#could be seen as both ship and friendship but was written with my experience with my friend in mind

[nordicfiord]

It was getting cold and late.

“Why are we here again?” Cold didn’t seem bothered, though. They didn’t even have luggage - just their thoughts and tickets.

“Just because.” Contrarian shrugged, listening to the sounds of incoming local train. “Do we even need a reason? It’s not like you have ever ridden an electric train before.”

“True.” It was Cold’s turn to shrug. He breathed, looking at the steam with an almost amused look. And then he looked at Contrarian.

His friend was unusually quiet, patiently waiting for the train. Not that this bothered Cold… but anything unusual was a thing of interest. So he stared.

Contrarian smiled, noticing this look. 

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Why the stare then?”

“Do I even need a reason?”

“True.” Contrarian chuckled when Cold threw his words back at him. He sighed then, looking… tired. “Ah, it’s here. Wanna sit in the last car?”

“Sure.” Cold tilted his head, somewhat amused. But the train just got to the station, so they got up on it.

A couple of minutes later they were sitting at the half-empty last car, and the train went on its way again. Contrarian sat by the window and idly watched the landscape, almost invisible in the lighted cabin of the train. Cold sat down in the next chair, not even attempting to look in black nothingness of the windows.

“We should’ve rode sooner. Then it would actually be possible to see from them”, Contrarian sighed, relaxing a bit. “Well, this is something new, and new is pretty much always good.”

“Agreed. Though I can’t really understand, what are we supposed to do here?” Cold looked around at people, sleeping in different positions. “They sure seem like they are having fun.”

“Well, you can do that too, you know!” Contrarian laughed, but he clearly wasn’t having fun.

Cold didn’t quite understand his fascination with taking a ride or two a month on trains, that’s why he tagged along. But now, seeing how he was struggling to keep his emotions in check… Well, that might’ve been the reason.

Boring.

“Doesn’t seem like something else will happen here, so you will be my pillow.” Cold said nonchalantly, as if there were nothing to discuss on the matter. Contrarian laughed at that, and in the laugh there was… a relief.

“Well, make yourself comfortable!” Contrarian smiled and spread his wing, inviting Cold. And Cold wasn’t going to delay. He got on both free chairs and leaned on Contrarian with his back. Little bells on Contrarian’s feathers and clothing jingled softly, as Cold made himself comfortable.”

“Soft. Good pillow.” he murmured, feeling sleepy already. His pillow jingled a bit more, as Contrarian softly laughed.

“I’m glad you like it. Have a good rest!” “I will.” Cold promised, closing his eyes and slowing his breaths.

The train continued to go to its destination, Cold continued to be half-asleep, and Contrarian…

He was feeling shitty that day, and was planning to ride his mind away alone. But Cold was here too now. Grounding him. Not giving bad thoughts any chance.

“Thank you for being here.” Contrarian whispered, hoping Cold is sleeping.

Cold could barely hold back a smile.

[beyondantaresa]

I'm Not Kelly

Word Count: 2168

(A/N: I haven’t written fanfic in about 8 years give or take a year or two. Please be mindful of this when reading. I just love the Orville…well sci-fi in general and decided that I would pick back up writing to make sure my skill hadn’t been dulled. I’ve created this tumblr exclusively for my sci-fi fics and because I noticed the upsetting lack of Orville stories. Such a shame. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. This is no.1 in an Ambassador series I plan to write)

You had always known that Kelly Grayson was a part of Ed’s story – a part that he hadn’t fully left behind. How could he, when they lived and worked on the same ship. They had a shared friendship group. There was really no reason for him to let go. You had seen it in the way that he spoke to her when you first came onboard the Orville, in the ways his mood shifted whenever her name came up, or in his eyes when she moved around a room, they were both in.

At first, you told yourself that it didn’t matter. Of course, after how things had ended with them, there was bound to be some residual emotions towards her; but then you had shaken your head at the thought. Ed Mercer was not a man who lived in the past. He had a job to do, a crew to lead. But the more time you spent with him, the more you saw that he was haunted by the ghost of a love that had never really ended. So, where did you stand in all of this.

The tension between you had been steadily building for weeks – a slow burn that neither of you had bothered to acknowledge. But when a diplomatic summit happened, Ed directly challenged your decision in front of the crew. As a Planetary Ambassador, it enraged you that your idea had been so quickly swept under a rug. After all you had gotten this role, not through nepotism but through hard work. You would not have said what you had through ignorance but rather experience. As a woman though it stung. The subtle little dig you felt that he had given you. You remained quiet for the rest of the meeting, silently stewing over your interaction.

When the meeting had finished and the rest of the crew had quickly vacated the room, having felt the thick tension in the air, you turned to Ed.

“What was that?” You demanded staring a hole into Ed’s head. He turned to look at you, pausing at the door.

“What are you talking about?”

“You undermined my decision, Ed. In front of your top officers!”

Ed raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. He had no idea what you were talking about.  “I wasn’t undermining you. I was merely pointing out a risk in your plan. It’s my job to make sure that you and most importantly my crew don’t walk into a trap.”

“It’s my job to make sure this alliance holds together.”

Ed breaths in sharply, a little irritated that you don’t seem to understand his point of view.

“And what happens if it gets my crew killed?”

There’s a beat of silence as the two of you stare each other down. Stalemate. You’ve had your share of disagreements before, of course you had but this one feels different. It’s personal.

“This isn’t about the crew, is it?” you said, your voice lowering “It’s about Kelly.” Ed’s jaw tightens, though he doesn’t deny what you’ve questioned. You slowly take a step towards him.

“You’ve been acting different around me now that her and Cassius are over.”

“It has nothing to do with Kelly.” He denied.

“Really?” You say voice barely a whisper.

Ed looks away, his shoulders tense. In your neurotic state of mind, that’s all the confirmation you need. You’ve been patient, you’ve been understanding, for months damn it. But this- this cuts a little too deep. Even for your thick skin.

“I see the way you look at her.”

“Its not-“

You raise a hand to silence him. Taking a breath, you try to keep your voice steady, but your worried mind starts to tick over and the cracks are starting to show.

“I’ve stood by you through a lot. Ever since I came on board, I’ve always had your back. I’ve defended you to the admiralty, trusted you..and all this time, I’ve been fooling myself into thinking I wasn’t standing in someone else’s shadow.”

“It’s not like that.” Ed said softly.

“Then tell me what it’s like. Because from where I’m standing, it feels like you’re still holding a flame that you should have put out a long time ago.”

Finally, he meets your gaze, his expression unreadable to anyone but you. You can see the war inside him – the part of him that still aches for what he lost, and the part of him that wants to move forward. But he doesn’t know how.

“I’m not holding on to her.”

“Then why are you always looking at me like I’m seconds best?”

“That’s not fair.” He stuttered.

“No? I think it’s the most honest thing either of us has said.”

The silence is thick and painful Ed opens his mouth like he wants to say something, but no words come out. You shake your head, bitter creeping in.

“I’m not Kelly.”

He nods his head “I know that.”

“Do you? Because it feels like you compare us.”

“I’m not comparing-“

You cut him off again, running a hand through your hair.

“Yes, you are. Maybe not on purpose, maybe not consciously, but every time you look at me, I can see it in your eyes. You’re still wondering if you made the right choice or if you should have waited it out. “

Ed steps closer, his expression painted and goes to rest a hand on your shoulder. “That’s not what this is about.”

“Then what is it about, Ed?”

He doesn’t answer and you wait for a while but when nothing happens, you sigh. “Whatever, Ed... I’m tired.”

With that you turn and walk out of the room. Ed looking at your retreating figure.

The fight in the corridor leaves you both raw and emotionally exposed. You haven’t spoken much since just a few clipped words here and there. The tension between you feels unbearable, and the crew can sense it. Even Kelly pulls Ed aside at one point.

“Whatever’s going on between you two...don’t let it fester. Life out here is unpredictable; you don’t know what can happen and you don’t want any regrets.”

But Ed ignores her, burying himself in work – you do the same. The unresolved tension lingers.

Then, the diplomatic summit arrives.

The Orville escorted you to the volatile diplomatic summit between two warring planets. The situation is delicate – both sides are on the verge of peace, but tensions were high. You insist on going into the negotiation room despite the risks. Peace between these planets could open up a whole new sector of space for the union.

It simple negotiations, the last leg of the race. You had worked tirelessly to bring both sides to the table, hoping to end centuries of conflict.

Ed didn’t want you to go down there and so despite the fact that he had barely spoken to you in the last week, he came down to the shuttle bay to plead with you.

“Let the envoys handle it,” he said pulling you to the side as he began to pace restlessly. “It’s too dangerous.”

“ I’ve got this, Mercer.” You insisted and he looked at you slightly hurt. The last time you had called him by his surname was before when Admiral Halsey had assigned you to the Orville. “This is my mission.”

Reluctantly, he agreed - but not without stationing extra security near the negotiation rooms.

The talks seemed to be going well. Everything progressing smoothly. You kept your focus on the leaders, ignoring the uneasy feeling in your chest. You hadn’t spoken to Ed since the fight, now that you had you snapped at him, it didn’t sit well with you. That’s not how you would normally behave. His absence had weighed heavily on your mind.

Then, out of nowhere an explosion hit.

The blast rocked the negotiation room, sending debris everywhere. Chaos erupted as guards rushed in to protect the delegates. Another explosion rocked the room and this time you blacked out for a few moments before coming to, ears ringing and a warm sensation trickling from your head and stomach. You couldn’t even feel your legs. Looking down, you realised you were trapped under some of the falling ceiling.

In the distance you could hear Talla, your best friend and chief of security, calling out for you. You reached your hand out but everything started to get hazy again. The last thing you heard was Talla screaming “Ambassador down!”

The feed to the Orville cut soon after.

Back on the Orville, the bridge was deathly silent.

“Someone get me a signal damn it!” Ed barked, his voice cracking with panic and fists white from clenching at his chair handles.

“I’m trying, Captain,” Gordon replied, his usual calm and joking demeanour faltering.

The Comms link flickered to life, revealing a scene of utter carnage. It was hard to see through the smoke and debris, what they could see was a room littered with rubble and bodies.

Then a message from Talla came through. She was coughing badly “Captain, we’re boarding the shuttle right now. Ask Dr Finn and her whole medical team to meet us in the shuttle bay. It’s...it’s pretty bad.” With that the line cut and Ed was immediately shouting orders, running faster than he ever had towards the shuttle bay.

Dr Finn worked tirelessly to save you, her team having taken on the task of saving and patching up the other injured crew, Ed could see the strain in her eyes. It would have been easier if you were fully human, but you were a hybrid and so her research banks on your particular anatomy weren’t all up to scratch, it didn’t help that in the past whenever she had asked you to do a full physical you had managed to bypass her.

You were getting paler by the minute, completely motionless, blood soaking through your clothes and sheets.

“Claire, how bad is it really?” Ed asked, his head low and voice trembling.

Claire didn’t look up, she didn’t have time to. “Severe. I just managed to stop the bleeding, but there’s internal damage still. Now we just wait to see if what I’ve done will be enough. I’ll be in my office. I need to record all her biodata.”

Ed sank down the wall he had huddled into, his entire body shaking. He hadn’t told you how and what he was actually thinking, he had never apologised. And now, no matter how good Dr Finn was, he might not get the chance to.

“Please,” he whispered rocking himself in self- comfort. “Don’t do this. Don’t leave me.”

Time blurred. He stayed there. Occasionally Claire, Talla, Gordon or even Kelly would come in to check on him and the situation. He barely paid them any mind. He just kept his eyes focused on you and replaying every interaction.

“I love you,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “I should have made that clear. I should have said it sooner and I should have fought you more to stay on the ship. It’s my fault. I’m so sorry.”

Hours later, you stirred.

Ed’s head snapped up, his heart pounding.

“You’re awake,” he said, stumbling up and towards you. Relief thick in his voice. “You scared the hell out of me. How do you feel?”

“Like I got hit but a shuttle over and over.” You croaked looking at him tiredly.

Ed let out a shaky laugh. “You scared the living daylights out of me.”

“What happened?! I know there was an explosion or two...is everyone alright?!”

