a sense of betrayal that escaped his throat as his fingers dug warningly into her skin.

She thought he had completely lost his mind.

Seeing her state, the way she said the words, his grip on her face softened, his thumb ran tenderly over her soft, tear-wet skin.

"– no, Aemond, she wants me to marry someone else, she doesn't know I'm here –" She cried helplessly, recognising that he could do whatever he wanted with her, beat her or kill her.

Nothing could change the fact that she was heartbroken.

"No. No, don't cry. Don't cry, my love. Don't cry." He whispered drawing her to him again and she burst out into loud sobs, seeking comfort in his arms; he kissed the top of her head again and again repeating that he believed her, that he just had to be sure.

Whatever would happen, the boy she knew had never been violent towards her.

"I would never hurt you." He whispered, and her words burst out of her mouth before she had time to think them through, full of pain and disappointment.

"You have done it now and you will do it again." She muttered lifting herself up, putting the sleeves of her nightgown over her breasts, wanting to lift herself off his bed. His hand clamped on her arm stopped her – he raised himself up on his elbow with her, however this time he was careful with how much force he used.

"No. I didn't mean to. Gods, I swear." He muttered, gripping her cheek in his palm, clearly wanting her to look at him, but she shook her head.

"You desire me, but you're not in love with me. You abhor me and whenever you forget that I can give you pleasure, you will hurt me." She choked out between sobs, getting up from his bed; he got up behind her, catching her waist, hugging her back.

She felt his warm, shaky breath on her skin, his hands quivering, his face pressed against her neck.

How could she be so blind, to think that after all this time he would look upon her as an equal?

"I have waited for you for so many years. Don't leave, it won't happen again." He muttered in a trembling, pleading voice.

She knew it was a lie, that he was desperate now, that if only he could be sure she wouldn't escape him, he would do whatever he wanted with her.

"You're right to think I was never worthy of you. Forgive me that you had to endure such humiliation because of me for so many years." She choked out in pain, pulling herself out of his embrace, walking out of his chamber, startling his guards, not caring if they told the Queen of her visit or not.

She returned to her quarters and threw herself on her bed, quivering and sobbing with despair breaking her heart, realising with pain that there was never any hope for them.

He did not love her.

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Aemond Taglist:

(bold means I couldn't tag you)

@its-actually-minicika @notnormalthings-blog @nikstrange @zenka69 @bellaisasleep @k-y-r-a-1 @g-cf2020 @melsunshine @opheliaas-stuff @chainsawsangel @iiamthehybrid @tinykryptonitewerewolf @namoreno @malfoytargaryen @qyburnsghost @aemondsdelight @persephonerinyes @fan-goddess @sweethoneyblossom1 @watercolorskyy @randomdragonfires @apollonshootafar @padfooteyes

[kookidough]

analysing vance hopper because he lives in my head 24/7 !

tw for like. literally everything the black phone covers!!!!!!

also there's some special effects gore rather far down in the post idk just i feel like i should warn you just in case

okay so before anyones like "but bee!!!! he only had 6 minutes of screen time in a 102 minute long movie!!!!! he was only on screen for 5.8% of the movie!!!!!" and to that i say i Know it was a real tragedy so a lot of this will be built on personal interpretation and subtext and stuff said behind the scenes and whatnot

so firstly i wanna rot about what his childhood/upbringing might've been like..... i havent quite decided on something definitive but i think we can take one look at his character and realise that is glaringly obvious he had a bad childhood, in one interview the actor that plays him (brady hepner) says "the background i had set up for vance is that the reason he was the way he was is his home life was fairly difficult, you know maybe his dad was either not there for him or he wasn't supportive, maybe he was fairly abusive, and so that creates a hair trigger sense of rage in vance" hair trigger meaning his patience is literally as thin as a strand of hair it does Not take a lot for him to snap

there more to it after that which i'll get into soon but yea thats the gist of it it's clear he had absent/neglectful/abusive parents and that would certainly contribute to why he's so angry all the time, maybe acting so explosive was the only way to get his parents' attention, either good or bad, so he just internalised that. obviously rage and anger issues like vance's lead to violence (not in all cases but in his case it does) and i think a neglectful and abusive upbringing would obviously expose him to more violence than a normal childhood would, therefore normalising it and desensitising him to it, whether he's seeing it play out in his own home and/or on television or something like that (because i doubt his parents would be the kind to monitor what content he's viewing)

i feel like he has little control over his life and that only adds to his anger, which in his case leads to a fight when his buttons are pushed too many times. i think he probably takes great pride in being the toughest in town and whatnot and winning fights and being perceived as strong and scary is good to him and helps him regain control/power, something he doesnt have at home. the rest of the quote from the interview i mentioned earlier states "this pinball machine could have been the only thing that he has in his heart that's like, good, like 'holy cow i did this, i set the score,' so when someone comes along and messes it up for him, it takes away the only thing that he has. i think that that's when he switches to a 'now you're gonna pay for that'"

similar to what i said about fighting, the pinball machine and his high score is something he has control over and its an important part of his reputation/image like. hes literally pinball vance ! and the whole thing about that high score being the "only thing he has in his heart that's good" implies that hes. well. pretty shit at everything else, which is pretty much canon if you remember that gwen said vance was held back twice in school. makes me think that while he's not the brightest in school he's certainly street smart

moving onto ermmmmm him getting kidnapped era because im sure youre wondering "well bee if he's so street smart then why did he get kidnapped" so may i raise two theories (this is. literally all i got and its not even concrete, me and my friend gray (@staggersz) tried to figure out how this could even happen and this is the most plausible thing we've got. so shoutout to him real quick he has had to deal with me being unnormal about vance for like a year and a half thanks king couldnt have done all this without my rotting buddy)

so either he got taken by surprise (most likely option) or vance's trust was gained first via getting given quarters at the pinball machine and small talk and shit like that but this is unlikely because i feel like it'd take a loooooong time for someone like vance to trust a some random stranger adult man when he clearly has issues with trusting and respecting people older than him and people with authority (e.g. cops, his parents, or school officials) so yea being taken by surprise would probably be the most realistic option, i always see people on tiktok being like "how did the grabber kidnap vance hes so strong!!!!" dude its a 15 year old boy against like. a 45 year old man who's already claimed two lives its really not gonna be a fair fight here

before i get into the next part i wanna quickly address a theory i absolutely Hate and it is so easily disproven and that is the theory that vance is the grabber's son or is related to him in some other way and i see it Far too often on tiktok and i HATE it. from what ive seen this all stems from his dream sequence where he kicks open the fence to albert's house and, presumably, goes inside after being dropped off by the police after the grab n go fight. idk if some people just straight up didnt realise this but clearly in real life he is going to his Own House??? in the dream it's only albert's house because this is how he chooses to show gwen the house she's trying to find her brother in, the house that he himself was killed in??? i hate the theory i hate it sm

the dream sequence itself is interesting though as the ghosts seem to only be able to conjure up what theyve seen in real life (like how bruce can picture the outside of the house and show that to gwen but the house number is all flipped and not right beause he doesnt know it) so vance being able to picture the house and the number and the gate and every detail would imply that hes seen it before, but im going to explain that away as either he got out once before like with finney's failed escape attempt, or the house is most likely on the route he walks to school or the grab n go or something and he hasnt actually been there prior to being kidnapped

mini rant over now onto being kidnapped i guess, so i used the missing posters to try and estimate a timeline of how long each ghost boy would've been in the basement for (although the missing posters are notoriously unreliable for details such as looks/height/age/etc, the dates seem to all line up). so we know the order is griffin, billy, vance, bruce, robin, finney, right?? if we use the poster date then billy was taken on may 4th, 1976, a month and two days after griffin was taken (april 2nd 1976). vance was taken on september 23rd 1977, almost a full year later (stay with me im going somewhere with this), and after that bruce was taken on july 18th 1978, again almost a full year later

its established in the movie that the grabber stalks his victims before he takes them (canon because we literally see the van watching finney and gwen as they walk home from school early on in the movie) but we dont know how long he does this for since griffin/billy and robin/finney were taken such short distances apart and then the others were taken such long distances apart, also it's possible he could stalk his next victim while the previous one is still alive, etc etc lots of confusing factors, but if i've done the maths right then the absolute maximum time vance could've spent down there is 9 months and 25 days, or 298 days, so erm . let that sink in !

howeverrrr in the movie gwen states that vance went missing "last spring" and september is definitely not in spring, meaning he could've been down there for a year or even longer. an explanation or excuse i could think of for the movie and the missing poster saying different things (other than the missing posters being known for some areas being wildly inaccurate) is that maybe he was taken in spring but wasnt labelled as officially missing until september, when he was properly linked to griffin and billy's similar disappearances and the mysterious grabber? i can imagine it'd be very easy for law enforcement, especially in the 70s, to dismiss someone like vance as a runaway until they get solid evidence that he was taken. idk though thats just my personal excuse / angsty headcanon for the difference in information

not sure what exactly killed him but we do hear from vance himself that "he took his time with me" so it was probably blood loss from a variety of injuries, if we look at him in his ghost scenes we can see his hair is absolutely covered in blood which indicates head injury, he clearly has a broken nose and bruising around his eyes as a result of it, he has these deep cuts on his abdomen area (apologies for the image quality but i believe they're like. sfx pieces you would wear under clothing)

and he also has just like. minor bruising (like the fingerprints on his arm) and other random blood splatters on his face and neck (assuming the blood down his neck comes from wherever he was bleeding on his head) so Yeah overall very unpleasant way to die obviously

okay now the part thats actually in the movie and it only took me 13 paragraphs to get here: vance as a ghost!! first thing i wanna point out is appearance wise i just want to say that when he's a ghost he's missing his choker and that fact Pains me. anyway personality-wise i feel like being violently murdered has, understandably, kicked his rage up to like. the highest level it could possibly go. he's insanely snarky and downright rude to finney on the phone, showing no empathy to the fact that finney is literally in the exact situation he was in

i feel like the whole "this is the nightmare end of your pathetic little life" and "if you knew what you had coming, you'd be fucking terrified" thing is definitely to scare finney on purpose and to get him to do something, vance might as well have just told him he's never going home cuz thats how it came across LMAOO, it is startling though because vance is clearly speaking from experience, that he was literally fucking terrified, and he is warning finney in his own weird way

the thing i think sets vance apart from the other ghosts is that while he does help finney, he does it for a different reason than they do. the other ghosts want finney to escape, to get out, to be free, to live, but personally i dont think vance cares about that. the only thing he wants is for albert shaw to be dead, for someone to seek vengeance, to do what vance couldn't. vance doesn't care if it's bruce or robin or finney or whatever boy could've come after that, he doesnt care as long as that man gets what he deserves after what he put vance through, and i see this through the scene at the end of vance's call where finney thanks him for his help and vance says, and i quote, "helping you? this isn't about you, fuck him! and apologies for being repetitive but to me it just literally proves that to vance, this isnt about finney or his escape, its just about revenge

we dont get to find out what happens to the ghosts once the credits have rolled, and i dont think we quite know enough about tbp's version of ghosts to guess what theyre up to, but i have a few theories :3 maybe theyre no longer bound to those two houses and they can now go anywhere they want in town? or maybe since their shared goal of stopping albert has been achieved, the ghosts can finally pass on to whatever is waiting for them next. i dont think vance would be content to pass on that quickly or easily as anger lingers, but i hope he'd be able to let go of it eventually, and hey we might find out in the sequel. i pray it mentions him cuz i will just die if it doesnt

sometimes, ok thats a lie, frequently i think about an au where he survived or escaped or whatever but ohhhh boy this post is already a train wreck so that au would deserve its own essay of a post :3 if u actually genuinely read this far then Wtf thanks for reading the ramblings of an absolute madman, only pure delusion could get like 20 paragraphs about a guy with 6 minutes screentime but hey thats how i roll, thanks again to my pal gray for letting me rot and thank u to my other pal ana for also enduring all this rot

hope u enjoyed my interpretation of vance hopper im going to crawl in a hole now and probably brainrot some more, thanks again for ur time :3

[kismetconstellations]

I loved your post on Shiro and there's so much I agree on with it. Now I'm interested in seeing your take on Keith for the character game plz!!! ❤❤❤

Aww, bless your heart. Thank you! I'm glad you found something to enjoy in all of my heavily biased, opinionated, and probably unhinged rambling. ^///^'

I'll give it a go, but, just a small warning/disclaimer in advance:

I have not watched Seasons Three through Six in their entirety. I am vaguely aware of certain developments from these seasons, thanks to my interaction with fanworks incorporating them, but I cannot offer any sort of detailed analyses based on events exclusive to them. For example, I can't comment on Keith's relationships with the Blades in any meaningful way, as I'm only familiar with his interactions with them in Seasons Two, Seven, and Eight.

