#i think my shipper brain from when i was a teen is conflicting with my rational adult brain when it comes to shipping ...

[dufferpuffer]

Hello! Just wanted to reach out and say hi. I went through a bunch of your posts a few weeks ago (some of them are sitting in my queue lol) and I really like your insight. Remus is nowhere near my fav marauder (Sirius Black for the win!) but I enjoy your posts about him. I think Remus is a fascinating character - I think all the marauders era kids are interesting - but I think the whitewashing of Remus by fandom made him seem more boring then he actually is.

So two questions. What is your favourite thing about Remus? Who is your second favourite marauder after Remus??

Hi! :)

My favourite thing about my pretty little woof woof man...? His silly mustache <3 and pretty grey hairs <3 His complex mix of thoughts, emotions and instincts on literally everything, its like his brain is a storm of conflicting drives. (unlike Sirius for example, who is quite straight forward) But seriously: I am disabled. I have an invisible digestive disability that doctors don't want to engage with because they don't know what to call it, and thus the paperwork is a nightmare for them. There's no treatments that have worked and it prevents me from living a normal life, even if I look relatively 'normal' most of the time.

The moment I trust a doctor - or sometimes even a friend... I've had the carpet pulled from under my feet more often than not. People not understanding the full severity of it because they always see me at my best... or just not caring as much as I thought they did. It's started to harm my mental health, which sucks because growing up I had surprisingly good mental health other than PTSD.

After a particularly bad hospital visit last year I had a bit of a breakdown, which lead me to re-discovering Harry Potter. (My sister was a potterhead - I was a bit too young for it.) And Remus Lupin was just.... there. In all his glory. Being a shockingly good representation of what disabled people like me go through internally, within a series most are throwing away right now. I really, really love that about him. He has a shocking about of depth from that angle specifically, when most disabled characters are written to either have their whole life dictated by their issue - or to have their issue basically erased through amazing future prosthetics.

My second favourite is Sirius Black. Sexy man. I kinda think Oldman half-assed the role - but thats ok because he is very pretty and I can look at him.

But I like him for similar reasons, ultimately: He is an absolute wonderful case of mental health. Azkaban is not a prison of physical torture - you sit ialone in a room with a Dementor just outside your door stealing all your best memories and leaving you with sorrow. It's Depression. Deep, dark, lonely Depression. It's being trapped in not just your own room but your own head. When he gets out - when he is given something to believe in, and has the drive to get out - life isn't too different. He turns to drinking. He throws all of himself to the one bright spark in his life: His godson.

If you mean teenage Marauders - I think my second favourite might be Peter, just because he intrigues me - but I don't have too much interest in teen marauders. I'm here for sad men, not teens.

From what ive seen of 'Marauder fandom' stuff on Remus... I honestly don't know how you can look at an insecure man with a goofy mustache that learns all the kids names before class, offers chocolate and tea to students and says 'marvelous' - and think he was some sort of tall, tough, gruff and snarky 'teen wolf' teenager. It IS flat and boring. He had so much more going on (as does Sirius) then being just another Alpha Werewolf Dom + White Twink Sub combo. Wolfstar shippers deserve better.

[souryogurt64]

hi, i am yet another "your panic! video ruined my life (lovingly)" anon! i read that you might make a video about ryden, so i was wondering if you have any thoughts about their real dynamic. i am not a shipper, but would love to know more about their dynamic and friendship. i feel like they (especially ryan) hated interviews so much, that there isn’t that much to gain about their behind the scenes friendship there. often they seem like stark opposites: personality wise, creatively and on the commercial aspects of the band. the last two were known to cause conflict within the band, and probably affected their personal bond as well. as you brought up in your video, panic! was mostly ryan’s brain child in the beginning. and brendon has said that he just wanted to join a band, so he would do what they asked of him at this time. it seems like brendon might have wanted ryan’s acknowledgment, which ryan either did not seem aware of, or did not want to or know how to give. we know they often argued about how brendon was supposed to sing ryan’s lyrics, and that brendon felt like he wasn’t doing his job well enough when it was decided ryan was going to sing on pretty odd. which again is super interesting since the popular narrative now is the exact opposite, and goes: brendon urie shot ryan ross in the face and stole his band. anyways, you also brought up that ryan’s personal issues (addiction and serial cheating), probably affected the relations within the band. do you think they talked about personal issues together? or did they just let it get to a breaking point, and then there was no way back? 

i am also curious if there was ever any attraction between them. (not that it matters, or that i should speculate, feel free to ignore this part). but as you’ve also mentioned before, there are reasons to believe them both to be queer (i know brendon came out in 2018). they did decide to do the whole stage gay thing together, and have moments that could have sparked something (slow dancing to the killers and jmont. press conference from hell). it’s probably just marketing, i know they were very aware of their shippers. still i do wonder how it feels to be a teen star who "acts gay" with your bandmate and friend every night, while (maybe) being in the closet. again i don’t think they were ever together, but if they both are queer, that also might’ve affected their dynamic and friendship. 

were they best friends, friends, coworkers, rivals, enemies or amadeus mozart and antonio salieri???

I talked about Ryden in this post! Sorry if this is a short answer, I'm just planning to do a Ryden video soon so I don't want to go in more detail haha. But I will consider your questions when I make it!

I kind of felt like with the singing, Brendon was starting to write songs and Ryan was also wanting to sing. So I think in their minds they were both stepping on each others toes, but they also both felt they were in the right lol.

I don't really know if Brendon and Ryan talked about his issues, as it seemed like they had drifted as friends by the time all the stuff with the coke and cheating happened. But I would guess probably, and I think it was causing friction within the band. I feel like Ryan crashing at Brendon's house because his girlfriend kicked him out after he cheated on her and then the band breaking up basically immediately after indicates to me that that probably caused an element of friction within the band. It seemed like Keltie had a lot of issues, which doesnt make cheating okay but probably made the other guys in the band more willing to tolerate it. She also talked about how she thought the other guys knew Ryan was cheating and didn't care.

i don't think the press conference was gay, i just think they were super drunk and cuddly. but like, i know in my personal life i've had weird tension with other gay people that exacerbated conflicts and caused jealousy issues that otherwise wouldnt have been a big deal. so i think its definitely possible. but i dont think that "ryden was real" if you catch my drift.