“Trust you to worry about other people when your here on the medical table. There was an attack from a rebel group, you and a few others were hurting badly but Talla managed to get you out. Claire wasn’t sure if...” he trailed off, swallowing hard “she wasn’t sure what was going to happen...I-I thought I lost you.”

Your expression softened when you saw the tears old and new on his ruddy cheeks and you reached a hand out to grab his.

“ I’m still here.”

Ed squeezed your hand, his eyes searching yours. “I need to tell you something.”

“Hmm?”

“ I love you,” he said with a firmness and conviction that left no room for doubt. “I’m an idiot, I know. Holding on to the past. But it’s you. You’re it for me.”

You smiled, your eyes shining with tears. “Yes Captain.”

Your recovery was slow but steady. The crew noticed the change in both of you. How you both smiled more, how Ed’s eyes lit up when you walked into the room.

“So...when can I expect to be best man again?!” Gordon teased one day.

“Shut up, Malloy.”

Even Kelly pulled you aside in the mess hall.

“You make him better you know!” She said with a genuine smile. “Thank you.”

From that moment, there were no more ghosts, no more shadows to live in. Ed had made it clear who he chose, and it was you.

[hms-tardimpala]

For the latest ask game, I would like to give you some options: - If you think the "fandom" part can be applied to your wrestling RPF fandom then please feel free to view this as an excuse to talk about them ;) - and/or I would love to hear your answers to the "character" questions for Thurston Niles <3

Aahaaahhh NARA YOU SPOIL ME! When I saw this ask I squealed and rubbed my hands together. You know me, if you give me options I'll choose both, but I'll start with our boy Thurston.

003 - Character: Thurston Niles

How I feel about this character: I like him! I think he's a well-written, morally grey antagonist for Fetch and I'm excited to see where Luke takes him. The industrialist character is obviously one you want to watch in a setting that experiences an industrial revolution. I love that he should be the epitome of conformism and normality and reason but he's shown to be a bit of a freak (inviting your casual enemy over to duel in armor hello?).

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Complicated question. I like reading Philes fics, and I do like them together, it can be weird as fuck, I'm into that. But if you know me you know how attached I am to canon compliance when I engage with a piece of media. I can only truly ship characters when there are solid canon elements to support it (look at my other ships, like Destiel, and you'll see what I mean). So I can like ships and read fics for ships like Fetch/Niles but by my definition of shipping, I don't ship them. Maybe that doesn't make sense, idk. Sorry!

My non-romantic OTP for this character: I would have loved to see Lance and Thurston in action together. I'm sure they made a great team, and since we are in Fetch's POV, we never quite see how much the loss affected Niles, who must feel like half of a pair left alive.

My unpopular opinion about this character: Maybe I'd like him to keep being a bastard and a real antagonist for Fetch. I'm all for their reluctant friendship, but I genuinely want him to be a villain.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I want him to come to a point where he has a difficult moral choice to make. Like, between his business interests and the well-being of some people. A Schindler moment (remember we compared him to Schindler an eternity ago, Nara?). I want to see where he falls in a situation like this.

What I said about shipping kind of disqualifies some of the questions here so I'll answer the ones I can.

Consider this an answer to the question "My crack ship" if it was part of the game: You know what would be horrible but very funny to me personally? Next book Mortales rolls into town, Niles organizes a party at his manor he invites Fetch to and when Fetch comes in he sees him arm in arm with General Taryn. Boom! Turns out these two have been happily married for 20 years but living separately for business (and reputation) reasons. They met when Niles Corp was growing and Mortales bought it. It was a subsidiary company all this time! Taryn and Thurston met at the merger. Lance rolled his eyes at his little brother falling for the big strong grizzled army man (he disapproved, it's unprofessional). In the present day Fetch is foaming at the mouth, eye twitching, seizing in the entrance hall. His heart has finally given out.

Did I just write the shortest and most horrible fanfic our fandom has ever seen? Yes :P

My kink: I'd love him to get his rocks off getting choked. He's very dominant on the daily, he's a powerful man, so I think it could be fun for him to be powerless and hurt. I think he would be the kind of guy to ask his partner to go harder and harder, until they're worried.

A headcanon fact: That man is bisexual, that's my headcanon. Maybe I'm projecting, but it's obvious to me. He's just a little too off-kilter to be straight. Maybe he even turned his eye toward Sunder City because it's primarily a magum city and magum don't care about sexual orientation the way humans do. Maybe he can take a breath there. Also, I believe it would fit the nuanced moral line of the series. It can't be the good queer magum against the bad heteronormative humans. It's more complicated. Niles can be a great queer villain.

My gender bend: Niles would work so well as a woman. Are you kidding me. She would rule over Sunder in no time. And Fetch's feelings toward her would become infinitely more complicated. He'd look at her and think he has covid (we know he's into MILFs since the Carissa affair). She would still invite him over to duel and he would feel all kinds of ways about it.

Nara, I had SO MUCH FUN thinking about Niles more in depth like this, thank you for asking me!!!

Now I'll rant about wrestling a little ^^

001 - fandom: wrestling RPF

Favorite character: CM Punk. He's my good time boy my drama queen my toxic old man. He might not be the best pro wrestler ever (debatable) but he embodies what pro wrestling (the good and the bad) is so well. In fics, I particularly the Ring Of Honor-period Punk because he's so passionate and queer-coded. Also, the look! The bad bleaching, the chipping nail polish, the piercings the ugly shirts and baggy jeans and basketball shorts!!

Least Favorite character: Chad Gable. The American Made faction as a whole gives me the ick. It's too american and patriotic, it's all I hate. Chad also, as a heel, treats people like shit and it works on me so well I hate to see him onscreen.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): CM Punk/Samoa Joe, CM Punk/MJF for the shippy ships. The following three are not ships, just wrestlers I like to see together in the ring because they work well together: Andrade/Carmelo Hayes, Bianca Belair/Iyo Sky, Sheamus/Pete Dunne.

Character I find most attractive: Solo Sikoa. I love thick men 😍

Character I would marry: Samoa Joe. Serious, discreet, hot. A long-time worker. A safe bet!

Character I would be best friends with: Damian Priest looks really cool.

a random thought: Is wrestling RPF? Since the wrestlers play a character and act out stories? The fact that they pretend it's all real and that they're closer to their character than actors makes it sound like RPF. It's a mindfuck.

An unpopular opinion: I'm not interested in the Bloodline-and-Cody story and I think too much time is devoted to it and not enough happens to justify all that screen time.

most badass character: Jacob Fatu. That man looks dangerous as hell.

pairing I am not a fan of: Cody/Roman. I don't see the chemistry.

character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): Right now, I feel like the writing is doing a disservice to Rhea Ripley. The feud with Liv Morgan needs to evolve out of "two chicks fight because of a boy".

favourite friendship: CM Punk/Samoa Joe. Seeing them smile at each other in the ring as they punch each other, seeing Punk struggling to hold back a smile when they find each other again in AEW, the backstage photos... It looks like a wholesome friendship.

character I want to adopt or be adopted by: If someone is mean to R-Truth I'll kill everybody in this room.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PLAYING WITH ME NARA 💙💙

[khihi]

As a french person who read les misérables at school but has never watched the movie/musical, I'm quite curious about what has attracted many (foreign) people to it. Feel free to rant and share your thoughts, I'm genuinely curious

OH GOD OKAY LOOK HERE'S THE THING FIRST OF ALL the musical is absolutely incredible. I'm a musicals fan in general but les mis is something else. It will make you cry and laugh and somehow it will also make you proud to be French even when you're not French.

Long rant/fucking essay under cut so I'm not bombarding everyone who doesn't care about musicals or dead French dudes

I wish everyone could watch a live performance of it as their first experience of les mis because I feel like most people only see either the movie or the 25th anniversary concert. And while I adore the 25th anniversary concert and I'm a Les Mis 2012 Movie Defender 4 lyfe, I think both of those won't anchor you into enjoying les mis quite as much as an actual, professional live performance of the show will (bc the anniversary is mostly just standing and singing and the movie is.. flawed).

Also I imagine your first experience of it being the brick probably would not help you see why foreigners love this story so much because that thing is CHONKY and I've absolutely not read all of it - I've literally only read bits of it that include my faves. Sorry Hugo but I'm not here to read your rant about Paris' sewage system, I'm here to read about Grantaire bullying Enjolras and laugh at Marius for crying against a tree for hours xx

Les Amis de l'ABC are the main attraction for me and I think a lot of les mis fans tbh. Their friendships combined with their doomed narrative is just the absolute best and worst, emotionally speaking thing. Just the fact they believe so strongly in wanting to change the world that they're prepared to fight and die for it but they're also just a bunch of super young guys who drink and laugh together makes my heart hurt. They're martyrs to a hopeless cause but they're so human.

It makes you want to see them happy and victorious (I know there are a lot of mundane college kids les amis fics out there where they're "all happy and nothing hurts" because of this) but also that doomed narrative is so delicious every single time (which is why me and other les mis fans come crawling back to rewatch the musical whenever we're presented with the opportunity).

And DO NOT get me started on ExR. Grantaire and Enjolras are THE most angsty ship in the world, they make me ill. Grantaire is so in love with Enjolras even though his depression makes him a lot more aware of just how fucked they all are in this revolution, he's like a moth to a flame. Also the guy who played Grantaire in the 2012 movie shipped ExR. George Blagden if you can hear me right now I owe you my life and I hate them for cutting your Drink With Me solo.

Also the female characters in les mis are SO FUCKING GOOD HOLY SHIT like yes Cosette and Eponine are both madly stupidly in love with Marius "Just Some Guy" Pontmercy but to me it always felt like Marius was their love interest rather than the other way around. He's the chain that links Valjean to the revolution and back to the Thénardiers, but Eponine and Cosette are both so much more interesting to me personally than him.

AND FANTINE?? Fantine who had her life torn to shreds and does everything in her power (of which she has NONE) to protect her little girl and is punished, like fucking everyone in the story, for being a good person?? but who is always shown to be a sympathetic character?? written in a time when women were possessions and prostitutes were seen as scum of the earth?? Once again it's emotionally catastrophic, but it's beautiful. I for one enjoy when stories reach into my chest and squeeze my heart to pulp.

ALSO I'm such a sucker for motifs and symbology and themes and all of that Good Literature Shit, which les mis has in buckets, so there's also that.

so yeah

tl;dr the characters are my babies, i love a masterfully crafted story, and the music makes me feel shrimp emotions. PLEASE SEE THE MUSICAL.

thank you for letting me infodump this fine sunday afternoon <3

[kimium]

Now I’m curious, friend: what are *your* top five favourite platonic relationships in media?👀💜

Hello friend! I'm excited to answer this! I thought about my answers for a while, and I like my list!

I'll also list mine from five to one because that's how you did it and I think that's fun! Mild spoilers, especially for my number 2 and 3 entry. Also, these all ended up anime ones. Video game ones need to be separate, I guess ahaha...

5. Maka and Soul (Soul Eater)

The reason why this is number five is because I also ship them. However, it is because of their friendship that I ship these two together.

I think Maka and Soul are one of the best written male/female friendships in any series, but especially a Shonen. They feel very organic and realistic as friends: caring and compassionate while also able to tease one another. However, what really makes me adore their friendship is the fact Maka and Soul's arguments don't feel like the cliché "They're arguing because they're in love" nonsense shoved down our throats. They argue because that's how it works with friends: disagreements, shouting, and acting petty.

They also live together and it doesn't feel like a set up for "Soul walks in on Maka changing and she throws something at him" gag we've seen 1000 times. Instead it truly feels like they're roommates co-existing in a space without any concern about "does this make us look like a couple??" So many series fall into that trap and I don't think Soul Eater does.

4. Gen Asagiri and Kaseki (Dr. Stone)

Generational friendships for the win! While in the series this one is more subtle, it is my number four. There is just something super sweet about a 20-something Gen (over 3,700 years old if we count the petrification event) who claims to be the most shallow man in the world befriending an old man who has only known the Stone World as his way of life.

Another large reason why I love their interactions is because I think Kaseki is not fooled by Gen's performance. Where does the performer Gen end and the real one begin? Not many in the series can claim they know, but I think Kaseki is one of those people.