My answers for Keith are not going to be anywhere near as in-depth as they were for Shiro, since I watched this show for Shiro. But, I will respond to every question to the best of my ability.

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

I like Keith because of the hidden depths to his character. Superficially, he's the hot-headed loner stereotype. He's a "discipline case". He stole the car of a renowned ace pilot sent to recruit students for the local military academy. He spent a number of years in the foster care system after being orphaned at a relatively young age, carries a knife on his person at all times, and doesn't take well to being challenged or having his abilities called into question. He's prone to rash decision-making and acting on impulse, and will lash out and say callous, hurtful things that he doesn't truly mean in the heat of the moment. ("Are we even friends?")

But, he craves love and acceptance from the people around him, even when his instinct is to push them away for self-preservation's sake. He scarfs down his food like he's never going to get another chance to eat, again. He can be a bit slow to pick up on the meanings of certain concepts or ideas, and some aspects of socialization are completely lost on him (not comprehending Lance's "Voltron" cheer). He likes cute things in a reserved, understated sort of way. He likes hugs.

Though he'd never admit it.

He's rash and quick-tempered, but it comes from a place of passion; from a strong sense of justice, and desire to protect the ones he cares about at any cost.

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

That he's very much a semi-feral cat in human form. Shiro is his Person, the one who earned his trust and unwavering devotion, and he's slowly learned to open himself up to trusting others, but he'll still bite someone's finger off if they're not Shiro and have the misfortune of making him angry.

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

He seems to have lost some of his internal fire in an effort on the part of the writers to turn him into Discount Shiro.

Shiro is "retired" from his position as Black Paladin and head of Voltron, and sidelined completely through no choice of his own because Keith has taken over his role on the team.

Keith gets to kill Shiro's personal tormentor after Shiro couldn't so much as best Sendak in combat.

Season Eight has Keith retreading ground that Shiro already tread, laying into Zarkon about his being unworthy of piloting the Black Lion and Paladinship. Even though that exact confrontation between current and former Black Paladin had already been handled in a much more impactful manner back in Season Two, when it was Shiro engaging Zarkon in a hand-to-hand fight inside of the Black Lion's inner quintessence while the Black Lion, herself, spectated and had the final say in who was the victor.

Not only did Shiro and Zarkon's conflict have higher stakes, both narratively and for the characters, as Zarkon was actually still alive and an active threat to the universe, rather than existing inside of Haggar/Honerva's head, Shiro and Zarkon had history. Shiro was imprisoned and held captive, forced to fight in the gladiatorial arena, on Zarkon's ship. Zarkon was able to wrest control of the Black Lion out from under Shiro mid-battle on multiple occasions, and used his persisting connection to the Black Lion to track Voltron down across multiple galaxies.

These two finally getting to face one another on the battlefield was a longtime coming. It had proper build-up, felt completely earned, and provided all parties involved (Shiro, Zarkon, the Black Lion, and the viewer) ample reason to be invested in the outcome.

It was also a visual treat, with dynamic, impressively animated choreography and physics highly reminiscent of Saiyan battles in Dragonball Z, against a gorgeous backdrop.

Contrast that with Keith yelling at a Mega Zarkon inside of Haggar/Honerva's head, because the showrunners had to artificially up the ante somehow, while standing stock still against a backdrop that isn't nearly as stunning.

And, the Black Lion immediately coming to his aid when Mega Zarkon decides to strike,

instead of watching as her Paladin is slowly strangled until he says the right thing that convinces her that he is worthy.

Keith had Shiro's essence teach him how to "see through the Lion's eyes" in order to unlock the Black Lion's wings,

something Shiro, himself, had to fight to figure out with no one other than the Black Lion guiding him.

Despite Shiro's bond with the Black Lion being the strongest bond between human Paladin and Lion, indisputably and unquestionably, Post-Resurrection Shiro has no connection to her at all. He's a silent passenger in her cockpit, or the cockpit of whichever other Paladin-Lion pair chose to carry him. He might as well not be present at all for all of the acknowledgement and deference he's given by both his found family, and the show, itself.

None of this is Keith's fault. But, it's difficult not to feel some measure of anger, watching him usurp Shiro's role entirely, while Shiro is sequestered off on his own ship to be nerfed and disrespected for a full thirteen episode season. Especially when Keith is younger and able-bodied and easily achieves or has handed to him things that Shiro fought with all of his might only to either fall short of (defeating Sendak), or barely scrape by on the skin of his teeth (cementing his bond with the Black Lion to unlock her ultimate power). Keith's success at Shiro's expense only serves to further fuel the noxious ageism and disgusting ableism perpetuated by this show and its fanbase.

And, Keith's own personality seemed to suffer for it. Perhaps it's meant to be character growth, but he seems so flat, void of the traits that made him distinctly Keith, throughout Seasons Seven and Eight, following Season Seven's opener. I'm positive there are passionate fans who could and have elaborated on this with the detail and insight necessary to fully illustrate the dearth of Keithness. But, I think it says something that even someone like me, who watched this show for Shiro and skipped over nearly four entire seasons due to the absence of him, picked up on the less-than-satisfactory change.

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

A shonen anime series, either Sci-Fi or Isekai, where he can be the hero who reluctantly heeds the call of Destiny and pull off risky, reckless maneuvers on a futuristic vehicle, and/or masterfully take down foes with a great big sword, to his hearts' content.

5. What’s the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

"Hold On", by Chord Overstreet; only because of this Keith/Shiro video.

6. What’s something you have in common with this character?

I, too, love dogs and would die for Takashi Shirogane.

7. What’s something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

Treating him like the competent adult he actually is. The one who lived on his own in a shack in the middle of the desert for a year, and set off bombs to distract Garrison security personnel while he snuck inside of the quarantine zone to figure out what they were up to. Before even realizing they had a miraculously alive Shiro sedated and strapped to a table.

8. What’s something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

Feminizing and infantilizing him, always in service of a ship. Keith has moments of emotional vulnerability, because he's meant to be a multi-faceted human/alien hybrid. That does not make him a weepy blushing "uwu" uke who sobs, wails, and cries while being choked and split open on Lance or Shiro's intimate parts and calling them "daddy".

He's a semi-feral cat in human form. He'd more than likely use his teeth, inflicting serious damage on those very sensitive parts, should someone try to make him choke on them, and I can't see him ever wanting to be sexually dominated by anyone. Putting aside that Shiro is a bottom and would never, Keith would sock Lance or any other man square on the jaw, or drive his knee or foot into an even more vulnerable area, for so much as trying to pin him down and make him "take it".

And, I know this is a popular headcanon and the show, itself, tried to lend credence to it by having Krolia thank "Kuron" for looking after Keith for her, but Shiro did not "raise" Keith. Shiro was an ambitious ace pilot in his very early twenties, contemplating the prospect of engagement and marriage to his long-term partner while their relationship began to unravel, battling a terminal degenerative illness, and planning to pilot a voyage into deep space. When was he meant to have found the time amidst all of this to have adopted or parented a preteen/early adolescent?

He and Keith were close, as a mentor/protege and friends typically would be, but Keith certainly didn't look to Shiro to be a stand-in or surrogate for his father. Nor did Shiro view Keith as his son. Keith confronting Shiro over Shiro's attempt to conceal his illness from him plays out exactly the way a confrontation between two peers who view each other as equals would.

Keith marches up to Shiro without so much as a greeting, very abrupt, direct, and upfront, unafraid of castigation or reprisal. The opposite of what one would expect from a cadet approaching his senior officer, or any kid confronting an adult authority figure about a perceived deception.

Likewise, Shiro steps down to put himself on the same level as Keith.

While maintaining a respectful physical distance, Keith leans forward into Shiro's space, resolutely standing his ground and refusing to let Shiro hide or deflect.

And, Shiro ultimately gives in and chooses to be honest with him, rather than pulling rank and brushing Keith off, telling him that everything's fine, or it's none of Keith's business, and treating him like a child.

Their relationship can't be so simply and neatly classified. Though Keith does refer to Shiro as his "brother", there's enough ambiguity there to be threatening (see Keith tenderly touching Shiro's face

and pausing over Shiro as if he intended to kiss him

), and I think that's why very specific shippers dilute Shiro into Keith's parental figure, even going as far as interpreting Shiro and Keith as, or outright making them biologically related. It's a transparent attempt to rule out any possibility of a romance between them while pretending to pay perfunctory tribute to their bond.

As if these shippers actually care about it or Shiro in any way, shape, or form.

And, it's sincerely grating to have to scroll past.

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

I see no reason why I couldn't be. Though, I don't think my cat would get along with Kosmo very well.

10. Could you be best friends with this character?

Once again, I would be too nervous to approach him.

11. Would you date this character?

No. He's way too young for me.

12. What’s a headcanon you have for this character?

I have to go with the fairly popular(?) fanon reading that Keith falls somewhere on the Autism spectrum. Canon seems to back this by some degree, with the aforementioned "I say 'Vol', you say--" "Vol-tron?", and showing Keith covering his ears and closing his eyes on the carnival ride he and Hunk get stuck on, as if suffering from overstimulation.

13. What’s an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

▬▬ι═══════ﺤ

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.

Probably cliche and expected, but... Biker Aesthetic. Leather jacket in black or red, fingerless gloves on his hands, of course, tight jeans, perhaps with a tear or two in the legs, and heeled boots.

He'd also definitely wear hoodies and hooded jackets with drawstrings, so he can pull the hood over his head and secure it tightly when he's feeling overstimulated and wants to shut out the world.

15. What’s your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn’t matter if it’s canon or not.)

Keith/Shiro. Their love for each other is legitimately, canonically death-defying.

"Keith, I was dreaming. Keith... you saved me." "We saved each other."

