#but even more so possibly. I really want to focus on my ideas and ships even if it means my output lessens

[thecoochiefairy]

short n’ sweet. onyankopon.

𑄽𑄺 warnings 𑄽𑄺 4.7K word count. blackfem!reader/original character, onyankopon, football player!onyankopon, sweet!onyakopon, dominant!onyankapon, arrogant!onyankopon, unprotected sex, vaginal penetration, lil bit of sweet talkin’, praising, LOTS of dirty talk, squirting, creaming, aggressive dirty talk, nasty sex chile, just a fine ass black man, minors aren’t welcome!

𝓐ᥫ᭡

𝒄𝙤𝒐𝙘𝒉𝙞𝒆𝙛𝒂𝙞𝒓𝙮 𝙩𝒉𝙤𝒖𝙜𝒉𝙩𝒔 .ᐟ guess who it is? yo’ favorite couple. now, lemme’ tell you. this is NOT the new fic, so look out for that in the next couple of days. this was just the nasty part of my mind wanting to put pen to paper—and i might’ve seen this video that reminded me of ole’ girl and ony real bad. so i suggest watching before reading ;) it’s nasty. sorry? kinda? not really. okay, bye.

𝓐ᥫ᭡:: your baby’s birthday is full of surprises.

visual.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE HADN’T BEEN YOUR ONLY CHOICE. From Bratz, to Hello Kitty, the possibilities of a six month olds birthday party shouldn’t have been so complex—that was, if you weren’t dealing with your black ass family. 

Driving from New Orleans to Mississippi wasn’t the issue. It was planning this party, having to take it three hours from your hometown, packing your children up for their first road trip, and making sure everything was set in stone by the time you arrived.

To top things off, you didn’t…feel well. 

Once again, this was all the doing of your mother in law. You loved her, but her desires of doing everything to her perfection could be—suffocating.

It was an exciting time—your baby girl was turning six months old, and the entire family freaked out as if this weren’t you and Onyankopon’s second baby. You could appreciate everyone’s desire to celebrate—aunts, uncles, Onyankopon even had a couple of his teammates coming.

The idea of planning this whole thing was supposed to be fun. But it became less fun when you had the realization that you weren’t the one in charge. Onyankopon tried his best to tame his mother, but there wasn’t much he could do when she had her mind made up. 

So you did what you always did—gave a smile, and tried not to fuss as much as you wanted to.

Strike one. You’d bought everything you wanted for your baby girl’s party to give Strawberry Shortcake down to her outfit���however, after already going over budget, you found out that your mother in law had gotten decorations professionally made, and she decided that your decorations were too “Boring.” 

Strike two was when she decided to ship everything to your house and not hers, meaning that not only were you overflowing the car, but you had to pack your own stuff, your husbands, and two babies into Onyankopon’s G—Wagon. 

Strike three—your breast ached from having to feed Sage within this three hour drive, you had the worst cramps on the planet—and you learned that Salem could become carsick. You stopped two times, having to change his clothes, hold him while holding Sage, and keep him from vomiting all over the seats.

When you finally made it to your mother in laws—all you wanted was a nap. Onyankopon had offered to take the kids downstairs as you slept, but Sage could be what you called a velcro baby—she’d lose her everlasting shit if you weren’t within arms reach.

 You were tired, irritated, and sore more than usual. But you weren’t gonna cry.

It all led up to the day of your baby girl’s birthday—the morning was a little more chaotic than you hoped for, current focus along feeding Sage, while your mother in law ran rapidly around the house.

“Where are the cupcake toppers? Did you move them?”

Your eyes flick up to her, standing in a pale pink and red apron, looking like a mentally insane pastry chef.

Your voice is soft as you say, “Ony put everything in the garage like you asked him to, momma.”

She doesn’t waste a beat to rush out of the kitchen, leaving the scent of buttercream behind. You turn your attention down to Sage, the baby smacking her lips against your nipple as she continues to suckle.

You can’t even properly greet your husband as he enters the kitchen—not to mention, he was doing a great job of avoiding your irritation and his mother’s wrath. He’d camouflage into the wall if he could.

“Lil’ mama already lookin’ for yo’ titty this early?”

You release a soft breath, “I’m really thinkin’ about taking her off my nipple—put her on the bottle for good.”

Your eyes then narrow a bit, “And where have you been? Yo’ momma in here’ about to lose her mind because you moved the cupcake toppers.”

“That’s how you greet yo’ man? Don’t start trippin’ on me, girl. Forreal’.”

He pecks a kiss on your lips, leaning down to do the same with his baby’s forehead. Your irritation might’ve soothed a bit.

“I’m sorry,” you sigh, “I’m just—as little sleepy, is all. Good morning,” you pull him in for another soft peck on the lips, “Where’s Say-Say? Still sleep?”

“Yeah—lil’ nigga tried to swing on me earlier cause I told him to hand over that pacifier. But he ‘sleep—climbed his bad ass in Sage’s pack-n-play. The real question is—how you doin’?“

You can’t even answer the question. Onyankopon’s mother comes back into the kitchen as she questions, “Onyankopon—did you move the cake toppers? I told you not to touch them!”

Onyankopon raises an eyebrow, “And have you cuss’ me out? Hell nah’ I ain’t touch ‘em. They’ been in the garage since we got here.” 

“Are you sure you didn’t hear me mention the attic, and that’s where you put them?”

The sound of opening and shutting doors echoes into the kitchen as she frantically pulls at the cabinets.

“Are you sure you ain’t lose em’?” 

“I have a great memory!” she huffs, “If I can’t find them—the cupcakes are gonna be dull—they don’t look a lick of Strawberry Shortcake!—And y’all just sitting there, watching me freak out!” 

She gives you no time to defend yourself, stomping out of the kitchen as she cusses. Your jaw is clenched a bit, turning back towards Onyankopon as you raise an eyebrow, “You wanna know how I’m doing? Forreal’? ‘Cause that might cause an argument.”

His eyes narrow, "C’mon, bro. Don’t start. You know how my momma be’."

“I ain’t even say nothing, Ony. You keep reminding me how yo’ momma acts—but you ain’t saying nothing to her.”

 Your voice is a little sharp, pulling yourself back as Onyankopon tries to grab for Sage, “Stop—You know she’s gonna start crying.”

"If you 'bout to start somethin', can you do it after the party?" He takes note of your attitude, his voice more stern than usual, “We came all the way out here for lil’ mama—I ain’t about to let y’all make a scene.”

“I’m literally more calm than I should be,” you deadpan, “How you finna’ check me about my attitude but not yo’ momma? Your priorities are in the wrong place right now.”

Onyankopon smacks his lips, “I ain’t realized there was a manual on how to react when yo’ wife actin’ salty, and yo’ momma in the next room ‘bout to pop a blood vessel.”

“What you’ want me to do, Ony? How should I act?” You question, placing Sage against your shoulder, gently patting her back, even in the midst of your irritation.

“Just chill. I ain’t tryna’ click out on you and my momma.” 

Onyankopon’s gaze is serious, not backing down despite your glare, “I’m so serious.” 

“Oh?” You raise an eyebrow, “I’m sorry that me being irritated with the fact that we drove three hours—well, let’s wrap it up to five since Salem was car sick— not to mention that I was extremely uncomfortable since we had no room in the backseat with all the extra decorations your mom decided to buy when I already bought some! I’m running off twelve hours of sleep in the past two days, and somehow your momma still thinks I’m not doing enough. My fault—let me chill.”

Sage burps, babbling as she wraps her mouth along the end of your shoulder. Your arms are sore at this point. You sigh, “Take her,” as you lean your baby girl into his arms.

Sage continues babbling, wrapping her toothless gums on the end of your husbands t-shirt, rubbing her face into his chest. 

“Aight,” He nods, hearing the frustration in your voice, “I’m sorry. You’ right.”

You don’t mean to be snappy—You don’t want to be. You hate when you get like this, another exhale blowing from your lips as you’re holding that urge to cry. God, your period was definitely coming. Not only are you emotional, but even being upset with your husband, you wanna be as close to him as possible. And—were you a little horny? 

You rub the muscular bicep of his tattooed arm, “You mind getting her dressed while I take a quick nap?”

He nods, “Of course. I was gon’ do that anyways.”

He takes Sage onto his shoulder, “I’ll come wake you up so you got time to get ready—just focus on sleeping, aight? I’m ‘bout to get Say-Say dressed and go help my momma with these cupcakes before dressing Sage.”

You reach for his ear, rubbing affectionately as you hum, “You’re so sweet, Daddy. Thank you.”

Onyankopon’s serious gaze eases, a smirk growing on his face.

“Aight—you know ain’t no callin’ me that if you ain’t gon’ do all the rest,” He shakes your grip from his ear, pressing a kiss on your palm. 

“C’mon, ‘fore you get me worked up.”

You roll your eyes, giggling softly as you begin making your way back upstairs—but you can’t help but listen to Onyankopon talking to your daughter—as he always did.

“Don’t worry, baby. All of us gon’ be back in NOLA soon, and yo’ momma gon’ be back to herself—You gon’ get to see aunties, uncles— whatchu think? A whole lotta Strawberry Shortcake, huh? What a life you’ blessed with, pretty mama…”

Getting some type of rest definitely puts you in a better headspace, and the true realization that you were celebrating your baby’s birthday couldn’t have made you any happier. Sage’s Strawberry Shortcake Party was in full swing. 

Sweets and desserts scattered across the plaid picnic table for guests to choose from. Everyone was here—family, Onyankopon’s players, even you and your mother in law were now getting along—everyone was in adoration of your baby, the celebration being better than you expected it to ever be. 

Your dress matched Sage’s strawberry covered bonnet, oversized along her dark curls, her dress fluffing out from its poofy frill. The sight had you snapping a thousand pictures— however, you’re a bit distracted. 

You’d redone Onyankopon’s braids for him the night before, the olive green shirt he wears clinging to his muscular frame, complimenting his brown skin that mixes with all of his tattoos. It’s something about how much of a southern man he really was—being in between New Orleans and Mississippi—he’s sporting jeans, a hefty belt shining under the natural light coming into the house, cowboy boots heavy on his feet with each step. Facial hair, face tats, it all pulls together with the print hung under his belt that he can’t seem to tuck. 

God. 

But you’re no better—the mini halter dress you wear molds around your full hips and ass, lace trimming along the end of the pale pink material. Your matching woven sandals show off the French tip of your toes, dark curls framing around your curvy figure.

The sight of your husband—it’s becoming a problem. Your heart swells as you hold Salem in your arms, the tune of Happy Birthday echoing to your baby girl, Onyankopon holding her up towards the cake, allowing her to tear the dessert apart piece by piece. She’s giggling, and to see Onyankopon so soft with your daughter that you created together—it made you love him even more. 

 Back to the point of him being a problem— now, he’s being touchy. 

Salem’s a bit more independent now, running around the yard with his cousins as he screams out in excitement. You have the perfect view of your family enjoying the celebration that your mother in law put so much time and effort into—you couldn’t help but thank her, despite your differences. 

Back to the point again, Onyankopon being a problem. His fingers become hooked along the waist of your dress, his face pressed in the crook of your neck as he kisses on your skin, gently nipping and licking.

You knew your husband to be affectionate, so to him, this was just showing you love in a way that he felt was innocent. But with each kiss, each compliment, your clit throbbed. 

Maybe he noticed. Maybe he didn’t.

