#in my interpretation of canon none of that ever happened

[musclesandhammering]

Something about the fact that Thanos had no idea loki wasn’t asgardian but immediately recognised Thor as his brother & knew he was the best way to manipulate him. Like… how does their working relationship even get to that point?

“The Tesseract or your brother’s head. I assume you have a preference?”

Have….have we ever considered the fact how utterly disturbing it is that Thanos a) waves Thor in front of Loki because he knows that Loki would kill the universe to save him, and B) HE RECOGNIZED THOR AS LOKI’S BROTHER ON THE SPOT? 

I don’t think that Thanos, Thor, and Loki had a little sit down before the battle started and talked about familial relationships. 

This line, usually thought of in passing, means these things: 

Thanos knows how important Thor is to Loki, which means Thanos and Loki have talked about this beforehand. 

Thanos knows what Thor looks like which means Thanos has seen Thor from Loki’s head before

Thanos knows that Loki has the Tesseract. He could have chosen ANY PERSON on the ship to convince Loki to give up the Tesseract, but instead, he picked Thor out of the group and CHOSE to use Thor against Loki on PURPOSE. 

Thanos didn’t demand the Tesseract from Loki first, he WANTED to play with him and he WANTED to torture Loki and he WANTED to see Loki mouth “please” and he WANTED to see Loki’s desperation and he WANTED to see Loki break again, and he WANTED Loki to think Thor getting tortured was his fault, not Thanos’

Thanos knows Loki on an intimate level that we do not fully understand. 

Thanos probably knows Loki better than his family does

And Thanos, more than likely, killed him in the way that he knew Loki was terrified of 

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

OMG RAVEN YOU’RE INTO EVER AFTER HIGH? I love it but can’t talk about it bc none of my friends have seen it 😭 I wish it was talked about more, especially with how deep their lore runs. I love EAH’s dynamics with the complexities of destiny. If twst followed the same logic as eah’s world it would be so interesting. How would you feel if the worlds were to mesh together and how it would work? You can interpret that in any way you want; the characters meeting or twst being bound to the same rules and societal expectations of eah, or whatnot.

Also who’s your favorite eah character compared to your favorite twst character (Leona)?Jade, right?

And have you read the eah books? I haven’t, but I’m going to try to sometime!

Eah alt account when?

I'm still salty that the Monster High x Ever After High crossover movie never saw the light of day-- Part of the reason why I don't like Disney (I mean the faceless corpo, not all Disney products) is because they have such a strong association with fairy tales that it pushes other interpretations out of the market or it leads to people assuming Disney "owns" those fairy tales. Ever After High's lore and themes run so much deeper than most other fairy tale reimaginings I've seen (and I've seen a lot). It's such a shame it doesn't get the respect and recognition it deserves even though EAH is the one out here challenging the status quo whereas modern Disney is content with mediocrity that appeals to the masses.

I think EAH and TWST, at their cores, share similar ideas so combining them would work well. Friendship, self-identity, defining your own future, questioning what "good" and "evil" truly are... It's all there. I'd imagine that if Twisted Wonderland (or at least NRC) followed the same rules as EAH, then everyone would be descendants of their Disney counterparts. (This is actually a common misperception of what TWST was to new fans; people mistakenly believe the TWST characters are children of the classic Disney villains. This has never been canon.) Unfortunately, I'd have to take away the Disney villains being twisted to be "good" guys in Twisted Wonderland's world in order for this to work by EAH rules, so... There's that to consider. This, in turn, can result in the student body splitting into Royals (pro-following one's destiny) and Rebels (anti-following one's destiny). Perhaps RSA and NRC could be one school in this AU...? Just so we have a mix of "good" and "evil" descended children in the same vicinity as one another. A must-have are the constantly bickering Narrators!! It's only really when Yuu shows up that the majority opinion starts to shift. Maybe then Crowley becomes concerned with students rising up and fighting back against the system that relies on them being complacent to keep the cycle of stories going. I've seen some readings of EAH which theorize that Royals guaranteed a happy ending is a stand-in for privilege, and that interpretation leads into very interesting conflicts when we also consider that magic in Twisted Wonderland is a privilege afforded to few.

To cover just the dorm leaders (because covering all the TWST characters would make this post way longer), I definitely see Riddle, Kalim, Idia, and Malleus as Royals and Leona, Azul, and Vil as Rebels. Here's my thought process:

Riddle is pretty self-explanatory. He comes from a background where he's used to being told what to do by his mother and so he also heavily relies on her strict, unyielding teachings to play by the book when he goes out there in the real world. Riddle is inflexible and hesitant to go against the grain--and, more importantly, he fully believes that following the rules will lead to his happiness... that doing as his fairy tale ordains will lead to a happy ending. What happens to the Queen of Hearts is dubious in the end since it's framed as Alice's dream, so I think that vagueness gives Riddle hope that by behaving himself, he'll earn the happiness he desires.

Leona is a Rebel, and not just because that's the aesthetic of his dorm. Being that he is highly intelligent and demonstrates a lot of foresight, he'd be aware of what future is in store for him and aggressively fighting against that. It would make him more desperate than ever to prove his worth, because not only does everyone see his powers as terrifying, but they also see him as a future brother murderer and dictator that will bleed the land dry of resources. It'd make the situation with his family even more strained than it already is, not to mention the extra jealousy he must feel toward Cheka, who is still too young to understand what's going to happen later.

Azul is someone who acts like a Royal but is actually a Rebel. He acts polite and like he plays by the rules, but clearly he doesn't behind the scenes. I see Azul as the kind of Rebel akin to Duchess Swan... as in, he believes he can steal away someone else's destiny for himself. Azul would constantly be looking for loopholes to save himself. He's put way too much stock into becoming a better, stronger person and he'd want to defend this new life he has made for himself. His obsession with protecting his contracts could translate well here.

Kalim is a Royal because he's mega rich and has been sheltered from the concept of bad things that happen to normal people; he has nothing to worry about. It also helps that Kalim is twisted from a character that doesn't meet a bad ending. I think he'd be aware of Jami's doomed destiny, but Kalim is so ignorant that he thinks it'll just be fine and it'll work itself out. Part of his growth could be being forced to reckon with the reality that Jamil is suffering under the legacy assigned to him and accepting the role that he plays in that by not acting.

Idia is a Royal--or at least pre-book 6 Idia is. He's a very pessimistic guy and repeatedly expresses hopelessness about the future, bemoaning the curse he and his family have to bear. Idia doesn't want to try to fight his fate, he's already accepted that it will happen and so closes himself off from others to save himself that heartbreak. Post-book 6 Idia will have swapped over to the Rebel side thanks to Ortho reviving the hope in him.

Vil is a Rebel simply for the fact that he fights social conventions. He's already out here shattering gender roles, but finds it much harder to breach that expectation that villains are just villains and nothing more. Vil keeps getting rejected at every turn, told that it's impossible to rewrite his story, that his frustrations are the natural result of jealousy and an ugly heart that festers in side of him. He steels himself to prove that notion wrong, working himself to the bone to get up on that stage and stay on it, waiting to be lavished with praise that he truly is the fairest one of all. I feel this would be so fascinating for Vil's own arc about self acceptance; maybe he wears himself down emotionally because he HAS to basically be perfect due to his job but also denies himself normal feelings like anger and jealousy because confessing that you have such "ugly" feelings only validates that you're shallow just like the stories say you will be.