[exoscreamsoda]

Do you think kaisoo is real?

yes :)

[hyperfixationtimego]

Also I’m so sorry if I ever hyperfixate or brainrot too hard I’m just

Brain is

Brrting with non despair aus where taka is happy and Leon and Sayaka are like

The Frenemies Trope

The Pettiest People Ever Known To Hope’s Peak

literally Punk vs Prep

Surf & Turf— WAIT WHAT IF SURF N TURF AU AND LIKE YOUVE ALREADY GOT ONE SIDE FIGURED OUT BC CRAZY DIAMONDS oh that’s too many thoughts I’m so sorry lmao

OH MY GOD I WOULD DIE FOR YOU PLEASE DON’T WORRY ABOUT HYPERFIXATING TOO HARD I PROMISE IT’S IMPOSSIBLE I LOVE THIS SO MUCH???

you 🤝 me

fun danganronpa au brainrot 😌

Yes!!!! Happy taka!!!!! Happy taka happy taka happy taka!!! Sometimes being the hall monitor is difficult but you know what??? He has friends and classmates who love and understand him that he can talk to when he needs it!!!!! Everything is okay and despair does not exist it’s fine!!

aLSO UM YES?? YES YEAH EXCUSE ME PLEASE I FUCKING LOVE THAT???? GOD SOME HBDBSBD SOME GODDAMN MF TEEN BEACH MOVIE SHIT UP IN HERE SHSNSBDBSBDB

sssooo many,,,,,,,starcrossed lover ships,,,,,I’m crying??? hdvsbdvvsvd like......idk man just? sorry idk if u like these ships I’m just rambling but 👉👈ishimondo I feel is an obvious one and I’m 🥺🥺🥺 because OH?? I love them that’s SO VALID and just. u know what?? makuwata too okay we’re going there

Mondo, after seeing taka shirtless and surfing and generally being a cutie: ......I might got a crush on a surfer

Leon: are you a fucking moron-

—

Leon, after having accidentally bumped into Makoto and talking to him for .05 seconds: ....f u c k

And there are a bunch more too but I wanna talk abt friendship dynamics within the groups for a sec because OH????

like taka and chihiro are surfer friends and chihiro is really the only person taka feels he can talk to about his feelings because she’s kinda??? The only one who knows him well enough??? and I think that’s pog (it’s sad but it gets better so dw dw dw he gets happy ending because of course he does he deserves it)

Makoto and Komaru are also surf, but Makoto doesn’t rlly surf so much as hang out and chill at the beach and cheer his lil sis on while she hangs ten on some bangin waves (because fuck yeah we love Komaru). He thinks the rivalry is kinda stupid highkey hsbsbsbsbdbd and he and Sayaka are best friends

Mukuro USED to be a biker, but has since switched over to the beach because there are so many pretty girls on that side and she just thinks they’re neat, but internally she misses being a biker and she’ll always be a turf at heart 😔 (which a few ppl are wary of - that’s another reason she misses being a biker; because she doesn’t have as many friends as she used to)

Junko......is not on either side :) she’s employed as a lifeguard (HORRIBLE IDEA) and instigates conflict between the groups whenever she can. she just thinks it’s fun :)

KAZUICHI IS OBV THE BIKERS’ MECHANIC AND IDK DUDE HE’S JUST PRETTY RAD Y’KNOW? Except a bunch of people don’t REALIZE he’s a biker because he CAN’T RIDE HIS OWN GODDAMN MOTORCYCLES AND STILL HAS BRIGHT PINK HAIR HANSBDSNBDDB

OH ALSO?? SORRY SORRY I KNOW I KEEP GETTING SIDETRACKED WITH SHIPS BUT I JUST THINK IT WOULD BE SO FUNNY IF HE AND GUNDHAM STARTED SEEING EACH OTHER BECAUSE THEY MISTOOK THE OTHER AS BEING PART OF THEIR OWN GANG HSNSBSNSBDDB

Gundham: I-....you’re a biker? Why have I never seen you with them , then??

Kazuichi, crying: i hAVE MOTION SICKNESS-

he has to walk everywhere and I think that’s valid 😌 (also I’m not rlly a big bubblegum rock shipper but I did just get a vision of Leon offering to give Kaz a ride on his motorcycle, slow enough that Kaz’ll be okay, but also definitely quicker than if he were to travel on foot and god.....smh 👀👀)

Celeste pays for a lot of shit for the bikers and nobody??? really knows why??? Mondo asks her once and she’s just “because....I find you quite entertaining.” and leaves it at that and everyone’s just ???? bitch okay???? (people offer to give her rides on their bikes and the expression she gives them always looks as though they just spit in her face and called it a compliment)

And also Leon and Sayaka going from enemies to frenemies because they’re both close with Makoto and both are really prideful in their side’s status hsbsbsbsb like Sayaka is like “koto I love you but you are dating a DIRTY BIKER” and Leon being like -m- 🔪

I have more but I’ll stop here bsbsbsbd I’m rlly sorry if this was too specific with ships and stuff I just got excited hsnsbsbdbdb

[thejudgingtrash]

can we pleeeease talk about how rushed the whole Nico and Will relationship was? They talked for 2 minutes, don't see each other forever and boom they're together. Like ??? When did that happen? Certainly not in the books? (okay I haven't read the books in ages, but it felt so forced and extremely rushed or is it just me? I'm queer myself so I'm all for LGBTQ+ representation, but that's not it)

Alright let’s tackle this! Sorry for answering so late, I always answer asks that will be longer super late ^^ anyway. I’ve sorta received this ask twice but the other one has more focused on Nico with a little bit Solangelo on the side so I’ll just fully tackle the Solangelo side on this one.

I have three simple issues with Solangelo.

Age

Substance

Fandom

Alright. Let’s start off with the first point or problem. Age. Or rather time. As in timeline. Because we all know that Rick Riordan basically spins a wheel whenever it comes to his timeline and I won’t go fully into the maths because I’m terrible at it and I’m not in the mood for embarrassing myself in that metier. Anyway, let’s proceed. My question is: what is their canonical age? The one from Will and the one from Nico?

I’ve caught glimpse in a group convo at the fact that Will was supposed to be 18 actually if you pay close attention to pjo? And I mean Nico is like 15 or something? Which is also sorta wrong? Because Riordan made him younger than Hazel who was 14 in the Herpes of Olympus saga. 14 and 18 is a fuck no from me, son. I guess Riordan forgot that HOO essentially took place in two days or something.

Riordan aging his characters down or rather refusing to let them age (looking at you, Percy and Annabeth!) because it doesn't convenience him isn’t something new. So, should they be mathematically speaking have that much of an age gap, yeah. That is problematic. That’s Frazel level kinda problematic. Even worse. I know that people are more inclined to look past age gaps in same-sex relationships but I always wondered why? There’s still a disproportionate level of maturity + a mighty power imbalance. So yeah. Watch out for that. Also they’re kids. So there’s no need in tying the knot and popping expensive champagne for their wedding just yet.

I mean I don’t have a problem with the time traveling aspect as in Nico still being mentally and physically a kid/teen. A little odd, sure. It’s not like Nico and Will are Edward and Bella and Nico’s goth ass is mentally aging along and stalking Will’s sorry self. It’s still weird because it’s so unbelievable? Nico is barely struggling finding his way into the modern world, chills at Hades and calls it a day? Now that’s something I have an issue with. I need more struggle. I need more vocab mix-ups. Nico’s brain exploding at the modern world. The difference between the 1940s and the late 2000s is massive. That isn’t just oh, weird little haircuts and why are women wearing pants, it would be not being able to comprehend things and questioning every new little object. Will could’ve been an amazing support character for such an arch, buuuut I’m deviating from my actual point. The timeline/age-line in the Riordanverse is for sure more on the concerning part for all new characters + OG side characters.