So, in the end this becomes an old man who sees a lonely young man and deciding "I need to watch out for him and support him."

3. Subaru and Beatrice (Re:Zero)

While there are many platonic relationships in this series I could talk about and even more with Subaru, I cannot help but love his relationship with Beatrice.

For me the reason why I love them so much is because they're both foils to one another. Both are trapped in an illusion that only they can break out of. For Subaru, a hikikomori in his world, it was the illusion he was some grand hero/knight that needed to protect Emilia, when in reality he was shoving his own agenda onto her. For Beatrice it was her clinging to her duty in the library despite knowing deep down staying would be her end.

It makes him saving her all the more sweet. Subaru went through a similar experience as Beatrice and because he overcame his fears, he was able to pull Beatrice out of her own despair.

Also, they have such adorable big brother and little sister energy.

2. Ranpo and Yosano (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Where do I even start with these two? They have many similarities with their abilities an essential part of their backstories. Both were also saved by Fukuzawa in the end.

However, what really solidifies them in my heart is their first meeting. Watching a broken, scared Yosano comforted and given hope by Ranpo was easily one of my most favourite moments in the entire series. It's soft, but it solidifies one of the main themes of Bungou Stray Dogs: no matter our past we can move on and change it. If you're scared there is always someone willing to reach out their hand and help you.

1.Tohru Honda and Yuki Soma (Fruits Basket)

I cannot even begin to describe how much I love these two. The way the series lead people to think there was a love triangle (Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo) was truly masterful. Revealing that Yuki always saw Tohru as a maternal figure was brilliant. I know in other series this comes off as "wish-fulfilment" AKA "Man child wants someone to take care of him and make him feel special", for Fruits Basket it isn't.

I think the key reason why is because of Yuki's past and the abuse he received from not just his mother but his entire family. Yuki, who was always alone and never allowed to have friends (except Akito) always craved someone to be there and listen to him. He didn't want someone to hold his hand and care for his every needs; he just wanted a friend he could confide in.

This is why his love for Tohru makes my heart twist. Yuki never assumed Tohru would always be there for him, but when she was he appreciated her.

Finally, Yuki tried to delude himself into thinking his love for Tohru was romantic as his earlier actions were flirty. However, deciding to have a character think they love someone only to discover it's friendship is a refreshing.

[lancerious]

For me the largest issue is not having a fundamental grasp on what romance is. I've seen examples of romance in media & irl, but I can't comprehend how/why it occurs, and I certainly don't see myself ever feeling such a way.

I've done a lot of aspects of romance to others; putting effort in relationships, being transparent & honest, being present for vents, etc. You could say all those things are present in a healthy romantic relationship to certain extents, but that's not why I do it.

I know aromanticism is a slight spectrum; some experience very little romance, and others experience none at all. I personally 100% fall into the latter category. Again, the entire concept of romance is completely over my head, always has been. I love all other relationship types: friendships, familial bonds, even pets & their owners, but romance simply isn't one of them.

What I find most interesting is that I write characters, and some are romantically attracted to each other. I at times have entire point-by-point descriptions of how that relationship builds. But this romance is not coming from me at all; it's coming from outside sources, from how romance is portrayed in media. I take what I see romance being like elsewhere and apply it to my written works. I feel nothing when working out fictional romances, and such relationships in my stories are few & far between.

This "lack of romance" aspect of me is also why I generally couldn't give a damn about shipping. I don't care about it at all, at least most of the time. The only instances where I do care is when I see a ship involving characters whom I personally deem as being incompatible. There could be multiple reasons for said incompatibility, almost always stemming from my personal opinions: it wouldn't make sense canonically, said relationship would actively harm one or both parties, or the very idea of a ship is immoral. It's only then when I get defensive and upset; not because of romance, but because of a personally logical reason.

I've personally accepted that romance will likely never be a concept I can comprehend or even understand. I have trouble engaging with those who feel strong romantic feelings towards someone else, fictional or not. I've known selfshippers & those in a romantic relationship with another irl person & I always struggle. It's something I will need to get around and figure out.

This one is arguably very personal because I have no idea if other aros feel the same – but I've seen too many stories about a character being rejected where the person doing the rejecting is (accidentally or not) implied to be some sort of "bad guy" or "the one who has it easier", so I guess I had an itch to show my side.

Aromantic people and alloromantic people have such different views on what "true love" is that it's not about one or the other being "in the wrong" – it's just one big compatibility issue. All I can say is – as an aromantic, being confessed to romantically IS what leaves me heartbroken, for such reasons. Hopefully there will be a broader understanding of this in the future.

[mo0n-water]

hi :)

i’m sorry to hear that you had a bad day yesterday. i hope that you were able to give yourself some time to feel and then to recover because you deserve it! sending you lots of love and i hope that today was/is bit better.

what time zone are you in, btw?

my tbr is basically just any fic that i’ve seen someone like so it’s extensive and spans many ships and tropes so there’s something for any mood i happen to be in. i mark things for later on ao3 and it’s about 5/6 pages of fics… i can’t remember many off the top of my head but i want to read everything that eyra has ever written because i loved ‘a brief history of dragons’ so much and i’ve been putting off reading choices for forever but i’ll eventually get round to that. and of course black mass, i started it before exams but then i stopped so i’m going to go back and start it again.

i’ll have to give noah kahan a listen, everyone i know has been talking about him recently.

i love love love that you’re asking me questions back, you are genuinely making my day <33

good things recently… one of my friends, who i’m not particularly close to, bought me flowers for my birthday a few months ago after a conversation we had about how people don’t give flowers to each other enough, especially between friends. it was her birthday a few days ago and so i bought her some beautiful flowers and she was so happy with them. it feels so innocent and intimate to give flowers, i love it and i definitely will be doing it more often and without reason.

a lovely thing about my life at the moment is my friendship group. for a long time i’ve felt out of place with other people or not settled but now i feel so safe and comfortable with my close friends. it’s like i’ve suddenly matured and found my place. there are no arguments and no tension and it’s nice to relax into a group that is calm and loving and still exciting. i’ve finally got to the point where i’d have them over to my house just to do nothing with them and that’s saying something because i think domesticity is the highest form of flattery.

i’m looking forward to many things. i’m going to see a performance of the great gatsby tomorrow, i’m going to a harry styles show on friday, next wednesday i’m going to the bfi premier of asteroid city, the new wes anderson film and then next friday i’m going to a music festival, which i can’t wait for! after that it’s about a week or so until me and my best friend leave for our month long holiday through france and italy which i still can’t believe is happening!

sorry, i’ve been waffling for ages but questions:

- what’s your favourite picture on your phone and why?

- what’s your love language?

- what’s your favourite trope?

- what’s your favourite lyric of all time? do you write songs? if you have, what about of the ones you have written?

- if you could time travel, would you go backwards or forwards and what year for both would you go to?

again, sending you lots of love and hoping you feel better soon xx

ps. 264 HOURS

i ended up being a total bitch for a few days & concerning everyone around me, but i’m doing a lot better today! cried it out to the new noah kahan songs, reread looking for alaska, & the intersection of those two artistic experiences happened to help me realize why i was feeling the way i was. isn’t it lovely how art can offer you that? i’m thankful for that today. also thankful for your kind words!

i like your answers, especially in regards to giving flowers to friends. i’ve been thinking a lot about flowers, lately, both as gifts & as a symbol of finding love within grief. that’s a tad melancholic, but i think flowers are so beautiful as a sign of love (to anyone) because they imply a sort of commitment. a flower is going to wilt, so are you going to be there to replace it? rhetorical question. but anyway it makes me think of something john green likes to say about how love is not a feeling, but a choice we make again & again (loosely paraphrased!)

it sounds like you’ve got a wonderfully busy time ahead of you! have fun! lots of experiences. so jealous in regards to the harry show, omg, & the music festival? that sounds like a blast. (actually thinking of going to a music festival on thursday, so i wonder if it’s the same one haha!)

to answer your questions!!

i’m in est! same timezone as nyc. i’m pretty close to cst though. i feel a conflicting sense of loyalty to each timezone. i hope that tells you something about how bonkers i am in personifying things that have no business being that personified. but yeah it’s currently 3:30 am here. (4 now)

i don’t know if i have a favorite picture on my phone? there are a lot that represent really important memories, so it’s hard to choose a favorite. everything means so much to me in the moment. so i have a lot of favorites, but i’ll tell you about one. it’s a somewhat blurry selfie of me & my best friend sitting at a restaurant in savannah, georgia. i like that picture so much because that was one of the best nights of my life - and the best trips tbh, so iconic - and to me it represents a lot of things that bring me joy. (that friend is like the only person who reads these posts, so hello to her <3!!)

everything i do is done in an effort to express love. all of it. one thing that i find underrated is giving someone your time. what says ‘i love you’ more clearly than choosing to spend the day with someone? & what spells indifference more clearly than not making time for someone?

ooh, favorite trope! i think someone asked me this recently, & i can’t remember what i said? hm. well, if you’ve learned one thing about me from this, it’s that i hate picking favorites. but if i had to, i’d say enemies to lovers! i like reading about people learning to look at familiar things in startlingly new ways. i’m a sucker for a good road trip au as well, & stories about going back to a familiar place once you’ve changed quite a bit.

OH I LOVE YHIS. i love this so much. favorite song lyric!! okay omg i adore you for asking this.

all-time favorite: “i was cleopatra / i was taller than the rafters / but that’s all in the past now / gone with the wind” from cleopatra by the lumineers - i know that one’s technically like half a verse but UGHHH i can’t explain how much it means to me. and that whole song just means everything to me.

current favorite: “if i could leave, i would’ve already left” from paul revere by noah kahan. OUCH. this motherfucker from vermont captured my small town appalachian pain so succinctly.

favorite of mine: “i like to say i can’t get homesick for tennessee, ‘cause i’m always thinking of kentucky.” i love that line but it also haunts me because whenever i sing it, i get overwhelmed with this deep sense that the people listening Know Too Much lmaooo

time travel question! fun. okay so i have no interest in spending the rest of my life in the future or in the past, but i would like to spend a yom kippur in jerusalem in the time of the first temple. so that’s what i’d do if i could time travel. i don’t want to travel to the future at all, because that sounds like a lot of responsibility & i am a coward haha.

for your questions… there is a lot i want to ask you that wouldn’t sit well with your interest in continued anonymity, like what your name is, & how old you are, & where you’re from. also lots of other things that i’m not even gonna write here because they’re just embarrassing. i am giving you these instead!

- what is something kind that you wish someone would do for you?

