#but then ignore any girl character that they think is boring or underdeveloped

[sonknuxadow]

something about how when a guy sonic character has nothing going for him in canon or is from a game people dont like people will flesh him out and write 500 page fanfictions about him detailing their au backstory for him anyway. if he does something really really bad whether it was a mistake or fully intentional people are willing to think about and understand why he did what he did. or theyll just ignore it entirely or blame it on bad writing. but when a girl sonic character does any of those same things shes treated like the spawn of satan

[mysterycitrus]

recently finished batgirl 2000 and i'm feeling Insane about her. do you have any opinions on the run? the character herself?

bro cass cain and batgirl 2000 are litchrally on my mind 24/7 and the more i think about her the more unhinged i become. how perfectly she mirrors bruce’s own internal struggle. her love for all things living. her desire to change. her disconnection from everyone in her life by speaking a language only her mother knows. her belief in the good. her absolute self-conviction and confidence to the detriment of her own life. the roses. wow wow wow

the more i read the more ive completely lost patience with comic fans who totally ignore or rebuke her as a character in comparison to bruce’s other kids. talking about the male robins with her noticeably absent is an immediate close tab. “she’s boring” “she’s underdeveloped” “she’s not as interesting” just tells me they’ve never actually read her run, or engaged with her character in good faith. her total exclusion from fan content about the waynes, her absence in fanfic, her reduction to a smiling, placid little girl who isn’t allowed a dissenting opinion. she has a single comic run from the early aughts that’s better than anything published this decade please be so incredibly serious!!!

she’s the most like bruce by any metric. dick understands bruce better than anyone, but cass is bruce, for both the good and bad. he sees her commitment to giving everyone a chance, sees her devotion to life, and is both awed and horrified. there’s a bit outta persephone that i still think about a lot:

Cassandra replies: “I was born into violence. Not to this life, but something worse. I was made to hurt people. I chose differently. I changed the path and found this. This new life, new purpose, new home.” She taps the symbol on her chest. “This, I wear to help people. To protect them. To start each day better, and brighter. The way I grew up… it was isolated, and lonely. I spoke a language no one else understood. There was no kindness because a weapon is to be used. Used to hurt, and cut, and kill. Who cares what a tool thinks?”

in my mind she is thee only choice for batman if bruce retires — for literally anyone else it’d just be character regression. dick would rather kill himself. the cowl would kill tim. jason needs to grow his own morals. damian works better as a narrative foil by attaining his own mantle, his own destiny. if nightwing is what batman could never be, then cass is what batman should be. she cares about the mantle, and has made it her own. she embodies all of bruce’s worst habits, but overcomes them. she is what gotham truly needs.

[tessarionbestgirl]

I think the reason Team Black love Jace so much is because although they love to brag about how they "won" they ended up with two of the worst Targ kings. Aegon III is dull as dishwater and is the reason House Targaryen doesn't have any more dragons whilst Viserys II is plain evil.

So with Jace they can project their ideal Targ king, declaring that unlike Aegon III he wouldn't let the dragons die out and unlike Viserys II he wouldn't claim Rhaenyra is proof to why women shouldn't be allowed to rule nor would he force his daughter to marry his rapist son.

Look I think Jace is a nice character, and even....how I am going to say this? One of the reasons Ryan is so pro team black sometimes in his writing, is because he has a producer mentality, that means he believes to maintain big audience, he will write characters that the normies can root for. That are not so morally gray. Some people call Hotd the mcufication of asoiaf and they are not out of line because just like the comic books are way more philosophical with their story (the end civil for example) Hotd takes away the little nuance that fire and blood give of the war and character and leans completely to one side.

Season one we had Viserys, and worked so well that in S2 he basically wrote Rhaenyra personality in the same way. Jace falls under that wing.

And while tb eat that shit for a lot reasons, including the one you said, like I also see them getting defensive towards Aegon III, although I have a feeling they've only been like this with them since his relationship with Jaehaera became popular.

Viserys in S1 was constantly shit talked and for good reasons. This season, because the fans loved him, he is acclaimed, even for the wife he constantly disrespect groomed. Rhaenyra acting like him . And that is not the reason why people liked her in the first place. Remember the girl that flew to Dragonstone without her dad permission and faced her uncle? That is the Rhaenyra people like it.

This all backfire and Aegon of all people become a fan favourite.

Ryan desperately needed to create a character where the normies would root for, but he end up making Rhaenyra boring and so he underdeveloped Jace and make him palpable for teen girls thirsty over.

Ignoring there is one character in the book that is coded to be the "Jon snow" the guy the people would root for. And Martin wrote him to be that so, because when adapted people like him. And Ryan cut him almost him completely if wasn't for George complaining in his door. And that is fucking Daeron.

[anime-owo-kage-san]

I’m honestly in love with the the theory that Niffty and Vox were married

(This little sketch I made was placed here for no reason. I just forgot to post it here back then after posting it on reddit.)

I don’t care, if them being in the 50s isn’t good enough evidence, or that plenty of people from that timeline have died 😭 I love this ship too much to think of the basic logic.

(Look if it’s canon, I’ll be happy. But if it’s not, I won’t complain. Fan works are my happy pills.)

My headcanons for this theory (or canon-connected AU):

Niffty and Vox were husband and wife.—But instead of the common “Vox was abusive/manipulative” headcanons, I think they were both equally fucked.

Niffty was mentally ill and cared more about looking like a prim and proper housewife to her husband and the public, thinking it’s what her husband would want. Vox got bored and emotionally disconnected from her when his wife became more of a domestic robot. He cheated on her, it got caught on the news, Niffty saw it and so she killed him. (But then instantly regretted it afterwards, because she was obsessed with him.)

Long version (Trigger Warning: murder and blood):

The theories of Niffty having a husband (or lover) who cheated on her and killing him in blind rage, reminded me of that one irl event of a woman who murdered her boyfriend who she suspected was cheating on her (Yuka Takaoka), after seeing a picture of him with another woman. (Clearly wasn’t mentally stable enough to think about talking about it with him first).

Now most people see Niffty as a victim of adultery, but I like to view Niffty’s character as controversial. Like even before murdering someone, she was already emotionally and mentally unstable.

My concept of Niffty’s married life:

• Niffty had been insecure of her petite underdeveloped appearance, despite young girls her age being more physically matured than her—let’s say she was maybe 18 or 19 when she met her husband. (Before you chew me out for the choice of age and age gap: women marrying this young or younger was very normal back in that time.)

• Her constant spiraling caused her to have some mental issues— But had been lucky enough to be wanted by and married to a man who was popular in status; A man that was almost every woman’s ideal husband. A man that any woman who had, would want to keep.

• Her husband (Vox now), was a television entertainer. He sang and did talk shows. Though his profession was small, he was famous for his handsome looks and hypnotic voice.

• She believed that her life was perfect now she found the man of her dreams. She relied on the ‘power of love’ to keep her going in this perfect life. She stopped taking her medications and relied on her delusions of an eternal life with her husband.

• She eventually started growing fear of that perfect life with the perfect man, being taken away from her. So she’s obsessed with keeping their home clean, the table full of his favorite food, and his things properly organized, so he would want to keep coming back home to her. Only her.

• Vox who had genuinely loved his wife, emotionally detached from her. Nights he came home early just to spend it in bed with her ended up being lonely nights anyway. Because while he slept in their bed, the spot his wife should be was empty because she was up late cleaning and preparing his clothes and things for work.

• He feels under appreciated because the pricey medications he bought for his wife, were either ignored or flushed down the toilet. She insists she no longer needs it.

• He meets a beautiful foreign woman, who wanted to perform a duet with him immediately his show, and—I’m sure you know where this is going.

• One day, when Niffty finds newspapers, and articles, and pictures of her husband being seen with another woman (whether it was actual cheating or a misunderstanding is up to you to imagine. Although the ‘polymorous desire’ of a powerful man seems fitting for Vox.) —rather than the rational decision of trying to communicate with him, Niffty kills him as soon as he walked through the door.

• She breaks a bottle of champagne right into his face, damaging his ‘perfect and handsome face’ with a bleeding wound in the center (reference to how Vox’s screen would crack sometimes), and then pushes their living room television down to his half conscious form, landing right on his wounded face. The TV was on, and flipped to the channel where the ‘affair’ was recorded.

• However, after she calmed down from her blind rage, she realized what she had done and had another melt down. All she could do was clean the mess she made with her husband’s blood all over the carpet and apologize profusely to his corpse. Begging God to bring him back. She dies minutes later from her cleaning chemicals.

• And the famous lines “Til death do us part”—was somewhat literal when they died. They died in the same place but landed in different parts of Hell. (I like to think the giant pentagram in the sky drops sinners down in random areas. Further adds to the punishment. Landing unfamiliar areas.)

[sammysdewysensitiveeyes]

Marauders #22

I absolutely hated this issue, so be warned that’s a lot of salt here, and my usual whining, so skip this post if you’re not in the mood for that.  Also spoilers below.

First impression - what absolute, self-indulgent horseshit.  I hesitate to use “fanfic” in a derogatory way, but a lot of Marauders has read as being very “fanfic” in terms of self-indulgence, and greatly favoring certain characters while denigrating others.  I actually don’t think that’s a bad thing in fanfic.  It can be annoying to read if that’s not what you’re looking for (or it can be wonderful, if it IS what you’re looking for), but ultimately, fanfic is all about self-indulgence.  It’s about writing what you want to see in a story, and if Duggan’s Marauders was someone’s actual fanfic, I wouldn’t have anything bad to say about it.  I might dislike the characterization, and probably wouldn’t read it, but it ultimately wouldn’t matter because it’s fanfic.  Frankly, I’m just as bad about constantly centering everything around Pyro (and finding ways to work him into stories where he doesn’t even belong), because I’m writing just for myself, so I can be self-indulgent.  But I’d expect much better from a professional writer.  I’d expect much better from someone being paid to write a team book.  I’d expect a god-damn balanced book that actually pays attention to the whole cast and gives a thoughtful interpretation to ALL the characters, even the villains, rather than a book dedicated to shining a spotlight on two already well-established characters, and treating them like queens who step all over the rest of the cast. 

So, we ignore almost everything set up at the Gala, including the attack on Christian and the Marauder (the ship) being set ablaze.  Why aren’t the characters handling that, Duggan?  Is that really being saved for another month?  We don’t even know if Christian is dead or not, you can’t even spare a panel for Iceman reacting to this?  Instead, we tell a flashback story that eventually reveals that Lourdes Chantel is still alive, and Emma helped her fake her own death to escape from an abusive Sebastian.

What exactly is the point of this story, in terms of the overall Marauders arc?  Will Lourdes show up later to play a role?  Is this meant to further push Sebastian along some kind of path to redemption (recognizing that he drove Lourdes away with his actions).  Because so far, Duggan doesn’t seem the slightest bit interested in rehabilitating Sebastian.  This seems like yet another story establishing Emma GOOD, Sebastian BAD, the same message that’s been getting pounded into the readers’ heads for 22 issues.  Like, we KNOW, Duggan.  We know that you think the sun shines out of Emma’s ass, you’ve already well-established that you think she’s a brilliant, wonderful, compassionate, badass queen, through 22 issues of centering the entire series around her, at the expense of EVERY other fucking character in the book (even sometimes Kate, the other obvious favorite).  It’s gotten beyond tiresome at this point.  Like, I feel like even people who love Emma and hate Sebastian are getting bored by now, because it’s not even good storytelling to have a strawman villain who is no real threat just getting repeatedly knocked down.

So, Duggan has taken both Sebastian and Emma, and further removed any kind of complexity or nuance from them.  Sebastian can’t have a kind or tender side, he can’t ever be shown in a positive light.  His relationship was Lourdes was previously part of his tragic origins, pushing him to be a worse person than he’d been in a past, but no, lets retcon him to be a controlling abuser, whom Lourdes is desperate to escape.  Because it makes Sebastian look bad and Emma look good.  Honestly, it would have been more interesting and powerful to have Lourdes come back from the dead, and be disgusted by the person Sebastian has become.  That would actually have an impact.

And by the way, why did Lourdes need Emma’s help in establishing her new identity?  She was already part of the Hellfire Club, she’s the one who brought Sebastian in, she’s rich as fuck.  Lourdes should be well capable of getting away from Sebastian on her own.  She might need Emma’s help for faking her own death, but the rest of it?  Emma should just do a little hacking to access Lourdes’ personal fortune and transfer it into a new account, and then she’s good to go.  But no, Lourdes has to be treated like a little lost lamb, a helpless battered woman for Emma to rescue.  And Emma’s deal with the Kingpin further exonerates Emma for her past crimes, because obviously, she’s just working off the debt she incurred helping poor, innocent Lourdes!  It can’t be that Emma did bad things in the past because she was ambitious, cruel, vain, and power-hungry, she has to be a woke queen who was always there to help other women.

I think Duggan thinks he’s being feminist with all this, with the “women help each other,” message, and either ignoring or villifying all the male characters.  But he’s not.  It’s not feminist to take a very complex, interesting, powerful woman like Emma Frost and completely remove all responsibility and agency for her past crimes by turning her into an abuse victim and repeatedly retconning her to be better than she actually was.  (To be fair, Duggan is just continuing a trend already started by other writers).  Emma is ambitious, power-hungry, cruel, callous, self-absorbed, vain and snobby.  But she is also brave, intelligent, compassionate, kind, protective, heroic, and self-sacrificing.  All of those things are part of Emma.  She is a teacher who loved her students, and the love for those students is part of what sent Emma on her long, difficult path towards redemption.  Yes, she’s a badass queen, but she is also a flawed individual, who has worked to overcome those flaws and become a better person.  And constantly re-writing the past to make her an “always good” abuse victim who only ever committed crimes because the big bad men forced her into it cheapens that redemption.