Second point. Substance. The thing you’ve touched in your ask.

How and when did Nico and Will become a thing? My memory is terrible and I’m too lazy to browse the wiki. The only thing I remember was Will being a nagging bitch in Blood of Olympus after Nico essentially said “I've got to move on and be who I am, I just don't belong here, I hope you understand, we might find a place in this world someday, but at least for now... I gotta go my own way...” to Percy who just went ??? That marked the beginning for this ship. Basically. I think. Well... I said before in my Percabeth ship roast (more like ship analysis, I have to redo that, that was way too mild and unfunny, omfg): most of the romance is in your head because there’s barely anything romantic in Riordan’s books to begin with (which we all should actually be thankful for!). This applies to essentially every goddamn ship in this series but especially Solangelo. Holy fuck. Y’all are pulling out the wildest stuff out of your ass based on... what exactly? I mean props for creativity!

It is abundantly clear to me at least, that Riordan didn't write Nico with the intention of being gay. There was no real indication in the Percy Jackson series (and I refuse to believe that he was this sort of mastermind, that plotted about doing all of this behind Disney’s back to get the gays and latinos in. There’s a market for everything and diversity was a coming trend in the 2010s).

One could say: Hey! Isn’t it great that Nico wasn’t labeled as being gay? It normalizes homosexuality and makes sure that the lgbtq+ community isn’t something abstract but rather folk like me and you. And to that I’d say yes, I mostly agree if the follow-up arch is believable and plausible. Which it isn’t in my opinion. We jump from the Heroes of Olympus saga to The Trials of (Mo)Lester I mean Apollo and we’re having this HUGE jump? From barely knowing each other to being soulmates, sitting next to each other, hanging out, going on in their business, having the picket white fence, two kids, three dogs, living in a gentrified neighborhood and baking cherry pie on Sundays? HOW IN THE ACTUAL FUCK DID ALL OF THIS HAPPEN?! That is incredibly rushed. 

Aren’t...you shippers....Mad? That’s so cheap? I’d say so? Wouldn’t you like to have more pre-existing relationship and plausible development? With Percabeth you at least have a five book long progression, Solangelo is Riordan basically taking a dump on your plate and forcing you to eat it. And no, Riordan teasing the last Apollo doesn’t count.

Additionally, wouldn’t it be way better to still have a character say “Yeah, I’m gay. Pass me that salt, will ya?” without it being gimmicky or a foil or something for woke points? Just showing kids: “Hey, if you think this is a label that suits you, it’s fine! It’s perfect even! No worries!” (Also, the “coming out scene” with Jason and Cupid wasn't it, my loves. That was horrifying and insulting imo).

I mean. Show and tell are powerful tools in narration and telling more than often resolves unnecessary conflict/dialogue. And whereas season one from Percy Jackson had barely anything in that direction with Nico’s identity, season two didn’t make it any better. And season three is a complete cluster fuck.

Yeah. For me, the ship is super rushed.

Final point. The fandom.

I have to inter-subjectively state that Solangelo shippers are fucking crazy. I know Percabeth shippers (including me, helloooo) and especially the Annabeth stans for some odd reason are insane, but Solangelo shippers take the fucking cake and then some. There’s already a disconnect between the age groups in the fandom and it’s clear that more of the older teens and adults center around the Percy Jackson story and some in the Heroes of Olympus sequel, but from what I’ve seen the Trials of Apollo fandom is super young and on a whole different level. Might be the reason why facing some criticisms seems harder, because the minute you open your mouth to say something about Solangelo, you have people attacking you left and right. Chill guys, it’s not that deep? And it’s definitely not a personal attack on you. After all, I don’t know who you are and tbh Idgaf. 

Talking about the lack of substance, fanon will automatically come in and fill the gaps. Which is fine and something we all do, but I really have to wonder about the levels of extremes that some take?

We all center around certain tropes and what not and while the trope and dynamic behind Solangelo isn’t particularly something for me, I really have to ask why people are behind it. Don’t get me wrong. My question is touching on more on M/M fetishization because I think that is mostly the driving force for some people rather than liking the actual ship? I see more people projecting things into Nico and Will and it’s really turning their characters into something they aren’t? Especially with Nico, who gets turned into this 5 ft. UwU punk princess which is hella strange???

All in all, I don’t have anything against the ship apart from it’s overrushed nature and Riordan’s wacky timeline. Do whatever you want with it (apart from fetishizing and sexualizing the ship), no one’s stopping you from liking it. But I do believe there are some things to look out for, especially in the fandom.

Take it easy, guys.

[secret-engima]

My shipper brain is at it again, how do y’all feel about another vote? Namely, who should Cloud!Prompto in my Clouds and Moonlit Skies verse get shipped with? So far I’ve thought of a few and I’ll give some reasons for why they might be fun/good to write.

Cindy - I really like the thought of the dynamic between them that would form? They’d know each other as kids because Cid would come to investigate post the Cor-Adoption thing and discover Prompto is a prodigy greasemonkey and insist Prompto come over to Hammerhead for a weekend every two weeks or something. So, Prompto and Cindy would get to bond over engines and cars and stuff. I’d get to show snips of their relationship settling into a solid, steady sort of friendship where Cindy is the cheer and good sense and Prompto is the quiet and pragmatism with a touch of Reckless that keeps Cid on his toes (ie, yelling at Prompto for dragging Cindy into another adventure of some kind). 

Then ... idk something happens, possibly Prompto complaining about the court ladies always chasing him and Cindy abruptly offers to be his fake-date because her Paw-Paw will never admit it but Regis gave him a fancy title years ago so technically Cindy’s like- a duchess or something silly like that. Prompto would agree and Cindy would get to have fun horrifying all of high society and from there they just- click. It would be funny. Six months into it Prompto would suddenly set his tool down and look up at Cindy over the engine they’re repairing and go “Are we- dating? For reals?” because those last five coffee dates and long drives on Prompto’s motorcycle hadn’t been publicity stunts. 

Cindy ponders it and goes “Well, shoot. Ah think we are.” And then they both kinda shrug and go back to their day until it hits them in the middle of the night in their respective homes and they have a moment of WAIT WHAT.

...

Aranea - This one would take longer to swing because Prompto would need to be a teen/young adult to even MEET her but it would, in general, be funny. The utter deadpan, reckless son of the Immortal and the snarky, sassy mercenary would be a great dynamic. Especially since Prompto HAS some experience in mercenary work from being Cloud and could totally understand her priorities. They’d meet ... idk where, out in the field probably, and Aranea would find him oddly charming for a Lucian while Prompto would appreciate her professionalism, even if it’s ENEMY professionalism. Then they keep running into each other on non-conflicting missions and the Tension between the two keeps rising as they try to subtly one-up each other and frankly by the time Aranea OR Prompto realize they’re crushing on an enemy soldier, Aranea’s crew are all Screaming Internally because it is SO OBVIOUS that their commander has fallen for the Immortal’s kid. Just- you could cut the Tension between those two with a KNIFE.

