#cause friends that leads to a romantic relationship is the best in my opinion

[vivmaek]

LOVE & SEX: ASTRO OBSERVATIONS (18+)

Happy Scorpio season everyone!

Sagittarius Risings are the best at flirting. I may be biased considering that I’m a Gemini Rising, but I stand by my opinion. They know how to evade small talk and make people melt through their warmth and charm. Sagittarius Risings can be cocky, but this serves them well when trying to gain romantic attention. Confidence is sexy. They keep things light hearted and fun. Their commitment issues add a layer of excitement to their relationships, they’re often pursued by multiple people at once. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

A Cancer Venus or Mars could spend the entire day in bed with their partner. They blend cuddles, foreplay, and sex into long sessions that seemingly have no end.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Those who have their Sun in the third house can carry out a long-distance relationship successfully. A strong sense of imagination keeps the relationship alive within their head. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

People who have Mars in the sixth house need to find a partner who is spontaneous. Their sex life might start to feel like a routine and they’ll become bored. Sex is important to these individuals, it has to remain exciting if these types are going to settle down. 

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Someone with Mars opposite to their Ascendant might find that they give more than they receive within their sexual relationships. They might participate in sexual activities just to appease their partner. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

A Scorpio Mars might have secret sex fantasies that make them feel ashamed. They also probe into the sex life of their partners through pointed questions. This does not come from a place of curiosity, if they start doing this it's because they feel possessive and jealous. They want to be the best their partner has ever had. 

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Individuals with Mars in the first house have the best stamina, hands down. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

An Aquarius Venus is always getting caught up within the most complicated romantic endeavors. They’re the first to claim that they’re easy-going and just want to fall in love with their best friend. When in reality, they’re avoidant and uncomfortable with conventional romantic affection. They’re delusional for thinking this isn’t going to cause issues. 

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

People with a Pisces Venus will toy around with multiple people at once and then they’ll have the audacity to become confused when one of their partners finds out and is upset. Their love and affection for others is innocent. They’re just following their heart, and if it leads them into the arms of multiple people, so be it. Unlike other water venus placements, a Pisces Venus is not possessive over their lovers, they’re just here for the vibe. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Capricorn Ascendants are incredibly classy. Dating them feels like a high-end experience. They know how to treat their partners right. They show up on time and are always appropriately dressed for the occasion. 

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

People who have a Libra Sun placed within the tenth house find it difficult to balance their love life and career. It seems that these two areas of life are always in conflict with one another. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Individuals who have their Sun placed within the first house are honest and straightforward, they don’t play around with people and they do everything they can to avoid hurt feelings. 

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Taurus Moons like to eat before sex. If they didn’t get a chance to do this, they’ll get up and make themselves a sandwich immediately afterwards. They’ll make one for their partner too ofc ;) They are very attentive when it comes to aftercare, they’ll help their partner get dressed and will make sure all their emotional needs are being met. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

People who have Venus conjuncting their Ascendant end up in relationships with ease, but these relationships also end just as quickly as they started.  

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

The sexual endeavors of someone with Mars in the tenth house are publicly known. Their nudes may get leaked, and their past partners like to brag about shared sexual experiences. 

[lunarliyah]

Juno In Sagittarius people love to travel with their partner. Prefers someone that is out of state and sometimes even out the country. Their obsession with travel and exploring is also a huge part of their love language.

Moon/Mercury

+

Moon/Mars

Both experiencing major headaches. In fact, they get headaches easier than others. If they don’t eat enough or take long periods of time without eating can result in headaches. Being tired can cause headaches. Quicker than normal and typically more painful.

Aquarius placements can be some of the most delusional people. They can lack self awareness. They are be so opinionated on others and what they’re doing. They can try so hard to pick apart what others have going on. As soon as someone says “you” to them, defense mode.

Leo and Capricorns have very similar energy. Both can be very sure of themselves and what they want. Both are goal oriented. Having both Leo and Capricorn in a natal chart, specifically in the big three, makes someone very reliable and independent. (My favorite type of placements tbh lol) Both energy care about how they’re perceived, they don’t do anything without thought. Contrary to popular belief, Leo’s are very calculated people. All earth signs are calculated in different ways of course. Capricorns in particular have a way of playing chess and making sure that they do things that benefit them in the long run. As far as these energies being together in a relationship, perfect match. Leo being a fixed sign, this energy wants to make things work. They are not easy to give up on things and people. They make change happen if need be but only to keep the stability in their connection with others. At the end of the day you can summarize that as being loyal. Capricorns never leave people high and dry. They are straightforward with their ACTIONS. They are honest and if they care enough (lol) they’ll speak up. For the most part, they are showers. They show people how much they care. Which Leo’s loves. A doer, not someone who’s all talk. They’re the show off and the ones doing to talking! Not their partner. Capricorns are also very loyal as well. I personally love love love these two together. Power couple for real. Also makes the best of friends too!

Cardinal

These people are considered the scout. The leaders. What this means is when it comes to relationships, they are more upfront about what they want and what their needs are. They enjoy people to let them take the lead. They are not afraid of pursuing people they want in their life. Romantically or friendship wise. They’re more picky and they are definitely more independent. It doesn’t take them long to move on. (cancers.. yeah maybe a little different but once they’re gone, it no way possible for anyone to get the back) They shoot their shot directly and can even be flirty. They do not beat around the bush at all. They like to jump straight into things. Sometimes this does backfire. Moving too fast into things. Rushing even. Thinking too far ahead. Sometimes they can stress themselves out by thinking too much into the future or may even be seen as bossy. Or pushy even.

(Capricorn, Aries, Cancer, & Libra)

Mutable

These people are more inclined to fluctuate. They love having variety and options. They tend to not sit still, ever. Always on the go. Tend to go well with someone who helps balance them out. They are not the neatest people, yes even Virgos. These people are not that straightforward I’ve realized only when it comes to things they aren’t passionate about. In comparison for cardinal signs, it doesn’t take much for them to pursue anything. These people struggle with finishing project, ideas, etc. They can have an idea that they sit on for days (or forever). These people are very creative though. Don’t underestimate their creativity. They just need that push to execute and consistency.

(Pisces, Gemini, Virgo, & Sagittarius)

Fixed

These will be your most unconvincing, stubborn, my way or the highway type of people ever. They rarely change their minds. The way they’re used to something is how it will be for a long time. How they were raised shows up a lot in their adult life. These people enjoy routine. These people also love the thought of continuous things. These people don’t like forming deep relationships with new people. They will try to make things work. They will be very loyal people. Aquarius is known to be flaky. But they’ll be there for those who give them space and don’t conflict with their decisions and beliefs.

(Aquarius, Taurus, Leo, & Scorpio)

Thank you all for reading. I’m open for doing synastry readings and natal chart readings all week. Make sure to book your reading in my bio. Again, thank you all for reading have a nice day!

[sturnioloshacker]

concert kiss - a matt sturniolo short

a/n: requested by anon; lowercase intended

summary: a kiss between good friends becomes a social media sensation and sends the sturniolo fanbase into a frenzy

matt was thrilled to surprise y/n with tickets to see cigarettes after sex, knowing it was her favourite band. 

“oh my gosh, matty! you’re the best! thank you, thank you, thank you!” the girl gushed, hugging matt with everything she had. 

