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alienisticxo · 2 years

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Before the Fever - Chapter Eleven

{Master Chief x Reader series - TV based}

{A╱N} okay, so a scene here was the scene that inspired this entire series! i actually had that written out before i even began to write the series 🥲

i was listening to a slowed version of a song, and imagined that little scene taking place to it because I'm hopelessly in love with MC. i’ve added a link within the fic of where to start the song if you’d like to listen to it while you read it! (it's bolded and underlined!) but if not, i still hope you enjoy and put it to any song you'd like!

getting to the romance part has been so much fun and i cannot thank you guys enough for really sticking around and showing my lil fic this much love between ao3 & here. also, sorry i kept thinking i was getting to real romance and then just weaving more story instead up to this point lol.

{gifs by thraxusboorman}

enjoy & thank you as always ♡

Chapter Eleven - Before the Fever

Silence hung in the air as both The Master Chief and myself stared after Kai-125, our eyes glued to the door as though she might come barreling back through it to stay on the run with us. When it was safe to say she wasn’t returning, I finally spoke up.

“How long are we staying here?” I posed in the quiet, glancing down at the clothes in my hands.

“Not long,” John huffed, setting the briefcase on the table in front of the couch. “Cortana, what information did Halsey manage to gather on this thing?”

“Mm..” She calculated for a few seconds, undoubtedly accessing files. “Not much. She only knows what she and Miranda have collected from you both directly. According to the blood samples, you share some facet of DNA with {Y/N}.”

We both immediately faced her, a snap reaction to the news. My face twisted into a slight cringe. I couldn’t see his countenance, but I was sure it held a similar expression.

“You’re not related. No, that would be weird,” she laughed.

It was easy to notice how we both eased up at once, but neither of us laughed along with her.

“It seems to be some part of your biochemistry, potentially the reason both of you harbor the ability to mentally transcend to the Halo via contact with The Keystone. This trait.. It’s extremely rare. One in millions. She was of course searching for its provenance and functionality, along with the reasoning behind why {Y/N} arrives there so effortlessly when you seem to struggle.. But that was.. interrupted.”

“How did we manage to find each other?” He simply asked her. “Doesn’t that seem… strange?”

“I can only offer the mathematical equation.”

She parted her lips to speak again, but then quickly closed them.

“That was rhetorical wasn’t it?” She asked. “You’re not actually looking for the odds.”

He gave her a knowing look before his eyes caught the briefcase on the table again. I wanted to ask about the woman on The Covenant ship, though no one believed that she existed. She knew about The Keystones, she knew where they took her and how. That was another element to this entire situation. If the DNA was one in millions…

“I’m going to clean up,” I voiced softly instead, pointing behind myself before turning to find the bathroom.

I needed to get settled before I delved into any of this information. But as usual when they spoke to each other, they were unfazed by anything I said.

“We have to move, get to Eridanus..” John spoke, seeming to cut himself off.

“Chief, I know the plan was to get in and get out, but I do believe now that you have the Keystone, it would be wise to stay. At least until morning. They’ll be searching everywhere they believe you might turn up— Eridanus II included,” Cortana stated. “If enough time passes within both here and Reach, chances are they’ll have already searched the area.”

He hesitated, and I slowed my trek to the shower, trying to figure out which set of clothing to redress in if he did decide to listen to her.

“You’re right,” he finally rasped under his breath, but he didn’t seem too thrilled with the idea. “We’ll stay. Just until morning. We can’t waste time here. I have a plan.”

There was the rest of his previous statement– There was a new reason to get to Eridanus now. After a few seconds more, I heard Cortana sigh, seeming leery of whatever intel she suddenly had.

“John…” she voiced.

But by the time she could continue on, I found myself behind the bathroom’s closed door, staring at the same stunning view of the galaxy through its own window. If there were lights to be switched on, I didn’t need them with the natural light of the stars, moons and suns that it offered.

There was a large tub just in front of the window, a shower stall in the corner. While the room itself wasn’t that large, between the decor and the lavishness of it all, it was luxe enough that I wasn’t sure if I should have actually taken Laela’s offer to clean up. It made me wonder how many people they’d surely ripped off in order to garner so much wealth. I’d heard of Soren in the streets, an ex-Spartan gone rogue. While I’d never met him, he’d garnered much respect throughout Rubble, especially amongst pirates.

Setting the folded pile down on the counter, I stared for just a few moments more. I finally had some time alone, and maybe given the circumstances, that should’ve scared me. But I still felt safer than I had in the last hiding place I’d found. That was probably because I was now on the same side as the Spartan, as opposed to resisting him and all he stood for.

Filling my lungs with as much air as possible, I held my breath and counted to five before exhaling again slowly.

What a mess I’ve gotten myself into.

After a beat, I began to undress, eyes still glued on the twinkling stars ahead. Once my drabby clothes were in a pile at my feet, I dared look in the floor length mirror beside me. I was covered in bruises, more than I had expected.

It was no longer just Doctor Halsey’s experimentation that I focused on. Bruises from being kidnapped and held captive on The Covenant ship still remained. I hadn’t taken a good look at myself since I’d been rescued, too withdrawn to do anything other than go through the motions. I wondered how horrific they must’ve looked when they were fresh.

My eyes trailed from my feet, up to my waist, and then to the small, dainty pendant I wore around my neck. I’d almost forgotten it was there, hidden under my shirt, just barely passing my clavicle. It was a gift from my mother when I was still a child; the only thing I had left of her aside of the blood in my veins and maybe the shape of my eyes, if I remembered correctly. My fingers grazed the silver crescent moon lightly as it caught the starlight. I was suddenly extremely glad I hadn’t lost it in all the chaos that surrounded me lately.

————

“It’s the only way,” I stated, hoping to leave Cortana no room for argument.

“It’s a suicide mission. You can’t do that.”

Still too much room.

“I can. I will.”

“Bringing The Covenant to Eridanus is not going to pan out the way you think it will.”

“It’s a dead planet, Cortana. No one else will get hurt in the process. No more losses to be had. If we have any chance at retrieving the second Keystone, finding out what the hell they’re meant to do.. it’s this way.”

“No one else— just you,” she retorted, not even beginning to touch the rest of my statement.

“If they’re after the Keystones, they must be involved with something greater than what they seem. The Halo has to be something meaningful to them. We have to figure out what they really do. Not just for me, not just for {Y/N}. At this point, for the sake of humanity, too. This is the only way.”

That was the real mission beneath it all. While the programming they’d done to me hadn’t been holding up, the objective was still clear.

“And you’re going to bring it back to Doctor Halsey? After everything that’s happened?” she asked, full of derision.

I knew I’d made her decide who she was loyal to, and that ended up being myself over Halsey, but now wasn’t the time to exercise that.

“Not Halsey, no. But I’m sure Keyes and her team can piece together what’s needed. She’s extremely capable. More trustworthy than her mother.”

“Well, she’s been burnt by her just as badly in a whole other way.”

“Imagine that,” I mused flatly, staring at the briefcase on the table.

Cortana was silent. I was silent. It was then that I noticed {Y/N} was gone, slight panic gripping me before my recollection of her leaving filled my head again. Looking back at Cortana for a few more seconds, I crossed the room and finally began to shed the layers of my Mjolnir.

I was stuck here for the night.

“Chief,” the A.I. began, the seriousness in her tone returning. “I was designed to take full operational control of you to optimize both your physical and mental performance. To become the ultimate soldier Doctor Halsey wanted to create to win the war— and beyond. To strike fear into any enemy. Now that it’s something I don’t want, I’m worried for you. This is an extremely high risk mission, one I’m not sure you can complete without the rest of Silver Team.”

“I can’t drag them into this more than I already have. We’re a team, but this is personal. They deserve to know what happened to us. But they don’t deserve the backlash of whatever this initiates.”

Her frown was evident as she took another step closer to me.

“I have the utmost faith in you, John,” her voice was soft, emphatic. “You know that, right? I wouldn’t have chosen you over her if I didn’t. My trust in you is implicit.”

I glanced over at Cortana while I continued to set pieces of my armor down, the undersuit I wore feeling like a heavy second skin in the casual setting we found ourselves in. Holding her gaze, allowing the smallest ounce of vulnerability I despised showing to dimly shine through, I nodded once.

It was hard to believe, some days. She had a stubborn and sarcastic streak, not unlike her creator. But deep down, I felt just as connected with her as I may have with a human, if connection were in my repertoire. Cortana lived in my head 24/7; a neural implant like no other, and though we had our ups and downs, though I’d tested her and god knows she tested me, I knew over anything else that I could rely on her.

She’d proven that to me time and time again without much in return.

“But there’ll be one of you.. And more than likely hundreds of them,” she continued. “I know you’re The Master Chief, the hero among us all, but.. even with your augmentations, you’re only human.”

Her features were full of anxiety. Smart A.I.’s really did seem to feel. I wondered about her sometimes. It made me question my own ideals on the matter. What was scientific and factual seemed more like made-up guidelines, the more time I spent with her.

“You were outnumbered on Rubble before in a surprise attack, taking immense damage in battle without the rest of Silver Team for backup.”

“I was there,” I said gruffly, not wanting to recall that {Y/N} contributed to that as well before Cortana spoke up again.

“All it took after that was a Gravity Hammer to have your HUD screaming at me. Repairing the damage in such a short amount of time without losing you altogether was complex, and…”

Was she… about to cry? Could an A.I. system do that? She sounded overcome with pure emotion.

“Terrifying,” she exhaled.

“I thought you didn’t do sentimental,” was all I could say, completely thrown by what was happening here.

“Chief, I don’t want to control you; replace you. The more I saw what was going on with Doctor Halsey.. the more I got to know you and see your humanity— the thing that makes you so unique.. the less I wanted it. My directive was to do just that, especially in the case of losing you. It’s not that I’m not able to achieve what I was designed to do, not at all. It’s that I don’t want to. I don’t want to have to. We can’t lose The Master Chief. We’d be lost without you and all that you already are on your own. I don’t think that’s something Catherine accounted for.”

My head spun. I was suddenly glad I went with her decision to stay the night on Rubble to gain some clarity for what was ahead. She wasn’t designed for sentimentality, for feelings in general— that seemed to be something Halsey loved taking from anyone and anything she could.

But this was sure as hell something.

I saw Cortana in a different light then.

Unable to take my eyes off of her as I tried to grasp what I was able to, I realized she was more human than she let on. More human than I felt, most days. This felt like a surprise attack all on its own, though I know she didn’t mean it to be. Years worth of brainwashing told me not to believe a single thing she told me. In a matter of moments, she somehow unraveled that.

What was going on?

“Cortana…” I began, wanting to piece my now scattered thoughts together in a decent response for her.

But before I could start, she disappeared again without so much as a breath in my auditory cortex.

“Cortana?” I asked quietly, unsure of what had just happened.

Silence.

That worried me more than it should have, until I turned around.

————

“Maybe she’s tired,” I offered gently, running my hand back through my hair.

Of course I had no idea what the real reason for her sudden absence was, but it sounded like it could be true. I didn’t want to intervene on yet another private moment between the two, and so I tried to change the subject.

“What is she exactly, anyway?” I finally posed. “I know she said she was a form of artificial intelligence… But.. she seems so.. real.”

The Master Chief simply stared at me, setting down a final piece of the armor he’d been taking off while I was showering, leaving him in nothing but the black undersuit he typically wore back on Reach— the less menacing ensemble. The one that allowed me to see him as a man, not a machine.

“Smart A.I.,” was all he said, lifting his chin just a bit. “Halsey’s. Well.. She was.”