There’s probably a fight that devolves into a spiteful make-out session in there somewhere post Realization and that fight-to-make-out and other in-battle flirtations starts becoming a Trend. Aranea’s crew and any Glaives coming with Prompto on mission are a united Suffer. Nobody adds it to the reports because Cor reads those and frankly no one wants to DIE kthanks.

And then something Dramatic would happen unrelated to the romance, probably Aranea learning just how corrupt and horrible Niflheim really is, and she’d just- up and defects to Lucis with all her airships. When freaked out Lucians contact the fleet cheerfully hovering outside the Wall, Aranea says she and her entire crew are mercenaries that just ended their Niflheim contract because Niflheim violated one of the terms, would Lucis care to hire them instead? When the stunned Crownsguard on the radio lamely and weakly asks if they have any ... uh ... reliable work references or something, she cheerfully says to ask the Brat Leonis, he’ll put in a good word for her. In the war room of Insomnia, all eyes swing to Prompto, who refuses to blush as he honestly admits she does good work and is honest. As long as they pay her well and don’t do anything too scummy, she’ll be fine. Prompto can feel Cor’s eyes drilling into him because FUNNY, Prompto never mentioned meeting her in his mission reports before.

...

Crowe - Less hyped on this one than the previous two, but it’s ... it’s an option? Could be funny. The Glaive already have Opinions on Prompto from how he and the Captain interact, but when he’s of the age of consent one of them (probs Tredd or maybe even Luche) dares Crowe to ask out the Son of the Immortal. They don’t expect her to actually do it or for Prompto to blink, shrug, and accept.

From there they honestly start dating just to wig out the glaive, but it evolves form there into an actual relationship.

Lib is a Meltdown in the corner throughout the process. Titus supports their relationship and is unaware of the Shovel Talk tradition so he mostly just pats them both on the shoulder and says if this all goes up in flames, he’s not stabbing either party on the other’s behalf.

Tifa reincarnation? - I’m not particularly a TifaxCloud shipper (nothing against it, I just can never find fics with that pairing that Really Sell Me on it, everything is usually too angsty or too crackish) but it ... MIGHT be fun to explore those two meeting again and slowly rebuilding a new relationship and giving the Romance Thing a try. Maybe. Not really sold on this at all but throwing it out there because Tifa’s a nice character.

Honestly IF I was convinced to put her in this, I’d really rather ship her with Seph/Titus because THAT would be a fun pairing to explore.

Hmmm.

Actually I might end up doing that one so Tifa might have just gotten knocked out of the Prompto Pairing vote unless she wins by a massive landslide. Hmmmmmmm.

[will-byers-appreciation]

Season Three First Thoughts

Overall: Regardless of everything I say, overall I really liked the season.  I feel like they did a good job of advancing individual character arcs and introducing/putting new character pairings together. Now for my brain dump of thoughts:

•Opening with Mike and Eleven making out made me uncomfy cause regardless of how long they’ve been dating they’re still just kids (young teens?)

•Discounting this, I hated the direction they took with Hopper on this. I think he was a total prick. Before when he was overprotective it was because he cared about El and that’s was clear but this time around they made him seem more like a typical washed up 80′s dad (à la Ted Wheeler) 

•I’m not entirely mad about Hopper’s attempt to throw Mike off El because it brought the El and Max (elmax) friendship sequence

•I absolutely LOVED everything about El and Max in this season. What Max taught El about being her own person was so so important. One of the main reasons some people have a problem with Mileven is because they’re so co-dependent it’s unhealthy for kids and for El’s personal development (I agree!!). This storyline continued through the season of El realizing her worth on her own and how she should be her own person was probably one of my favorites

•Ima say it, Mike was a dick in a lot of moments this season, especially in the beginning with Hopper, sue me. However he is a teen boy and he still has a lot of growing up to do so it’s excusable

•I really hate how little Will was used this season (I may be biased, this blog is called “will-byers-appreciation” for a reason!). I feel like he was only there to feel left behind by his friends but come on the boy has been through enough 

•I really don’t like how in season two Mike was the number 1 Will supporter and he always was there for him even when Dustin and Lucas had no idea was was going on and this season he basically blatantly didn’t care about Will. I know months have gone by but still, Mike shouldn’t have let himself have gotten so distracted by his girlfriend that he forgot his friends, regardless or not of if he loves her. 

•Mike saying something along the lines of “you do don’t like girls Will” (more gaycoding?? who knows if we’ll ever get what we want)

•I feel like the Duffer brothers tried so hard to kill Byler this season and I’m :/

•Everything including Karen and Billy was disgusting, which goes without saying, but was filmed and edited in a really compelling way in that we really didn’t know what was gonna go down so the duffers did a good job working out how to portray that storyline 

•Speaking of Karen, I loved her pep talk to Nancy. Karen stepping up like that was one of the highlights of the show for sure 

•Nancy: every single scene in the Hawkins Post made me want to punch all those middle aged white men god they were such Assholes. The show did a good job of showing Nancy’s frustration and building the misunderstanding conflict between Jonathan and Nancy

•Jancy shippers don’t come for me cause maybe I didn’t notice anything but I feel like there were no real chemistry filled Jancy scenes? They just kept saving the other from getting beat up tbh

•I feel like a lot of the season was taken up but really long fight scenes which made some parts drag a lil

•Time for my absolute favorite part of the season: Steve, Dustin, Robin and Erica- the Scoops Troop

•I absolutely loved this whole dynamic and I found myself waiting for these scenes. Dustin really shone this season and I loved every minute of it. Erica was an amazing addition!! Dustin and Erica is the winning nerd friendship pairing to be honest

•Steve and Dustin!!! Incredible, beautiful, I love them. I feel like they reverted Steve back to a dumbass at the beginning of the season compared to him being kind of emotionally deep after the Nancy breakup in season two. It makes sense given he had his heart shattered and he built a wall back up in hopes to protect himself and find someone new. Dustin pushing this whole Steve and Robin thing is deliciously ironic now which is great. 

•Steve and Robin: Best new dynamic. The entire bathroom scene as they’re coming down from being drugged was absolutely beautiful. I started tearing up. Steve being emotionally vulnerable and explaining his heartbreak and bearing his feelings for Robin just wrecked me. Then when he slid under the stall and looked at Robin and she explained how she never liked him and how she likes girls was so perfect. Dumbass Steve said “But Tammy Thompson’s a girl” and then realizing and being fine with it. You can see how scared Robin is and then how relieved she is when Steve is accepting. This is what’s coming out is like. The moment of panic is portrayed really well. 

•Steve! Having! A! Badass! Smart! Lesbian! Best friend! Who! Is! Cooler! Than! Him! Instead! Of! Getting! Another! Half-Assed Love Interest Story Line!