“anything for my girl,” he says, heart skipping a beat after calling her his girl as they aren’t in a relationship. 

the atmosphere at the concert was enchanting, with the band's dreamy tunes setting the perfect mood. the pair found themselves drawn to each other, enjoying the music, being cute and touchy, yet aware they weren't officially dating. as the night progressed, the chemistry between them grew stronger. finally, he mustered the courage to kiss her during a particularly intimate moment in the performance. little did they know, a zealous fan had recorded the entire encounter and shared it online.

the next morning, matt woke up to a social media storm over the pair kissing. fans were divided - some were supportive, gushing over the newfound romance, while others criticised the invasion of privacy. he woke up y/n to show her the drama that they caused. amid the chaos, they decided to embrace their connection, letting the world see their genuine feelings for each other. through the ups and downs of public opinion, matt and y/n crafted their own romantic narrative, navigating the challenges of newfound fame and the intensity of fan reactions.

as time passed, the couple remained strong, learning to balance their private moments with the public eye. the shared love for cigarettes after sex became the soundtrack to their unique love story, proving that sometimes, unexpected twists can lead to the most beautiful adventures.

[starii-void]

there were other ways calypso and leo’s relationship couldve been written, in this essay i will

this isnt a hot take at all but caleo just has. so many problems. im not gonna list em but anyone who’s read hoo and toa knows

so how could it have been written better? here are my (a non writer who has shit articulation) opinions, please be nice

1. They date, then break up

this feels like a likely thing to happen bcs as we know, leo is notoriously flirty and seeking relationships and calypso falls in love REAL easily. so ofc, being stuck on an island together with no other company for like weeks on end would lead to a relationship of some kind. though i think that relationship would most likely be. unhealthy.

so yeah, theyd get together, but itd probably start showing problems very quickly as we see in TOA. but from there, i think they shouldve broken up. maybe it could be caused by an outside intervention from someone who. maybe has better experience with healthy relationships. jiper being an example, since they broke up after piper realized their relationship was basically started with lies.

once they broke up, leo could learn that romance isnt a cure all (cough rick cough) and that he doesnt need a partner to ‘fit in’. the whole seventh wheel thing was a big part of his characterization so i think unlearning that whole mess would be a good thing for him, esp since TOA had a lot of ‘growing and developing and changing’ as a theme. he could learn to define and support himself outside of his relationship with women (mommy issuesss)

calypso could also learn to support herself and have relationships with people that arent unrequited crushes, what with how her only human interaction was with random men who couldnt stay.

2. They stay as friends

Basically same character benefits as the last one, just different methods.

Leo realizes he doesnt like calypso in that way on the island during that time itself, maybe due to self reflection or something. maybe they have an intervention/impromptu therapy session or something and figure themselves out. not like they have much else to do on the island

this way, we get to see him figure out (is that the right word?) that being friends w/ women isnt automatically a gateway to romance. that its not so simple. that he can have close friends without having to date anyone (+ possible aro rep here but thats just me projecting) then from there, he can develop this further and come to terms that he doesnt need a romantic relationship to be loved etc etc

3. They stay together, but it’s established as. not good

now for this one i think its less likely since this entire thing is still sorta a kids book series and authors dont usually include these types of topics without it being resolved, but it is something to think about

caleo’s relationship in TOA felt pretty icky at least to me, so i imagine it isnt setting the best example for kids if its portrayed as normal/a good thing

in this method, their relationship could stay but just be more established as not normal and unhealthy bcs. it kinda is

anyways thats my ted talk. please dont kill me im bad at articulating

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

What are your opinions on more „popular“ salt takes about Adrien and Mari, like the typical „Adrichat is an ass for for flirting with LB after she rejects him“ and „Maribug us a horrible stalker“?

Well, I'd be lying if I said that I have no idea where they're coming from. There are definitely times when I'll watch an episode and wonder what in the world the writers are trying to do, especially when it comes to Adrien's behavior as it's played a lot more straight than Marinette's. While I don't like her behavior at times, it's almost always treated as a joke, not a dramatic character beat whereas I cannot say the same for Adrien.

But these are characters in a TV show, not real people and we need to keep that in mind when judging them. It's why my go-to thought is "what is wrong with the writing staff" and not "Adrien is an incel." Because Adrien is very clearly not supposed to be an incel. Unless the writers are plotting something truly asinine, the Love Square is our end game couple. We are supposed to view Adrien as a charming and funny romantic lead. When he falls short of that role, it's not Adrien "showing his true colors." He's a fictional character. He has no true colors. If his actions and words are ever unbecoming for a romantic lead, it's because the writers are failing to write Adrien the way they want us to see him.

They consistently do this to all of the characters. Alya's supposed to be an awesome friend and a smart journalist (I think), but she can't see through Lila's BS. Marinette's parents are supposed to be loving and supportive, but they randomly believed that their daughter stole from their bakery to make a dress and didn't even try to let her explain herself. Nino is supposed to be the Chosen of Protection, but he didn't care to protect his best friend and just happily sent Gabriel on a rampage without a second thought.

Give me a character and I can point to a bunch of episodes that justify every salty take this fandom has because they're not pulling this stuff from thin air. They're picking and choosing the worst writing in the show and venting about it, which is frankly understandable. Like I get why there are so many Alya salt fics. Her writing in the Lila episodes is infuriating and I do find those fics a little cathartic at times. But it's really, really obvious that she's not supposed to be a terrible friend. She's a victim of the writers drawing the Lila plot line out for far too long and making Lila's lies far too obvious.

Similarly, a lot of the issues with Adrien and Marinette stem from the fact that you simply can't draw a romance plot out for five seasons without causing issues unless you make the romance a background plot. But they didn't do that. The love square is front and center for most episodes, but since it can't actually resolve, the writers keep adding drama that makes our leads feel horribly unhealthy.

On the Marinette side, her not being able to talk to Adrien was fine as an initial issue, but we are five seasons into this show. Over 100 episodes! You reach a point where it stops being cute and starts being concerning. It's also not helped by the fact that Marinette's crush is written like a celebrity crush and not a crush on someone she actually knows. Daily exposure to Adrien should mellow her out. Especially since he's supposed to be her friend! But if the writers let Marinette talk to Adrien, then they'd grow closer and might feel like they had to get together, so they couldn't let that. Thus Marinette being a disaster for four seasons and the terrible shoehorned plot to try and justify it in season five.

On the Adrien side, they let Chat Noir confess too soon. Prior to that, the Ladynoir relationship was a playful one where it was feasible that Ladybug just viewed her kitty as a massive flirt. This was especially true since he flirts with everyone. But once she knew that he was serious? The playfulness vanished and Chat Noir started coming across as entitled and pushy. It didn't help that they had him ignoring her preferences ("Don't call me Bugaboo") and getting them in trouble by not taking his job seriously (his flirting getting them hit in Oblivio).

In summary, the love square should have been resolved much sooner or been relegated to a b plot that got far less attention. I also would have reversed the square since it makes for a far more interesting story that you can organically draw out longer, but that's just me. I don't have any issue with people ignoring the canon problems and just writing Adrien and Marinette as the cute couple that they were obviously intended to be. I also enjoy fics that treat Adrien's pushiness as a character flaw that can be resolved because that's what canon should have done. His issues aren't the mark of a terrible person. They're the understandable flaws of a teenager who is in love for the first time and doesn't know how to express himself. If a show would actually address this kind of common tween/teen issue, then a lot of kids would get an incredibly valuable lesson that would help them when they grow up and fall in love. If you're ever watching Miraculous with a kid, I strongly encourage you to approach Adrien's character from that perspective. Talk about why his actions are understandable, but ultimately wrong and more likely to push someone away than win their heart just like we see with Ladybug.