- what is it that you like about anonymity? you could just as easily send asks with your name attached, so i’m curious what makes anon preferable to you

- and, of course, favorite song lyric? (also, favorite harry song? gotta ask)

sending good vibes & flowers 💐

[matan4il]

Buddie vs Lone Star meta (2/3)

Notes: || LS = 911 Lone Star || OG = original 911 || These three meta posts were written before watching LS s3... || part 1 || part 3

LS 209

Okay, I love Grace, Judd and their ship (Grudd), they’re probably the best part of LS for me (and I also love Tarlos, so that says a lot). Obviously a “Grudd Begins” ep was bound to be a fave. But yes, we’re here to talk about its parallels to Buddie… Because there are A LOT, I tried to be brief in what I wrote. Here we go! ~~~

Let’s kick off with the fact that Grudd and Buddie are both partners who experience a shared major trauma! As I’ve pointed out before, it is A Choice who the show chooses to go through this together... ~~~

When they met, Judd instinctively trusted Grace and confided in her, despite thinking he’s not in a confessional mood and saying he’s not much of a talker. Over time, he gradually kept telling her more and more of his truth (I mean, that idiot was in love before the end of their first talk, telling her his real name already). Similarly, Eddie trusted Buck intuitively, despite their initial friction in OG 201, and after a few seconds of hesitation he showed Buck Christopher’s picture and told Buck all about Chris. Over time, he kept letting Buck more and more into their lives (TBH not even after that much time, either. It took him what, presumably one week to move from, “this guy is being a jerk to me, I should ruffle his feathers” to “hell yeah, I will trust you with intimate info on my son”? More meta on just HOW MUCH trust Eddie put in Buck early on in season 2 in regards to Chris, here). ~~~

Grace is shown as someone who makes Judd’s life better by advising him on how to approach Kyle’s mother, which is exactly what we saw of Grudd in LS 101, and as I’ve already mentioned in part 1 of this series, that parallels the way Buck is shown as helping Eddie and making his life better in early s2. Except, if in LS 101 Grudd are already married, here we see that this theme started even before they became an official couple, which is even more similar to Buddie... ~~~

Judd lets Grace know as early as their second talk that he sees how good she is at what she does. Eddie lets Buck know as early as their second shift together that he sees how good Buck is at what he does. Buck and Grace both get to feel seen and valued thanks to these new found relationships! ~~~

After their initial connection, Grudd proceed to flirt under the guise of a growing platonic bond over the phone. After their initial connection, Buddie proceed to flirt (most undeniably in eps like OG 309 and 408) under the guise of a growing platonic friendship. ~~~

After Grudd had become set in their routine, Judd is shaken up when he thinks Grace has left her job at the prayer hotline, which is how they met in the first place. In OG 510, after Buddie had become set in their routine, Buck is visibly shaken up when he thinks Eddie is leaving his job with the 118, which is how they met in the first place… ~~~

Grace’s father says he trusts Judd to do the ‘right thing’ (for her), which would mean letting her go so she could have a better life without him, but eventually it becomes clear that the best life for Grace is with Judd. In OG 315, Eddie’s mom says they trust him to do what’s right for Chris, which would mean letting him go so he could have a better life without Eddie, but eventually it becomes clear the best life for Chris is with Eddie, who chooses to share that life he’s building for Chris and Buck, a point that is made even clearer when we later learn that this is the very same episode in which Eddie decided to write Buck into his will as Christopher’s legal guardian (revealed later in OG 414). ~~~