I thought about it for a moment, but it only seemed to kick up more questions. I wasn't savvy in the ways of such advanced tech, but I supposed a 'smart A.I.’ was different from an average one. Walking around the couch and trying to focus on what I was trying to say, I tugged the sash to the black, intricately designed robe I now wore just a bit tighter.

What was underneath was enough to make anyone who wasn’t used to wearing such articles blush. It wasn’t until I slipped it on that I realized it was a {F/C} night dress, with thin straps for ‘sleeves’ and coming just down to about mid-thigh. I frantically searched for any indication of pants, but there were none to be had other than a pair of underwear that seemed to match.

Even the outfit “for the next destination” contained a slick, thin material of black pants and a top I wasn’t sure was going to cover enough skin. I wasn’t used to wearing something so.. elegant, or sensual— to sleep in, especially. But one look at Laela told me that was the norm for her no matter who was around.

I was thoroughly embarrassed just wearing it. Let alone around John. But it was comfortable, the robe was soft; and it did feel good to not be as drab as I hadn’t realized I looked or felt.

“Where does she.. come from?” I finally asked, sitting in a plush chair next to the couch and instinctively rearranging the robe to cover my legs and as much of myself as possible.

“She’s in my head,” he stated, his eyes trailing over me with what looked like curiosity of his own.

He said that as though he knew I wasn’t going to believe it, and in any other situation, I might not have. But after everything we’d been through, I felt like that was the only logical explanation.

“Your head? So she just manifests whenever she wants to? Or do you summon her?”

It seemed like he was waiting for her to appear at any moment. When she didn’t, he sighed and stepped closer toward me.

“It’s both. She likes to show up unannounced a lot of the time. Sometimes I tell her to leave me alone. But when I need her, she’s always there.”

“That’s kind of nice,” I smiled. “Like a built-in companion. A friend.”

He stood for a few seconds, seeming to contemplate what I’d said before easing down onto the couch just beside my chair.

“She’s not built for friendship. Or companionship. She’s a tool to be implemented.”

But something told me he didn’t believe that one bit.

“Do you trust her?” I asked, my tone airy, holding a slight smugness to it.

He stared out of the large window, not looking at anything in particular to my knowledge, but I could tell he was pondering over my question.

“I do,” he finally said.

“Then she’s a friend,” I nodded once.

“Do you trust me?”

His eyes caught mine then, throwing me off-guard all over again.

I immediately reached up for the pendant around my neck, fidgeting with it absently. I’d told him I trusted him on The Condor. He knew I trusted him. There was no denying it any longer. Was he just making sure?

“I do.”

“Are we friends?”

I blinked a few times, eyes drifting around the room. What was the correct response here?

The truth, I supposed.

“I.. hope so.”

It was then that I realized I caught him off-guard with my response, too.

“A.I. doesn’t feel,” he pointed out instead, steering clear of the subject as he looked back through the crystal clear glass. “They don’t have the same traits as humans. They learn, but they never really feel things the same way we do. She isn’t real.”

But something seemed to be nagging at him as he said it. As though he was trying to convince himself of that little tidbit rather than me.

“She seems pretty real to me,” I expressed quietly. “Speaking of what’s human and what isn’t.. I never asked. What’s it like? Being a Spartan?”

I pressed a smile. I could see he was worn down. I didn’t want to stress him out any more than he already was. We were hunkering down here for the night and there was no reason to make it uncomfortable or stale. If there was a time to pick his brain, it would be now.

John turned to face me completely then, a faint smirk on his lips that drove me right into insanity inside. I had to remind myself to breathe.

“What’s it like being human?” He responded.

A small, curt laugh escaped me. Probably the first laugh I’d had since I’d left Rubble the first time.

“You’re human, John,” I assured him. “There’s no doubt about that. I don’t care what they’ve done to you. I can see it, underneath all that armor and suppressed emotion.”

Maybe it was the hour, the lack of sleep, the astronomical amount of stress, or just the fact that we were in a safe, comfortable space for once; but I felt more compelled than ever to be open with The Master Chief. To be honest with him. To comfort him the way I’d intended.

“I wonder sometimes.”

“Don’t you do human things at all? Even just the little things?”

“We eat, sleep. Sure.”

I chewed on my lower lip for a moment, my line of sight moving to the stereo system Laela had mentioned earlier. I looked over the selection on the holographic screen absentmindedly, trying to trudge through the mass amount of questions on my mind in order to find any of the important ones instead.

“How long have you really been without the pellet Cortana mentioned?”

“She was right. Not very long.”

“When did they…” I trailed off, not wanting to upset or offend him.

“For as long as I can remember. Since I was a kid.”

“So.. you haven’t really experienced things without it? Like, the way the sun feels on your skin after a string of rainy days, or a really good book.”

His expression hardened a bit as he leaned forward on his elbows, shaking his head.

“I don’t have much time to read, if you can believe that,” he joked.

Another soft laugh escaped me. Has he really joked with me before?

“And here I thought you guys were just lounging around by a pool all day waiting for another mission.”

John breathed the faintest of laughs, and I couldn’t help but smile myself. I suddenly wanted to do nothing but try to make him laugh. It was something terribly beautiful that I wondered if he even knew he was capable of once I thought about his situation.

But I continued to think, letting it sink in that he hadn’t experienced much on a deeper level. It was then that I immediately turned and reached for the stereo between us, leaning over the arm of my chair.

“You know what..”

I navigated through the screen, searching for any song I recognized. Music was different among different planets, and I wasn’t sure I’d find anything at all.

He looked at me quizzically, and I peeked over at him and smiled again before continuing my search.

“Ah!” I finally gasped, coming across a title I recognized very well and gearing it up.

“Music has got to be one of my favorite things ever,” I mentioned.

He sat up straight again, and I could see the interest in his features.

“This is a song from my home planet,” I began. “One of my favorites, actually.”

My voice was quiet, my line of sight following his once more to the view through the window. I still wasn’t sure I’d ever seen anything more striking, except maybe the way John looked as he contemplated the sprawling galaxy before us.

His profile was still and illuminated in a purple and blue hue from the cosmic clusters just beyond us, his eyes glossed over from the exhaustion and no doubt the newfound overwhelm of emotion. He was riddled with knicks and scars, some apparent and some hiding behind his stubble. But nonetheless, he was stunning. A god among men. It became so clear to me so quickly and all at once that I had to take a deeper breath, steady my head from spinning and pull my focus from burning through him.

Dragging my eyes off of his face, I looked back to the stereo and swallowed thickly, delicate fingers moving through the air that was the screen.

“I can’t remember the last time I listened to music.. We’re not very creatively oriented at the UNSC.”

A soft laugh escaped me again as I shook my head and started the song, turning to face him again, not filtering or dismissing my feelings this time.

Another joke. Maybe he was warming up to me after all.

“I couldn’t have guessed,” I smiled.

But when I watched him this time, I could see the millions of thoughts running across his mind as he continued to stare out over what felt like the entire universe.

He was absorbing the music as it played, dramatic and reverberated. He was feeling every note, every bend. I almost wished I could experience life with such a fresh set of eyes. On bated breath, I watched him intently, studying him. With slight hesitation, I dared bring him out of his trance as gently as possible.

“… Do you like it?” I found myself whispering just loud enough for him to hear against the music.

My tone was intense, as though the world depended on his opinion.

My world did.

“It’s beautiful,” he responded, slowly turning his head to look at me.

My existence caught fire. The song shifted, slowed down. It was almost unbearable, how strongly all I wanted to do was enjoy the moment with him. To be part of a beautiful memory that he would have forever. With another small smile, I stood up and held out my hand to him.

John looked at it, brow furrowing slightly. It wasn’t hard to see that he had reservations about my subtle invitation. He had barely heard music, and it probably felt as though asking him to dance was more intimidating than following an order to head straight into battle without a plan.

Or giving a hug, apparently.

Trying to lighten his trepidation, I held his stare.

“C’mon.. I know The Master Chief isn’t scared of a little dance.”

“I don’t dance,” he responded curtly.

“Correction. You didn’t dance.”

With that, I leaned down and took his hands into mine. I attempted to pull him up the best I could, but I knew the large Spartan must’ve been humoring me by standing all on his own. Without skipping a beat, I lead him in a dance with my own small amount of knowledge in the medium.

There was no need for a step counted, know-who-leads dance. I just wanted to spend the time, let him feel the music, and feel it as vicariously as I could.

Swaying gently, I quickly forgot about my reservation in the clothing I wore. I stepped up closer to John, guiding one of his hands to the small of my back as I did the best I could to rest mine behind his broad shoulder, too short to latch my entire arm behind his neck.

I held his other hand in mine, the closeness to another human, no matter how un-human he seemed sometimes, something entirely too foreign to me. It was almost terrifying. If I hadn’t wanted it with him so badly, allowed myself to feel the massive amount of feelings I had toward him now with no holds barred, I would’ve run in the other direction.

Though I wasn’t exactly sure of his standing with me, the fact that he didn’t oppose any of my actions clued me in. In that way, I could only imagine how he felt.

“It’s not as complicated as I was expecting,” he offered, looking down into my eyes, closer than he had ever been to me before in such an intimate way.

“That’s a good sign,” I assured gently, feeling something akin to an excited nervousness. “You’re comfortable.”

We danced a bit longer, the slow rhythm of the music leading the way. It was suddenly far too easy to get caught up in the moment, and I could tell he must’ve been in the same mentality when he held me out before lifting his arm to spin me around.

I was so wrapped up in him, the gesture hardly shocked me. It only felt.. natural. Right.

I imagined we looked like a portrait against the view behind us as I spun once more, being led back into his arms with a slight sense of urgency that wasn’t there before. We danced along the room slowly, no more words between us, just the emotion of the music holding us captive within each other.

And as we spun and crossed the floor in the sparkling light of the vastness around us, for the moment, I forgot about Doctor Halsey. I forgot about Cortana. There were no orders being held over John’s head, and there was no Keystone or Halo to discover. No parents, no Covenant, no Blessed One, no other Spartans. There was no one trying to keep us apart. It was simply John and I.

John and {Y/N}.

Selfishly, I wanted it to last forever. It wasn’t until our eyes finally met again, that I could tell within the depths of my soul that he wanted the same. But to live a normal life seemed not in the cards for him. It wasn’t something I’d ever ask of him, either.

To think so far ahead after a minute or two of dancing together felt odd to me. I didn’t understand the impulse I was feeding into emotionally; the connection and willingness to be connected we suddenly shared so openly and unequivocally with each other. We’d gone from lukewarm to burning hot in a matter of a few musical notes.

But the way the music drifted in and out, creating the atmosphere we were so gladly stuck in, seemed to heighten the moment. The warmth of his large frame against mine was something I suddenly never wanted to lose, or forget, having only ever felt the warmth of his hands through my clothing before thanks to the armor he wore. Every second of our new encounter was being committed to memory.

Saved for eternity.

How could I ever forget the way his hands felt in mine? The way his lips seemed to curve upward ever so slightly as I spun beneath him. How, no matter how far away we traveled from each other in our dance to swing out slowly, we were still always touching in one way or another, connected, eager to return home.

Home.

It struck me then.

John felt like home.

Whatever that was, whatever I’d imagined it to be, it was all right here. Not with Astra, picking pockets. Not on Niacadus, wishing my parents would return. It was with The Spartan I’d once so stupidly felt so much hatred and disdain for.

My eyes never left his own once that realization struck. The moment was powerful, holding more passion than I’d experienced in a lifetime; the music lending more of the sensation to the situation. The song slowed down even more, and as it did so, I felt myself begin to dip backwards, John’s arms holding me, strong and safe— capable. Our gazes were locked on one another’s, simply feeling, feeling everything, all at once, new and otherwise.