Malleus is a tough one, but I settled for Royal in the end. Maleficent is doomed to be slain by a sword, right? So am I saying that THE Malleus Draconia, who is infamously arrogant about his magical abilities, would lie down and take a stab like that? Of course not! However, I do think that Malleus is initially someone who values tradition and living up to noblesse oblige. As the future ruler of a nation, people's stories are relying on him to play his expected role out, which he'd be fully cognizant of. I also think Malleus would be afforded the luxury of not having to face his destiny as soon as his peers are due to his long life span. This is in part because the person destined to slay him doesn't come into his life for literally hundreds of years. Then when book 7 arrives, Malleus has to deal with his loved ones leaving and/or betraying him as well as the realization that this is his destiny: dying alone and unloved. That'd just break him.

ahdbiqwdbqwli I COULD TALK ABOUT THIS AU FOR FOREVER BUT I'LL CUT IT SHORT OR ELSE I'LL NEVER SHUT UP 😭

EAH has so many good characters and interesting storylines, it's hard for me to pick a favorite! I of course love Apple and Raven's dilemmas, but I feel like it's cheating to pick one of them as my favorite. The whole Wonderland gang is also fantastic... I'm a sucker for their aesthetic, but they're so fun and silly in general. Kitty, Lizzie, and especially Madeline are 👌

Mmm, when I think long and hard about it, I think my favorite EAH character has to be Briar Beauty, daughter of Sleeping Beauty. Firstly, I love all the pink, roses, and bramble in her design. Secondly, I love the layers to why she is the way she is. Briar's a party girl not because "lmao, wouldn't that be a funny haha subversion of Sleeping Beauty" but because she wants to live life up before she falls asleep for 100 years and literally loses all her friends and family to the natural passage of time. That's seriously so smart and such an inventive way to think about the trauma a descendant of Sleeping Beauty might have. Seeing Briar transition from one of Apple's besties and biggest supporters to an outright rebel is satisfying as heck. (Gotta take a moment to shout out this classic moment :3)

I don't know if I would compare Briar to Jade since they're entirely different characters. However, looking at the source material, I'm actually surprised I like Briar as much as I do since I have never cared for the story of Sleeping Beauty. A part of me finds this ironic since Malleus harbors a similar fear as Briar (losing loved ones) yet I see Malleus's desire as way more selfish and self-serving than Briar's. I believe that's because Briar doesn't have the same arrogance as Malleus, so I'm more forgiving with her. EAH's actual equivalent to Malleus is Faybelle, daughter of the Dark Fairy, but I don't like her as much as I do Briar (hence why I'm comparing Malleus and Briar, not Malleus and Faybelle).

I haven't read the EAH books but I want to one day! I'd prefer to borrow them since I don't have enough space in my room for more physical books, so as soon as I find copies at a library or something...

This blog has kind of become a place where I occasionally talk about my other interests, generally as it relates to TWST, my main interest. I'd like to keep it like this since managing multiple blogs can be so draining. It already takes quite a bit of time to regularly write responses to asks just on one blog!

[yanderespamton78]

sometimes i feel like toby fox made spamton and the addisons especially for people to hyperfixate on. everything about them seems so perfect for people to go rabid about its insane to me

for one, spamton himself pretty much counts for 4 people, those being addispam, big shot spamton, in game spamton, and spamton neo. now sure you mostly see people going rabid about in game spamton but ive seen plenty of people who are obsessed with a version we dont get to see on screen

secondly, even the main in game spamton himself is kinda up to interpretation. loads of people characterise him differently. if i compared two aus to eachother theyd often be very different and depending on the ones i chose could be almost like 2 different people, and then if i compared those to in-game spamton, theyd still be very different. also since you dont see addispam and big shot spamton on screen you dont even know what they acted like so again basically you can make your own guy to fixate on with a few prompts as to what he was like

dont even get me started on the addisons. now im biased as fuck here seeing that ive been fixated on the addisons for like 6 months now (send help) but toby fox basically gave us 4 templates for us to have fun with. sure based off of in game dialogue you have a bit to go off of when it comes to their personality (pink being an asshole and blue being caring for example) but even then every addison in every different au is slightly different and i have never seen two addisons turn out exactly the same. ALSO you dont even know the relationship these characters have to spamton meaning you can have them be siblings, you can have them be friends, or you can ship them based off of what you enjoy. OR you could just ignore them altogether (which a lot of people do lmao)

also another thing is the fact that you dont necessarily need to have your addisons' personalities just reflect off of spamtons. I mean the main 4 addisons give you enough to go off of to make your own, and you are given cyber city, an entire fantasy world for you to put them in. cyber city again is up to interpretation, some people have it be like a normal city, some people make it a utopia, some people make it a hellscape. the choice is yours!!

and even then in game spamton is so versatile. he is perfect for angsty stuff, fluffy stuff, or jsut silly stuff, and none of it is out of character. you couldnt really make an angsty spongebob edit could you, itd be weird and out of characer and no one would take it seriously. but also you couldnt make a silly walten files video, sure people do but its out of character and wouldnt actually happen canonically. but spamton on the other hand. hes the kinda guy who you can draw holding a wallet in his mouth like a cat and generally being silly but also you could draw him sobbing at the bottom of dumpster and neither would be out of character!! AAAA

also extra thing i thought id add but his backstory is also very up to interpretation, like i dont think ive ever seen two people who think spamtons rise and downfall went exactly the same. sure everyone has the same general idea of how it went but some people believe in acid theory, some people believe in puppetification theory, some people have a mix of both, some people have their own idea of how it went down, and with that you can project different parts of your own trauma onto whatever happened to him.

ok sorry that was so long thank you for reading my very biased ramble about why spamton is perfect byeeee

[mdzs-fanon-exposed]

MDZS Fanon VS Canon: 10/?

Wei Wuxian was called the Yiling Patriarch during the Sunshot Campaign

Rating: FANON – CONFLICTING

There is, understandably, a bit of confusion about when Wei Wuxian started to be known as the Yiling Patriarch. For convenience's sake, he's often called by this title throughout many fanwork depictions of the Sunshot Campaign, and/or the period in which he was coreless. This makes sense from an aesthetics perspective, as during this point in his life he was already adopting the persona associated with the Patriarch brand, but in canon, the title was only given to him after he liberated the Wen prisoners.

Put simply, it's not possible for Wei Wuxian to have been called the Yiling Patriarch during the Sunshot Campaign, because by definition the title must have been given to him once he was based out of Yiling – after he liberated the labor camps and set the Wen settlement up in the Burial Mounds. Although Wei Wuxian had been thrown into the Burial Mounds by Wen Chao, ostensibly drawing that connection before the Sunshot Campaign, nobody else (besides some of the Wens) knew at the time.