When Judd was hurting without Grace in his life, he went off and punched a random asshole parking where he shouldn’t have, an incident for which Judd got himself arrested. In OG 305, when Eddie was hurting without Buck in his life due to the lawsuit, he went off and punched a random asshole parking where he shouldn’t have, an incident for which Eddie got himself arrested. Both of these morons couldn’t deal with this emotional loss of their other half.

~~~

In the present of LS 209, we see Grudd together in the sinking car, and Judd is unwilling to leave Grace because he would rather die than live without her, which immediately reminded me of OG 315 (yes, again!) when Eddie was buried underground. Buck wanted to go down there to get him and Hen’s response made it clear that if Buck was allowed to, they’d just end up with two cut ropes (an accusation which he doesn’t deny), meaning Buck too would rather have died than live without Eddie (something that he repeats explicitly to Eddie in OG 414, I SCREAM). ~~~

Grudd getting together in 209 despite some bumps along the road is finally resolved when Grace lets Judd know he’s actually been her man all this time, even when they weren’t officially a couple (he’s just an oblivious moron and didn’t realize it). Buck and Eddie might not have reached this conclusion explicitly yet (Grace has an advantage over them because she apparently has more than a single brain cell), but tell me that what she implies doesn’t basically sum up Buddie’s dynamic, where they’re married and are raising a kid together despite not officially being a couple… ~~~

…In conclusion, the 911 verse has spoken, loud and clear, and the only question left is, “Buddie Begins” when, Tim?

~ ~ ~ Thank you so much to the superstar @judsonryder​​​ for making the gifs for these posts. She’s been unbelievable with these! You can find more of my Buddie meta, gifs, humor posts here, and my Buddie fics here. Please feel free to poke me if you need help with anything, and thank you in advance for any show of support! xoxox

[distinguished-slacker]

saw some people on tiktok saying that Shinoa sa’d mitsuba (when she touches her b00bs (shower scene and drunk mitsu and shinoa scene) and i was just wondering if you could elaborate on it?

(WARNING: This post talks about sexual assault so you might or might not want to read it.)

Hi :3

I don’t really know much about TikTok but I definitely have seen people on Reddit and Twitter discussing about this topic before.

Fans always raise the point that Shinoa’s feelings for Yuu are being forced on her by other people like Shikama and Mahiru, and that she should be with Mitsuba instead because Shinoa looks happier, is more physically open and takes more initiative when she is with Mitsuba. However, the problem is that mitsunoa is always talked about from Shinoa’s perspective, her comphet and how being with Mitsuba would be much better for her, but it’s never talked from Mitsuba’s perspective so naturally some people would like to raise some issues here.

The shower scene is quite popular among the fandom as a cute lesbian scene but not many people stop to think about how that would go for a real life situation. That’s like going to the gym showers with your friend while being unaware that they are ogling at you while showering. Unfortunately, things don’t stop there and said friend then starts sticking to you and roams their hands over every single naked part of your body. It’s a terrifying situation and a potentially traumatic experience, and if that were to happen to me I would terminate my friendship with her right there and file a sexual assault report not caring that she was my friend and that she is a woman like me. If Shinoa was a man and did that to Mitsuba, I’m telling you he(she) would definitely be hated by the whole fandom as some disgusting pervert and this ship wouldn’t even be existing in the first place. Therefore, some fans find frustrating these double standards that a guy touching a girl without her consent is sexual assault, but when a girl touches another girl in the same way then it’s cute and shipping material.

But at the end of the day this is anime/manga we are talking about, where it’s commonplace to have that beach/pool/public showers/hot springs/bathroom episode where female characters compare sizes and there is always that one female friend that goes like “Oh! You are so big! Let me touch them for a bit! <3” to the big breasted girl. So in the end I can just turn a blind eye on this because it’s the same Japanese fanservice story. I mean, Kagami obviously did not write this with the intention of portraying sexual assault. In the showers Mitsuba told Shinoa to not go inside her shower and to stop touching her when she went in. In the drunk episode she told Shinoa to stop groping her. That’s something, but if Kagami wanted to portray a scene of sexual assault he would go further than that, showing Mitsuba uncomfortable and conflicted after those scenes (not that Kagami really shows Mitsuba that much anyways) but instead Mitsuba is still the same, being on friendly terms with Shinoa. I must add here that liking the other person doesn’t mean that they cannot sexually assault you in case the argument that Mitsuba seems to like Shinoa comes forwards because “no” is still “no”, and “stop” is still “stop”.

So what I want to say is that both sexual assault in real life and in fiction are unacceptable but in this case I feel like it’s better to not look much into it and ignore these kind of scenes because it’s just clear fanservice that you can see in your everyday anime; the kind of writing that is not going anywhere from a narrative and character development standpoint.

However, the problem here is that mitsunoa has long passed the point of going through that single fanservice episode, but rather the whole basis of what could have been a potentially well written relationship between two girls who share similar backgrounds and a story together is at this point a whole big fanservice. It’s not just the shower scene and the drunk scene. There was also another scene in chapter 54 where Shinoa rips Mitsuba’s uniform open (with her frickin scythe if I must add) exposing Mitsuba’s breasts which was so random and uncalled for (aside from dangerous). Also, in the CD drama, Mitsuba tells Shinoa that she discovered Shinoa has been looking at her in the showers when Mitsuba was washing her hair. Basically, almost every major mitsunoa interaction we get contains a sexually denigrating component that in almost all the cases is initiated by Shinoa being unable to stop obsessing over Mitsuba’s boobs.

As I said before, it’s better to ignore these kind of scenes and to be honest I feel like most fans do, and only respond when:

Mitsunoa is simply treated as a cute lesbian ship without the sexual assaulting being acknowledged

Shinoa stans see these mitsunoa scenes and still treat Shinoa as an empowering female character

Shinoa stans are trying to excuse Shinoa’s inappropriate behaviour

I already talked about the first one at the beginning so I’ll talk about the other two.

In the second case, fans are defending Shinoa’s character from other potential misogynistic fans (although in most cases the latter are not misogynistic but rather are rightfully complaining about the way Shinoa is written but this is a story for another day…) when ironically the very same female character they are defending is also shaming another female character (Mitsuba). This is not defending women, this defending you favourite character, who happens to be a woman. It’s okay to like and admire Shinoa but unconscious biases in cases like these don’t sit well with some fans (including myself).

In the third case, I’ve seen people defending Shinoa saying that she herself has had her boundaries breached when she was being experimented on while naked in front of the scientists, when Shikama tried to make her give in to lust and when he (they?) possessed her body. I acknowledge Shinoa went through terrible things but still this, in no way, does justify Shinoa breaching Mitsuba’s boundaries. Just because something bad happened to you doesn’t mean you have the rights of doing the same thing to someone else. With this kind of life I’m aware Shinoa must not have a proper sense of boundaries when touching other people or struggles to be considerate when talking to others (like calling Mitsuba “Holstein cow” in the manga or “girl with unnecessarily big breasts” in the CD Drama or just her everyday sexual dry jokes towards the squad). Her background explains her behaviour and makes it understandable, but not excusable. Not at all.

Of course, I want to make the point that this is not Shinoa’s fault but rather it’s just the same story about male authors lacking understanding about women, which consequently ends in superficial and sexualised portrayals of female friendships in fiction. I mean, even Mitsuba recently went over the line when she got drunk and called Shinoa flat and tried to grope Krul too. In the LNs Shigure also casually lifts Sayuri’s boobs and Sayuri treats it as if it was nothing. So basically no OnS female character is safe from this kind of writing and I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens again…and again. Sadly “boobs” has become a running gag in the manga.

In conclusion what Shinoa does to Mitsuba can be indeed considered sexual assault from a non-fictional and fictional perspective but not from a narrative one as this is just your everyday fanservice that most of the time comes from male writers like Kagami that think they will appeal to the audience/readers by showing female characters half-naked. By what I’ve seen most of the fans simply brush it off as fanservice too and only start debating when some other fans either deny Shinoa sexually harassing Mitsuba, elevate Shinoa’s character in the wrong areas or try to justify her actions. In the end this is the author’s fault because of the way he portrays women and no woman in OnS will never be in danger of such writing, either as a character who sexually assaults, or a victim of one, or even both.

🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍

I didn’t know if by “elaborate” you meant whether to elaborate on why what Shinoa does to Mitsuba is sexual harassment or elaborate on why are fans pointing this out so I tried to do both and cover all the points. As for the latter, since I’m basing a big part of the analysis in this post on the fandom’s activity (mostly from other online platforms bc ofc Tumblr is dead🥲) I would mention some usernames as references but I don’t want to since this is a delicate topic and I don’t want to openly talk about these users, expose them, bother them or spark any fights at all. So if you happen to see this post, think that I used your words/analysis/discussion/conversation as reference and if it happens to be the case and you actually want me to mention you please feel free to do so. I just hope I didn’t offend anyone by writing this.

[captainwidowspring]

I'm going to chime in here.

I do not think the assertion that close friendships are never just friendships is true, and I am going to use Romanogers as an example. Romanogers is a ship that's very close to my heart, as it's what I came into the fandom shipping, and indeed I still ship it as it's part of Stuckynat. So I have been involved with that ship for some time. And an argument that often comes up against the ship is just like what's stated above: "Why can't Steve and Natasha just be friends, men and women don't have to be romantically involved." And while the latter statement is true, it's like, literally the first close relationship Natasha was shown having in canon with a man, with Clint, was presently revealed to be completely platonic. And Natasha is the only woman of the original six Avengers, so if we consider the Avengers to be like a family, that's several other men right there who Natasha has a strong but non-romantic bond with. And there's also Sam, whom Natasha is often seen as being close to, but just platonically. So there is no shortage of men whom Natasha is close to but not romantically involved with.

The situation is similar for Steve. While there are fewer examples for him, he is shown as being close but not romantically involved with Maria Hill: and this also could have been true of Steve and Sharon if they hadn't been rushed into a contrived romance with little buildup.

And such relationships are often shown in fanfiction. I have read plenty of Romanogers fics that have shown Natasha and Clint being dear friends but not romantic partners; Maria Hill and Sharon often make platonic appearances as well. Solid relationships with the other Avengers are also regularly present for both of them. (And this is not to mention Sam and Bucky.) And heck, even though I ship Romanogers romantically, I have read multiple fics where Steve and Natasha's relationship is depicted as being close but solely platonic. People write about characters with close relationships being non-romantic all the time.

And romantic Romanogers is a ship that does actually have quite a bit of basis in canon. Steve and Natasha both clearly enjoyed the kiss on the escalator, even though it happened under less than ideal circumstances; Steve and Natasha have a lot of shared life experience, which Steve specifically told Natasha that he was looking for in a romantic partner; and the two of them are just extremely close in general, to the point that while it can be seen as platonic, it can just as easily be seen as romantic. Indeed, I'm fairly certain that, even though they were never a romantic couple in canon, Romanogers would have been a lot more well-received than either Brutasha or Staron.

I once read a Stucky meta that asserted that, if Bucky had been female, Stucky would definitely have been a canon romance, but I couldn't help but think, not necessarily; Romanogers is a similarly close relationship, and despite that relationship being completely heterosexual, they were not a canon romance either.

To be clear, I'm not against people shipping Romanogers platonically; it just bothers me when people act like reading Steve and Natasha's relationship as romantic is a bad thing.

So yeah. Even though close friendships do often end up being portrayed as romantic—which is not unnatural, people do sometimes fall in love with their friends, as a strong foundation for the relationship already exists—to say that close friends are never depicted as just friends is quite simply not true, such friendships are written of all the time.

I definitely agree, though, that the romantic relationship being all that defines the characters is quite bothersome; even when characters are romantically involved, they can still stand on their own.

(Also, as an aside, friendships are often referred to as "just" friendships in contrast to romantic relationships because a romantic relationship also implies the existence of a friendship; indeed, romantic relationships are founded on friendly feelings. Friendships, however, do not imply the existence of a romantic relationship, so saying "just" friends indicates the absence of a romantic relationship; it is not meant to mean that friendships are less valuable than romance.)

Hi!! Today I was wondering about the overwhelming prevalence of "shipping fics", particularly when those two characters are portrayed as close friends in canon (or at least they are said to be close friends in the narrative).

Close friends? No, they are romantically (and sexually) involved. Without fail. Because clearly that's the only way two people can be that close, or be so determined to help each other. (rolls eyes)

It bothers me that close friendships are never "just" friendships, whether it's male-female or between men or women. It also bothers me that two characters who share even a little or a lot of screentime are lumped together romantically. I'm thinking of ships like Stucky, SamxBucky, IronStrange, even Stony (before the whole CACW thing).

Why is shipping so prevalent?? What am I missing? (Sorry that it feels so very vent-y...)

Honey, you're sending this to someone who has never shipped before so... hell if I know! 😜😂

Seriously though, I think it's a combination of things. Romance has always been a huge part of the narrative so it makes sense that many fics will include that. I used to think I didn't like it but I realized eventually what I didn't enjoy was a story where the characters are not written to be anything more than each other's loved ones.

It's one of my pet peeves when it comes to Steve and Bucky, for instance. I don't ship them (although I do find Stucky super cute), but I hate it when they're paired up romantically and nothing else defines them. Everything Steve does is for Bucky, or everything Bucky does is for Steve. As if they're not fully developed, complex and wonderful characters on their own. I'm not a fan of it in fics but I despise it passionately in metas.

Then there's the amatonormativity angle that impregnates pretty much everything. All that "unless it's romantic, the relationship is not valuable" has done a lot of harm. So I'm not surprised that many people will see two characters who are friends in canon (like Steve and Natasha, Nat with Clint, Carol and Maria, Sam and Bucky) and want their bond to be stronger... so they pair them up.

PS1. Just to make this clear, I'm not saying I have an issue with people shipping or writing whatever they want. By all means, go ahead! There are tags to navigate through that and whoever doesn't like it has to curate their experience, it's not the job of the creators to do so. That is very clear.

PS2. You can vent in my inbox whenever you want, by the way. Free range, it's all yours! 😉

PS3. Don't get me started on the IronStrange or Stony ships. I might combust.

[danseinthefallout]

Alright here are some of my fallout hot takes:

Deacon x MacCready is weird/gross, not founded in canon, and borderline pedophilic if you think about the most likely age difference and how a lot of people headcanon Deacon as the lone wanderer.