[nenelonomh]

resolving conflict in relationships

what is conflict?

conflict refers to a serious disagreement or argument about something important. when two people or groups are in conflict, they have had a significant disagreement or argument and have not yet reached an agreement.

conflict can arise from divergent ideas, interests, or opposing principles.

in relationships, conflict can manifest as tensions between people. when handled constructively, relationship conflict can lead to growth, and create problem-solving skills and deeper understanding. however, unresolved or unhealthy conflict can strain relationships, and even impact physical health.

common causes of relationship conflict

this by no means only applies to romantic relationships - in fact, it is best to apply this to any relationship, even one as simple as you and your bus driver.

here are some frequent causes of relationship conflicts:

problematic behaviors

communication issues

unresolved disagreements

differences in opinions and values

jealousy

unequal contributions

differences in expectations

life changes

sam's story

my close friend, sam, recently told me a story of how she and a friend of hers (let's call her maya) had a misunderstanding - and how it hurt their friendship.

maya had a beautiful silver bracelet, a family heirloom. it was delicate, with intricate patterns etched into each link. she wore it every day.

one evening, they both attended a crowded party. music blared, and people danced. in the chaos, sam accidentally bumped into maya, and her bracelet slipped off her wrist. they searched frantically, but it was gone.

maya cried. the bracelet was irreplaceable and meant a lot to her. sam felt terrible and guilty. their friendship strained under the weight of the lost bracelet. maya withdrew, and sam didn't blame her.

weeks passed, and they barely spoke.

one afternoon, sam found an old shoebox in her closet. inside was the missing bracelet. she had picked it up that night at the party, intending to return it, but fear held her back. fear that may would be angry, and that their friendship would shatter.

sam called her immediately - told maya that she had found her bracelet. she confessed everything. maya listened without interrupting.

maya admitted to being hurt. but not because of the bracelet. because sam didn't trust her enough to tell her.

they met at a cafe, and maya wore the bracelet. they spoke for hours, about trust, forgiveness, and the fragility of friendship. they laughed about the lost bracelet, how it nearly cost them their friendship. they promised to communicate better.

sam and maya's conflict was resolved by communicating clearly.

how to resolve conflict

initiate a conversation: let the person who you're having conflict with know that you’d like to discuss the issue. choose a neutral setting and give them advance notice to avoid catching them off guard.

use 'i' statements: focus on your feelings and thoughts. for example, say, "i feel hurt when…” rather than blaming or accusing.

listen actively: hear the other person's perspective without interrupting. they may not realize the impact of their actions.

seek a compromise: healthy relationships involve compromise. be willing to give a little to allow your friend to get a little. it’s not about winning or losing but finding common ground.

assess objectively: if you reach a stalemate, step back and evaluate whether your assessment is objective. sometimes we’re too emotionally invested to see clearly.

relationships thrive when both parties work together to resolve conflicts.

further reading

Confronting Conflict With Friends | Psychology Today

Ways to Resolve Conflict with a Friend | The Social Skills Center

Resolving Conflict in Friendships | Issues I Face

Effects of Conflict and Stress on Relationships | verywellmind

Relational Conflict: How To Manage Conflict In A Relationship | My People Patterns

end notes

hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful!

❤️nene

image source: pinterest

[part-time-zombie]

What's your thoughts on sides & their relationship with each other?

I'm a multishipper when it comes to the sides (except for remrom) but I also love their relationships regardless of if they're romantic or otherwise, since it's the dynamics between the characters that draw me in and they don't necessarily need to be romantic to be compelling in my own opinion.

I especially love the development and arc between Roman and Virgil, and how they grew from being enemies at the start to best friends now. They've both changed so much since the start of the series, and alot of that growth comes from them getting closer to each other over the years.

I also really hope we get to see more of what happened between Virgil and Janus. It's very clear that something had gone on in their past to make Virgil so resentful of the dark sides nowadays, and I can't wait to find out what it was.

A relationship I think deserves more attention is that of Patton and the dark sides, particularly regarding Virgil and Remus.

Patton worked very hard to be accepting and welcoming of Virgil, but by doing so he only strained their relationship further in the long run by overstepping his boundaries and repeatedly downplaying his edge despite his protests. While his intentions were to help Virgil be less of a threat to the others and therefore be accepted into the group quicker, it certainly wasn't appreciated by Virgil with how it disregarded his role. This, coupled with Patton's current readiness to welcome the two sides Virgil distrusts the most, makes for a rocky relationship indeed.

Meanwhile, Patton and Remus is interesting because it almost seems to be heading in the opposite direction. Patton clearly disliked Remus at first, calling him "evil" and rejecting everything about him. However, once he realized that he was hurting Thomas by doing so, Patton was willing to be more accepting of Remus, even thanking him for showing up in lighter asides. I honestly think they'd get along well personality-wise, with their shared love of well-meaning chaos, complicated games/pranks, and general shenanigans. Of course, there's alot for them to unpack before they can get there. From what we've seen so far, it looks like Patton is mostly (if not primarily) responsible for Remus being a separate side from Roman, since his insistence on "good" and "bad" lead to the separation of creativity as a concept to fit into his dichotomy. Patton caused the rift between the sides and some of them (including/especially remus) being tucked away and filed as evil, and it's fascinating to consider how he might try to make up for that now, and if his attempts will work out.

There's so much to look into with how the sides interact with each other and how their roles potentially impact that, and I cannot wait to see more of their relationships with each other.

[cherrytimemachine]

Breakdown: Star Saber, since you got an ask about Deathsaurus :D

Oh, I have shit to say about him.

How I feel about this character: He has so much potential to be expanded on in other series and I'm upset that no one includes him in anything! He's like a little nesting doll like Magnus in MTMTE and I love him. He's the original little man. I do think he should be allowed to have a star on his armor though, just to stay on brand. :)

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Y'know, I don't really have a ship for Star Saber. I like the Deathsaurus rivalry being homoerotic as more of a joking thing, since it's so personal and Deathsaurus has a giant gun connected directly to his crotch but other than that, to me he's just a single dad trying his best.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: This one I have a few for. I'm a fan of the rivalry dynamic between him and Deathsaurus, but I also like the bromances going on with Ginrai/Victory Leo and Greatshot. There's one episode of Victory where Star Saber goes on a mission and the cons replace him with one of their crew dressed up as him in order to infiltrate their base, and Victory Leo is the only one who's like "This guy is sus. Not my Star Saber," the whole time and he was right. And Star Saber didn't give up on him, even when his new body was causing him to be really aggressive and unpredictable for a while. Because that was his friend, and Star Saber wasn't going to give up on him.

His relationship with Greatshot is so interesting to me because of who Greatshot is and how that plays into his character development. Greatshot was a former Decepticon himself (likely Sixshot but it's never confirmed in the series), and he spends his days hunting down Decepticon criminals. He's a lone wolf with a bone to pick, and Star Saber welcomes him into his family with open arms. Greatshot doesn't spend a lot of time there, but he comes around every once in a while, and Star Saber showed his trust in Greatshot by appointing him a temporary leader in place of Victory Leo (I think, it's been a while since I watched the show). Greatshot was stunned by that and wasn't sure he was fit to be a leader, but he accepted because he trusted Star Saber's judgement. Star Saber taught him that he could be soft at times, that he was allowed to care and let go of his anger once in a while. It's unfortunate that he left, never to be seen again in the end.