My gentle hand finally found his neck as his face drew closer to mine. There was no turning back from this point. I knew it, I knew it in my mind and in my heart as it fluttered with excitement behind my ribcage. I knew it in my bones and the depths of my soul.

I wondered what he was thinking, deeply wished I could read his mind.

Slowly, carefully, my fingers grazed around the back of his neck, encouraging him to come closer, to stay closer. His skin was warm, my fingertips sending signals throughout my body as my other hand held him behind his shoulder once more. My breath hitched in my chest with every inch he closed between us.

I felt his grip tighten just slightly against my frame as though he too felt the gravity of the situation. As though he too knew how this one little gesture would seal our fate; close the space and time between us forever, irrevocably so.

His handsome features were so beautifully unbearable in such close proximity, that my eyes began to close, lips parted just so.. ready, waiting, for his acceptance of my final invitation to lay everything bare to each other—

Once, and for all…

-x-x-x-

Tags: @grimistangel, @guiltgoldglory ♡

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jemgirl86 · 1 year

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So, in the past 2 days, with 2 different friends, I’ve discussed actors being asked questions about shipping. And I’ve come to the conclusion, probably because I’m an elder millennial lol, and can remember before the words “shipping” and “fandom” were tossed around in casual conversation, and also because I’ve watched a shit ton of tv, that I might have a fairly unpopular, or at least different, opinion about the whole thing.

Quick note: I’m not picking on anything or anybody. This is just my two cents…

Okay, so, I think my main problem with this whole thing is twofold:

1. I’m sick of how these questions are being asked.

2. I’m sick of all parties involved acting brand new.

When I say I’m sick of the framing what I mean is, I’m tired of “fandom” and or fandom shit being brought up by interviewers and being used as a scapegoat/reason for them to ask questions they were always going to ask anyway, and have been asking about couples on various shows since FOREVER lol.

What do I mean? Well, at its core, the Syd/Carmy dynamic - the way it is presented and written, whether anyone wants to admit it or not - is a “will they/won’t they” relationship, in the most classic sense. Now, “will they, won’t they” might not have have been the original plan when the show was developed, which is often the case. They might’ve gotten to set and the actors just had natural chemistry together. However, at this point, the writing and direction has fed into it, also whether they intended to or not, at least to a certain degree, and no this isn’t a “men and women can’t be friends” thing, lol, they’re already friends on the show, and that doesn’t have to change, but their friendship isn’t stopping the other tension from bleeding through.

It’s a tale as old as time… Sam & Diane… David & Madelyn… Fran & Maxwell… Kyle & Maxine… Jim & Pam… Mulder & Scully… Janine & Gregory… etc etc, I could literally go on forever, especially if I started counting soap opera couples lol. These “we work together, or spend a lot of time together, it’s kind of antagonist, but in a fun way, we could be friends, or even enemies, sometimes we might legitimately fight, but also, sometimes it looks like we might kiss” relationships between the male and female leads have always existed, and interviewers have always discussed them, and questioned the actors about them, and it ain’t got shit to do with anything fandom posts online.

Which is why the following excerpt annoyed tf out of me:

She’s also been made aware of the (seemingly) sizable group of Carmy-Sydney shippers that have appeared, rising from the Twitter mist to declare their allegiances to an imaginary romance. These fan theories are something of a pain point for Edebiri, who says she is grateful that people are so engaged with the show, but that it’s “frustrating.” She adds: “It’s really not our thought process when we’re making the show, and I understand it can be part of a show’s culture — but I don’t think they’re going to get what they want.” Gordon told THR that while she also doesn’t subscribe to the shipper theories, she believes it’s a testament to the work of Storer, White, and Edebiri that they’re able to create something so passionate. “I think it’s incredibly cool to have this dynamic onscreen that isn’t romantic, but that feels charged and sexy,” she said.

Narratively speaking, Edebiri isn’t actually sure that Carmy should be in a relationship with anyone (“It’s TV, do you want to see Walter White go to therapy and then reunite with his family?” she asks with a laugh), but admits that she can’t resist falling — platonically! — for the character’s complicated charms. “I love this little fucked up guy in the kitchen,” she says before quickly self-editing. “Or wait, this messed-up guy.” (The more she reads her own interviews, the more she sees her own explicit language: “I think I do it when I’m telling a joke, like I’m putting a swear in there to let you know I’m saying a joke — it’s something for me to reflect on.”)

At this point, I remember — and bring up — a tweet I saw recently, that drew a line between the many years that Succession fans spent caring (deeply) about the show’s (deeply) damaged men and the way they were able to quickly jump to the stage of “babygirlifying” the men of The Bear. She looks aghast, the parasocial implications a step too far even for someone from her inherently online cohort. “That is so Internet,” she manages, her expression a flash of the face-acting that has become a hallmark of her Emmy-nominated performance.

That entire passage was weird and not because of “fandom,” or because a fan got out of pocket, but because a journalist working in the entertainment industry forgot how to do their job, and it made an actress not give the answer (I’d like to think) she’d give if she’d been asked the standard question.

Whoever the hell worked at Entertainment Tonight back in the day: “So are David & Maddie finally going to get together this season?”

Bruce Willis, in 1986 probably: “Well, ET anchor, you’ll just have to watch and see” *winks at camera*

Is that a real quote? No. Is that exactly like something I’ve heard before. Yes. Like… this is not rocket science lol. I have seen a version of that question asked (and answered) hundreds of times throughout my entire life about various tv couples without making it a big weird thing, whether they bring up fans or not. Hell, the journalist could’ve said: “Will Syd & Carmy ever get together? Viewers are dying to know.” And it would’ve been fine, totally normal, but instead they wrote all that and made it as weird as possible, to what? Throw fandom culture and shipping under the bus I guess…

But, see, my beef with this, and situations like this one in particular is, this isn’t a shipping issue. This isn’t an interviewer springing a question on an actor about a fanon relationship that no person with a functioning brain or any sense of reality could ever think would go canon. This isn’t someone asking about something impossible, some MCU fanon ship that only the most delusional 12 year old in the world would think they were ever going to see date anywhere other than their own Google Doc.

Whether you like Syd/Carmy or think they have all the chemistry of a wet paper towel, realistically, you still know that them getting together isn’t something TPTB at their particular studio will never allow… they’re just something that hasn’t happened yet, that might never happened, but still, at this point, just hasn’t happened yet. Something that one of the leads refers to as a “charged and sexy” dynamic.

I don’t know how to break it to the interviewer or the segment of society that seems to have gotten amnesia, and forgotten one of the oldest tv tropes around, but a “charged and sexy dynamic” between two leads on a show that hasn’t yet ended is a… ding ding ding, you guessed it folks, a “will they, won’t they” dynamic.

And here’s the thing, most of The Bear’s viewers and probably most of the people who think Syd & Carmy would be cute together NEVER stick a toe in fandom, will never ever read a fanfic, might not even know what all fandom entails, they’re just like the boomer guy I see at the coffee machine sometimes, they enjoyed the show and think “Carmy & Syd would be good for each other” lmaooo. They watch it the way I watch The Good Wife lol. They don’t ship Carmy/Syd - they’ve literally never heard that word used like that before. And they’re definitely not about to engage with other fans online in any significant way, it’s a water cooler show for them… much like Cheers actually.

Soooo leave fandom and fans, and the tweets you saw on Twitter, and the fics that got posted on ao3 out of your questions… and out of your answers too, tbh. Because at the end of the day, if everyone was honest with themselves for five fucking seconds, Syd & Carmy don’t fall into the “will they, won’t they” category because some people involved in online fandom, in any capacity, posted anything on ao3, Tumblr, Twitter, or anywhere else. Fandom as we know it could have never existed, and an entertainment journalist would still be asking Ayo & Jeremy something related to the potential of their characters’ having a romantic relationship, and anyone who’s ever watched a television show before damn well knows it. So, stop framing it as questions you’re bringing up because of shipping nonsense from a crazy fandom, frame it the same way you would’ve in 1986, before Twitter, and leave fandom out of it. If people want to be pissy they need to save it for the fans @‘ing actors with nonsense, and the fans ready to riot over fanon ships they knew were never going to happen. But being mad at someone who sees the possibility of a Syd/Carmy pairing at this point would be like being mad at someone in 1993 for thinking Maxwell Sheffield and Nanny Fine might end up together…

Ijs… if you wouldn’t frame that person as crazy because they saw an “imaginary romance,” then maybe look deeper lol.

It seems like I’m picking on The Bear in this rambling mess lol, but they’re just a recent example, so I used them because I’m tired of people conflating two issues. Yes, asking actors shipping questions is weird… when you’re doing it about two characters, you, me, the milk man, the lady down the street and the man on the moon, all know will never get together. But… ummm no, a reporter asking Cybil Shepherd in 1985 if her & Bruce Willis’ characters would eventually be together actually wouldn’t have been weird, and I think everyone knew that back then, so I’m trying to figure out why people are pretending not to know it now.

Yes, some people in fandom are unhinged: acting nutsy bobos because their ship that truly was just a ship didn’t go canon, even though even the Scarecrow could’ve told them it wasn’t going to happen; seeing queerbait where there was never queerbait; contacting writers/actors/etc. directly with their thoughts, opinions, and fantasies 🤢, instead of DM’ing that mess to their cousin/sister/friend or sharing it on their blog (lol) like a normal person. However, sometimes, really, a lot of time, it’s not the fandom at all. In fact, the fandom be minding their own fucking business, and the journalists (and actors) wouldn’t even know about fandom stuff if they didn’t go poking around.

And other times, times like this one, stuff gets framed as being nutty shipper shit, when it’s just regular viewer shit. Because, again, no reporter ever waited until Niles and Daphne kissed on screen to ask either actor if their characters would ever get together, so I need this journalist and others like them to please spare me the bullshit of acting like the only reason they fixed their mouth to ask Ayo about the possibility of Syd/Carmy was because of some “shippers” and “their allegiances to an imaginary romance.”

There is only one reason I could see any entertainment journalist back in the day, pre-internet, not asking about the possibility of a romance between these two characters in particular, and it ain’t got shit to do with their dynamic.

But that’s another long ass rambling post for another slow work day lol.

Idk how to wrap this up other than to say, fans and fandoms as a whole are more visible now than ever before. And lately the behavior of some fans has been off the hook lol (though realistically I’d argue that some of that behavior is sometimes encouraged, in one way or another, by TPTB), but that doesn’t mean we have to overcorrect by blaming fandoms for things that they aren’t responsible for, and it really doesn’t mean that we have to start acting like online fan communities created things that have existed, long before the online fan community in question. Folks are so mad at all fandoms and all fans, they can’t even tell the difference between the musings of an obsessed stan & the general curiosities of a casual viewer, and it’s got honest to god journalists conflating rabid shipping discourse with “oh I think they’d be cute together,” and forgetting that casual viewers even exist and still have opinions, and it’s very very weird.