I get emotional every time.

16. What’s your least favorite ship for this character?

The portmanteau starts with a 'K', and rhymes with pants.

17. What’s a ship for this character you don’t hate but it’s not your favorite that you’re fine with?

I think Keith/Acxa is interesting and has potential, and I kind of wish the show would have done more with Keith/Allura than the brief ship tease we got in The Ark of Taujeer.

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

I think Keith and Hunk's friendship is very sweet, Keith and Kosmo are adorable, and in a purely platonic sense, Keith and Lance do have their moments (that I don't reflexively tune out because the fandom has caused me to dread any interaction between them.)

19. How about a relationship they have in canon that you don’t like?

Nothing comes to mind.

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn’t matter?

I think Keith has some pretty solid friendships as is.

21. If you’re a fic writer and have written for this character, what’s your favorite thing to do when you’re writing for this character? What’s something you don’t like?

I like how concise, direct, and to the point Keith is. He doesn't meander, or waffle, or embellish, or put on airs. He says exactly what he means to say the first time, and doesn't put up a facade for anyone.

I've yet to find something I dislike about writing for him.

22. If you’re a fic reader, what’s something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don’t like?

I like when he's actually written faithfully to his canon characterization, scrappy and slightly rough around the edges, but fiercely loving and possessing a strong- if sometimes somewhat misguided- sense of justice.

I hate when he's infantilized and portrayed as a soft, weepy, fragile child in fics that are meant to take place during the show's main timeline. It comes across as borderline fetishistic, and kind of creeps me out. Especially when he's being paired with Shiro and the author continues to emphasize how "delicate" and "small" he is in contrast to Shiro's strength and size.

23. Favorite picture of this character?

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

Just as Shiro reminds me very much of the 2003 iteration of Leonardo, Keith invokes 2003 TMNT's Raphael. Short-tempered, always ready and raring to deliver a well-deserved beatdown, prone to acting rashly, strong sense of justice, intense, unbreakable bond with his team leader.

The major difference is, aside from Keith and Shiro not butting heads like Raph and Leo frequently do (and obviously not being siblings), Raphael never lost his internal fire over the course of the series, no matter what trauma he endured.

The same cannot be said for Keith.

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

I can't recall my first impression of him, truth be told. Now... Admittedly, I'm not quite as taken with his character as I sort of hoped I would be, given how he's portrayed in well-written fanfiction. I like him just fine, but...

Maybe it's the product of me being overexposed to him by a fandom that is utterly obsessed with shoving the milquetoast pairing of him and his "rival" down everyone's throats. Or the fact that he's made to usurp Shiro's role, to the point that some of his fans openly wish that Shiro would have remained dead in service of Keith's character arc.

Regardless of the reason, Keith kind of doesn't do much for me. Strange for someone who happily ships him with their favorite to say, but that's the reality of it.

----

Thank you so much for the submission! I hope my answers were somewhat satisfactory, and not completely incendiary. (I'm not really equipped to handle torches and pitchforks.)

[daily-hanamura]

I was wondering if you had any analyses on yosuke's dances in P4D, especially his partner dances wrt his character/personality... or even just generally what you thought of his moves. I think atlus/p-studio enjoy putting more than meets the eye into the choreography for the dances, but i wondered what the account that does really good yosuke analyses thinks. >:) Cheers

Oh wow you're very kind!! but this is also a very high level ask as I am not at all a dance expert and I'm still working my way through all of the dances, but I will do my best! o7

Long post incoming!

I remember reading an interview which said that Yosuke's dance style is very much inspired by male idols with a hip-hop flair, and I can definitely see it in his dance? iirc there was a pretty strong influence of hip-hop in jpop of that era - I'm thinking about Johnny's entertainment boybands which I think pretty much dominated the jpop male idol scene around 2010 - just look at Arashi's Monster dance routine, which imo is a super quintessential dance of that time. Like Jun's breakdance around 0:45, but also more generally, the sort of precise, rapid-pace footwork and moves that is also very evident in both Backside of the TV and Your Affection. I think it really suits him for a few reasons

Yosuke generally has the highest agility stat and tends to be the fastest char (for me at least? but i've also seen enough fics that reference how quick he moves), so it makes sense that this sort of high-pace dance suits him. Obviously Yosuke has a very good sense of beat listening to music all the time in combat and moving with it, so despite his real world clumsiness, he's well equipped to take on the kind of rigorous idol dance style that's typically very demanding to learn and perfect.

At the same time, it also matches his narrative - Yosuke in canon is very familiar with idol culture, both with Risette and Kanamin Kitchen, so it's not too surprising? But what I thought was kind of interesting was that there aren't really any references to male idol groups in world, and even his bedroom in p4au only shows female idol posters and some mainstream American albums. However, in the interview scene at the end of p4d, he mentions to Yukiko that he's tried to copy moves from stuff he's seen. But his dance style is more similar to boy idol bands - with the hip hop influence especially - as opposed to being similar to female idol bands - which tend to be preppier in dance style (see AKB48 for example). (Or just compare Rise's dance with Yosuke's.) So idk if this is a random oversight on Atlus/P-Studio's part, or if Yosuke is a closet male idol enjoyer (which would be very funny but also on brand for him, especially if he's still in the closet).

The other thing about idol music and group idol dance styles more generally is how much emphasis there is on harmony. If you look at the Arashi video again, there's kind of the expectation that all members are dancing in sync with each other. The thing about that sort of group dance is that you don't really have "leads" and "backup" dances, because no one member is really supposed to stand out or take centre stage since they're all equals. And I think that's a fun thing to think about because, you know, Yosuke Rank 10. But it's also in his partner dances with the others - I feel like Yosuke tends to harmonise with the others and their dance styles the most, maybe he's second to Yu? But Yosuke tends to match his dancing to the style of the other person when he joins them in Fever, like in Naoto's or Chie's (caveat, maybe I'm just Yosuke-biased LMAO). I think there's a lot to say about it because on the one hand, his captain ressentiment attitude means he sees his friends as better but he also wants to catch up to them and be their equals! but also, on the other hand, Yosuke doesn't want to stand out? And him keeping his head down is very much in character for him throughout most of the game, so :')

(but also souyo lens time his partner dances with yu is SO GOOD they mirror one another so well and it makes me so weak)

I think my final point is on how idol dancing is kind of on brand for him as well? Yosuke is kind of a vain person - he likes fashionable clothes! He likes to look cool! (and we love him for it!!) - and I think one thing that kind of marks idol dancing compared to, idk, interpretive dancing as an extreme example, is how idol dances tend to emphasize... looking good? The whole point of idols is to sell them on their aesthetics, after all, and good looks are kind of a minimum criteria to being in an idol group. The dances are choreographed to maximise the dancer's appeal, so it's all smooth moves that present them in the best light.

Those are my extremely long thoughts!! but yeah tldr I think his dance style really suits him on every level I can't imagine anything better for him ngl. Anyone with more expert knowledge feel free to pitch in though

[trillscienceofficer]

-Do you have any thoughts on B'Elanna's grandmother (the one who made the banana pancakes) because I swear I think about this woman a disproportionate amount lol, and- -What are some things (broadly speaking) that you'd like to see more of in Trek fandom?

Feel free to choose a question if you don't wanna do both! And I hope your cold gets better soon :)

Thank you so much!! (I also hope that this cold gets better soon, my head feels like a balloon)

I do have some thoughts on B'Elanna's paternal grandmother, but I'd like to stress that these are very partial impressions and I probably should think about her in more depth. There's very little we know about her from canon; the banana pancakes (and the fact that she cared for B'Elanna and made her meals often enough that it's one of B'Elanna's favorite treats from childhood, which I personally interpret as her living on Kessik IV as well, canon doesn't contradict this), that she had two sons, the fact that she liked Miral but knew her John well enough to know that he wouldn't treat her right, and was against their marriage. The last part always stood out to me!! It can be taken in many different ways, and while it could be easily just a stereotype of the protective-mother-of-the-favorite-son, I'd like to put forward the idea that she was simply a woman unafraid to speak the truth as she saw it. I like to think that when John and Miral got married regardless, she did her best to make Miral a part of the family, and I think of B'Elanna's grandma as someone who was very conscious of the ways in which Miral was at a disadvantage in this situation (alone with basically no support network of her own, the only Klingon around). In one fic I wrote her quoting Gloria Anzaldúa because I can't stop imagining her as a feminist who tried her best trying to raise two conscientious sons and... it did not exactly work out the way she intended, but it doesn't mean she's going to leave her daughter-in-law and her granddaughter to fend for themselves. (iirc Miral also never says that John's family was a problem, which can be interpreted as her not feeling particularly left out, beside the obvious fact that nobody else was Klingon.) If we follow my headcanon that she lived on Kessik IV as well, I also like to think that she (and her husband?) moved there because of her job—it would be fun if B'Elanna had taken a liking to engineering because one of her favorite people had a nice workshop where she could hang out even when things between John and Miral got rocky. In general imagine B'Elanna's grandma as a no-nonsense, quick small woman, with curly black (graying) hair and a big smile but that could turn very stern in the span of a second. I imagine she eventually returned to Earth as well, once John separated from Miral, and if B'Elanna was to reunite with her it would be there.

By the way I'd love to hear your thoughts on B'Elanna's grandmother very much, if you feel like it and haven't already written about her!

As for what I'd like to see more of in Trek fandom... I don't know, obviously the fandom can do much better re: appreciating and be respectful of characters of color and women, always something I can improve on as well. I think what I like to see/read the best (women dealing with very gnarly problems! Romance between women that is anything but fluffy!) already exists and there are so many fantastic artists (you absolutely included!!) that develop the themes I like to see with the complexity I think they deserve, it feels like asking for more of that is almost... entitled? But I wouldn't say no on seeing more of these themes both in fanworks and fandom analyses, definitely.