The party was now close to ending—Sage and Salem being taken upstairs to bed, leaving the rest of the adults downstairs, drinking and catching up with each other. You leaned yourself against his shoulder as he talked to his teammates, lightly padding your fingers against his lower back in the softest way. Your palms travel, finding the warmth of his ear—you start rubbing there.  

Onyankopon can always sense your change in temperature. Your hands wander aimlessly on his body at this point, still giving no reaction to your touch as he occasionally takes a long swig from the bottle of beer in his hand.

You’re looking at him— his legs spread against the chair, boots flat along the ground, bulge prominent as he continuously attempts to adjust himself. Your mind won’t stop fantasizing, and you can imagine yourself just—

Dishes. You needed to do the dishes.

The moment you say your goodbyes to everyone, you’re quiet as you wash off the ceramic plates into the sink. You can hear Onyankopon throwing things in the trash behind you, a sigh parting from your lips as you ask, “That was nice, wasn’t it?”

“Mhm.”

 His palms slide up from behind, his arms enveloping your body as his hands gently rub circles along your stomach. Your body is pressed against his, warm and needy—but, was this the right time to speak up? 

“My baby had a big day,” He says, his voice a low hum.

“I just wish she would be able to remember times like these, you know? She was so giggly and excited to smash her cake, and her outfit was adorable—those are times we’ll never get back with her. I’ll think about them a lot,” you softly smile, leaning yourself back against your husband's chest.

“She gon’ know how much we loved her,” He kisses on the side of your neck, “We do got’ a few more times like this before Salem hits three, so don’t beat yo’self up too much, aight? Our family is perfect.”

You press your lips together at that. Turning your head to face him, your brown eyes pool into his sight, hand reaching for his facial hair, scratching your fingers into the coils of it.

“Thank you for holding me together today. I was a little frustrated earlier—but everything turned out better than I ever thought it would. I was good, wasn’t I?”

“It’s nothing you gotta thank me for, baby. We do this as a team, aight? You was’ good, even when you had every reason to be upset. You my lil’ team player, forreal’.”

That makes you smile.

“You’ my big team player,” you softly giggle.

“I know that. C’mere.” 

His hand cups the back of your head, locking your lips into a kiss, full lips overlapping yours. It removes the lip combo you wear, tongue deepening itself in your mouth. 

“Yo’ ass was good today, Mama.”

You’re always ready to accept his kisses, but sometimes—between you and yourself—you couldn’t handle Onyankopon when he got like this. Not to mention that your body felt overly sensitive in the moment, so just from a kiss, you were trembling.

You’re shy within your giggle as you breathlessly muse, “T—Thank you, baby.”

“You already know I’m gon’ thank you some more in ‘bout two minutes. Take yo’ ass upstairs.”

Onyankopon was always a man of his word. Here you were now—body shuddering from his tongue previously nose deep in your pussy, heart rate pounding in your ears as you straddled your smaller frame atop of his. You loved riding him—but you loved seeing his face more, rather than facing the opposite way as you were now. On the other hand, Onyankopon loved this position just as much as seeing your pretty face— his eyes continuously traced over the ink tattooed along your back, the dark pink complimenting your caramel skin. 

You whimper to him, “Wanna see you, Ony.” 

His tip is already being engulfed by the pretty pink of your folds, puffy as they’re stretched by the girth of him. 

Onyankopon takes a handful of your hair, giving it a tug—your body quivers the minute you feel his other palm smack your ass, “Yo’ shit too muhfuckin’ pretty, Mama. Lemme’ enjoy you like this.” 

Your lashes brush against your freckled cheeks as you slowly lower your hips, every inch of him being sucked in by your pussy, the back of your thighs meeting his abdomen as you go down. The curls of your hair drape along your figure with the sway of your body dipping, your lips parting a bit, shakily gasping in the softest way. 

Leaning yourself against his legs, your teeth lightly tug at your lower lip as you rock down, finding a rhythm within the angle, skin creating the tiniest clapping echo against his dick. You part a whimper from your lips. 

“Goddamn, Mama—Who you doin’ allat for?” 

A hand makes its way over the front of you, rubbing the middle of your stomach to feel your body shift. His touch has you arching, your soft cry of pleasure deafening to your own ears as your ass bounces on his hips. You never sounded like this so early. 

“Ion’ know who you was tryna’ play,” Onyankopon grunts out—you’re like a pendulum, putting him in a trance with the way you wine your body. But that never stopped his mouth. 

“A nigga gon’ know if you need him as soon as you walk inna’ room—allat’ attitude, touchin’ on me—That’s how you know a nigga love yo’ ass. You love me, huh?” 

“Love you,” your voice is still soft, whimpering as you hold your ass in your own palms, spanking yourself, “Love you, Ony…” 

Every time he mentions the word love, even indirectly—you’re like a puppy, willing to agree to anything that comes from his mouth. That’s how it’s always been. 

“You a good lil’ bitch,” he grunts, “Keep fuckin’ me.” 

His clasp at the end of your curls has your eyes rolling, your mouth pouting as he tugs you down to meet the sticky heat of your pussy becoming wetter. His palm lowers itself, gripping your ass, finding a hold there—you’re dropping, dropping, you’re groaning in the prettiest way, “Ughn, O—Ony…” 

“Keep singin’, baby. Keep throwin’ that shit.” 

His desire for you grew with each child, with each touch, with each word. But he would still give you the world.

Onyankopon always gave you an immense amount of pleasure—but when he wanted to reward you—god, you were lucky you weren’t a mental patient.

The positions are always dominated by him, now having you bent at the edge of the bed, body arched to perfection, legs tucked underneath his to keep you still. His fingers always find a hold of your hair, locking you in place as he’s sliding his tip up and down against your folds—slow, aching.

Your face is hidden beneath the sheets, palm finding a collection of the comforter beneath your fingers. Your pussy spreads as his tip sinks in—Onyankopon grounding  his hips, allowing the weight of his dick to fill you in all one thrust. 

Your mouth drops, “Damn, baby…”

It’s almost torturous—his tip goes from kissing at your folds, to the air within your chest leaving as you’re full in a milliseconds, dick curving into your walls, reaching for your cervix that eats a delicious pinch from his strokes. Again and again, the room fills with a sweet lullaby of the slaps his hips make against your ass. Each thrust is accompanied by a satisfying whine from your mouth. 

“This them’ good girl strokes,” he grunts, stroking through his words, “Good ass fuckin’ girl.”

For the sake of your mother in law and children, you press your mouth into the sheets, eyes rolling as your whimpers muffle through the material—but Onyankopon could be the worst sometimes.

His favorite place to grasp—your curls, his fingers collect anything he can get his hands on, using it to drop you down in the slowest he’s ever given you a thrust, his balls rubbing against your clit, dick nearly reaching for your windpipe—he’s deep, deeper than he’s ever been before.

“Don’t fuckin’ move,” his voice is dark, “Imma’ keep you here. Let you feel this big ass dick.” 

“Fuckkk.”

Your eyes roll as you gasp—your pussy was’ stuffed.

“Can’t f—feel you no more,” you whimper, trying to pull yourself together through the pleasurable tears that begin to collect in your eyes. You tremble, your mouth quivering a sob, “I’m too wet, baby. Oh my g—god…”

You don’t even realize you’re cumming—squirting for that matter—only able to hear the splat, splat of your arousal gushing in between your skin colliding together. Your thighs are trembling, the vibration traveling up to your throat as you groan. 

“Don’t be fuckin’ lyin’ to me—you feel my shit.” 

His fingers tightened around your curls, forcing you back onto his dick after a swift jerk, making your head tilt backwards for your throat to be exposed, your lower body going numb as he fucks you into an oblivious space.

He’s close, sliding his soaked tip out to see your cum glistening down the dick, to putting you back on him—again, again, again.

You’re brain is so fried, you begin bouncing yourself back on his dick, cumming, continuously cumming—you’re whining as you turn your head back towards him, “Dick so fuckin’ big, Daddy. Just taking your pussy. Just. Take…me….” 

You’re talking through the strokes you provide for yourself, you’re drooling, almost in a bimbo like state. He always took you there. 

Onyankopon’s body looms over yours as he finds a place of your throat to hold, pulling your face back to watch you. The sounds you made were identical to an angel crying, prettier than ever before. His dick finds the last crevice of space left inside you—his tip resting in between your cervix, “Make a mess on this bitch. Make. A. Fuckin’. Mess,” he emphasizes his words through every. Single. Thrust.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuckkk.”

It happens—you scream—Onyankopon moans as you squeeze around him, pulling himself out as he cums—but he’s more worried about you. He replaces his dick with his fingers, chaotically rubbing at your clit, fingers becoming drenched as you squirt again. 

His hand holds you in place as you cry, legs trembling, having one of the most intense orgasms you’d had with him. There’s more tears in your eyes, your head knocking into the sheets, hiding your flushed face as you hadn’t expected your own reaction.

His voice grumbled into the shell of your ear, “There you go, baby. You did that shit for me. Did all that shit for me, huh?”

You only have to let out a shaky exhale in response to his words, too exhausted to argue otherwise.

That’s when you both hear a knock— it startles you so bad that your entire body jolts, Onyankopon cradling you beneath his hold protectively. His voice is low as he responds, “Yeah, momma. What you’ need?”

“I heard screaming—is everything alright? 

You hide your face into his arm. 

Onyankopon deepens his face into your neck, chuckling before he replies, “Yeah. She—uh, saw a big ass spider. We’ good.” 

“Oh—I just wanted to check. Anyways , this baby lookin’ for yo’ wife’s nipple.“

You sigh, barely able to respond, nearly halfway asleep in the seconds they conversed with each other. Your voice is soft as you reply, “I’m comin’, momma—Just give lil’ mama her binky until then.”

The silence that fills the room confirms that she left, a quiet, soft laugh coming off Onyankopon’s lips. 

“You know she ain’t stupid—she finna’ get my ass, lawd.”

“No,” you cover your reddened face with his arm, “That’s so embarrassing. God, please go get Sage so I don’t have to face that conversation.”

“You heard how bad my ass was lyin’?”

He continues chuckling, the rumble of it hitting your back as you huff, “Ony.”

“Aight, aight,” He laughs, “Let me clean up ‘fore I head up there.“

The heat of the moment begins to fade away as your sobriety washes over you. The moment he goes to leave—you stop him. Turning to face him, you wrap your arms around Onyankopon’s neck as you pucker your lips out for a kiss, “I love you. You love me?”

“With my life, shawty,” He leans forward, pressing his lips into yours for a quick peck that you’ve been seeking.

“You sure?”

You didn’t mean to have the question sound worrisome, but your voice was a little—hesitant. You were hesitant.

“Baby. That’s never gon’ change. What’s going on?” he frowns, “Why’ you feelin’ like this?”

Remember all the times you said you weren’t gonna cry today? 

Too late for that. 

Your hands quickly cover your face as you feel your body trembling— you softly sob, hiding your cries within your palms as you release all the emotions you’d been holding for the past couple of days.

“Aye—What’s goin’ on, baby? Hey,” he takes your face into the palms of his large hand, “You can cry, forreal’, but what got you feelin’ like this? Why’ you think I wouldn’t love you? Talk to me.”

Your tears run down your face, cheeks as red as your baby girls as you continue to cry. Your voice shakes as you whimper, “You’re gonna be upset with me…” 

“Aight, aight, just—,” he shakes his head, cupping your face into his hands more as he tries to figure out what to say.

“—You know I can’t stand seeing you cry. I ain’t never gon’ be mad at you for that—just talk to me.”

