#doomed straight ships we love you

[yeyayeya]

I don’t see enough Feng Xin x Jian Lan content and it makes me sad

[queen0fm0nsterz]

Reading my fave thin man and lady fic. Kicking my feet a lot because tbh. Sometimes a sad man really is just a weird woman's science project in a way that is so homoerotic

[cybertron-after-dark]

what the FUCK happens in cyberverse

Here's a list just off the top of my head, in no particular order. MASSIVE spoilers ahead.

-Wheeljack keeps making party drugs. This is not only accepted but wholly encouraged by the Autobots. He's made the bot equivalent to cocaine so strong it made grimlock physically unable to stop himself from running around the ship at mach 5. This was the basis for an entire episode. He's also made patches that give you a direct link to the Allspark that he passed out at a party specifically to get everyone as fucked up as physically possible. I cannot overemphasize that Optimus make no effort to stop this until things turn destructive on both occasions.

-Soundwave and Shockwave completely fucking hate each other and have a whole rivalry trying to be a better and more useful follower for Megatron than each other.

-Soundwave is a fucking memelord who will play clown music or dramatic riffs to dunk on people from the soundboard he has built into his hardware.

-theres a sort of liminal dimension referred to as Unspace that you can get stuck in and if you are there for too long you will straight up disintegrate. We see this happen to the entire crew aboard the arc from different timelines several times while the main timeline crew we follow tries to escape this fate, thus dooming dozens of other timelines.

-Cheetor is basically Allspark Jesus, and he's tired of all the fighting, so he tries to have Optimus and Megatron settle their differences once and for all. The chosen method for this was making them both play the Newlywed Game. They were both terrible at it, the MegOp Divorce agenda is alive and well.

-the Quintessons invade Cybertron and stick the entire population into a simulation a la The Matrix, which slowly drains their life force until they die. This kills countless unnamed Cybertronians, both Autobot and Decepticon, as well as Hound, who does not get to appear on screen.

-the Quintessons also catch Starscream, rip his face off, and modify him into an Eldritch tentacle beast with his brain attached to two other aliens, and then appoint that amalgamation as the judge that decides the fate of the universe in regards to whether they exterminate all life within it.

-Shockwave commits suicide for Megatron's approval. He launches his spark straight into the Allspark to taint it specifically as a last desperate fuck you to the autobots.

-Soundwave acquired laserbeak by just kind of grabbing a random bird out of the sky.

-Soundblaster is an ex-decepticon that left out of shame. That shame being Soundwave beating his ass in a beatboxing competition so fuckin hard he couldn't show his face around his faction anymore.

-The autobots keep starscream captive and try to get him to take a therapy session with the Arc's AI, and he starts out willing to actually give it a shot but said AI is kind of Stupid and screamer ends up tricking him into letting him escape through an air vent to go wreak havoc instead.

-Starscream also starts a suicide cult with the other Seekers, gains control of Vector Sigma and the Allspark, has the seekers forfeit their sparks to him, thus resulting in a cosmically powered Starscream. He uses that power to "remake" his followers into scraplets that he refers to as, with nothing but love in his tone, his "children."

-Shockwave and Wheeljack are shown to be ex lab partners. Shockwave has an army of drones that look exactly like his altmode that Wheeljack helped program. They are programmed to be able to break out into a coordinated dance number at any given time. Originally this was just to make Wheeljack laugh. Shockwave kept that function in throughout the entire war and initiates it the second there's a truce and Wheeljack asks to see it again.

-Shockwave kidnaps Wheeljack at one point for Science Under Duress purposes and Wheeljack is too invested in all the sweet fuckin tech Shockwave's been making while they were apart to really care that he's being held against his will, and then proceeds to escape without too much issue because he knows Shockwave well enough to know exactly how to disable everything.

-Bumblebee distracts the Decepticons by running in front of their surveillance cameras and shaking his ass in the most underwhelming way imaginable.

-Grimlock is only stupid when he's in his altmode because it takes a lot of power to sustain and he has to sacrifice some of his higher brain functions to keep it manageable. In robot mode he talks like he went to an Ivy League college and knows what champagne tastes like. He throws upscale parties every chance he gets.

-Grimlock also helped start an anticapitalist revolution with Bumblebee when he found an underground society of insect transformers that had a rigid caste system. This was within moments of finding out that the ultra wealthy were hoarding the limited energon reserves for themselves. Grimlock is a comrade and he does not fuck around.

-Skybyte is here and he sounds like Skeletor.

-Windblade and Slipstream are nemeses and somehow it's even more toxic yuri coded than Arcee and airachnid in tfp.

-speaking of Arcee, she's besties with Grimlock. They at one point have a physical fight over who gets to die to protect the other.

-hot rod and soundwave are forced to share leadership over the team of bots and cons that escaped the quintessons' simulation and it's packed with so much homoerotic tension its unreal.

-Maccadam is some kind of lovecraftian war machine that can unfold himself into a whole armory whenever he feels like it. We have no idea what his whole altmode looks like, all we see are the ominous shadows of the weapons on the walls. He uses this specifically as a threat to keep anyone from fighting in his bar bc he's insistent it remain neutral ground. He also can kinda just. See into the future. And casually drops prophecies that get written off as spoonerisms until they turn out to be relevant.

-Optimus Prime has horrific social anxiety that he can kind of power through when he's in a crisis, but the second things are chill and he has to give a speech at a party or something he simply does not know how to function.

-the entire planet of Velocitron gets taken over by cosmic rust and everyone inhabiting it that couldn't escape in time was killed horrifically.

-cosmos is a girl and she hangs out with a dude named Meteorfire who is, for all intents and purposes, just robot Steve Irwin.

-Astrotrain keeps closing doors in people's faces for the funny

-Megatron is killed by a version of himself from an alternate universe that went nuts and starting creating a master race of perfect Decepticons to inhabit Cybertron. Said perfect Decepticons were carbon copies of idw Tarn in all but personality.

-Acidstorm is canonically genderfluid and keeps switching between male and female seeker frames whenever they feel like it

-Kup, who had not been in the show at all until this point, decides to show up and narrate an entire episode like hes giving a political speech.

And, the infamous one we all know and love

-Megatron is a twitch streamer and he livestreams Starscream's fucking funeral. The chat has custom Decepticon emotes.

[stainedglassthreads]

I feel like the four leads of Deltarune--Kris, Susie, Ralsei, and Noelle-are just. Somehow two different levels of queer-coded.

(Edit: Just to be clear: not saying any of this to disparage or insult shippers of Kralsei, Suselle, or Kriselle, I've just seen a lot of cool analysis about tropes, romance, and lack of choice in Deltarune and wanted to chime in with some of my own thoughts. If you ship any of those ships in Deltarune--fantastic! May you find a lot of content precisely to your taste.)