Speaking of cheap redemption -     

The Wilhelmina subplot: Wow, Duggan really will prioritize ANY character over Bishop, Iceman and Pyro, won’t he?  I know this is me throwing a tantrum, because “Wah, Duggan is writing someone other than my favorites!” but after 22 issues I feel justified in this whining.  Iceman, Bishop and Pyro are supposed to be regular cast members, and so far Duggan has given more serious development and emotional scenes to Callisto, Forge, Dolores (the human contact at the X-Desk), Masque, Jumbo Carnation, Magneto, the Cuckoos, and now Wilhelmina.  I don’t mind the development for many of those characters, I like Callisto and Forge and Jumbo (although I’m a little annoyed at the Magneto stuff, since he’s already front and center in the Krakoa era, and about to star in a mini-series, does he really need more time in the spotlight?).  But honestly?  Fuck Wilhelmina.  I was never that interested in the Hellfire brats, and I’m not the slightest bit interested in watching the retcon redemption of a character that murders animals for fun.  Why does she get a spotlight story while the three dudes on the team STILL haven’t gotten anything more than vague background hints of character arcs.  I mean, compare the very emotional flashback and Wilhelmina’s breakdown to the half-assed, mostly taking place off- panel “redemption” that Duggan has given Pyro.  Just a single line of “maybe this crew is bringing out the best in me,” with no lead-up, no further reflection, no hints about Pyro changing his ideas before then.  Why did you even put Iceman, Bishop and Pyro on the team if you’re not going to use them, Duggan?  Because you’ve made it quite clear that you’d rather write ANY character other than them.  I can’t even look forward to Tempo and Banshee joining the cast next issue, even though I like them (and I really want to see more development of Tempo), because I know they will be yet more characters that get pushed into the foreground, while Iceman, Bishop and Pyro remain the underdeveloped background clown trio.    

Also, it seems kind of offensive to have a cruel, murderous female character, and then say that her cruelty is entirely due to sexual abuse?  What kind of message does that send to sexual abuse victims?  That it will turn you into a monster?  Why do female villains keep getting sexual abuse as part of their backstory?  Why can’t they just be bad?  Or have something else going on?  So the Cuckoos flip a switch in Wilhelmina and she’s magically “fixed,” or at least on her way to better?  Again, I think Duggan thinks he’s being feminist with this, but he’s not. 

At least Wllhelmina has been a recurring villain in this series, so I can kinda see how her potential redemption may move the plot along, but Duggan is still introducing new plot threads, while leaving so many others dangling.  What about Christian?  What about Shinobi and Fenris?  Will Bobby and Christian ever even speak to each other again?  Will the supposed main cast members of Iceman, Bishop and Pyro ever, EVER get a proper character arc?

Or will we get an entire issue of Emma, Kate and the Cuckoos giving Wilhelmina a redemptive make-over, because girl power, amiright?

[silver-wield]

I’ve just read the hypocrite comment from that Clerithox, I was totally flabbergasted that there is some CA that really-really-really-really do think that CA is canon and CT is fanon??? (WTH) I mean, ship what you like but don’t exposed yourself to be mentally unable to comprehend game’s plot/story/narrative & ignoring all the documented evidence (SMH) …. Psssst no one need to know you’re unwise.

So over on my twitter account I actually have the entire cult blocked and I mute all their tags so I don't see any of this unless it's sent in the group chat I'm in. Why am I saying this? So yall understand that I don't go looking for it and actually can't see it even if I tried. And yet, here is a list of all their bs takes about Tifa and the game so far for this year.

A year of cult bs in chronological order. A lot of these are repeated at different times during the month.

January

• 2020 was the year of Aerith

• Clotis want Tifa to die

• FF7R will be different

• Clotis want Tifa to have Aerith's arc

• Body shaming Tifa

• Barifa

• S7 residents didn't ask about Aerith after the plate collapse so they deserved to die

• Cloud is single in AC

• Aerith won't die and will save Cloud in the lifestream scene

• Cloud's heart "skips a beat"

• The number 8 is proof

• Editing scenes to remove undesirable canon lines

• Tifa gets blown away first in the Sephiroth battle opening cut scene, so that makes her weak

• Tifa's a badly written character

• Tifa has no backstory

• Nomura "hates" Tifa

• Aerith's key art of her staring at the blue sky is about Cloud

• Aerith's red dress scene and second dress bgm are validation

• Tifa is an overhyped bartender

• Tifa's weak (again)

• Body shaming Tifa (again)

• Hollow

• Tifa's weak (again)

• Aerith has better reflexes than Tifa

• If Cloud and Tifa are a couple why is the ending of FF7 such a downer?

• "Aunt" Tifa

• Body shaming Tifa (again)

• Cloud "couldn't refuse" Aerith

• Tifa respects Cloud's personal space

• EC and 1st Soldier were announced together so are clearly about the same thing, which isn't Zack

• Cloud listed 7th heaven in AC as 7th heaven so he doesn't love Tifa

• Body shaming Tifa (again)

• Aerith will live and fix Cloud's mind in the lifestream scene (again)

• Tifa got rejected because she asked if Cloud loved her while he was asleep in otwtas

• Ever Crisis is about Aerith, the Cetra and Jenova

• 7s till the end is Sephiroth warning he'll kill Aerith, so Cloud can save her

• Aerith and Sephiroth is a healthier pairing than Aerith and Zack

• Tifa didn't want to save Aerith

• Tifa's weak (again)

• Tifa's fanservice

• Body shaming Tifa (again)

• Tifa's weak (again)

• Tifa's a martial artist so should save herself

• Tifa's weak (again)

• You can see the pencil outline of 13yo Tifa's boob in her concept art - Roberto Ferrari is a pervert

• Aerith is the default heroine because the Amano art said so

• Fanart has no right showing Cloud and Tifa in the church

• Cloud, Aerith and Sephiroth are the FF7 "trinity"

• WoFF is FF7 canon

• AC Cloud getting stabbed in the shoulder is a callback to Aerith being stabbed in the back

• Tifa asked Cloud to talk in otwtas and that makes her a bad person

• Tifa is a "raging cishet"

• Ultimanias are just extended information

• Cloud dances for Aerith

• Aerith will ride the Hardy Davidson in part 2

• Barrifa (again)

• The whole plot of AC is Cloud losing "the love of his life"

• Barrifa (again)

• Tifa's weak (again)

• Tifa didn't want to save Aerith (again)

• Stars are their motif

• 7r posted a gif of Cloud, Tifa and Aerith so that's validation

• Triggered by fanart (again)

• Aerith will live and be with Cloud

February

• Barifa

• SE bias because they liked a cloti art

• Body shaming Tifa

• Tifa's "useless"

• Tifa was friendzoned

• Cloud wants to rape Aerith (it's just a joke though so that's okay)

• Getting triggered over fanart likes (again)

• Tifa's "useless" (again)

• Tifa didn't want to save Aerith

• Tifa was friendzoned (again)

• Tifa's "over praised"

• Haha we got 9 love songs

• Cloud wants to rape Aerith (again) (still just a joke, though, so that's okay)

• Cloud said he was a soldier on purpose because he wants to rape Aerith.

• Tifa should die

• Body shaming Tifa (again)

• Tifa's overly included in the game

• Tifa's useless (again)

• Barrifa (again)

• Tifa should die (again)

• Aerith saved everyone in AC

• Aerith's resolution is a love confession

• Hamaguichi is one of them because he had a photo taken on the church set

• Tifa's a "generic Asian girl"

• Tifa's white and appropriated Asian culture

• Tifa's fanservice

March

• List of 12 reasons why Aerith loves Cloud that includes her blocking the hallway to prevent him leaving, and stalking him.

• Tifa respects Cloud's personal space and that's bad

• Aerith will live because the devs wouldn't waste money remaking the story the same way.

• Hamaguichi is a dumdum because a fanartist claimed he spoke to her and said they'll have "their perfect answer"

• Over 10 love songs

• Tifa has a generic Asian face

• Cait Sith is confirmation because he said Cloud will lose his most precious thing and they assume that he meant Aerith

• Bracketing a picture of Aerith alongside one of Cloud who was protecting Tifa at the time

• Cloud and Tifa are just friends

• Cloud talks to Aerith more than anyone else in the game

• Hollow

• 7R is an alternate timeline and this time Aerith's aware she'll die and wants Cloud to save her, and Cloud is aware he needs to save her

• Aerith lives in relative luxury in the slums, how dare people hate her

• Tifa is a coward

• Roxas and Sora are Cloud and Aerith's kids

• Cloud confessed love during Aerith's resolution

• Tifa is an underdeveloped character compared to Aerith

• Cloud and Tifa weren't childhood friends

• Hamaguichi is a dumdum and supports the busted dinghy (again)

• People who like Tifa more than Aerith are boring

• The story is a sequel and Cloud and Aerith support Tifa in becoming an independent woman while she knows they're together and accepts it

• Cloud remembers Zack and doesn't say anything during the slide scene because he doesn't want to ruin his and Aerith's "date"

• The ending of OG is dumdum because of a mistranslated line

• Tifa is weak and clingy

• Edited scenes of Cloud's face centimetres from Aerith's

• Aerith's resolution is really Cloud's despite being labelled as Aerith's

This is just up to today's date 🤦‍♀️

[ranibell]

Disney Fairies Shipping Rant

(Warning: unpopular opinions ahead. You may disagree, but I’ll defend my opinions! I don’t mean offense to any of the people who like certain pairings in this series--what you like isn’t a reflection of you as a person, or your intelligence or heart, it’s that simple--I just have a hard time understanding why it is some of these are as popular as they are.)

I marked 4 “NOTPs” on that shipping meme, and...let’s talk about it, I guess!

I’ll start simple. Tink/Bobble:

This was particularly big back in the day with the first couple of TB movies before the majority latched onto Tink/Vidia. I never really “got it” but for the most part I wouldn’t have ever had reason to dislike them as a ship if it hadn’t been for the shippers themselves...

I liked Terence as a character, as well as his relationship with Tink, and the Bobble/Tink fans were very vocal about disparaging Terence in favor of Bobble, when that’s really unnecessary. It’s possible to like an underrated character without the need to bash a popular one just because you’re personally not interested in them.

I basically won’t go into it any more than I have in the past--after I did a two-part video reading of comments on this one Tink/Bobble fan art piece, I wrote up my feelings here and it still stands up. Basically the sight of the ship leaves a bad taste in my mouth not because of the characters involved themselves, but by the attitude the ship seemed to be entirely based on.

The only thing I would add is that I ship Bobble/Clank and to me, they’re as good as an old married couple that just wasn’t confirmed because it’s Disney :(

Clarion/Milori:

What can I even say? I’ve ranted extensively on my old blog, but to rehash, here’s the deal: There was no reason Milori’s character needed to be invented in the first place. The major plot holes and inconsistencies in The Secret of the Wings seemed to have prompted his becoming a character, but I think more importantly it was for the cliche, forced “forbidden romance” sub-plot between him and Clarion.

They didn’t need to replace the female Minister of Winter from her position to bring in this Lord of Winter, his role and existence wasn’t properly set up, and his backstory + relationship with Queen Clarion wasn’t developed at all, they just relied on the fact that having a tragically star-crossed love interest who’s attractive is enough for people to accept at face value.

And they were right, I guess... 🙄

So again, for me it’s not that the pairing of these two characters in inherently a bad thing, but it has never tracked for me that such an underdeveloped, boring pairing is one of the most popular in the fanbase, like most people just accepted it because it was canon and I’m like “we’re allowed to....NOT ship canon pairings, if they add nothing to the characters and story...you don’t have to just accept it”

Zarina/James:

This is another one that is a majorly popular ship in the fanbase, and to me it’s similar to shipping Anna with Hans, but possibly even worse. He manipulated her and tried to get away with murdering her. In James’ case, he emotionally/psychologically manipulated Zarina for A YEAR before betraying her and then tossing her into the sea to die.

There are a lot of people who think Hans should be able to have a redemption plotline, and I’ll make no comment about that, but the big difference between him and James is that we KNOW Hook will never be redeemed. We know he has never and will never feel remorse about his actions or treatment of Z.

He goes on to become the most fearsome pirate of all time, murdering without second thought--and still goes on to manipulate Tink and capture her in a lantern, because, I quote, “a jealous female can be tricked into anything.” His line in TPF mirrors this attitude (“Fairies are such gullible creatures”) so like....he is and will always be a misogynist who never held respect for Z or Tink or any fairy/female.

Also, The Pirate Fairy was as poorly written as SotW if not more so, and Z herself wasn’t a well-developed character, so I should say “to each their own” for anyone who wanted to believe there was chemistry between Z + James and ship them, but it’s gross and disgusting and wrong. (no offense)

Tink/Vidia:

Back to something much less sinful, but even more heretical within this fanbase. Vidia is one of THE most popular fairies from the movies, and Tink/Vidia is one of the most popular ships. That’s fine. My stance happens to be different, because I guess I don’t view things the exact same way.

Vidia was cruel to Tink at first--and she’s nowhere near as bad as James; she’d never seriously want to hurt/kill somebody. But even after she is redeemed from her antagonist position....she’s honestly still pretty b*tchy to her so-called “friends.” I won’t be forgetting the scene in Legend of the Neverbeast anytime soon when Gruff sneezes/gets snot on them, Rosetta says “ew, my mouth was open!” and Vidia replies “It’s always open.” Like, there’s just no need for that, ever, it’s mean-spirited and didn’t need to be said, it didn’t help anything.

People seem to love sarcastic characters with a secret heart of gold, but I just can’t dig the way Vidia is treated like this amazing character just because she didn’t turn out to be genuinely evil, no matter how her attitude stayed. In the books, her character is more interesting to me--and she’s portrayed as a mean person, but also she knows it and the narrative doesn’t treat her like one of the girls who, oh, it’s just okay that she treats her friends poorly!

So yeah, Tink/Vidia never sat right with me. Also, within the books, they actually hate each other, not even like a sassy frenemy relationship, they can’t stand each other. Tink does NOT have a lot of patience--she would never stand for Vidia’s nasty attitude and just not call her out on it every time. They would never work in a relationship.

So, the reason people will hate me for having this opinion is because many seem to embrace Vidia as this lesbian icon (like those posts about how if she was your favorite fairy growing up, you’re gay) and Tink/Vidia as this natural pairing to come from their interaction in the movies. Lots of people automatically ship it, and I can see the distaste toward Tink/Terence as if it’s the boring, straight ship with no merit besides being basically canon.

Nobody has to ship Tink/Terence if it’s not their thing--I happen to like them, but they objectively have a LOT of development throughout the books, films and other media. More so than any of the canon ships like Clarion/Milori which people ATE UP even though they had NO development. If you ship Clarion/Milori and think Tink/Terence is boring, ya basic and hypocritical, but I digress.

What I mean to say is that if you’re not into Tink/Terence or basic, overhyped “straight” ships in general, your other option is not immediately Tink/Vidia. I’m bisexual myself, so it’s not like I’m anti-Vidibell because of homophobia or something. I really enjoy and appreciate f/f and m/m ships as well, and there are so many amazing fairies to ship Tink with who would have a more healthy and beautiful dynamic--which I think...good representation is better? Just me??