People being into Kent the ghoul weirds me out because of how child-like he is. Same goes for Curie, she’s literally born sexy yesterday and has the basic social knowledge of a child. It’s really messed up to try to romance her and her dialogue even shows how confused and somewhat uncomfortable she is. 

People being super into Maxson feels the same to me as people being super into Vulpes. They are both pretty unattractive, openly and horrifically fascist/violent bigots/genocidal/literally pure evil, and being very into them is weird when there are so many other non-horrific options to choose from.

On that note, in anyway liking the Legion and the people in it is so fucked up like actually why.

DiMA is the literal worst and we just forgive it because he is some pretty clear queer representation. 

MacCready in fallout 4 is written VERY poorly.

Porter Gage is pretty damn evil and while I don’t begrudge people for liking him I feel like a lot of people forget that he isn’t a good or normal person.

Piper is actually a really well written and well developed character and just because one of her articles was not written well in game does not mean that she is a bad reporter. She’s a very underrated character in the fandom.

I have a bunch of other opinions that are not very popular but here are the most spicy ones. 

I’ll be responding to each one best as I can, if I agree, disagree or in the middle of it. These takes are really interesting and should be talked about more in my eyes. And I also ask what you guys think on each take. Do you agree, disagree or in the middle of it?

Personally, I haven’t seen much relating to the ship of Deacon and Mac in a romantic way. (I have seen more friendship and dynamic duo stuff) I can understand it’s a bit weird considering that Mac is (I believe) 22 in the timeline of Fallout 4. Considering we don’t know of Deacon’s real age (I believe he might be in his late 20’s early 30’s if we ignore the headcanon of him being the lone wander) we’re unsure of the real age gap between the two. So I don’t super agree that the ship in a romantic light could be considered pedophilic as they are both adults in Fallout 4 HOWEVER if we consider the headcanon of Deacon being the Lone Warner, I can understand where you’re coming from as the two met when Mac was 12 (making Deacon 19 and thus 29 in Fallout 4) But I also the ask the question, would it be a similar situation if the Sole Survive romances, Mac, as it appears that Sole is at least in their 30’s? 

I agree with this for the most part! I never really though about people being attracted to Kent like that as I he’s not a big part of my playing experiences. With Curie, I always found it weird when flirting with her for the first time as she has no idea what’s really going on as she is a literal roboto before. She seems more of child when comes to the real world. And also I find the romatic/flirting interactions with Curie kind of… cringe to say the least.

I understand this as I personally hate Maxson and how he thinks and speaks, but I can get inside of someone who loves a good villain. I’m not too familiar with Vulpes so I can’t say too much. If Maxon wasn’t a complet asshole towrads synths and ghoul and LITERALLY MAKES SOLE TO KILL DANSE CAUSE OF IT, and he was more sympathic, I think he’d be more attractive. I get that people can be attractive to villains, but… Maxon? Like I don’t care how great of a coat and beard you got bro, you’re a little shit head. I think people just ignore all of that when they simp for him.

I personally haven’t played New Vegas in so long, so I can’t say much about it.

This one, I disagree on, but can understand why this can be the case. DiMA, I believe is genuinely symathic to what he has done and actuall cares about causing peace for his people as well as everyone in Far Harbor. Personally, I am a DiMA lover so I might be bias on this front, but I do think he is a good person with a bad past and I do agree that some of the things he has done are a little shady, but overall I think he wants peace and the best for Far Harbor. Also side note, I’ll only play the main quest of Far Harbor with Nick Valintine.

I agree, and it sucks as he is a reacurring character from Fallout 3, I wish we could expand on his relation with his wife and son, maybe even meeting his son in the game after his quest line. This goes with a lot of characters in Fallout 4 and that is my biggest issue with the game. There are so much amazing things they could have done. 

I think the reason for why people like him is why some like Maxson, they like a good villain. Personally I like Gage more then Maxon as he’s fun to run away with and not as annoying then Maxon is to me.

I don’t run around much with Piper, but what I have seen feels like a real person to me. She has a lot of personality to her and her backstory seems well rounded, but I do think their is some things that I wish was expanded on with her character, and this can just me be, like her relationship with her sister. I for sure think the fandom needs to give Piper more love.

Anyways, that is my response to each hot take! Send it your and I’ll tell you my thoughts on them <3

[cescalr]

thalia x reyna from percy jackson for the ask (i'm pretty sure you've read heroes of olympus but if i'm wrong, ronance from stranger things)

I will answer both and this is gonna be soooo controversial (for the second) lol ack

Also; I'm on mobile, and this is going to get long, and i cant link any suppirting posts that explain my perspectives better than i can, lol. If you want, i'll dm the metas. I hope I get the keep reading thing right, but if it doesn't work... sorry. Summary:

Tl:dr; I could see reynalia working, maybe, but I'd need to read some to get a proper feel for it. It might be one of those cases where I prefer it in polyamorous form, aka reynaliabeth. Reynabethalia. Or maybe when put alongside pipabeth (idk piper/annabeth...) Idk. As for ronance, just not my cup of tea for a variety of reasons. I prefer robin crossover ships, like my tiny little dingy of tarabin. (Tara Maclay/Robin Bucley).

Reyna/Thaila (reynalia??) Is not something I've ever considered, to be honest. I'm not sure how compatible they'd be, but I do ship annabeth/thalia (I should really look up pjo ship names, huh) and I've even given thalia/percy a go, because I'm firmly in the camp that you should give most ships a chance before you write them off completely (as it stands, the most controversial pjo ship I've ever read would either be luke/percy or nico/Sadie - that was written before he was confirmed as gay, though, so it's a grey area, like pre-confirmation romantic stobin fics, or willow/oz content, though differently so for the latter*).

Given all the above, I can't say I don't ship it, but I can say I'm not sure. I think given I like thaliabeth (??) and reynabeth, it wouldn't be a stretch to ship reynalia, though!

(*willow is controversial because of a clash between people who interpret her being called a lwsbian as biphobic vs people thinking calling her bisexual as lesbiphobic, its a whole deal I don't want to her into rn but... eeh, I guess I should state that I'm in the camp that her being bisexual is the most logical reading of canon, her status as a lesbian is a self-identifier because she swore off dating men, not because she isn't attracted to them - she cheated on Oz with Xander for purely lust related reasons, her whole thing with the will be done spell, and her actions with Amy when she goes off the rails (magically forcing men to dance half naked In cages in the bronze, along with other questionable acts) is... uh, not particularly lesbian behaviour, generally speaking; imo, Willow uses being gay as a mask for her insecurities same as she does her witchy power and her choice of fashion - to distance herself from the 'pathetic' girl she used to be. Its a whole psychological thing tied up in era-typical bigotry, unfortunately. It was the 90s. She wasn't going to be addressed as bi, even though she so clearly was. There's a reason I really like 2000s doctor who - it was the first positive representation of a bisexual I'd seen on screen, and being bisexual is clearly going to affect my opinion, here. Like. Duh. Same with lesbians who interpret her as lesbian. I don't think we should be arguing- at the end of the day, we all technically want the same thing; personal representation of our own lived experiences, and that's not a bad thing. Theres a good video on youtube about the controversy, which. Theres always a good video on youtube, lol.)

Um. Oops, rambling. Anyway.

So, ronance. Oh boy.

I see Nancy as straight. I'm also not fond of how she treats Robin in the little time we see them together. Im also not a fan of robin dating the ex that broke her bestie's heart. So, ergo, I don't ship them. I'm genuinely, as much as it probably doesn't seem that way, more of a fan of friendship, at the end of the day. I would see it as a betrayal (same way I see scolia and stydia as a betrayal). I tend to use romantic/sexual relations as a way to explore character because that's easiest to get my points across, but I prefer friendship. Romance is, at the end of the day, conditional. Friends can be friends still after three years of no contact, but that's a signal for the end of a romance. So what I'm getting at here - you can be tentative friends with someone the way robin and Nancy act (as is their canon dynamic), but I wouldn't be conformable with them dating. Nancy barely tolerates Robin. She displays annoyance at pretty much everything she does, from rambling to venting to expositing her mental state, Nancy's countenance just screamed 'I'm waiting for this to stop'. I don't like that in friendship, and I like it much less in romance. Even with my most controversial ships, there's still a kind of passion. Hate is not the opposite of love - it's apathy. Nancy seems often apathetic to Robin's mental state, her worries and concerns. She dismisses a lot of what robin says and does, at least from my perspective watching them. And it must be said - and I'll freely admit - I'm not Nancy's biggest fan, but I love Robin, she's my girl. That's going to cause some problems. Even with ships that are objectively questionable, I have to like both characters for me to get behind it, or I have to like both characters when in the context of the ship. This makes little sense, so I'll extrapolate.

In the Vampire Diaries, I don't really like Stefan Salvatore, and unpopular opinion time, I hate Klaus. I really, really hate him. At this point, it's straight-up loathing. But I greatly enjoyed their dynamics, from 20s to modern day, and that they shared an ex was funny to me (same way it is with Zutara, and making jetko kinda-canon for that reason alone half the time, akfjqlfjwk) as well as being an interesting thing to happen. (I mean, what are the odds, really?). So there's that. I also liked stefan and Katherine's whole weird deal, which played an aspect. What I'm trying to say, I guess, is that there's a certain respect even in my most dubious ships (jetko, steo, fuffy, spuffy, etc) that I feel is completely lacking in ronance. There's a video by Jill Bearup about enemies to lovers ships that might give a good reason to one aspect of why I like it - they take each other seriously. There's an understanding of competence, an acknowledgement of thought processes, a certain level of understanding. Nancy has none of that for Robin.

When I compare the two ships of the 'fruity four', as people have taken to calling them, steddie and ronance strike me as two very different kinds of ships. And I only half get steddie (very not fond of popular portrayal) - there's no real chance for me to get ronance. It is what it is, I suppose. People like what they're going to like. If you want me to extrapolate on any of this, I'd be happy to! My thoughts are oft all over the place and need a bit of direction to make sense, though, fair warning. I think about a lot of stuff and only rarely coherently akdhlwkfkq but I think there is a throughline. At the end of the day, mutual respect is mandatory for me, in romantix relationships especially, but not only for that. If I can't really get behind ronance platonically, there's no hope for romantically. And for the record, as stated above, I did give it a shot. Read the most popular fics and then a couple of the most recent, as I always do. They didn't agree with me, and they left me feeling distinctly... well, not so distinctly because I can't find the right word, but I couldn't help feeling the way I do about the popular portrayal of Hermione is happening to nancy? She's perfect and flawless and a girl boss and has never made a mistake ever and I just.... eeh. Also the treatment of Robin is... not always great. But that's a whole 'nother topic I've already rambled long enough, I don't need to add that.

Basically, tl:dr; ronance is kind of disquieting, probably because I'm not fond of their characterisations within ronance fics, and I'm often affected by the fanon regarding a ship. I never liked Sterek, for example, but I could've tolerated it if a) it wasn't so prevalent in fandom that it appears often untagged like an accepted part of canon when it is not and b) if it didn't so wildly misinterpret the characters, plus didn't include a character that doesn't sit right with me (Derek - Nancy) and a character I love but portrayed in a way that doesn't even remotely align with my interpretation of them 95% of the time (Stiles - Robin).

Er. Yeah. Oof.

Tl:dr; I could see reynalia working, maybe, but I'd need to read some to get a proper feel for it. It might be one of those cases where I prefer it in polyamorous form, aka reynaliabeth. Reynabethalia. Or maybe when put alongside pipabeth (idk piper/annabeth...) Idk. As for ronance, just not my cup of tea for a variety of reasons. I prefer robin crossover ships, like my tiny little dingy of tarabin. (Tara Maclay/Robin Bucley).

:).

(As you can probably tell, I have... lots of very complicated feelings about shipping Robin (and like, shipping in general, being honest) with canon ST characters. I'm much less strict abt Riordanverse characters as a whole, for reasons I'd be perfectly willing to extrapolate on/discuss if you'd like to do so!).

♡♡

[magicalgirlagency]

Honestly I don't know if it was Madoka that's made recent kids' shows darker (well, maybe it did for SU? idk). At first I thought it was more due to Gravity Falls and/or Adventure Time because I know those shows get really dark later on. Oddly enough even though there are shows I've seen that are much darker than Steven Universe for some reason it's only Steven that feels like Madoka again. Like sure with some other shows I'm like "oh holy crap thats fucked up" but with Steven?Straightup Madoka.

It's complicated, but I think I can give my 2 cents on the matter...

While MadoMagi did certainly contribuited to the popularization of Tragical Girls (Raising Project, Yuki Yuna, Magical Girl Site, Daybreak Illusion and SpecOps Asuka), it didn't got people thinking about how fucked up it is to rely on minors to do the dirty work and clean up the adults' messes.

I mean, nothing has changed; I still keep seeing children/teenagers getting into the most traumatic experiences ever. BNHA, JJK, and KnY, for example, are high-grossing shounen series with teenaged MCs witnessing the most horrendous shit ever, and actively have their joy and energy sucked right out of their bodies in the process.

As for Steven Universe, well, I wouldn't say it's "straight up Madoka", despite the similarities that they may share. At first, it was marketed as some spiritual successor to famous series such as Sailor Moon and DragonBall, having the strong potential of going down as one of the most memorable cartoons in TV history with its heroines with diverse body types and actual queer relationships...

...but the truth is way more complicated than that.

You see, Steven Universe is one of those series that didn't knew which demographic to be aimed at. It wanted to be child-friendly with SatAm-esque scenarios and a Monster-of-the-Day/Week routine, but it wanted to be serious and appeal to older audiences with the Gem War, the Diamond Authority, the Cluster, etc...

The staff was amateurish and black-and-white in their approach of nuanced themes, not to mention the irresponsibility and laziness with the amount of fillers and hiatuses. They have bitten more than they could chew, and all became one big neo-liberalistic mess in the end. Steven Universe was more worried about looking visually good than actually telling a good story.

Meanwhile Madoka just straight up lied to its audience. They have used the Magical Girl genre as bait to get a public to watch their anime. I mean, the title is written in a curvy and cutesy font...

And its main heroines are constantly marketed as a team and are always looking as if they were besties (emulating the likes of the Inner Senshi)...

...except that Homura was indifferent to anyone who wasn't Madoka, Mami was devoured right after her debut (and became the target of a 10 year joke that's no longer funny), Kyouko was territorial and aggressive to Sayaka on their first meeting (and both girls became shipping fodder despite having the worst first impression ever), Sayaka was treated like a guinea pig to show the audience how Witches were born, Madoka ascends to Nirvana and stops existing, and Homura becomes a test subject and attempts suicide and becomes a yandere when her plan fails.

Oh, and let's not forget the alternative timeline where Mami loses her composure and kills Kyouko after witnessing Sayaka become Oktavia, and is then killed by Madoka before she could do the same to Homura.

And when these girls are FINALLY seen working together, it's later revealed to be all a fabricated lie.

So much for friendship.

Anyways, so long story short: Steven Universe was highly ambitious in theory, but utterly incompetent in practice. Madoka Magica actively lied to the public with their façade of cuteness and frills. Even though they have their places in pop culture, we must also acknowledge that their executions were made in really bad taste.