You take a deep breath, “I’m sorry for being mean to you, baby. I just—I love you so much—and you told me that you wanted a big family—but we just had lil’ mama, and you’re about to get back on the field again—“ 

“Mama,” he cuts off, “Slow down. What you’ tryna say?—Are you pregnant again?”

“…I just—I wanted to try a new birth control because the IUD was giving me issues—and I forgot to take my pills—you probably don’t even want another baby.”

You’re crying even harder now, pressing your face into his chest.

“You—“

He sighs, not even attempting to mask his irritation, “You think I’d be upset that you’ pregnant again?” 

 His tone is low, “I don’t care if you get pregnant with ten of my kids. You my fuckin’ wife. We’ll have a whole muhfuckin’ football team if that’s what god blessed us with. I love you. That ain’t gon’ change.”

That makes your heart swell. You press your forehead to his, a tearful giggle falling from your lips. 

“I didn’t mean to start crying,” you softly say, taking a deep breath as your fingers wrap around his necklace, “My period was supposed to be a week ago, but when I realized it was late—I thought I was being dramatic thinking I was pregnant again, so I didn’t even tell you—I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be talkin’ nonsense,” He mutters, “I told you when we first started this family that the number didn’t matter to me—As long as you happy.”

“I’m more than happy,” you say, pressing your lips back into his, “I love you and our babies so much.” 

Onyankopon’s smile grows into a smirk, “I got a bunch of kids runnin’ around here anyway, Salem ‘bout two in one—I’m ready when you ready, baby.”

That makes more tears pour from your eyes. You tighten your arms around his neck as you softly cry, “I love you so much, Onyankopon.”

“I love you more, baby. Ain’t that why yo’ lil’ ass cryin’?” He chuckles, gently patting and rubbing on your back, “You gon’ be a mess if you keep goin’ like this. I’m finna’ go tell my momma—MOMMA!”

You giggle as he takes off—and at this point, you’re not entirely sure why you’re still crying. You’re just sensitive, okay?

You’re sobbing, but you’re so happy. You had no idea how lucky you truly were to have this man. Your heart flutters as you try to stop your tears, but the love for your family is making it difficult. The love for him made it all the more worse.

That was never gonna change.

[actuallyjustabiscuit]

Ok thoughts 👏thoughts👏Everyone gather around I have thoughts about this!

Episode 2 was clearly the Pomni episode. We got to see her character get a little more fleshed out and we also got a glimpse of what motivates her which is great.

With this tweet we have solid confirmation on who the upcoming episodes will center on (thanks for not making us guess, Goose) and this lineup is really interesting.

First fascinating thing is that Kinger and Zooble share a spotlight in ep 3. Why is that? Everyone else gets their own dedicated episodes so why are they unique in that regard? What connects them?

Well, I have one idea!

So we know since the pilot that Kinger has been the one to have lived in the Circus the longest out of all of them. We’re still not sure if he was in fact the 1st human to be trapped (maybe we’ll find out in the next episode) but he definitely has the most seniority, both in age and in length of entrapment.

We also know that Zooble was the most recent character to get stuck before Pomni (and considering their attitude, it may have even been quite a while beforehand) AND is the youngest character next to Jax (they even share the same age, which could be a coincidence but it feels too deliberate of a choice).

Which means ep 2 will simultaneously focus on the oldest and the youngest of the characters.

I’m actually curious as to what their dynamic will be because they haven’t really interacted much in the pilot (and like not at all in episode 2), if they end up interacting in ep 3 at all. But mostly I’m excited to see them more fleshed out with hopefully Pomni getting the chance to bond with them (either together or separately).

My guess is that the purpose for them to share focus on an episode is to get perspective from someone who’s been there the longest and has seen more people come and go than anyone else vs. someone who was just recently in Pomni’s shoes and had probably a much different first day experience (we know Zooble cared enough about Kaufmo to personally organize his funeral so they may have some…feelings about who’s essentially his replacement).

Ep3 is also supposedly Gooseworx’s most anticipated episode so I’m extra excited.

Next we have Gangle for episode 4. I honestly don’t have a lot to say about her or the significance in her episode placement outside of her being the closest in age to Pomni (being only a year older). The only hint we get about what her episode will possibly consist of will be on how reliant she is on her ComedyMask to feel happy, which will be very interesting and we might even get some confirmation on whether her avatar was programmed with that feature upon entering the Circus or if it was an add on of sorts by Caine to help keep her sane. A pretty shitty feature if it can’t last for very long but it does make for a nice metaphor about how fragile her facade is (girl is literally masking).

Actually I don’t think her and Pomni have actually exchanged words yet in the show. Wouldn’t it be funny if they don’t up until her episode. Like Pomni is so caught up in between whatever mess episode 3 has in store for Kinger and Zooble that the two of them never actually talk and it just keeps getting more awkward. Gangle wants to talk to her but is so self-conscious about her Tragedy self that she’ll only feel safe to have a conversation if she has her mask, but it just keeps breaking before she even gets the chance.

Again this is all just speculation, if they actually end up talking in episode 3 I’ll…make ship art of them.

Yeah

Anyway, episode 5. The one I’m personally waiting for because y’all should know what I’m about by now.

*Warning: Unhinged, borderline psychotic tangent incoming*

I swear to god if Pomni and Ragatha don’t have a fucking conversation before ep 5 I will launch myself into the sun. I’ll take anything, I just need them to get real for a second. I NEED to know the extent of this woman’s damage. It has to be explored, analyzed, and dissected and I will do so with gusto when the day comes. None of these characters will be safe from my scrutiny, but Ragatha oh ho ho, you have been living rent free in my head for too long, madame. You WILL pay your dues and I intend to collect in every episode until there is not corner of your unsound mind that I have not examined in great detail!

Ahem *Straightens tie* Ok back to business

So yeah, Ragatha.

It may be because we’ve only had 2 episodes but I can’t help but feel like we’re supposed to see Ragatha as a sort of deuteragonist since out of all of the supporting characters she’s so far been getting the most focus aside from Jax, and we’ll get to him in a minute (I promise that’s not just me being biased, or maybe it is, I don’t know, you tell me).

In just two episodes we’ve seen more of what makes her tick compared to anyone else. And of the main cast she’s been the ONLY one to make any kind of connection to the main character and have enough of a meaningful interaction with her to leave an impression.

But this is what really clinched her role as a deuteragonist for me, she’s so far been one of the few to have the narrative briefly shift to her perspective to give us significant character moments like these:

The show REALLY wants us to see just how NOT ok she is.

If she’s meant to be the heart of the group, her heart already can’t take much more damage. Her friendship (if you can call it that, it’s so painfully one sided right now) with Pomni clearly means a lot to her, so much so that her entire sense of self worth seems to be tied to it (and if you’ve been paying attention, she doesn’t have a lot of that as it is). It would be nice to see their connection gradually grow before her designated episode, where she might experience actual growth for herself.

And if episode 2 is any indication of how this show preserves friendships well…

Yeah, I don’t think she’s gonna make it.

In fact, I’m willing to bet actual money that she’s either gonna abstract in episode 5 or episode 6.

Which brings us to Jax’s episode! The other deuteragonist…tritagonist? He definitely shares some degree of significant narrative focus along with Pomni and Ragatha. He’s both an active antagonist force and one of the only characters to drive the plot forward every time he’s on screen (then there’s that weird thing where he keeps breaking the fourth wall).

He has so much significance in the story that Gooseworx gave him his own bullet point in her list of content warnings (this could also be a joke, but I mean it would be funny to see just how despicable they can make this character).

Gooseworx also described Jax and Pomni’s relationship in the show as “messy”. After episode 2, I don’t think she considers him as a candidate for any kind friendship like she did for the others, and who could blame her? In just two days the guy abandoned her to deal with an abstraction and chucked her out of a truck. He’s no one’s favorite person, and he relishes that. Bunnyboy definitely has some issues that Pomni would pick up on the more she’s forced to spend time with him. To the point where I can see her trying to eventually form some kind of bridge because, as her previously established character motivation implies, she’s not the kind of person to intentionally leave anyone high and dry. But unlike the rest of the crew, I don’t think Jax would be inclined to change for the better just because someone took pity on him. He seems like the kinda guy to dig his heels in and commit to his bad behavior out of spite.

And for his episode to come after Ragatha’s, why do I get the feeling the reason Gooseworx went so far as to preemptively apologize to bunnydoll shippers specifically is because he’s gonna cause something really really bad to happen to her (could be abstraction, could even be something much worse) that he would come to sorely regret.

And oh boy would that evoke some feelings in everyone!

I feel like if that is indeed the direction this show is going, the rest of the episodes will really be something.

I’m also certain Caine will get his own episode but right now he is very much an antagonist to these characters. I wouldn’t go so far as to call him a villain, but he’s certainly not someone Pomni is keen on sympathizing with, at least not currently.

Thanks again @lilyclawthorne for helpfully providing me with the tweet so I can give some context for my ramblings of the week!

[maochira]

A part of the Family. [chapter 2]

chapter 1

synopsis: Corazon and Doflamingo have different ideas of what your future should look like. Unintentionally, Doflamingo changes his plans to be closer to his brother's.

type: platonic; familial

tags: gn!child!reader & Donquixote pirates, found family, hurt/comfort, Doflamingo softens up a litte

a/n: chapter two already? Yep! My brain is overflowing with ideas for this series and it's so much fun to write ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა

It’s been months since the Donquixote pirates had taken you in. During this time you certainly proved yourself worthy to Doflamingo, although not necessarily because of your strength. Quite on the contrary; there’s much your combat abilities lack in. Doflamingo had seen the same thing in your eyes as Law; a hatred to the world that you didn’t quite feel, but your eyes expressed regardless. It didn’t take long for all of the crew to notice how numb you were to any feelings; the way your body and mind still solely focuses on surviving despite being provided with a - more or less - safe home.

To Doflamingo, your apathy to not only those around you, but also towards yourself, showed itself as a great opportunity. He could mold your personality into anything he wants as you grow up; raise you to only feel emotion when harming others; feed you a mighty Devil Fruit and turn you into a warrior that wouldn’t be affected by something ridiculous such as empathy. With this plan in action, Doflamingo keeps you away from the other children in the crew whenever possible. He doesn’t want you bonding with them, not even risking to let you feel anything but emptiness. If there’s anyone you should develop a bond with it should be him. The captain; the one who’s had control over your very life ever since the moment you were brought onto his ship.

Corazon on the other hand has intentions opposite from his brother’s. While unable to completely take you out of Doflamingo’s control, Corazon still tries his best to take as much of his brother’s influence away as possible. He’d encourage you to play with the other children, make Law read children’s books to you, try to make you laugh with silly faces - but he could rarely get more out of you than a little smile. Still, that was enough progress for him. One step at a time, he would think to himself each time you’d show only the hint of sympathy or help a crew member not because of an instruction, but because you wanted to.

“(Y/N) seems to open up.” Trebol says, observing you play a card game with Baby 5, Buffalo and Dellinger. “Do we send them back to their room?”

Doflamingo crosses his arms, letting out a huff. “No. I guess it was inevitable for them to become friends with the other brats.”

His eyes narrow as he watches your triumphant smile after winning this round. Unsure if this really was unavoidable or if you began opening up and showing emotion due to Corazon’s efforts, Doflamingo decided he could no longer only focus on his original plan. He’d have to let you become friends with the other children; he should let you become close to the rest of the crew - your family. While not part of his original plan, letting you bond with the others doesn’t have any negative sides. It does hold you back from remaining emotionless, it isn’t essential to raising you into the way he pictures your future.