Tink had a lot of chemistry with Silvermist, in fact, someone who is genuinely kind and caring for Tink and vice versa. Tink/Sil is probably the most beautiful and natural pairing in the whole movie series, and it’s like no one has ever even CONSIDERED it because it’s so much more entertaining to have an enemies-to-lovers dynamic with the fairy who was mean to Tink, rather than the one who objectively cared the MOST.

Also, Tink and Zarina--they had a helluva dynamic in TPF. Stay hydrated with a drinking water game every time there’s a potential moment to read into wrt shipping them in that film. But then people want to ship Zarina with a man who tried to kill her instead.

So that’s the thing--I’m not mad at Tink/Bobble and Tink/Vidia because they go against Tink/Terence, but because of the attitude about it when arguably there are way better options than the ones people promote and those ones get entirely ignored and overlooked. It just grinds my gears. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If you ship these pairing, I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings by calling them out like they’re these awful things--tbh the only one of these that I genuinely think is entirely and inherently bad in concept, is James/Z and I have no remorse if I offend anyone who ships that. Unfollow me, nasty.

To explain that in practice: if a picture of Clarion/Milori, Tink/Vidia or Tink/Bobble is cute, I’m still gonna reblog it and even tag it for those who enjoy the ships, because it doesn’t hurt me or anyone even if it’s not my taste. If J/Z is ever even implied I’m blocking people XD

[scientistowengottlieb-newtkelly]

Thoughts and feelings about Pacific Rim 2?

you sure you wanna open up that particular can of worms?

movie review time! be warned i'm not in a good mood as i am shaking in pain, however this review would have been scathing regardless. and none of this is to say pacific rim is perfect, it's not, but... aye, i have no words for the world of difference there. oh wait! i do:

so. first and foremost, i hate it. as both a movie and a sequel. did i find it entertaining? yes, mildly, so i suppose it did its job, however the only thing that keeps me watching it is because, simply, it's part of the pacific rim franchise whether we like it or not. therefore, i squeeze as much salvageable content from it as i can, such as how one might analyze the precursors, how we are to view hermann and newt as characters pre-, during, and post-uprising, what we are to expect from drifting (though this one i take with a grain of salt, there is a whole other rant preserved for the joke of an attempt to develop that shit within the movie)

one of my biggest issues with pacific rim is really simple: it plays out like DeKnight did not watch the first fucking movie or was scrolling through twitter while doing it and decided he'd make a cash grab since the first one was relatively popular. "haha the kaiju were going for mount fuji the whole time!!" bitch no they weren't!!! why the fuck did they end up anywhere near sydney, australia, then!!! why did they turn tail on places like manila and san fran instead of heading straight for japan!!! WHY DID THE ONE THAT WAS IN JAPAN NOT SUCCEED, THERE'S NO WAY WITH THOSE MARK 1 JAEGERS THEY'D HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REASONABLY FIGURE OUT THEIR PLAN AND WHERE THEY WERE GOING IN TIME TO STOP THEM!!! newt literally lays out what they are doing in the first movie and they completely ignored that!!! not to mention, if the destruction from elements found in mount fuji would have been enough to terraform the earth, WHY DIDN'T THEY JUST FUCKING DO THAT WHEN THEY WERE SUPPOSEDLY ON EARTH AGES AGO??? THERE WERE VOLCANOES WITH THOSE SAME ELEMENTS BEFORE RIGHT NOW, VOLCANOES ARE NOT A RELATIVELY NEW THING EARTH CREATED SUDDENLY AND I WOULD IMAGINE NEITHER ARE THOSE ELEMENTS!!! IT MAKES NO SENSE!!! and.... okay the fucking drones. how did those bitches make breaches??? we know the breach is some result of precursor/kaiju technology, apparently they know the breach's atomic structure as hermann said in the first movie, but how tf some kaiju organs and tech from earth only is ALL it takes to open a breach... illudes and confuses me... why were no more breaches made by the precursors once they realized how long and how many resources it was taking to kill the humans off??? if it's??? shit they could do with simple earth materials + their own biology??? they could have ended things much faster??? shit just doesn't add up, idk, that was Vague and Annoyed Me

and the jaegers.... were....... strange? the fight scenes were so underwhelming, i could count on one hand the number of maneuvers—NOT SCENES, MANEUVERS—i thought were badass and moved well. their fighting was confusing and paced really weird and some of the moves they pulled... don't... work like that... like some of those scenes were just hand-to-hand combat but in big robot form and they didn't sit right with me at all.

and the characters......... oh my word, the characters. look: i love jake pentecost with all of my heart and soul and john boyega's beautiful acting just barely saves the movie from its poor writing. i do love him as a character. but can someone explain to me why in the world they thought it was a good idea to make the only black guy a black market thief/runner, deep-record criminal with daddy and authority issues, and who they dare try to play off as some kind of lazy??? they made him every stereotype they could and said "yeah let's go with that". i'm- aaaaaaaaaaaaaa and what was with the child soldiers??? ROBOCOPS?????? mako....... character assassination at its worst........ my baby......... but the movie was paced so GOD DAMN POORLY I GOT BORED AND LITERALLY MISSED HER DYING THE FIRST TIME I WATCHED IT. and i couldn't tell you the names of half of those poor damn kids, i really couldn't. and can i also say they killed off one of the only two darker skinned kids?? like y'all???? the other darker skinned kids (one of the children i can't remember the names of because it was uttered ONCE in the entire movie or some shit) didn't even GET characterization. my whole heart goes out to her and those other underdeveloped fucks. speaking of...... i am ashamed about jules. from the movie that brought us the mako mori test, they threw in a girl simply for the sake of some shitty, awkward, and unexplained love triangle between jake and White Angst without much else to put to her name. she deserved better. amara was... a decent shot, but very hit or miss because of the writing. i, personally, am very neutral about her leaning towards liking her, but i know people who swing love and who swing hate. liwen was like,,,, they tried really hard to make her unlikable at the beginning because "oh no, she must be the villain! GOTTEM plot twist!!!" and then suddenly she's no longer. threatening everyone except newt. idk i feel like they leaned to heavily one way and i got whiplash when she's actually another but there was nothing to... portray that. at all. i do like her character, and that says a lot because they got me to sympathize with a capitalist without actually regretting it later, but there could/should have been More there. she was powerful, though, in multiple different aspects, and we saw that from her CONSISTENTLY and i 😳🥵👀💕 mako mori test pass for her

now, let's talk about hermann (and by extention, newton, however he'll be getting a section all his own the rat bastard). that man is one of the single instances of decent cross-movie characterization i saw in the whole god damn film. the idea that he takes on newton's roles, that he is more outspoken for himself, that he is just slightly more unhinged after his drift with newton: THAT is on point. he's himself, you can see it, you still know that he's hermann with ever step, but there's something that has shifted in him in those 10 years and it's good without being too much. the "i still get nightmares" scene, the way he presents himself, that scene gives me chills because god bless burn gorman and his acting ability. every face and intonation of his voice is just wonderful and i think his performance was great for what he was given. king shit.

the biggest disappointment of my life came in the form of a kaiju vest wearing bitch at work. at his corporate job. as a boss. for a tech company that undermines all of his and, frankly, hermann's work over their lifetimes. 10 years older and exaggerated to the teeth. newton "move you fascist" geiszler. let me preface this by stating for all to see that i do not hate the idea of newton being the villain. story wise it was a bold move and there was something possible there. BUT THE IMPLICATION THAT ONE OF THE MOST OBVIOUSLY NEURODIVERGENT CHARACTERS IN THE WHOLE FUCKING FRANCHISE, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT HE HAS BEEN CHARACTERIZED AS HAVING A "BORDERLINE MANIC PERSONALITY" AKA HAVING ONE OF THE MOST DEMONIZED MENTAL ILLNESSES OUT THERE, ENDS UP ACTING AS THE GOD DAMN VILLAIN OF THE STORY IS A HOT GARBAGE TAKE WHEN YOU FACTOR IN THINGS LIKE POOR WRITING NOT MAKING IT CLEAR WHETHER OR NOT NEWTON IS EVEN IN CONTROL OF HIS OWN FACULTIES AND THE VAGUENESS OF "WILL HE BE 'REDEEMED' OR NOT" BEING UP IN THE AIR LIKELY NEVER TO BE CANONICALLY FUCKING ANSWERED BECAUSE BECKHAM AND DEKNIGHT SHAT OUT A MOVIE THAT BOMBED IN THE BOX OFFICE. we aren't even gonna TALK about the fact that this bitch got AWAY with it despite not even acting in a remotely stable way comparable to himself in the first movie in the 10 years he supposedly dropped off the map from all of his friends because, clearly, hermann hadn't seen him or he wouldn't be so excited with a picture of the two of them on his desk, nor would he have to tell newton about his idea for rocket thrusters with kaiju blood fuel because he would have simply written to him about it. for some strange reason people see his ass show up decked out in a suit he wouldn't even wear for Stacker Fucking Pentecost and a behavior of "Haha Gotta Listen To The Boss" and think "ah, yes, well, time changes a person. THIS BITCH HAS APPARENTLY BEEN LIKE THIS THE WHOLE TIME, YOU THINK HE GOT A JOB WITH LIWEN LOOKING AND ACTING LIKE HE DID BEFORE AND THERE WAS A SHIFT OVER TIME? NO, HE HAD TO HAVE CHANGED IN A SPLIT DECISION AND LIED ABOUT HIMSELF THROUGH HIS TEETH AND NO ONE CONTACTED HIM, OR WAS WORRIED ABOUT HIM, OR DECIDEDLY THOUGHT "YOU KNOW, HE MAY BE EMBOLDENED THAT HE SAVED THE WORLD, BUT I THINK SOMETHING LIKE THAT WOULD HAVE THE EXACT OPPOSITE EFFECT ON HIM AND HE WOULD DO HIS BEST TO AMPLIFY HIS CURRENT STANDING TRAITS. LISTENING TO AND KISSING THE BOOT OF AUTHORITY FIGURES? DIVORCING HIMSELF FROM HIS WORK WITH KAIJU XENOBIOLOGY THAT EVEN HERMANN PICKED UP? TO BECOME THE THING HE HATES? AND FOR WHAT? MONEY? FAME? BITCH WHO ARE YOU?" unreasonable. ridiculous attempt to do this just for a plot twist that was underwhelming at best. i've decided to stick to the fan theory that he was not in control 99% of the time but literally that movie causes such a hellfire path to appear in my wake as i think about it because i know people who don't take it like that and think newt wants what's happening because "haha horny kaiju man" and i wish to scream at the top of my lungs because this is exactly WHY you CANNOT spare ANY EXPENSE to the GOOD, PROPER, INTRICATE directing and writing of a character who is neurodivergent and also ONE OF THE CENTERS OF NOT JUST THE MOVIE YOU'RE WRITING, BUT THE FUCKING MOVIE AFTER THAT. i could go on but i sincerely don't fucking want to, despite how long i've been waiting for someone to willingly hear me out on all of this. all i'll say is if by some miracle they are greenlit for a third film and deknight's working on it and i see ANY sign of a bury your gays end for newt, i'm going to commit the first hate crime against a cishet white male.

to end, the only valid kaiju in that movie was the mega-kaiju, i don't remember the appearance or the names of the three that got through the breaches but the mega-kaiju could kill me and i'd die happy 🥰 beautiful design, that scale comparison when it came face to face with newt? amazing, chills, *chef's kiss* there are exactly two things i liked about uprising and that bitch is one of them.

sorry if this isn't what you wanted, but as i said i am in a bit of a bad mood and have been curled up in bed trying not to think that i'm dying and i've repressed all of this for a couple months now and very few people have actually heard PORTIONS of my frustration so. here it is.

[iheardarumorxxx]

Midnight Sun, Chapter 9 - Port Angeles

Right. I remember this chapter from Twilight. I also have heard quite a bit about this chapter. This is gonna be a ride. 

Eddie starts off this chapter saying that he used to be the ‘responsible’ one. I would like to remind everyone that Edward Anthony Masen Cullen spent a few years eating people he percieved to be horrible criminals because he didn’t like animal blood and was being a whiny baby. But go off, Eddie.

SM is still trying to paint Jessica as a rude bitch and I still don’t buy it. It is extremely clear to anyone with eyeballs that Mike has a thing for Bella, and it is pretty obvious that this date he’s going on with Jessica is because Bella said no. So her thoughts come off as insecure. She’s a teenage girl, so I think insecure is a pretty standard thing. Not always, but SM has painted these kids as the stereotypical teens, so.

Basically, I still don’t buy the attempt to make Jessica seem evil.

Bella has wandered off to go get that book she wanted, and Eddie is simply freaking out because he let his daughter out of his sight for one minute and she wandered off. He’s about half a second away from considering getting a leash to put on her. Seriously, though, that’s how this reads. A parent frantic because they lost their child in a crowded store or park. We all know she’s gonna get a serious scolding for this one. Maybe even grounded.

a volly of snarls erupted from my throat

Okay, we’re still not to the big rant about vampire instincts in this universe, yet, but I want you guys to remember this for later. It absolutely aides in the point I plan to make there. Also a ‘volly’ of snarls. That sounds so forced and I genuinely laughed out loud when I read it. Anyway, Eddie has found Bella and she is with the Evil Bad Guys Who Have Ill Intentions. 

I would see how he enjoyed the hunt when he was the pray. I would see what he thought of my style of hunting.

Technically a spoiler because it hasn’t happened yet in this book, but not because we’ve seen it in Twilight. Eddie literally does not do anything to this Lanny guy or his friends. He gets out of the car, makes a mean face at them, and then gets back in the car and drives off. Maybe SM has Eddie go back out and hunt them later after he drops Bella off, but that doesn’t fit in with his squeaky clean good boy persona that Daddy Carlisle puts on him, so I doubt it. The scene as we know it comes off as very ‘man, if my girlfriend wasn’t here I’d kick your ass’. Because Eddie is a lot of bloated, puffed up talk.

When SM uses dialogue tags like ‘ordered’ to describe how Eddie says things, it just really hammers home that point I’ve been making about red flags. Even if it’s practical, like him telling Bella to put on a seat belt, especially since Pires bend the will of cars to their inane and idotic physics.