[magnetic-rose]

Why Spones is a top-tier ship

AKA “the inherent homoeroticism of annoying the shit out of your co-worker.”

Spock and McCoy have a complicated relationship. A lot of their bickering and ideological differences lead fans to believe that they hate each other, but that’s an over-simplification of the truth. The reality is that Spock and McCoy are extremely close friends who care about each other deeply. Though sometimes their bickering turns serious during stressful situations, for the most time they seem to enjoy the banter. A common mischaracterization of their relationship seems to put McCoy as the bully and Spock as the victim. In truth, there are many times where Spock will say something specifically to get a rise out of McCoy. They fight. That’s how they show affection, not disdain. In fact, one could argue that some of their bantering have a flirtatious tone to it.

Kirk: Mister Spock, regaining eyesight would be an emotional experience for most. You, I assume, felt nothing.

Spock: On the contrary Captain. I had a very strong reaction. My first sight was the face of Doctor McCoy bending over me.

McCoy: ‘Tis a pity brief blindness didn’t increase your appreciation for beauty, Spock. (Operation -- Annihilate!)

Spock is a half-Vulcan, half-Human who has mostly chosen to follow his Vulcan heritage. As such, he is a being of almost pure logic. The truth about Vulcans are that they are secretly beings who feel things very deeply and intensely, and they feel the need to keep a tight lid on their emotions as to not succumb to them. McCoy, on the other hand, is a regular human. He’s a deeply emotional man who cares about others. One could argue that McCoy is almost too empathetic, as he lets his emotions rule him. Spock and McCoy are polar opposites; the brain and the heart, the logic and the emotion, the super-ego and the id.

Despite these differences, the two men are similar in a lot of ways. They’re both men of science, men of peace, and they both care very deeply for their Captain. They’re both self-sacrificing morons, to the chagrin of the other. Spock will prioritize McCoy’s life even when both of them know it’s not the logical choice to do so. Likewise, McCoy will take a hit for Spock even when they both know the Vulcan is stronger and better equipped to deal with pain than the doctor.

Spock: (In the middle of a blizzard) In this severe cold, we cannot survive much longer.

McCoy: Leave me here, Spock.

Spock: We go together or not at all.

McCoy: Don’t be a fool. My hands and face are frostbitten. I can’t feel my feet. Alone, you have a chance. Now do what I say. Go try to find Jim.

Spock: We go together! (All of Yesterdays)

In the episode, “The Empath,” Kirk, Spock and McCoy have to choose someone to be offered as sacrifice to be tortured by a group of aliens. Kirk obviously volunteers, but gets put to sleep by McCoy with a tranquilizer. Spock then states that he’ll offer himself up, as he has the higher chance of surviving the torture. McCoy then proceeds to sedate Spock as well, and sacrifices himself to be tortured by the aliens.

Spock: While the captain is asleep, I am in command. When the Vians return, I shall go with them.

McCoy: You mean, if I hadn't given him that shot

Spock: Precisely. The choice would have been the captain's. Now it is mine.

(McCoy turns away. Spock sits to carry on working. Gem puts her hand on Spock's shoulder, and smiles. McCoy comes up behind him and gives him an injection.)

Spock: Your action is highly unethical. My decision stands. (Spock falls asleep next to Kirk.)

McCoy: Not this time, Spock.

Underneath all the fighting and disagreements, there is a deep caring between Spock and McCoy that manifests itself into protectiveness towards each other. In “All of Yesterdays,” Spock is constantly showing concern for McCoy after he almost died of hypothermia. In aftermath of McCoy’s torture in “The Empath,” Spock is seen hovering over his body and caressing his face, worry written into his features. On the other hand, while McCoy constantly makes fun of Spock for his lack of emotions, he’s also highly aware of the Vulcan’s mental state and protective of it when others threaten to shatter his resilience.

McCoy: He's a Vulcan. You can't force emotion out of him.

Philana: You must be joking, Doctor.

McCoy: You'll destroy him.

Parmen: We can't let him die laughing, can we?

McCoy: (Watching as Spock starts to cry) I beg you! (Plato’s Stepchildren)

The episode “Amok Time” also demonstrates McCoy’s perceptiveness of Spock and Spock’s true feelings of friendship towards McCoy. McCoy is in fact the first person to notice that something is wrong with Spock:

McCoy: Oh, captain. Got a minute? It's Spock. Have you noticed anything strange about him?

Kirk: No, nothing in particular. Why ?

McCoy: Well, it's nothing I can pinpoint without an examination, but he's become increasingly restive. If he were not a Vulcan, I'd almost say nervous. And for another thing, he's avoiding food. I checked and he hasn't eaten at all in three days.

Kirk: That just sounds like Mister Spock in one of his contemplative phases.

Kirk doesn’t notice anything wrong with Spock, and initially dismisses McCoy’s concern, but McCoy immediately picked up on Spock’s mental turmoil. Despite his cantankerousness, McCoy not only cares about Spock but goes out of his way to look out for his mental state. Part of it might be because he’s his doctor, but how many doctors go so far as to monitor someone’s eating habits because they notice that person’s suddenly being fidgety? On Spock’s end, when it comes time for him to beam down to Vulcan to complete his marriage ceremony, he specifically asks for McCoy to be there:

Spock: By tradition, the male is accompanied by his closest friends.

Kirk: Thank you, Mister Spock.

Spock: I also request McCoy accompany me.

McCoy: I shall be honoured, sir.

One episode I find extremely fascinating in terms of McCoy/Spock moments is “Mirror, Mirror.” In this famous episode, half of the Enterprise crew get transported into an alternate universe dubbed The Mirror Verse, in which evil versions of the characters exist and terrorize space as a fearsome military force. McCoy is part of the team that gets transported in the Mirror Verse, while Spock stays in their regular universe. Mirror Spock immediately realizes that half of the crew, including Kirk and McCoy, are acting strangely. When he corners Kirk to question him, he does so by threatening McCoy: “I shall not waste time with you. You’re too inflexible, too disciplined, once you’ve made up your mind. But Doctor McCoy has a plenitude of human weaknesses, sentimental, soft. You may not tell me what I want to know, but he will.” This Spock seems to have a intimate knowledge of McCoy’s mind.  When the party decides to attack Mirror Spock, he fights all of them except for Uhura and McCoy, who he simply pushes out of harm’s way.

When Mirror Spock gets hurt as the crew is trying to escape back to their own universe, McCoy is suddenly unable to leave his side. Kirk allows him to stay to nurse Spock back to health, and McCoy risks almost staying in the Mirror Verse forever for him. When Mirror Spock awakes, he backs McCoy into a wall and initiates a forced mind meld onto the doctor. The next scene has Mirror Spock holding a disoriented McCoy up and bringing him back to his crew; he now understands what is happening and he wants his regular crew back, and thus he allows Kirk and company to make the switch back to their own universe.

Other Star Trek properties have gone more in depth on how a forced mind meld can be extremely traumatizing on the person receiving it. Star Trek: Enterprise has an entire story arc dedicated to the Vulcan T’Pol trying to heal from a forced mind meld. Unfortunately, because the nature of TOS episodes were episodic, we never got the chance to explore the emotional fallout of McCoy’s forced mind meld and how that might have affected his relationship with Spock. The franchise also never went in depth on Mirror McCoy outside of what Mirror Spock speaks of him, since Mirror McCoy died of xenopolycythemia in 2269.

Closing the list of evidence of Spock and McCoy’s affections towards each other are the Star Trek movies “The Wrath of Khan” and “The Search for Spock.” Towards the end of Wrath of Khan, Spock sacrifices himself to save The Enterprise in one of the franchises most heart-wrenching scenes. Moments before his sacrifice, he knocks McCoy unconscious, touches his face and whispers “remember.” What happened in this scene was that Spock, knowing he was about to die, transferred his Katra to McCoy. The katra being the Vulcan equivalent of a soul. This speaks to the amount of trust that Spock has in McCoy. For someone who keeps most of his emotions under a tight lid, it’s a huge gesture to entrust another with the essence of their entire being. The next movie, The Search for Spock, is a journey as the Enterprise crew fight to return to Vulcan so they can reunite Spock with his body. When they finally arrive, the Vulcans warn McCoy that the process is extremely dangerous and could even result in his death. McCoy calmly replies that he “chooses the danger.” He cannot fathom living his life without Spock.

McCoy: (Speaking to Spock) I'm going to tell you something that I... I never thought I'd hear myself say...But it seems I've missed you. I don't know if I could stand to lose you again.

So in conclusion, Spock and McCoy have a rich and complex relationship that is much more than simply just “they dislike each other because they bicker a lot.” Their bickering is more akin to that of an old married couple. There are plenty of examples not even included in this post of how deeply they care for each other. Despite their ideological differences, they balance each other out quite nicely. McCoy is finely attuned to Spock’s emotions, arguably better than anyone else on the ship. Spock in turn is protective and gentle with McCoy. Once you stop looking at their interactions solely on the surface level, you’ll be able to see the tenderness and years of love and friendship between them. This is why I think Spock/McCoy is one of the most underrated and misunderstood relationships of TOS. Don’t let the constant arguing fool you into believing these two dummies don’t adore each other.

Shout-out to Tempest for their extremely lengthy ship manifesto on Spones called “Spiced Peaches,” which goes even more in depth on why Spones is a great couple. Using their manifesto as a reference was key to remembering Spock/McCoy moments. Also shout-out to the site chakoteya for having full transcripts of TOS episodes, so I could easily find quotes for this. If you’ve come this far, thanks for reading!

[wenellyb]

Anthony Mackie is homophobic

There’s no way around it, Anthony Mackie is homophobic and here’s why.

This is how you make a headline..! You make a shocking title and then a catchphrase and the job is done.

You want it to be provocative, intriguing and you want people to click on read more, you want to catch everyone's attention.

Who cares if it's misleading or not accurate, right? People will get the rest of the idea/article when they read the whole article.

But what about those who don't click on the link and read the article? Who see the headline and then their idea is set.

Most people don't have the time to read the full article for further explanation. Some people will read the headline, take the information and move on. Sometimes they will even share that headline... without even reading the article. And I won't pretend I haven't done it too... I have done it and still do it. I've read headlines, retweeted them and shared it without reading the content because the headline was enough information for me.

And a lot of people on the Internet do this...and I think that it's part of the game. But, if you're going to use those headlines to throw accusations at someone and then share those accustions with people, the bare minimum is to read the article first.

And I feel like there has been 3 types of people in the Anthony Mackie story:

Those who read only the headlines and tweets but didn't read the article

Those who read the FULL article but didn't listen to the podcast ( This is much much better than the first one btw)

Those who read the article and listened to the audio.

And I also feel like people making the most noise are part of the 1st category.

I keep receiving some asks that I feel that some of them are missing the point so I'm going to write what I think about all of this and hopefully I can just link this post whenever I get a question.

And I am also disturbed by the fact that this is the 3rd option I get when I type Anthony Mackie on Twitter.

Now that the situation is calmer and the story died down a little, I wanted tovshare my thoughts. And of course you don’t have to read this, but I had to write this down, at least for myself.

I will be exploring 3 angles, so feel free to skip the ones you are not interested in.

It should have never been about the ship

If you say someone is homophobic, at least you have to explain why

Your minds were already made up on Anthony Mackie even before the article was published.

Part 1: It should have never been about the ship.

For the people who read only the headlines... It's a shame because the headlines made the interview all about “Anthony not liking Sam and Bucky's relationship as romantic”. '

A lot of the people based their opinion on the articles and didn't even look further... it was set that Anthony didn't like Sambucky as a couple.

It was revealed with the audio of the podcqst that it wasn’t what Anthony said at all, and he wasn't talking about Sam ans Bucky's relationship but was answering another question that the interviewer had asked about male friendships. And in fact, and it was the interviewer who said that male friendships were rare in the superhero context... He set up the question that way.

But that is the not the point, the point is that EVEN IF Anthony had said he didn't see Sam and Bucky as romantic... that is not enough to say he is problematic or homophobic.

And the intensity of the backlash he received is because he is a Black man, sure... but the accusations of being homophobic  would have been there anyway.

Because fandoms are not rational.

When Sebastian Stan said he didn't play Bucky as in love with Steve in 2016, he also received backlash from the fandom and got accusations of being homophobic, even though he had said people were free to interpret it as they wanted. And guess what he still got the accusations lesser level than Anthony, but still...

Anthony and Sebastian have both played gay characters in the past, more than once. And I repeat this so you understand, they have played gay characters more than once. So maybe, MAYBE if they say their character isn't gay or bi, maybe it isn't because they're homophobic, or because they don't want their characters to be ....but because that is how their character is written in the script?

Again, Anthony didn't say any of this about Sambucky but even if he had, it would certainly be because he played the part they were supposed to play.

Some people want to make Anthony this big bad guy who "killed the ship" but I'm sorry, Anthony doesn't own the production company, he isn't the writer or the executive producers.... The actors who be the last in line to blame for this.

And I don't want to make it seem like it's only the general public doing this...Because even some journalists have been writing articles about how Anthony shouldn't be "shutting down ships or dismissing Sambucky" because there is so little representation in the MCU... I'm sorry but what??? WHAT???

I understand the sentiment and I know that a lot of ships are there to compensate the lack of representation on screen...but how is it Anthony's responsibility or his fault?

It’s great when actors go along with the ship, do not invalidate it and leave the doors open, but it is not their fault or their responsibility if they don't, especially actors who have no clue about how shipping or fandoms work.

If it's written in the script that the charcter is straight and the actor says the character is straight you shouldn't be lashing out at the actors for "killing the ship"...Do you want him to change the script? Go blame the production company instead.

I know actors are an easy target because it is much more easier to tweet about them than look up the names of Executive Producers or CEOs and write them letters to ask for more representation. Actors are an easy target but it is literally not their call.

Some of these articles making headlines blaming Anthony because he shut down the idea of romantic Sambucky when there is so little represenration and not making headlines blaming the multibillion dollar company that refuse to have decent representation!

Sure, let's blame the Black actor who said that Sam and Bucky are just friends for the decades of nothing expect a total of 10 seconds screentime for a character nobody remembers and just calls the “Russo cameo”.

And again, Anthony Mackie didn't even say anything against a romantic reading of Sambucky, nothing! But it shouldn't matter, even if he had said they were just friends... it wouldn't justify any backlash at all... if it is about the ship.

Him shipping Sambucky or not should be the last point the fandom is focusing on.

An actor doesn't ship your ship and it bothers you? Move on, ship another couple if you want to... Don't start calling him names because of the ship.

When you make the debate about the ship, it kills the discussion before the discussion can even start because how can you have a constructive discussion if the debate has no foundations?

For instance, if Anthony made hurtful or problematic comments, the right way to deal with this,  would be to ask for apologies or for a better explanation of his words .... But since a lot of people, and even news outlet made this story about the ship, what do you want to do?