Like. On the one hand, if you're looking at tropes, they are very neatly set up into two romantic partnerships. Noelle is very blatantly interested in Susie, and Ralsei's feelings for Kris are often portrayed similarly. On a surface level, both pairings appear very clear. Noelle is a girl in love with another girl, while Ralsei is a very effeminate boy in love with a teen who doesn't appear to use pronouns. And a big deal isn't made of either pairing, there's nothing really in the way of Suselle or Kralsei on a societal level we've encountered so far. At least in terms of gender and sexuality. But if you look a little closer, it's kind of...'these are a very straight idea of queer ships', y'know?

Noelle and Susie are both girls, but one is very effeminately coded, anxious, uses magic, and is more traditionally cute, while they other is crass, crude, intimidating, and physically strong. Ralsei and Kris are gender-noncomforming, but Ralsei is a sweet pacifistic healer who bakes cakes while Kris uses a sword, and keeps being mistaken for a boy by much of Youtube and Reddit. The active one and the passive one, the fighter and the mage, the one with cute hobbies and the one who eats moss, the one in pants and the one in a dress.

And here, I start thinking of some posts I've seen analyzing how, in Deltarune, romance is used to explore how Kris doesn't really get choices. Kris has been cast as the leader and knight, and Ralsei has been cast as the healer and Princess, even if he is a boy. The leader often ends up with the healer. The knight often gets the princess as a happy ending. But Kris doesn't seem to like this! Their reactions to Ralsei are constantly lukewarm at best, and that's not getting into how Ralsei seems to be in love with his idea of Kris, while being very. Asriel-coded, who the game describes often as Kris' brother, in sharp contrast to how ambiguous Chara and Frisk's relationships with the Dreemurrs were.

If we and Kris reject Ralsei as a love interest, we can a different romantic partner in Noelle...but this choice has a bodycount, traumatizes Noelle, doesn't seem to leave Kris any happier, and it's still a kind of straight-coded ship. Now it's the knight being paired up with the apocalypse maiden, for the doomed codepedent toxic tragedy lovers out there. But it kinda makes sense too, right? If Kralsei is the expected RPG romance, then Kriselle would be the expected romance if there were no Dark World and Ralsei weren't an option. They're childhood friends and neighbors in a small town, their families used to be very close, Rudy is still very fond of Kris. They're even extremely angel/devil coded.

But the most interesting part is. It's implied that there IS someone that Kris is very interested in, either platonically or romantically. It's Susie. Kris never seems frightened by Susie when they're bullied by her, and rejects Noelle's offers to switch seats. They seek comfort from Susie rather than Ralsei after the Spamton fight, they call her their friend when Toriel calls, they share moss with her, they refuse to think about her during Snowgrave when Ralsei prompts them, they make it clear that out of all the people they COULD go to the Carnival with, Susie is the one they'd ACTUALLY want to choose.

And this is the part that drives me crazy. Because while Kris is so tightly controlled by genre and narrative, and those things would usually push them towards Ralsei or Noelle, and Ralsei keeps encouraging Kris to stick to the narrative. Susie is the one who refuses to be bound to the narrative. Susie is the character of Deltarune who is most unapologetically herself--and isn't that a very queer thing, refusing to be anyone but yourself despite everything? She says no thanks to the prophecy, until she comes around to it on her own terms! She makes herself and Ralsei learn to take their own actions, and drags Ralsei off to have fun with him instead of letting Kris choose who to with! She doesn't stay in her box of the damage-dealing fighter, she insists on learning Healing magic, even if she's not particularly skilled at it at first! Even Ralsei is forced to admit that it's wonderful that Susie is Susie, and not anyone else!

I think Kris likes Susie a lot. And part of it may be admiration. That while Kris is controlled by the player and the narrative and the prophecy and humanity and divorce and a dozen things outside their control, Susie refuses to ever be bound by anything. And Kris and Susie together happen to be the two more masculinely-coded party members, the two melee fighters, the two troublemakers. It honestly makes me wonder a little if Susie and Kris might be able to make their own ending beyond the bounds of gender expectations and romance expectations together? It would be cool. And I think it would make Kris very happy to break free like that.

[vamphorica]

MellodraMattic and Queerness: An Essay

Before I begin, I need to make it clear that my thoughts on this subject are directly inspired by this post by overkeehl. I not only recommend but insist that you read it before continuing, as I am going to be exploring a small component of the greater idea that they have already established. Essentially, I am taking the idea of Mello's character being queer-coded and developing it in regards to how MellodraMattic becomes a very validating ship in the context of marginalised sexual and gender identities.

I am also going to touch on internalised queerphobia, so consider this as a warning if that's not something you fancy reading about.

Anyway.

Mello is a distinctly queer character. I don't say this from an entirely projective approach because I think there are plenty of examples throughout Death Note where Mello's visual presentation and characterisation signifies it. His androgyny is the most explicit indicator of nonconformity in relation to traditional gender expression. I fondly remember when I first read Death Note, aged ten, and was convinced that Mello was a girl for several pages. Suffice to say, Mello's appearance is rather ambiguous, making him an adaptable character for one to project queerness onto. We will go into more depth on this later on.

It is also worth mentioning that Mello's style is quite camp. I love the way he dresses and only wish I had the confidence to pull off his outfits, but they are also very ridiculous and inconvenient. One of my Top 10 Mello Moments Ever is when he tails Mogi and Misa, wearing this:

Those sunglasses are doing absolutely nothing to keep him out of sight, but I appreciate the fact that he obviously thinks otherwise. He simply must serve cunt to the detriment of the task at hand.

If I have not convinced you that his style alone is a good hint that he is a queer character, even in the most general sense of the term, there's plenty within Mello's character context that isn't exactly subtle in how he is portrayed as evidently nonconformist. I do think you have to be careful not to equate certain traits with queerness when it may not be appropriate to do so (after all, there's many characteristics relating to neurodiversity that can be identified in those who originated from Wammy's House, and while I won't get into the whole discussion about the overlap there because it's not my place to do so, I also think it would be an interesting subject to explore).

However, it is completely understandable why a lot of queer people see themselves in Mello. As a child, around the age that I think many begin to explore their sense of self, Mello's identity is ultimately threatened by L's death. He is confronted by the prospect of working with (accepting) Near in order to catch Kira. Instead, he runs away, and the narrative that follows is of a man tied up in complex feelings relating to his identity as a 'runner-up'. To put it simply, it conveys queer grief very well — Mello struggles with the fact that who he is as an individual does not align with the expectation that Wammy's House instilled in him from a young age. Similarly, some queer people may find that they must contend with accepting an identity they had been discouraged from exploring as children.