We went on a tangent about one of Eddie’s kills from his Vampire Batman days, and like honestly? I watch a lot of Criminal Minds. I see a lot of this kind of stuff, and it is absolutely awful that people like that exist in the world. I’m not saying that they shouldn’t be stopped. HOWEVER, this idea Eddie has that he was playing a good guy by taking justice into his own hands, I don’t jive with that. Now, I am aware of how faulty the criminal justice system is, especially with victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. I’ve lived that, myself. But if Eddie is so comfortable taking another life, no matter how he tries to justify it, he is no better than the people who he’s deciding to kill for their crimes.

a highly justifiable murder

See, this. This is why I don’t buy that SM’s Cullens are the paragons of good that she is constantly trying to say they are. There is no such thing as a justifiable murder, no matter what. Solving heinous acts with heinous acts simply perpetuates a cycle of heinous acts. 

I wasn’t giving her a chance to say no.

This is a trend that will continue throughout the entire series. I will point you to all of the times that Edward never gave Bella a choice in a matter, including leaving her in New Moon, and DISMANTLING HER CAR ENGINE IN ECLIPSE SO THAT SHE COULDN’T GO SEE HER FRIEND. That one in particular rubs me the wrong way for reasons, but we won’t do that here. Just know that Edward never actually lets Bella make a choice in this series, and even when he pretends to, he does everything in his power to make the outcome go his way.

And now we’re at the restaruant. I’ve heard some stuff about this scene and god, can I not WAIT, but for now, let’s just talk about the one off waitress character. She is clearly only here to be a rival to Bella for this scene. Brief, unimportant, underdeveloped. And honestly? One off characters don’t actually need that development, not really, but what I can’t stand about this one is that she is literally only here, both in this book and in Twilight, so that SM can puff up how clearly Bella is so much better than she is. Because, you see, Eddie doesn’t find the pretty hostess attractive, he only has eyes for Bella. Her entire point is so that Edward can look at Bella, and therefore, the audience as Bella is their SI for this world, and go on about how much better and prettier and more perfect she is than this woman. It’s just gross.

“Do I dazzle you?”

This is still, in my personal opinion, the best and most iconic line in a series full of iconic lines. Eddie the Dazzle Machine. Charming the pants off people when he’s trying to scare the shit out of them. It’s hilarious, and so fuckin’ romance novel cliche, and I love it.

This restaurant is apparently a real place in the real Port Angeles. And from what I understand, at least when the Twilight craze was in full swing back in 2008, they got a lot of extra business and a lot more people ordering the mushroom ravioli. Even put something about Twilight on their menu. Good for them, taking advantage of that free marketing. I have never been to Port Angeles, and am allergic to mushrooms, so I can’t say I’ve experienced the dish, but if any of you have, please let me know if it’s worth the hype.

Its so funny that right now, Eddie is worried about Bella being cold and going into shock, while Bella is over there huffing the fumes off his jacket like it’s a paint can, and he can’t even tell that that’s what she’s doing. The girl is doing everything short of just shoving her whole face in it and inhaling, but he’s too thick to get it. 

And here we are folks. The meat and potatoes of this chapter. The big comparison. The reason the cover has a pomegranete on it. Edward Anthony Masen Cullen has the absolute GALL to compare Bella, the boring, walking video game avatar to Persephone. Lets break down Persephone for a second here. There’s a lot to break down, but let’s stick to the basics, for fear that this rant gets wickedly out of hand before I can stop it. Persephone radiates optimism and hope. Persephone is soft, sweet, but has a temper that could kill a man. Persephone is sympathetic. When in the ever loving FUCK has Isabella Swan ever shown any of those characteristics? She is NEVER optimistic about anything. She fucking exists in a constant cloud of negative thought and assuming the worst. She isn’t hopeful about ANYTHING, not even her future with her PRECIOUS Eddie because she’s always questioning his intentions and feelings for her. She is not sympathetic in the slightest, no matter what SM tries to shove down my throat. She treats her friends like shit, she manipulates and lies her way through conversations so she doesn’t have to deal with them, she compares Mike to a FUCKING DOG. Bella is not comparable to Persephone, and it’s fucking beyond ham-fisted, it’s fucking EGREGIOUS to try to make that comparison. 

I could see more of an argument for comparing Eddie to Hades, since, ya know, Hades fucking stole Persephone to be his wife and most stories about Hades paint him as kind of a moody, brooding dickbag, but I’m still calling fucking foul on this attempt at comparison, SM. No dice.

Moving on.

Eddie describing Bella’s skin as ‘velvety’ gives me war flashbacks to those grocery store checkout novels with Fabio on the cover that my mom used to read. Eghhh.

So, Bella touches Eddie’s hand and it’s described in a way that gives me very G-rated sex vibes. Which just makes me wanna tell them to get a room because they’re in public right now, and also don’t do that in front of Bella’s salad ravioli.

Eddie is still being super controling and weird about Bella eating, and honestly, I super wish that Bella had had the good sense to get the hell out of there with Jess and Angela. Or that she would have the good sense now to excuse herself, find someone on staff, ask to borrow a phone, and call her dad. Because this guy is literally throwing out every red flag that exists. I know I say this a lot, but if Bella were a normal girl, she would not be charmed by this guy, she would be freaking creeped out and trying to get away from him. He isn’t even subtle about his creep factor or charming enough to play it off.

Edward thinking he has any edge at all is like white bread thinking it’s the right kind of bread for a hamburger.

Anyway, chapter ends with Eddie paying the bill and the pair getting in the car to head home. And the drama chord of the last sentence that’s supposed to play in your head when you read it falls flat. They’re on the way back to Forks and Eddie is chomping at the bit to hear Bella’s latest theory that we know from Twilight isn’t actually a theory so much as she heard a story from Jacob and then did some searching on some shitty Angelfire website. Or Geocities. Either way. And then she just went ahead and had a big old prophetic dream about it. 

Next time, we get the awkward car ride home and more. Thanks for hanging around guys. As always, feel free to message me (though, please note to anyone who has sent me anon messages that are rude or angry because I’m making fun of this book, I’m gonna ignore you.), recommend what books I should put on my list for my next recap series, and feel free to buy me a snack using the CashApp tag in my bio.

See you next time, babes.

[kylermalloy]

My Official Unofficial Ranking of Supernatural Seasons That Nobody Asked For

This was...surprisingly easy. For someone who has a hard time picking favorites, I’m apparently quite eager to throw some seasons of one of my favorite shows under the bus.

My reasonings for this ranking are...all over the place. Since I’m considering seasons as a whole, I look mostly at the overall narrative structure, the prevalent themes, and the major character arcs. I won’t take individual/one-off episodes into much consideration...except for when I do. I won’t like some seasons/story arcs for any rationale between “this was sloppily executed,” “the message is misunderstood by viewers,” or even just that gif of Chris Evans “I don’t wike it.” I’m trying to look at seasons and storylines objectively, but I guarantee my Sam!girl bias will peek through at some point. Also, I reserve the right to change my mind at any point after I post this!

From bottom to top:

14 - Season 14

Ah, the twilight years of SPN. Now that we know this is the penultimate season, I’m a bit more lenient toward its shortcomings. Long running shows usually do stutter to a halt, story-wise. But still. I’m not taking it out of the bottom spot.

What was this season even about? Michael overtaking Dean? Nah, that barely lasted three whole episodes. Jack becoming evil? Not until the last six episodes. Team Free Will becoming a cohesive family unit? Lol. For a season that tried to set up Jack’s evil arc as a kid betraying his family, I hardly saw this “family” except in fanworks. The most heartfelt moments remained between Sam and Dean (not that I’m complaining about that—I loved those moments!) Was there an overarching theme besides “nobody is okay, especially Sam”? Season 14 is clumsy, unfocused, and does a poor job of telling the story it tried to tell. Even Mary’s second death reeked of “well, we didn’t know what to do with her and we needed a tragedy.” Oh yeah, and John was back for a hot minute.

13 - Season 9

Here’s one of these weird seasons. I like it, but I don’t. It’s well done, but it’s terrible. Also, I’m taking fan response into consideration on this one, since it colored my perception of it so negatively.

Season 9 could have been great. In a way, it was great. It was Dean’s dark arc—the part of Dean’s dark arc that I like. I’m not here to debate, just lay out the story. Dean stepped over a line. He tricked Sam into possession, lied to him for months, then refused to apologize afterward. He took the Mark of Cain as a penance, but it blew up in his face and turned him into something worse than he was before.

This is where fan response comes in. Fandom (from what I can tell; I wasn’t here back then) vilified Sam for setting boundaries with Dean, overwhelmingly siding with poor Dean who just didn’t want to be alone. The show, on paper, wasn’t trying to make the audience think this, but the POVs were skewed in such a way that we hardly got a chance to see Sam’s perspective and Sam’s trauma—so casual viewers didn’t really have a choice.

On a completely unrelated note (see, this is why this season is ranked so low) we have the angel storyline. What could’ve been a really cool and impactful story of celestial beings walking the earth, as well as Castiel exploring his new humanity in a way (that wasn’t just about sex) ended up a trite, dull affair about underdeveloped politics and characters I don’t care about. Did Metatron (the supposed big bad) even care about the Winchesters? I can’t remember. Only the actor’s indulgently entertaining performance saves that character. Even Castiel’s human arc was so short and ignored I sometimes forget it happened. This was a season that was so all over the place—good bones, bad execution.

12 - Season 12

This season is just...forgettable. Yet another season that was so all over the place—but unlike season 9, the story arcs did not culminate in a cool twist that pushed the SPN story to new heights. We had the BMOL, Mary’s return, and the Lucifer/Kelly/Dagon/nephilim story, and...honestly I can barely remember anything about them. The twisting story threads got interlocked at some points, like Mary working with the BMOL, and Sam and Dean working with them to take down Lucifer, but the threads were all wrapped up independently. To me, this suggests a lack of true investment in the stories and season arcs. Ultimately, Mary’s return was utterly wasted, the BMOL might as well have never existed, and the Lucifer storyline is a bloody, bloated carcass being dragged along behind the show by a fraying rope (called Buckleming) complete with a bad smell.

The reason I rank this season above season 9 is that I don’t shudder when I hear people talking about season 12. I don’t generally get angry when I think about it (except the way they did Crowley dirty) and it did give us Jack, the greatest fanon projection the show has ever given us. (I’ll elaborate on that in a minute)

11 - Season 10

This is the season in which I don’t like Dean’s dark arc. By that I mean...it wasn’t much of a dark arc. Instead of exploring Dean’s inner darkness and the choices that led him to take the MoC, we get a meandering season of (pretty enjoyable) one-offs. We are repeatedly told Dean can’t fight off what he truly is—except we’re also being told that Dean can’t truly control what the MoC is doing to him, meaning the MoC isn’t what he truly is. It’s a mixed message, and it ends up being too many episodes in a row of Dean staring moodily at his arm while he drinks. Sorry, an ancient tribal tattoo does not a compelling big bad make.

Speaking of bad guys, though, season 10 gave us Rowena! And more Crowley material! And the Stynes—wait, no. We don’t talk about...whatever they were.

I do like Sam’s determination to save Dean, and I even like the underhanded methods he used to get the MoC off. Charlie’s death was a horrifying shock, but it actually fed the story very well. And I know I said I wasn’t going to talk about individual episodes, but Soul Survivor and Fan Fiction are both epic.

10 - Season 8

...this season. This season is such a mixed bag you could almost rank it as two separate seasons! ;) This was Jeremy Carver’s first season as showrunner—and while I like what he ended up doing, I hated the way he played with the brother dynamics throughout the season, especially the first half. Season 8 starts out disjointed, very unconnected from the previous season. The story thread of “Sam didn’t look for Dean” is overplayed and very tired. Also a bit of a reach, considering the season 5 finale. My point is, Sam and Dean both act like pod people for the first part of this season. Dean is mad at Sam for...doing exactly what Dean himself did a few years ago (fandom misses the nuance of Dean’s hypocrisy and jumps right in the blame-Sam boat with him) and Sam is suddenly...living with a strange woman we barely get to meet and okay with not hunting anymore?

This is another example of the skewed POVs hurting the show’s message. We don’t get to see Sam’s grief the same way we saw Dean’s struggle in purgatory, and since Sam’s Amelia arc makes very little sense anyway, we’re forced to imagine it—and this is a disservice to both Sam and the overarching story.

However, the saving grace of season 8 is the second half. We get the bunker, the Trials storyline, which is a whump goldmine for my Sam-loving heart, and one of the best season finales this show has ever produced. I mean...they got married. In a CHURCH! I’m not really a wincester, but seriously how do you not ship it just a little when the show gives you stuff like THAT?!

*deep breath* I’m good. Moving on!

9 - Season 13

I...have a soft spot for this season. Anybody who follows me on here can probably guess why. That’s right, it’s Jack, the greatest fanon projection the show has ever gifted us.

Let me explain. The narrative structure of the season is a mess. The exploratory theme of Sam and Dean as parents is derailed by the fact that Sam and Dean spend less than six episodes with their surrogate child and spend the rest of the season spinning their wheels until it’s time for the finale. Lucifer as a villain doesn’t give a crap about the protagonists, which makes him a really boring and terrible antagonist—to say nothing of the fact that two of the writers try to make him sympathetic and end up assassinating the character harder than Michael!Dean did. I only found Scoobynatural mildly entertaining. As for Asmodeus...who’s that?

Basically, the only shining light in this season besides the brothers is Jack. And we don’t even get a consistent characterization of him. He’s essentially a blank slate, which means we as fans and fanwork creators get to make him whatever we want. While he’s supposedly the Winchesters’ kid in canon, it’s rarely shown—that falls on us as fans to make a reality. And boy do we make it reality! This is where I found my corner of fandom, and that’s why this mess of a season ranks relatively high for me. Still in the bottom half, but it gave me one of the greatest gifts the show has ever given.

8 - Season 7

I shouldn’t have to defend myself, but while most of the fandom harbors a little black spot of hatred for this season...I don’t. Like, at all.

I don’t agree with all the creative choices of this season—the Leviathans were an out-of-nowhere big bad with no connection to the Winchesters. However, the guy who played Dick Roman did a fantastic job hamming it up. And I love how all the pieces came together in the end—Sam and Dean, Cas, Crowley, even Meg as a surprise reluctant hero. We also got Charlie! And Kevin! Bobby got a fantastic arc, both before he died and from beyond the grave. And Crowley, even though he helped win the day, also rigged the game so he took all the pieces left on the board. Mad respect for my king.