With a few swift steps, Doflamingo walks towards the group of children gathered on the deck and kneels down right besides you.

“Having fun?” His large hand placed on your head, Doflamingo ruffles your hair firmly. After you respond with a nod, his head leans over you, giving him a good view of the cards in your small hands. He doesn’t continue commenting; he let’s you continue the game with the others. When you win yet another round, Doflamingo even praises you.

Law raises his head from the book he’s been reading. It’s odd, Doflamingo would usually take you away if he saw you playing with the other children. But now he’s even showing you some affection - as far as being affectionate goes for Doflamingo, at least. Praise coming from the captain was also rare, especially outside of battle.

“You want to play with us?” Baby 5 asks, holding out the stack of cards towards Doflamingo.

Although, he declines and straightens his posture. “No, I’ve got to talk with the officers.” He says, gesturing over to Trebol, Pica and Diamante, who’ve been observing the scenario quietly. Corazon doesn’t seem to be nearby, but it’s safe to assume he’s napping somewhere.

“My plans regarding (Y/N) have changed a little.” The captain announces to the group of men that have gathered in his office. “They started displaying more emotions lately. And they’ve gotten somewhat close with the other kids.”

“We can always force them back into their room, lock them in if needed.” Diamante suggests. “I doubt it’d take long for them to become numb again.”

Corazon quietly listens, although to those around him he seems absent-minded. He yawns and leans back in his chair, legs resting on the table.

Doflamingo pays no attention to his brother, instead looking at Diamante with a stern look. “I said I’ve changed my plans.”

“But young master, may I ask what made you change your mind?” Trebol inquires, careful to not agitate Doflamingo. Everyone knows he doesn’t appreciate his ideas and plan being questioned, and neither does he like explaining them more than needed.

A rare moment of Doflamingo hesitating follows. At first he considers dismissing Trebol or even ignoring him; he himself can barely figure out the reason. Diamante was right; it would be easy to force your mental state back into the way it was before. As the captain he could enforce stricter rules on you . He could lock you in a room, not allowing you to interact with the rest of the crew. If he wanted he could put you near a fire, or light up matches whenever you would even dare to show emotion. By now Corazon isn’t the only one who knows even the tiniest flame can trigger you, and Doflamingo hasn’t hesitated to use this as a way to discipline you more than once. So what is it holding him back now?

Rather than being a calculated decision, this one was instinctual. Even somebody as cruel as Doflamingo couldn’t bear to deprive you of any positive emotions after he saw how happy you looked after winning the card game. Something as unimportant and small as a game for kids, and you still grinned so proudly at your victory. That sight was the braking point for Doflamingo to change his plans. But that’s not what he wants to give the others as an explanation.

He gets up from his seat, voice as authoritative as ever. “I want their hatred towards the world to grow stronger. We can do that by letting them get close to everyone in the family; let them learn everyone’s reasons for being part of the crew. They’ll learn from hearing other’s experiences.”

While not a direct answer to Trebol’s question, it does provide enough reasoning for the officers to understand. Although, Corazon seems a bit skeptical regarding Doflamingo’s sudden change of mind. Not that he’d complain about it - on the contrary, he’s glad you get to grow out of your emotionless shell.

[changingplumbob]

Day Nineteen - Connor Group 2/2

Berenice doesn't have any strong feelings about being in a park, but she is glad to have some space from everyone.

Deanna: When you were a kid did you enjoy school?

Berenice: Ooh yes! Well the school part was easy. And I liked most of my teachers. I would have preferred it if I didn't have to deal with the other kids though - they could be so mean! Ha, but I did the homework for the kids the year or two above me so they protected me

Deanna: Sounds smart

Berenice: Thank you! But maybe not that smart because I didn’t have a Plan B for when they went to high school! And I hadn’t yet manifested as a - well it’s important to always have a Plan B, and not just for after woohoo! That was uh… a joke. (But it is important to have a Plan B…)

Deanna: When you were little did you have a dream job?

Berenice: A travelling librarian! Or an astronaut. Though I wouldn't have wanted to reach the stars on a spaceship - unless it's a regular ship but made for space? That could be possible!

Deanna: The traveling sounds fun. I wanted to be a pirate

Berenice: Ha! With my flying ship we could have been galaxy plunderers together. Except I'm not very good at fighting - how good are you with a cutlass?

Deanna: Surprisingly, not terrible. Devin liked to act out sword fight scenes when we were growing up

Deanna: How about you? Any strong childhood memories?

Berenice: Okay so when I was still wearing my hair in space buns as a 10 year old, other kids made fun of me and said that was only for "babies." But the strange thing was that it was cool to wear your hair that way for college girls too! So how could it be for babies? That's why I never liked other children. They make no sense. Anyway I found out where the main girl lived, which turned out to be in the same neighbourhood as a really mean boy the year above us I was doing homework for. He wasn't actually mean! He just didn't think he was very smart and acted mean to hide it. So I told him about it and - they stopped teasing me about my space buns *grins*

Deanna: *laughs* Cunning and cut throat, maybe you should have been a pirate

After the date we head back to the villa where it is once again skill time! Will contestants focus on short term needs or play the long game with their study choices?

Today comedy was the popular choice! Isla and Isabella agreed it was a good idea to help calm them while Berenice was keen to read a joke book. Kaye learned more about rock climbing, wondering what extreme sports she was missing out on at the moment. Nyami thought it was sensible to work on fitness while Dee decided to sharpen her logic.

While contestants are busy Deanna works on grilling a treat for dinner. Time to see how she felt the date went.

Devin: What do we have here

Deanna: Vege patties for vege burgers

Devin: Very nice, was Berenice very nice

Deanna: Nice? Yes. Odd? Yes. They'll probably cut around it but halfway through she got up and sat at the table on the opposite side of the tree to me. I mean... why? She kept talking but we were kind of talking through the tree? But I did try Devin

Rather than heading to the dinning room for dinner contestants are asked to put on their active clothes and head out. They arrive at the local spa where they are greeted by Deanna and... someone else.

Deanna: Thanks for coming everyone. I know that this round must have been stressful. Meeting new people, competing, trying to decide if I'm worth staying for. That's why we're here with my best friend Reece, this guy. He is an outdoors loving genius with a desire to spread zen so he's going to lead us through a guided meditation

Reece: Hello. I look forward to meeting you all properly later. For now follow me to the meditation garden. It's outside but in the shade so we won't need to worry about sunburn

Reece led the group through a meditation, successfully lowering heart rates and ensuring everyone was in a good mood for the rest of the evening. Before going in the spa however, one more surprise. Deanna had grilled up a picnic for everyone!

The vege buns were a smash success! Even the meat eaters enjoyed them. Dee and Reece sat at the picnic table and talked while the rest of the ladies chose to sit on the pillows. Nyami told some good jokes while Kaye decided to talk about fish? Deanna loves the outdoors so was entertained.

Heading in to the spa everyone got a face mask! They were assigned to either relax in the sauna, relax in a massage chair or get a proper massage as their first activity. Autonomy was toggled on full from the moment the meditation ended so contestants had some time to chat or further pamper themselves. Remember, if they do not win a date from the upcoming cast challenge then this will be their last opportunity to talk to Deanna before the commencement ceremony. Reece is also around but friendship gained with him will not be judged.

In the sauna were our humourous trio of Dee, Nyami and Berenice. Alas bad luck struck again and Berenice's mask was… not right. Berenice tried to laugh it off, claiming she merely looked like a sad freezer bunny. I know she wanted to have matching animal masks with her friends though. Kaye and Deanna relaxed, and of course our two refined ladies Isabella and Isla got the gold facial masks!

When Isla had finished with hers she made sure to give Isabella a big hug. Being in the same group had meant that they could spend their days in the villa together as well as their days off set. Unsure if they would be in the same group again Isla expressed her happiness at having made a friend. And what do we have here? Nyami sneaking in another flirty compliment with Deanna? Clearly she wants her to know she's still in this even if she hasn't had a date yet. And of course, poor Berenice could do with a facial…

@corrienteallita, @eljeebee, @ethicaltreatmentofcowplants, @hashimasims, @jonquilyst, @riverofjazzsims

[pixiecactus]

these are just my thoughts, so you know, nothing to take seriously... but i discovered that it really irks me when people say that lyanna's "romantic" decisions are purely sansa.

and yeah, sure, sansa is an idealist that loves romantic stories, but here comes my hot take. i do see sansa more as being one of those people that are enchanted and obsessed with the concept of love, rather than loving someone herself... and if we look at her part in the narrative looking for romance, it's lacking for sure, other than the stuff going on with the hound (which is clearly somewhat romantic... no, i don't ship it, but i can see what the author was doing, like c'mon this is the man that has a sansan poster hanging in his walls) there's nothing else or no one else that has a little bit of romantic focus. everyone knows what happened with joffrey, littlefinger is grooming her (do i have to explain that this isn't romantic at all?), and i'm one of those people who thinks that harry the heir is her best option, considering what sansa likes, and that is a pretty and chivalrous man of noble birth... i get that people have a problem with him because he looks at her as someone lesser than him, because she's hiding as a bastard, but then again, for me, it's just an example of how much alike sansa and harry are.

maybe i'm just frustrated with the lack of development that sansa has in all five books, but i would like her to be able to discover herself, what she actually likes with a realist focus rather than an idealist one, from a partner. she should know by now that everyone can hurt you no matter how beautiful they are or what position of power they hold in society... and that maybe will take some time... so i like the idea of sansa going through life without a romantic partner with the hope she's able to get some retrospection on herself and her actions. 

do i think this is going to happen? not at all, i'm pretty sure that littlefinger will get his way at first and that he will get sansa married to harry... which will make her a bigamist since she's still married to tyrion. so that will make another problem for her to tackle alongside being disinherited in robb's will...

another thing i think it's pretty common when people say that sansa is the one that heredited lyanna's "romantic" side is that these same types of people try to erase completely all the romantic tropes and foreshadowing that arya's story has... because... how can a girl who is gender non-conforming get a romantic plot?

honestly, i don't know why she couldn't get one... but i think that means you have a little problem to check out if you actually think that girls or women that are gender non-conforming deserve less than their gender conforming peers and that the lastest are superior in any way, shape, or form.

what we can't deny is that the author set up a deep connection between arya and the possible son of rhaegar targaryen and lyanna stark, for arya, jon is the only person in the world who will love her no matter what.

what is a little more funny coming from the author is that he made us observe arya stark and the son of robert baratheon get close and become friends that got a little crush on each other before they fell out and became separated.

so the author set up arya stark as the character who has not only love coming from rhaegar targaryen's son but devotion coming from robert baratheon's son as well.

i do think that what people don't want to even consider is that arya stark is a passionate character; she will defend those she loves from all threats possible, fighting tooth and nail.

and lyanna was the very same (and that's why i fully believe that lyanna and rhaegar were in love with each other... lyanna was intelligent, just as arya is, and arya had no problem recognizing that joffrey baratheon was a pretty prince, but at the same time she could appreciate that he was a horrible person with ease, his beauty and his titles be dammed, but i digress)

[berrytheicecream]

the voice acting in the alternates series like. actually fire. Especially Travis’s VA (Pat) like oh my gosh I was not expecting all that emotion from this series specifically. this mini-series in general is pretty good, I had a lot of fun watching it.