[sonic-love-island-official]

shadow's portrayal in the love island au. a(nother) ramble

i think the struggles shadow tackles in this au isn't quite the same to canon. shadow's really been through all his moments of finding his identity, working past his issues of feeling alienated, surrounding himself with people who stick by him and like him for who he is instead of those who seek to manipulate him. a lot of his character is mature. he's 28, has his head screwed on and knows what he wants. he might be a little reserved and that's who he is but he is wise enough to understand when to open up and who to

but then there's this side of shadow that hasn't quite matured. he's smug, arrogant and a downright prick when he doesn't get his way. he quarrels with sonic for no other reason than he's insecure. what they fight over is not the real trigger for their spats. shadow's afraid of loss still. he doesn't feel sure in himself that he's a good enough partner to keep someone in his company. and it makes him angry. i think sometimes he sees something in sonic he wishes he had himself. shadow doesn't wish to be likeable to everyone, but he does wish to have an approachable energy. sonic has that and i think that makes shadow worry that he's inadequate as a partner bc he's barely approachable as a person

along with this, shadow tends to become the person he hates most: a manipulator. shadow never does this with malicious intent, but he does test the waters a lot in the ways of people's limits and feelings. he often does make it obvious when he is making something a Test, but he deliberately toys with people's behaviours to elicit results. he's experimental. a part of me thinks he's just curious and likes to analyse what happens bc sometimes he does end up being quite perceptive on other's characters. but another part of me thinks he tests for his benefit. whether that's knowledge, or to get that reaction he wants. and that's a little bit of a red flag ngl if he does this with the intent of having someone behave a certain way. regardless, this aspect feels like a call back to sa2 shadow's behaviour, where he does manipulate others to get his desired result bc he knows no better

"i think that makes shadow worry that he's inadequate as a partner bc he's barely approachable as a person"

^^ keep in mind that this is not entirely true. shadow has this attractive nature he doesn't realise he has. mostly to women. men feel threatened by him and are reluctant to be chummy with him. shadow sees none of this. all he sees is people he would like to befriend and people who are excluding him for some reason. he really wrestles with a lot of social stuff in this au, which i'm sure doesn't make his feeling of alienation any more subdued :/

i just hate that not only does it make shadow upset (although he tries so hard to pretend it's not affecting him), it makes amy upset. and amy's notorious for her Emotion x100 reactions. she's HEARTBROKEN shadow isn't fitting in, even so late in the series. he ends up being snubbed by people he thought liked him and that's so cruel. amy doesn't acknowledge this side of shadow until she notices how quick he was to separate himself from everyone. i think she believed he was okay with the lads and with rouge. i love this was an arc these two had to go through bc it's not something normally added into any kind of media, really. bc amy got a fresh perspective, a look into a life of someone whose friendships aren't frequent or solid. i'm still hung up on this arc bc simple points that happened in this sims campaign, turn into story arcs and create a fuck ton of meaning

he shows two sides a lot of the time: one he wants everyone else to see (this guarded, untouchable, stoic being) and one he only wants a select group to see (soft, introspective, a little insecure)

he's just an introvert. he's not antisocial. he's just struggling. like everyone else in this fic and in real life. he does have friends, he does care, but he has a hard time opening up if he doesn't know if he can completely trust a person. he doesn't hate sonic. in fact, a lot of the time they can be civil, they just misunderstand each other's social inclinations and psychological struggles and it causes them to clash

shadow really goes into this theme of introversion and the difficulty of having and maintaining friends as an adult. love island is a show meant for social people and shadow isn't one of them. he has his own challenges to navigate with that. and it isn't perfect by the end. he never gets out of his shell fully and becomes a bright, bubbly, socialite. he's still the same, but he learns to cope better with what he's faced with. and for me, that's enough. life isn't always about drastic changes. sometimes it's the little lessons along the way that make it just that bit easier to face the world every day

[youredreamingofroo]

Hi! I did take your advice and I’ve been scrolling through the tags for the passenger. I feel so dumb. 😭 I was like “there was gay subtext?” 🧍‍♀️I’m usually so quick to notice it. Now that I’ve read some analysis’s and people breaking things down I’m starting to get it! Both Randy and Benson are on different scales of growing up with trauma. It’s definitely having me see Benson in a kinder light (bc I’ll admit I wasn’t sure how to feel about him I’ll be fr). But I’m definitely just going to have to sit down and rewatch. Because some stuff definitely went over my head the first time around. But once again thank you Roo!! 🙌

Welcome back from analyses reading, I hope it was an emotional rollercoaster LMFAOO

Don't get me and the fandom started on the gay subtext- Kyle Gallner (Benson's actor) even mentions how as he played Benson, he and every on set was discovering Benson's sexuality, which I think was wonderful. Also Kyle told Carter (Director) that he wanted Benson and Randy to kiss (obv didnt happen.... sigh...), so if that tells you anything abt benson then there you go IAUHSGD

And yes! You get it! They grew up with very different trauma and handle their trauma very differently, and it really shows in their character (ESPECIALLY Benson, notably the scene before they enter the school)- there's one analysis which talks about how Benson's trauma is so bad (hinted toward, if not basically canon that it's SA as a kid, hence why Benson loathes Sheppard sm), that he thinks the 2nd Grade incident is like, BAD bad (similar level to his) and when Randy says it was him taking his teachers eye out, Benson kinda felt this relief? I can't remember word-for-word the analysis but he basically takes Randy's trauma a little less serious bc it's not as bad as his

But Have fun with your eventual rewatch!! I know everytime i rewatch it something new strikes my brain (fast forward to me learning 20 new things on my fourth/fifth rewatch AISHXGD)

Also- I'm SOO happy you enjoy this movie btw cuz anytime someone says they wanna watch this movie, there's always a part of me that's worried i hype the movie up a lil too much (which i prolly do SOMETIMES,,, and im also a very emotional person but WHATEVERR!!!) and the person who watched it just comes back and fucking stones me for putting it on such a pedestal ISUGFD But of course (as always)!!

okay- last thing but- If you wanna read some stuff about Benson from Kyle, I'll leave some snippets from a couple interviews under the cut for you to read!! They're very interesting and fun to read :3

[koalaforlife]

So it's been a while since I've read the manga

And because of that and some comments I came across lately (e.g. one analysis about Mikasa showing more development in the manga but being reduced to Ereeeh in the anime) I am thinking I need to go back and re-read it especially now that I have such a different perspective on things and not only do I tolerate and understand some characters better than I ever did when I first read it (looking at you, Floch, still despicable AF but hey I get you, homie) but also I'm sure there were things that the (less-wise) me from 6 years ago missed out at that time.

However, for the sake of writing my thoughts down here as a journal and perhaps getting some quick answers from fans that have a better memory than I do, I will touch on a possibly controversial topic and, actually BECAUSE I have surrounded myself with Levihan fans, I am optimistic that I will get the answers I need, from people who can stay objective and see things as they are and not as they make them out to be.

I don't want to engage in any ship wars or dismiss the validity of any relationship. I'm just curious.

So I was watching some videos on character analyses and at some point I noticed how common it was to say that Levi and Erwin were best friends, Levi was incredibly loyal to Erwin, Erwin was Levi's rock, etc. And I for sure started out in this fandom with the same thought, but for the life of me now, I can't remember....Why?

People tend to say Erwin was Levi's best friend but now I can't help but think Levi had two best friends, Erwin and Hange. What part of Erwin and Levi's friendship got translated to ULTIMATE BFFS in the fandom?

Again, I am not looking to start a war, and even if I don't get an answer now, I'm sure I will when I re-read the manga, it will just take some time.

But here's what I thought, and only based on memories I have from either the anime (which I have revisited in the recent years, unlike the manga) and the levihan analysis posts I read a long time ago.

To me, judging by the way I've experienced the fandom, it almost looks like the friendship between Erwin and Levi was "told" for the most part, whereas Levi and Hange's was "shown."

Other than Levi deciding to follow Erwin because "he could see something he couldn't" (and of course, because Erwin's speech was that great, that enlightening, that motivating), other than him trusting Erwin's judgement each and every time because he knows his reasoning is flawless, other than the choice a heartbroken Levi makes (to put Erwin to rest)...I can only say these two were great friends because I remember fandom saying it for so long, so it feels like I was "told" they were great friends but the manga showed it only a few times. Interestingly enough though, even these few examples I mentioned are actually presented in the form of sentences uttered by none other than Levi, either as a monologue or in a dialogue.

Whereas with Hange and Levi, I can count already from the top of my head some of the instances that show a different dynamic, and hint at a close friendship as well. Their famous telepathy, the way Hange understands and translates Levi, the way she oversteps and he lets her, the way she was the first to treat him as a friend etc. And we see these from the interactions and conversations but never do we hear impactful or emotional monologues from Levi (regarding Hange).

How do I describe this? It feels to me that the ExL relationship is revealed mostly through Levi's words (and fandom's words - for now, until someone can remind me some other impactful scenes that hint otherwise) whereas the HxL relationship is revealed mostly through characters' dynamics.

Personally, what I want to believe, regardless of whatever the fuck Isayama wrote as canon, is that the three of them were besties, that Erwin and Hange were as great friends as ExL and HxL were and that is my ultimate headcannon and no one can convince me otherwise :D

Still, I was curious to know if other people shared the same experience of how the two relationships were portrayed, and if someone can remind me of some essential scenes that depicted ExL friendship because it's been so long that I don't remember anything else, and I don't want their canon friendship to be reduced to "they are best friends because people say so" for me.

[redoqs]

Hello hope your day is going well! I was wondering if you do Dimitrescu family headcannons by any chance? If not I totally understand especially since you’re a busy person I just wanted to ask, thank you so much for sharing your writing sketch is one pf my fav fics in this fandom!!

Sup! My day’s going pretty well and I really hope yours is too. Sketch is one of your favorites? Stop holy shit that’s so cool! I’m honored!!! Thank you so much for reading it! Aight, you said do I have head canons? I do. Do they match how I have the girls portrayed in Sketch? Nah💀 All of these head canons are based on how they act in the game.

Bela is the most dangerous daughter, idc what anyone says, and I’m saying this literally because of how she moves in the game. The way she calmly walks up to you in the dungeons like she has all the time in the world, that girl is calm and collected, she knows she can handle everything thrown her way. I don’t think she necessarily does well in breaks in protocol and I’m basing that on how she acts completely feral during her boss fight, her slashing and lunging, which had me shook because she really just lunged at me okay Kangaroo Jack. If something doesn’t go Bela’s way, she tries to account by thinking quickly and not necessarily considering all of her options and going into attack mode. I imagine Alcina being Bela’s role model and inspiration because of her voice lines and wants to be like her in nearly every sense of the word. I can see her having a slight dependence on her. She’s also the most patient of the daughters but it quickly runs out if things don’t go the way she wants them too.

Cassandra is definitely stab first, ask questions never. This girl is just as feral as Bela, only she exhibits this behavior a lot more often and sometimes even when unprovoked. She’s the only daughter that harasses you in different areas of the castle so I’m thinking she’s definitely Alcina’s go to person for when she wants to get stuff done, whether it be kill an unfortunate servant or simply go get something for her. I imagine that this “Bela wanting to emulate her mother and Cassandra being the one Alcina depends on” causes feuds between the two and they get into often because of it. Cassandra reminds me of a hitman, only she doesn’t get paid for her kills she merely does it because it’s fun for her. This girl probably hasn’t cried in decades and her tear ducts are probably out of order tbh and if Capcom had kept the voice lines of the family and actually made the daughters aware of their sister’s deaths, maybe we would see a more emotional side to Cass. Speaking of, she’s the most emotional idc, she just has a habit of suppressing it because her family makes it seem like they don’t really care and she refuses to be thought of as weak

Daniela is said to be the most delusional and based on how she talks to Ethan I believe that. She does directly attack you once she’s cold, she just runs around the room and hides so I think that’s a clear indication that she’s not a strong fighter and to compensate for that, I think Daniela is someone who is very good at mind games and really could put you under her spell if she tried. I think she believes everyone loves her because she was able to successfully lure past maids into a trap, I really do think she’s a good manipulator. She’s one of those manipulators who switch up their tactics in the middle of her “courting” for lack of a better word in order to get what they want from their victim. Thing is tho, she’s impatient with it too, or she can be depending on her mood, so if someone doesn’t react in the way she wants, she’s killing them immediately. She has multiple victims at one time and if you give her any reason, no matter how small, to make her doubt your “love” for her, she’ll kill you.

[choclemon]

Wow, who's that handsome goofball??!

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 

Let’s kick off to a blazing start on this KNY writing blog with an in- depth character analysis of everyone’s favourite fire- type human...