Also, as a stalwart fan of Sam whump, Sam’s hallucination storyline was all kinds of awesome. (Except for how it abruptly ended and was never spoken of again)

I know objectively this season isn’t very good, but I still find myself rewatching it a surprising amount. I have a soft spot for Sera’s storytelling, and she did not have complete control over the creative decisions for this year. Season 7 only barely misses out of the top half.

7 - Season 3

This season is great, it really is. I think the main reason I rank it so low is because of the shortened season—Sam’s aborted arc. And that was obviously out of everyone’s control; the creators had to just pick up the pieces and make do with what circumstances gave them.

Basically, I don’t have anything bad to say about this season. It’s a brother-lovefest, it gives us Bela and Ruby, and yes we get some truly great one-off eps. Bad Day at Black Rock, A Very Supernatural Christmas, Mystery Spot, Jus in Bello, and Ghostfacers are among my favorite episodes to rewatch. I just mainly miss the end of Sam’s arc. Although I do appreciate the writers’ strike giving us Castiel instead, I still wish we could’ve gotten to see boyking!Sam save his brother.

6 - Season 2

While on the surface season 2 is barely different than season 1, it also gives us loads of gamechangers. It’s the coming-of-age season—Sam and Dean aren’t kids anymore; in fact, they aren’t anyone’s kids. The season bookends of John’s death and Sam’s death make a horrible tragedy that I don’t even care much what’s in the middle.

But then again, everything in between is so good. There’s not much of an overarching story, just a sense of dread and desperation as...something...draws near. (We don’t even know what it is, but it still scares us! It’s masterful!) The tone is consistent and effective, the brother dynamics are still balanced enough to fully enjoy, and of course...there’s Playthings. :)

(Y’all are gonna stop believing me when I say I’m not a wincester, I can feel it. What can I say, I have incestuous shipping tendencies.)

5 - Season 11

This is a season that I could tear limb from limb for falling so flat in the end, but...somehow I can’t bring myself to. I didn't find myself into the Amara storyline too much, mainly because the God/Darkness sibling dynamic wasn’t developed enough to parallel with Sam and Dean invest in. But this season does an awesome job of healing the brother dynamics. While seasons 8, 9, and 10 were fight-heavy, Sam and Dean spend this season in relative peace. In times of potential crisis, they band together instead of fracturing apart. And that, honestly, is enough for me to forgive...well, a lot, plotwise. The Dean/Amara connection that went nowhere, the Casifer storyline that went nowhere, the Darkness’s grudge against her brother that...went nowhere...and I’m not even going to touch on the Sam/Lucifer dynamic that started out SO GOOD and then...well...

Again, I’m not going to touch on it. I love this season despite its flaws.

4 - Season 1

Here it is. The season that started it all. I said I was going to consider mostly narrative structures for this ranking, yet here season 1 is without much of a narrative structure, fourth from the top.

The first season of a show is always the feel-around-in-the-dark season. This is where we learn the rules of the show, how the world works, and most importantly, who our characters are. We spend 22 episodes with the writers and actors just...figuring out who Sam and Dean are, most especially who they are to each other. They were so successful in this that they spawned a fifteen year phenomenon centered around this fraternal love story. As an additional plus, since the characters were so new, season 1 gives us the most balanced POV between the brothers. We get to feel for both of them without being pitted against each other, and I appreciate that more than words.

The horror is old-school, the storytelling can be a bit cliche, but every show has an origin story and I’m in love with this one.

3 - Season 6

Again, I love Sera Gamble’s storytelling. It’s most evidenced here in her first year of showrunning. This season had the astronomical task of following up season 5. How do you follow up the literal apocalypse?

...Astoundingly well. To me at least.

This season’s narrative structure is my favorite. It’s kind of a noir thriller, with more twists and turns than Supernatural usually gets. In fact, having now watched Vampire Diaries and The Originals, season 6 of SPN kind of echoes those shows. (I don’t think it’s coincidence that TVD aired its first season one year prior to this)

Instead of trying to outdo the literal devil (the mistake of latter seasons) we spend most of season 6 not knowing who the big bad is. We meet a few baddies, get backstabbed by former friends, and we’re told Raphael is a threat, but in the end the big bad was the friend we made along the way—Castiel. It’s depressing, it’s not what we expected, and it’s honestly a departure from “traditional” SPN. But I like it. I like it a lot. If Sera had been allowed to do more seasons like this, she probably would’ve stayed longer.

2 - Season 4

I love a lot of things about this season. The way they handled the angels was great—the right way to do unknowably powerful beings. I like Sam’s dark arc. It’s coupled perfectly with his good intentions and his all-consuming love for his brother. The plot twist at the end is perfect—Sam, in doing the right thing, unleashes the worst evil this world has (yet) known.

The tone is also perfect. It’s dark. A little edgier. Edging toward eldritch horror rather than ghost horror. Balanced out with light episodes that pack a hard punch in the feels regardless. And this is a little thing, but the color grading shifts back to more sepia after the technicolor of season 3. It gives us this little sense of dread throughout the season without even knowing why.

I could complain about the skewed POVs, about how fandom still sometimes crows “Dean was right about Lilith!” when all Dean opposed was Ruby and the demon blood—he wanted killed Lilith too. But as this instance of POV-warp serves the storyline in a good, necessary way, and Sam truly did need to be brought back from his dark path, I’m choosing to ignore it.

1 - Season 5

Are we surprised? Maybe some Sam fans are—I know some who get vexed about the blame for the apocalypse being solely and constantly placed on Sam...but I’m not. The overall story of season 5 is just so good. Lucifer is a good villain in this season. Sam and Dean have an excellent healing arc. The angels are good villains, also ironic mouthpieces of the overarching themes—despite touting “fate” and “unavoidable,” they are champions of free will, since they do whatever they want in their father’s absence. Zachariah most notably. Castiel was utilized in a good way (whereas now he struggles to still have purpose in the show) Bobby and Crowley both were good in this season (and also sparked a rarepair that’s—hilariously—canon) and this season did not pull any punches when it came to death. Even the main protagonists were shot point-blank halfway through the season! (Don’t talk to me about the samulet, I can’t do it without bawling)

And Swan Song remains my favorite season finale and overall episode. Dean relinquishing control of his little brother, allowing him to make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of the world. I still halfway wish the series ended with Sam and Dean both throwing themselves into the Cage, destroying themselves for the world, out of love for each other. (insert “poetic cinema” meme)

And there we have it! To my mutuals, I’d love to hear your thoughts or your rankings. And to @letsgobethegoodguys - Steph, since this was so hard for you, I did it myself so I could feel your pain. 😘

[wolf-in-a-suit]

PHD in Matchmaking

A/N: This is my entry to @cleolemonfanfiction‘s writing challenge. Featuring a really pissed off Loki and you dear reader, victim to the fact that you’re Tony Stark’s stubborn friend:

Due to working on a project with Tony you are forced to share a room with none other than sunshine personified: Loki. Both of you find Stark’s hospitality to be thoroughly lacking, will you survive?

My prompt was: A Marvel character and the reader become roommates; they aren’t exactly easy to live with until they reveal their feelings to one another.

Pairing: Reader x Loki

Warnings: Language (nothing major), Loki being an a**

Word Count: 2.399

There was something fishy about Tony Stark’s proposal.

When he told you, one of his best friends way back from university, that he would love to work with you again, you should have been skeptical. His story started reeking when he proclaimed you should just live in the Avenger Tower, for the duration of your stay. Every living being with an intact survival instinct would have been more than careful - thus you accepted it.

After all it was Tony, and you were talking about THE Avenger Tower! As in: high gear equipment for research and a bunch of superhuman trotting around- so no big deal at all!

"Tony you can't be serious..." The billionaire just huffed and said: "Look I'm really sorry but due to construction work we simply don't have enough room, so this will have to do."

"Not enough room? We're talking about a fifty-six floored skyscraper!"

He just clapped your back and ignored all complains - as usual. "Just pretend we're back at the university and you've got a new roomie."

You simply hoped this wasn't one of his disastrous tries to play matchmaker. In your last year at MIT the genius suddenly came to the conclusion that he was the 'Date Doctor' – you should have never encouraged these delusions by watching the film with him- and his first victim (patient) had been your mutual friend. At the end of the month his crush had invoked a restraining order against all three of you.

Becoming infamous on campus had always been a dream, but something about being 'that-girl-with-the-restraining-order' just wasn't all it was cracked up to be-and it certainly didn’t help on the dating market.

"So... who is my roommate?" At this moment a fair skinned, black haired man, stepped into the room a bored expression residing on his face.

You just shook your head. "NO, way! Do you think I lived under a rock these past years? You're expecting me to share a room with the nut job who tried to destroy New York?"

Said nut jobs face changed at lightning speed to a murderous glare.

"How dare you, a mere mortal, an insect in the face of a god, disgrace the-" "Hush,-" you interrupted him right then and there "-the Grownups are having a conversation here."

Loki just stood... still, his brain still trying to process the sheer audacity of this mortal. Tony on the other hand was impressed: "This isn't a sight you see all days: Took us a Hulk to get him to shut up."

At the intensity of your glare the Tony Stark, billionaire, inventor and Superhero started fidgeting nervously. 'Time for a strategic retreat!'

"Yeah, the two of you will be just fine. See you at work." With that he was gone, leaving you to face down the self-proclaimed and pissed off 'god' on your own- high time to reevaluate your choice of friends.

Outside, the turn tail almost smacked into a mountain of muscle. "Wow, Goldy-Locks we've got to put a bell on you." Thor starred at the door concern swimming in his blue irises: "And you deem this to be a good idea? You do realize that my brother is mighty compared with your mortal standards, even with his powers bound by your machine?"

"Relax, big guy! ___ managed to hold me in check for years. How much worse can he be?"

This was followed by a loud crash. Both heroes exchanged glances and after a silent agreement was struck, simply dispersed as if no screaming echoed out of the room in question.

"How dare you low life lay a hand on my belongings?"

"What am I supposed to do just sleep on the floor? This is a bed not a bookshelf!"

"At last you seem to grasp your place!"

The bright blue sky had already given way to the red streaks of dusk.

"Do you think we should interfere?" Bruce Benner startled when a new wave of hollering pierced the air.

"At this rate someone is either going to die, or they are going to hook up." Black Widow retorted offering the assembled Team a bag of chips.

"Natasha I have the feeling you're enjoying this a bit too much. Can we really guarantee ___ safety?" Steve declined the snack appalled.

"As usual Cap you're boring! Just think about it: If she manages to get the wannabe emo to at least shut his mouth for a moment: I’d say it’s a full success." Salty crumbs escaped the heir of the Stark legacy’s mouth.

"100 bugs she won't last two days!" "I take you up on that arrow head!"

Half a dozen heads snapped to the door at the second loud crash disrupted the air.

Days passed and the annoyance started settling in his chambers. She had an absolute disregard for any form of human decency: Grabbing his books and stacking them up somewhere else, obscuring the marked pages in the process, reading late at night and keeping him awake in the process. Even sitting with her filthy human body on his cape and wrinkling it! His plan to dominate earth had never seemed so justified before: These creatures really needed someone to teach them manners! Or better yet-he found another wrinkle in the fine green wool- obliterate them from existence!

The mortal stumbled into his rooms late that night throwing, or trying to throw her lab coat over a chair where it fell to the floor in a heap.

“Do we also add filthiness to our many virtues now, hmm?” The scientist simply huffed, concerning well-adjusted to the jabs by now. “Good evening to you too!” Her bed moaned at the mass crashing onto it. For a few moments only the rustling of him turning delicate pages filled the room. When he felt the weight of stare settle on his shoulders, his eyes wandered to the second bed where he found her prone form watching him with some interest.

The mortal took his raised eyebrow as a cue: “So you’re reading Stephen King now? When did that happen?” The god of mischief’s lungs were filled with a suffering breath. “Obviously nothing of your planets dimwitted literature is capable of entertaining me for too long: So as you took the liberty of grabbing my books and shoving them around I took some of yours.”  

He waited for the inescapable fallout… but only got a huff and a: “Well than by all means: Enjoy our ‘dimwitted’ literature.” Soon the room was filled by the rhythmic fall and rise of her lungs, testament to the false security she thought herself in. Not concerned with the personified wrath, shackled as he might be –he regarded the collar, rendering his ability’s useless- inhabiting the same space as her.

The rays of the morning sun danced through the room, illuminating it in a golden glow. You stirred and opened a lazy eye. ‘You got to be kidding me!’ “Are you already reading again or have you never stopped?” Green eyes broke away from words and met yours. “Degraded as it may be, I must admit there is some merit to be found in your forms of fiction- however underdeveloped it may be.”

‘Aaaand good morning to you too, headache!’ Even when the man complimented something, he dragged it through the mud first. “For ‘underdeveloped’ literature you took quite a shine to it I’d say.” You eyed the tower of books piling beside his cot. A collection of Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and many others were stacked in a hazard manner forming a tribute to the leaning tower of Pisa. One could say much of the insufferable man, but he sure was a fast reader, but god forbid he would hear you complimenting anything about him. That would just feed his ego, inflating it to the eighth world wonder.

Thus the days passed, you worked with Tony and at night crashed in your room. At times, even having civil conversations with the black haired Asgardian. Well, scratch the argument the two of you had regarding his reading candles. How could such an advanced society still use freaking candles for light? Though, you suspected that was just Loki being in his no-one-could-ever-understand-me-cause-I’m-so-deep rebellious phase.

Your project regarding advanced bionic arms for amputees was taking bigger strides each day and would soon be finished.Than you would be out of here and free of the mood swings of his majesty. Tinkering with the sensor of the prototype a sudden sadness welled up inside you. These feelings were quickly brushed away however. Who had the chance to work in the Avenger Tower? It was only natural to be sad to leave it behind!

“Someone is in a disgusting good mood today. And stop that hideous noise, are you trying to sing?” You came to a sudden halt next to him sitting on the windowsill.