I wouldn’t consider it a masterpiece or anything, nor is it jess’s best work (I mean, the whole concept of alternates, the main element of the mini series, wasn’t even an original idea) but it’s still a really enjoyable watch if you’re an older fan and want to go back to the channel’s old style of storytelling. If you haven’t already, I would give this series a try, especially since it’s so short. So I wanna yap about it because it’s all I’ve been thinking abt lately

(spoilers after this)

I especially enjoyed Travis & Aphmau’s friendship here, I wasn’t expecting it to last all the way until the end, especially since Travis hadn’t been a main character in Aph’s channel for a while, but they worked together rlly well. And the end was actually pretty bittersweet (until the cliffhanger thing, we don’t talk abt that though my god let them have a day of peace) since they got to talk about their perspective on what had just happened and they’re clearly helping each other heal from all the loss. I think it was done really well.

Also near the end, the unpredictability was actually kinda impressive. Like the first few episodes I could predict what would happen pretty easily, like the plot twists weren’t all that surprising. But like around episode 3 like I had NO idea what would happen and was constantly questioning myself and honestly that’s very enjoyable.

There was even a moment in episode 5 with the cutscenes—aka where Travis was attacking the Pierce spider—that subverted the expectations that the viewer had. Every cutscene animated in that style up until that point had either been a death or some character getting injured, so I was so upset because I thought Travis would die. And he didn’t. That was SUCH a good twist from the norm and actually caught me offguard.

Also this unpredictability not only applies with the story, but also the deaths. I genuinely didn’t feel as if any of them had plot armor by the third episode, I was terrified that they would die. Like especially since the “minor” characters were literally outliving the main ones, aka the ones we see almost every day in aphmau’s channel. What do you mean IVY survived longer than ZANE, I didn’t expect them to do that and honestly. I loved it.

And my god the travelyn in this series was peak (idk if that’s the right spelling for the ship name I haven’t been in this fandom for years guys forgive me) this series has legitimately made me enjoy travelyn more. Since I’m only reentering the fandom, I remember as a kid I didn’t care as much about it, but here it’s kind of a main focus here and it was really good. They genuinely cared SO much about each other and were so devastated by the possibility of the other being hurt or dead—especially Travis.

Small thing too but the story itself feels simple but not clear enough to really satisfy the viewer—which I think is fine! It left me wondering what everything even meant by the end of it. In a way, it felt like we have every piece of the puzzle, but just don’t know how to rearrange it correctly quite yet. Theorists, do your thing lmao.

ALSO ALSO a smaller detail but I actually really enjoy the set pieces, too. I’m not sure who designed the mobs/monsters but there’s a lot of care put into them, especially the weird alternate aphmau final boss design in ep 5 like oh my god. And the buildings were made really well too, my favorites are the subway and the house beside the cornfield. The environments are pretty simple but look nice, and because of their simplicity, the alternate designs stick out a lot, which is good!

That’s basically all I can say abt this series—REALLY good. It’s nice to see Aphmau going back to her roleplays that aren’t just entirely “kid friendly,” and “scenarios.” What I mean is that I enjoy this more coherent, thought out stories instead of just “I turn into ____ for 24 hours in Minecraft” every different video. Like the story itself doesn’t need to be super dark or anything, I like the lighthearted stuff with these characters too. In fact, the alternates series was surprisingly darker and more horror filled than I had ever expected. But I wan to actively have to focus on what I’m watching to understand it. With a lot of the channel’s recent content, you can turn your brain off because there’s no real story. Even in the more lighthearted seasons of Mystreet, I still found myself actually paying attention because I was interested in the characters and their interactions and growth. The new scenario-based content had none of that. But for Alternates, like the old shows which came before it, you actually have to pay attention.

So basically, we need to make Alternates more known in the fandom I believe. I would love to read a fic or two about this mini-series. It’s kind of a hopeful gift for the older fans while we wait for season 7 of Mystreet, a way for jess to remind us that she definitely does still know how to write an interesting story. I don’t know how I’d feel about alternates continuing due to the cliffhanger (especially bc Travis would probably die considering he has one leg) but I am hoping the channel keeps going on this same road of reintroducing interesting and well written stories.

that’s it, just needed a mini yap session lawl

[sadcoms]

timepetals thoughts i keep having:

i know that the assumption is “she is my s-” means soulmate but i always think he just thinks of rose as his soul. less that she completes him or is his other half and more that she just is his conscience and any goodness he may have is hers. he was born out of love for her, she is such an integral part of him, she is his soul itself.

i know everyone has taken permanent damage from the “how long are you going to stay with me” and why the general focus is on the doctor’s reaction but the way rose says forever gets to me. she’s not giddy or girlish when she says it, in some ways she almost sounds resigned to it, which has wonderfully angsty connotations in the timeline of s2. but it’s why it really works for me, she is so dead serious and committed when she says it, because she understands everything it means (and therefore part of her feels solemn about it). it has a lot of weight to it. even the first time donna says she’s going to travel with the doctor forever to martha at the end of the doctor’s daughter she sounds a lot more fanciful.

every time i hear the doctor scream when rose loses her grip in doomsday i just think that he would absolutely not have survived her actually being sucked into the void.

i always think the vocals in doomsday are similar to the doctor’s theme so to me the angry rock music is rose’s side and the vocals are his, rather than the howling wolf idea i’ve heard some people compare it to. how the doctor’s theme is lonely and mournful with its sparse instruments but calm, everything the ninth doctor was, while doomsday is heartbroken and angry and an entire orchestra because it’s two people overcome with grief together. how doomsday becomes such a motif for both characters individually, even when they're separated.

i still struggle to comprehend that the doctor wearing floral ties in s3 is canon and NOT a fanfic trope like you're telling the doctor said "i need a floral motif as close to my two hearts as possible" and you're describing him as something other than a grieving widower???

the doctor really could not go anywhere in s3 without running into some kind of couple but i never see people talk about the parallels in 42. “we chose this ship together / he keeps me honest so i don’t want false hope” and the way the doctor literally gives mcdonnell his condolences through gritted teeth?? the fact that she would rather die with korwin than be without him and have it be her fault

that the doctor, king of self-loathing, saw rose dressed as his ninth self and carrying a giant weapon and he not only RAN to her but then deliberately protected her from the trauma of seeing him change again. and then tentoo immediately picks a blue suit to be like now i’m matchey matchey with rose 🥰 the universe was ending and he’d seen rose again for two actual minutes but the doctor was so utterly focused on her.

how tentoo truly is rose's doctor, especially as he's got that little bit of nine in him. he's born out of the same love and protection of his previous incarnations but he loses a heart and the curse of the timelords and goes oh, this is rose's heart. and then he wears the blue mourning suit and yes, there is still mourning, but there is also the start of the rest of their lives together.

how the doctor’s hair most noticeably changed after school reunion to become spikier and less boyish. how that coincides with him using mickey to put distance between himself and rose now that he’s been reminded of rose’s mortality.

how wild the doctor and jack’s conversation in utopia is. the way the doctor says “rose” like it’s an entire explanation in itself because even before she absorbed the time vortex she fundamentally changed the life of everyone she met. the way he says “everything she did was so human” and the way he accepts jack’s sorry to him because there’s no trying to deny his feelings from jack, not when he saw his ninth self. the way jack has BARELY finished his sentence about watching rose grow up when the doctor casually asks him if he wants to die, the almost playful way he says it. one semi suicidal immortal who spent half of the season trying to get himself killed to another, both of them still kind of toying with the idea. both of them trying to have hope even though they've lost so much.

[enbypotat53]

(TPOT 17 SPOILERS AHEAD!)

KICKING MY FEET CHEWING THE FURNITURE BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS WHAT IN THE KENTUCKY FRIED FUCK WAS THAT EPISODE /EXTREMELY POS

FIRST OF ALL

FUCKING

FINALLY.

I'm so sorry to all the Pillow/YF fans but when I tell you this is probably the HAPPIEST I have been watching an elimination go down.. ever?? My two least favourite characters gone in the same elimination I am CRYING.

Gonna be honest I didn't get many screenshots for this one because I spent most of the episode freaking the fuck out (and most of the ones that I DID get are Tree-focused, go figure), but GOD there is so much to unpack.

Pen and Pencil's interactions this episode were AMAZING - they have such an excellent parallel, and I'm REALLY hoping their dynamic goes further. Pen missing his friends but learning to move on and accept the present, whilst Pencil is still stuck in the past? Also Book learning to stand up for herself is amazing too 💙

I love him.

So much.

I'm sure you could tell already by the several dozen images I've added in my last TPOT analyses, but Tree is my absolute FAVOURITE TPOT character, and some of his moments this episode were honestly great?? Him being scared of the mansion noises and IMMEDIATELY noping out made me cackle, and the fact that he can't whistle for shit is just.. he's so pathetic /aff 💙

Also his little interaction with Marker at the end of the episode is so cute?? Death PACT have my heart and soul y'all they love eachother so much :,3

Okay when I tell you I SCREAMED.

Probably no secret that I've been hyperfixated on XFOHV (and that Five and Six are my favourite characers, as well as my favourite ship), and.. good lord I was NOT prepared. I was honestly expecting Nine, I have no idea why?? I am SO happy it was Six, though (although that "I'm the only one left" was a punch in the gut, what the fuck do you mEAN WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CHILDREN-)

ALSO

ONE! It's becoming apparent that she's slowly losing what little hold she has over the contestants, with Donut denying her contract and the others focused on solving what happened to the other contestants, it's clear she's using all her resources to stop them. Manipulation? Altering text? Possibly getting rid of the other Algebraliens?? All on the table for her. Anything to get what she wants. (And from how Six sounded, the others may be aware of how dangerous she is, too. I'm excited to see how this'll play out!)

Not much more to add except a couple of miscellaneous moments I couldn't place elsewhere, and...

I'm not even gonna lie, the cereal scene made me tear up. Winner realising that Loser didn't fully forget about them? AUGH MY HEART 💔 And Bottle hosting this episode was fun as hell! I seriously loved this challenge - breaking up the teams to focus on inter-team relationships? Pen and Marker interacting?? Mwah, chef's kiss.

[acourtofthought]

Sorry but saying Nesta had been ignoring Elain is a wild take because as far as the story goes, both Elain and Nesta just drifted apart since they coped differently. second there’s this take from the E/riel side that absolutely loathes the idea of Nyx calling Emerie and Gwyn "aunt" which ykw?fair, even though that whole "aunt Emerie and aunt Gwyn" thing is probably just a silly post from 2-3 people or because they might end up with IC members. And this feels like that.

I don’t think we’ll get much of Gwyn and Nyx interacting in a meaningful way in a Gwynriel book, but if we do it should be fine. If gwynriel is canon Gwyn will be his aunt too right? And I dont even like Gwyn but why are we even gatekeeping a fictional baby’s interactions in this fandom? For all we know Elain has changed Nyx’s diapers daily and has already bonded with him in her garden.I keep seeing you everywhere defending Elain just because people don’t see her the way you want them to even when it’s not even an anti post. Can Elain stans everywhere chill? You all really need to take a deep breath sometimes. don’t worry I’ll block you after this shouldve done it earlier.

Canon disagrees with you.

“She said she didn’t want to come to anything. Ever.”

“She just said … She said that we have our lives, and she has hers.”

Feyre’s eyes gleamed. “You think I don’t know why you’ve pushed even Elain away?”

The last time she’d seen Elain—a week before she’d come to the House. She’d passed her sister in the bustling market square they called the Palace of Bone and Salt, and though Elain had halted, no doubt intending to speak to her, Nesta had kept walking. Hadn’t looked back before vanishing into the throng.