However, the title was not given to Wei Wuxian immediately after settling in the Burial Mounds. We can actually pinpoint the exact turning point when Wei Wuxian "became" the Yiling Patriarch:

After Wei Wuxian defected from the Jiang Clan of Yunmeng and became the Yiling Patriarch, he’d been in significant conflict with the Lan Clan of Gusu, especially in the months prior to his death. (Seven Seas Ch. 4)

Wei Wuxian was only known as the Yiling Patriarch after his split with Jiang Cheng and the Yumeng Jiang Sect. This means there was a period of time in between the formation of the Wen Settlement and Wei Wuxian's defection, in which Wei Wuxian was living in the Burial Mounds but was NOT yet publicly known as the "big bad evil cultivator" Yiling Patriarch.

We also know the first time the words "Yiling Patriarch" are mentioned chronologically:

None of the fierce corpses Wei Wuxian had ordered to patrol the foot of the mountain actively attacked anyone—the most they did was hurl them away with teeth bared in a snarl. No one was ever hurt. And so, more and more people crowded at the foot of the Burial Mounds. Wei Wuxian once saw a long pennant in the distance, emblazoned with the title “The Supreme Evil Yiling Patriarch,” and spat out an entire mouthful of fruit wine at the sight. (Seven Seas Ch. 17)

This implies that the title of "Yiling Patriarch" was formulated not by anyone in the cultivation world who saw Wei Wuxian as a threat, but by the common people who idolized him. The title could have then spread to members of cultivation sects, who adopted the common name.

In fact, the next time we see a reference to the title is when the Jiang siblings secretly meet with Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning, and Jiang Cheng uses it to tease Wei Wuxian:

“Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng were still standing inside the courtyard. Jiang Cheng raised his bowl. “To the Yiling Patriarch.” “Hearing the title reminded Wei Wuxian of that long pennant fluttering shamelessly in the wind, and his mind was filled with its huge dazzling words: “The Supreme Evil Yiling Patriarch.” “Shut up!” he said.” ... He finished the rest of his soup in a single mouthful and stood. “Impressive. Amazing. As expected of the Yiling Patriarch.” Wei Wuxian spat out a piece of bone. “Are you done?” (Seven Seas Ch. 17)

Meaning while the title spread incredibly fast, it was not taken seriously (by Wei Wuxian, at least) for at least a short period of time while the rumors surrounding Wei Wuxian were building up. Notably, Wei Wuxian does not associate himself with the title.

My interpretation of why this happened is that during the period that Wei Wuxian was still part of the Jiang Clan, his actions were seen as representative of – or at least the responsibility of – the Jiangs. Regardless of whether the cultivation world knew he was working alone, as it were, he was still beholden to a sect who had power over him. Wei Wuxian would not have been seen as a "patriarch" in his own right.

After the defection, however, Wei Wuxian was an unknown in terms of affiliation, and thus a potential threat. With the rumors about him already beginning to paint him as evil and unstable, combined with the fact that he was going on public night hunts with Wen Ning, he quickly became notorious:

After stealing the show at several Night Hunts, quite a few people came knocking, drawn by admiration of his reputation and in hopes of joining the “Grandmaster” to become disciples under his banner. (Seven Seas Ch. 17)

Thus, the title of "Yiling Patriarch" would have only been popularized once it was assumed that Wei Wuxian wanted to start his own sect. This would have only exacerbated the hypothetical threat that Wei Wuxian was to the cultivation world as well, and contributed to his mythologizing as a quintessential sort of boogieman. This is actually an excellent example of a major theme in MDZS, of how quickly rumors can cause severe harm.

In the end, regardless of how or by whom the title was created, Wei Wuxian was only (unwillingly) given the title of Yiling Patriarch after he defected from the Jiangs.

[jalluzas-ferney]

Cole wasnt “changed” to be gay. He never was STRAIGHT in the first place.

and hell- whi says he’s strictly gay now? Cole could like girls as well for all we know 🤷‍♀️ uk like, be a Bi king or smth.

The thing is, just like people are used to seeing characters from books as white as a default until stated otherwise, just because they’re so used to it, this happens with straightness as well.

People are will BEG and SWEAR that a character is straight just because they were never outright stated to be otherwise. And emphasis on “outright stated” because even when there is coding, hinting or just blatant portrayal of it, people will still deny that that certain character is queer because it’s not like they canonically turned to the camera and told the audience that “I AM NOT STRAIGHT.”

But to them, even if the character rarely showed any interest in the opposite gender or ever really talked ab their attraction, the character is just automatically straight. It’s just inherent. Of course they’re straight.

And you know what? Even if the character does, who said Bi people don’t exist? I have a lot of Bi friends and a family member that either are bi or are dating a bi person, and their attraction towards the opposite gender has never invalidated their attraction towards the same if gender non-conforming.

And even then, a lot of gay men or lesbians have struggled with comp-het in the past, reuniting them in having tried to date or even marry people from the opposite gender only to then realize they never truly were straight, and were just compulsively trying to conform or believe that they are straight because again, straightness has always been seen as the status quo. As the normal thing to be. The default.

And this isn’t me saying that “the writers were writing Cole as a dude with comp-het this whole time” or smth because I don’t know that. And while I could theorize that I don’t think the writers really were thinking about implementing compulsive heterosexuality into this silly Lego show.

But just like I can’t assure that Cole canonically has suffered from comp-het or that he is gay and not Bi or hell he could be asexual or smth while being gay WHO KNOWS-but just like we can’t exactly assure that he is exactly one of those labels, people cannot come here and act like Cole was ever REALLY canonically straight. Hell. You could even say None of the characters of the show are STRAIGHT because who said they were? You can def interpret them as straight! But why do people insist on acting as if portraying Cole as having a male character a romantic interest as them CHANGING him as if he really ever WAS straight?

No one acts that when a character is straight that it was a huge betrayal or smth because the character was “OBVIOUSLY” gay by default. No. People just see it as normal and move on because that has always been the status quo.

Because this is a heteronormative society as much as people try to act as if making a character gay is “appealing to the world and the general public” as if straight people are suddenly oppressed. Hetero friends of mine or my family will always automatically assume I’m straight because that’s the norm to them. People will always assume someone it het or cis unless outright stated otherwise.

And if you can’t tell what’s wrong with that…

…

And you know what? Get all pissed off about it. Complain. Make petition for “saving your boy Cole” (save him from what exactly? It’s not like Christianity exists in Ninjago so yall can scratch hell out of the list at least) the season was made. The character of Geo was made. The scenes where Geo fantasized about Cole being awesome and handsome were made. Scenes where Cole and geo talk about needing each other were made. Scenes where geo and Cole hold hands and look at each other all lovey dovey were made. None of that bigoted complaining is going to change that. Theyre not going back and deleting those scenes and they’re not suddenly gonna write Geo and Cole in completely different way from what they were written before. Womp. WOMP.