Rengoku Kyojuro!

A.K.A. That one annoying weirdo who shows up for a single arc, makes the entire audience fall hopelessly in love with him forever, then dies! ~

Power move tbh.

[Insert gigantic disclaimer here that all the posts on this blog will be my personal headcanons. Interpretations always vary from reader to reader- so let me know anything you agreed with, or felt completely differently about; I love that kind of thing! This whole blog is basically just a self- indulgent space for me to analyse the crap out of this series for fun, so come join me in my spiralling demon slayer brainrot!! The more the merrier :D]

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

No, but seriously, who is that guy?

Kyojuro is a shining mentor figure, courageous and supportive; a brash, unforgettable character lovingly crafted by Gotouge to make the Mugen Train arc as excruciatingly painful as possible.

The thing is, my kneejerk reaction when he first showed up in canon was: “this guy is dangerous”. Lurking beneath that amicable smile is a professional killer who will not hesitate. We were given a brief glimpse into this side of Kyojuro during his initial encounter with the Kamado siblings at corps headquarters; upon being confronted with the traumatised orphan boy and his demon sister, he was the very first hashira to object, calling for Nezuko to be beheaded and vehemently declaring “no trial is required!!”. Sure, he was far from alone in chomping at the bit for child murder back then, but that reaction was a telling indicator that Kyojuro’s particular brand of passionate loyalty is more than capable of driving him to make brutal snap decisions. Even if deep down he felt uncomfortable about the outcome, he acted rashly because the situation directly contradicted his even deeper- rooted morals. Had things been left to the flame hashira alone, the story of the Kamado siblings would have ended right there and then.

What would have happened if Kyojuro had been the one to discover them in the forest that fateful day instead of Giyuu? I’m not totally convinced, but I’m inclined towards that same bloody outcome he immediately called for before the trial. Perhaps Tanjiro’s tenacious defense of his sister would have persuaded him... but I suspect Kyojuro’s quick- fire judgement would lop that demon's head off “to protect the civilian from being eaten!!” before the poor kid even had a chance to explain who she was.

Love him or hate him, the flame hashira is an intense character who invariably leaves a lasting impression on the reader. In all his canon appearances, Kyojuro is unabashedly vocal about anything he feels strongly about, even to the point of rudeness- but still remains sensitive and attuned to the needs of others. He demonstrates an impressive capacity to change his opinion on the fly, yet stubbornly sticks to his core ideals- even if they sometimes get in the way. In other words, this is a character who gleefully contradicts himself at every turn... which of course makes me want to stick him under a microscope to study like a bug! 🧐

***continued under the cut***

I think Kyojuro is a highly emotionally intelligent individual who knows he’s fucked up to the bone as a result of all the pressure he’s under, but is reluctant to share any of this heavy emotional burden with others. After all, such a show of vulnerability would likely have been met with silence, rejection, or outright mockery by his family growing up. Shinjuro being a depressed alcoholic father with his own grief and self- worth issues is an obvious culprit here, but I’d argue Ruka inadvertently did a lot of harm too. By placing so much emphasis on the importance of using his strength to protect the weak and upholding the family tradition, she planted a brave, wholly self- sacrificing heroic ideal in her young sons mind. She was fully aware of the harsh realities he would face if he followed in his father’s footsteps, so in addition to preparing him to be mentally resilient, she sought to protect him from the temptation of misusing his strength and status as a hashira, instilling a sense of noble purpose in her son. In doing so, however, she failed to teach him an important nuance: when devoting yourself to a life shouldering the burdens of others, it’s vital that you take proper care of yourself too. Which can occasionally mean prioritising your needs over others, sharing your own burdens when they become too heavy.

If she had lived longer, perhaps Ruka would have corrected his path as he matured, serving as a backbone of motherly emotional support that would’ve allowed him to be a little more forgiving towards himself. Given that he was still very young when she died, it almost seems like the naive child Kyojuro internalised that straightforward “be a brave hero and use your strength for others!!!” lesson initially, and because it was the precious advice given to him by his late mother (and at the surface level it is sound advice), in his developing mind it grew into something almost irreproachable, an unbreakable life motto. Follow that up with a decade of grieving alongside an abusive alcoholic father who tells him over and over that he’s “useless” and will “never amount to anything”… it’s only understandable that he clung so hard to the memory of his mother’s shining hopes for his future. The recently- bereaved young Kyojuro would have quickly learned to be adaptable in stressful situations, smoothing over volatile arguments to maintain open lines of communication within his broken family. His mother’s words kept him motivated despite his father’s toxic criticism, simplifying the overwhelming pressure and conflicting expectations weighing on his small shoulders into an easily- digestible heroic ideal he must strive to become.

This brings us to the complication of Kyojuro being the eldest son throughout that early grieving period; he was uniquely positioned to prevent Senjuro from falling too far into the lonely emotional pit he suddenly found himself in. He couldn’t ask for mutual support in return; he would never expect that from anyone in the first place, let alone from the precious brother he was attempting to shield from the very same turmoil hidden within himself. There was a full ~6-7 year age gap between them, which would have only enhanced Kyojuro’s instinct to coddle his junior as much as he was physically able. When Shinjuro fell into his inevitable drunken decline, you bet the young Kyojuro did everything he could to redirect the brunt of the abuse away from his little brother, even taking responsibility for his father’s behaviour in public on his back too.

As Senjuro grew older, he’d naturally have become more capable of understanding his brother’s situation, so their relationship would probably have evolved into something more mutually supportive than the “reassuring mentor- student”, and I hate to say it but “replacement- father” dynamic we were presented with in canon. I’m sure they goofed off together plenty as normal siblings do, but for the most part- at least from the brief glimpses we were shown of them interacting- Kyojuro viewed his brother as a precious source of familial love and happiness (that he must work hard to raise well and protect at all costs!!! :>), while Senjuro deeply admired his older brother in return, leaning heavily on him for all the emotional and practical guidance their father was no longer able to provide.

At the tender age of ~13-14 post Mugen Train, Senjuro had to grow up fucking fast. I don’t doubt that one of the most agonizing things for him would have been the knowledge of how much Kyojuro had privately sacrificed for him growing up, but now that he was finally old enough to fully understand and support him in return… he was gone forever.

With the above mess in mind, what is the ever- suffering big brother supposed to do with all his bottled up trauma and insecurity? Kyojuro’s answer was simple: passionately burn right through it!!! Project a straightforward, irreproachably heroic persona to the world, wholly embodying the selfless ideal his mother encouraged him to be. He follows corps rules to the letter, becomes almost universally liked by his peers; after all, years of practice smoothing over awkward family interactions no doubt made him an expert at keeping everyone happy. Adopting a selfless, hard- working approach to life that must not be deviated from under any circumstances.

This is because Kyojuro is all too aware of the damage it would cause his loved ones if he were to let himself go, having witnessed and been a victim of Shinjuro’s violent depressive outbursts. In his determination to avoid falling into the same trap, he goes to the opposite extreme, throwing himself whole- heartedly into everything. Not just out of loyalty to the corps, his acceptance that a warrior could die tomorrow, or even the memory of his mother’s words; it’s because deep down he’s terribly afraid he’ll end up spiralling like his father if he ever puts in less than his all. His inner world is literally on fire; this guy is so damn passionate about meeting an impossible standard he violently rejects his own self. Kyojuro sets his figurative self- worth ablaze and uses it as fuel to help others even more! High- functioning depression, full power let’s go!!!

One other important thing to take into account is that the Kyojuro we first meet in canon is only 20- barely into adulthood- and over the preceding couple of years would have shouldered more responsibility than ever before by taking on the mantle of a hashira.

Perhaps I’m over- projecting here, but I can remember having a tendency to think in absolutes at that age, angrily shutting away childhood traumas and plugging the gaps with a confident front, all so I could focus on handling what were suddenly very adult- sized responsibilities. Acknowledging and processing my feelings was too dangerous to be worth the risk of burdening others; not to mention the prospect of being seen as anything less than perfectly self- assured at all times felt like a catastrophe.

Kyojuro’s selfless hero character archetype takes that very human response to the absolute extreme, since easing off training and “wasting time” taking care of personal needs in his profession would mean death; either his own, or that of the people he’s trying to protect. The smallest display of weakness is met with dire consequences. Not so different from the punishing environment of his childhood, right? Yikes, I’m starting to see a pattern here…  

The scene where his father rejects the news he has become a hashira is probably the clearest demonstration of Kyojuro’s immense empathy and his willingness to listen to others- and his careful avoidance of ever voicing his own needs. He accepts Shinjuro’s callous lack of support, knowing that trying to defend his position would only upset his father more, which in all likelihood would worsen the fallout later for him and everyone else involved with the household. He immediately proceeds to pour out all the reassurance he really, desperately needed to hear himself… to comfort his beloved little brother.

Even if he knew he was hurtling towards certain disaster on that train, I’m convinced Kyojuro wouldn’t do anything to save himself. This is a character who would solve the trolley problem by physically stopping the thing with his bare hands and getting run over in the process, simultaneously saving everyone and a random person that happened to jump off the bridge overhead at the exact same time, who goes on to have a change of heart after witnessing such a heroic display. All this without crushing the eggs of a dumb bird that made its nest in the trolley tracks ahead…

You get the idea.

Kyojuro was a man who truly didn’t care about himself. He expected to die young; probably to a demon in a grotesquely violent fashion. That that was the reality of his job, and it suited him. He kept himself functional by throwing 100% of himself into every day, using his warrior’s strength to protect the weak just as his mother taught him. After all, why even bother worrying about personal feelings, when you believe yourself to be utterly disposable- when your entire purpose in life can be boiled down to suffering so that others don't have to?

From Kyojuro’s perspective, examining those rejected emotions too closely only causes him further pain, and he would run the risk of overburdening others if they became so inflamed they were allowed to rise to the surface. That would distract from the mission at hand, and the consequences would surely be dire!! Yes, ignore them, squash that stuff back down right where it belongs- set your heart ablaze slaying everyone else’s demons instead! It’s the only way to live!!!

Of course, the one mentor figure left alive who was best placed to steer Kyojuro off this noble path of self- destruction… was trapped in the pit of despair that lies at the very end of it.

At least his kid died before joining him in that pit, right?..

Nah, I reckon Kyojuro spent his life there, with a beaming smile plastered across his face 😄

[male--byleth]

valkyrie should sing more ali project songs. miwaku geki and sei shounen yuugi aren't enough for me anymore I NEED MORE !!

I'm so excited for the upcoming yuukyou seishunka cover w/akatsuki BUT ITS JUST MAKES ME THINK OF MORE SONGS THAT I WANT COVERS OF TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Such as the openings for the anime Rozen Maiden the group did, that anime is LITERALLY perfect, all about dolls and them wanting to reach perfection.

The first seasons song and its second seasons song would fit perfectly. The special's song style doesn't fit as well as the previous ones but this songs lyrics are my favorite out of all of them so I figure I'd still mention it. There is also the remake's opening and although that songs bangs, the lyrics are NOT Valkyrie-like and that is all I shall say.

Also should point out of this picture of the main singer holding a doll of one of the characters in the anime... Sure looks familiar huh....

There is also the other ending for Code Geass (the anime that used yuukyou seishunka) made by Ali project, found here. I apologize for the lack of English lyrics, a translation can be found here.