“What, are you a leading expert on music now too? It’s called humming!” Unimpressed he resumed turning to the next page. “There is no need to immerse myself in, what you humans might call music, to know that it will lack any originality, or that your ‘humming’ is an insult to every hearing thing that has the ill fortune to meet you.” Your chuckle drove green eyes to flash from the page to your face. “Your insults are becoming a little bit clunky, you should work on that. Although I must admit I walked right into that one.” When your expression started clouding he couldn’t help but inquire:

“Now that you have managed to annoy me yet again, one should think it would lift your spirits even more?” “Ahh, it’s just...” at the impatient ruck of his head you continued: “Tomorrow there will be a press conference about our new project and I can already tell that Tony is going to hog all the glory.” Your hands were raised in surrender, justifying yourself to air. “Not that he ever did it on purpose, but he’s just so charming and outspoken… people always tend to forget me when he’s around. It’s been like this ever since university.”

Loki pondered on this for a long moment. At last he seemed to come to a decision. You looked at him hopefully.

Perhaps this was the turning point, the two of you had a real conversation:

He wasn’t that bad honestly.

“Do you plan on murdering me with boredom? Because that insignificant tale, almost finished what my brother and his idiotic friends started.”

Clash! A Jane Eyre book hit him square in the royal visage. “HOW DARE YOU LITTLE MORTAL-“ His screams died in his throat when salty water leaked onto your cheeks.

“You’re honestly the WORST person imaginable! I thought we had finally found some common ground!” You hated this, you hated that you cried in front of him! You hated this bastard! Why did all that sass leave you when you needed it the most?

The god of mischief scoffed. “Common ground!? You relate more to an insect than to me…” an almost immeasurable pause “Why do you even care about that?”

A primal roar tore through the air. “Because, I care about you!”

Silence.

‘Shit! Shit, shit, shitshitshit!’ If you hadn’t just revealed your greatest weakness to the one person bend on destroying your whole planet, his expression would have been hilarious.

Still, like a statue he stood, with a finger still raised in the air. His eyes wide and expression matching the vacancy, that settled in his mind at your admission. You waited, bracing yourself for the mental pain –probably accompanied by being bitch slapped into next century- that was about to come.

Half a minute ,an eternity stretched by and you couldn’t bare it any more. So you hurried out of the room, leaving shame and misery behind you.

“Where the hell is it?” Tony already rummaged through the whole lab leaving discarded files, books and old takeaway containers in his wake. Searching through the living room for the last control sensor of your prototype he became more and more nervous. “Damn!” his hands dragged through his hair and left it disheveled. “The press is arriving in an hour!” You on the other hand couldn’t really pretend to be to bothered. Between Tony probably being the only one to interact with the press… and the incident yesterday you were already at rock bottom: so pretty comfy with the thought of your work just being dragged through the mud by the press.

Not even the mighty Avengers, vanquishers of foes beyond human comprehension, crawling around on the floor like a band of children playing hide and seek could lighten your mood. Thor started bench pressing the whole couch, because Natasha couldn’t get a good look under it.

Than he entered: Loki strode into the room annoyingly regal and composed as always. Your eyes tried to focus on anything that wasn’t the immaculate form of the Asgardian, but then you realized he strode directly to you. Oh, you had spent the rest of last night- sleeping -on the now airborne couch- about what insults you would cast at him. Anything to fight the rising shame in your gut about your display of weakness yesterday. You squared your shoulders, got into a fighting stance and raised your eyes to meet his with a glare.

But all words failed you when Loki fell in one fluent motion onto his knee and took your hand, raising it to his lips. You felt the peck and something else meet your hand. When he raised his head your stares intertwined, his contained an uncharacteristic warmth.

CRASH! The spell was broken by the thundering clash of the couch almost crushing Black Widow. Thor didn’t even register that the weight had left his hands, he just stared at the scene mouth agape. His brother, not able to contain the fast flash of a grin on his face, took this at his cue to leave. In another elegant motion he stood and left the room as if nothing had transpired between the two of you.

While everyone’s attention was still trained on Loki your turned your hand.

Inside it you found the sensor, a small slip of paper was attached to it: ‘Leave him to fidget some more!’ When the search party started shuffling awkwardly around you again, sending you deeply disturbed glances you slipped your hand into your pocket and felt a blush flame onto your cheeks.      

[juunedai]

despite me loving arc-v with all my heart, objectively, arc-v is NOT the best ygo series.

OKAY this was written at first as a reply to someone who said that a lot of yugioh fans are blinded by nostalgia and that arc-v was the best yugioh series and although i LOVE arc-v i really really disagree with that opinion so i replied with my two cents in a brief youtube comment about why i thought arc v had a lot of bad writing but honestly like 5 seconds later i decided that i would never be able to get my point across that way so here’s my expanded mini-essay on why arc-v sucks

huge arc-v spoilers and tiny 5ds spoilers under the cut

honestly arc v's pacing was really bad and the synchro arc went on for too long, causing everything afterwards to be rushed. most of the characters were turned into plot devices instead of people (see: bracelet girls. serena and yuzu had tons of potential but in the end serena’s whole personality was erased and all yuzu did was yell “yuya” like her life centered around him or something - like she wasn’t affected by the ordeal personally at all. the other two had like. only a little personality and were overall kind of boring and it sucked too because i had high hopes for rin and ruri)

yuya actually sorta became a mary-sue near the end of the show (the world warps around him, everyone cares about him even when most have no reason) (see: shun kurosaki, in the end he literally said yuya’s name and talked about yuya more than his own damn sister, who was his entire mission, he just kept talking about how great yuya was despite having no emotional connection, and i get that its supposed to show how much of an impact dueling in peace can have on people, but it just didnt Work) 

in arc-v everyone was super one-dimensional?? we never really saw different sides to their characters (well, minus yuya, the only one whose character was like. properly properly developed). everyone else either had a super-rushed, underdeveloped character or was a plot device (see: edo phoenix, a character canonically shown to be stubborn, magically changed by the Great Yuya in one duel. i know his heart was “swaying” and all that but even afterwards you would still have doubt in your newly joined side, especially when you’ve been so stubborn and so brainwashed by authority for so long). everyone else is a plot device pretty much

 nobody was... “bad”. nobody paid for any crimes unjustly commited. (see again, edo phoenix, one of my favorite characters in the entire series but he was literally a military commander who ordered soldiers to card tons of innocent people). i think this is another branch of that “peaceful dueling” thing, and how dueling should induce peace and smiles and violence is bad, etc. etc., but this isnt very effective when people who have literally committed war crimes go unpunished because “oohh peace there shouldn’t be violence”. 

and they tried to be deep??? they tried?? with their whole “don’t be afraid, don’t cry, just smile and move on!” or like. saying that everything can be solved with peace and happiness and smiles like. nice thought but. hmm idk. and just holding back your tears and smiling and ignoring it and moving on is kinda... bad for you like it’s gonna come back to bite you in the butt later

like!! there were good things!!! i love the show because it had a goldmine of potential. 4 dimensions? 4 yuyas? yuya dealing with losing yuzu? the synchro dimension showed great character for yuya and yuzu honestly, and sora’s whole arc about switching sides was awesome and like. well paced. reira/layra’s whole character was so intriguing to me, and his relationship with reiji and the whole thing was just. awesome. and like, yuto and the xyz kids having to deal with their home being ravaged... i dunno the whole show was just. ugh. so much potential and that was what dragged me in but they WAY dragged out the synchro arc thinking they had time for the rest and that was their mistake. 

 in my opinion 5ds is probably the best one, as it actually has a consistent plotline/character development, strong female characters (they're doing good with aki so far, but i haven't finished the series so im not sure yet), and they're not scared to deal with real-world issues, like classism, poverty, etc, the main characters are all literally criminals, but they're still portrayed as people, and thats what's important. and 5ds actually has some pretty insane moments and quotes!! like. despite being a “dark” show it’s hilarious with their humor and although characters are portrayed as hurting or sad you get to also see their funny side, or their happy side! the characters actually have substance and there are some pretty good quotes and moments from it too. like

these are all genuinely hilarious/heartfelt moments that show the different sides of the characters!!

basically arc-v was so filled with potential but it is FAR from the best series. if you ask for my ranking, from best series to worst series it goes like this (keep in mind zexal will not be included because i haven’t watched it):

- yugioh s0 (toei version) (one day i’ll write an essay on this its SO good)

- yugioh dm, yugioh gx, yugioh 5ds (they’re all on the same level because they’re the Original 3 and it’d be doing them injustice if i tried to rank them)

- yugioh arc-v (:D)

- yugioh vrains (this series is actually good and i reccommend watching it it’s only ranked lowest here because it’s not finished yet)

anyway thanks for coming to my ted talk.. and goodnight

[whatsthecraicwithvideogames]

My Definitive Ranking Of All 21 Confidants in Persona 5 (yep it’s a list you just gotta deal)

Persona 5 has some of the best characters in any game I've ever played. Over the 100 hours spent in the game, a lot of these characters are significantly fleshed out and you feel a genuine bond with them. Some not so much. So, because the world needed it so much, here is my official 100% accurate ranking of all those characters. No debate needed. This is the only ranking you will ever need. Enjoy.

21 Yuuki Mishima

Mishima seems to think that just because he figured out that you were a Phantom Thief that he is entitled a spot in your friend group.No. GET YOUR OWN FRIENDS MISHIMA. There are plenty of characters less interesting than Mishima, but none that annoyed me more. It may be completely unjustified, but I just need him out of my life. More specifically, I need him out of my hotel room in Hawaii. Go home, Mishima. No one wants you here.

20 Toranosuke Yoshida

The main issue that afflicts the majority of the people at the bottom of the list is dullness and being underdeveloped. Yoshida happens to be the former. Maybe it's just because I'm young and ignorant, but when I'm trying to save the world from its inevitable ruin, I'm not really all that interested in a disgraced politician. Call me simple minded.

19 Chihaya Mifune

Now we come to the underdeveloped. Although it must be said that Chihaya could have had an amazing storyline that I just didn't see, as her character was so one note and uninteresting that I became equally uninterested in what was going on with her and I didn't pay a whole lot of attention. So I apologize if I've missed an amazing character, but she should have made a better impression sooner.

18 Shinya Oda

I have little feelings towards Shinya. He's a little higher on the list due to his storyline being a bit sympathetic but there isn't really much to his character other than the fact that he's a kid who's good at a video game. I was invested in making sure that he got fed, but that's about as far as it goes.

17 Munehisa Iwai

I am currently holding a bit of a grudge against Iwai at the minute, as he was the only confidant I didn't manage to max out on my new game plus run, basically meaning I wasted about an extra 70 hours BUT HEY. That's not his fault. He also suffers from side character dullness, but he gets bumped up the list a bit because we had a lot of weird dates together that I'll never forget. What other game allows you to go to the planetarium and an all you can eat buffet with a yakuza member? In Persona 5, even the boring characters have something to offer. Some more than others.

16 Igor

There isn't really much to say about Igor to be honest. Of all the people on this list, he’s the one you have the least opportunity to get to know, but there's just something about him. Maybe it's his nose? Or perhaps the eyebrows? Either way, I like his style and he managed to crawl up a few spaces.

15 Haru Okumura

We arrive at another character who took a little while to grow on me. Originally I thought she was just as boring as Makoto, but at least Haru has some semblance of a personality. She's awfully sweet and her storyline is very sympathetic. She struggles under the weight of her responsibility to run a company, and is conflicted by her arranged marriage to a man she has no interest in. I felt genuinely invested in making sure she was okay and safe, even if her metaverse outfit is a bit dumb. Nobody's perfect.

14 Ichiko Ohya

If you're not familiar with Ohya, just imagine a really incompetent Jessica Jones and you're pretty much there. Meaning, she's drunk all the time. She drinks away the guilt she harbours from losing her best friend on the job, but she still remains a fierce journalist who doesn't crack under pressure and is determined to find out the truth. She just happens to smell like gin while she's doing it.

13 Sae Niijima

Sae is cool in the most normal way that you'll find in Persona 5. She's a prosecutor, working against against all odds to become the top in her field. She may have been working slightly against us in the beginning, but she was a formidable foe; working with an open mind and a level head, she eventually began to believe our stories about our time with the Phantom Thieves. Sae is rad without needing a cool outfit (@Makoto) and we should all be more like her.

12 Makoto Niijima

I'm not even going to apologise. Makoto just barely made it above her much more impressive sister, and the only reason she did is because her whole deal in the metaverse is pretty badass. However, and let me say this loud for you Makoto, just because your persona is a motorcycle, DOES. NOT. MAKE. YOU. THE BOSS. Once she joins your team, every plan comes from her, even though I am the leader of the Phantom Thieves. I have tried really quite hard to understand why everybody loves Makoto so much. I even romanced her on my second playthrough so I could get a different perspective on her. It helped nothing. I really tried to give her the benefit of the doubt, but anywhere outside of the metaverse, she is dull and boring. Number 1 Waifu she is not, I'm afraid.

11 Hifumi Togo

Before Futaba came along, I was all set to romance Hifumi. To be fair I felt she was the best of a bad bunch, but let that not detract from her good qualities. She's a shogi master (or at least she thinks she is), and yet she still struggles with something that a lot of us can identify with: she is desperately trying to live up to her mother's unachievable high expectations. All Hifumi wants is to play shogi, and when she plays shogi, she plays shogi. She's a bit crazy but we love her anyway, and there's no one else I’d rather play shogi in a church with. Now just to figure out what shogi actually is…

10 Morgana

What would a JRPG be without a resident weird humanoid animal thing? Mediocre, that's what. Morgana is an integral part to the whole structure of the game, in more ways than one. Without him, our character would have no idea about how anything works in the Metaverse. Yes, he can be literally the most irritating presence on the planet whenever I'm trying to go out and Morgana is telling me to go to bed (YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME MORGANA), but deep down I know he's doing it out of love. Sometimes I wish Morgana loved me a little less but hey, you can't pick your family.

9 Goro Akechi

Okay, look. I know what you're thinking. Akechi is a little bit problematic. I know this. But he's just so adorable before all that! That's pretty much that only reason I have for having him so far up the list. His little face in his character profile is just so cute that you can't help but love him. Also the way he yells ‘PERSONAAAAAAGHHHH’ is badass and I can't hear it enough times. I forgive the Ace Detective of all crimes he has committed.

8 Futaba Sakura

A couple of months ago, Futaba would most likely have topped my list. She was the first girl I romanced in Persona 5. I had spent the whole game waiting for someone to come along and sweep me off my (digital) feet. It was beginning to look like I was going to have to settle with Hifumi- and then Futaba came along. She was a hacker and a gamer: my perfect waifu. Her romancing scenes are very sweet and I remained enamoured with her throughout my whole playthrough. After playing new game plus that changed. I went in with the intention of romancing someone different, and boy is Futaba different without those rose tinted glasses on. Her inability to do anything on her own is, while understandable, it's frustrating at best. She's still pretty high on the list though, as I'll never forget our time together, and also she's saved me countless times during combat that she will forever be elevated to God tier in the Metaverse. I owe her a debt I can never repay.