Bring Back Normal Interviews 2024 lol

ETA: You want to know what’s funny? As I’ve said before, I don’t even want them together lol. Syd is my fave, and I think Carmy is about to (unintentionally) ruin her life. But, still, I couldn’t bite my tongue, so to speak, because it really grinds my gears when a bunch of people expect me to sit back and pretend I don’t see the same themes and dynamics I’ve seen countless times, and pretend that I’m only seeing certain questions being asked because of fans on Twitter… even though we all know that’s not true 🙃

ETA Again: Since I referenced it more than once, I feel like it’s only fair to mention that Moonlighting is actually infamous for being the reason that a lot of times even when the chemistry is off the charts between two leads on a popular show, TPTB will refuse to put them together. The episode of Moonlighting where the two main characters finally got together was the most watched episode… but it was all downhill from there. It ruined the show according to everyone and their mamas lol (though that’s not entirely fair). Anyway, the tension and chemistry and buildup was suddenly gone, and the show was no longer fun. The story goes that viewers gave up on it, and it became a cautionary tale about how you should always make the “will they, won’t they” of it all last as long as possible, or your show might die lol

#the bear #sydcarmy #syd x carmy #i will probably delete this later #of course shipping questions are weird #but this was only a shipping question because of the interviewer #in general asking an actor about the romantic future of their character on a tv show isn’t weird… and it’s not a question of shipping #TYPICALLY #it only gets weird if the interviewer makes it weird

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danseinthefallout · 2 years

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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

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disaster-fruit · 7 months

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Believe it or not, I am 27 and have just discovered ATLA and I have some questions. Is my feeling correct that most Zutara shippers are women/nonbinary folks and most Kataang shippers are, well, men. I just can’t help thinking how Kataang is written with such a male gaze in mind, while Zutara covers both perspectives. Anyways, I understand why the show ended with Kataang, I’ve read all the big metas, I understand that Bryke kind of sucks etc. etc. But I’m curious what you think about this perceived gender divide since you’ve definitely been around longer lol

Hello! I gotta say, i don't think i have a better perspective of the fandom to offer, since i haven't actually been part of the fandom since maybe 2012? and back then i was a literal child and i couldn't speak English so 'being in the fandom' was mostly just reblogging gifs and reading the zutara fics in brazilian ao3 of the time. I have watched and re-watched ATLA an unholy amount of times since then, and i have read and watched hours and hours of meta and theories and whatnot, but the fandom itself is not something i'm well acquainted with to give a good perspective on.

I do, however, love to talk and love receiving asks, so i guess you'll get my opinion anyway. And everyone knows i'm not usually concise.

First of all, are most zutara shippers women/non-binary and kat@ang shippers men? I don't know. I haven't been in the fandom and i haven't checked the bios of most posts i did see and interact, so i have no idea. The only kat@ang shipper i personally know is a friend of mine, who is a woman. So i won't speculate on whether or not your feeling is correct, perhaps a fandom veteran would be better equipped at answering it.

What i WILL say is that Kat@ang is, in my opinion, much more appealing from aang's perspective than from katara's. She's older than aang, in an age girls are absolutely not looking at younger boys that way, and doesn't show any interest in him romantically through the whole show, with the only exception that comes to mind being their dance on season 3 (easily their best moment imo), and then their kiss at the very last minute. All we know is that Aang likes Katara, and the other way around is open to interpretation at best.

One sentiment I've seen from kat@ang shippers is that they seem to really like aang and what him to be happy, and since he likes katara, they ship the two. That is all well and fine, we support people having fun with their ships for whatever reason here. That is however not a good enough motivation if you are, you know, the creators of a show who were supposed to have some duty to storytelling, themes, and cohesion. So them making kat@ng happen just so that aang could 'get the girl', despite all the ways that weakens an otherwise phenomenal story, is a bad choice that should be criticized. At the very least, in its execution.

So yeah i don't think its wrong to say there's a 'male viewpoint' to kat@ang as it was made in the show, though i wouldn't necessarily extend that to the kat@ng fans in the fandom since i don't know them, and it feels unfair to make that assumption. For all i know there is probably no shortage of amazing fics out there that explore their dynamic much better than the show did.

But though i can't speak for kat@ang fans, there is another group i've seen more often in my metas and video essays journey and talking to male friends throughout the years, what i'll call 'shipping neutral' men. You know the type, they love avatar, they'll spend hours and hours dissecting all the aspects of the story and the themes and the worldbuilding up UNTIL the topic is romance in the show. Then they'll wave it away dismissively saying the show 'was never about romance' and the crazy shippers are 'getting distracted' from the real story and how they just don't care about that aspect. And some of them will say they're fine with Kat@ng because it's canon (and no other reason), some wont have an opinion on any of the ships, except that they're not important and anyone who HAS an opinion on that is just silly.

And HERE i definitely see not only a gender divide but a sexist tendency to disregard romance as less important to any story, and not as an integral part that deserves care and deserves to be well interwoven with the rest of it. It's basically a stereotype now about how zutara fans have all these metas and analysis about how perfectly the ship fits the shows themes and how that would improve the writing (and yes, i agree with all of them) and that's because we know that romance is just as deserving as action, as worldbuildng and whatnot, and that it can be a powerful writing tool to enhance character and plot and themes, and that the way it is done it ATLA is not that. And i think these 'shipping neutral' men's analysis all fall short and even tend to not notice flaws in the story because they refuse to interact meaningfully with that aspect. Because as we all know, romance is for silly girls.

And being honest, i have much more respect for any kat@ang shipper of any gender that is out here being passionate about what they like, writing their fics and writing their own metas and having fun in a respectful way, than i have for men (and people who aren't men) with that dismissive attitude towards the romance arcs in the show.

That was a tangent! But damn i haven't answered an ask like this in a while and its always very fun. Hope i didn't offend anyone lol If its not clear i'm not a fan of ship wars, we stan having fun here. Buuut i also love debating and engaging with the story and that sometimes can get confrontational. There's definitely a space for 'ship discussion' or 'ship debate' that doesn't cross the line to 'ship war', i think that line is 'fun'. We're having fun, right? Discussing fandom and writing is fun, right?

Anyways hope this makes sense, sorry I didn't actually answer your question even though i talked THIS MUCH.

#okaaaay how do i tag this #fandom discussion #i guess??#i dont wanna tag as any of the ships because its not really that #i also dont wanna tag because i dooooont wanna pick a fight with anybody #im too old for this i love discussing but only if its all for fun

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sapphicbookclub · 2 years

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Author Spotlight: Alyson Root

We're excited to bring you a guest post written by Alyson Root, author of A Dance Towards Forever. Keep reading to hear how her personal journey through life is reflected in the plot of her first book!

Hey, Alyson here (insert waving emoji) a new author fresh out of the writing closet. Not as scary as the last time I came out, but just as important to me. Anyway, I’m sitting here thrilled that I get to write something for the Sapphic Book Club. However, I suddenly find myself with a blank mind!

Argh, what should I write? What do you all want to read about? Me? My debut novel? Hell, I’ll tell you about both if you’re willing to sit and read what I write.

Ok a little about me first. I’m 36 and Aries, I like long walks on the beach and… I’m kidding, although I am 36 and an Aries. But, less of the bad dating profile and more of the serious stuff. I found writing at the grand old age of 30. I wish I could say it was something I always wanted to do, but that would be a lie.

Yes, I have always been a creative person. That runs in the family, but I’m also someone who has the attention span of a two-year-old at Christmas. Throughout my childhood and adolescence, I had loads of different hobbies, but none of them included writing. I could never focus on one thing long enough to decide if I loved it or not.

Fast forward to a time in my life where I could confidently call myself an adult (gross) and that’s when I fell head over heals in love with writing. Actually, it was my wife who encouraged me. I happened to mention that I fancied turning my hand to writing, and she went full cheerleader!

Six years is the time it took me to finish A Dance Towards Forever. That’s 72 months or 312 weeks of me sporadically writing nonsense until I had a lightbulb moment, deleted everything I’d written and then bashed out the entire book in five months.

Once the last word of the Epilogue had been written, I was overcome by pure joy because, after all my years on this awesome globe we call home, I’d finally found my passion. The thing that I loved and could focus on. Hopefully, that doesn't sound too dramatic or cliché!

Moving on… What else can I tell you about myself? Well, there are a few things woven into the storyline of A Dance Towards Forever that ring true to my life. I fell in love with a French woman and ended up moving to Paris. Just like my main character Sam, I am appalling at speaking the language and I have a best friend who swears like a sailor. Oh, and I am a massive sucker for love and romance.

Is that enough about me? Probably so I’ll switch to the book. Cue drumroll…

A Dance Towards Forever is my first book and something I am immensely proud of. Jeez, I can’t believe sometimes that I actually wrote an entire novel. At least I can cross one thing off my bucket list now.

Most of the story is set in Paris. At the time of the book's conception, I had just moved there from England. It was this magical city that held wonder and opportunity and it was where my girlfriend (now wife) was, so it was the perfect city in my eyes.

My life back then had changed so dramatically in just a few months that I wrote the book with that feeling in mind. I wanted my characters to go through that kind of life altering situation whilst falling in love because that’s what had happened to me.

I think it’s true that every author gives a bit of themselves to each of their books. I certainly did. To be honest, it was a bit like therapy writing parts of the story, especially the painful parts that I’d experienced myself.

Now the book is out in the world for others to read. That is both exciting and terrifying!

Ok, just so I don’t give myself a panic attack at the thought of people actually reading and judging the book, I’m going to give you some fun facts. Let’s lighten the mood.

First fun fact: I used Dolly Parton’s I will Always Love You because I love her and that song. Her voice is angelic and I would give my left arm to see her in concert.

Numero dos: Just like Sam, I met my best friend in school. Well, Sam met Charlie at university, but the premise is the same.

Trois: My favourite drink is Rum and Coke, but my wife has firmly pulled me over to the dark side. I drink wine now. I couldn’t tell you the difference between a cabernet and a merlot, but that’s ok. As long as I remember to drink a glass with cheese, I won't be cast out of France.

Finally number four: I’m still have a short attention span which is why I’m working on several books at the same time. Keeps things interesting though!

Hopefully I haven’t blathered on too much and you’ve enjoyed reading this. I, for one, am pleased as punch to have had the opportunity to write this piece.

Until the next time (insert another waving emoji)

Alyson

#guest post #sapphic books #wlw #queer lit #booklr #diverse reads #contemporary

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countessofravenclaw · 2 years

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The 2022 writing Advent calendar: Day 7

7. Watching a Christmas movie

Funnily enough, I have not yet written a purely Gastina story during this calendar… lets fix that!

So, if you have seen Princess Switch one and two, that will greatly benefit your understanding of this, but that is not required.

“I can’t believe you convinced me of this,” Gastón said to Nina as he opened Netflix on their TV. “We could just watch Infinity War and Endgame again.”

Nina had somehow made him promise that when their 2021 Christmas exam season was over, they’d do a Netflix hallmark movie marathon. Apparently there were many trilogies of different Chirstmas movies on Netflix that he had never heard off. They had really similar taste when it came to media and in general nerdiness, but this was something they really differed.

“Not happening,” Nina said as she sat down on the sofa next to him, “We can rip apparent storytelling methods and motifs of future Emmy nominations later. The Boba Fett show is coming out in January after all.”

“I am still a bit confused why they are making a show about him.”

“Me too, but at least we will learn about tusken raiders and how he actually made it out of that Sarlacc Pit,” Nina said, “But, don’t change the subject. We are watching these holiday movies, you promised…” she ran her finger on his chest, pretty outrageous move on her part because she knew what it did to him.

“Why can’t I ever say no to you?” Gastón groaned, trying to keep himself from losing focus. “Okay, you win. Where do we start?”

“I think the Princess Switch franchise had their third movie come out this year.”

“That name already sounds stupid.”

“I know,” Nina laughed, “But that is the point of these. They are bad by design. They are not supposed to be cinematic masterpieces, but just fun time.”

“With two Vanessa Hudgenses?” Gastón had finished scrolling through Netflix and had the movie up on the screen. “Well, she has gone far from the High School Musicals.”