The lyrics aren't exactly spot on with Valkyrie since the imagery uh, shows more of a nurturing role than something that rules b/c they are powerful. But some of the lyrics such as:

"The world of man is ogreish; what might justice be?"

-

"The mudra of revelation; what might truth be?"

And my favorite,

"O, you chosen princes

Battle: that is your celebratory throne"

When I see this lyric, I connect it to the "princes" being Shu and Mika attempting to take back their throne from fine in Yumenosaki (the battle being their performances).

Even the more motherly lines I mentioned, though not the... exact wording I think Valkyrie would take, but the idea of Valkyrie being an all knowing entity, its beauty impossible to match.

"Ah, I am the beautiful omniscience

The loving mother who birthed you"

-

"Ah, I am the beautifully elegant virtue

The mother's love that nourishes you"

The next song I want to mention is the opening for the anime Kamichama Karin. I've never watched it but from a quick synopsis read, it's about a middle schooler who finds out she can transform into a goddess. Ali project has a pattern with their older songs lyrics if you haven't noticed, they all revolve around all mighty power or have some gothic themes.

The song focuses with the singer being a "goddess" and the listener being a "devil". The goddess talks of all the evil in the world and that it is impossible for the listener to ever reach heaven.

"The wings of a butterfly

Or even the saliva of the angels

Won't take you

to an unseen paradise"

(me when butterfly imagery)

"My body splits apart

And I’ll reunite with a fragment in heaven

We’re demigods"

I LOVEEEE this line. When related to Valkyrie, interpreting this lyric as the goddess being the group itself, as if it is an entity (as it has been referred to in canon before). Valkyrie splits into two parts and they meet again in heaven as demigods.

I will admit though. Part of the reason I want this song covered is because I would love to hear Shu and Mika sing the lyrics Darling and Honey. I would like that very much :) it's time for Shu to say darling, isn't it?

Now for the last song I'll talk about, A Declaration of War Against Fallen Heaven.

Based of the title, you probably see where I'm going with this. There is so much in this song that you can point out my god.

"Our true selves, unknown to anyone,

are the ones capable of changing this dwindled world."

I'm not sure if analysing is even worth it.

"Resist! Even if we writhe in pain from repeated defeats,

onto the scars covering our bodies, let's engrave our dreams.

In order prevent our present memories from being buried,

we must head towards tomorrow."

Just READ it.

"Holding on to our elegant frailty,

can it be that we're merely botched dolls

from God's work of artistic creation?"

Ali Project really liked dolls huh?

"Fight! Our confluent cries will be our oath.

The strength we have brought together

is even more sacred than love."

This has Raisanka vibes. Actually no every Ali Project song has Raisanka vibes I'm not gonna lie.

For honorable mentions: Kotodama reminds me of Ex-Valkyrie tons. The bands most popular song, Kyomu Desen, and the anime is used for does relate to dolls which is always a plus.

Here is a playlist of all the songs I mentioned plus some other other songs that I didn't mention but still love!

I'm SOOOOOOOO happy for the upcoming cover song, I truly do love both the game and this group dearly and seeing them come together again after years is a wish come true!!!! Thank you for reading if you did ^^ I appreciate you

[mischiefmanaged71]

As the World Caves In (3/?) - Bruce Wayne x Reader

Summary: Paying a visit to Bruce at this late hour of the night, Y/N gets more than she bargained for.

Author’s Note: comment to be tagged! reblog and comment if you liked it and your thoughts. My inbox is also open to taking requests (Bruce Wayne and other characters if you’re interested)

Pairing: Bruce Wayne x fem! Reader

Warning: THE BATMAN SPOILERS! Canon-level violence, slight angst

Series Masterlist

At this late hour, she hoped Bruce would be around to distract her from the thoughts resounding in her mind. Since the previous evening, she had been unnerved by the letter and hoped to find some solace here. He wasn’t here when she arrived so Y/N situated herself at his desk for the time being, working through some of the files she had brought downstairs.

Fumbling through the papers, she analysed the images when a brush of wind drew her attention away. Her head shot toward the dark corners of the cave.  Disturbed, she stepped down the stairs and narrowed her eyes into the shadows. Her hand slowly creeped to her back, feeling for the concealed weapon as a glint shined in her periphery. 

Clutching the weapon in hand, she flung it outward as it clanged against the flying dagger. Her eyes darted back, heart pounding in her chest as she focused on the figure sprinting toward her. The masked figure leaped into the air, launching off the wall. It swiped its claws at her neck, Y/N stepping back to save her throat from a severe wound. Her retractable katana in hand, she flipped the weapon and slashed the assassin, cutting it close as they dodged in quick succession. Striking its leg into her chest, she barely dodged it as her feet moved backwards. A slip of her posture and the assassin had its hold on her shirt, pulling her into the centre of the landing. Stumbling, she landed on a knee while trying to gain her bearings. The creeping of several pairs of feet brought her eyes up to three more similarly dressed figures, all equipped with the same sharpened claws at their sides. Presuming the same, she glanced behind her to another two joining her attacker. 

She tilted her head in alarm, holding her katana at her side. A sigh escaped her mouth as Y/N drew a second weapon from her side and it assembled into the matching pair to her weapon. The slight of her standing caused the first on her left to leap into action and swipe when she swung, slicing their shoulder and elbowing them in the head. Two of them darted out as she flipped forward and slashed both swords to clip their legs, twirling to catch their shoulders the same. Claws met her swords as she held them back, staring into the gold spectacles covering the eyes, the body covered head to toe in black.

A fierceness in her chest, she pushed against their hold and leapt, jabbing with one katana and slashing with the other in quick movements. Jumping off her feet, she swung and caught their shoulder, driving her katana into their side. The figure trembled for the moment, halting as it held her stare. 

The action caused her to falter as a pain jolted in her shoulder, wrenching a cry from her throat. Releasing the weapon from her hold, she gasped and darted around to dodge a slash for her neck.  Another joined her attack, the figures slowly clambering back to close back in on her. The pain stinging her shoulder pounded as Y/N fell back into her strong stance. 

***

Driven by pure adrenaline and the urgency to survive, Y/N fought off the attackers. Switching between offence and defensive manoeuvres, she continued despite the fear her heart would give out. A hiss left her as claw grazed her dominant arm, wincing while she gripped it. The falter of her attacks gave the opportunity for another attack to join in, tackling her side. They tumbled to the ground, slamming into the hard ground. Her head pounded as she scrambled for her weapon. 

The light left her eyes as she glimpsed at her weapon strewn on the other side of the room. Heart lurching into her throat, she kicked the assassin in the chest harshly and tumbled toward her weapon. A strike in her side sent her to the floor, groaning as she hunched over. The crack of her head hitting the ground sent waves through her sight as she blinked dazedly, gasping at the pounding sensation. Something collided with her shoulder, driving its claws into her as she cried out and flung her body to shake them off. A second impact in her side launched Y/N into a table as she crashed and collapsed to the floor. Peeling her eyes open, a groan left her mouth. She forced herself to her feet as half of them still remained, the others having been dealt with already. 

If not for anything, she was always prepared for a fight. Raising her fists, she readied into a stance as the first rose to launch toward her. At the last second, she feigned right before striking left and kicking them back. The next attack smacked into her, but Y/N drove back with a leap as she twirled and struck with her leg. Sending consecutive punches, the mask was knocked from their face. What looked back at her buried a horror within, staring back at the decayed thing. Its rotting flesh, the whites of its eyes resembling anything but human while it screeched.

Stumbling back, she kept throwing punches until a pain twisted in her back. It was far back enough that she couldn’t reach as the figure wrenched the knife out. She fell to the ground gasping, the wound flowing freely. A daze overcame her, black dots ceding into her vision. 

With her last desperate thoughts, her mind darted toward Bruce’s desk. Without much further, she leaped over the stairs to his desk. She grabbed the pod, pressing the button as a piercing sound echoed in the chamber. A groan left her, holding her empty hand over her ear at the screech. It certainly worked, the three clasping their ears in agony. Creeping down the steps, she held it out toward them, watching the quake in their stance as they dropped. 

Picking up her katana, she drove it into the closest figure and released it sharply. The other scrambled to get away so she flung it, watching as it sunk into its target. The last, she savoured while wandering back to reclaim her weapon. The clasp on her katana was strong, turning back to the figure. Right up until the beacon fell silent in the chamber. 

Eyes wide, she clasped the katana with two hands and drove it against the claws reaching for her eyes. The figure growled at her, pushing on with a ferocity she had never witnessed in a person. Gasping with laboured breaths, she pushed back and swept her legs, sending them crashing. With the growing fatigue hitting her, her mind drifted to her only escape. 

Dodging their attempts to strike out, she scrambled toward the lift. The doorway was within her reach, wrenching it open to fall in when a claw clashed with the metal. It ripped the grate open while Y/N forced it shut with a clang. It held her gaze, staring her down before it leapt off to leave from wherever it had come. 

Shuddery gasps escaped her mouth as Y/N slid down the wall of the elevator. She surmised she must have pressed the button to go up, the container moving upward. Her hand darted to her shoulder, the patch growing as the wound bled freely. Breaths growing laboured, she leaned against the wall with the last remnants of consciousness departing.

***

Returning from his late meeting with the mayor, Bruce’s thoughts immediately darted to returning to his nightly activities. Alfred was probably still working in his own office, leaving Bruce uninterrupted as he walked toward the elevator to take him down to the cave. It was second nature, Bruce absentmindedly making his way. 

His eyes shot up at the sound of the elevator arriving at his floor. No one else had access to this lift save for him and Alfred. His face hardened, cautious as the doors slid open and his jacket fell to the floor. The fear that seeped into Bruce’s chest shook him, staring down at the blood covering Y/N’s unconscious body. She rested against the wall, a pale pallor, unmoving. A shaky gasp wrenched from his throat, forcing Bruce to act quickly as he lurched to crouch by her. 

Bruce’s hand held to her neck for a pulse, relieved with the slow beat of a heartbeat. His eyes quickly scanned her figure for serious injury, citing only the wound at her shoulder. For the moment, he was running on borrowed time, without a clue as to how long she had been unconscious or wounded. Scooping her gently into his arms, he settled her head against his chest while she slumped against him. He called out her name, begging her to wake up as he felt her head drop onto his chest. Something caught in his throat, straining his throat as Bruce repeated her name in a trance of confusion.

A gasp left him, her blood sliding onto him. Clenching his jaw, he quickly moved out of the elevator and called out for Alfred desperately. Bruce didn’t recognise anything around him, calling out for help in exasperated feat which let him exhausted. The fear of being late once more sank deep into his mind, flickering before him; right there in his arms.

TAGS:

@crazylokonugget @nifujiswhore @captainbarness @siriuslydestiny @xoxoloverb @whataloadofmalarkey @blue-aconite @1970sbitch

[kuekyuuq]

I have to ask...

Where do the anti-supercorp people get the idea from that Lena Luthor is xenophobic?

Are we watching the same show?

I can see how one does not like Lena.

I can see how some of Lena's actions can be considered irredeemable.

I can see that her family was/is xenophobic.

I can agree she made some horrible mistakes in judgement.