Also, I'm allowed to have an opinion of my own without being told I need to chill or being accused of e/riel behavior. There are many e/riels who claim Gwyn can't have a book because she's just a side character which Gwynriels hate but then many Gwynriels will claim Elain isn't developed enough to be a main character. And now as an Elucien I'm saying I think Elain's story happening before Gwyn's makes the most sense to me while acknowledging Sarah might think differently yet that's a problem? It sounds like you can't handle a difference in opinion and only permit e/riel behavior so long as it happens within your preferred ship.

I'm not gatekeeping a baby, I'm simply pointing out that it would make more sense to me to get the next book from Elain's pov because of her relationship to Feyre and her nephew. It would make more sense for me to see the sisters overcome their issues before there's a new person introduced into the IC and the focus is on that newly formed relationship instead of Elain because Gwyn will become important to Az's friends and family if she's going to be his mate. Feyre focusing on Nesta then just ignoring Elain for another book after she acknowledged she was still struggling would seem out of character for her.

I know so many respectful Gwynriels so this is not pointing fingers at any of them but there are a few takes in the fandom that have been extremely disrespectful to Elucien's. "Gwyn is way more developed than Elain.""Gwyn is way more interesting than Elain will ever be.""Gwyn is ready for a book but Elain isn't". Because there are some Gwynriels who are also Elucien's but hate Elain and it's not hard to tell and if you like Gwynriel but love Elucien, it's difficult to avoid seeing those posts. But the second an Elucien makes a post that suggests maybe Elain's story makes a little more sense (to them) before Gwyn's, the pitchforks come out and we're accused of babying Elain 😂. We are allowed to love the characters in our ship and see the setup for the possibility of them being next just like many Gwynriels and e/riels do every day. We are allowed to have ideas on why they're next, just like others.

It's a double standard as Elucien's who love Elain often have to sit and watch Elain slander or those who downplay Elain's character and growth from some even though Elain went from where she was in the cabin to kicking the hounds and saving Briar, stabbing the king, going out on her own in Velaris, offering to help with the Trove when Nesta didn't want to, saying she'd try to figure out her own powers, and heading to the Hewn City (a place that bothers her) to show her willingness to be part of things.

But god forbid I say I'd like to see Elain's pov and her feelings on her sister / nephew after the events of SF before Gwyn's and that makes me deserving of an anon. God forbid I write a post on why Elain having the next pov makes sense to me though that's all Elucien's have seen from many other ships over the past few years (that someone else should / will have a book first), while some also use the Elucien tag for it. Literally the post will be "Az is getting the next book" and Elucien is used in the tags. Elucien's are allowed to have their reasons for hoping Elucien is next, same as everyone else but we don't go out of our way to tag Gwynriel while doing it because we respect that our Gwynriel friends do not agree therefore we keep their tag clean.

It's weird that you're accusing me of defending Elain against those who don't see her the way I do while you're in my anons hiding all because someone had a different take on Nesta and Gwyn than you do. While I only used Elain and Lucien tags.

And you're not an airplane, you don't need to announce your departure. The block button does not require spoken words.

[justcameheretobyler]

I’ve been reflecting on Eleven and Mike’s fight in Season 4, and I feel like Mike doesn’t get the justice he deserves in that scene. Most people focus on his defensive side, which is fair, but it misses the complexity of his character.

First, let’s talk about Eleven.

El and Mike’s bond is incredibly special. He was the first person to offer her a warm place to stay and give her comfortable clothes—clothes he wore in the first scene of the show btw. Mike became a pillar in El’s life. Does she need him to survive? No. But she loves him deeply, just like she loves Hopper. Both gave her a home when they didn’t have to.

When Mike found Eleven, he had no idea she had powers. He stood up to Dustin and Lucas to keep her safe, showing how much he cared about her as a person. Even the lines people criticize him for—like calling her a "weapon"—weren’t meant to dehumanize her. Mike was just trying to convince Lucas to let her stay with the party. He’s always been tender with El, promising her they’d meet again when she rang the doorbell.

But let’s focus on the fight scene.

El had just lost her powers—the one thing that made her feel safe and in control. Mike had warned her this might happen, but the loss left her vulnerable. Without her powers, she reverted to the little girl who was bullied in the lab. This explains why she let Angela bully her, even though El is normally confrontational. She was scared of being different and wanted desperately to fit in. She also let Mike lie to her because she didn’t want to lose more than she already had. Deep down, she suspected Mike didn’t love her the way she wanted him to, but she couldn’t face it.

So, El lied to Mike, just as Mike was lying to her. They both clung to a "safe path," pretending everything was okay when it wasn’t. When El told Mike he was scared of her, she was really projecting her own fear—her fear of herself. She didn’t want to confront the possibility that she was the monster in her broken memories. Blaming Mike was easier. That fight became a turning point for her, forcing her to confront the “I love you” issue and begin facing her own fears.

Now, let’s talk about Mike.

Mike was unhappy and anxious, but he didn’t fully understand why. He had mixed feelings about himself—and about Will—but he likely suppressed them because they didn’t feel "right" or "normal." He clung to the idea of being the boyfriend of his “superhero girlfriend” because it seemed like the path he should take. Plus, Mike has always felt responsible for El’s happiness. From the moment he took her in, he probably felt like he had to protect her, and since he knew El loved him, he assumed it was natural to love her back.

He should love her.

But he doesn’t

And he can’t say it.

That’s what makes their fight so uncomfortable and lacking intimacy. Something is broken—not just between them, but within each of them. They were both pretending to belong to something normal, and it didn’t work. They couldn’t face their truths, so they stayed stuck.

By the end of Season 4, though, things seem to shift. El realizes she’s not a monster, and Mike starts to accept his own feelings—at least a little. It’s hard to say what will happen in Season 5, but I think it would be strange if they stayed together. A breakup and an honest conversation would be so much better for both of them.

Even before I started shipping Byler, I didn’t think ElMike was my cup of tea couple. It’s just not my relationship goal. Byler, on the other hand, works because of how they accept their mistakes and apologize to each other almost immediately (in their own way).

So, I hope these three people can have their own happy ending.

I'll keep our tags cuz I like this side of tumblr.

[kaythefloppa]

Activate Kid Power: Thoughts - [Part 2] [SPOILERS]

Continuing from where Part 1 left off: As such, SPOILERS:

Non main/villain-adult/teen human characters with actual lines? In MY Wild Kratts episode? Yes, YES!

Also I can't wait for all the fan-theories, headcanons, and fics people make involving these snapshot cameos (that woman behind Nina, I'm 100% HCing as her older sister/cousin).

Once again, the animation in these new episodes can get really expressive and silly... and I like it! Martin's hair is so fucking funny.

ELLIE AND KATIE HOW I HAVE MISSED YOU (forgot who that blonde kid was for a second lol).

Oh yeah Jimmy has a subplot about crafting where he goes from crafting a teleporter handler to mini-homes for animals. It doesn't get that much focus in the episode but it's still well executed, (and it's admittedly a very funny joke).

PAISLEY HOW I HAVE MISSED YOU

I remember so many discussions about Paisley's wardrobe at the end of Our Blue and Green World, (my hot take, that outfit sucks lmao), but the general consensus was that it was NOT going to be her new look. It's been over a year since we last saw her so one thing I was really excited to see with her return is her new wardrobe. The screengrab quality is kinda ass but you can see there is a clear change that actually compliments the character! I like it!

The name change I DO NOT like. I remember joking about this with my friends, but I never actually thought they'd do it.

And yeah it makes thematic sense, change and all but still.... meh?

Then again, maybe the reason we haven't seen Paisley in over a year is because she was in court legally changing her surname to "Planter." Headcanon accepted!

This is exactly what I wanted to see out of Paisley's redemption. Her using her skills and ingenuity to help construct animal habitats and safe zones for them rather than knocking them down. As painfully rushed and underbaked as her arc was, it opened the door to a lot of possibilities and I greatly appreciate seeing them utilize this potential. This is a good character moment!

But also, where the fuck is Rex? One of the biggest plot holes the previous special left open was what happened to Rex? Is he still a villain? Did he change sides alongside Paisley? Fuck!

I so hope we get more moments between Paisley and Aviva. Between Aviva being the one to redeem Paisley, AND this exchange, they would mesh interestingly together. Also I was robbed of my Donita/Paisley team-up so I'm aiming for a Paisley/Aviva/Koki team-up as a rebound (also, new ship unlocked?)

We all knew that the Creature Powers would come back at the end of this special, but even so, it's just done right with all the Kid Power stuff established, and enough to make it feel satisfying and not a cop-out.

FINALLY they have all 3 of them do the split-screen activation!

Ok fine, so Jimmy didn't activate a Creature Power Suit, but he got his moment to shine without one! That's JUST as great!

Same thoughts as the previous song: It's a hard 5/10. It's very short and the brothers' singing vocals aren't that good, but it's evenly balanced out by Pure West's musical DNA as well as great visuals. It's.... slowly growing on me.

Also hi Gavin and Ronan! Ok fine so they didn't get to speak but they technically got to sing in the chorus so.... I'm happy.

They end this special off the same way they did the Earth Day special with the 2D bros breaking the 4th wall. Bringing shit full cirlce (minus Rex).

CONCLUSION:

Cons:

Part of me felt as though the random new Creature Powers introduced were as jarring as they were exciting. I may have to wait until future episodes to come out to be sure that this episode was indeed not aired out of order.

The Eucalyptus Suit. Who thought that was a good idea.

The song was mid. It's not a pro nor con, but it's a heavy 5/10 and it makes me really glad this show is not a musical.

The lack of Rex. If you can bring back Paisley and establish her character developmen since her redemption, you can go all the way and show Rex there with her.

Pros:

Stunning visuals and animation. This is what I want the theatrical movie to look like when it comes out because it is KILLER. Hell, I'd expect this episode's animation quality for a direct-to-video Wild Kratts movie.

I like how cohesive the plot is, how things gradually build up and progress through the story. It allows the heartwarming moments and message to come in full force. This episode definitely had enough time in the oven to bake.

One hour special with no villains: This was on my bingo card for Season 7 during the hiatus and I'm glad to actually have to mark that off. The conflict in this episode somewhat feels both high and low stakes, and in a natural way without the villains competing for the spotlight. It allows the core of the story to shine through and it further pushes the message that "Kid Power" can help animals and their habitats every day.

The kids did not activate any Creature Power Suits and thank fucking god for that.

The song wasn't terrible! Not pro nor con, but it's a heavy 5/10 and I genuinely hope that this song is the beginning of an uphill rise for musical content.

The kid characters were amazing. The recasts were seen from a mile away, but every single one of them was able to match the kid perfectly. I'm glad that the original VAs aging didn't stop them from getting their time to shine, especially since again, this was an episode that I have wanted to see for years.

Final Ranking: 9.5/10. A step up from Our Blue and Green World, and, coming right off the heels of Chimpanzee and Me, we have a new contender for one of the best episodes of the season thus far. Hell, I may actually be close to calling it the best episode of the entire series. I think this episode could've made for a really good season finale, especially with the experimental direction Season 7 takes. Even disregarding that... it's that good y'all.