I think for many queer people seeing themselves in Mello, this sense of shame that can be identified as internalised homophobia or transphobia is unfortunately a common experience. It can take a long time to recognise, let alone challenge the societal standards that have been deemed 'normal' or 'correct'. Mello encapsulates this disconnect well in the sense that his goal to defeat Near as a means to prove himself as a worthy successor to L is doomed from the beginning. He was never meant to be the one to become L, and yet he runs straight to his demise in his desperation to receive recognition from an institution that he could never succeed within. I am not suggesting that all queer people go through this level of intense self denial when exploring their identities, but I think it ought to be appreciated that through Mello, there are a plenty of parallels that reflect the complexities of discovering your sexuality and gender identity.

Additionally, if you'll excuse me posting two rather grim examples of objectification in the manga, it is worth noting that Mello, in close proximity to two naked women, does not seem remotely interested in their bodies, which might suggest a queer identity on a very shallow level. I do think, given how misogynistic almost all the male (and some of the female) characters in Death Note can be, Mello is notable in the sense that he doesn't actively discriminate against the female characters. He treats both genders like shit. Feminist icon.

Mello is very easy to project an assortment of queer identities onto. For what it's worth, I headcanon him as bisexual and FtM, but I know you are not reading this essay for my personal projections. You can consider Mello as MtF, asexual, gay, nonbinary — all of these identities can easily be validated within the canon context because Mello is so versatile while still being a developed and nuanced character. His story mirrors so much of the struggle that queer people contend with, and while I think it is a massive shame that it isn't resolved, I think that in itself only exemplifies the complicated nature of identity.

So, where does Matt come into all of this?

It is important to remember that Matt as a character was created for Mello. In the main series, it isn't even mentioned that Matt is a Wammy's kid, this information only being revealed in 'Death Note 13: How to Read'. However, this is crucial knowledge because it conveys the very essence of what makes MellodraMattic so great.

I love Mello, I really do, but he is cruel and selfish, in addition to being arguably one of the most dangerous characters in the series. For those who might relate to him for any of the reasons I have given thus far, it is still important to understand that Mello is not a decent person. He is deeply flawed, and as much as I like to joke that his crimes are perfectly fine actually, I can still appreciate that he is not meant to be regarded as an 'good' character, even if he is on the right side as far as Kira is concerned. His behaviour is very much correlated with his sense of inferiority, so in this case, his identity struggles do not excuse his behaviour, but they can explain it.

Yet, despite all of this, Matt remains by his side, regardless. While there's a general consensus that the two were separated for some time after Mello ran away, they eventually reunite and work together. In these brief moments, we can still gain a good insight into their relationship dynamic from the way they speak to one another. For instance, Matt is cheeky in a manner that the reader would not expect Mello to tolerate. Yet the patience in how he responds to Matt's insolence almost appears uncharacteristic. I am of the belief that Mello is not a highly reactionary character, despite how the series tries to portray him as such, and this calm composure he is capable of can best be seen through his interactions with Matt.

There is a real familiarity between the two men that I don't think is comparable to any other relationship in Death Note. For example, in the image below, Matt is complaining about a task Mello has assigned him, one that isn't exactly difficult, and yet he's already distracted. Rather than get frustrated, a response we would expect from Mello, he answers Matt gently.

I appreciate these moments are few and far between (for fuck's sake, there's only two panels that feature the both of them) but I don't think I'm reading into it too much. I think they're genuinely suited for each other, which is, of course, because Matt was written for Mello. Their chemistry is dependent on the latter canonically.

Matt brings out the more approachable side of Mello because Mello does not see Matt as a threat that he must remain guarded around. If we as readers have become acquainted with Mello through his act of cruelty, albeit as a means of survival, we must assume Matt is familiar with this side of Mello, too. However, it doesn't deter Matt, nor does it scare him. Matt is completely loyal to the very end, and while such writing is perhaps a little superficial, I think it does emphasise the point that Mello has someone who will put his life on the line for him and God, I don't know. I think you have to read that as love to at least some extent.

Mello is a complicated character, with plenty of attributes suggesting that he is queer. This only further contributed to his plot line that centres an identity struggle, which speaks to those who fall outside of cishetnormativity. Unable to reconcile his sense of self with the expectations placed upon him, Mello becomes ruthless. Yet, in spite of these flaws, he has Matt. He represents a kind of hope, I think, that those who connect to Mello through his queerness and subsequent struggles can gravitate towards. A hope that there's someone who will accept every aspect of your identity regardless, that there will be someone you can be yourself around.

To me, MellodraMattic is my favourite ship because I love Mello and Matt, and the way in which they interact with one another. It is also that initial identification with Mello, that makes Matt's character and their relationship more meaningful, an example of the fact that there'll always be someone who not only accepts, but loves you, regardless of the mess.

I think that's beautiful. 🍫🎮

[spicyrottingbrains]

You know the argument where people are like buck and eddie are straight and they're best friends and nothing more and that we should healthy male friendships in media without ship etc. etc.?? Well forgetting about every argument i have against all of of this and IF we were to consider that they are nothing but best friends then you know what would still make the most sense in regards to their storylines (together and individual)??? Not shoving random love interests for them into the plot and instead having them actually be two best friends who just raise a kid together without the need for anything else. Because no matter if you ship buddie or not I don't think there is a universe or a person who can counteract the fact that Evan buckley and Edmundo Diaz are soulmates. Stop having buck look for love in these doomed relationships and stop having eddie go out with these random people just because others are pressuring him to. People can be happy without relationships and if buddie won't be canon in a romantic sense then it would make so much sense for them to be happy with their family, because you gotta agree Buckk, Eddie and Chris, they are a family. Those three will always be there for each other and they will always put each other first. Those two are soulmates in every sense and they'd do anything for each other. Christopher comes first for both of them but right next to Chris is their best friend and that will not change. Their little family (+extended firefam) will always come first and no love interest could ever change that. It makes no sense for them to ignore the person who has had their back through so much fucking pain and heartbreak for someone who just came along into their lives to become top priority. Hell they're miserable without each other as is evident in the lawsuit Arc, the eddie leaving Arc, etc ect. They've been through too much for that. The firefam is the family they need and have. And they have each other (in whatever way that may be). It's like Ravi (my baby I love him so much I need more of him in s7) said its about having each others backs. And that is the entire premise of buddie since the very beginning, having each others back through thick and thin through joy and heartbreak, to never stop fighting for their family, that is the very essence that both Buck and Eddie's characters were built on. I did not go through 5 seasons of "there is no one I trust more with my son more than you","no one will fight for my son harder than you", "you can have my back any day.....or you could have mine", "isn't that what love is....knowing you have each other back", "when you're at your worst and they're at their worst and you have every reason to give up and you still decide you want to try", "what are you afraid of" buck showing up at Eddie's during the lightning aftermath, buck crawling under a freaking firetruck to get to eddie, Christopher running to buck at any point of distress, and so many more times where those three have always been what they need for anyone to disregard the fact that the buckley-diaz family are meant to be.

Ok I'm done.

[odasantiago]

Rating all of the current audio rp ships I know of

(Tw: opinions I guess. If you’re really defense about ships then oh well 😭) by the way, this is in NO WAY dissing the creators, it’s just how I see the pair and why I like or dislike them.