Last but not least, Dai Atlas. I really liked the idea of them being fencing rivals like in the Animated lore. Both him and Star Saber are leader figures with different approaches to how they run their teams. While Dai Atlas was more reserved and stoic, Star Saber was more inclined to lead with a passion. Not to say that Star Saber wasn't serious or Dai Atlas was uncaring, but their personalities were different in how they led. Star Saber was once part of the Circle of Light before the war broke out, so Dainty Atlas acted as his mentor and peer among others. It was Dai Atlas he often asked advice from. He was wise for his youth despite his cold demeanor. Star Saber felt like he let Dai Atlas down, both when he admitted to killing the Predacon tribe, and when he left the Circle of Light to join the Autobot army. He felt too ashamed to come back to Crystal City for a long time.

My unpopular opinion about this character: I don't think this is an unpopular opinion by any means, but I wish Star Saber had been written with his Victory personality in mind. While I like how the comics gave more noble characters flaws that made them feel more real, I think Star Saber as a religious zealot went further than a 180° in his personality. Star Saber in Victory was a caring leader who adopted a human son and even sent him to school. Star Saber in MTMTE hates anyone he doesn't deem worthy enough in their worship of Primus. If anything, I think that would be an interesting idea for Nova Prime instead of Star Saber. There is some good potential for a character to be an entitled religious villain who weaponizes the word of Primus to suit their own desires.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: He should be in more stuff. He hasn't been in hardly anything aside from Victory and MTMTE for a brief period. Other than that, there are no notable versions of his character aside from that. Let him be a good natured Autobot general who has a past he regrets. Let him be someone who once took part in the culture of elitism and actively benefited from it. In my AU, he was the captain of the Elite Guard while Sentinel was Prime, so he still took orders from the Prime despite being in charge. Because of his comfortable religious background, he considered all manners of life under the lens of Neoprimalism, and his initial reaction to the Predacon tribes was to consider them savage beasts. No one knew back then that Predacons were intelligent beings, nor did they know they could transform, so they were considered an entirely separate species. He's aware he can't make up for his mistakes, and he can't reverse the damage, but there isn't anything he can do to make it better. He's never apologized because he feels it would be even more hurtful to act as if he deserved forgiveness after he participated in violent killings. It bothers him frequently.

[dufferpuffer]

hi! i love your metas of Remus and other hp stuff, it seems pretty much canon complicated to me, and i love it more than fanon alpha version of Remus and his relationship with others

but also i wanna ask bc i see that opinion and i wanna know what you think of it: is Remus is abuser? abuser to Snape, to Tonks, to other possible romantic/platonic partner or friend?

and if he IS a abuser is it possible to him to be heal? especially in AU without V and war when his friends were alright and with him ( in canon world if he survived it also interesting 🤔)

*sorry for bad grammar English is not my first language, its pretty third and its really bad🥲

I wouldn't say Remus is an abuser - but he does have toxic, harmful habits that could lead to being abusive if he isn't careful and doesn't have support.

He does unhealthy things out of fear, trauma and trying to protect himself and others... but they are almost always mistakes.

This can very easily lead to being an abuser. He does HURT Tonks. It isn't fair to her. But I don't think it crosses over into abusing her (yet), because he is struggling to do the right thing in difficult times.

There is a war, they are being hunted, he is a werewolf, she has an unplanned pregnancy only weeks after he married her... that's all very difficult, and he has always tried to solve problems by removing himself from them. He knows he can be irresponsible, he knows he is dangerous - and he is doing his best not to cause more problems for people he loves. He isn't being 'unreasonable' by leaving - just mistaken and hurtful.

Abuse can be repeated toxic behaviour with no attempt to fix it... but generally it has a goal, you know? Leaving when you get scared or overwhelmed is different to trying to make someone act a certain way by leaving/threatening to leave.

Remus doesn't want Tonks to change - other than maybe give up on him. He isn't trying to control her. He's just struggling mentally.

If he continued this pattern and never tried to change - yes that would be abusive, hurting her over and over for his own comfort. But we see him trying to change in the last book when he went back. He is already healing, thanks to their friends supporting him.

Was Remus abusive to Severus? Yeah.

As a kid AND as an adult. As a kid he was more 'a willing bystander' - but at least TRIED to defend Severus a little by telling his friends to stop. It isn't good enough, he was still being bad, but he was a kid. He was more of a bully as an adult: he liked putting Severus in tough positions where he couldn't talk or act freely - and had to do what Remus said. He lied to him, embarrassed him - and had fun with it.

In a relationship... I don't think he would want to do that. I don't think he COULD do it. Severus wouldn't let him. Severus was a dog on a leash as a teacher, he had rules to follow. As a boyfriend? He would stand up for himself more. Severus is a very strong man, and Remus is very weak.

However, Severus is weak to feeling unlovable and having his trust broken. Remus leaving, over and over... that'd hurt Severus deeply.

Severus finally opening his heart to someone who seems to understand him, who loves him despite his 'flaws'... only to have them constantly want to leave him alone whenever there's an issue? Severus has to solve all the problems by himself because Remus only wants to be around when things are good and easy and nice...?

It might bring out Severus' own toxic behaviour - being controlling, angry, cruel, unreasonable. They might BOTH become abusive.

Severus tries to control Remus with anger, demands and threats - and Remus tries to stop him by threatening to pull out his love. But pulling away his love is what scares Severus the most, once he is used to having it... which makes him more angry.

In a world without Voldemort/War...

Hm... this would be a world where his friends survived. Where James and Lily raised Harry, where Sirius was a godfather, where Peter wasn't a piece of shit... It's just so different. Remus would have money, safety, love... At the same time, his friends encouraged his bad habits: taking risks, ignoring responsibilities, treating his condition lightly... But he had support. He had many people he trusted that showed him 'It isn't so bad, being a werewolf. We love you as you are.'

I think part of his toxic 'leaving' behaviour is from childhood: he grew up without friends, and every time anyone suspected he was a werewolf his family had to move house. But it was made worse when all his friends 'died'. Overnight he lost everyone, and his sick self-hating brain said 'None of this would have happened if I wasn't a werewolf. It's MY fault.'