[minjoongism]

Spare Yungi tags elaboration? 👀

hi anon! spare yungi tags elaboration (with a brief aside about gov ships in general) coming right up <3

(the yungi tags in question)

i'll preface this by saying that one thing i'm still trying to wrap my head around re: kpop in general is the idea of 'government ships' or 'government units'. i get it from a marketing perspective, because it probably makes pushing various narratives or selling unit-themed merch/photocards much easier, and gets people more invested by giving them packaged relationships to focus on, but i've Never really liked being told what relationships to pay attention to or to box people into. imo if a relationship really is special, i'll notice it and get into it on my own! i want to see all possible combos and pick my favs organically!

that being said, of the 4 ateez government ships, yungi is the first one i Got (and it's definitely my fav so far!) bc i love the dynamic they've got going on. you've got yunho, who is clearly fond of mingi, but is also universally kind and loving to all of ateez, who said he wanted to be All of their boyfriends, who dedicates time to each of them, who notices san’s onstage ‘sulking’ and goes to remedy it in the next show, who takes seonghwa out on dates, etc etc.

and then you've got mingi, who’s planned his entire life out with yunho. he’s got this almost spiritual-style devotion to yunho that’s extremely compelling and noticeable even outside of yungi as a pushed unit. (i've mentioned nd mingi before but i really do think his adoration of yunho feels like he got Attached to yunho early on as someone who was genuinely openly kind to him and helped him navigate life in a way that means he's now Eternally Bonded to him.) he turns towards him like a flower towards the sun. he speaks about yunho like yunho saved him from something. and the way yunho speaks about mingi feels reflective of that - it's like he's trying to Protect him from something, whether that's sadness, hardship, the harsh realities of life, or something else entirely.

(on another note, yunho strikes me as someone who feels responsible for the members’ feelings, and i think that ties into why he shies away from his own negative feelings so much. it’s hard to be vulnerable when you’ve put yourself in a role of being a pillar for everyone else because you can get yourself into a mindset of if they’re all leaning on you, who do you lean on?)

anyway! the photo!! mingi in his own little world, not even looking at the camera, just leaning on yunho. yunho, conversely, looking straight at the camera, bent backwards more dramatically than mingi, almost like he's supporting him. it just feels like them!

[squeakyleftsneaker]

You survived, gj🫡✨️ Thoroughly enjoyed your descent into hell. Once again, just straight up ignore the fandom (even this message if needs be). Fandom is not what it used to be thanks to the hell shippers of this fandom, particularly the kl*ncers. The Lance stans are insufferable, and their hatred of any ship that isn't KL is well known. It's thanks to them that any ship in general they Personally Do Not Like gets labeled Literal Pedophilia/Basically Incest. Watching Voltron in its heyday was exhausting. Their hatred of Shiro and Allura are well documented, shoving them into Space Dad and Space Mom roles. They hated how close he was to Keith and would spam LOVE THOSE bROTheRs on every social media site to make people who never watched believe they were actually related and have that gutjerk reaction of disgust. They made a whole ass fuss over Adam because he was their ticket for getting Shiro out of the picture. That fuss is partially what led S8 to being delayed and rewritten, and the entire reason for that shit epilogue wedding. They celebrated Allura dying so Lance could be with his ~One True Love~ a heavily fanonized Keith to go with their langsty altean prince true black paladin bisexual king self insert.

SO I let this sit in my inbox for a lot longer than I care to admit. Mostly because I at the time didn't have a great picture for how this all played out, and to be honest I still don't.

I did kind of want to discuss this just bc I was having a somewhat related discussion about a totally different work of fiction (one I may talk about later on here though I am still not quite sure what to do with this blog) and It got me thinking about this message again. Now that I've read the whole dissertation about it, I am kind of intrigued by the mechanisms by which Klance as a ship became so popular.

This may have been the fact that I basically inhaled the whole show over the course of a month, but I never actually picked up on a significant focus on Lance and Keith's relationship in text, though I've been made aware that some of the marketing for the show did lean into it.

This is, however, not super related to what I did want to talk about which is more related to shipping and how we read fiction and interact with it in fandom. I don't think I'm UNIQUE in these observations, no observation ever is, but I do think that having now gotten a slightly better idea of what the show was (and wasn't) I feel comfortable at least getting a sanity check on it.

I, on a personal level, completely understand how someone, in particular someone young, would feel suspicious and RIGHTFULLY uncomfortable with a relationship between two adults with a large age gap who met when one of them WAS a young teenager. That is, IRL, a pretty clear red flag. I get it. I really do. I don't think you, if you're a teenager yourself, should "get over" that feeling of discomfort.

With that being said, I think it's also possible to see why other people in the fandom are, rightfully as well, very suspicious of a group of people who say they're endorsing pedophilia or incest. It's not NEW in queer spaces. It's, in fact, pretty much what ALL queer spaces and queer people put up with. That's what so much anti-queer language and extremely homophobic tradition uses as a bludgeon to devalue queer relationships, queer stories, queer spaces.

Particularly in media, queer stories that weren't allowed to just be queer in and of themselves have historically OFTEN been rejected through the lens of "they're like siblings" or "but it's such a huge age gap," and I think that it is an unintentional, but still real, reinforcement of that language and that policing of morality in fandom that have in general been used to denigrate queer people and queer people desiring to see themselves in media, to be represented, and to take works of fiction that are emotionally significant to them and read themselves into them.

So, yeah. Idk. I can see how particularly young people would be uncomfortable on a personal level with the idea of shipping Shiro with Keith or like. Any paladin. I get that. But I also totally and completely get how that same language and rhetoric around pedophilia and incest being applied to a canonically queer character is like. Very much reminiscent and rooted in a lot of homophobia within fandom. These are in tension with each other.

It is also true that there is a tension in that Shiro and Allura are both very much not white (yay), Shiro is our main character that is canonically queer, and to reduce them to "Space Mom," and "Space Dad," relegating them to non-romantic, background roles feels a little disappointing! Even if that's not the intended effect!

Perhaps more importantly though, they're not rooted in the text itself (which is where we get to the later part of this ask). I don't know a lot about Lance fans as a Culture [TM}, and I will probably not be entirely incorrect in saying that there's all kinds of flavors of insufferable fans (I am one myself), but I do think that this sort of thing naturally arises in a text that doesn't have a whole lot to interpret.

I've written before that Voltron lacks depth. Which means that if you're a fan, if you want to interact with the text, if you want to really discuss the characters, you run out of textual material very quickly. You have to read stuff into it. You HAVE to do a healthy amount of DIY characterization. And Lance is a very natural character to do this with because he IS our point of view character very loosely (though the show does a poor job with this). So I get how that arises, I get how the show itself encourages ~fanon~ over canon because there's so little in canon to talk about.

Sure, in canon for the first 2 seasons and in season 6, the relationship between Keith and Shiro is pretty narratively central. But the writers also totally drop it for ages on end and fail to explore it. I don't feel uncomfortable saying that pretty much every potential ship in the show requires a very substantial amount of eisegesis.

No ship is more textually supported romantically than the others. Not even really the only canon one between paladins, because Lance and Allura have very little reason to be together (deep sigh. Oh writers, oh writers what am I to do with this).

It's very natural for fandom to do fandom things. That's totally fine imo. But I think it's always worth remembering when interacting with others that fanon is. Not textual. You're playing in a sandbox, not doing sand castle archaeology. HOWEVER when showrunners and marketing teams interact with fandom, they reinforce the idea that fandom should influence canon. Choose your own adventure, but for a work of fiction. This is. Something that impacts pretty much all long-running works of fiction. Even if an author doesn't intend for it to happen, if you see it you're impacted by it. It's an inevitability of serialized works. You can see the fingerprints of "Give The People What They Want" all over later iterations of Star Wars.

Ultimately I think Voltron ended up as a perfect petri dish medium for The People [TM] to get what they wanted. Because there was very little in way of canon, because of the compressed timeline of production meaning that there wasn't a lot of time to THINK, and because they kept feeding into it.

But it's still fiction! It's always important to remember that fiction is, and always will be, NOT REAL! You can explore things in fiction that aren't possible in real life. Shiro and Keith or Keith and Lance or Lance and Allura or Shiro and Adam or Shiro and his rando husband who I'm sure he divorced in like a year all could've worked in some alternate reality (not to Slav it up) where the writing had had teeth and substance. And if exploring those hypotheticals makes you personally uncomfortable I get that! I don't read fanfiction (dear reader I am lazy) but if I did I would ESPECIALLY avoid reading Zuko/Katara fics because I feel really uncomfortable with the power dynamic of colonialism present there. That SAID, I don't think that that's a ship that shouldn't exist.

I don't think that shipping that, that wanting to explore that, that being curious about how that could've played out is BAD. It rarely is. And shutting out people looking to explore those dynamics is a great way to breed resentment, and a great way to reinforce the rhetoric of people who want nothing more than to shut Those Freaks up. Be wary of the language you use. Do not echo the language of homophobes. Particularly when it comes to your textual interpretation of a work with ultimately SUPREMELY LITTLE interpersonal depth.

Therefore I SHALL be writing a 500,000 word Shiro/Slav fic because you know what character DOES pull the drama out of Shiro? THAT'S RIGHT BABY! Because I need to be exceedingly clear here duh and obviously I am not gonna write that shit I am nowhere near funny enough for that

It's all made up, dawg! What you make up does matter, but how you handle it matters just as much, if not more! Voltron accidentally created a pro-colonial clusterfuck where none of the characters really know each other, but I'm sure you can see how the same exact elements of the show could've done something genuinely interesting and unique!

Fiction is, at its core, a place to explore things that aren't real. You can have some things that make you uncomfortable, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are fundamentally immoral. And I would caution greatly against shutting down exploration and creativity.

[rosaharazu]

Merlin Mysteries

This is the most genius title, I swear you guys, Im so proud of it.

Anyways....Magister Merlin.

First off, let's just appreciate the premise given to them.

A powerful, well-respected, legendary mage for as long as history can remember. But the twist is...they're amnesic. I think it's such a high stepping stone in making AFK Journey's MC a standout to other MC's of games alike.

Thanks to that, we aren't even Merlin's actual form, hence being able to customize our character to our liking as Merlin is using disguising spells.

But let's see their past shall we. Second:

So like, have you ever looked at the very tiny text at the bottom whenever you load into the game? There are like, two things about Merlin. I'm sure someone else has pointed these out, but I'll list it anyways. (i think there's three, but I've seen to have forgotten the third one and I ain't checking it out)

Merlin harnessed the leftovers of powers from the War and named it 'magic'.

Merlin was a part of the council in discussing terms of after the Immortal War.

So from this....Merlin may or may not be immortal themselves. Or, if we take a look at the opening sequence of the game, someone pointed out that Merlin may be reincarnated throughout time over and over again. Someone on youtube even thought Merlin could be a hypogean.

If that's the case...it's really tragic.

Merlin is a...wait, lemme check from AFK Arena. WAIT-DIMENSIONALS WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!

There's also a huge plot in Arena's Merlin, but none of this makes sense to me. Let's ignore that~ O-O

Furthermore, whatever they are...they must be immortal or something like that. And that's harsh.

You know that one storyteller in Holistone? He describes Merlin as, some feared them, some respected, but their journey is a lonely one. That's just...implies that Merlin's missing something.

I'd like it if Merlin's quote is, "I feel like I'm missing something."

I'm in Remnant Peaks, and like, I have two more areas to go. It may or may not have something to do with Merlin, so as of I'm writing this, I have no idea.

Third. Now, what I would like to write is....Merlin's relationships.

I mean, yeah, you can ship them with Valen, Mirael, and so on. But...considering Merlin's possibility of being immortal, it would be sad really.