- 1) Zaris (Zaros and Earis) from the Noble Trials from ZSakuva

This ship is so beautiful in every way imaginable, the way they pine for eachother so much, at the same time trying to honor their family hurts me so much. It’s so extremely complex and so heartbreaking, doomed yaoi done so well I fear. So nicely written, I have no complaints about them whatsoever.

- 2) DemonDoctor (Albus York and Mahatma) from Bastards Vs Zombies by GoodBoyAudios

The only reason this isn’t at the top is because this ship is newer to be honest, demondoctor is such a sweet pair, you can literally hear everytime they interact that they genuinely Like spending time with eachother, and you can tell the character development from Albus from episode 5, their always somehow together or at least mentions eachother. So excited to see more moments of them in the future.

- 3) Donthus (Dontis and Xanthus) From Xanthus’ series from ZSakuva

They’re a really cute pair, especially for Xanthus, we’ve only seen Xanthus with the bond, but how about without it? That’s we see in the Donthus ship, it may be considered a rare pair but their personalities just scream “I love you so bad but I can’t admit it” , I can’t explain this one as well since we didn’t get a lot of them, but they hold a special place on my heart lol

- 4) Alseth (I made that name up idk what their real ship name is) Alphonse and Seth from bittersweet, by Yuurivoice

I will always defend these two, after so much they’ve really stayed supportive of eachother and their basically soulmates. It’s only this low because I didn’t watch a lot of yuurivoice, and to be honest, I think it would be a bit better if we didn’t get a listener and just see them as two people in love. (My opinion though)

- 5) Cermond (Cervantes and Edmond) from Not in Front of the Dinner Darling by Escaped audios

Now, if we were talking about how I SEE Cermond before they were vampires, this would’ve been easily number 3. But in their canon version, we haven’t seen a lot of them. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVEEEEEE Cervantes and I mean I LOVE him. It’s just that on the surface they are toxic, you can kinda understand though since they are.. vampires and went through a lot. But it’s so sweet how they’ve stayed together for so long. It’ll probably be on a higher spot when the series progresses LOL

- 6) Warriorfaith (I made that up too) Albus and Faith from Bastard Warrior by GoodBoyAudios

Now, don’t come at me for this, I just don’t dig them that much. I love their dynamic and how their written, that’s why it isn’t super duper low. They are super lovely and sweet, but realistically, I can’t see them together. (Especially after that last episode..) its probably because I wasn’t obsessed with bastard warrior LOL

- 7) Guestslayer (I MADE THAT UP TOO!) Guest and Alfonso from Matador Gothic by Escaped Audios.

Now, this is the first one that I didn’t necessary like, their not badly written at all DONT get me wrong, I’m very used to slow burn so that could account for my feelings on that as well, they’re cute! I’ll admit, it just wasn’t for me LOL. (MG is really good though please don’t get me wrong guys)

-8) Stacy and Jean (yeah I don’t have a name for them) from New Orleans Rats by Escaped Audios

These two are just straight up toxic, imma keep it a buck, I love the whole cast for NJR but Stacy just tricked Jean tbh 😭 jean definitely deserved intern because GOSH that would’ve been bad if they didn’t break up

That’s all! Again, I am NOT dissing the creators, I am simply saying which ships are for me and which ones aren’t. These are all amazing series and that’s the main reason I know these ships, i really don’t care if any of yall like the ones that I ranked low, they’re just not for me! But go see all of these series if you haven’t, they are all really amazing.

[tragedy-machine]

no but, how am I to believe that Edwin and Charles are not gonna be endgame??

Charles's character in the doom patrol was heavily, heavily implied to also have feelings for Edwin too

the rejection was literally like "I'm not in love, but you're more important to me than anyone else, we'll figure out what that means later"

the actors both said they "wouldn't call it Edwin being friendzoned, bcs their arc has not yet been fully resolved"

we got to see Charles jealous of Edwin's time with Monty and the Cat King, and do nooot even joke that that wasn't jealously, like what else, what else bro? why would they go so overboard to make it seem like Charles was peeved af in those moments

there's already so much love between them

usually shows that do the "gay bestie in love with his straight bestie" use it briefly as a more of a backstory for a character, to then introduce a new love interest for the gay, so the previous crush can be an obstacle in their love arc (like in shadowhunters with alec, jace and magnus)

why would you hurt my buddy Edwin like that

the ship of Charles and Crystal never really took off in my opinion, they liked each other and kissed, but then Crystal ended it, but even if they continued dating in s2 any human x ghost ship is doomed to fail from the beginning, they've sadly got like maybe max 5/6 years until it's gonna be very visible that Crystal is no longer a teen and older than Charles soo unless she dies, they can't really be endgame (and this is not to shit on this ship!!! I've got nothing against it, just think they would have had to really committed to it and milk the aging drama for the angst to make me invested in it)

[callmegaith]

The only thing ineffable bureaucracy showed me is how hyper focused this fanbase is at seeing one thing and one thing only and everything else is a result of that one thing

1) no, Beelzebub and Gabriel are not a straight couple. Nor is Crowley and Aziraphale a gay couple. Stop the non-binary erasure or go outside and talk to an actual non-binary person cuz clearly you have no clue what non-binary is "they're straight presenting" wtf? If you think that please give me your name so I can block you. Cis people, I fucking swear.

Reminder that Beelz used they/them pronouns btw. Sorry that Beelzebub doesn't "pass" for you, it doesn't make them any less non-binary. Not to mention it was stated and already IS CANON that none of them have genders. They're god damn demons and angels, bruh.

2) "it's Gabriel's and Beelz's fault that ineffable husbands didn't get their happy ending": no. It's their own damn fault for not communicating and Aziraphale's inability to accept Crowley as he is. Gabriel and Beelzebub put each other first. Y'all sound salty as hell cuz two people managed to work their relationship out and yours didn't work out. "But if they didn't get together---" y'all really saying shit like this??? Do you hear yourself? That's so sad. Wishing for the doom of one LGBTQ+ ship cuz the other fucked themselves over. THEY CAN BOTH CO-EXIST. And you know what? They will. Cuz Ineffable husbands is clearly canon, the story just wants time with them cuz they're the main characters, not like Beelz and Gabriel who were side characters so had their story summarized.

3) "that should have been ineffable husbands" no, cuz Crowley and Aziraphale aren't Gabriel and Beelzebub. They're different characters with different backgrounds, personalities, relationship structure, and different relationship dynamic in general. They'll get together in a way that fits THEM. And that way requires ups and downs that makes them finally understand that they're perfect for each other without the need for either of them to change.

4) Gabriel was such an asshole wish Crowley got his revenge and--- bla bla BLA : Crowley was happy for them. You hold a grudge over Gabriel that Crowley himself doesn't. Y'all worse than a literal demon. Smh.