If that never happened...? I think he would have been a healthier man. A more confident man, one that just had a 'furry little problem.' If he got in a relationship with someone - his friends would NEVER let him just 'run away' when he got scared.

~~~

I think if he went off on his own, tried to have a relationship in secret without any friends to help... he would eventually become abusive. He is a very broken person who hates himself, but is desperate to feel love and acceptance. That isn't easy to heal, especially by yourself. One person can't heal it for him, either - Tonks alone isn't enough.

He needs many people patting him and telling him he is a good boy. He needs to know he isn't just loved, but he belongs - he doesn't need to run.

[prettyrealm]

ateez san as a boyfriend reading

this reading is a paid commission, thank you so much for trusting in me! <3

overall:

definitely the type to try and make sure his partner is free from all worries and concerns, whether it be emotional or material. he isn’t the type to believe you can buy love and doesn’t approach relationships from that angle (he’s giving and wants you to have everything your heart desires, but he knows money can’t solve problems nor can it make someone actually like you), he likes a lot of hand holding and just touching/being close to his partner. he doesn’t have to think too hard and relationships seem to flow freely for him. he’s definitely the type to take his partner on trips or travel the world with them and have them celebrate his successes with him. he knows how to be very harmonious with his partner in a sense that he can be very intuitive and know the right things to say, the right times to reach out and how to go about things in general. i really do think he puts in the effort to make it feel like the relationship is destined to be (he may even be the type to say this a lot), or as if him and his partner lucked up in an unimaginable way. i do get the feeling though he may like or just attract a lot of “crazy” types and date people others wouldn’t expect him to.

strengths:

very motivational boyfriend - he will push you and encourage you to reach your goals, well off - he has a lot of financial freedom and isn’t stingy when it comes to this, he loves spending on his lover & spoiling them with gifts (“my money is yours”), doesn’t try to rush into things to quickly and is fine with taking it slow, doesn’t care what others think or let their opinions sway his perception of the people he dates - he likes who he likes, very fun to attend parties & social gatherings with, knows how to make his partners feel very comfortable and relaxed when with him, & he’s good at keeping the connection exciting and enjoyable.

weaknesses:

he can be too delusional about romantic connections & think things are going better than they actually are, i think he’s devoted to ideals or principles that may dictate his life & cause problems in his relationships (trying to make his partner conform to these ideals or just being overbearing about it in general), he thinks he can do no wrong & that he’s always pushing the relationship in the correct direction, dependent, loses interest quickly (one day you’re the hottest person he ever met and he’s completely mesmerized, then all of a sudden your spark is gone and he doesn’t exactly know why), may only date people he sees on the same level as him (elitist), and may judge harshly and put the women he dates in boxes like good girl/bad girl.

what type of relationship is he looking for?

right now, he wants a relationship with a connection so strong that it motivates him to want to create and be his best artistically. he wants a relationship he won’t ever get bored or tired of or ever grow out of (like a permanent honeymoon phase, he never wants them to lose their spark and that seems to be a reoccurring problem he’s had in the past. i think he’s the type to end it quickly if he’s not feeling it anymore), he may like the idea of ending up with a childhood friend or just someone who gets how he grew up/was raised in a similar manner or environment, he wants a connection where they both can go through different transitional phases of life and learn with eachother, a relationship where they both can successfully prioritize goals and make difficult decisions together, an honest and responsible connection where his partner genuinely needs and appreciates him & a connection where he takes the lead.

[jade-green-butterfly]

Greatly inspired by my good friend, @mintsuwu's take on this cool relationship chart @valentinbelleyh505 did (along with the relationships for her own own adorable OC, LoolaLamb and our recent RP~ c: Thank-you so much, dears!💕) I decided to a shot at it myself with my very own lil' critter, DeerDelight~🦋🦌 As you can see, DeerDelight gets along with everyone in the group ^.^ Allow me to go into further detail! :3 DogDay: DeerDelight has had feelings for DogDay from the moment they met. She is deeply charmed by his sunny personality, empathy, leadership and positivity. Enamoured with him even, which leads to her great inspiration to write her plays and poems with a romantic theme (even love letters~). DeerDelight loves to shower DogDay with much affection and praise whenever she can, much to his confusion, though he does his best to reciprocate her feelings, since he liked her a lot from the start and is intrigued by her performing art skills. Although DeerDelight secretly wishes for DogDay to feel the same way about her as she strongly feels about him, she is patient. Though it may come true someday when she least expects it...~ Bobby BearHug: With Bobby being the most loving and affectionate of the group, DeerDelight finds comfort in sharing her romantic poems and plays with Bobby the most. Bobby takes such thrill and excitement into reading them, finding them so romantic~ She even gives DeerDelight some love advice and suggestions if needed, for Bobby really hopes she and DogDay will be together someday~ CraftyCorn: When it comes to sharing their love for artistic passions and representations with one another, DeerDelight and CraftyCorn are like two peas in a pod. Sometimes, you'll find DeerDelight being a model for one of Crafty's paintings, her being the most expressive of the critters. They also have a dear sisterly relationship between them, DeerDelight being quite protective of CraftyCorn now and again as she attempts to comfort her if needed to. Kickin'Chicken: According to Kickin', DeerDelight was the first to 'appreciate his talent', much to Hoppy's disbelief. Despite him being whiny, dramatic and loud when she first arrived, DeerDelight has always nice to the cool critter and has taken a liking to him. This caused Kickin' to develop a little crush on her, though he tries not show it. But over time, after seeing how much DeerDelight loves DogDay, she and Kickin'Chicken remain besties to this day, and he supports and respects her feelings for the happy leader, though he likes to tease her about it now and again~ Hoppy Hopscotch: DeerDelight admires Hoppy for her outgoing personality and great determination. Sometimes, Hoppy likes to get DeerDelight to join in with her games and try new things. At the time, she enjoyed teasing Kickin' about his small crush on DeerDelight, and theorized that there was a love triangle between them and DogDay. Bubba BubbaPhant: Bubba, being the brightest critter of the group, has always impressed DeerDelight with his intelligence and wisdom, especially when it comes to cracking math problems. She always asks for his opinion or solution if there's ever a problem, and sees him as a brotherly figure. He's also the one who usually translates her dramatic dialogue if the others are unsure what it means. PickyPiggy: While not eating, Picky is curious about DeerDelight's work and likes to ask her questions, which she is happy to answer. Even when Picky is eating when hanging out with DeerDelight, she likes to offer a bite. She is mostly the one who asks what DeerDelight's dramatic dialogue means when used.

CatNap: Although she is friends with him and they get along, just like the other critters, DeerDelight finds CatNap to be quite a mysterious fellow, but obviously not in a bad way. She does wonder about him now and again, so the feeling is quite neutral between them. On a fun note, she often carry him if he suddenly falls asleep during the critters' antics. 'Phew'...there we go!��Hope you all like, I had real fun making this!👍🏻✨

*~Reblogs are also deeply appreciated as well, so please do reblog as well as like! Thank-you kindly!~*

Smiling Critters (c) Poppy Playtime/Mob Entertainment DeerDelight (c) @jade-green-butterfly (Me~!) Relationship Chart (c) @valentinbelleyh505

[pimento-playing-hopscotch]

hill you will die on for lonestar, please

Oh there are so many, but my biggest one is-

Killing off TK’s mom was such a wasted opportunity and so, so lazy.

Partly because it bugs me shows still go to the killing off moms in shows for drama in general- but mainly because the other two times LS has killed off the loved one of a family member, it has made more sense for the show than it did with Gwyn’s death.

We saw very little of Gwyn before she died - like before the episode of her death, she and TK literally had one scene that was canon and not a coma dream (and it’s hard to count that because as a lawyer, Gwyn’s reaction to Carlos unilaterally buying a place would seem to be more along the lines of “he did WHAT” not “ohh how romantic!”)