7 Tae Takemi

I won't lie to you. A lot of Takemi’s charm and appeal lies in her character design. The idea of a cool, punk rock doctor who supplies us with our own extreme healing products is great. Even better is that she's got the attitude to match. Confident in her skills but still dating enough to go rogue and have you be her guinea pig for new medicines she's developing, Takemi is a doctor you would want as a friend, but DEFINITELY not treating you. Unless you enjoy drinking mysterious liquids and passing out for hours on end. In which case be my guest.

6 Sadayo Kawakami

Ah, Kawakami. She sure does have it rough. Teacher by day, maid by night, she's a very sympathetic character, although she may not start out that way. At first glance she just seems like your typical extremely incompetent teacher- which she is. However the deeper into her storyline you go, the more you start to understand why she is the way she is. She ends up being quite a sweet person, not to mention her skills enable you to have more of the most important resource in Persona 5: time. Coincidentally, that's the one thing it takes for her to grow on you. Just give her a couple of days, and you'll learn to love her for who she is. A hot mess.

5 Sojiro Sakura

I don't think it’s an overstatement to say that the entire plot of the game would not have happened if not for Sojiro. For some unexplained reason, he agrees take in our main character who has just been put on parole, and it's that act that eventually brings our whole crew together. Even when he discovers that he has a phantom thief right under his roof, he sticks by you and even lets you hold meetings right there in his café. He goes from standoffish jerk to ‘dad we never had’ in a beautiful transformation that is one of the best progressions of a relationship in the game. If it wasn’t for his curious combination of coffee and curry for breakfast every morning, there's no way we could have completed our rehabilitation and saved the world from ruin. Sojiro literally saved the entire world (don't question it he totally did).

4 Ann Takamaki

Of all the characters on this list, Ann is the one that surprised me the most. She's pretty, blonde and a model. In video games, TV, movies; these things tend to be a placeholder for a personality, so really I expected nothing more from Ann: and boy did she prove me wrong. She is kind, loyal and is extremely strong willed. She suffered through sexual harassment at the hands of her teacher, her best friend's attempted suicide, and the her career as a model being sabotaged by a spiteful competitor. Through it all, however, she remains a positive force on the team and one of your characters closest friends from beginning to end. We all deserve someone like Ann in our lives.

3 Yusuke Kitagawa

Yusuke is another character that I love purely because every conversation with him is golden, particularly when leveling up your relationship with him. Throughout his journey to find himself as an artist, I joined him at an art exhibit, a romantic boat ride on a lake, and I posed as our Lord and Savior himself Jesus Christ on the crucifix as a way to inspire the creativity within Yusuke. Some may say that Yusuke’s best quality is his voice, but those people simply can't appreciate what he brings to the table and I simply have no time for them. He is a rare flower and I will defend him at every given opportunity.

2 Caroline and Justine (The Wardens)

Before starting my new game plus playthrough, these girls wouldn't have even been on this list, because I had no idea that they were even confidants until my second time around. The way you level up your confidant ranking with them is by fusing personas with a certain ability, per their request. The only thing I dislike about that is that you don't get to spend as much time with them as I'd like. They are both as entertaining as they are enigmatic, and though it may seem strange to have them so high up, everytime I brought them a new persona, they stole a little bit more of my heart. By force. They demanded I give it to them. But it still counts all the same.

1 Ryuji Sakamoto

I don't care what anyone says, this game would not be half as interesting or funny without Ryuji in it. There are a lot of people who would probably put Ryuji last on this list, due to his loud nature and penchant for yelling in public about how you and all your friends are the Phantom Thieves. But that's all part of his charm! Ryuji owes a lot of his likeability to his voice actor, Max Mittelman, as he somehow manages to be comically over the top while still remaining believable for his character. There are multiple times during the game where you'll have to pick who to hang out with at certain story moments, with the intention really being that you hang out with the girl you're romancing, but every single time I chose Ryuji. Every situation with him is comedy gold. Ryuji will forever be my number 1, and nobody will ever change my mind on that.

[skaylanphear]

I noticed you mentioned that you're invested in Klance because it has the best opportunity to be steered towards canon. But what are the thoughts on Kallura? That has some better development in terms of character growth and developing a bond between. So could that necessarily be canon?

Warning! If you really like Kallura, you may not want to read what I’m about to say. I don’t have an actual problem with the ship itself, and I would never dream of hating on anyone who ships it, but I’ve been asked a question and I will answer it honestly. 

If I’m answering this objectively, I see far less development in Kallura than Klance. Klance fights, yes, but they have history and emotional involvement. Kallura has a bit of that, but it happened very suddenly and then was resolved very quickly. If a romance was to be formed between Keith and Allura, their conflict should have been stretched out to cause drama (like the continuing Klance conflict), but they resolved their differences very neatly (too neatly, in my opinion). Which tells me that Kallura was not the main aim, not romantically. The Keith-is-Galra conflict seemed like an excuse to develop Keith and Allura’s relationship in general (as well as Allura’s character, mainly), but it wasn’t a romantic lead-in, not with how it was structured. Also, it was… fairly awkward all around. And when Allura was captured that one time, Keith was actively, like, “let’s maybe not rescue her.” Like, even if they have a working friendship because of their situation, they don’t have much chemistry. A romance between them would seem forced, at least as it stands now. 

Now, my views on Kallura personally (which are a bit more bitter and ranty, so get ready).  

Kallura actively makes me uncomfortable, if I’m being totally honest. It doesn’t have anything to do with the characters themselves, really, but the implications behind the ship. Keith is the hotheaded hero and Allura is the princess. While she is perfectly capable of handling herself, this relationship is so entirely reductive and overdone that the thought of seeing something as diverse and interesting as Voltron plagued by such a relationship actually makes me upset. It’s so stereotypical–especially if Keith becomes leader (which I also hope doesn’t happen). It’s part of the reason why Shallura seems so plausible–because it’s the same potential “leader character falls for princess, etc, etc, etc.” Like, I don’t mind Shallura because it seemed like an obvious option from the beginning due to this same/similar trope (which meant I accepted it from the beginning), but, like I’ve said before, I won’t be butthurt if it doesn’t happen–I’m not emotionally invested because it’s so predictable. And I view Kallura the same way, because–to be frank–if the writers are going the way of Kallura, they’re probably going the way of Keith being the leader too and that’s a story that’s been told so many times before. Kallura is a romance that’s been played out over and over and over and over again. I’m tired of it. I’m tired of the bad boy and the princess. To the point where it nauseates me thinking about it. 

It’s not a matter of developement between them–I hope they do develop a better relationship–but as is, development could justify any romantic relationship in the show because every relationship between all the characters are so underdeveloped. But Kallura is the easy way because it’s a story that’s been told time and time again. Keith is the bad boy with the sketchy genes that make him somehow inferior, while Allura is the pure, morally correct princess type that initially disapproves of him. 

I do not want to see this romance again. Honestly, if it goes the way of Kallura, I’ll likely stop watching. I’ve seen it too many times. And I think it would be a royal waste of the potential this story has. They have such a diverse cast and such dynamic characters. I want to see something new and fresh. Yes, I am invested in Klance because I want to see these boys who hate one another become friends and realize they have feelings for one another, because it’s a story we see in fic, but that is never followed through within mainstream media. Kallura does nothing progressive and, in my opinion, is more hurtful to a narrative that is trying to bring in diversity than it is helpful. Keith and Lance have chemistry–be it antagonistic or not–and I want to see that followed through on for once. I don’t want to suffer the same disappointment I did in, say, the new Star Trek movies where the perfect relationship–Kirk and Spock–was set aside for some heteronormative trash that hurt both the characters involved (mostly Uhura). It is canon–as said by the original creator–that Kirk and Spock share a relationship strong enough to be physical, if that was the “style” of the time, yet that chemistry and potential was completely ignored. 

I’m tired of this. I’m tired of these heteronormative relationships with no chemistry cropping up into spaces that are perfectly viable for other relationships. I’m tired of writers being unable to see the potential because of some stupid societal expectation that everything needs to be cis and straight. 

I don’t care if Kallura was a thing in the original show or not, VLD is new and totally different and like they took a chance in making Pidge a girl/struggling with her gender identity, I want to see that trend continue. I want to see this diverse cast become even more diverse. I want it to be a thing that the lions chose these different, faulted people and that all of them represent different ideas and they can still be heroes and role models. 

If Keith does become leader, can you imagine how progressive him being gay would be? A gay, none-white leader and main character? Like, yes please!

The narrative doesn’t have room for Kallura without overshadowing other potential LGBT romances. So I don’t want it. I don’t want to watch another show fall into a boring, been there, done that love story when I could get a love story–albeit in the background–that is something progressive and fresh, at least to mainstream media.  

Kallura would ruin the show for me in so, so many ways and the idea of it happening literally pains me. I’d rather have no canon relationships than Kallura. 

And if you ship it, that’s fine. I’m happy you can enjoy it. But I really, really can’t no matter how I try. I’ve been trying to love every ship in Voltron, but I just… can’t with this one. 

[ruleandruinrpg]

CONGRATULATIONS, KATIE!

You have been accepted for the role of VALERIYA VASNEV with a faceclaim change to Adrianne Ho. Admin Bree: Valeriya has always been a “piece of work” sort of character, in that she’s so terrible yet so oddly likable, at the same time, and you demonstrated that beautifully in your para sample, as well as throughout the rest of your application. From “Oh, they’re rioting again,” to her manipulating her “friends” into wearing unflattering gowns so that she might outshine them at the ball, you absolutely nailed her conniving attitude and pettiness in one fell swoop, and it was hilarious. I absolutely love your take on our duchess & princess-to-be, and I can’t wait to see what you do with her on the dash! You have 24 HOURS to send in your account. Also, remember to look at the CHECKLIST. Welcome to Ravka!

OUT OF CHARACTER

ALIAS: Katie PREFERRED PRONOUNS: She/her AGE: Eighteen TIMEZONE & ACTIVITY LEVEL: EST & Pretty high (in terms of numbers, perhaps a 7 or 8?). I’m on break and most of my days are free until my summer classes begin at the end of June. But even then, I’ve been in the roleplays during school and not, and I always find time to be on and be active. I should be on every other day at least, but I like super transparent about what I’m doing so even if I have to be away just for the weekend, I will probably bother you about my activity! CURRENT/PAST ACCOUNTS: Unfortunately, not many remain as I have not been super present in the RPC as of late and have a (terrible) tendency to change accounts into new ones once I’m done with a character, but here is one.

IN CHARACTER

DESIRED CHARACTER: The icon, the legend – Valeriya Vasnev

VALERIYA – meaning to be strong. And strong she was, a terrible little thing that left her mother, who never really wanted her neither the marriage to the Vasnev Duke to begin with, in labor for a week. The Duke had wanted a daughter to barter off now that he already had a son to rule his seat when he was gone; whispers said he had killed his first wife trying to get one. But, when Valeriya was born, she didn’t melt the icy hearts of her parents. Her father was off on a hunting trip, and she was handed off to the wet nurse and seen by her mother only when she wouldn’t cry. Valeriya was a family name, the name of her great-grandmother, who married as Lantsov prince just as Valeriya’s father had hoped, and soon arranged, she would. “It is destiny,” he whispered as he held her. It was sparingly, but more than her mother. “I will be the father to a Princess. Or, should I be lucky, a Queen.”

ADELAIDA – meaning noble one.

VASNEV – a name almost as old as the Lantsov Kings, and Valeriya’s father used to claim it was even older. They’d ruled over their lands for centuries as Dukes of the Court, sending their sons to be great, strong warriors and their daughters to be great, beautiful wives. In the Vasnev name, there is wealth, age and respect. They aren’t a family to question, and those who do often find themselves back at the bottom of the heap. Valeriya was born with a purpose, just as her father and his father and all their siblings and children were: to be beautiful, a Vasnev gem; to be intelligent and rule, as she will; and, to pass it all on to their children after. (And, of course, to be used as their parents see fit).

 WHAT DREW YOU TO THIS CHARACTER?

 In the past two days, I’ve read every open biography, some of them multiple times. Honestly, I kept coming back to the few that Admin Bree threw at me to consider in my feedback. They were the first I read, and the ones I kept comparing others so, and mainly considering applying for. Of the bunch, Valeriya just stood out to me. Although I tend to go for softer characters, I want to expand my horizons and play someone a little different than I would normally jump for. Valeriya is a little more in my ball-park than Margarete was, so I’m hoping my interpretation of her will be better on tone! I think what most attracted me to her was how little has really happened in her life. Not to say she was underdeveloped in the biography, but compared to some characters, who have been orphaned or had to travel the country or whatever, she really has had such a mundane life. She’s been rich and doted on, lived in the palaces and engaged to a Prince–of course, she’s changed personalities, growing through the years, but event wise, there really hasn’t been much. In this, I see potential. Potential to not just fill in the gaps and throw some events in there to spice her up, but also for the future. Because she’s been through so little, I feel like I won’t hold back in throwing her into the world and seeing how she reacts. I feel the need to develop her and see some change, whether that be in redemption and growing and learning to care, or by going full Lady Macbeth (my personal favorite).

 WHAT FUTURE PLOT IDEAS DID YOU HAVE IN MIND?

 Warning: none of these are really cohesive and many of them couldn’t happen at the same time, but I love myself some various outcomes. 

I imagine Valeriya will be feeling many things on the day she finds out about her Dear Prince Fiance (DPF™) fooling around with a Grisha. It will be a hit to her pride; she is one of the most wanted women in Ravka, who has offered everything to him to get his time of day, and yet he chooses to share his bed with a Heartrender. I don’t imagine much jealousy in her heart, because she doesn’t love Viktor. It will be bitterness and anger, confusion and outrage. While she is intelligent and realistic, knowing that even if she can win over his heart and soul, she won’t be the only person to ever share his bed (just like he won’t be the only person to share hers), she won’t be able to stop herself from feeling outraged that something she wants so bad doesn’t want her back. I’m also interested to see how it will shift her opinion on Viktor, due to her prejudiced views on Grishas.