Be happy for what we got and look forward to the future where ineffable husbands will certainly become canon and it'll be worth the wait. Don't tear down the LGBTQ+ presentation we got just cuz the main ship didn't get the limelight THIS TIME.

Let things cook, that's how writing WORKS.

But I'm just an Agender demi person and tbh? I would prefer if things took their time.

I love both ships a lot but I'm not gonna hold pitchforks over one ship getting a happy end and one still developing. Come next season, that happy end for Gaberiel and Beelzebub might not last. We DONT KNOW. Do we really need to sacrifice one for the other? Why can't we be happy to have both?

Just really think the vibe of the fanbase rn fuckin SUCKS and I'm not enjoying trying to go through the ineffable bureaucracy tag and seeing people complaining about how it should have been ineffable husbands or how it's their fault.

Okay? Alright.

After this imma start blocking ppl I swear. Just had to throw in my two cents.

[thanakite]

I wonder if people who don't know My Next Life as a Villainess All Routes Lead to Doom see posts from people they follow for other reasons and see a bigger focus on how Katarina's feelings and actions towards Maria and think that it's a one-sided ship on Katarina's part (at least within canon as far as they are aware from what they see through Tumblr)?

If you are one such person (and especially if this makes you question the ship as a whole) please know that the reason for the lack of focus into Maria's words and actions towards Katarina, is because Maria has already straight up confessed that she's in full on romantic love with Katarina, but Katarina is EXTREMELY clueless and doesn't realize this (that's the type of anime it is, everyone is in love with her but she's like "Aw everyone is so nice and such great friends, BUT they're going to get me killed or banished or thrown in prison so I MUST remain on guard and keep teaching myself how to be a farmer and such, for when I'm banished as that is what I expect is the best possible outcome")

So yes, there's no need to analyze how Maria actually feels because we KNOW this, so instead the focus is on how Katarina actually feels because she does and says things that heavily indicate her own romantic feelings for Maria while obviously thinking that's not the direction things are going to go and also having moments here and there with every other person who's in love with her, making it a better thing to focus on

[littlemistersunshine]

MENTION OF SUICIDE ATTEMPTS/IDEATION

if you’re ever seriously considering hurting yourself, you’re not alone. call 988 to talk to someone, there is hope for you🫂💗

“todd and neil aren’t gay stop trying to make everything gay”

alright BUD. listen i get what you mean, sometimes when people start shipping every single goddamn pair of boys that are close together it can be a little annoying, and sometimes a little weird. but, in retrospect who cares bro. It’s literature and art, not real people. We’re meant to see what we see and roll with it, isn’t that the point of dead poets society? i’m not one to ship every two male characters that are close together, BUT IVE GOT MY REASONS FOR THESE TWO.

first of all, todd is being compared to walt fucking WHITMAN in the movie, a homosexual poet

AND THEN, neil plays in a play written by SHAKESPEARE HIMSELF, ANOTHER GAY WRITER.

Plus ;

“God I love this!” “what, me?”

“So you can just but out.” “no.” “whaddya mean no?” “no😏”

PLUS LOOK AT THIS

Not to mention, while Todd had only just met Neil compared to the other boys he was visibly way more distraught over his death than the others. The others cared obviously, but weren’t having a full on panic attack in the snow or barfing and screaming. They all were trying to comfort Todd, almost like they knew just as anybody watching film that Neil and Todd weren’t just buddies. It’s your opinion if they were in doomed love that they couldn’t understand themselves, or if they were simply platonic soulmate friends.

I know how it feels to be in Neil’s place, and same with Todd. But as you all already know how much I relate to Todd, id like to share how I relate to Neil. I too have suffered depression and suicidal ideation, luckily I was either stopped or saved (being forced to throw up) during any of my attempts, but i have still struggled nonetheless. My mother is homophobic and an overall controlling person, never letting me ever do what I want, be who I want to be. So i’ve always connected with Neil, knowing that I couldn’t ever be who I wanted until I moved out. I’ve snuck around and lied the same way Neil had in the movie, choosing to be and do what I want. Usually after i’d get caught, being punished or grounded I would usually start to feel hopeless and sometimes turn to self-destructive ways to cope because of how trapped I felt. I’ve always felt trapped. Many of my attempts were during a time when I had fell in love with another boy. At the time it felt like this boy had saved me, for he was there for me in a time when it felt like no one else was. But it would never work, for he was straight and my mom was a homophobe. Feeling hopeless I attempted, luckily ending up in an inpatient facility instead of like Neil. I’m forever grateful for such. It snowed the night I attempted as well.

There has been plenty of things i’ve wanted to do, felt like I needed to do to be myself but couldn’t because of my mom, but the only thing that has ever driven me to attempt suicide was being in love with another boy. That is why I think that Neil Perry is not straight, and maybe it’s just my experience, but that is how I view the character and story.

[snowcapmt]

Opposites, but part of a matching set 🖤🤍

I have had this idea for a hot minute but inspiration from @donutfrost finally motivated me to finish this! Seriously, if you like this and haven’t seen theirs, GIVE IT A LOOK, they did one of the more iconic shots from the same episode of Arcane, and it’s so so cute.

ANYWAY this is part of my AU, I’m gonna attach my timeline going forward because I fear that people never understand jack shit without it LMAO. Don’t we just love a heart wrenching plot line where a ship is doomed in one timeline but blessed in another? <3 Lost handles this SIGNIFICANTLY worse than Ekko does because canon Eraqus sucks at emotional regulation SO BAD

The Lost doodle was intended to be more angsty, I made it a few days ago to pair with this drawing eventually. But every time I look at his pouty unshaven face I can’t not laugh fsr. My man is going through hell rn, in his defense. He just found out that the Xehanort in his own timeline straight up murders him, after all.

[echo-of-the-eye]

Arcane s2 act 2 thoughts:

• Was not expecting Caitlyn and Maddie rebound romance but ok (wonder how Maddie will react when cait inevitably breaks up with her)

• Glad to see Caitlyn has calmed down and was aware she was being manipulated so she could ditch Ambessa

• Mel has magic confirmed! And is related to the black rose people? People who know game lore probably understand better

• Sevika, Jinx and Isha is such a good dynamic. Same with Vi

• The sister trio are the best part of the show for me honestly I love them so much. Isha is the cutest kid ever I love her

• I was planning to make the “I’ve only had Isha for a day but if anything happened to her I’ll kill everyone in the room and then myself” joke while I was watching ep 4 and then ep 6 happened. So yeah… I’m broken

• I had a feeling something would happen to her cause her parallels to Powder were too strong but uh. Wasn’t really prepared for them to actually do it

• This is gonna fucking break Jinx

• They could have been happy dammit! They were so close! They could have been a family! But nooooo, it has to be a tragedy! (Which I love but come on! Oh to be a tragedy enjoyer is so conflicting)

• Also Vander and Silco knowing their mother and being close. So Silco actually knew who Powder was when he took her in