And I know this is because Gwyn isn’t in town but considering they had her go through with the pregnancy, that it didn’t have complications, she had the baby, and TK has a half brother- (another hill attached to this one; why would they do this storyline if intended to abandon it- like that kid is a piece of TK’s mother out there walking around that seems like someone TK would want to keep up with- but we were told in season four Tarlos haven’t been to New York together yet).

And we knew that TK is close with both of his parents, but also, we were robbed of getting to see him introduce the best person he’s ever been with to his mom or have his mom meet his friends or commenting how much his brother is like him- we didn’t get any of that, because she was very far removed from the story and they still killed her off.

Which the only way this would have made somewhat sense to me was if this was what made TK’s sobriety be jeopardized- but no, to do that, they used an incident that was not TK’s fault in any way, shape or form and shouldn’t have been counted as relapsing.

And (call me Jake Peralta cause I’m about to monologue, son) the thing that bothers me most about this is they used her death to push this narrative of “Gwyn is the only parent TK has ever known, because his father has not been there for him once in his life”- which they really stuck with in season three and that really just makes me sad, because I don’t believe TK would’ve have agreed to Austin- or become a firefighter at all for that matter if that were true.

Like I know this won’t be a popular opinion, but Gabriel’s death made so much sense for the show and for storytelling, especially because of the nature of his relationship with Carlos- and also- we got three seasons of Gabriel.

Compared to the amount of time we actually got to see TK and his mother together, which was crumbs compared to the amount of time Carlos’s relationship with his father got-

Like I just wish Gwyn could have been as important a character alive as she was when she had passed away.

(And seriously- why would they do the baby storyline if they were never going to bring it up again. I need this explained to me- there was ZERO mention of him leading up to TK’s wedding- WHY.

Thank you for the ask 🥰

[ltwharfy]

"Bob's Burgers" Season 9 Episode Ranking Rewatch (Long Post)

So, I've been rewatching "Bob's Burgers" from the beginning and ranking the episodes using the spreadsheet that @babsvibes created! If you want to know why I'm doing this or how I view the 1-5 rating scale, you can check out my Season 1 post! If you want to check out any of the other seasons, I've been using the "bob's burgers episode ranking rewatch" tag for all of them.

Now, on to Season 9:

Average (Mean) Score: 4.55

Mode (Most Common) Ranking: 5

Ranking Breakdown: 12 5s 10 4s

Season as a whole thoughts:

"Bob's Burgers" is turning nine and it's feeling *uses inhaler* fine!

Seriously, this is just another really excellent season in my opinion. It joins Season 4 and 8 as one of the seasons to not getting any episodes rated lower than a 4, and it's average score is good enough for 4th place of the currently ranked seasons below 7, 4, and 5. In some ways, it reminds me a lot of Season 7- a great mix of humor and heart along with introducing some new characters and other innovations- it's definitely representative of the series at its best, in my opinion.

Some thoughts on specific episodes (and feel free to ask if you want my thoughts on an episode I didn't comment on):

"Just One of the Boyz 4 Now for Now": It's a tough call, but this might be my favorite season premiere and my favorite "musical episode" (ie: one with more than the typical 1-2 songs). All the songs are absolute classics and great parodies of romantic comedy tropes! it's really a brilliant episode. It's hard to name a favorite song, but I think I might have to go with "Friend Zone" just because "Now let's kiss over this cake/'Cause it's your birthday, I guess" always cracks me up. The baby rat subplot is also really fun, and a great use of Hugo. And this episode gives us another (brief) appearance of Louise's Boo Boo crush, which is one of my favorite running gags! A great way to start the season.

"The Taking of Funtime One Two Three": While we're on the subject of great songs (or we were recently) "let an egg roll, from your egg hole" and "if wooly mammoths had had wheels maybe they'd still be around" are among the "Bob's Burgers" song lyrics that are always living in my head. Sadly, I rarely have an occasion to say either of them in conversation. I do like to say "To what end, people?!" occasionally, so thanks for that, Trip. Anyway, this is another classic "The Belcher Kids and their friends have an adventure episode" with a healthy does of Mr. Fischoeder and some fun moments with Yuli the security guard, one of my favorite minor recurring characters.

"Tweentrepreneurs": I love this episode because it helped inspire one of my favorite future career headcanons for Louise (and an outlined multichapter fic I'll probably never write). While taking over the restaurant or being a film director seem like the most obvious future career for Louise, this episode has the biggest of about three canon moments that inspired my "Louise Belcher, future labor union organizer" headcanon. I worked in the labor movement for several years and I just think would Louise would love it- taking on the rich and powerful, helping other people stand up for themselves, causing good trouble- it's a really good fit for her. And here she is, leading a walkout at age 9! (And, given my fondness for her relationship with Rudy, I have to mention that it's her concern for his health that is the final straw leading to the walkout.)

"Nightmare on Ocean Avenue Street": Probably my favorite Halloween episode; definitely has my two favorite Halloween costumes! Rudy and Bob are probably the two characters I relate to the most, and it cracks me up that their costumes in this episode are totally things I would do: "what? It might look like I'm wearing normal clothes, but actually I'm totally Paul Rudd or Bruce Springsteen, can't you tell?!" Also, I don't think I've mentioned before how much I love the guy who's about to throw the candy into the incinerator. He's really one of my favorite one-off characters. Dude just got out of six month coma, doesn't know what day it is, still goes to work...and apparently will just throw anything into the incinerator that anybody tells him to (unless he gets a more compelling reason not to)? I think he might rank second after the "Boyz 4 Now" security guard as my favorite nameless one-off character.

"I Bob Your Pardon": Maybe my third or fourth favorite Thanksgiving episode! I've always had an interested in politics and journalism (I wanted to be a journalist when I was a kid) so this hilarious small town Thanksgiving turkey pardoning scandal really hits a lot of the right notes for me. If I had become a journalist, I definitely would've stolen "Well, somebody better call Huey Lewis because I may have found myself some news" as my catchphrase. And the end credits song is a total banger! "Don't you taint my mayor!"

"Better Off Sled": An excellent Christmas episode! Generally speaking, Louise and Logan's dynamic isn't really my jam, but I enjoy them here. The one-upsmanship of the snowball arms race is a lot of fun, and the "stupid Christmas" ending is sweet but not too sweet and feels totally in character for Louise. Also, I can't help but love this exchange: "Then why does it look like your butt could take a sheet of fresh-baked cookies out of the oven?" "Genetics?" (Kristen Schaal's delivery of "genetics?" is one of at least three times on the series when she absolutely kills me with her delivery of a single word). All that being said, I think Teddy is the real comedic MVP of this episode- pretty much everything he says cracks me up! And I love that Rudy is basically the one who saves the day for the Belcher kids! And Knitcracker, I can't believe I didn't mention Knitcracker yet! (That said, it's still not my favorite Christmas episode since it doesn't involve any references to murder mannequins.)

"The Helen Hunt": I feel like this might be one of my least popular shipping opinions but...I like Teddy/Kathleen! Not in the sense that I want to create fic or art for them, but I just think they are kind of sweet together. Like with Roger and Judy from "Aquaticism" they have that "awkward middle-aged people finding each other" vibe that this awkward middle-aged single person finds appealing. And I think her pretty easygoing, laidback nature is a nice contrast to how stressed out/excitable Teddy can be. And I always enjoy people who watch odd sports! Okay, Teddy/Kathleen aside, I also just enjoyed that they did a followup to "Housetrap", and the father and hot son plumbing duo subplot is so cute! "You, you make plumbing fun..."

"Bed, Bob, and Beyond": One of the things I've noticed in this rewatch, is that I really enjoy the three-story episodes (aka vignette episodes aka triptychs aka who knows what else some folks have called them.) I think what I really enjoy is that the reason for them is always different, and therefore it always says something different about the characters and their situations. it's not just the Simpsons having a trio of non-canon Halloween adventures ever year. I think showing Linda and Bob having a stupid fight, and the kids view of it and their efforts to get them to reconcile, was a really clever use of one of these stories. Also, if I am ever asked to do an English accent, I will likely say "I'm watching footie on the telly in the pubby where the beer is". (Which is probably offensive, so please don't ask me to do that!)