I feel like Merlin won't engage in romantic relationships because they know so well that her partner won't be able to stay as long as they do. Maybe that's why she has Chippy and Hammie by her side, which I searched up, that familiars live as long as their masters live.

I'd like to think that Merlin chose familiars to love, and while it's only platonically, I think that love is the most special thing to have for Merlin. Because at the very least, Merlin won't have to wake up one day and find that their familiars are gone.

Maybe she's lost a loved one before, and over and over again, and they're traumatized by it. You know, at this point you can just assume I'm talking about my version of Merlin.

Even if Merlin were to engage romantically, they would probably sought for immortals like them, hence Celestials or...Hypogeans, maybe. (for me at least)

(I mean, Wilders and Maulers also probably live for hundreds of years, but they still die- WHY IS THE LIFESPAN AND TIMELINE SO CONFUSING?!)

The idea of Merlin not wanting to lose their partner is kinda engraved in my mind and you can't stop me.

What I'm saying is, Merlin has done so many things over the years. Being recognized as Esperia's greatest mage. One of the professors at Casseedee's Academy. Their stories go all over the lands....

and in return....

Merlin lost something more valuable. Possibly their mortality and memories. I dead set that Merlin may have traded those in order to become the most powerful, and before they know it....they've lost quite a lot.

And as of present day, Merlin forgets again and again, and deep inside them, an immense sense of regret, longing, lost and hopelessness. So they try to focus on the present, and the people around them.

You know, it would be nice if Merlin's amnestic side is shown sometimes, but I guess that's too much work. Oh well. Would be a little interesting, though. Like, maybe more of Chippy and Hammie comforting us. Yes, please. I'd like that.

Man...the game started a few months ago, so Merlin's lore isn't exactly much...why did I even do this...?

Thanks for your time! Have a lovely day!

[the-fuck-did-u-say]

Percy x Lee I hear you say...

Any thoughts and headcanons for them?

Ok ok my first ask… totally not panicking…

This is a ship I most definitely haven’t thought through yet and I don’t really post about it, but this is easily one of my otps. So this is most likely going to sound rather scattered and not very detailed. But even so this is kinda a long one by my standards so do bear with me.

I’d love to think that Lee got the absolute worst first impression of him. He’s best friends with the twins after all, so it’s almost inevitable. The literal minute their friendship started on Hogwarts Express the twins were talking about Percy. Lee, in his young excited 11 year old mind, just goes with their flow while chipping in with tidbits of his own life every now and then. At this point all three of them are already pretty smug that they’ve already made friends.

The entire train ride Percy’s been avoiding the twins (understandably). He’s been dreading the day they come to Hogwarts and is just trying to stop shit from hitting the fan before they even make it off the train. And if they do get into something, it won’t be his mess to clear up so long as he stays away.

It basically stays that way for the entire sorting ceremony and the first week or so. Of course Percy can’t fully avoid the twins without nothing short of a restraining order, so they do have a few conversations in which so he tries to end as quickly as possible. But during those short meetings Lee is getting absolutely shoved down Percy’s throat.

The same thing is happening to Lee, but instead of being painted as someone fun and chill and interesting, like how he’s been described to Percy, Fred and George are telling him the exact opposite (boring, uptight, boring again for emphasis). But it’s still that hazy feeling where they’re still getting used to school and magic and all that. Like no matter what blood type you make him, Hogwarts is majestic. Why focus on your best friends’ brother, especially since they’ve so explicitly stated how uninteresting they are?

But then something wakes him up from his daydream. The prank. (Dun dun dun)

I’m not %100 decided on what the prank actually is, because note that this is still a half baked idea I’ve become obsessed with. Just know it was big. Lee knew they were planning something but he wasn’t in any rush to ask. He assumed it was just another harmless petty everyday thing that they were up to. How wrong he was.

He goes on a walk to explore the school grounds after dinner and gets back right before curfew, to sounds of screaming in his ear and cheering in the common room. Cheering all around the castle, for that matter. The twins had pulled something in the Great Hall, something to cement their role as the resident troublemakers. Their very first prank of many to come.

Sound familiar? This is what Fred and George were referencing when they made that dramatic exit dropping out of school. They wanted to end the way they started. But anyway-

It didn’t take long to figure out the prank was on Percy, no less, though he was nowhere in sight. Everyone’s patting the twins on the back and congratulating them, even Charlie and Bill, who’re happy they’ve settled alright. Bill does seem somewhat concerned but still convinced it’s all in good fun. He asks Charlie where Percy is and he offhandedly mentions that he’s barricaded himself in his dorm to “sulk”.

Lee laughs along with everyone else but at the same time he’s confused af. Percy couldn’t be that pure and holy that he doesn’t even retaliate? Or even respond at all?

(Right let’s wrap this up, everything’s somewhat unclear from now I’m sorry 😔)

So Lee starts paying more attention to Percy’s actions and he’s even more fascinated than ever. His eyes had always lingered slightly longer on Percy, but he’s never really noticed it before now. And soon, he starts noticing more. He’s completely memorised the brisk way he walks. The way his mouth tightens whenever he hears the whispers behind his back. Along with other things.

Of course those other things really didn’t help when the hormones came knocking on his door, and atp he’s having a crisis. He’s never had a problem with gay men, he’s just never thought he was… one of them. (Not quite internalised homophobia, just straight up bafflement) But it’s getting more and more likely. He starts looking at pretty boys the way he looks at pretty girls, though neither the same way he looks at Percy.

And at the age of 12, Lee Jordan comes out as bisexual.

He’s now accepted his raging crush on Percy. He’s definitely liked an other few people (exhibit A, Angelina). With those types of relationships he’s very flirty and unserious, (as we can see in canon) and has had one relationship throughout school (idk who with), which he quickly ended because he realised his crush wasn’t going away and it wasn’t fair on his partner. He’s no longer in a crisis, just a numb pain knowing his love is probably unrequited. Even if it wasn’t, no way in hell would Fred and George allow it.

And back to Percy! He… hasn’t noticed. He still sees Lee as his younger brothers’ best friend. Someone brings up the idea of Lee having a crush on Percy (which gave Lee a heart attack btw when he finds out) and Percy just waves it off. In an “I guess that’s kinda sweet” and “I don’t really believe it” way, devastating Lee.

After the war, where the age gap is less relevant, that lovesick git FINALLY confesses and Percy is like “wait you’re serious”. And then Lee kind of accidentally-on-purpose seduces him over the next few months? Basically Lee making genuine moves on him and Percy seeing the appeal? It’s really hard to explain and I know I’m wording this poorly 😭

Everyone’s reaction would be hilarious, especially Fred and George’s. And of course I want them to find out last. And be outraged that everyone kept it a secret from them.

But this is only one version of it and honestly it’s just entertaining no matter the context. This is such a rare pair (7works on ao3, five where they’re the main ship), nothing is impossible, these are just bad Ideas.

Thank if you made it through this long ass post and sorry this is kinda late :/

[anukkuna]

Day 25: Unspoken

There are quite a few things I associate with Unspoken and Spatort.

One of the most obvious is Leo and Adam’s inability to express what they mean to each other and what they want from one another. (I have my very own personal Roman Empire when it comes to that... I've missed that boat, the ship has sailed away, she has a girlfriend now, but damn, it hunts me to this day.)

So much between them remains unsaid. It feels like there’s a well of things to explore and write about - so many gaps in their story that beg to be filled.

Has Leo ever asked Adam what he did during all those years away, traveling the world? It takes courage to ask a question when you might not be able to bear the answer - that Adam lived and roamed the world freely while Leo stayed behind, hurting and missing him. Did Adam ever tell himself? I doubt it. Adam seems focused on the present and what lies ahead. But can it really be so easy for Leo to set all of that aside? Is it even possible for either of them to just move forward without addressing the past?

However, instead of writing about one of these questions, I decided to focus on a scene that struck me as particularly interesting the first time I watched it. It’s from Episode 3: Das Herz der Schlange - the moment when Esther questions Leo about how long he’s known Adam and what really happened fifteen years ago.

„Wie lange kennst du Adam schon, hm?!“

- Esther, Das Herz der Schlange

When Esther asks what was going on between Adam and Leo, it reveals something significant: Leo had kept this unspoken the entire time. Since Adam’s return, Leo never mentioned to his colleagues that they knew each other from school - and neither did Adam. Neither Esther nor Pia had any idea.

What I find even more intriguing is considering how Leo’s explanation - what exactly he tells them - must sound from his colleagues’ perspective, and also how it sound to the audience (just as @leo-woods did for the Caro-Scene from Ep. 01).

Here's Leo's answer:

„Ich hatte ein Baumhaus damals. Von da konnte ich mit dem Fernglas bei denen reinsehen. Und an diesem einen Tag da... da hat sein Vater uns im Wald gefunden... er war so wütend... er war immer so wütend. Und diesmal wusste ich einfach, der... der schlägt ihn tot – und Adam wusste es auch. Also bin ich denen hinterher. In die Garage. Adam lag auf dem Boden, er hat sich nicht gewehrt. Und sein Vater hat wie besessen auf ihn eingedroschen.“

- Leo, Das Herz der Schlange

There’s a moment where Esther and Pia exchange glances at the line "da hat sein Vater uns im Wald gefunden" - and honestly, it doesn’t surprise me. You can’t help but wonder: your father found you in the forest... doing what? Was Adam simply hanging out at the treehouse with another kid from school enough to make Roland beat him half to death? You’d assume he must have seen something that upset him deeply, something that enraged him so much that he wanted to punish it out of his son. Because it couldn’t just be, 'boys don’t play with treehouses,' right?

This is what the story sounds like to someone hearing it for the first time. So, it’s very interesting to think about how people would naturally fill the gaps in Leo’s story - what assumptions they’d make.

What also strikes me is that Leo doesn’t tell them about how Adam defended him from bullies as a kid. That could have easily changed how they saw Adam, showing him in a different light. Was Leo too ashamed to mention it? Ashamed of being bullied in school?

I can’t help but feel there’s more to it. The flashback doesn’t explain why Leo was bullied, but from a queer person's perspective, it’s easy to imagine it was because Leo was seen as queer, weird, or ‘a sissy.’ We know he liked reading - and I think some people around here can relate to being picked on for being the queer, weird bookworm.

But maybe it went even deeper. Maybe Leo was bullied because people suspected he had a crush on Adam. Maybe that’s why they beat him up. In my headcanon, the bullies’ attack on Leo had a homophobic background.

But then, Adam came to his rescue.

Maybe, all of this happened on the same day. They’re wearing the same clothes, after all. They already were best friends - but then Adam heard the bullies taunting Leo, ridiculing him for being gay, for having a crush on Adam. Of course, Adam stepped in. Later, Leo led Adam to the treehouse, his safe space where he could show him that he cared, that he knew because he saw what was going on, and that he was there for him, even if he didn’t know how to handle it. Leo was watching over Adam. Showing rather than telling him, that he would never abandon Adam, because he meant so much to him.

It was at the treehouse that they kissed for the first time.

And then, Roland showed up.

Maybe Roland didn’t see the whole picture. But he saw enough to piece it together. And you know he’s the kind of toxic father who’d go like, ‘no son of mine is going to grow up to be a—’

...but all of that is left unsaid. Words unspoken.

Both - so far - by the series itself and by Leo in that scene.

Just listening to what Leo says in the scene, though... it’s hard not to feel that he and Adam were on the verge of something more when they were teenagers. It’s something that feels strongly implied, something - at least I, as the queer kid in school with a crush on my best friend - can’t help but read into his words.