• Love wins (caitvi)

• Love loses (jayvik)

• God I love Viktor. Living his best life as a cult leader (or straight up god idk). Jayce when I get you. Honestly don’t know how to feel. Viktor was doing seemingly good things but we know hextech isn’t good so who knows how long it would have lasted. Not sure how much of Viktor was actually still left there

• I do think Jayce had a good reason for what he did. Might have been in a time loop or something? Maybe he communicated with Viktor and was told to destroy him? Or maybe he was just losing his mind

• He did keep his promise. But at what cost

• I’m seeing the ship now btw. Didn’t really care for it before. But now… it’s doomed. It’s tragic. Which is the best shipping fuel

• Speaking of the hextrip where the hell is my boy Ekko?! And heimerdinger I guess but this ain’t about him

• I bet we’ll see what happened in there next episode

• I do think Viktor is dead. He could come back I guess (he is Jesus) but I doubt it. Feel it in my gut. I think we’ll see him again but not alive in his body. I’m gonna miss you buddy<3 you were my second favorite (after jinx). He reminds me so much of Jon archivist no wonder I love him

• So yeah I am in shambles. My heart is broken and I shall never recover

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

lets lighten to mood here a bit: what are your top 5 kataang moments?

"Top five" hahahahahahahahaahahahahahahaha, what kind of nonsense is this? I need a top 15!

#15 - Them bickering on Kyoshi Island (01x04)

This one was one my favorite scenes in the whole show, even back when I didn't really care for Kataang as a ship. It's just such a funny, accurate representation BOTH of "When you wanna hang out with your friend, but you're still too mad to talk things out" and "When your is getting attention from other people and now you're really, really jealous."

Scenes like this are why I never felt Kataang was truly one-sided, again, even back when I personally didn't like the ship - it's just so obvious that with how close they are, lots of moments that could have been purely platonic end up having a romance vibe, so the eventually romance feels way more earned.

#14 - Aang nearly cofessing his feelings to Katara (02x18)

It's a short little moment, but I like it a lot. Aang is just so shy and nervous, it's adorable - and I actually don't mind that they were interrupted because we got lots of flirting in book 3.

#13 - The first two damn episodes (01x01 & 01x02)

I know, I know, putting not one, but two whole episodes is cheating like crazy, but I don't care. Aang likes Katara IMMEDIATELY, they go penguin sliding, he offers to take her to the North Pole long before he finds out HE needs to go there, Katara is ready to throw hands with everyone for wanting to banish Aang and is then losing her mind when he is taken by the Fire Nation. Even Sokka noticed they were getting a bit too clingy for two people that just freaking met and goes "Let's save your boyfriend."

#12 - "Baby, you're my forever girl" (03x09)

This one is just HILARIOUS. It starts out looking very realistic, sweet and romantic... and is then derrailed into embarrassing teenage fantasies, and Aang clearly feels so awkward when he realizes he had just been standing there like a dumbass. The entire episode is great, but that scene is easily top 3 of the funniest moments in it.

#11 - Flirting after he gives her the necklace back (01x15)

They are freaking adorable in that scene. Aang joking around when returning the necklace to her, Katara kissing his cheek and making him blush... peak cuteness. Gets extra romantic with the added context that those necklaces are basically the same as engagement rings.

#10 - Aang finding out Katara brought him back from the dead (03x01)

Aang just looks so in awe of her in that scene, like he can barely even comprehend how someone could be so amazing. The look in his eyes, man! I can't! I CAN'T!

(And for real, how can ANYONE still have doubts that the whole "Aang needs to let go of Katar FULLY AND FOREVER, ALL DAY AND EVERYDAY otherwise the world is doomed" thing is bullshit? The show literally looked us straight in the face and said "True love/friendship saved the day because if it wasn't for it the world's last hope would be fucking dead")

#9 - Cave Of Two Lovers (02x02)

Once again I'm cheating, and once again I don't care. Katara and Aang both blushing when she suggest that they kiss, Aang trying a little too hard to act like he totally doesn't want that kiss, Katara getting offended at it, "I'm saying I'd rather kiss you than die, that's a compliment!", the light of the torches fading away as they get closer to each other, Aang looking all lovestruck after it, then them both blushing after they're out of the cave - INCREDIBLE! SHOWSTOPPING! BEAUTIFUL! ADORABLE!

#8 - Katara not wanting Aang to go into the Avatar State (02x01)

I understand why Aang going into the Avatar State to save her on this same episode gets so much attention, but this moment is criminally underrated AND what makes that other scene hit so hard.

Katara can't stand to see Aang in so much pain and rage and thus refuses to be part of that plan. She is the one putting his humanity, his feelings, and his well-being before his responsibilities as the Avatar. She'll always encourage him to do what's right and help him do what's needed to save the world - but she'd never put him in any unnecessary harm. She'd never take him granted and act like she, or anyone else, is entitled to put him through so much stress and pressure just because of his duties as the Avatar. She'd never take advantage of Aang's kindness.

When Aang went into the Avatar State, it wasn't just about the protagonist saving his love interest (which is already an epic moment) - it was a friend saving another, a survivor of genocide saing another, the hero saving an innocent person who was in harms way. And more importantly, it was someone who was constantly treated like he needed to be a soldier/weapon first, person second, saving the girl that had always been his ride-or-die from the very beginning and that had just proven yet again that she cared about HIM, not just about the Avatar and what he could do for the world.

#7 - Aang and Katara VS Pakku (01x18)

Once again, Aang and Katara showing that they both take the concept of "ride-or-die" VERY seriously. They are really excited to learn together, and Aang is so pissed off when Pakku refuses to train Katara solely because she's a girl, that he says "Fuck this guy, fuck my mission, I'm out of here." Katara, of course, then accepts dealing with that unfair situation because she knows Aang's mission is important and doesn't want to stand in the way of it, even if she obviously isn't happy about it.

Then, once Sokka gives them that idea, Aang is super eager to teach Katara everything Pakku is teaching him, because, once again, Katara's personal goal of wanting to be a badass fighter is as important to Aang as his mission to save the entire freaking world.

They're caught, everything is going to hell, and Pakku now refuses to let train either of them unless he gets an apology, and so Katara goes into fighting mode with no hesitation. Aang, the absolute sweetheart that he is, lets her know that she doesn't have to do this to get Pakku to teach him - then steps aside when she explains this is about HER, her pride and her right to knock some sense into that sour old man.

Finally, after everything is resolved, we get Pakku saying Aang should start calling her "Sifu Katara" - which leads me to:

#6 - Sifu Katara (02x09)

That. Was. So. Fucking. Cute.

Aang wants to make sure Katara knows just how much she means to him, how much he respects her as a fighter/master and we KNOW he absolutely means it, and Katara is very touched by it.