[lesbiantaylorswiftstan]

no offense, but some of you jemily stans - especially the younger ones (and yes i know i'm part of that demographic) - would believe me if i said i wrote "gullible" on the ceiling. we're not getting canon romantic jemily in s18 or very likely ever. paget is not queerbaiting. aj is not queerbaiting. the cm social media team is not queerbaiting (and i would like to add that none of them have a say in how the show is written, so begging them to make jemily canon or accusing them of queerbaiting does literally nothing except make you miserable)

yes, jemily is the word used to refer to the potential romantic relationship between jj and emily, but it's also always been the word used to refer to their friendship. saying that there will be jemily moments or that jemily will be "alive" does not mean they're promising romantic jemily. after not getting any jemily interaction in s16, we should honestly be thankful that they're giving us these moments between jj and emily (that you can interpret however you want!!!)

like in my opinion, the ultimate jemily moment last season was absolutely perfect. we all (or at least most of us) knew that romantic jemily was not going to become canon, but they gave us a moment that made up for the complete lack of interaction in s16, acknowledged everything they've been through together, and could easily be interpreted as having romantic subtext if you so choose. and yet some of you were still complaining because what? you honestly thought jj and emily were going to kiss and/or confess their undying love for each other despite all the circumstances inside and outside the show that make that completely unrealistic?

the worst thing is that i know the people who want jemily so desperately to be canon would probably still complain about it if it became canon because it didn't happen in the way they want, just like they complained about the ultimate jemily moment

[firstkanaphans]

I've noticed this (as a majorly JD fan) that most people like to complain about fixed cps when it comes to FirstKhao only! It's more apparent when there are mostly no (or less) talk about it when long term CPs keep doing shows together (I mean OG are having their 7th show as a pair coming this gmmtv 2025 and they will be very much welcomed).

There is even demand for CPs that are no longer together to come back (like MaxTul -btw I love them and would love them to so another show together although I know Tul is retired from acting and so that's not gonna happen).

In short- why is there demand for FirstKhao to do works separately and not as a pair? (They have only 2 shows as a pair til now. THK is going to be their 3rd.) Is it because The Eclipse or Only Friends were not that well received?

The Eclipse and Only Friends were both incredibly well-received and were two of the most popular BLs GMMTV has put out in years, so it’s definitely not that. I’m hesitant to tell you what I really think because I’m worried I’ll get canceled for it, but I’ve already blocked everyone who disagrees with me and I’ve now reached the anger stage of my election grief so hey, what the hell.

If you want my honest opinion about why FirstKhaotung seem to be the primary target for this War on CPs, we need to go back to the Only Friends era. It’s important to note that this particular argument against CPs seems to be entirely isolated to Tumblr. Plenty of people dislike CPs or think there should be more mixing and matching of pairs, but that’s not the argument I’m talking about. What you see people saying on Tumblr is that CPs are actively ruining the industry and that writers and directors are going so far as to obstruct themselves creatively just so CPs can end up together. The first time I ever heard rumblings of this was during Only Friends.

Here’s the thing about Only Friends. Before it aired—and even in the beginning stages of it airing—a bunch of the more, ahem, “intellectual” fans seemed to have some very grand delusions about what it was and what it wasn’t. Delusions that were never supported by the canon or anyone involved in the creative process. Throughout this, a bunch of us “fangirls” (gender neutral) tried to fight back and tell them they were misreading the text, but the general consensus was that obviously we didn’t know what we were talking about because we were just fangirls.

But then guess who turned out to have interpreted the text correctly all along?

All of our predictions came true while none of theirs did and instead of admitting that maybe they weren’t engaging with this particular piece of media the way it was meant to be engaged with, they started inventing conspiracy theories about how the series would have ended differently if only it weren’t for those meddling CPs! The FK fandom has a huge faction here on Tumblr and I fear FK took the brunt of their anger—and is still taking it even now.

I just…imagine thinking Jojo Tichakorn secretly hates CPs and is being forced to use them against his will. Jojo Tichakorn? The same Jojo Tichakorn that’s been tweeting about SkyNani nonstop for the past month?! This man is inventing CPs that don’t even exist yet! He is one of us.

My truth is that most of this anger at CPs is actually just thinly veiled misogyny because it revs up anytime a true romance starts getting attention (such as We Are). Romances have always been overlooked and seen as “less than” simply because it is a genre enjoyed by women, but romances have just as much value as any other genre of media and despite popular belief, fangirls are capable of critical thought.

My advice? Just go on a blocking spree before THK airs because it’s only going to get worse. People hate to see women enjoying things.

[foxedfriend]

Supernatural spoilers for like the whole show//

Thinking about how it was ok to make God canonically bisexual in Supernatural, but Dean Winchester wasn’t allowed to be.

It was so easy for them too. SO EASY. They were just like “oh btw god has had bfs as well as gfs!” And that was it. No hints, no subtext, no dramatic buildup and easing the audience into it. None of that. Just. God’s bi I guess 🤷‍♂️. Even though it seems like a throwaway, practically a funny gotcha! line. It’s still there.

That’s what hurts the most for me. Just how easy, how effortless queer rep seemed to be for the show in later seasons. Nothing crazy. Nothing extreme. A simple sentence. A romantic interest who happens to be of the same gender.

Even for God. Something from our reality that a lot of people believe in. Religious people generally don’t like it when people make things up about him because it messes with their image of something they genuinely believe in. But the show did it anyway. They didn’t really seem to care about upsetting people. Even though their target audience was originally macho cis het men (those who are generally more conservative and Christian leaning). Oh yeah just make him bi.

But not Dean. No, never Dean. There’s no way they could make him bi or gay or anything like that. He’s our manly hero. Our main good guy.

No, that’d be crazy. You’re crazy. Oh yeah all of these random side characters are queer and engage in queer behaviours: evil witches, the king of hell, the most macho burly hunter you’ve ever seen (not Dean tho), LITERALLY GOD HIMSELF. But not Dean. Don’t be stupid now. Oh yeah Cas is queer and in love with Dean. Maybe. But Dean would never reciprocate that. Dean isn’t gay. He can’t be. For some reason.

And that’s how the show ended.

I appreciate everything said and done by actors and writers later on and I know what’s true in my heart and have my own interpretations of the text of the show, but it kind of would’ve just been nice to have something concrete and official in the show. A small line. You know. Would’ve made me feel a little less crazy. A little less alone.

[saintsenara]

idk if someone else asked you this but: what's your fav interpretation of snily? platonic or romantic? (my fav is platonic, but tbh i love any version of them that still respecting their tragedy)

ok lads, here we, here we, here we fucking go...

i like snily a lot - as both a platonic and a romantic pairing - because i think it has so much potential to be really interesting - and, above all, that it's interesting because it's a great relationship for an author to use to directly undercut a lot of tropes about love [romantic or otherwise] which both the canon series and vast amounts of fanfiction use uncritically.

by which i mean, it's not a big, epic, written-in-the-stars love story. it's not inevitable - it's not ginny "never giving up" on harry - and it's not romcom-happy-ending-perfect - the way james and lily's relationship is described by everyone who ever speaks about them - and it's not a perfect blending of two halves of the same soul - there's no timeline in which we could hear mcgonagall saying "you never saw one without the other", as she does about james and sirius - and it never could be.

but what it can be - much like remadora, which i think is genuinely one of snily's closest parallels - is evidence that love which is none of these things has the capacity to be just as transformative, just as meaningful, as just as worth an author's time.

and - of course - has the capacity to be possible. i'm not going to bother with the argument that snily is impossible to write in a canon-coherent way [or impossible to write without it being abusive] - and i'm especially not going to bother with the argument that it's immoral to see as a plausible pairing. thinking this is a skill issue - a refusal to grapple with several of the fundamental truths about being human: that redemption is possible; that forgiveness - even of the gravest sins - is possible too; that love is strange and unpredictable; and that there is nobody - not a single soul - on earth who is unworthy of it.