•I am worried though that’s the duffer brother’s are giving us an openly gay character hoping to “satisfy” us so they can keep queerbaiting Will rather than making him gay

•The whole Murray x Alexie storyline wasn’t amazing and I loved every second of it. I was genuinely heartbroken when they killed Alexie he was shaping up to be one of much favorites

•Billy’s “redemption” at the end where El breaks through to him while retelling the childhood scenes he showed her and then he goes against the Mindflayer was expected but the way they did it was so heartwrenching I’ll give the obvious turn of events a pass. Hi, seeing Max cry over Billy Killed Me, that poor girl

•Finally, Hoppers death. Fuck you stranger things team. No matter how annoying Hopper was this season, how could you guys do that’s to El?? To us?? That letter just about killed me, I started loudly sobbing halfway through and I didn’t finish till twenty minutes later. I’m also not 100% sure he’s actually dead just saying...

•There’s more but this is already So Much so I’ma leave it at this as I literally just started typing and I haven’t even proof read it. I’m so sorry I didn’t mean for this to be so long but

•PLEASE! If anyone wants to discuss anything I said here or just the season in general please message me 

TL:DR- I loved the Scoops Troop storyline, especially how they handled Steve/Robin. I loved the Elmax friendship and El’s character development independent from Mike. Alexie was basically my favorite. They should’ve used Will more and I’m mad they basically killed Byler 

[scripting-life]

FFVII: returning to my first love

 *peeks out of the corner of my lurking spot*

Hello? Anybody out there? It’s only been, oh you know, four-ish years since the last time I’ve posted anything here. I apologize in advance for anybody who’s still following me from my Castle days. If you couldn’t tell from my extended absence, I’ve mostly moved on. Castle and Beckett were fantastic characters that let me to play with some deep-dive analyses, and Castle will always hold a special place in my heart as my comfort show and my first real and extended experience with online fandom. I’ll always be grateful to the community I’ve had the joy of interacting with (or, the community with which I’ve had the joy of interacting, as Castle would correct me my dangling preposition).

I honestly didn’t think I would ever have reason to come back to Tumblr after Castle ended. But the FF7 Remake has returned me to my very first love--when I was young and innocent and before I knew anything about OTPs or ship wars. I’ve been back lurking for several months now and seeing all the fanart/fanfics and fun theories and analyses has reignited my enthusiasm for the FF7 franchise. It’s also fun coming back to this franchise with a more mature understanding of the themes/concepts that completely flew over my head as a young preteen.

(This ended up being super long, so the rest is below the cut to spare everyone the pain of scrolling. Apparently, my rambling tendencies have not changed at all. lol.)

When FF7R was officially announced (five freaking years ago!), I was filled with apprehension. FF7 was my first taste of a “grown-up” game. I was 11 and played my brother’s copy of the OG on PC in 1-2 hours spurts on the weekends when I visited his apartment. It took me months, if not years, to finish the game (I ended up stealing his copy to play on our computer at home...lol), and I was so blown away by it. I remember the exact moment I finished it and how I was literally shaking as I watched the ending FMV.

Later, when I found out my brother had a copy of FF8 (my poor brother was so accommodating to his annoying little sister...haha), I was so excited to play, in large part because I thought it would continue the story of FF7. Young, naive me didn’t understand the numbering conventions of Final Fantasy titles. I was madly theorizing and breaking my brain trying to find connections between the two games’ plots and had literally played through more than half the game before I finally realized the storyline of FF8 had absolutely nothing to do with FF7. I was sorely disappointed, and I think that has somewhat tainted my appreciation of future titles. Not to say I haven’t enjoyed the subsequent FF titles, but I think a little part of me is always comparing them to that first experience of wonder and awe that I had with FF7.

I discovered fanfiction in my teens and starting writing FF7/Cloti fics in college. Aside from interacting with a few fic writers at the time, I was not involved in any online communities, so I kept myself pretty free of any ship war drama and the like. When I did research for my fics, I’d sometimes see shipping sites and theories where I didn’t always understand the logic of how certain conclusions were reached, but frankly, I didn’t much care and didn’t realize that Clerith vs. Cloti was such a touchy subject. I was peripherally aware that some sort great LTD war was waging, of course, but it didn’t really touch me. I stayed in my Cloti shipping/fic-writing lane and was probably a lot happier for it. And, to be honest, based on FFN’s listings for FF7, I felt like I always saw a bunch of Sephiroth/Cloud fics and thought that was just as popular as the more conventional ships.

Graduating college and entering “real life” pretty much ended my FF7 fanfic-writing journey. In the intervening years between college and the release of FF7R, I haven’t gone back to the OG too much. I’ve played almost all the Final Fantasy games since then, and I always enjoy getting my FF7 crew fix when I play the non-canon mobile games or the Kingdom Hearts franchise. But FF7 was a happy part of my teenage years, and I was content to think on it with sweet nostalgia.

Remakes, in recent experience (*cough cough* Disney, why?), have been hit or miss, with a lot of misses. It’s hard to strike a good balance between catering to nostalgia and delivering a fresh product, never mind the change in social mores through the decades. I was so afraid FF7R would screw up my memories, especially since I wasn’t the biggest fan of Advent Children. The graphics were great and the action scenes were fun, but the story felt like a let-down. Cloud, in particular, felt so different (and yes, moody) from where we left him after the OG. I understand now that a lot of his character motivation was better explained in the On The Way to a Smile novels, but back then, I just felt like AC came out of nowhere. 

Btw, because I see this question a lot on other blogs when I’m lurking, I’ve ALWAYS thought that it was very clear in AC--even without reading anything else--that the reason for Cloud’s depression was due to guilt and not because he was pining for Aerith. The only reason I didn’t like his characterization in AC was because it felt like it came out of nowhere since AC is set 2 years after OG and by the end of the OG, he seemed to be in a pretty decent place mentally and emotionally. That being said, I can absolutely understand why some traumas resurface years after the originating incident and how times of peace might actually be worse because he is no longer solely focused on saving the world, but I was just surprised and a little bummed that this was the direction the devs chose to take AC at the time. Now that I’m older, I do better appreciate the complexities of Cloud’s mental state and the fact that they depicted a hero with lingering mental health issues is actually pretty awesome. I’m drawn to characters that have flaws--sometimes serious ones--but try their best anyway. Hence, why why Tifa Lockhart and Kate Beckett are some of my all-time favorites.

Anyhow, that didn’t stop me from pre-ordering FF7R, of course. I avoided reading any reviews as I didn’t want my first impressions to be swayed, and boy, was I happy that I went in mostly blind. That sense of awe really almost felt like playing the OG for the first time again, but somehow more. The combat system is incredibly fun and the world-building is nothing short of incredible. The variety and abundance of NPCs gives the game so much flavor and the locations have been rendered so well. As I’m going through areas like the Sector 7 train station and Wall Market and Aerith’s house, I can almost superimpose the layout from the OG in my head, but now it’s in 3D and so rich and full. It’s obvious that a lot of attention was paid to details, and I love all the head-nods and homages to the OG.

And oh, the characters!