Canon told us:

Lena was fired by Lex from LuthorCorp because he thought her naive about her pro-alien stance. The same brother who analysed Lena since she was four. 

Lena was horrified when Lex tied her to a chair and made her watch his attempt to kill Superman by turning the sun red

Lena came to National City in hopes to work with Supergirl (an alien)

Lena actively re-branded LutherCorp to LCorp to get rid of the anti-alien stuff and everything else people connected with the Luthor name

Yes, Lena created an alien-detector, but her intention was one out of ignorance (of the backlash this could cause), not of hate - when Kara much later explains the potential bad the item could cause, Lena is very much listening

Lena helps Kara on several occasions, using her intel and providing it to Kara, so Kara can investigate and write articles to dismantle anti-alien organisations (e.g. Veronica Sinclair's fight club, Cadmus)

Lena helps Supergirl on several occasions, using her intel and providing it to Supergirl, so Supergirl can dismantle anti-alien organisations

Lena actively seeks to dismantle Cadmus - the anti-alien group - even before Lena started suspecting Lillian to be involved

Lena schemes against Lillian to use Medusa to kill all aliens on Earth

Lena testified both against her alien-hating mother and brother

As soon Lillian told Lena about Lex' former facilities, she starts looking into them - they are well hidden, so it does take her a while (and by this date in the show, she may still not have unearthed all of them) - and dismantles many of them / continues to give Kara/Supergirl information about them (e.g. when Kara asks Lena for tech to find missing aliens, Lena offers to look into L-Corp (= former LutherCorp) database to search for anything useful for that particular cause

Lena encourages Kara strongly to find a way to warn all aliens about the alien registration manifest being leaked - she inspired Kara to "blob"

When Lillian finds out Lena is pro-alien and helping find the abducted aliens, she has her goons try to scare her off ("nothing permanent" - the goons accidentally threw Lena off her balcony...) - even her own family sees how non-xenophobic Lena is

Lena sacrifices Jack (her former boyfriend and still potential romantically involved one) to save Supergirl (the alien) - and (rightfully) blames the human woman, who controlled Jack, for it

When Lena suspects and confirms Rhea to be an alien, she cuts ties with her - because Rhea lied to her, not because she's an alien

Lena starts working with Rhea (confirmed alien) again - to help aliens who "weren't as lucky" as Rhea's people and to further and better Earth technologies; reduce environmental damages by infrastructure / good transports / traffic.... only to be betrayed by Rhea.

Lena learns Mon-El, Kara's boyfriend, was Daxamite and has zero issues about it

Lena has no issue with Sam being half-alien, but with the Reign-half being a huge menace to Earth, so tries to stop her and save Sam

The DEO kept Kryptonite in case any of the Supers went rogue - like Batman and Oliver Queen kept theirs - Lena kept and created Kryptonite and Harun-El to ...cure cancer; to fight against sicknesses, to use as a clean energy-source, to... do good things

...yes, she lied about it. But, her not-so-wrong reasoning was "if I tell, they will take it away. If they take it away, I won't be able to do good with it."

Lena rather had Supergirl drop her than chemicals that could have harmed thousands (human and alien)

Lena becomes quick allies and friends with Brainy (admitably, in many ways he's more AI than alien...) and befriends Nia later on, too

What else does Lena do with her stash of Kryptonite and the knowledge she gained from it? When Mercy & Otis Graves irradiate Earth's atmosphere with Kryptonite, Lena already has created an anti-Kryptonite suit for Supergirl and the fact it’s already at hand saves Supergirl’s life!

That's only up to season four... 

Yes, Lena did shitty stuff in season five. Arguably, for the right reasons, but ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions’...  But were any of those things xenophobic?

The problem she has with Kara in season five is NOT because she’s an alien - but because she felt betrayed, personally. Rightfully so? Eeeeeeeh.... while it surely must have hurt to learn your best friend lied to you and played two personalities, at times taking advantage of it, too - which, let’s be honest, Kara did - Kara did have her reasons (initially), it IS selfish for Lena to assume the worst and take the fact itself so personally.  But, everybody lives in their own world, I am sure - dear few readers, who took it upon yourselves to read this monster of a post - we can agree, that we all judge the world and others based on our own perceived reality, based on our own experiences, emotions and circumstance, whether we try to be better than that or not...  I’d even make the argument, Lena is more upset with her intimate friend “Kara” (whom she shared her most intimate thoughts and feelings with) having lied to her, than with “Supergirl” taking advantage of her. Being played, Lena can deal with, but trusting and seeing that trust shattered... low blow. Please, correct me if I’m wrong, but to my knowledge, the only time Lena uses Kara being an alien against her, is when she uses and reworks the Fortress of Solitude's already existing settings to trap Kara in there for long enough for herself to get a head-start on getting Myriad to work (how else was she supposed to achieve that?).  Myriad, which she wanted to use to STOP hate, including racism (xeno-cism?). Brainwashing everyone is most certainly a veeeeeeery misguided approach, but the premise of ending all hate and the resulting pain is very much like the notion of "praying for world peace" - just that Lena got sick of praying and decided to actually go ahead and do something about it ((again: notion good; (attempted) execution horrifying)).

Even Lena trapping Malefic was to that very end. She trapped Eve (human) as well on that line of thought. At the least, she offered Malefic a deal to his liking as payment...? Eve on the other hand.... 

If anything, Lena is people-phobic. She has a hard time trusting anyone, remains suspicious to a fault. ...she did effectively kill Eve on Earth-38, though, by over-writing her with Hope.

Kara forgave her aunt, who came just as close, wanting to use Myriad for very similar purposes - and then forgave Lena, eventually, just as much. The difference being, Astra died. We never got to see if Astra would have actually stopped her plan, convinced Non, and/or would have aimed / worked hard to redeem herself...

In the same episode, where Lena's attempts with Myriad failed (and Hope took the fall) Malefic, who had tried to murder multiple people as part of his revenge against his brother (and had targeted Kelly for a while, too) was set free by J'onn and sent to Mars to do good there.

The whole of National City forgave Supergirl (and her potential for going bad and for her causing actual destruction) only a week after the redK incident...

All that said:

1) Lena lied to Kara and played her. Sure, Lena felt betrayed and from her point of view, with her set of experiences and her own preexisting many traumas and (very bad) coping mechanisms, it was... well, understandable... or at least traceable. But, forgivable? That's ultimately up for her victim (Kara) to decide. And, apparently, she does forgive her. Not easily. But she does; understands both sides, evaluates, listens to others, observes the remorse, and makes her own decision / judgement... which is (initially, tentative) forgiveness.

2) The show is REALLY BAD at dealing with characters' actions’ or events' consequences. Period. There is no real consistency, 'cept that things don't have real repercussions. That is how the writers decided to write the show from season one on. If the writers think Kara forgives Lena and show it, then that's that.

3) Every time I read the notion that Lena was/is xenophobic, I can't help but wonder if anyone who claims such even watched the show.

4) Lena is not her brother. She's flawed. She makes mistakes. But for once, Lena and her character are suffering the consequences. That may not enough for the liking of Lena Luthor haters, or anti-Supercorp taggers, but it is what it is - and it is much more than most any actual bad guy had to suffer through. Bad guys with evil intentions, (mass) murderers, people (alien and human) that rationally caused lasting harm and/or trauma to their victims.

5) Lena is not xenophobic.

Kue out.

[smhalltheurlsaretaken]

On the Citadel and writing (Star Wars) essays.

I’ve just stumbled upon captures of clones deaths in the Citadel and Obi-Wan’s reactions (easily summed up by “we must keep moving”), and the op was using this as evidence of Obi-Wan dehumanizing them, and I can’t stop thinking about it and it’s making me so (irrationally) angry. 

...

So yeah instead of ranting, I’ll attempt to direct my seething frustration into trying to organize a few thoughts on character analysis. Rule of thumb: text without context is pretext. Or in this case, picture without scene is probably bs. When using a particular frame as a piece of evidence supporting a take, you have to make sure you’re not excluding any surrounding material that could potential contradict that take, or else the analysis doesn’t hold. Quick example: using pictures of Yoda goofing around to test Luke’s patience as evidence that he is insane doesn’t work, because it’s revealed right after that he was playing an act. 

This principle is to be broadened when analysing entire scenes or episodes. You can’t take them out of the wider narrative. 

The post I was talking about continued on to say that this wasn’t the first or the last time that Obi-Wan was careless with the lives of his clones. Unless they were referring to RotS (which isn’t fair or intellectually honest because it was made long before anyone considered giving the clones identities and individual thinking), I don’t see that as being the case at all in canon material. Obi-Wan fights on the front lines. He takes the exact same amount of risk as his troops - he takes more risks even, as established as early as Christophsis (when he tells Rex to retreat with his men while he holds off the B2 super battle droids). 

What the op was probably talking about was the many plans of his that result in clones dying (ex: on Geonosis with the zombie worms, many troopers die as they escape). Here’s what I meant about the wider narrative: TCW is about war. It’s about people dying, and it has to be so the audience can understand the horror of a full scale war. And since it’s still (supposed to be) a kid’s show, it has to be mostly faceless people dying. 

I’m borrowing a quote from @trickytricky1​‘s absolutely amazing vid ‘Your Body and Your Blade’, which compiles scenes of Jedi placing themselves between their clones and enemy fire: “We are shown a war, and in that show, to tell that story, they will kill the soldiers. They will kill the soldiers regardless of whether we think they should have been able to be saved. They will kill the soldiers to prove a point, to tug the heartstrings, to move the plot, to set the scene. But that is far from the only thing we are shown.”

So there, wider narrative. The clones dying in missions led by Obi-Wan don’t say much about Obi-Wan himself. And speaking of Obi-Wan, more on character analysis. Obi-Wan, according to Matthew Stover’s Lucas-approved RotS novelization, is “the ultimate Jedi,” Jedi being supposedly defined by their compassion.

Obi-Wan is the guy who cradles one of his worst enemy in his arms as he dies, the guy who knows like a billion languages and is always shown to be super respectful and/or knowledgeable of other beings’ cultures (the Twi’Leks whose homes he doesn’t want to destroy, the Zygerrian whose culture he uses to buy Anakin time to disable the bombs, the Geonosian Queen, telling the Gungans they live in symbiosis with the Naboo...) and the one who knows the names of the 501st troopers despite not being their general (see The Deserter). Obi-Wan is not presented as dismissive of people or things because he does not understand them, and he certainly is shown to value all sentient life above his own. That does not jibe with Obi-Wan dehumanizing the clones. 

What we’re uncomfortable with might be the show itself not delving deeply enough into issues we as an audience can perceive because we have the benefit of omniscience and hindsight. Just as Yoda and Obi-Wan killing the clones in RotS does not inform their characters but the real life context of the movie’s creation, the same can be said of most problems with clone rights that we are indigned by. (Except in Krell’s case, or Tarkin’s - that’s what dehumanization looks like. And that’s what the show draws attention to, practically screaming “hey, look, these guys are evil for doing that!!!”)

To go back to the Citadel arc itself... Again, context. They’re in the middle of a highly time-sensitive mission, their failure could (as far as they know) mean complete defeat and the end of the Republic if the Separatist invade the Core worlds, and it’s more than probable that the clones who came along volunteered. (The ones we know are all high-ranking officers.) 