which is why - of course - my favourite flavour of snily is one in which james dies in 1981 [maybe he's the one who won't stand aside, maybe the magic which causes the killing curse to rebound doesn't need to hinge on choice, and so on] but she and harry live, and that - in order to try and ground herself in the face of her shattering grief - she returns to cokeworth, seeking a reminder of the certainty of childhood which she can cling to at a time when everything else is out of control.

that snape would be lurking about is unsurprising - the man clings to the certainties of his childhood [even if these certainties are much less happy than lily's] like a limpet. he's still living at spinner's end, seething about james and sirius - stuck in the past and unwilling to move on to the future.

and not only stuck in the past, but stuck on a fantasy.

it's clear in canon that snape and lily's major issue - prior to the break in their friendship which we see in snape's worst memory - is that neither of them ever takes the other as they actually are. the lily of snape's head is a construct - especially after her death - and the snape of lily's head is the same.

lily - even in the few pages of her we see in canon - seems to be stuck viewing snape as the child, devoted exclusively to her, whose role was to teach her about the wonderful world of magic, and who acted primarily as a tool of her own self-actualisation.

this is why she can’t understand why snape is so embarrassed by the way his poverty makes him stand out at hogwarts, and why this would make him want to fit in with the sort of purebloods she clearly thinks are awful. it's why she doesn't understand his need for reassurance when it comes to whether his [platonic] affection for her is reciprocated. it's why she doesn't take what happens to him at the marauders' hand seriously until she's made an explicit part of it by james. and it's also why she doesn't engage with snape's radicalisation until she literally can't ignore it anymore. mulciber and avery can be figures she loathes - and figures she recognises as potential death eaters - because she regards them as having the agency to be bad people if they so desire. but snape isn't someone she sees as existing for himself or having a life of his own, until his behaviour is so egregious that it forces the scales to fall from her eyes. he exists for her.

and snape is the same. he sees himself as the person who gave lily the wizarding world and, therefore, as the person who gets to dictate how she understands it.

this is why he can't understand what it is about mulciber's use of dark magic which appalls her [as a teenager, he, like voldemort, clearly thinks that applying boundaries to which sort of magic can or should be practised is nanny-state gatekeeping]. it's why he doesn't understand why it upsets her when he's rude to petunia and why he fails to grasp that she can simultaneously have a difficult relationship with her sister and love and value her. it's why he dislikes her forming her own views on the marauders, instead of agreeing with his. and it's why he thinks lily's hatred of the death eaters is stupid - he believes [undoubtedly correctly, given voldemort's relationship with him] that joining the organisation will allow him to transcend the restrictions imposed upon him by his muggle father and social class, and he is incapable of seeing how this wouldn't be the case for lily. she exists for him.

teen snily exists within this context - and i think there's something sincerely interesting which can be done with an exploration of their friendship [including that friendship turning into a romantic relationship] which takes the fact that the two people involved have to confront their mutual insistence on loving an imagined version of the other into account. maybe it crashes and burns - as it does in canon, when snape and lily see each other clearly for the first time when he calls her a mudblood - or maybe they start trying to do the work.

and adult snily exists within this context magnified to a hundred. i think there's just something so compelling about the idea of them running into each other in cokeworth. and lily being torn between seeing snape clearly - knowing exactly who he is and what he's done - and still wanting to pretend that he's the best friend of her childhood, so she can have five minutes of respite from the immensity of james' death. and snape being torn between wanting to confess his role in the prophecy debacle to her - to take responsibility and commit to atonement, safe in the knowledge that this would mean losing her forever - and still wanting to pretend that everything is as it was again, and lily will listen to him, and be what he wants [and needs] her to be.

and this gives us the potential for mess - and mess which is very sad, which is the best kind.

maybe they reestablish their friendship [or even transform it into a relationship] while clinging to that childhood fantasy, and are then forced to acknowledge who the other really is and fall apart. maybe they don't ever acknowledge this, and remain stuck in a mire of toxic codependency which hangs on never being honest with themselves and each other.

maybe snape stubbornly refuses to move on from his hatred of james [just imagine...] even once he has what he's always claimed to have wanted. maybe lily can't move past the mudblood incident. maybe the revelation of the prophecy and snape's role within it is something lily - entirely, entirely understandably - would never be able to move past.

and yet...

maybe - gradually, and with lots of setbacks - they each learn how to be satisfied with the other as a real person. maybe they learn how to listen to each other, how to talk to each other, how to value each other. maybe they let go of childish resentments - maybe lily says "yeah, james was a dick to you and i could have been more sympathetic to that" and snape says "thanks, now i can work on moving on from this so i'm not the sort of person who's still obsessed with school beef when i'm nearly forty". maybe they work through bigger, more justified resentments - maybe snape shows that he is sincerely sorry about calling lily a mudblood, and demonstrates this, and she feels able to accept his apology.

and maybe snape looks her in the eye and tells her what he did, and lily still manages to find some small glimmer of hope in the midst of her fury that she thinks is worth clinging to.

[the fact that switching sides and putting yourself into mortal danger in an attempt to destroy voldemort means that you have a pretty good claim for your wish to atone for your sins to be genuine, for instance...]

perhaps the two of them find themselves in a state of fragile cordiality - polite hellos in shops, a quick drink at christmas. perhaps they bury the hatchet but then lose touch, and forgiving snape and being forgiven by lily helps them each let the other go. perhaps they have a relationship which doesn't last, but which is no less significant to either of them for it. perhaps they share a drunken kiss and laugh about it the next day. perhaps they work out how to be friends properly - and they're yapping away over a roast dinner as we speak. and perhaps they work out how to be more than that.

stranger things have happened, and they always will. isn't it fun to come up stories which think about how?

[beautifulhigh]

Hi hi!! It's unfair of me to ask you to actually write the full essay on the rwrb red room kiss scene, but I saw your tags and am very interested in at least what the main thesis would be, if you feel like sharing!! No worries if not 😊 Have a good night/day/whatever time it is where you are!

The last few weeks have been, well. They've Been™ and I'm going to use this wonderful ask to dust off my overthinking tag and write a meta post on this movie, these boys, and then hope more than three people care what I have to say.

The Red Room kiss scene is Iconic™ and Important™ and in this essay I (really) will discuss agency, framing, and why it always had to be Alex to be the one to make the move.

While book!Alex takes book!Henry to the Red Room, here he's waiting. Bundle of nervous energy. He doesn't know what to do with himself, how to hold himself, how to present himself when Henry turns up. He's backlit in this (which is a theatre technique, I see you Matthew) but it also adds to the drama and tension of the scene.

The (in)famous painting of Hamilton, about to bear witness to things.

We jump cut between Alex trying to find... something. Here he is realising his shirt has come slightly undone and he wants to try and be somewhat presentable. At least for the moment. But it speaks to Alex's physicality in this scene because he is shifting and moving so much that his clothing is shifting. There's also an interpretation that this suit represents the formality of the situation - the Prime Minister's dinner, at which he (the First Son) and the boy he wants to kiss (the actual Prinec) are supposed to be front and centre and the picture of formality.