This is the Cloud I’ve been wanting to see in glorious HD and the Cloud I remember from the original game: all awkward, dorky trying to be cool, socially inept, mentally unstable, abrasive-at-times, reluctant to act depending on who’s asking, wannabe hard-ass who’s actually a big softie inside Cloud. I remember reading an article a few years back about how the devs basically redid Cloud for the Remake because they wanted him to go back to his dorky roots--which ends up making him closest to his personality in the OG than his appearances in other franchises--and I was SOOOO incredibly happy to hear that. I was so sick of the way Cloud was constantly depicted as this cool, broody McBrood in his cameos when he was a pretty big dork in the OG. (Anybody remember him doing squats in the Highwind when Tifa says it’ll be lonely with just the two of them and Cloud responds that he’ll make enough noise to make up for it? Like I said: cute, but a dork.)

I WAS surprised by how comfortable and sweet and touchy (so very very touchy) the devs made him with Tifa from the beginning. That initial scene of Cloud being such a smooth operator giving Tifa the flower had my jaw-dropping and every single flirty interaction after that (and there are many) had my Cloti heart overflowing in shock and bliss. Throughout most of my years as a Cloti shipper, even though I believed Cloti was supported by canon and pretty clearly together, I was also under the impression--mistakenly or not--that Cloti was the minority ship. So for Square Enix to make it so blatantly obvious that Cloud is really into Tifa at such an early stage has been an unexpected gift.

Also, they’re just really hot together. (Clotiscrew tunnel--be still my heart!)

As for Tifa...oh, what wonderful character development we’ve already gotten for Tifa. Tifa has always been one of my all-time favorite characters ever since reading her character blurb in the OG game manual. Initially, as a child, it was because I saw so much of myself in her. She was outwardly bright and optimistic, but tended to hide all of her stronger feelings inside. She fought with her fists, and for someone who was a tomboy growing up who liked playing contact sports with the boys, I connected with her in a way that I had never been able to connect with other female protagonists who were primarily back-row specialists. (I also aspired to grow to her listed height of 5′4″, which alas, did not happen...lol).

I love how the Remake delves into more of Tifa’s moral conflict between the destruction that she causes as part of Avalanche and needing to do something to stop Shinra, and yes, even seeking revenge. They touched on this in the OG lightly, but the Remake really hammers it home. She’s perhaps the most conflicted character in terms of motivation in Part 1. That scene with the Shinra manager on the train is actually one of my favorite scenes of her because it highlights that tension. The elevator scene, if you opted for it instead of the stairs (or if you did one, saved, and reloaded to do the other one, like me), is also underrated in terms of how much it reveals about Tifa’s inner struggle.

On this point, I also appreciate that the Remake has the characters reflecting on the damage they’ve both indirectly and directly inflicted--the Avalanche team all do this to a certain degree. In particular, Jessie’s constant inability to figure out what she’d done wrong with the bomb to cause such a massive explosion and her remaining feelings of guilt during her death scene (”they were my victims” ouch!) were heart-breaking.

Aerith’s depiction was another pleasant surprise. I’ll be honest; I didn’t much like her in the OG. She was too pushy and willfully oblivious to the point of being mean at times. In the Remake, much of her sometimes too in-your-face playfulness was kept--perhaps still a little too much--but I appreciate the nuance that they gave her. The train graveyard scene tells the player that she didn’t have friends growing up, and I think that partially contributes to her lack of social tact at times. The other factor that gives her personality more nuance is the hint of special knowledge that affects how she interacts with the rest of the group. It gives her additional hidden motivation and adds to her mystery for new players while simultaneously pulling at the heartstrings for old players who get the impression that Aerith is somehow aware--to a certain, unknown extent--of her own fate. 

I also appreciate that Aerith is more grounded as a real person than as some sort of revered being. I do blame AC for some of that. When you have the power to cure a fatal disease from the afterlife and send the dead back to life, it gets into some godlike territory. Maybe it’s a fair depiction of her powers as a Cetra, but I just get the feeling that Aerith herself wouldn’t really appreciate being made into this goddess-like figure. Remember that her character blurb in the original game manual implied that she was more interested in earthly things (i.e. the love triangle) than in exploring her own powers. I personally think that Aerith used the “love triangle” in the OG as a form of escapism from the weight of her burdens rather than genuine interest, and I just think she’d want to be thought of as a person rather than as a god. One of my favorite scenes for Aerith is when she and Cloud are traversing the rooftops and she slips on the ladder, letting out a simple, “Shit.” It humanizes her in a way that combats some of the ways she’s sort of been deified in the last 23 years. Also, Aerith wielding a folding chair like it’s WWE never fails to make me laugh. Overall, she just comes off as a more reasonably flawed and--as a result, to me--a more likeable character in the Remake, and I do very much like her now.

Barret is pretty much the exact larger than life character I imagined in my head, only somehow even better, and I really love how expressive and emotional his eyes and facial expressions are. His scenes with Marlene are truly the cutest thing ever. Red XIII is a big, furry ball of sass, and I need so much more of him in the coming parts (Cosmo Canyon still wrecks me to this day). The interactions between the Wedge, Biggs, and Jessie are incredible, and they really feel like people who’ve been friends and basically each other’s family for years. The Turks and Rufus are pretty much as cool as I imagined them in the OG.

There’s still so much more I haven’t even started touching on about the Remake, and I think that’s why I’m finally posting this now. I just can’t contain my love for this game any more, and I really really need a place to express myself. I don’t know if anybody is still reading, but I appreciate having the opportunity to finally gush about this game and franchise that I’ve loved so much for pretty much two-thirds of my life.

[tyrus-time]

my perspective on TJ’s story (as of 3.13)

Over the past few days, I’ve gone back and forth several times about whether to post my response to, yknow, the Gay Angst. OBVIOUSLY I’m heartbroken, as a Tyrus shipper and someone who is deeply invested in their characters as individuals, to see the two of them hurting. But I know this drama is a plot device and that Tyrus, one way or another, will be endgame. 

Currently, I am feeling anxious about how much development we will actually get to see for them... but that’s in the future, and I’m trying to focus on the now.

No, there’s some other stuff that made me feel angry and disappointed and honestly, foolish when I first watched the episode.... I wrote out a rant on my phone, and then I added to it later, and now I’m trying to make some sense out of it... now that I’m calmer (but still sad) about it. 

This is a pretty long, critical post, so feel free to keep scrollin! 

(I reallyjust need to get this out of my system so I can move on.)

I know some people are actually glad that TJ’s storyline is addressing homophobia, but I gotta be honest with yall: I, personally, am not. I’m honestly devastated that this is the route they took, especially since it still seems the gay themes are mostly subtextual. 

As of now, there is a LOT of room for interpretation regarding what is going through TJ’s mind and what Kira’s implied threat was actually implying. I don’t interact with children, like, at all... so I really have no idea how much they’d be picking up on.