"Every Which Way But Goose": Another thing the rewatch has made me appreciate more: Jimmy Jr. and his relationship with Tina. I never hated J-Ju, but I will say that I probably took him and the Tinimmy relationship for granted- it's been there since almost the beginning but I never really thought much about it. But the rewatch has helped me realize how funny of a character J-Ju is (it's just a really funny voice by H. Jon Benjamin) and how the Tinimmy relationship has given us some really funny episodes- most notably this one and "Ex Mach Tina", which are both all-time classics in my book (and, of course, they play a big role in "Bob Actually" as well, but I like that one for other reasons as well.) To me, it's clear from this episode and others that J-Ju does care about Tina...he's just very much a 13 year old boy. So, he's occasionally thoughtful but more often dumb or oblivious. Also, the end credits song to this one is another classic. I wish I could go to a concert of "Bob's Burgers" music just so I could scream out "secret kiss with Bruce the Goose" with thousands of other excited concert goers, because that is what that lyric deserves, dammit!

"The Gene Mile": So, I recently posted about how much I enjoyed some of the Rudy moments in this one. This is another great "Belcher kids and their friends" adventure; and I really wish that Courtney and Alex had more appearances in stories like this- where they and their relationship with Gene isn't really the center of the story- they are just part of the gang! It's always fun to watch different combinations of the kids have fun together. Also, nice for Large Tommy to get his largest role- going back to Season 1 of the rewatch it's funny to think that he was introduced much earlier than some of Louise's more iconic classmates (Rudy, Chloe, Millie, Jessica, Harley, etc.).

"P.T.A. It Ain't So": I feel like this might be the first example in the rewatch of an episode that really grew on me. A lot of the episodes I've given 5s to were ones I remember loving as soon as I saw them. Or they were "sleeper hits" that I had basically forgotten about before rewatching. This episode I remember when I first saw it, and I remember thinking it was fine but nothing great. But on rewatches I just find myself enjoying it more and more. I really love the Kim and Sons hardware store bird subplot- especially the ridiculous flyer the kids make. Also, it's fun watching the kids play with their pipe in the background (such a great kids being kids moment)! But the PTA stuff is great too- I love the fact that Tammy's Dad is Linda's PTA bestie for some reason! And Linda's idea of Colleen being in the shark suit for the dramatic revelation! And the Bleach Boys! Also, as someone who headed a neighborhood political group for a while, Joanne's line "Do you have any idea how many emails I send a week? No, you don't because no one reads them" resonates with me.

Random thoughts (stuff that doesn't affect the ratings):

-More great new characters continue to arrive on the scene! Hi Susmita! Hi Arnold!

-I would totally watch Randy's movie "A Life, Well, Steved". "And I thought to myself, 'I can't take another hurdle. I think I am that baby turtle.'" That's some beautiful, profound stuff there.

See you in the Season 10 post! It could be pretty soon since I've already watched rated it all- just need time to write!

[lol-jackles]

Hello! I don’t suppose you watch Bridgerton, but something a little strange has happened there this season that I wanted your opinion on. Luke Newton (Colin Bridgerton) and Nicola Coughlan (Penelope Featherington) were leading this season, as each of the Bridgerton siblings has their own season. So this season was Colin’s, a friends-to-lovers trope.

Now, the way Luke and Nicola carried out press tours was *chef’s kiss*, handholding, talking about how they’d be jealous of each other’s future co-stars cuz they were each other’s leading people first, etc. Even the jealousy trope played out in the actual season was used as a quick, fun bait for fans during such interviews where if Penelope’s other suitor (Lord Debling) was talked about, Luke would act bothered. In short, they were perfectly in sync with each other and were all set for a beautiful season.

Understandably, the formula worked and people couldn’t be more excited for this supposed lightning in a bottle chemistry. But once the show opened, there seemed nothing there! It couldn’t really translate to the screen. The much muchhh hyped sex scenes (it was a running joke that the director ywlled ‘cut!’ but luke and nicola still kept going cause they hadn’t heard them, seemingly so lost in each other, and also another time that they broke furniture filming a scene) seem awkward at best. Rather than coming across as two people who have long known each other and so find security through extending their companionship into a romantic relationship, what we got came across as two teenagers engaging in an awkward, horny one night stand.

Netflix’s comments section is filled with people bashing them for different reasons. Perhaps they didn’t give their leads enough screen time in their own season, maybe they cut down on their steamy scenes, etc etc. but still, the scenes they did get together, like i said, didn’t do anything for the audience in the first place. On the contrary Kate and Anthony, the season 2 leads, have outstanding chemistry and during the moments they popped up this season, totally stole away the room.

This has got me thinking, why couldn’t the press tour magic translate on screen? And are there any notable instances where the red carpet/ on-screen disparity has come out so notably?

The romantic leads of the previous seasons went through chemistry auditions, so they were casted precisely because they have chemistry with each other. Nicola and Luke were cast primarily for their characters, and I doubt they went through chemistry auditions because producers didn't know if there will be more seasons as the odds are against any new shows. #NetflixCancelsEverything exist for a reason.

If fans found the sexual chemistry between Penelope and Colins lacking, then it's probably for the same reason why Friends Rachel and Joey hook up in season 6 had zero chemistry. While I'm sure Matt LeBlanc was game, Jennifer Aniston had worked with and known Matt for 6 years and saw him in the friend-brother zone. It was awkward for her. By the time Bridgerton season 3 rolled around, Nicola had worked and known Luke for 5-odd years and she saw him in the friend-brother-zone. It's awkward for her and Luke picked up on it and acts accordingly. I'm not blaming Jennifer or Nicola, I blame the writer/showrunner for seemingly forgetting two things: 1) just because a woman has friendly chemistry with men does not automatically mean romantic interest. It's a bane for many women in real life that their niceness gets misinterpreted by men to mean sexual opportunities, and 2) women friend-zone men for non-negotiable reason, because women are innately more selective because they have to be because the risks are so much higher for them than men.

Full disclaimer: with all three seasons I watch the first two or three episodes and then skip to the eighth episode. My nieces watched S1 first two episodes over one of the holidays at my house and while somewhat intrigued, I quickly figure out they were going to go through all the romantic tropes, so it was a nope for me, but I had to find out who Lady Whistledown was and skipped to the final episode. A habit I kept for the following 2 seasons and Queen Charlotte.

ETA: I liked how Penelope wanted to find a husband in order to get away from her own family, only for her marriage to actually draw her closer to her blood family by healing some of the rifts, and then saving her mother and paying for her sister's dream ball.

[where-theres-smoak-2]

I'm a ship and let ship kind of girl but one thing that does grind my gears a bit is those antis who deliberately tag there anti sylki posts in the sylki tag. I have got way too many newly blocked accounts since the finale its kind of disheartening and also annoying, its not that hard to probably tag your posts.

But anyway there were quite a few posts of antis gloating about a couple of interviews that Sophia did and claiming that she hates the sylki ship so I figure ok lets talk about these interviews. Here's the first one:

First off the part saying Sophia isn't super into the idea of sylki as a couple isn't a direct quote from Sophia, so this could be the interviewer paraphrasing or it could be the interviewers interpretation on Sophia's comments, either as its not a direct quote and I don't know what the context is I am taking that part with a whole handful of salt and disregarding it.

What Sophia did say was that sylki is weird because they variants of the same person and also that with everything they have gone through the relationship is complicated. It seems like antis saw the word weird and went oh bad, she must mean she hates them but when you actually look at the definition of the word weird it doesn't necessarily mean something bad. The definition from Cambridge dictionary is: very strange and unusual, unexpected, or not natural. The Merriam-Webster definition is: of strange or extraordinary character, of, relating to, or caused by witchcraft or the supernatural. Which lets be honest fits Sylki, they are unusual, strange, unexpected, extraordinary and you could argue with the whole variant thing its got that supernatural element to it as well. I mean them being weird is what makes them fun and entertaining to watch so honestly I'm not mad that she said they were weird.