He's coming undone in this moment because he's the First Son and he's waiting for the Prince, but he's also Alex and he's waiting for Henry.

Ah, yes. The casual lean against the wall. Fancy seeing you here, your Royal Highness, what do you think of the menu? But there's grounding here too. When you're spiralling focusing on a physical point of contact between you and and something can help ground you.

It's also a defensive stance in a way. You shall not pass, I'm not moving. Alex is claiming space and territory and he's controlling it.

"How dare you fucking kiss me, run away, ghost me, then walk into the White House like nothing changed." This is closed off, defensive, protective - probably why it's the quickest of the poses to be dismissed. He's got his back against the wall like he's scared or ready to come out fighting. And, in a way, both of those are true.

Book!Alex is mid-crisis on his bisexuality and while he logically knows he is very much into Henry, he's not gotten to the point of turning theory into reality.

Movie!Alex is more chill about being into guys, but this attraction to Henry is confusing him. He hates the guy. He wants to punch him in the mouth. With his mouth.

(What? That's literally book canon: and if he weren’t already hell-bent on destroying Henry’s infuriating idiot face with his mouth right now, he would consider doing it with his fist.)

Casual lean against the table, less staged and jarring than the extended arm against the wall.

But then Henry walks in and Alex stands to attention and he is... rapt. He is calm and composed and he is focused. We're back to the back-lit position which helps frame him with a near-halo effect.

And you can see that he is relaxed. There's a slight drop in the jaw, his shoulders are sloped and rounded. Because none on what he was trying to convey before matters. Henry is here.

"Look" he starts with - he's expecting a fight. He's expecting Alex to go off on one for the kiss, for the liberty taken. Even if Alex is willing to forget that it ever happened, take Henry's secret to the grave, Henry gets one thing right in this.

"my behaviour was appalling"

Because it was. Look, Hen, I love you and I'm with Alex in the feeling that I will go to war for you to see you happy and safe. But you did kinda kiss him without consent (harsh reading) and you did ghost him without apology (soft reading) and for a boy raised in the Royal Household that... well... it's pretty much top items on the Very Bad Behaviour list. He did not act with decorum or dignity, he did not act in the way that his status and position demands.

(That's OK, Hen. Because the boy under the linden tree wasn't the Prince. It's OK to not be him, and Alex is going to spend the rest of his life loudly loving the man, not the prince.)

"Shut up, stop talking." // “Shut up, shut all the way up, oh my God,” Alex hisses

Because even though both versions of Alex said he wanted to talk to Henry, in the moment that's the last thing he wants to do. And actions speak louder than words, right?

Why it had to be Alex

Henry needed to make the first move, that New Year's kiss, because there needed to be something to make Alex realise that this thing he's feeling is very much reciprocated, and that Henry wants it too. If Alex had kissed Henry for the first time on New Year's Eve/Day then it would have been too much of a leap. Alex, at whatever stage of his bisexual journey, has no clear idea of Henry's orientation at that party. It's only with retrospective viewing that he realises that Henry was low-key flirting, and that the sharing of these deeply personal moments wasn't just a "two bros in a hot tub" thing.

So Henry had to kiss Alex first but then he had to run because there was no way that the mostly-closeted, private Prince could accept that a) he fucking kissed a boy, b) said boy is the one he's been dreaming of since Rio/Melbourne, and c) the boy kinda?? kissed him back?? Henry will have been having a low-grade anxiety attack all through January (and trying to reclaim some control with the date he went on in the book).

In this moment, Alex knows all the pieces. He's played this logic game to its conclusion and he knows all the facts. 1) Henry is gay. 2) Henry is into him. 3) He's into Henry. That last fact is something Henry isn't fully aware of (or at least can't bring himself to believe it to be true) and so it has to be Alex.

He doesn't want Henry to say something that would get in the way of this, doesn't want to hear any kind of pre-prepared speech of "yeah, we're better off as friends" that always happens when the couple get too close to getting together too early in the run time. Alex is full on shutting that down, shutting Henry up, and he gives as good as he got.

"Wait a minute" // Henry’s too shocked to respond, mouth falling open slackly in a way that’s more surprise than invitation, and for a horrified moment Alex thinks he calculated all wrong, but then Henry’s kissing him back, and it’s everything.

And this time it's both of them. Framed between Hamilton and the books. The American political trailblazer and the literary. In the space between? There's our boys.

Alex's hand is on the wall again and he's controlling the space but Henry is very much in it. He's protective but in a different way.

In one frantic motion, Alex knocks the candelabra off the table next to them and pushes Henry onto it so he’s sitting with his back against—Alex looks up and almost breaks into deranged laughter—a portrait of Alexander Hamilton. Henry’s legs fall open readily and Alex crowds up between them, wrenching Henry’s head back into another searing kiss. They’re really moving now, wrecking each other’s suits, Henry’s lip caught between Alex’s teeth, the portrait’s frame rattling against the wall when Henry’s head drops back and bangs into it. Alex is at his throat, and he’s somewhere between angry and giddy, caught up in the space between years of sworn hate and something else he’s begun to suspect has always been there. It’s white-hot, and he feels crazy with it, lit up from the inside. Henry gives as good as he gets, hooking one knee around the back of Alex’s thigh for leverage, delicate royal sensibilities nowhere in the cut of his teeth. Alex has been learning for a while Henry isn’t what he thought, but it’s something else to feel it this close up, the quiet burn in him, the pent-up person under the perfect veneer who tries and pushes and wants. He drops a hand onto Henry’s thigh, feeling the electrical pulse there, the smooth fabric over hard muscle. He pushes up, up, and Henry’s hand slams down over his, digging his nails in.

The sensibility of the suits is on its way out, they're not the First Son and the Prince. And Alex is taking the lead.

Agency

Henry is somewhat passive in this - although he is fully engaged - but it's Alex who set this in motion. Pun intended. Alex who pushed him against the wall. Alex who pushed him up onto the table and hiked his leg up around his hip, Alex who is driving in. Because Alex needs Henry to know that third fact. The one he's worked out, the one that Henry is just catching up with. This isn't payback, it's not some prank. Alex Wants™.

There's a scene I'm writing in my current FirstPrince WiP in which Alex and Henry have a charged moment. And Henry wants to act on it but those princely sensibilities get in the way and he can't let himself be led into doing something that could be used against him. If Henry made all the moves then the accusation of him taking advantage, of the inherant imbalance that comes with status and titles and positions of power. So in the scene, and here, Alex takes the lead. There's no way anyone could accuse Henry of forcing Alex into doing this.

(Good luck getting Alex to do ANYTHING he doesn't want to.)

So Alex gives and Henry takes and he gets the memo very quickly.

Fact number three. Alex wants this too.

Then Movie!Amy walks in on them (which IMO is way funnier than Book!Amy hissing through a crack in the door) and these idiots try to act like they weren't redefining International Relations a second ago. Alex is by the painting, Henry is by the books. They've gone back to their sides and they're playing at being interested in what they find there. But they're not, it's all for show, someone who gives a passing glance at this point sees this part of them, this side of them The First Son and the Prince: the politician and the literary.