“Okay, that was not half bad,” Gastón said as the credits rolled.

“See, I knew you would like them,” Nina smiled at him.

“Well, I guess you were right. It was nice, like in a cheesy way. But this would never happen in real life.”

“Yeah, genetics don’t work that way,” Nina laughed, “What did you think about the romance between the duchess and the normal guy? I felt like it was bit off.”

“Yeah, I agree with you on that,” Gastón pondered, “I guess the problem is in the fact that the guy, Kevin was it, though she was his best friend, who he had known since high school. He was never in love with the duchess, but her as his best friend.”

“Thats right. It was more about him seeing a new side of Stacy, which made him fall in love with her, and not about him falling for this completely different person. If I would be writing this, that would cause so many problems in the future.” Nina continued, “Counter that with the actual Stacy and the Prince, who did not know that duchess, I think her name was Margaret, beforehand at all. He fell in love with her as herself.”

“And I thought you could not get anything deep out of these movies,” Gastón laughed, “But the ending was a bit odd, I will stand by that. I have heard of impulse proposing, it actually happens, but after you have known each other for two days? This isn’t Vegas.”

“Christmas magic I guess, you have to admit it was kind of cute.” Nina tilted her head toward him, “So you are you are not going to do that?”

“Propose on impulse?” Gastón eyed her varily. “I mean, do you want me to?”

Silence loomed over them for a moment, before they both burst out laughing.

“Maybe give it couple more years.” Gastón brushed a hair out of Nina’s face, “finish the degrees and such, and I know I have made some impulsive choices, but I think Matteo has taught us that you need to think things over in life. ”

“And in love?” Nina asked him with a raised eyebrow, “Now you are just quoting Frozen. Speaking off, could we still be able to get tickets to that before Christmas, or will they all be sold out?”

“I don’t know,” Gastón shrugged, “I’d imagine it can be hard, but we can try. But let's look at that tomorrow.”

“Anyways, we got totally off topic,” Nina suddenly noted, “We have more movies to watch. Princess Switch has a sequel.”

“Of course it does,” Gastón sighed and clicked the remote to put the second movie on.

“Well, that plot was so much more convoluted than the first one,” he commented after the second movie was over.

“Well, yeah, I have to agree.” Nina agreed with him. “It was good, but the first one was much more simple. You can only get so far with no villain.”

“My problem is with that Margaret again,” Gastón continued, “Their romance was on shaky ground, to begin with, but now she became the Queen. That kind of defeats the purpose what the first movie tried to do with her.”

“She is never going to be a normal girl,” Nina noted, “You would not think she would want to rule a kingdom from the first movie, and I don’t think she and Kevin can ever make it work now.”

“But they did… with an impromptu wedding at an airport.” Gastón shaked his head. “Like half of the things in these movies would never actually happen.”

“I thought you, as a person who feels in love with someone without ever seeing them, would have a bigger liking for these cheesy tropes,” Nina teased him.

“Only because I was already in love with you in the first place,” Gastón countered while slipping his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. “even if it took me a year to realize it.”

“Well, you got there in the end,” Nina put her arms around his neck, “There’s still the third movie left, we’ll just have time to watch it before it is midnight.”

“Actually, I have a better idea,” Gastón suddenly smirked and pulled her into a heated kiss.

“Is this your way of trying to talk me out of watching that third one?”

“Maybe, is it working?” He said before moving his lips to her neck.

“Yes.”

So, I absolutely adore the first two Princess Switch movies, and yes, they are not perfect and I have complaints (like I always do), but they are exactly those bad Christmas movies that I love. But I actually despise the third one, since it absolutely missed the point that made the first two, especially the first one so good. That's why, they do not end up watching it, before getting distracted.

Also, side note here: I just threw that brief proposal conversation there, because even if this is happening, like established, in 2021, so Nina is in her last year of bachelors and Gastón his first year of masters and the actual proposal is three years away (By to way, go read it), they definitely still had open conversations about getting married. I firmly believe that once they got back together at Oxford, they pretty fast knew that they were IT for each other. I mean Gastón definitely knew it during SL as well

Geez, you can tell this is about Gastina, when I write full manifesto here in the notes

#2022 Writing DCLA+ advent calendar #Gastina #Soy Luna #the princess switch #The princess switch 2

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tutuandscoot · 2 years

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I admit that as a long time fan I’m cynical and sometimes scan through your posts. But you’re spot on when you say that people imposed their fantasy on VM and interpreted the actual care and support that was there to fabricate a romance instead of enjoying the beautiful partnership that was actually there. I am still sad that so much of my time watching VM was colored by that narrative (though I never believed they were a couple) and sadder still that I saw how nasty the fandom was and am now kind of bitter against some fans as a result and find it hard to watch some of the content we get now without being super cynical.

I love how you get to experience them in a refreshing positive way. Thanks for sharing that.

Honesty.. I’m an incredibly cynical person in general. So in a way this is my outlet to not be like that (I know.. not being cynical.. on the internet.. lololol) and actually see the beauty in these athletes and artists I admire so much (coming from a similar world I relate to them so much in that respect) but also this truly beautiful relationship.

I hate that so much cruel, fabricated BS exists out there. I know by speaking what I at least believe is the truth- and is really just reiterating what they say at face value.. isn’t gonna make up for the fact there was so many and at a glance, the rare times I look at other blogs, still conversations so obsessed with what gets written about them on reddit or Twitter or here disgusts me and frankly is sad that people really waste their time talking shit about them- they obviously aren’t fans of them or care about them, and not that TS need us randoms on the internet to care about them- they have those people in their lives that actually value them as people and not ‘famous celebrities’ (I hate that word and refuse to call them that).

I just don’t understand why people can’t just hear what they say and believe them and see them as a rare instance of people who have achieved so much and people know who they are but despite all that success are obviously just so grounded and really understand how to be good people. I hate how they get attacked for not speaking up about certain topics and in general just the way people fabricate their lives on social media. It’s disgusting there’s no other way to put it.. all the actual people in the world doing really shitty things and actively making peoples’ lives worse yet there’s those who chose to attack true angels like TS.. I’ll never understand it.

The reason I started this blog was just because I had so many thoughts and no one in my life was as fascinated by them as me so it was just a place to put those thoughts down and thankfully I kinda fell back into this all backwards and by the time I came to tumblr.. I had such a solid opinion of them no amount of bullshit I came across later really even seemed plausible, along with I did a lot of tumblr research before I even started posting so thankfully when I did start I had a direction for the posts I wanted to make and share and opinions I wanted to state while avoiding the majority of the crap. I would not have survived at all had I been on here back then. I struggle to engage with anything about their personal lives (I fully believe it’s none of my business to comment on) even posts about Scott’s coaching or other IAM teams, figure skating in general. If I want to know what TS are up to I’ll follow their IG’s, give them a like and carry on with my day.. I’m really not that interested in the discussion (fine if people are, I just have ethical issues with most of it).

I’m like you, I can’t really follow other blogs out of fear I might read something from nasty people still talking shit, so I kinda just have to put my thoughts out there without engaging in others coz so many of them appear negative. Which is fine with me (that I don’t engage), like I said this is basically a little public diary for me. I think I’ve said (to you before I’m assuming you’re the same anon) I hate the thought of true genuine fans being here a few years ago just wanting to appreciate them for what they are and met with bullshit fabricated lies, unfortunately that’s social media is general now, so without at all making myself out to be a saint of some kind I hope even a small group of us can engage in or even just read positive discussions that calls out the ridiculousness of people frothing over simply two best friends who saw the entire world in each other.

Always warms my heart to know people read my posts and get joy out of them coz I do writing them and yes it’s selfish but that’s why I do it, this is my hobby so the fact it makes others happy makes me happy 😊

#seriously people.. they are just ice dancers.. they aren’t actively trying to destroy democracy or anything #if you want to see that happen tho and have a good laugh go watch the…#I think they’re up to 14th round of speaker elections and the fuckers still can’t get their shit together #honestly republicans just elect Elmo to be speaker at this point it doesn’t matter you ain’t gonna govern anyway #so yeh trolls go tweet about that that’s way more interesting/hilarious leave my dancing bbys alone

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timetravelingthroughspace · 22 days

Text

In which I write a letter I’ll never send to someone who will never read it.

I wish that I’d reacted differently when Amber told me that someone in the box office was attracted to me.

I was busy deluding myself into believing that I didn’t want love, didn’t want romance, didn’t want sex…

But I did.

Of course I did. But I was too deep in my cups, too committed to self-medicating with alcohol. I think that someplace inside of myself I knew that a relationship with another human would have been a threat to my continued relationship with alcohol. That I couldn’t both be in a relationship and drink.

And the idea of quitting was fucking scary.

I wish that I’d really realized that.

—

I’m fantasy prone. It’s a Pisces trait and I guess I’m just very Pisces.

I find myself at times reliving the past, ruminating and regretting.

The way it went:

Amber: Someone in the box office has a crush on you!

Me: Oh… well I don’t want to know who it is. Tell them that I’m full of drama and that I’m not interested.

How I relive it:

Amber: Someone in the box office has a crush on you!

Me: Oh… who?

And instead of trying to shut down the possibility of someone being interested in me so that I can be “safely” alcoholic, instead I decide to speak with you.

In some versions of this it’s at an opening night. In other versions I approach you during the regular work day and ask if you’d like to get coffee.

We get to know one another and I’m upfront about not being in a place to begin a romantic relationship with anyone, but having gotten to know one another some I realize that I like you and I ask you to be my friend.

You agree.

We meet a couple more times for coffee and then… Covid begins.

One day, bored during lockdown I text you to ask if you want to meet at the park for a walk, because “Damn it! I’m bored, aren’t you?”

You text back, “lol! Sure, when?”

By this time I’d texted you nonsense while drunk and so you already suspect that I’m an alcoholic or at least that my drinking is problematic. So during one of what would become one of our many walks together, I finally admit my alcoholism and you aren’t surprised.

I tell you I want to quit and you’re supportive. So instead of trying and failing to quit drinking at the beginning of last lockdown, I actually do quit.

We become stronger friends over time.

I eventually fall in love with you, but you’ve moved on and found someone else to begin a relationship with.

Because no fantasy of mine is complete without something painful.

But! I find a true and devoted friend in you and you in me.

In some versions we cuddle as friends during lockdown. In others I tell you I’m in love with you and we begin a relationship, but with the demisexual fulfillment of having been friends first.

—

Having written this out… it all seems very self-centered.

Most fantasies are, I guess.

Self-centeredness is a feature of alcoholic behavior, I think. Or at least for me it is. Self-centered, but also self-destructive and self-effacing. A disease that keeps one preoccupied with and stuck in one’s disappointments and failures, especially disappointment with the failure to get sober.

Our relationship is over and I imagine that I will never hear from you again. That isn’t what I want (of course not, self-centered), but I can’t see you ever putting yourself in a position to be threatened with the possibility of the chaos of all of that again. Nor do I think you should.

Pretty words; I want you to be safe and happy and healthy. Especially from me. I may not intend you harm, but I’m unpredictable, even to myself.

And maybe that seems like an indication that maybe I’m a little better or that I’m self-aware enough to manage to have you in my life in a way that wouldn’t be toxic for you.

—

And so I fantasize…

One day, we are both happy, healthy, and secure.

And we find the friendship in one another I wish we’d had.

#thoughts #writing #psychology #mine #spilled thoughts #love #friendship #fantasy #alchoholism

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beauspot · 2 years

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my problem with eloise bridgerton really comes down to these 2 things.

1, she is in an immense place of privilege, and 2, her character arc is bound to fail. Let me elaborate.