Ask Anthony to apologize for thinking/saying Sambucky is platonic?  We do realize how insane this would sound right? Or are there people who really want Anthony to come out and make a public statement about how he apologizes and supports romantic Sambucky? Is this were we want to go?

People made it about the ship, so he will also think the problem is that he doesn't "ship" Sambucky... but that wasn't the problem right? At least I hope it wasn't.

All of this should have never been about the shipping...If you are bothered by an actor not liking your ship ...it's ok. Stop shipping it if you want to and move on, but don't act like they're the worst human being on the planet because of it.

When I first read the article I was surprised by Anthony's comments about Sambucky because he had never talked like that about the relationship before... but the first thinf I said ia that he is an actor... he reads and interprets the script he has... he doesn't make the decisions...

But when I listened to the audio... I was even more horrified by the way the whole story was handled.

Part 2. If you say someone is homophobic, at least you have to explain why

This might be an unpopular opinion but I don't mind people saying that Anthony Mackie is homophobic. I don't know him, so I won't pretend to know what he is or isn't. What I do mind is people saying he's homophobic but not giving any explanation or evidence.

And I have seen people do that. A lot... And I have receiced asks like that.... "Have you seen those articles? Anthony is homophobic," “He dug his own grave”

But all of the articles and headline are talking about the ship...is that your evidence?

If your opinion is based on a headline or some tweets, I don't know how you expect people to believe you.

I have seen people calling Anthony homophobic because of his comments on the explotation of homosexuality. But to me it was clear that he wasn't talking about the Queer fans, even though I could be wrong... (I talk abour this more in the part 3)

The part where Anthony Mackie has made comments that could be dubious are the comments about how he is bothered that he can't go to bars with his friends anymore.

No matter how you turn it, making it seem like it's a problem that people think you're gay when you're with your friends, has homophobic undertones.

That is the part that really bothered me personally... It really made me feel uncomfortable.

But is it enough to say he is homophobic? I don't think so, but if I'm wrong and it means he is, in what way? You need to give an explanation. Even a short one.

And even with that comment about the bars, if you add the context, you could imagine that maybe he's not talking about the characters but about his real life experience because we know that some people ship him and Sebastian romantically, and if he was talking about that... It could be understandable that he is bothered by that because he's a celebrity and when people make assumptions about celebrity love lifes they can become annoying or even toxic sometimes.

People shipping the two of them romantically makes me unconfortable so I can't imagine how it would make HIM feel.

But anyway, that part of the interview bothered some people and I personally don't think it's enough to call him homophobic but I do think it is worth a discussion.

Unfortunately, most people didn't focus on that... they focused on the shipping or other words that were taken out of context... By mixing everything with the shipping, the battle for a legitmate discussion was already lost before it even started.

Part 3: Your minds were already made up on Anthony Mackie even before the article was published.

I think that what bothers me the most were that some people were waiting for this moment... They were holding their breath until the moment he would finally slip up so they can be hateful in peace.

This is a screenshot of a post from April 2021, way way before this whole story.... Some people already had in their mind that him being a Black masculine man, he was homophobic... and were just waiting for a confirmation it seems.

( I cropped the OP’s blog name to avoid any problems going their way)

I have said this before... But I don’t follow celebrities foolishly. If you think Anthony Mackie gives off homophibic vibes or could be homophobic... you may be right.... but I would need evidence, or an explanation, not just a “vibe”... I asked evidence to that OP or at least an example of an homophobic joke he had made and they blocked me...

I have watched a lot of Anthony Mackie interviews and never got that "vibe" so I really wanted to know. Later, I asked one of my mutual to reach out to ask them about it and the OP finally answered to my mutual and said that an example of a moment they could tell he was homophobic was the interview were Anthony talks about his soft spot.

So that person based their impression of Anthony being homophobic on the fact that Anthony doesn't like to be touched in the back by strangers...Imagine me staring at the camera like I’m in The Office

And this isn't about racism because that person who wrote the post is Black apparently. But it is about how Black men are perceived and stereotypes that are often attached to them.. People make all of these asaumptions on then wait for the moment they can be proven right.

For this OP, a masculine Black man from the south =homophobic ...

And I don't think they are the only one.

What's worse is that they make it sound like all of this is on Anthony:

"Sambucky won't happen because Anthony gives off homophobic vibes"

Not only are they sharing accusations without even a small proof... they are the acting like he would be the only one to blame if Sambucky doesn't happen... Let me tell you that sometimes when I come to Tumblr I want to scream at how irrational people are... Disney has a history of being homophobic and never having any kind of representation, but if Sambucky doesn’t happen, it would be because of Anthony Mackie.

Please, PLEASE!

Anthony Mackie isn't writing the scenarios, he isn’t a Disney Exec.... Does anyone really belive he would walk away from the movie and the contract just because his character is gay, bi or pan? When he has played gay characters in the past??? Why are people trying so so hard to put all the blame on Anthony? I don't understand....

I have also seen "Sambucky won't happen now that Anthony made that interview and said he didn't like it...." How??? How does that even make sense????

What I believe is that a lot of people already had their minds made up about him and were holding their breath until they could finally throw accusations at Anthony because the minute there was a potential scandal... they didn’t try to look for more or try to dig deeper...their mind was already set.

And from then on... their idea were already set on how they were going to interprets the things he said.

For instance, When I first read the article without the context of the audio... I thought a lot of the things Anthony said weren't contreversial because those are ideas expressed on Tumblr every day...the fetishization of some MM ships etc,... But I thought he had expressed it in the worst possible way because he seemed like he was mixing a lot of stuff.... well, I found out later that it was because it was taken out of context.

But even in the context of the article, it was clear to me that Anthony was talking about anybody BUT the Queer fans when talking about the exploitation of homosexuality etc,...

We talk about the fetishization of MM ships by straight women on a weekly basis on Tumblr etc.... What would make anybody think that when Anthony was talking about the some things being “twisted” explotation of homosexuality he was talking about the Queer shippers???

I have joined and left BL fandoms after 2 weeks because of the problems exposed by Anthony. I have seen people who shipped real life actors to the point where it affected the actors's lives. I have seen an actor from a popular M/M ship make a dramatic public statement explaining that nothing will change for his fans that he still loved them and still loved his costars... and made it seem like he had a terminal illness or something....It turned out he had just gotten a girlfriend......?????

And these examples are specific to the BL genre but I have seen similar behavior with some MCU stans.... look at how some (I insist on some) Seb stans react to Seb having a girlfriend (I have seen things).

What made people think Anthony was talking about the queers fans if not the fact that you already had your mind set on the fact a Black man talking about a topic like this was homophobic in some way or the other and some people were just waiting for a confirmation?.

I’m not going to pretend that I wasn’t confused by some parts of the interview. What is  “There’s nothing more masculine than being a superhero and flying around and beating people up” even supposed to mean? And it wasn’t the only sentence. But I don’t think any part of his interview deserved the backlash he received.

A discussion? Yes. Remarks? Yes. Blacklash and hate? No.

TL:DR: If you're going to call out Anthony for what he said.... you better  be ready to give a few arguments other than.... "bohoo he doesn't ship Sambucky" or “have you seen the headlines?” and  you should probably check your own pre-conceived ideas first..

If you come in my asks to tell me I write too much I will save you the trip and tell you... I already know that😂

[commander-diomika]

[Image ID: Screenshot of a tumblr reply from user @weareallfromearth ​​ saying “Holy shit I would V much like to know what you’d do with ZolfWilde.” End ID]

This was in response to me tag rambling that if Alex “I don’t Actually Have That Much Experience in Courtship” Newall and Ben “I just Realised I’m Too Straight For This” Meredith don’t know what to do with Zolf/Wilde, they should hand the ship over to me. 

*rubs my gay little hands together.*

I initially characterized them offhandedly as Enemies-to-Lovers but that’s not quite it, is it? On reflection I would say it’s more of an Opposites Attract situation.

Oscar Wilde, as re-imagined in the RQG universe, is a homme fatale; a dangerous, attractive man, skilled in encouraging people to underestimate him, wearing different masks, never quite being able to trust or be trusted by anyone.

There is NO personal/professional line for Wilde. He lives his work, and his work is subterfuge and interpersonal manipulation. (whether or not he started this way in his field as a journalist, or was forced to become this way by the changes in his world, is another post.) He is a person who either cares very deeply what people think of him, or is has decided that manipulating what people think of him is the way to get what he wants, and from the outside it makes no difference.

Zolf Smith does not care what people think of him. He isn’t even skilled at being kind and empathetic to people he cares about; he has no time for emotional manipulation or genuine charm. He doesn’t even have a fantastic grasp on his OWN feelings, let alone other people’s. He’s grounded, disinterested in frippery or appearances. Which is why Zolf and Wilde started out so deeply at odds with one another.

Despite the differences in the interpersonal approaches, they have plenty of common ground.

They are both deeply dedicated to a cause. They care about their work to the exclusion of all else. They are both pragmatists who have their own internal moral code, and are willing to bend or break other people’s rules in order to get the job done. They are fundamentally good people. Despite their rocky beginnings, they can respect each other because of these things.

And they might have maintained their mutually disdainful, begrudgingly respectful working relationship and that could have been the sum total... Except then the world fell apart. The Meritocratic organisation was initially compromised, then disintegrated. The blue vein plague isolated everyone and made it even harder to trust supposed allies. The Cult of Hades was on everyone’s ass making their life difficult, the other PCs disappeared off the face of the planet. Zolf and Wilde ended up in a situation where they had no one else they could trust.

Familiarity breeds contempt, but maybe if the contempt is already there, it builds Something Else. Wilde was stripped of his magic in a way that made it much harder for him to keep people at a distance and (pardon the pun) project the illusion of the debonair playboy. Zolf would have had the chance to see through Wilde’s masks, and get a better understanding of what parts of Wilde were a calculated tactic, and what was his genuine self.

Whatever betrayal transpired that gave Wilde his scar and hardened him, Zolf was privy to. He was either there and saw it happen, or he was close enough in the aftermath to see Wilde properly vulnerable for the first time in their friendship. Hell, maybe Zolf was the one who rescued him and patched him up. That was a chance for Zolf to realise that this insufferable man is a friend who he cares about deeply. At this point, he’s cared for awhile, but has been too wrapped up with his own spiritual difficulties to have space to admit that to himself.

And Wilde, oh Wilde, he’s desperate to be seen and known and loved, but he’s never allowed himself. He’s never felt SAFE to. He doesn’t let people get close, treats every conversation as a battle to be won. His safety and his power lies in being admired, but never loved. So even as trust and fondness for Zolf blossoms within him, he won’t for a second allow himself to hope that the fondness is reciprocated

With all that out of the way, this is my version of events.  

Wilde is a slut (affectionate), and Zolf is gray-ace, so if there’s any bridging of that gap in terms of physical intimacy, it has to be from Zolf’s side. Giving canon a tender massage into place, that first instance of Zolf grabbing Wilde by the collar changes. (This happens on the Vengeance after Zolf has taught Wilde to steer the ship). Zolf drags Wilde down to say “I’m glad to see you perked up.” That moment now involves a whiskery kiss on Wilde’s cheek, and the man would be absolutely FLOORED by it.

I’m talking slow-mo glittering lights as Zolf stomps off blushing, unsure what just came over him; Wilde touches his cheek in bewilderment for a stretched moment before realising he’s completely agog, and he let go of the wheel for a dangerous length of time. Every interaction, every moment they’ve spent together over the last two years is flashing before Wilde’s eyes and a new context is being applied rapid fire. I’m talking the italacised oh kind of moment.

(on top of Zolf being witness to The Betrayal, throw some other moments of almost-intimacy into said flashbacks. I’m talking late nights, Zolf doing his gruff-yet-kind caretaker thing, cooking for Wilde, maybe sharing quiet and rare downtime with Zolf reading a Campbell novel on a couch in Wilde’s office)

Wilde is realising, “Oh this is allowed, oh this is reciprocated, this is possible.”

And of course they don’t talk about it, because what’s a slowburn if they immediately go and TALK about their feelings? No, the kiss goes completely unremarked upon, and Wilde continues to needle and tease and get under Zolf’s skin, except now with an added warmth in his eyes because he finally gets it. He finally understands that Zolf cares, that Zolf loves him, he’s just not the kind of dwarf that knows how to express it.

And Zolf, frustrated by feelings he can’t express but is beginning to understand, can hear the undertone of “haha, you looooove me,” shining through Wilde’s deliberate antagonism. They continue their time on the Vengeance just a little easier and closer to one another.

And we continue on to the death/resurrection arc, and Wilde’s spirit pushes for Zolf to open up about his feelings, because if not when he’s literally past death’s door, then when? When Zolf finally manages his “I need you,” it’s like a dam has broken for both of them. The second collar-grab and “We’ll go on a holiday or somethin’,” is now followed by a full kiss on the lips, not particularly erotic but passionate, (it’s the epitome of kissing someone to shut them up) and Wilde makes a surprised and delighted squeak that he would be glad he can’t quite remember when he returns to land of the living.

Once returned, Wilde might not remember everything that his spirit said or did, but he remembers the kiss. The comfort and ease that the two of them share in 179 (Eat Drink and Be Merry) is there, only instead of the two characters still being in a place of questioning their feelings for one another, it’s been answered.

Whether or not this relationship is sexual in nature is kind of up to you and what kind of fan works you like to read/write. I think there are wonderful scenes to be written an explored in many directions.

Wilde allowing himself to enjoy sex for intimacy and closeness instead of using it as a tool/ Zolf not being one for sex but Wilde’s never slept more soundly than when he’s being held in Zolf’s arms/ Zolf realising that the unfamiliar feeling he’s been struggling to express is the desire to rail Wilde til he cries/ Wilde realising that if his partner doesn’t want it from him, he’s actually quite content without sex/ The two of them being mean, antagonistic bastards to each other while fucking but Make It Kink (of the trusting and RACK kind). There really isn’t a single bad interpretation.  

So really, I’m not doing anything different with them other than reading between the lines, giving canon a little nudge, and sticking the landing. This isn’t to disparage the concept of queer platonic partners. (I’ve got one!) or to talk shit about Ben or Alex (I DO respect their craft).

It’s just to say I find these two characters , and everything they’ve been through, PAINFULLY romantic, tropey, and delightful. I’m looking forward both to how Ben and Alex play the QPP, the fanworks I’m gonna read and hopefully write, and the inevitable tragedy that you KNOW Alex is gearing up for.