They're both backlit, they're in line even if it doesn't look like it, Alex is no longer on Henry's right, and they're both trying to act like the people that others could see them as.

But we - and they - know better. 1) Henry is gay. 2) Henry is into Alex. 3) Alex is into Henry.

4) Everyone is on the same page now.

(Also I know Casey talked about seeing the Red Room on a White House tour and so that's why they included a scene in that room in their book, but I cannot ignore the fact that red = love and passion and danger and fire [the counter to the water motif] and it's a warm colour designed to excite.)

[five-flavor-soup]

Why the endgame couples in A:TLA weren’t necessary: a frustrated ramble

Listen I’m a Zutara shipper through and through (developed after my second rewatch in 2013) but by Tui Agni and La am I glad that it never happened in canon?? Like Kataang and Maiko themselves already felt so rushed and almost out-of-nowhere and their canonisation added like nothing to the plot. Aang’s crush on Katara is a plot device; Zuko’s relationship with Mai at the start of S3 is a plot device. I can barely fathom how Zutara would’ve turned out and I also kinda don’t want to. Imagine Zuko and Katara kissing at the end of the series: it feels completely out of left field, doesn’t it? Knowing that who-ends-up-with-who was an argument in the writer’s room for almost all three seasons means that it could’ve happened.

It shouldn’t have. I don’t think the Kataang kiss or the Maiko romance-reunion should’ve happened either. It’s unnecessary to add—there’s just no need for it, and my nagging here isn’t because I like Zutara and I don’t like how Maiko and Kataang turned out. It’s because the ships and couples and whatever the fuck else are NOT, and should not, be the point of A:TLA—and the ‘couple gets together in the very last scene and all is well :)’ shot suggests that it is.

A:TLA, to me, tried to show the horrifying nature of war and all its victims: the harrowing poverty, the deep-rooted trauma, the bloody violence. I interpreted the most prominent message of A:TLA to be that what was happening during those 100 years is wrong, that war is wrong—it affects the humanity within people, affects what point we offer empathy and kindness, because horrific trauma and needless violence muddies it all up. Why would you hold out a hand for someone who would’ve murdered you if they had the chance? Why would you physically support someone who hurt you and those you care about deeply? Those of the other nations can barely scrounge up empathy for someone from the Fire Nation, because those of the Fire Nation present themselves as inhuman. Those of the Fire Nation can barely scrounge up empathy for someone from any of the other nations, because the Fire Nation presents them as inhuman. And A:TLA shows that all these people are human, good and bad and all of that in between, because that’s just what humanity is. Varied and morally grey.

THAT’S what the GAang learns. That’s what the people around them learn. It’s what Iroh, a war criminal in his own right, tries to teach every child and teen who he interacts with: not in a preachy way, but in a vague way that implies he’d rather have them figure it out themselves lest they interpret his direct teachings wrong. He got indoctrinated into this terrorising, imperialist regime from the day he was born and onwards and it took a personal loss — the death of his son during a siege Iroh himself was leading, a siege in which Iroh and Lu Ten were the aggressors — for him to start thinking that maybe it’s all wrong. Maybe what he was taught is wrong. And he doesn’t want these children to take as long as he did.

The GAang and their (teenage) enemies and small antagonists have all been touched by war, almost to the point of no return. None of the need for violence, the calm in the face of battle and death, the willingness to sacrifice innocents for a sliver of retribution, the extensive knowledge of How To Fight A Battle And Win—none these qualities that these children (!!) may or may not portray are ‘normal’ teenage behaviours. They simply have to have them, or they die or freeze. Their childhoods were stopped in their tracks early because of experiences no child should ever experience. Such is the reality of war. And yet, in spite of the hurt and harm, the GAang is still capable of kindness and empathy. That’s what it’s about.

To end the series with explicit romance — Sokka/Suki doesn’t count, their relationship is not as in-your-face as The Scenes — just feels wrong. Maybe with another season of development it could’ve worked far better (and less unexpected, especially since the previous one-on-one Kataang interaction was Katara getting cross with Aang for kissing her when she was confused; and the previous one-on-one Maiko interaction was Zuko locking Mai in a cell/out of the way and then leaving without looking back). But with the three seasons that we got, it feels odd that the romance is highlighted at the end—especially when Zuko was miserable with Mai (with her being the human representation of ‘close your eyes and pretend everything’s fine’), and there ALSO was a perfectly good ending scene with the GAang bickering right there. Right before the ending kiss.

Why end it like that, when the series isn’t about romance, but about familial and platonic love and love for humanity instead? Why not just hint towards getting (back) together? What’s the point of these confirmations other than ‘the hero gets the girl’ in both instances?

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Do you know if Riddle, or Tray, ever stands up to his mother? I think i saw it in a Pinterest post once of teen Riddle being slapped by his mom and Tray taking him away.

His background is sadder than Shoto Todoroki from BNHA

We don’t really get to hear about how things are going back home with Mrs. Rosehearts outside of one brief instance. In 4-3, Riddle is leaving for winter break and mentions he intends on speaking with his mother, though he isn’t optimistic about her listening.

Trey states in the same part of the story that he isn’t allowed at Riddle’s house (because Mrs. Rosehearts has banned him). However, Riddle is still invited to visit him and Chenya at the Clover family bakery (though it’s very unlikely Riddle would be able to, since he hasn’t canonically seen Chenya again since the unbirthday party of book 1).

We never get a follow-up on how the conversation between Riddle and his mother went. It’s never touched upon again, and his mom isn’t really brought up beyond this case. (I did happen to write a short piece about Trey, Riddle, and Mrs. Rosehearts interacting though, if you were interested in seeing my own interpretation of this idea.)

Riddle spends most of his time at NRC since it’s a boarding school, meaning there are few opportunities for him to directly interact with his mother. Even if Mrs. Rosehearts were readily accessible to him, I highly doubt we would get to witness Riddle or Trey doing much to talk back to her. As we see in book 4, Riddle is still quite meek and uncertain when it comes to speaking with his mom. Trey, meanwhile, is generally very non-confrontational and may still be dealing with his own complicated feelings about interfering with what are family matters. (Recall that the last time he encouraged Riddle to be adventurous, it resulted in his friend being severely punished and Trey may harbor guilt over this occurrence.) I feel that neither of them would realistically develop the courage to talk back to Mrs. Rosehearts when only like half a year has passed since Riddle’s OB incident as opposed to like seventeen years of Riddle living under her rules.

***CONTENT WARNING: I will be discussing abuse at length under the cut, so please be advised to avoid reading further if the topic makes you uncomfortable.***

Regarding the comic you saw on Pinterest, it is fan art. That is in no way canonical; Mrs. Rosehearts may be very stern and have a temper, but she has never slapped or otherwise put a hand on Riddle. The closest thing we get to a slap is this panel from the manga adaptation, which isn’t even a slap. You can tell from the movement lines and the FWP sfx that Mrs. Rosehearts is just quickly pulling her arm away since Riddle is trying to latch onto it in an attempt to get her to listen to his protests. There is also no mark on Riddle or harsh slap sfx to indicate contact was made.

Now then 💦 There's something very serious and relevant to this ask I'd actually like to discuss, so I hope you'll stick around to hear me out on this.