Her engagement to the crown prince is intriguing, and I’d love to see where it goes, and if their marriage even ends up happening. At this point, Valeriya has accepted that the engagement will be put off until after the war is over, but she doesn’t mind so long as it all stays intact. But, I think it could be fun to shake stuff up sooner. Perhaps Ravka needs something inspiring to feast their eyes on and distract them–a Prince’s marriage to a beautiful Duchess would do. This could be after Valeriya finds out about Dmitri, or before; it’ll be interesting to see how she reacts to her husband’s affair with a Heartrender. In marriage, I’d also love to see how Viktor changes Valeriya. While I don’t see anything between them ever turning to love (they’re both so different and too volatile), I don’t think they’ll spend their time together just ignoring each other. She’ll go to the ends of the earth to be the only thing he yearns for. It is like a game to her, and she refuses to lose. In that, I’d love to see the destruction and war he puts in her mind and how it changes who she is.

Valeriya doesn’t feel sympathy. Any stirs of it in her have been quickly dissipated by other feelings about that person, leaving her to feel justified in not feeling bad for anyone, especially those lower than her. But, my headcanon for this is that she doesn’t have to face her apathy because it is hardly ever in front of her. It’s afar–people dying in the war far away, peasants outside the gates starving. She can say and think things when they aren’t staring her back, seen in how she felt sympathy for Vasily when he pleaded at court. I’d love for this cool cruelty she has, this indifference for those starving and dying in wars as long as she is happy and comfortable, to be thrown in her face. For her to have to see what her indifference means, to have to experience it and actually feel something for once. Although I don’t have a formal plot idea for how this could happen, I’m putting it under here because it’s something I want to happen in the future. I want her to be three dimensional beyond the cool, indifferent, beautiful Duchess. She is human, and I want her to have to face that.

Saving the best for last of course. A girl like her is easily bored, and because of her greed, she’s constantly wanting more before she even has what she wanted to begin with. Marrying a Prince and becoming a Princess sounded nice at the time, an impressive step up, a way to be remembered by the people and have her name down in history. But once marrying the third born son became the second, she couldn’t help but think - what if he was the first? Yes, being Princess sounds nice. But, being Queen sounds even better. And she’s just so close–it would be too hard to resist finding a way for her this new dream to come true.

WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO HAVE YOUR CHARACTER DIE?:

Oh, you know it. Although should she go, I’d rather it be later rather sooner? I feel like of a lot of the characters, she has had one of the least eventful (I can’t find the right way to word this) life, but with so much potential for chaos and everything, I’d love to develop her and give her some change and everything before she goes.

IN DEPTH

IN CHARACTER PARA SAMPLE:

Valeriya was beyond exhausted of playing games with these little girls at the palace, who were bickering around her as they always did on their walks around the palace walls. They were her “friends”–or, rather, companions to the duchess she could not abandon because their fathers had done something for her father. Time spent with them felt like child sitting, and more often than not, she felt more like a nanny to babes rather a duchess to low-born women of the court. Apart from their words of validation when she desired them (“Oh, Your Grace, that gown is gorgeous on you. I’ll never be as beautiful as you.”), they were useless, and she could see their futures like they was already down in history: sparkly-eyed girls married to older, lowly lords, unhappy within the year, stuck with too many children and not enough gold.

 “What do you think, Your Grace?” Valeriya glanced at the two staring up at her with adoration in their eyes. She paused, giving them both a patronizing smile. Perhaps more than she loved their ability to build her up she loved her own opportunities to tear them down.

“Rosa is correct,” she glanced at Katia, who’s eyes went to the floor. In her side vision, she could see Rosa’s smug grin. Valeriya continued to walk around the corner, bringing up her parasol to shield her from the sun. “You would look terrible in yellow. If you wear it to the Ball, you will be an embarrassment. I w-” she was cut off by the sound of shouting, which quickly caught the attention of her two companions, who rushed forward to see the commotion. The Duchess rolled her eyes, unsurprised that such a simple distraction was able to sway the dull girls away so easily.

 “What is it?” “What are they-” the two were beyond predictable, talking excitedly to themselves about the spectacle below. Valeriya walked calmly to them, glancing over the edge.There was commotion and screaming at the grand gates, peasants slamming on them while the Ravkan guards held it shut and threatened them back.

 “Oh, they’re rioting again. How barbaric, don’t you agree?”

 “But, Val-” Katia caught herself, glancing at the ground, her complexion turned bright red. Valeriya only stared, waiting for the girl to continue. One of the rules of their friendship was the exclusive use of her title. It helped keep the distinction between friends and companions clear; she didn’t want the two getting any ambitious ideas. “My apologies, Your Grace,” Valeriya nodded, and Katia continued her initial question, although she didn’t meet Valeriya’s eyes. “Why are they rioting?”

 “Something about food, something about war,” Valeriya waved her hand, turning back around and continuing the walk. Hesitantly, the girls followed after her. “Nevermind that. It is nothing we should be concerned about, understood?” they nodded. Using power over them was easy and mindless, simple because they had so much to learn. Babysitting them was tiring enough, let alone teaching them the ways of the court. If she had to do anymore, she might lose her mind and defy her father. Perhaps it was time for them to learn something for themselves, the hard way. Valeriya wouldn’t always be there to help them, after all.  

“Now, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted,” she smile, returning back to her poised position. “Katia, perhaps you should wear yellow to the Ball.”

 “But you-”

 “I was confused,” she cut her off. “I was only half paying attention, and I thought you were talking about Rosa. She’s the only who looks terrible in yellow.” Rosa looked down at her yellow gloves, sneakily trying to take them off without notice. “I think you’d look lovely, my dear.”

Lie. Lie. Lie. She wasn’t confused. Rosa looked fine in yellow. Katia won’t look lovely.

At least they wouldn’t outshine her at the Ball.

CHARACTER HEADCANONS: 

Her Papa was a Duke, never around to play but always around with a warm smile and a “tell this man whatever you want, you can have it, my dear,” before running off to another meeting or hunting with his men. He taught Valeriya the best way to forgiveness is to give, displayed in the gallery of jewelry that adorned her mother’s dressing table. She was his second wife, but not the only woman he called. When one of those jewels would catch the young girl’s eye, Mama would throw it at her with a tired smile. She was doting, giving her only child everything the girl desired, but never warm. All the same, Valeriya grew up yearning to be just like the spoiled, bitter woman. And without any duties, her half-brother from Papa’s previous marriage taking on all the responsibilities that came with the Vasnev name, Mama she became, only colder. For, despite having things and experiences thrown at her from every angle, they never threw a hug or a word of praise. No warm talks by the fire, no bedtime stories when they tucked her into bed. It was all whispers in the halls, messages given from butlers. Combined, it all turned her to ice.

She was raised to hate and fear Grishas, to believe they are witches that will one day bring the world down. Around other humans, around her parents, Valeriya isn’t afraid to spew this hate and nonsense. But, when a Grisha is around, you won’t hear her say a single word of this. More than she hates them, she fears them, and even more so, deep down with other secrets she’ll never admit to even herself, she envies them. Even the weakest of them have so much power at their fingertips–power she can and will never have.

I’m aware that you made her bisexual, and even before stumbling upon that post of the set sexualities, that would be my personal headcanon. She desires beautiful people, and because of her bluntness in asking for her desires, she gets it all. However, her sexuality isn’t something she flaunts around. Apart from rumors she quickly denies, you won’t hear any word of her kisses in the dark corridors during parties or her visits to the most secret parts of the gardens, a suitor in tow. She’s an object people desire, and the objectification of her, the persona of the perfect duchess they all believe her to be, keep them desiring her. If they knew just how easy it was to win any affection, well, they wouldn’t try so hard. And that, to her, would just be oh so boring.

Valeriya isn’t the kind that admits to fears (or faults), but her greatest fear is so obvious it should be shocking that no one has tried to call her out on it. She’s afraid of being forgotten, of being the girl picked last, of being adored by no one. If she isn’t loved, she really might mean nothing.

Tutored by the best for years, Valeriya is far from stupid. She understands the wars happening and all the politics. When she lost out on advisor, she lost interest, pretending it was all so stupid to begin it. That was easier to feign that to admit the feeling of failure she couldn’t shake.

She’s a slytherin, lawful evil, and ENTJ. Also, such a Scorpio.  

EXTRAS: Of course I got myself a pinterest board. You can find it here. 

ANYTHING ELSE? I would like to request a FC change to Adrianne Ho, please!

 This is far from my greatest work due to a time crunch on my end with getting this finished and sent in (it’s basically just word vomit I’m hoping you’ll like)! Just so you know, I am going out of town this weekend to visit my roommate (why I’m rushing to get this in), so should I be accepted, although I’ll be able to send an account in within the 24 hours, I won’t be able to post until Sunday night! 

Not to be a screw up again, my fav book is the Book Thief. Beautiful, enchanting, captivating, etc. It never gets old.

[pxtras-blog]

Oh well, in that case, we're definitely going to make a whole lot more versions of your OH SO LOVELY pictures just for you, to show them around and spread our unconditional love, lmao. And don't worry. Since we're you're 'biggest fan', we're definitely going to make sure we're not missing a thing on this blog. Everything's copied (theme code, posts, info etc etc.), saved, sreencapped and so on and forth. And we'll always keep tab on you, send you lovely messages and just hold the spirit up. ;)

actually i was on skype when you sent messages about “plagiarism” so :-/ theres definitely people who know. you try to say thats what im doing but youre literally stealing all the coding and graphics on my blog just to make some point that you arent even getting anywhere with. petra is a fictional character. shes fake. and youre going around to petra blogs just harassing them over a fictional character like :-/ in mine and everyone elses book thats pretty pathetic tbh. youre convinced youre oh-so clever because you point out really stupid stuff to make fun of. its kind of really sad i almost feel bad for you??:-/

also your “plagiarism” comment is literally based off my theme background thats…. not even uncommon. everyone uses feathers for survey corps members because of the wings of freedom. the colors dont even matter my theme isnt permanent and i can change it to look however i want. but of course :-/ i OBVIOUSLY cant play petra who is a one-dimensional fictional character in a manga made by some other guy who isnt you. you spend all your time policing me but you never stop to think that you cant even dictate how people portray her. the only person who would know exactly how she is, is isayama because he created her. also, i dont understand why you think your theme has to be super intricate to be quality. it doesnt take much to make it look nice and aesthetically pleasing.

youre also taking my pictures and poorly editing them. your attempt to bother me is laughable because uhhhh attention is great???? theres also the fact that youll send repetitive messages but ah :-/ apparently me really liking a certain au ( like everyone else does lmao???? ) is bad and wanting to roleplay is constantly is bad. listen honey, i dont know what you know about the zombie sub genre, but i know that the boundaries for it are constantly being pushed and theres a million different ways it can be made interesting.

and why would i listen to you on my writing?? ive gotten plenty of compliments on my portrayal and actual constructive criticism that is helping me shape and mold this blog. you can do absolutely anything with petra. also, a lot of what i do with her is based on psychology and how the human mind will work in certain situations with im pretty well versed in. yet, somehow thats bad and i dont know how to make a one-dimensional character feel more human, right?? no, you have a neutral portrayal of her. you want her to be boring with no actual flaws. petra is a kind and caring woman, but shes also a human being susceptible to fear and hesitation. we never got to explore her flaws. we never got to know what she couldve really blossomed into because she died. thats the thing. her only purpose in the series was to develop levi and eren’s characters. she and the squad were only there for that. thats what makes it very obvious that we were never going to see more to her. it was predetermined that she wasnt going to get any further development.

you cant even tell me the compliments i got were fake either. like, you can try but theres evidence supporting against it because i never didnt anything to warrent it im pretty sure. but people have gone out of their way to kindly tell me that they liked how i wrote this and how i write petra. thats what keeps me going. thats why im still on this blog because people appreciate how i run things on here. you arent going go push me off this blog. ive been harassed a few times before and even by people i knew. people who were once my friends but i dropped because they were a terrible person. you dont even know who i am. you dont talk to me and you dont write with me. but you probably follow me lets me real. you also were most likely more than one person which makes it even more pathetic that you guys bother to go around and harass petras off their own blogs.

look, honey, its the internet. its tumblr dot com. youre taking all this way too seriously. youve apparently been around for years which is….really sad, but alright. anyways, my point is that youre taking this way too seriously. you cant even say you arent because youre making multiple blogs and editing my pictures and stealing my graphics just to try and bother me because you dont like how i portray her. why does it even matter to you?? why would any of it matter?? she was never properly developed and shes seriously bland in actual canon. thats because her only purpose was to bring forth further development in levi and eren. its pretty obvious thats what it was.

listen my wonderful and amazingly dedicated fan, youre harassing someone who has already been through harassment and who has seen a lot of shit on tumblr. i already know this is just the internet. why do you think i wasnt even actually taking you seriously?? because youre behind a computer screen staying anonymous and youre attempting to harass some girl off her blog because you dont like how she portrays a really underdeveloped character. a character that people can write how they want because it makes it much more interesting. all the points youve made are so invalid and its because youre desperate to find something thats actually terrible. not everyones gonna like how i write petra and ive accepted that but the positive feed back is all i need to keep going and to remember that theres people on here who care about me and my petra. you dont have to like it. i dont care if you dont like it. shes a fictional character. shes not at all real.

hell, there are people on here to tweak their characters because their canon counterparts arent very likable. they saw the potential a character could have and want to bring that forth in their portrayal, their interpretation. thats really fuckin’ cool because thats bold and thats something barely ever done. i admire them for doing something like that.

youre a lovely fan. youre beautiful and youre determined. you have pushed through all these petra blogs, but youre wasting your time babe. its tumblr. its the internet. petra was pretty bland in canon because her purpose wasnt to be developed and i can admit that. theres little things in the manga that we saw that could help us see who she really was, but we wont ever get the big picture. shes not your character sweetie. you didnt create her. isayama did and hes the only one who can truly tell us how she is. its clear you probably dont know a lot about psychology, but a lot of her flaws that i set for her are based on the negative and positive symptoms. ( in case you didnt know, negative and positive mean something kinda different in psychology lmao ) im not a psychology major, but i am pretty good portrayals of mental illness especially ones that i do have.

basically, i run my blog. you dont. youre irrelevant. im the one getting the interactions. you can say what you want about it, but i know its a lie and youre just being petty. :-/ its better to just give up because theres nothing to even accomplish here.

im going back to ignoring you though ;-) because im respectful and dont wanna flood everyones feed with your garbage.

i love you my biggest fanxoxo