And I feel kinda uncomfortable with the show using themes of homophobia/the threat of being outed/etc... just to create drama and conflict between characters? Using homophobia as a plot device in this way, without even beginning to deconstruct homophobia, comes off as semi-exploitative to me?? Which is probably because I���m just so tired of Gayngst, which is really my main issue with this storyline...

I am exhausted of the pattern of gay characters struggling with homophobia (internalized or otherwise) and this then causing them to hurt/betray their (gay) love interests. 

Being gay and having relationship angst is one thing. But always having angst related to being gay? It is a well-worn trope that I am do not like.

It’s “realistic,” yes, but it’s frequently been done before — hence the TV tropes page on it.

While it is important to portray the affects of homophobia upon LGBT+ and questioning individuals, there must be a balance! 

When Gayngst-y representation is the main representation you see, it feels like that’s the ONLY narrative. You are left with the idea that being LGBT+ means you WILL suffer, that you NEED to struggle with your sexuality/gender because that’s how the identity development process is ‘supposed’ to go. And it shouldn’t have to be that way.

(I speak from personal experience)

This is why I’m so passionate about studying LGBT+ media representation. Media informs us of social norms, scripts, expectations; what is acceptable and what is appropriate; how we’re supposed to think and feel and behave. It’s often very subtle, but all of those images and narratives become internalized and affect how you understand yourself, the world around you, and how you fit in to that world.

Media images shouldn’t just reflect society as it is today; it should offer images of a brighter future.

There’s this resonant quote from the musical Hadestown:

“He could make you see how the world could be, in spite of the way that it is.”

And that’s what I so dearly want to see in LGBT+ representation. 

It breaks my heart whenever people say things like, “it’s unrealistic for a young gay teen to be comfortable with their identity.” It truly breaks my heart and makes me want to change the narrative.

We should have stories that should how the world CAN be, not just how it often ‘realistically’ is. 

I want to see worlds that AREN’T heteronormative, because I’m hopeful for a future in which we truly do dismantle heterosexism. 

I want to see queer relationships that go through the “normal” difficulties of dating someone, such as dealing with typical awkwardness and learning to communicate better... instead of dealing with external and internalized homophobia. 

Perhaps I’m asking too much, and shouldn’t be this hopeful in 2019, but I will continue to assert the need for joyful, celebratory queer stories that diverge from the trend of queer tragedy.

And I really was hoping that Andi Mack could show this radical possibility that gay people can just be HAPPY sometimes, but.... this is Disney channel.... So I guess I’m not really surprised, but I am still disappointed.

Disappointed not just because I was hoping for an unashamedly gay character, but also because I could see TJ realistically having little conflict over his gayness. (I made a post about this months ago, and I’ll probably be repeating those points now.)

TJ’s concern about how people perceive him has been well-established, re: the dyscalculia storyline. However, I’ve always had an affinity for the concept that because he cares about Cyrus so deeply, he is able to come to terms with his gayness without as much turmoil as one might expect. I think this concept is even more valid after the gun incident, with TJ standing up to his previous friends in order to do the right thing, and admitting that Cyrus is the best thing in his life.

“But ash, this is just you being a hopeless romantic!” you might say. But wait! I have more evidence!

I now realize just how much I was projecting myself onto TJ in regards to his insecurities, and it really had nothing to do with romance:

I have always had this complex duality of “I don’t care what people think!! I gotta be true to myself” and “Oh my god, I care so much and I’m so socially anxious.” (I bet some of you can relate.) 

The thing is... while I feel self-conscious about my transness on a near-daily basis... I’ve been pretty unapologetically queer since I realized that I actually had a gay crush. 

Granted, I was already a big ‘ally’ with several LGB friends in a fairly liberal area, and this gay awakening was in high school (not middle school). So TJ wouldn’t have all of that going for him.

But my thought processes (regarding my insecurities) has always been: 

If people don’t like me for who I am, then they’re not worth my time... 

But if people negatively judge me for my abilities? Game over, I’m an insecure mess. THAT’S what I’m most insecure about: seeming dumb or weak or incapable. 

And again, maybe this is just self-indulgent projection, but I think this fits TJ, too.

In S2, TJ clearly is so insecure because he thinks he’s stupid since he struggles with math. And since he’s a jock, perhaps at first he can play off his bad grades with the whole “Oh, I’m a athlete, and getting good grades is for nerds, and I’m cooool” (or whatever rhetoric is used nowadays but middle school boys). BUT having a learning disability is far scarier, because it solidifies (in HIS mind) that there is something inherently wrong with his brain.

I could go on and on, analyzing TJ’s inner psyche, but the point is: 

I could see him being insecure about his physical and mental skills such as basketball and math, yet being self-assured of his sexuality. 

This would also be a realistic option for his character — in my opinion at least, because my own life experiences align well with this interpretation, and well, that’s gotta count for something because I’m pretty sure I’m a real person, even if my experiences aren’t widely shared?

TLDR; The way that they ended taking TJ’s character is a “realistic” option, but it’s not the option that I would’ve chose — both for personal reasons (personally relating to TJ, and wanting to see Tyrus be happy) AND social reasons (believing that children should be able to see a character who isn’t show to struggle with self-acceptance, especially since we already saw Cyrus be scared of himself for being gay).

This isn’t to take away the validity of anyone who DOES relate to/support TJ’s current arc! This is me just sharing my own perspective (and trying to get the sad feelings out of my system). 

My whole approach to media representation is challenging the “good representation” vs “bad representation” binary, because doing so is incredibly counterproductive and oversimplified. Instead, we should be constantly asking “What is the context for this representation? What is valuable about it? What are it’s flaws? How could be possibly do better in the future?” So I can see advantages of this particular storyline, but I also have some criticisms that I believe to be substantiated.

[laufire]

Name a ship that most represents your type of ship.

Isabelle and Raphael from Shadowhunters, hands down. (Beware: this turned into a long post that talks at once about all my current -and some not-so-current- otps).

-LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. “Why are you helping me?” “I don’t know.” – Shadowhunters

Half my dash must be tiring of hearing this, but I adore this trope. I love how it moves things along: the character is already in love -automatically, the relationship goes into Intense™ territory, you get swept into its groove, whether you like it or not (another reason why these ships, when they raise hate, the RAISE hate xD). Emori and John in The 100, Matt ~sensing Elektra across the room in Daredevil, Wes seeing Rebecca for the first time in HTGAWM, Derek and Jesse in TSCC (I want to start re-watching that show soon so I have that ship very present *sniffs*), Bruce and Selina in Gotham (and IIRC, every BatCat adaptation worth something has this in some form -it is a MUST).

With Rizzy, like with other ships (Caroline and Klaus in TVD, Bellamy and Raven in The 100), it might not be literally at first sight, but the result is the same: they might know of each other, but it is the first time that they really MEET, that something HUGE happens (Raphael feeding on Isabelle, Klaus offering Caroline his blood, Bellamy and Raven’s first time), when you can feel it. I love these cases too, because it offers the possibility of including a messy history/start/etc. (something that you can see at various points of this list lol), while simultaneously giving me the opportunity of experiencing the LAFS moment on present time, instead of in flashbacks (Elektra and Matt) or references (Harvey and Scottie in Suits).