With this in mind, Obi-Wan not taking the time to show grief (again with the context that Obi-Wan isn’t one to wear is emotions on his sleeve) says one thing about his character, and only one: he’s a damn leader. As Piell puts it, this is war. You act first, survive first, mourn second. It’s hard to swallow as the audience, because we love the clones and care for them and want other characters to show that they care too, but fan-service can make for poor writing and characterization. 

(And by the way - Obi-Wan carries a clone on his back when they make their way down a cliff. He also personally assists most of the men up and down ledges, he gives out the warning about the blast doors closing... He’s trying to have everyone’s back. Pressing people to move isn’t being cold, it’s being cool-headed.)

To finish off, I’d like say that the “death of the author” principle is great when you’re writing school essays and want to show off (I should know, pretending that I’m smart and know stuff about literature is basically what I’m majoring in). But it can very easily lead to interpretations that - while valid to the degree that you’re entitled to make them and that they’ll probably always be defendable in some way - are not what you were meant to take away from the story. (Ex: the Empire was actually good, the Jedi deserved genocide, the Dark Side is freeing - go crazy, make defending these into fun rhetoric exercises, actually believe them if you want - but it’s still not what Lucas was trying to say.) 

Here’s what JAT (Obi-Wan’s voice actor) had to say about the Citadel. (Borrowed from the amazing @gffa​.)

“He has sympathy and heart for the clones, but at the same time he knows the mission.” 

tldr: the Citadel isn’t an arc meant to highlight Obi-Wan’s flaws (if anything, it’s an Ahsoka arc, and an Anakin arc setting up his future interactions with Tarkin). The deaths we see him walk away from are mostly for shock value, to make us understand what how dire the situation is and to make Even Piell’s death believable when it comes (which in turn is to further Ahsoka’s arc).

So yeah, keep the author alive, try to make serious analysis in good faith and not based on your emotional reactions to character you cherish, but go crazy on the wildy AU headcanons and don’t let people spoil your fun. 

[beecckkyy16]

My thoughts on s03 x e09.

I’m completely emotionally drained. I know some people weren’t entirely happy with the episode, but I loved it and I have to say my Chenford heart is completely full right now ❤️.

I am truly more hopeful now than ever before that they may actually become canon 🙏.

I’ve seen people commenting that the “confession” scene is a sign that the door has now closed on Chenford. I actually think the opposite.

Just the idea of them being anything more than friends is out there now. I don’t think before this scene either of them had truly considered anything more than platonic feelings for each other. They wouldn’t have allowed themselves to think like that, even if they knew deep down they were physically attracted to each other (obviously, they’re both gorgeous!), and that they had a unique and completely trusting bond. They’ve been through a lot together, it would be no surprise that they were comfortable with each other. Now that the idea is out there, they can begin to actually consider it and how they really feel. I’m sure both of them spent some time analysing in their heads what had happened and questioning their feelings, I don’t believe they both just brushed it off and never thought about it again.

Is it normal for Tim to miss riding with a Rookie once they graduate? He’s made it clear in the past that being a TO to them is purely all it is and he’s more than happy to say goodbye to them at the end of the year and start over with a new Rookie. I think he’s going to be shook when he realises it’s just not the same without her by his side 12 hours a day, that a piece of him is missing. She’s crept into his heart without him even noticing and it’s going to floor him when he finally realises.

Lucy has been so excited to stand on her own two feet and get out there and be the strong, badass cop she is that she hasn’t actually considered what it will be like not spending 12 hours a day with Tim. He’s become her safety blanket, the one she can trust with her life, the one she feels comfortable enough to spill all her thoughts to even when he mocks her and acts disinterested.

Now only seeing each other during the occasional roll call and crime scene is the perfect opportunity for them to realise the hole the other has left in them.

My only concern off the back of the confession scene is a comment I read that theorised if this will make Tim more hesitant to accept his feelings and/or admit them to Lucy and vice versa. He could be left thinking that Lucy thinks the idea of them having any romantic feelings for each other is a joke and so unbelievable and that’s why she brought it up so casually. Or, Lucy actually kinda knew deep down that she maybe meant what she was saying (she came up with the idea of pretending she has feelings so quick, maybe that’s because she’s contemplated it before) and she could be hurt/embarrassed at his clear shock of the confession. I think it’s probably too early in their relationship development for this to have a huge impact on it though.

Now onto the garage scene.. this is without hesitation my favourite scene of the entire show so far. I’ve re-watched it countless times. I can’t put into words how warm, fuzzy and hopeful it made me feel. It was absolutely perfect.

Tim’s face when Lucy was reading out his final eval. That is the face of a man completely BESOTTED. And he had a glistening in his eyes like he was on the verge of choking up. 🥺

I know some people are a little disappointed we didn’t get a hug, but I think it would have been a bit out of character for Tim. He’s not outwardly soft and in touch with his feelings and the “I’ll miss riding with you” was the most sentimental we’ve seen him with her. Although, before he offers her his hand he does make this face, like maybe he’s contemplating what to do or say next and then decides a handshake is the safest option...

I personally loved the handshake. They both held it for way longer than necessary, and to be honest I thought it was actually extremely intimate. Like neither of them were quite ready to let go just yet. They knew this was their last moment of partnership and tomorrow things will be different.

I, along with everyone else I’m sure, freaking loved the gift exchange! I LOVE the parallels with these two. Lucy is now feeling comfortable enough to get her own back on Tim for one of his “Tim Test’s”. I think that’s a huge sign that they have officially crossed over the line from work partners to friends.

Lucy’s reaction when Tim opened his “gift” was the cutest 🥺

When Tim said “see you tomorrow Lucy”. Ugh I had goosebumps everywhere. Again, crossing that line from being his boot. I wonder if from now on he’ll always refer to her as Lucy or if he’ll sometimes still call her his boot. I kinda still want him to in an endearing kind of way.

At the very end after she says “see you tomorrow Tim”, I may have completely lost my mind but it looks like she is so checking him out when she eyes him up and down before she walks away. She’s thinking “ohh I see you now 😉”.

Sorry for my long ramble, but I’m just so in love with these two right now. I’m so excited to see how the last few episodes of this season turn out. There are so many possibilities. I may be completely naive but I truly think our ship is about to set sail.. 🥰

[halfpint55]

@oldpotatoe it arrived EARLY

And now some context!

On this epic shirt is is a quote from the iconic fic ‘feels like we only go backwards’ by legend oldpotatoe on ao3

Now if u follow me u know I’ve been loving the fic to the point of creation, being inspired enough to make art.

I love Ruby’s fic for a number of reasons. Firstly it’s Zukka and honestly that pairing is just everything to me.

But Ruby’s writing just makes it. A few times I’ve sat down, trying to write a comment about specific parts of her writing that I love and it’s HARD. Because the most beautiful thing about Ruby’s writing, what makes it special, is all the components of writing, all the little elements of it - they’re all GOOD, they’re excellent! - but more than that they slot together so smoothly that it’s impossible to chunk it down into pieces and break it apart to analyse. And the result is the most beautifully woven together story that you just MELT into. I’ve said this to ruby before but that fic just plays in my head like a movie as I’m reading it - it’s just that well written, with not a single word wasted. You get lost in it, and I honestly forget it’s not canon.

But I have to talk about how ruby writes sokka. Sokka is special to me. He’s a character I see a lot of myself in (I might even have a massive undercut at the back but we don’t need to talk about how kinning is my most recent coping mechanism so MOVING ON). To me he’s ADHD-coded and very much a bright, intelligent “gifted kid”. He struggles to follow through sometimes, he’s quick to react emotionally, he gets very insecure about his abilities and it affects his self esteem. Being left alone in the SWT there were high expectations of him, and again during the invasion. He takes a lot upon himself, and he’s a great leader but he’s never without the little voice in his head saying “what if you’re doing this all wrong? What if you fuck it up? What is everyone going to think of you then? Do you really know what you’re doing?”. I feel like sokka’s hyperactivity really manifests itself into overplanning - like he did for day of the black sun. He’s also so creative and inventive as adhd brains often are - he thinks outside the box and as Piandao said he “messes things up in a very interesting way”.

Sokka is one of my ultimate comfort characters and Ruby writes him immaculately. His fears, his anxieties, his difficulties with meditation and mindfulness, being impulsive. But also his humour and his charm. The way she writes his inner monologue and thoughts have had me WEEPING with laughter but also from the emotional sucker punch that is seeing ur comfort character wrestle with their problems.

This particular quote comes from a scene where Zuko is trying to teach Sokka to meditate and practice mindfulness - something I and a lot of adhd brains struggle with lmao - and Sokka, not actually being able to be quiet for two fkn seconds is being facetious, deliberately obtuse and snarky in classic sokka style that we all know and love.

And Zuko says to him “Insufferable, as always”. Now to me this is the most beautiful small moment. I have spent a lot of my life being very aware that I am too much. I feel like people with adhd become the funny friend so that we can ensure that people are looking and laughing at us on purpose, and for a good reason. Otherwise we risk being talked about for being too loud, too intense, too enthusiastic (because that’s ~*cringe*~), too passionate about our “weird” interests (that’s boring, who wants to listen to that). Simultaneously we’re not enough - we’re not punctual enough, not organised enough, not tidy enough, not paying enough attention, not listening well enough, not trying hard enough. We’re so aware of all of this. We spend our lives absorbing the idea that we can be tough to be around. But Zuko, when he’s looking at sokka and he says this, he does it with so. much. love. He does it with a smile. He’s saying “you’re insufferable AND I love you for it”. Not “you’re insufferable BUT” not “I love you despite your chaos”.

No he’s saying “I love you because of it. I love you AND your chaos”.

A slight sidetrack into a headcanon, I firmly believe Sokka struggles with Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria. He internalises and takes to heart the smallest comments of perceived criticism- he wants so badly to do a good job at being the planner and the protector that the smallest comments can just crush him (but he’d never let on). And so usually if anyone else were to call him insufferable he’d laugh it off “yep that’s me! Insufferable Sokka at your service” but deep down that hurt. He’s gonna think about that for days. BUT so secure is he in the knowledge that Zuko loves him through and through that “insufferable” doesn’t even phase him. He KNOWS it comes from a place of love. (It wasn’t easy for him to convince himself of it at first - it took a long time for him to check his RSD with Zuko but it’s paid off). He knows that Zuko is thinking “you’re insufferable and I fucking love you”.

So I got it the quote on a fkn shirt because yes, I’m insufferable sometimes. But that’s just how I am and I claim that for myself because I’m not gonna change. The people in my life that love me, love me like this. I’m not insufferable to them, to them I’m just me. So just as Sokka has an unconditional love in Zuko, the people in this world who are worth anything will love us in the same way.

And Ruby. Omg ruby. thank u for blessing us with ur writing (and this quote) amongst ur academic deadlines. We’re so lucky you choose to share ur incredible writing with us. And thank u for just rolling w my very intense brand of love for ur work ❤️ it’s hyperfixation at its finest and u matching the energy and the love right back has honestly just made me feel so much less self conscious about being “too much”. I’ve also gained some lovely zukka-loving mutuals from the art of Zuko’s interlude and so I have you to thank for the little zukka bubble that is my dash now 💖💖💖 (I’m never going back).