And I gotta love how comfortable they are with each other. Aang practicing waterbending and talking with her to clear his head, Katara giving him advice as to why he's struggling with earthbending AND trying to make Toph change her approach into something Katara knows works on Aang, the push and pull/ying and yang motions showing how they just click and are in harmony with each other - it isn't just AANG showing he appreciates Katara's role as his master, it's the show itself doing that.

#5 - Aang & The Painted Lady (03x03)

That boy was simping for and flirting with the Painted Lady before he even realized it was Katara, because she was a kind "spirit" that he went out of his way to mention looked REALLY pretty even though he couldn't see her face. Then, of course, he has to praise her for wanting to help the people of the village and goes on to help her blow up a whole factory.

You google the meaning of "being in love" and Aang's face is the first the thing that comes up, I swear to fucking God, I can't with this boy.

#4 - Katara threatening to end Zuko if he ever hurts Aang again (03x12)

Once again, Katara and Aang take the idea of "Ride-or-die" VERY seriously. Katara doesn't trust Zuko really changed, but she does trust Aang's judgement and knows that he has the right to choose his firebending teacher, and that they don't really have much of a choice at the moment.

But she didn't forget what Zuko nearly took away from her, and makes damn sure he knows that if he screws up again, he isn't getting a third chance.

And I gotta say, we as a fandom don't talk enough about how, much like Aang's love for his people is explicitly stated to still live on through his love for Katara, the girl he already sees as family and would eventually marry, Katara was only ever willing to kill for two people - Kya and Aang.

This is one of those moments that proof that, even if one doesn't care for the ship, NO ONE can deny just how strong their bond is and how much they mean to each other.

#3 - Finale Kiss (03x21)

Even though I think they should have officially become an item after their kiss during the invasion and that the last minute conflict of "Maybe Katara doesn't actually want to be with Aang" that we got in Ember Island Players was REALLY forced, I still love this moment.

They look so happy, so at peace. They don't even need to say anything. They just lock eyes, smile, embrace each other and kiss. It's oen of the most romantic moments not just between them, but in the whole show.

Also if anyone has a Katara doll with that dress, please mail it to me, because my inner 5-year-old cannot deal with how pretty she looked on that scene and NEEDS it to be immortalized in a doll I can put on the shelf and stare at for hours.

#2 - Aang saying Katara gives him hope (02x12)

Okay, okay, okay, OKAY, we are once again in the territory of "Even back when I didn't like the ship, I still adored this scene." It's one of the moments that I'm always super excited to reach whenever I'm watching the show yet again.

Is just so rewarding. Every single episode we are reminded that Katara has complete faith in Aang, that he gave her hope before they ever met. Yet at that moment, because of Appa's kidnaping, he can't be the Aang she knows - be that he goofy, optimistic, super affectionate friend, or the kind, super empathetic, compassionate messianic figure of the Avatar. He is too hurt and scared, so he goes from lashing out to shutting everyone off - including her. He is doing his duty, but there's little to no emotion there.

Katara keeps the team together as they cross the desert, brings Aang back to Earth when he is snapping, parts the freaking sea, and then helps bring baby Hope into the world - and thus Aang is finally Aang again, and makes sure to let his best friend know just how much she means to him.

It's a nice role-reversal, with Katara being the one put on a pedestal and Aang showing reverence. It's sweet and makes all the moments in which she shows her blind faith in him all the sweeter. It easily could have been my number one.

If it wasn't for THE Kataang moment that is:

#1 - The Dance (03x02)

How could this not be number one? It's the definition of iconic. Literally invented romance. You open up a dictionary and see a picture of this scene in the definition of "chemistry."

Katara feeling insecure because of all the attention is getting, Aang going out of his way to make sure she doesn't feel left out, the way he says "it's just you and me", the way everyone is staring at them in awe... the lighting, the music, the camera angles, the freaking choreography... their smiles, Katara blushing, the way they lock eyes, the almost kiss, Aang holding Katara as they finally stop... it's too good. Just too freaking good. 11/10, no one is doing it like them.

[howthebestwaslost-blog]

“Shall we go and see Charlie Chaplin? Shall we? Charlie Chaplin? Charlie Chester. Charlie Brown. No, he's fiction. Friction, fiction, fixing, mixing, Rickston, Brixton.”

(Edit downstairs)

Tl;dr theory: Rogue is fictional.

I’m sure this has been analysed to death already and I’m being slow again (not really keeping up with theories), but I couldn’t sleep last night and I had the thought stuck in my brain [warning: some meandering]

The whole episode felt like comfort food freshly flown in from the RTD1 era, with silly monsters, a good amount of running and an emotional punch, but for that reason also it felt to me a bit disconnected from the rest of the season (not in a bad way tho). There was also no Susan Twist apart from the portrait, so the season arc was pretty much invisible, too.

Except.

Except I think it could have been very much within the bigger arc that is still on. I think it’s already part of the next season arc. I’m going with the Mrs. Flood is the God of Storytelling theory, and she is fictionalising the Doctor’s whole life. That’s obviously where the fourth wall breaks come from (only she and Maestro did it iirc, so they must be on the same level, and the Doctor of course, but he’s the Main Character). That’s where the weird musical ending came in and the magical cross-walk. Now we have an episode simply called ‘Rogue’, introducing the Doctor’s new love interest [hand grabbing, “run”, the assembled hordes of- no wait] who gets sucked into another dimension saving the world - I get distracted - and his name is so on the nose. It’s like they got stuck finding a name for the character, proceeded to write the whole thing with this as a placeholder and then simply decided to keep it. There was enough lampshading with the dice to suggest a plausible origin, but come on. He is the rogue, he’s got his cool cluttered ship full of second hand tech, a semi-legal, morally dubious profession, he’s silent, he’s on his own, he’s got an awesome coat and a tragic backstory. He’s straight out of a story. He’s not an individual character, he’s a type (which is not to say that Jonathan Groff did not give him all the personality and realness and made him much more than just that, and I love him). Even the place, Pemberton (Pemberley/Bridgerton, obviously), is shamelessly fictional [edit: ok it’s not the place but the Duchess is at least Duchess of it, so it technically still works I think - see comments // also with ‘fictional’ I mean mashed up from two popular fictional names, I did not get out what I was trying to say at all - did I mention my lack of sleep]. But what if all this is part of a bigger design? I thought it was meant to be a cheeky, guilty pleasure kind of thing, a wink to the audience, saying “we know… but you love it too, don’t you”. But while we were all going crazy over whether or not Rogue is coming back, the Doctor wearing the ring and turning it on his finger in his closing scene of the finale had long been filmed. I think the episode is tied to the greater arc exactly by being so blatantly stacked with tropes. The Doctor meets a tall handsome stranger, perfectly suited for him. He inevitably loses him, but with an irresistible sequel hook. I think someone inside the show’s universe wrote this story just for him. And that’s why I’m sure Rogue will be back with a surprise.

Does that mean he’s another unsuspecting trap? Is he a real person literally doomed by the plot or an invention woven into reality? Is someone sending the Doctor through the drama and the emotions and the plot twists for their entertainment?