-UNPLANNED, UNFORESEEN, UNWITTING. “But it doesn’t make any sense, it came out of nowhere!!” – the fandom lol

This is somewhat related to the LAFS point, and a criticism I’ve seen time and again about more than one of those ships, but in this case is multiplied by a hundred xD 

And I wanted to make a separate point for this because, lbr -you rarely see this complaint (or at least not as generalized) when a PILOT ShowTP goes for LAFS. But that is something I love about these ships: it wasn’t in the original plan, there was no “build-up” that could have pointed at it, and it’s likely that the writing team behind it never had an inkling of the effects the ship could have on the writing. Some of my favourite cases are Bellamy and Raven, Caroline and Klaus, Bonnie and Kai, Emori and Murphy… these ships irremediably alter the foundations of their ‘verse, they re-shape the story. I love that something that came “out of nowhere” can have that effect. I love it. 

This meta by @candyumbrella does a great job explaining this (far better than I could, and besides, this post is already getting longer than I expected ^^), and it even does it through Isabelle and Raphael. Her Ted and Tobin’s posts in general have been illuminating wrt how tv writers work, and in relation to this post, I’m more aware now of what makes me ship certain things, why something that on paper should be appealing to me falls flat, etc. I’d recommend them all, but beware because they will take hours of your life XD

-STAR-CROSSED LOVERS. “If it takes fighting a war for us to meet, it will have been worth it.” – Hamilton

Was there anyone who did not FREAK THE FUCK OUT with the “at the brink of war” line? Because I don’t believe them.

Look, it’s obvious. It’s cliché. I don’t care. I live for this trope. Allison and Scott from Teen Wolf was one my favourite instances of this trope (my bbys ;_;); it was one of the things that interested me of Allison/Derek too, as a crack ship; it was the whole premise of Still Star-Crossed and I’m not even gonna pretend I didn’t shamelessly enjoy every second. It was what instantly made Rosita/Waverly my OTP in Wynonna Earp, aka the most impossible out of all my rareships xD. Priya/Sierra and Tony/Victor in Dollhouse (I never know wtf to call the people on this show istg) had this element too, even if it was in a “us vs the world” sense, more than “we’re on different sides of a conflict way bigger than us and everything is stacked against us fuck” lol. Cassian and Jyn could go there too.

And obviously, Isabelle and Raphael as a ship have this written on its DNA, given how the ‘verse positions Shadowhunters and Downworlders. Outside the 219 scene (*_*), I think 213’s meeting in the alley managed to showcase it really well.

-EX-SOMETHING, EX-MAYBE, EX-ALMOST. “Well never be done with each other.” – Shadowhunters 

I loooooove exes. Actual exes, proto exes, centuries-old exes. Something I love even more is “bitter exes that still have a special connection no one else gets or beats” (Camille and Magnus, Carlos and Kisa on FDTD, Elektra and Matt, Harvey and Scottie -and on the bitterest, most fucked up side, with ships like Katherine and Stefan on TVD or Derek and Kate on Teen Wolf. I even consider Rosita and Waverly could belong here, idc if it was one simple kiss okay xD). Obviously Isabelle and Raphael aren’t bitter, but they might get there, if I’m lucky! A girl can dream! (weird thing to say about an otp? I don’t care xD)

And one thing that is significant of these types of ships, and obviously of Raphabelle, is that, whether they’re together or not (hell, Izzy and Raphael have never really “dated”), narratively speaking, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t make any difference. They’re still connected, one simple scene where they merely look at each other across a crowded room can resurrect the ship after years not even speaking to each other. Hell, with Caroline and Klaus it only took one phone call xD 

-CAN’T QUIT EACH OTHER. “I’m just asking for a little taste.” – Shadowhunters

I guess this relates somewhat to the previous point, but I wanted to reference the addiction plot because for me it isn’t a bug, it’s a feature xD I’ve seen people say things like “I know they started out as problematic™ with the addiction, but now that they’re over that, they could be a gr10 ship!!”, and fuck that¸ tbh xD They’re a great ship because of the addiction storyline. It adds this messed up layer of wonder, of doubt, over the ship that I love. And obviously, there’s the appeal of “we’re bad for each other but we can’t stay apart!!” angst. My lizard brain likey. And it’s definitely a huge part of the appeal of Matt and Elektra, BatCat in general…

-SHARING SECRETS. “Nobody knows. Except for you.” – Shadowhunters

Things like Isabelle admitting she doesn’t feel strong, Raphael revealing the story about her sister, Bellamy telling Raven about how he felt about his mother’s death, Harvey confessing about Mike’s fraud to Scottie even if he knows it won’t make any difference, or only being capable of admitting to her voluntarily that he’s seeing a therapist… That kind of thing gives me so much joy :D

And lbr, the “except for YOU” part? HUGE draw, yup. 

-CHARGED INTIMACY. “#they might as well have been alone #were there other people in the scene? who cares. they were all irrelevant. – @magalimoons lol

Any shipper would know what I’m talking about. That moment where Isabelle leaves mid-conversation with Alec and Meliorn in 214 to go to Raphael, or when they talk at the end of 210, or when they talk in 219. Bellamy and Raven in 413, when he’s telling her how much they need her and everyone and everything else disappears of the room (that’s the scene referenced above lol), or when A.L.I.E. posses Raven, and despite everyone else being one room away without even a door separating them, this feeling of intimacy falls over the scene. Caroline and Klaus looking at each other when he appears during the graduation event in 423, Root and Shaw in PoI. Literally everything about Rizzy in 209. 

*Swoons*

–BLOODSHARING. “they have to suck your blood. And then you have to suck their blood. It’s like a whole big sucking thing.” – Buffy the Vampire Slayer

This has been one of my favourite tropes for-fucking-ever, guys. I think my first experience with it was Blade? Or Angel and Buffy? I’d say Blade. In any case: it changed my fucking life. The fact that Rizzy includes it is the cherry on top of this beautiful ship-cake.

On another note: blood transfusions totally count xD Furiosa and Max come to mind, for example.

There are other things that add to the ship for me: Raphael’s aceness (I project a lot onto him even without it so), the weird catholic/heretic themes xD, how beautiful they look together (I once was accused of “only” liking them because they looked hot together, which. LOL at the only, given this post and every other I’ve written about them, but also. OFC I like that they look hot together. That’s not only a good thing, it’s an IMPORTANT thing, among other reasons, because if the writers like your ship, they will look hot together xD).

And it’s not that if it doesn’t have any of those I won’t like a ship XD; in fact, some of my biggest OTPs lack some or even most of these traits (Gabrielle and Xena, Brigan and Fire in the Seven Kingdoms Trilogy, Clark and Lois in some versions), or that there aren’t other romantic tropes I love that don’t fit Rizzy (the Unholy Matrimony trope is one of my favourites, for example), but well. I know what I’m about xD