Eloise is a member of the Bridgerton family one of, if not the wealthiest family in the ton. They are never concerned about not having enough in fact they are constantly able to splurge on things they do not need. For example throwing a party that no one went to and never speaking about it again. Penelope and the Featheringtons do not have that luxury. They are constantly fighting to remain in their station every season, barely scraping by (we can also see this represented in their clothing as they use their dresses to show how extravagantly they live even though it is a falsehood). Eloise is a woman in a time where women were treated as subhuman, yes BUT she is also a girl from a wealthy family with 3 sisters and 4 brothers. If she really does not want to marry she does not have to, this is literally the reason Eloise becomes a spinster. Many other girls do not have this luxury, but she doesn’t see that. She sees everything she can’t do and then complains about it and this leads into my second point.

Eloise’s purpose as a character was always going to fail because this is a show about romance. It’s not a historical drama, it’s a romance show. Every single Bridgerton is going to get married, so her being this adamant about not wanting to be married(a perfectly valid choice btw) is completely undermined because she does marry later on. And this is made worse by the fact that she is constantly ragging on other women for WANTING to be married. Eloise thinks that every woman should want what she wants and if they don’t they are a disappointment. It’s genuinely so annoying to hear her speak because she doesn’t just want options for herself she is determined to make every other woman feel bad for not wanting what she does. But she never actually does anything about it. Because she’s just that. All talk.

That is why i’m on Penelope’s side, number one people being like “why didn’t she just turn herself in?” did we even watch the same show because Penelope literally would have done that if she thought the queen would have believed her. Number 2 let’s not act like Eloise being “ruined” in society isn’t the exact thing she claimed to have wanted. To be outside of this society she claims to hate so much. Number 3 Pen’s family had a lot more to lose even if the queen did believe her than the Bridgertons. Because they are so well liked and wealthy they can bounce back from pretty much anything. Penelope did do something with her words and yes she wrote them under a pseudonym because how many people do you think would have picked up a gossip column if they saw the name penelope featherington written on it?

To me Eloise is just a brat and i really don’t see that changing any time soon. So while i hope her and Pen make up it’s not for me because i don’t care if they make up, it’s for the audience so you can finally shut up about Penelope being evil.

Also her and Theo are not endgame sorry to burst your bubble.

edit: I also think this issue is exacerbated by the fact that we got Kate in season 2 and she holds a lot of the same beliefs Eloise does but we understand her motivations because of where she comes from.

#bridgerton #polin #bridgerton season three #bridgerton season 3 #eloise bridgerton #colin bridgerton #penelope featherington #penelope bridgerton #romancing mister bridgerton

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three--rings · 2 years

Text

Final Kinnporsche Review

So in trying to figure out how to approach writing an actual Kinnporsche review, I ended up having to make a list of positives and negatives because I couldn’t figure out how else to approach it. I’m also keeping this as non-spoilery as possible.

It’s not a show I can praise wholeheartedly without also tempering it with some criticism. It’s not a show I recommend without caveats. It is, however, a show I really have enjoyed watching and which I love in many respects. I’m going to pretty immediately watch it again, and I watched most episodes twice while it was airing. Plus I’m planning to read the novel on which it was based.

So obviously, I like it.

But let’s run through my pros and cons. Gonna start with the cons and then linger on the pros. These are all, of course, my opinion and I know some people don’t have the same experience of this show as me which is totally valid. It really depends where your threshold/attitude is towards certain things in your media and everyone is different.

Negatives:

I spoke about this in my initial post about the show, but early on and occasionally throughout, the show has some cringey and embarrassment-based humor. Especially in episode 2, which is basically ENTIRELY that. There are a number of scenes in this show I have watched mostly through my hands because I can’t handle second hand embarrassment.

The setting/premise of the show is not very believable. The mafia family with a skyscraper full of young, hot bodyguards and James Bond style tech requires a good amount of suspension of disbelief to buy into. In general the plot and action scenes require you watch with a lot of suspension of disbelief. This isn’t realistic drama TV, it’s fanfic level mafia AU that runs entirely on Rule of Cool.

The way the plot is handled/shot/edited/written is uneven and has some very sloppy moments. Some episodes are perfect and tight and others are a hot mess IMO. There’s a lot of them cutting and you going “wait, what? what happened, where are we, did I miss something?” Most of the time, the scene you find yourself in is fun and sometimes delightful and therefore you don’t actually care how you got to it. But it still...rankles, and shows the inexperience of much of the team behind the show.

I can’t speak very well to how this compares to other BL dramas or Thai dramas, but there’s a good amount of cheesy fan service that shows off the bodies of the actors. I’m not talking about specifically sex scenes or romance scenes, but everyone having their shirts unbuttoned practically to their waists, removing clothes for little reason, etc. You get used to it as like...background levels of fan services and certainly the eye candy is very nice but...it could turn some people off (and others on I’m sure).

This is almost a World Without Women, as tends to be a problem with BL content. This really feels like a world where women somehow don’t exist and most men are just queer by default. There are a couple of mother figures, literal and figurative, but they are rarely on screen. It would feel a little less weird if, like, IDK any of the men of the family had a female significant other who wasn’t dead.

There are elements of dubious consent in both the kinnporsche and vegaspete (and actually almost kimchay) ships. There’s one scene of basically sexual assault that IMO is well-handled in the aftermath, but it IS between two people who go on to be in a relationship/fall in love. There’s also a lot of violence, on-screen torture, and one ship where one of them tortures the other and keeps him as a prisoner before falling for him. So...there are elements you could say are problematic and/or toxic. If you are sensitive to these things/themes you should stay away. BUT I do think the way all of them is handled is SUPER INTERESTING and appealing to me personally. I love some redemption narratives and complicated characters and relationships.

Which brings me to the Positives.

One of my general complaints about a lot of BL dramas is that they involve young characters in high school or university. Kinnporsche is lovely in that regard because the characters/actors are mid-late 20s and the plot is way more interesting that just school drama.

The acting level of this show is EXCELLENT pretty much across the board. Every once in a while a side character has bad line delivery or a particular scene twigs my bad acting nerve, but overall I’m INCREDIBLY IMPRESSED with the cast. Especially since this is the first job for some of them. (I have a Real Problem with bad acting that ties into my embarrassment squick so this is a concern with small productions.)

But really Mile, Apo, Bible, Build...they all fucking killed it and conveyed such a range of content. But especially the super emotional scenes were so fucking good. (I’m especially impressed with Apo and Bible...damn.)

The filming is very aesthetic, pleasant, and fun to watch. Despite the obvious low budget which occasionally shows in things like the rare CGI, the cinematography is impressive. The show loves to show it off, too, with the colored lighting and camera angles, but it never feels too much and makes it a LOT more visually interesting than pretty much any other BL I’ve seen images of. (And a lot of regular TV, especially romance-focused shows.)

I started talking above about the complicated characters, and this is where the show SHINES. The characters feel complex and realistic, and have believable development across the series, which of course the acting level shows off. But also the relationships have ARCS, really huge amounts of development.

Kinnporsche especially, since that’s the focus of the show. It’s really a sorta enemies to lovers situation and there’s a lot of stops along the way, although they really sort themselves out by a little over halfway through the show.

Vegaspete is the secondary ship and it doesn’t get started until close to the end of the season but they do SO MUCH with a few episodes. I wish it had had a little more time, but I get why it happened that way. This is even MORE of enemies to lovers with one of them being a main antagonist to boot. I was expecting to HATE this ship and they...ended up being possibly my faves.

The third ship is Kim/Chay and it’s a really side story kind of thing. It doesn’t really get the development of the others but it has cute moments and is more of hints for the future/possibly S2.

But all the pairs have SUPER good chemistry. Like, wow, okay. That intimacy coaching worked I guess.

Speaking of which, let’s talk Sex Scenes. This is going to sound a certain way, but my very favorite thing about this show is the sex scenes. Because I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen better sex on screen. Most sex scenes on film are cringey and awkward or uncomfortable looking. But Kinnporsche manages to make them hot, sexy, beautiful, and also to have a lot of relevance to the characters and the relationships. The sex scenes are meaningful and tell a story. They have significance in the overall story. The emotions on the characters faces is just as important as their bodies or even more so. These sex scenes feel ACTUALLY INTIMATE and that’s VERY RARE.

And they are super explicit. The extended version of the show is 21+ and yeah...this is definitely adults only content. But mostly because they don’t shy away from the realities of what is happening. Like, yeah, you know what sex act is occurring and it’s not all penetration. I’m going to stop talking about the sex now because I’m probably going to do a post all about that. I have a lot of feelings about it, as someone very concerned with the portrayal of sex and sex positivity. But finally the last thing I’ll say is that if you’ve ever wanted to see good fanfic sex scenes on screen, this is the closest thing I’ve ever seen.

The show is very queer. As I mentioned above, pretty much everyone in the show is casually queer as if that’s just the default. Now that’s sorta because it’s in weird BL land, but also...something about the representation feels like there have been queer hands on it. Now, I can’t obviously speak to the sexual or gender identities of anyone involved with the show. I’m not pointing to anyone in particular with this. But the way that there’s no homophobia onscreen, the way everyone just accepts “you love who you love”, the way there’s no gay panic, the way there’s a variation of the way gender is presented, with men of a wide range of feminine traits on display, the gnc characters... it’s a thing.

I was originally VERY on guard about the representation in this show, especially when it came to stereotypes, but then the show just sorta kept not doing the stereotypical thing and exceeding my expectations.

Finally, the show is fun. The tone bounces all over the damn place enough to give you emotional whiplash, but it’s almost always a fun ride if you just relax and shrug and go along with it. The entire ensemble will win your heart and make you fond of them and ultimately you just have to root for this crazy, bizarre, unique little show that could.

Where to watch: As far as I know, right now the only way to watch the show legally is with iQiyi VIP. There may be some episodes up on YouTube but I think they are only the edited versions? You want the extended ones, trust me.

However if you cannot access it through official channels for some reason, a quick search will find it elsewhere. (I include this because usually I get a crapton of comments about how to watch a series. So please...search engine folks.)

#kinnporsche #threerings watches kinnporsche #long post #threerings' recs #kinnporsche meta #threerings recs TV shows

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valenhell · 3 years

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From the studio that brought you “I can’t find good Byler fics in the ao3 tag”, comes:

"The Definitive Byler fic rec list"

Literally no one asked for this but because I spent the majority of last year (...and 2019, and 2018...) reading byler fics and coping with life, I thought I’d make a list of some of my absolute favorites.

The other day I was basically starving for some byler fics and the angel @magicalfairy provided me with some of her faves so I thought I’d do the same, because I love reading, and I love all of these fics and I appreciate their writers💗 And fic writers in general, come on!

- This is a mix of long works and one-shots/short stories. - Everything is mostly fluff with a tad of angst and a lot of internalized homophobia conflict. - Every fic is completed, except for the ones I mention that they are not. - I try my best to lay out the stories in a way that I won’t spoil you the plot but also warning you of some stuff you might don’t like. Either way, all of these fics are correctly tagged by their respective authors/owners, so read at your own risk. For better understanding, in between brackets I denote Rating, Words and quantity of Chapters. - I feel like I should clarify, none of these are narrated in the singular first person. None of that “And I told him...”, no.