Another thing to bear in mind is that we don't know the question that goes with this answer for all we know it could have been a very leading question like don't you think its weird they are both variants of the same person, or what do you think of shipping in general, we don't know so we don't have a whole lot of context even with her direct quote. But to me Sophia's answer just seems to be your standard diplomatic, vague, non-committal answer that most actors give when asked about ships which is I like my character and I want the best for them. Sadly we live in a world now where actors have to be very careful and ambiguous when talking about ships because if they say something that upsets one side they may get sent hate, from what I've heard Sophia has already been sent death threats and had other hate hurled at her so it would make sense to me that she wouldn't want to give anything but vague answers to any questions about ships.

But say Sophia really isn't that into Sylki as a romantic pairing, so what? She's allowed to like or dislike a pairing on a tv show just like anyone else, even if she's playing one half of the pairing. She wouldn't be the first actor to dislike a ship they are a part of or to prefer a different pairing for their character. She's a person like everyone else and she's allowed to have likes and dislikes and her own opinions. But trying to argue that the Sylki ship is dead because Sophia may or may not (seeing as this interview doesn't confirm either way) like the ship is absurd to me. Especially as we've already had the head writer and producer of the show confirm that they are canon and that it was their romance that was driving the show. Seeing as they are the ones that write the show and decides what happens, I think I'm ok if Sophia thinks the ship is weird somehow. Now if the producer of the show said that they didn't intend for my ship to be romantic and wrote them as just friends I might be upset and think my ship was dead. Luckily for me that isn't the case.

The other interview I've seen antis throwing about as evidence that Sophia hates the ship is this one where she is talking about their kiss:

This one just baffles me even more. Personally I just don't understand how someone reads this and jumps to she hates the ship and the ship is dead. They were the ones saying the kiss was nothing but a trick, a distraction. Now here we've got Sophia saying the same thing Sylki shippers were saying which is the kiss was more of a good bye kiss. Honestly I love what she said about how it was a thank you and a good bye, it showed how much of an impact Loki made on her, heartbreakingly though it just wasn't enough to break through that need to complete her mission. To be fair this mission was something that had fuelled her throughout her entire life, that pain and those scars left from HWR and the TVA run too deep, really she needed alot more time with Loki before being able to choose him over that mission, maybe if they had more time together before facing HWR it would have gone differently but sadly we'll never know. Sophia recently said in another interview that there is an unspoken agreement between Sylki that they can't kill each other. Which is what makes this moment so tragically beautiful in a way, she knows she can't let her mission go, but she also knows that he won't let her kill HWR, and she also knows that she can't kill Loki so in her eyes her only option was to push him through that time door. She knows that will break their relationship so she just wants one kiss, one moment to say thank you and to say goodbye. Sorry but this isn't what a dead ship looks like to me. A slightly broken one maybe but not dead.

Ok so this is off topic but its something I am curious about. This is more to do with what I saw in the main Loki tag so unrelated to the antis mis-tagging their hate posts, I don't want to lump regular Loki/mobius shippers in with them. But I saw some posts talking about there being a track named L*kius and some shippers felt they had been baited because there was a track on the official sound track with their ship name but the producers were saying it was meant as a friendship and even I thought that was an odd choice on the Loki teams part, but then I've just been listening to the official soundtrack by Natalie Holt, its as amazing as last seasons by the way so if you get the chance I would recommend checking it out, but there is no track on there with that name. I checked the official track list titles as well and I'm not seeing it. So what happened there, was someone trolling that fandom? In which case not cool, or was it just misinformation that was spread, I'm very confused because there were screenshots that looked legit. Saying that I was listening to an epic cover of the track titled Ascension on the official soundtrack pre-release and they had named it glorious purpose seeing as the official name of the track hadn't been released yet, so maybe this was the same situation? It was just a placeholder name by whoever uploaded it? I never listened to the one with the ship name that was being posted about in the main tag so I am curious as to whether it is a track on the official soundtrack but now has a different name?

So wrapping it up, those are my thoughts on Sophia's interviews, the official soundtrack for season 2 is amazing and everyone should go listen to it and ship whatever you like but please, please can people tag their posts correctly because my finger is starting to ache from constantly hitting the block button.

[naancypants]

I think I've pinpointed the main reason I'm so viscerally unhappy with the direction the writers chose to go in with Nace -- obviously this is just my opinion, so any use of objective terms like "supposed to be", etc is not meant to be taken literally. It's just me airing out my takes on the storytelling.

For me, one of the most appealing things about Nace is how they juxtapose all of Nancy's other romantic endeavors. From the beginning, it's been different with Ace. He isn't a fast-moving hookup or a form of escapism. He gradually grows into the role of a best friend, a partner, someone she is emotionally open with, and the person who can keep her steady when shit hits the fan. Ace's presence encourages Nancy to embrace love (especially self-love) rather than facilitating her urge to push it away.

I associate Nick and Owen, Nancy's season 1 ships -- which ideally would establish a starting point for her -- with Nancy resigning to choices or circumstances that are out of her control, and having to move on from something she really wanted to make work. Both of these relationships were ripped from her grasp, thus leading to pain and reinforcing her belief that she isn't deserving of That Kind of love.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

Season 4 has essentially applied these negative season 1 traits to Nancy/Ace, her supposed endgame, with the curse and how it has torn them apart. I've always believed her endgame should break down these patterns entirely, not slap a new coat of paint on them. The idea is for Nancy to learn that true love doesn't HAVE to be painful, that love shouldn't break your spirit. Not when it's the right person. There's no real reason to be rehashing angst and hopelessness and rebounds this late in the game -- not with Ace, who is narratively recognized as The One. This should be the relationship for Nancy that symbolizes joy and the warmth of falling for a friend. It should feel cozy and stable. Why would we want to validate Nancy's belief that great love must come with great suffering? I've always loved Nace for the themes of growth that it reflects in Nancy's character -- that she is learning what real love feels like, that she is embracing her most authentic self, that she has moved away from the closed-off girl we met at the start who used relationships as a distraction from her pain.

Ace is supposed to represent comfort, security, and a safe haven from the strife that surrounds Nancy's life... yet now he is the central cause of her strife. I don't want her to be miserable because of whatever is going on with Ace. I want Ace to be her solace from whatever else is making her miserable! That's how this relationship was built to function!!! That was the entire point!!!!!

I can't help but feel like this star-crossed drama sours their connection a little, when I ship them specifically for the way Ace has always been an anomaly for her; someone with whom she could let her guard down and communicate freely due to the harmonious undercurrent between them. Now they can't make it through (1) conversation without 'breaking up' or stabbing each other in the heart. It's exhausting. It's counterintuitive to everything I love about them. I don't expect a relationship without its bumps in the road, but their arc is so dramatic and heightened now, it's like the writers have disregarded why these two worked so well together in the first place.

All I ever wanted was a sweet little slowburn coworkers-to-besties-to-lovers arc where they both surprise themselves by falling for each other 💐 of course I'm still rooting for them to end up together, but it hurts to know that what was once my #1 currently-airing OTP is barely even a shell of what I hoped it would be.