How much fan fiction did Rogue inspire in the first 24 hours?

*Edit

Holy shit I just realised

His new boss is really big on PAPERWORK 👀 📚

[hermajestytak]

You know, there's nothing better than finding songs that fit your ship, so I'll start making a note here when I find a song that fits a ship

Starting a thread on ZaSR my beloved

Songs will be added to this playlist as I build it up:

[Feel free to add/suggest your own]

Today, we're starting with all the STARSET songs that fit them!

Note that these songs have their own meanings and narratives, this is just a ship specific reading of them. Think of it like a jukebox musical cherry-picking lyrics to fit the story: a ZaSR Mama Mia of sorts

[1] It Has Begun

[Either POV]

This one's relatively simple: since Zim and Skoodge are the same age, they've been training to be soldiers alongside each other since smeethood. Despite their difference is, a major connection they have is that they're both invaders; their mutual goal is to bring planets to their knees.

This one can be an anthem for numerous experiences and milestones they've had:

Their attempted escape together from the underground and Zim seeing the surface for the first time

Their graduation from the underground and their first true emergence

Their stages of training on their way to becoming invaders (their elite soldier training, invader training, the Devastis test, etc)

The start of Operation Impending Doom II when they both get their major missions and go their separate ways again

The conquering of Blorch and

The eventual conquering of Earth

Even a well lit place, can hide salvation A map to a one man maze that never sees the sun Where the lost are the heroes And the thieves are left to drown But everyone knows by now Fairy-tales are not found They are written in the walls As we walk in a straight line Down in the dirt with a landslide approaching But nothing could ever stop us From stealing our own place in the sun We will face the odds against us And run into the fear we run from (ah, ah) It has begun Into the dark below Evading shadows Blind in a rabbit's hole We fall beneath the earth And watch the shell come unraveled As the seed begins to rise Embracing a starlit fate as we wait in the night It's written in the walls ... It has begun (ah, ah) It has begun (ah, ah) It has begun (ah, ah) It has begun (ah, ah) It has begun

[2] Telescope

[Skoodge's POV]

This one's inspired by how Skoodge traveled countless miles from the Irken Empire's territory all the way to Earth just to live with Zim.

You’re out there I hear you calling from behind The star fields I feel you Radiating energy like Eternal northern lights Far from the sun Where no one knows I’ve watched you from My telescope I will travel The distance in your eyes Interstellar Light years from you Supernova We’ll fuse when we collide Awaking in the light Of all the stars aligned ... I will find you I will find you I will find you! I will find you!

[3] Die For You

[Skoodge's POV]

A bit more of a serious sounding pick, this one's just a promise from Skoodge to Zim that no matter how many times they're separated and how many times Zim screws up, he'll still be his lifelong companion from their smeethood up to the day that Zim finally conquers the Earth. Skoodge has a very strong kindness and loyalty in his character (uhhh rat extermination aside), so I love associating this song with him.

I will run alone tonight Without you by my side I guess you had a place you had to get to I know your eyes, I know inside The walls you hide behind And I saw the truth inside the real you Because I know you're lost when you run away Into the same black holes and black mistakes Taking all my will just to run alone When are you coming home? Even if the sky does fall Even if they take it all There's no pain that I won't go through Even if I have to die for you And when all the fires burn When everything is overturning There's no thing that I won’t go through Even if I have to die for you ... One day the Earth will open wide And I’ll follow you inside 'Cause the only hell I know is without you Some day when galaxies collide We'll be lost on different skies I will send my rocket ship to find you ... And if the sun grows cold for you along the way And if the stars don’t line to light the way And when you fall away and crash back down below I’ll search the skies for you and I’ll follow I'll be in your afterglow And I’ll bring you home

Fun Fact: I made an animation going for my favorite part of this song!

[4] PERFECT MACHINE

[Zim's POV]

Our first song that I pin onto Zim!

TBH, not all of the lyrics fit that well (unless you subscribe to the "Zim's ego is all an act" reading). The main reason it's here is because at first, I can't imagine Zim seeing a romantic relationship or partnership as anything but a transaction: I do what you want and in return, I get validation and praise from you. After all, this is his relationship with authority figures like the Almighty Tallest.

However, in this romantic scenario, he truly does love Skoodge; the problem is Zim can't honestly admit it. He wants to hide it to be the perfect Irken soldier, but it slips. He'll deny that it slips, but it slips anyway. Unfortunately for him, Skoodge knows him too well to be convinced by him lying about it.

Oh yeah and Zim can't fathom the idea of somebody loving him unconditionally because 1. that's not really a concept in the Irken empire, 2. he's been rejected and brushed aside so many times, and 3. he's an evil little shit, why the HELL would someone genuinely love him?!

Show me your insides, show me your secrets Show  me what you desire - I can fake it Show  what you wanted, so I can be it And if I bend just right, I can make it I didn't want you I  wanna watch you change from a butterfly and into chains Lay  your heart into my perfect machine I will show you what you wanted to see Just  a mirror till I get what I need The reverie was not of me You never saw nothing Never saw nothing I'm  just a liar without deceiving I'm just a broken clown make-believing I should've let you know, you should've ran for cover I'm just a parlor trick, a two-bit counterfeit ... Even you know, even you know This was all for nothing Just a sad show, just an ego I suppose though, as far as I know We were both pretending I suppose so But what do I know? Even you know, even you know This was all for nothing Just a sad show, just an ego I suppose though, as far as I know We were both pretending I suppose so But what do I know?

[5] LEAVING THIS WORLD BEHIND

[Mixed POV]

Finally, we have the current closer of the playlist: LEAVING THIS WORLD BEHIND

This one comes from my headcanon that the reason Skoodge offers his help to Zim after conquering Blorch is so that they can both retire as invaders and live together for the rest of their days somewhere far, far away.

Ironically, if Zim becomes Earth's ruler, he inevitably leaves it. An official Nick Magazine comic shows a timeline where Zim finally rules Earth only to quickly grow frustrated with humanity and ditch it to drink soda and ride space bunnies with Dib. In the Oni comics timeline, Emperor Zim willingly delivers Earth to the Tallest so they can cut it in half and use it as a snack bowl. My headcanon for Skoodge's plan and this song's inclusion are based upon futures like those.

Beautiful, new frontier High above the rain in the atmosphere What wonders I have discovered My soul is everclear Never felt the way I do with you here I hope there's never another So sing tonight, we're everbright Burning through space, I see your face I could beat kryptonite We're so alive, forever high Hold on, my dear, there'll be no fear Leaving this world behind (This world behind) Far away, above the earth We'll soar through the curvature Away from all our dark matters And escape the barriers That we’ve manufactured Going into the hereafter And I'll wait if you take forever long I'll listen for your song Leaving this world behind (Leaving this world behind) All good things Must come to pass Now is your time