Long fics

a dream always the same (T, 99k, 35 chapters) What happened in those few weeks between the Battle of Starcourt and the Byers leaving Hawkins. Literally a satisfying and very needed fill in of season three, with a good dose of Mike’s thoughts and conflict. Mike’s characterization is specially amazing in this one. The writing style is amazing and I know the author put everything into making it historically accurate, and it was really sweet. You probably read it, it’s by the amazing sevensided here on Tumblr🧡

Spring Break (T, 120k, 14/15 chapters) The slowburn of my dreams. Lots of internalized conflict and conflict with each other. Conflict within the Party (uhh kind of), conflict with Mike and Will. Byers family has moved and the kids are visiting! Chaos. Characterization is on point. Yeah, I know it’s unfinished, but the fourteenth chapter actually serves as a pretty nice ending.

This is where it starts (M, 148.8k, 24 chapters) Aged up characters. The Party is in college and Will disappears again, but now it’s different. Mike knows he didn’t vanish from thin air, and the discovery he and the Party end up making is pretty insane. Mystery solving/fantasy/third dimension, throw in a bit of D&D and Mike realizing some shit, and you get this marvelous fic. It’s a breath of fresh air. The world building is definitely one of the elements that stands out the most, because it’s very nicely described, it sounds like a dream and it’s completely immersive. Absolute gem of a fic.

there’s a Starman waiting in the sky (M, 30.6k, 8 chapters) Do I need to say anything? Will is out there living his best life and Mike realizes that wow, umm, maybe his best friend looks a bit too nice with that costume... and wait, is he getting horny? It’s actually really fun and sexy.

The Evening Speaks (T, 23k, 7 chapters) In where Mike is a late-night college radio host and Will is the art student that stays up till late to catch up with Wheeler on the Mic. They flirt through songs y’all, this one is really sweet.

heads or tails? (E, 24k, 3 chapters) Aged up characters. I know most people don’t enjoy sex in fics and with specific characters but this one is insanely well written. It’s a slowburn that commits to the tension and with every word you are grasping and anticipating their next move. I think you can find the author here on Tumblr as yousaidyes🧡

The Man of Average (M, 56.7k, 5/? chapters) Aged up characters. No but you don’t understand, the writing here is absolute gourmet. The story is exciting as well, it’s super interesting. Weirdly enough, for being very aged up characters, they are well characterized but they don’t feel like teenagers. They are naturally Mike and Will. The author really captured Mike and Will’s essence. I know, it’s unfinished and it’s updated very rarely, but this is the typical fic you can’t believe someone just posted on the internet for free. I will say though, I think it’s definitely not for everyone. Read at your own risk.

Heartstrings (E, 82.8k, 24/? chapters) Aged up characters. By the same author of The Man of Average. A collection of memories, the road to Mike and Will’s happy ever after. And fucking hell!!!!! You’ll cry and get angry, you’ll cheer for them, then you’ll want to crash their faces together because god dammit you love each other!!! But yeah, same thing here. The writing and the way the story is laid out as a nonlinear narrative is brilliant. And I also think this is one of the best Will versions I’ve read. The author might as well be the og creator of this two characters tbh. You can find the author here as mylesimeblr🧡

Sinners behind the walls (T, 1.5k, 1/1) And because I can’t stop recommending this author, a little thing of Mike tormenting himself but also being too deeply committed to Will.

The Red Envelope series (T/E, 167K, two completed works) Something happens that Will thought was impossible and from there, pure drama and romance. Anything by this author has the potential to become your absolute favorite fic, but this series in particular is amazing. I doubt that any of you haven’t read this, but it doesn’t hurt to put it in this list. I’m pretty sure the author is serendipitous-magic on Tumblr🧡

A New Fight series (T, 91k, two completed works, one WIP) And finally the Star Wars AU that we all needed. But this isn’t your typical “Mike is Han”, “Will is Leia” and “El is Luke”, it’s way more interesting than that, and the author has appropriated the Star Wars world like no other. I’ll admit I’m not a 100% fluent in SW lore but this is amazing to me either way. This author is also on Tumblr, tea-for-one-please🧡

- Yes, most of these are (if not all), in a way, canon compliant/canonverse/canon continuation into fanon. (In a way)

One-shots and short stories

Sundae for Two, Please (G, 4.8k) Steve being the supportive friend and older brother these kids collectively need. (not Jonathan erasure, we love him). Steve is very sweet himself, and this little cute thing through his POV is gorgeous. Yes, it’s byler.

Backstage (T, 10k, 2/2) Jonathan, you forgot to mention to Will how hot your new band’s guitarist is, dude. Now he’s hyperventilating and weirdly flirting with him in the corner. Background Stonathan because why not.

102 Peach Street (G, 3.8k) Established relationship, but not only that, they are married :’’))) PURE fluff. Extreme fluffiness. Diabetes.

sweatshirts and bottled up feelings (T, 3.2k) Or, Mike thinks that the sweatshirt Will wears looks insanely good on him. And kitchens are for lovers.

kiss it better (T, 16.3k) Basically one of the best character studies of a few precise moments of Mike and Will’s relationship and feelings.

will wonders ever cease (T, 11.3k) #i ship will and happiness. Omfg what a beautiful piece of fanfic. Will centric, this kid really deserves all the good in the world.

The Calm After the Storm (T, 1.6k) Tooth rotting fluff, boyfriends in love. Boyfriends being lazy, cuddling, love words, kisses. Boys loving each other’s company... Basically, Mike and Will in their element. What more can you ask for?

neither of us ready to let go (T, 4.8k) That scene from season three, but a bit of a fix it.

Still in love (G, 1k) Domestic, married life au fluff. Y’all, I’m a sucker for established Byler, even if I can’t find many fics with it. But this is very sweet. It takes place in 2020, but I don’t think there are any mentions of the COVID-19 crisis that I remember.

I Nver Find Out ‘Til I’m Head Over Heels (G, 12.5K) Classic 5+1 fic. If you haven’t read it, where have you been? This is your moment. In where Mike keeps inviting Will to the school dances and Will thinks it’s just a joke until he realizes it’s not.

Before You’re Gone (T, 5.9k) Will is leaving Hawkins and Mike thinks this is a great moment for a confession. This one I discovered last friday, thank you friend @magicalfairy 💗

You’re weird Wheeler (M, 4.5k) Mike unintentionally starts a tradition of going to each other to talk about their sexual encounters just after they finish. Will keeps getting more explicit with the details he shares, and he makes his best friend interested. This one is really fun y’all.

Out-Of-Town Friends (N/R, 4.6K) It’s not rated. I haven’t re- read it but I’d say it would probably fall in a T rating. So cute!! Will has new friends and sneaks off every friday and the Party doesn’t know where he is going, so Mike decides to follow him and is surprised.

Snowed Under (G, 1.3k) By the same author of The New Fight series. Mike is spending christmas by himself in college because a snowstorm hits Chicago and Nancy can’t drive to see him, but then he has a surprise visitor. Ahhh just a lil sweet holiday fic. Super cute.

you love me anyway series (T, 7.1k, three completed works) Literally just the cutest thing ever. Established Byler. Will loves to take pictures and he loves taking pictures of Mike. It’s adorable.

you wanna be friends forever (i can think of something better) (T, 9k) This one is so amazing. So. Amazing. From Will’s POV, my kid deserves the world and he gets it.

okay not to be okay (T, 4.9k) Mike is a bit sad but then everything is okay.

can’t hold out forever (G, 18.4k) Y’all!!!!! 5+1 sweetness. Mike has been falling in love since kindergarten. And it’s long af, you’ll enjoy it.

even if it takes forever (G, 1.3k) College short AU, they miss each other, they love each other, they promise all to each other. It is sappy y’all.

clear as day (N/R, 18.4K, 4 chapters) It’s not rated, but I’d say it falls in the T category. Strangers to friends to lovers. And also, everyone is pretty gay; we have our dynamic trio Mike, Max and El as disaster lesbians (and gay). Will works at the library and he is also gay. Lucas and Dustin and Will are the best friends we needed. It’s very sweet and the Party is kind of formed here!

I went overboard with the one-shots, so you must have realized how much I love long one-shots and I favor them over long works lmao but they are all amazing!!! If it’s on this list, I probably read it at 2 am, sobbing in my bed. So. Hope you enjoy it☺️🧡

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spicyicymeloncat · 2 years

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Okay Ninjago hot take

S8-S9 is a good season, but it’s got some flaws too…

Mostly I think the villains of this season are kinda lack lustre…

(Disclaimer I did enjoy the season and this post is all my speculation and opinions. It’s all for fun)

So s8-s9 try to put a spin (pun intended) on the main series by having the plot be notably darker and mature, I assume to keep up with the aging audience. We have a biker gang (the association with rebellious and counter culture teens), Harumi rebelling against the government which are also her parents, demonic cults, the romance drama with Lloyd and a proper dystopian setting touching on authority manipulation (Iron Baron), news manipulation (Ultra Violet’s show) and the important of faith. We have 3 characters die in the second episode. We literally have Wu grow up throughout the season, and the focus of Lloyd growing up. And this is really cool and well thought out!

I just think the villains were lacking in something. Not to be like “the other seasons were better” but I do think former villains worked well in ways that didn’t happen here. Maybe I just found them more charismatic idk. Like Pythor is downright creepy because he’s like, a cannibal. Chen is one of the best written villains because he’s like the joke character who is actually powerful but villain form. His silly ness, combined with the fact that he STILL had everyone in the palm of his hand, makes him a good villain because you feel you’ve greatly underestimated him. Also he funny. Him and Clouse have such a good dynamic. Morro is also iconic because of his connection to Wu. Heck I think Nadakhan and the Time Twins were decent. Nadakhan had a unique style of villainy and I also liked the twins dynamic, although they are a little generic. (The overlord is boring we don’t talk about him, there’s a reason cryptor was in DotD and not him).

My problem with the SoG, is that most of them are undeveloped, and Harumi could’ve been more. I think the standards are higher because s8 really sets the tone that things will be darker. But Killow, is just the strong one, and Ultra Violet is just crazy, which would be cool if it wasn’t her only character trait. At least Mr E gets an excuse because he’s a mystery, and generally he played a more prominent role. The characters don’t seem to have much of a relationship with each other and we don’t even know why any of them joined a demon biker cult gang, or why they like Garmadon (save for Harumi).

And Harumi. Wow. So while she does have one of the darker backstories, idk it still feels tame in spite of the season. I think it’s cool her story links to the start of the season, her hate for the ninja isn’t reasonable. Like they were trying their dang hardest to kill that snake, and Lloyd was her age when it happened. Why does she want to resurrect an evil Garmadon when the Garmadon who defeated the Devourer did it out of good. She resurrected a Garmadon who didn’t care for his family when the familial side of him seems to be the only appeal for her. And like, yeah the royal family didn’t seem too fun, but like at least she was adopted, especially by rich people. If she was anti- the emperor then why’d she bring back a worse one? I mean I feel like they could have capitalised more on the ninja’s found family vs Harumi’s “for the publicity” family. I think her story isn’t tragic enough considering how casually dark Ninjago has been so far. Like it’s not dark enough to make up for the fact that her motives barely make sense. Harumi has trauma and a cool aesthetic but she doesn’t make much sense and her redemption felt rushed.

Speaking of her redemption, why did Garmadon care so much when she died. Wasn’t the point of him to be heartless. Because it honestly felt like he was a new born baby rather than the embodiment of darkness. Idk I just can’t believe Harumi got special treatment ig, my man Garmadon rlly enabled her toxic behaviour. Idk I think maybe it’s just that actual Garmadon was a pretty rational being, and this one feels like he came straight out of Harumi’s self insert fanfic. Idk idk.

Another thing but did anyone else not understand why Lloyd crushed on Harumi in the first place. I’m sorry but Lloyd “if I see one girl in here I’m gonna go ballistic” Montgomery Garmadon? I’m sorry this kid grew up surrounded crazy relationship drama. Firstly his mum managed to marry evil incarnate, then Jay and Cole fight over Nya, which ends up getting so bad that it contributed to the post s3 split of the ninja, also Zane’s girlfriend initially tried to kill him, Kai’s crush was originally evil, and then he found out that Garmadon had lied in order to date Misako! Like idk about Lloyd but I would consider not dating anyone in Ninjago! Tbh it would’ve made more sense if Lloyd fell in love with Harumi AFTER she revealed herself to be evil, because everyone around him DID date evil.

I think it would’ve been cool if the SoG did actually treat each other as family, maybe they were all orphans together at some point, and created a support network between themselves. It would certainly check out for Harumi and Mr E (assuming he IS echo zane) as they are both orphans. Them treating each other as family, being comfortable around each other, having caring sides to give them more dimension might be a shout. Now idk how to change the whole “why does Harumi like Garmadon of all people” other than she’s crazy (which ig is true for the show, perhaps they could’ve shown her be more unhinged). But I do feel like Garmadon doesn’t need to care for Harumi, because he has no capacity for empathy anymore. We can still have the scene where she’s like “I’ll be your daughter”, but later on when he accidentally kills her he’s just like “I’ve spent years trying to kill my family, it kinda comes with the job”. I also think Harumi’s death was rushed, like suddenly now she grows a conscience? If she was crazy but then watched her found family slowly die, then I feel like that gives her more of a reason to turn her back on the whole Garmadon thing.

So I’m gonna post a bunch of headcanons / rewrite / glorified fanfic ideas that I came up with so I can personally make peace with these seasons (jus my opinions tho)(some of them contradict the books and I’m aware)

Sons of Garmadon headcanons

Alternative Lloyd/Harumi plotline

#Ninjago #I wrote this over the course of 2-3 days and I do not remember what I said sorry #Ninjago season 8 #Ninjago season 9 #Ninjago s8 #Ninjago s9 #Ninjago sons of Garmadon #sons of Garmadon #Ninjago hunted #Ninjago Harumi #princess harumi #Ninjago Garmadon #Ninjago ultra violet #Ninjago Killow #Ninjago mr e #Ninjago Lloyd Garmadon #Ninjago analysis #hhhhhhhhh

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joseispiral · 2 years

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BAD BOYS WITH DEATH DRIVES (Mars)

by Fuyumi Soryo | 15 chapters | 1996-2000

8.5/10

I’m sick of all these shoujo schoolgirl romances that aren’t willing to make their “bad boy” archetypes actually bad: dangerously violent, traumatized, panic attack-prone motorcycle racers. I think that’s the best way to describe the male love interest of Mars, Rei Kashino, a daredevil who is psychologically haunted by his twin brother’s suicide three years before. Then there’s Kira Asou, a quiet and closed-off artist loner carrying her own trauma from sexual assault. When the two begin an unlikely romance they slowly learn and grow together. Sometimes they mess up and hurt each other along the way, but the key trait of their relationship is how they manage to change each other, and change together.

It’s surprising how many shoujo series take the idea of change and growth at a superficial level, or just allow relationship dynamics to fall into lazy tropes and patterns for comfort/amusement. Which is weird because the shoujo genre mostly consists of high school romances, and isn’t adolescence defined by transformation? Mars, on the other hand, understands this and takes it to heart - Fuyumi Soryo never shies away away from the discomfort that comes with growing maturity. She’s written characters here that are desperate and sensitive and cunning; who understand that if they don’t adapt, they won’t survive.

Soryo’s panels descend hazily into cascading vignettes. The emphasis on verticality gives the effect of a heart dropping in its chest, adding to the serious tone maintained throughout the entirety of the manga. The gravity of drama is also emphasized by the sparse internal narration from Kira. Sometimes we get a few short lines of thoughts she’s having, but most of the time her emotions are conveyed through flashbacks or just frames that show nothing but her eyes (the artist looking on attentively). The emotional beats and body language are reminiscent of Joanna Newsom’s “It Does Not Suffice”: I have gotten into / Some terrible trouble / Beneath your blank and rinsing gaze...

As for the dialogue, the characters are refreshingly articulate about their feelings and speak with a lucidity that prevents Mars from ever feeling juvenile or trite or too “loud”. Just like Kira’s character, there’s a quiet restraint to the storytelling that develops from the tight linework and intense storytelling.

As a result, I was pleasantly shocked at how believably this manga treats trauma. I never felt like I was being hit over the head with obvious emotional notes. It really delves into the complications of grief and guilt as we’re let in to each character’s particular struggle. In one sequence shown below, snatches of violent memory are interweaved with expressions of a physical intimacy: In an expert handling of the panel form, a moment that should be tender and loving fractures in the prism of Kira’s mind.

Mars isn’t afraid to stray from moral questions, either. Characters are often preoccupied with “good” and “bad”, punishing themselves or confessing to violence or mean-spirited responses to the trials and tribulations of life. These issues seem to haunt Rei in particular as he attempts to balance his recklessness and dark past with his love for Kira. Rei’s struggle with his own moral flaws draw in the reader just as it draws in Kira’s gaze. Subconscious thoughts threaten the hope for a better life as dangerously as Rei’s motorbike tearing through the racetrack.

Rei (to Kira): When you look at me like that, I really can’t stand it. I keep thinking that one day you’re going to look at me the same way Sei and my father did. My father’s eyes...so full of hatred, but scared, too. He doesn’t think of me as another human being... those eyes deny everything about me. When someone looks at me like that, I don’t know what I am anymore. I don’t know who I am anymore.

(Mars, Volume 7)

Despite how serious the subject matter gets, Mars is ultimately about two kids who are hurt and trying their best to do right by each other. Soryo balances realism and melodrama as she creates an all-consuming vortex that is the central romance of Mars. It’s the kind of romance only adolescent minds can get caught in: So entwined that they need each other to stay upright and so soft they they change in response to the other’s every move. You really feel the depth and power of that vortex...maybe the kids are going to be alright.

Rei: A long time ago, when [Shiori] or Sei would cry, I really wanted to do something. But...

When Kira cries... I just... don’t know what to do. It makes me want to cry, too.

(Mars, Volume 5)

P.S. Why do I like older mangas so much? I’m noticing my bias. Something about the specificity of the anatomy, the stylishness, the line quality really creates a warm feeling for me. Also, Fuyumi Soryo is making eyebrows that are bushier on the sides hot again, and for that I must thank her a thousand times.

#mars #fuyumi soryo #8.5 #shoujo #shojo #review

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iamnmbr3 · 3 years

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Can I sign up for a Disney- Service where I pay them not to put out any type of new content or interviews? Bc wow I am tired of this show and I’m tired of Mike Waldron shooting his mouth off and spewing grossness. But here we go again. He’s given another interview and I am once again left wondering why Disney had to hire him and not...literally anyone else. Like if they just grabbed a rando off the street it couldn’t have been any worse and statistically it probably would’ve been a lot better.

"I knew that I wanted to position somebody opposite Tom, opposite Tom's Loki, who had the same energy in a way, but also a totally different energy, that female energy”

Female energy??? Can someone please tell Mike that "girl" isn't a personality trait. Remember when I talked about how Sylvie isn’t a good female character because she’s physically strong but not strongly written? Remember when I talked about how she’s an empty “strong female character TM” who is a woman first and a human second because she’s not a good character who happens to be female but rather a character whose defining and only personality trait is her gender? Yeah.

"But it's one thing, I guess, to be narcissistic and to think you're great and everything, it's another thing to really believe that, to project that outwardly. It's another thing to really believe that and to actually practice self-love and everything. So if the show is about Loki falling for Sylvie a little bit, the hope was always that maybe that it's also about him learning to forgive himself."

What. No really. WHAT. Mike’s pathetic attempts to justify his ridiculously bad romance and also pretend like he didn’t straight up lie to us about Loki learning self love are hilarious. this makes NO sense. huh???? This is just a really bad attempt at damage control. Loki doesn’t learn self love. He never says anything positive about himself. The show frames him internalizing other’s harmful messages about him like that he is a villain and a pathetic loser as something positive. What has he learned to love about himself? Mike has yet to be able to name one positive trait he has. His hatred for Loki is so obvious. And how is loving Sylvie him forgiving himself???? she didn't do any of the things he did???? This makes ZERO sense.

"He is just a character who doesn't like to self reflect, and would rather pontificate, and would rather scheme, because he's good at it, because he's very clever. "

Really? He would rather pontificate? Another comment that seems to indicate that Mike really didn’t watch Thor 2011. Remember how the opening scenes established how SILENT Loki is and how he is constantly spoken over? That’s a big part of his other and victim coding. The way Mike constantly shames Loki for speaking is very disturbing given the way Loki is Other coded. And also given the fact that he is now canonically queer. Why must the Other be silenced???

“And when faced with an actual mirror of himself, he sees things that are attractive and that he empathizes with. He also sees things that are broken and wounded, and it helps him understand those very things in his own psyche"

Wrong. But also? Where? Where is that in the show??? This never happened. He’s just lying here.

"I mean, he has done terrible things. That was part of the work that the first episode had to do, was hold him accountable for that, sort of lay him bare and everything. And the journey that he's been on has been one of reckoning with that. Is it possible to atone for that? I think Loki's still trying to figure that out."

Terrible things? Huh. Kinda like Thor. Remember when he slaughtered all those Jotnar while laughing (which was considered totally acceptable in his culture)? Remember when Odin slaughtered and enslaved thousands? Remember when Loki was motivated by trying to PREVENT a war? And. Remember when Loki was captured and TORTURED by Thanos? Also. The first episode didn't do that. The first episode was about things he hadn't done bc it was him seeing his future. AND FURTHERMORE the TVA can't hold him accountable bc if what Loki did was bad then the TVA has no moral high ground bc what they did was orders of magnitude worse. And if what the TVA did was ok then Loki didn't do anything wrong. Why does the TVA get a pass for their horrific acts of evil???

"I think, for me, that's one of the most important scenes in the show because this is a guy who has been driven by glorious purpose, by the feeling that everything he does is in the service of his grand destiny."

So Mike really just watched that glorious purpose clip and decided it was Loki’s whole motivation huh? What an idiot. So much for the Loki Lectures. Obviously this guy was asleep during them and didn’t bother to watch Thor 2011 either. You know, the movie all about Loki’s backstory and motivations. Guess he also missed the fact that Loki is LITERALLY KNEELING when he comes through the portal and looks awful bc he’s just been tortured is very obviously repeating the stuff Thanos told him while breaking him. Loki is not motivated by believing in a glorious purpose. He cries when Thor tells him to look at the destruction in Avengers.

And in Thor 2011 he is motivated by wanting to avert a war and also more deeply by his desire for love and validation. He never wanted the throne. He wanted to be Thor’s equal. He has a mental breakdown and tries to kill himself when he comes to believe that he is inherently monstrous and that he can never earn his family’s love. LOKI IS DEFINED BY HIS LACK OF SELF ESTEEM AND HIS SELF HATRED! That is. The opposite of what Mike has said. Also Mike contradicts himself. Is Loki someone who is arrogant and needs to learn his purpose isn’t glorious or is he someone who needs to learn self love? It can’t be both. What a disgusting, victim blaming, abuse apologist lying hack.

“In that moment, he sees that no, it was his destiny to get his neck snapped by the bad guy he was working for"

Excuse me? Working for??? Loki never went back to Thanos. He died sacrificing himself to save Thor. WTF!!!?!?

#loki tv series #loki series #loki tv show #loki show #loki 2021 #loki tv series interviews #my post

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