I know none of us really like Mrs. Rosehearts (which is fair, she has done a lot of terrible things to her son). However, I think it's dangerous for us to speak about her as though she's a total monster and nothing more than a monster. I'm NOT going to stand here and advocate that she has done nothing wrong (she definitely has committed many wrongs). What I'm saying is that I don't agree with her being treated like "just" an abuser.

Let's say we do demonize Mrs. Rosehearts. We see only her negative traits and allow those to define her entire character. This creates a scenario in which she is alienated and dehumanized, left as a caricature of a woman that is solely known for hurting her child. But the thing is, this ISN’T how abuse really works. Few abusers are completely wicked people through and through. Part of the reason why it is so difficult for victims to leave their abusers is because abusers almost never start off abusive. They usually act totally normal, and the abuse often doesn’t come until later or specific situations arise. It creeps up on you in an almost insidious manner, and you don’t expect it coming. I’d also like to mention that abusers often don’t act with the intentional thought of, “Yeah, what I’m doing/saying is abusive”. Abusers typically justify their actions or convince themselves they are acting out of goodness. They don’t do bad things “because they’re bad people”, they do bad things because they think they’re GOOD people. Some abusers may even be victims themselves.

By painting abusers (even fictional ones) as cartoonishly evil, irredeemable, or always cruel, it makes it harder for us to believe the very real danger that we, whom we see as “good” people, could become “bad” ourselves. It makes it harder to believe victims when they report abuse because “oh, the abuse isn’t THAT bad”. It erases the idea that abusers are also human, and that humans have the capacity to be awful sometimes or to perpetuate hurt. It makes it so much harder to identify abuse because we’d only be looking for the most extreme examples of it rather than noticing the small, subtle signs. By “othering” abusers, it’s inadvertently denying so many nuances of abuse... which ultimately is counterproductive.

I would like to point out that even in the example provided of another abusive parent, Endeavor is portrayed with some nuance. He physically and verbally abused his wife, neglected the children he deemed worthless, and pushed the child he deemed to be his successor to the brink. However, Endeavor is also shown to remember a detail as small as his (arranged) wife’s favorite flower when she only told him about it once. He is notably much more lenient when training his first son, who didn’t have the ideal Quirk he sought. Endeavor at one point even confesses to pursuing being a hero in order to avoid the demands of fatherhood, which demonstrates a realistic insecurity and vulnerability… his humanity.

The same could be true for Mrs. Rosehearts. We only assume he is “just an abuser” because we see her in such a limited scope. There are valid reasons to believe why she is a “good” person outside of how we see her acting in Riddle’s recollections, and this may help to explain why Riddle feels so hesitant to “stand up” to her. I would really recommend reading this post, which goes a lot more in-depth about the complications surrounding Riddle’s relationship with his mother. Again, I am in NO WAY defending Mrs. Rosehearts; I am only pointing out that abusers—no matter how horrible their actions—have identities beyond the label of “abuser” that should be acknowledged.

[tiger-is-a-certified-idiot]

Scrolling through fandom tags trying to find art and discussion you 1. care about and 2. agree with is difficult and tiring and relatable and sometimes incredibly aggravating.

So in the light of 'everyone is wrong about this character except for me' I have gathered all of my thoughts around Jayce and Viktor, their potential (or existing) romantic relationships with Mel, Sky, and each other, and I am going to shoehorn all of them onto my blog via this post in anticipation for season 2.

If you don't want to hear my personal opinions of characters you don't particularly care about (or care about too much), I expect you've scrolled off already, see you on a future post. For anyone left, this will be a long post. Like, an absurdly long post. And if I could be bothered to collect screenshots of every shot I reference this post would be even longer, but I hate cropping screenshots, so there should be few to none. (LIE this was a LIE i am SO SORRY)

To begin with, My personal interpretation of Jayce and Viktor's relationship to each other within the context of Arcane canon:

Yes, I do think there is implied romantic interest, from Viktor at least. The conversation between Jayce and Viktor in episode two is a direct parallel to Jayce and Mel's conversation in episode 5 (the one before their kiss/sex scene).

From the lighting, framing, tone, facial expressions, setting, and even conversational topic, these scenes are effectively the same. Jayce has a big dream for the future of Piltover with the introduction of Hextech but he has doubts that he is capable enough or worthy of this responsibility. And Viktor/Mel in these scenes encouraged him and then makes a comparison to something from their past that humbled them, and that they would like to help Jayce achieve his dream.

Viktor states this quite directly, but Mel hides her words in a way that can be easily reinterpreted (in a plethora of ways including as an innuendo) which is still, essentially, the same conversation but from two different characters with two different characterizations. Then, there is a hand touch, and This look.

They both make bedroom eyes at him! Not only that, but again, from the exact same angle, same lighting, almost the same framing (Mel is shot with rule of thirds and Viktor is centered which may have its own implication but I am not well enough versed in filmography to take a crack at that). In conclusion, Viktor was courting Jayce in episode two...

but did Jayce pick up on that?

No. I don't think so. See, Jayce *reacts* to Mel's advance. He picks up on the innuendo when Mel makes it and anticipates Mel's kiss. He never seems to have the same reaction to Viktor. Granted, we may never know for sure since the scene cuts before it moves off of Viktor's face. In the shot with Mel, it continues, because she moves to kiss him. Hm. There are conclusions one could draw from that. Did they kiss? Maybe! Probably not, though. Furthermore,

Does Jayce ever fall for Viktor?

Also no. These two scenes are parallel, meaning Jayce is effectively in the exact same scenario both times. While he had changed as a person between the two, I don't think these scenes were meant just to showcase a loss of control or morality in Jayce, but also the fact that Jayce returns Mel's feelings, but not Viktor's.

Similarly, I think the scene backstage of the Progress Day speech in episode four exists to compare Sky's relationship with Viktor to Viktor's relationship with Jayce.

You see I firmly believe that THIS is a direct parallel

To THIS! which happens in the same shot!

What am I trying to get at here? Well, Sky's relationship to Viktor is that she is in love with him, but he doesn't reciprocate. Viktor either does not notice Sky's feelings for him (which seems unlikely considering he is watching her in this scene and pretty directly rejects her when she asks to walk him home later) or is ignoring them because he does not love her and does not want to press that button in her.

I think Jayce is the same way, with the caveat that I genuinely believe he does not realize Viktor has feelings for him. The only reason I think that, is Jayce 'Path of Least Resistance' Talis would recognize the tension Viktor has in regards to him and speak up about it to relieve some of the uncertainty. Maybe that happened off screen, we don't know and never will, but it seems out of character, to me, for Jayce to know (for seven years!) and just leave it to fester (again, for seven years) when he has to work with Viktor every day and cares a great deal about him.

And I think Viktor has realized this in Jayce, and after the time skip no longer holds onto any hope or desire that chasing Jayce will end well for him.

Long post short, I think Viktor was flirting with Jayce in act 1, fell in love with him over the time skip, and shoved his feelings in his back pocket when he realized they were unrequited.

As for my thoughts on Jaymel? I genuinely found her advances creepy when I watched the show for the first time. I interpreted Jayce's attraction as disgust, and I was shocked when he let her kiss him. On further watches, though, I noticed the complexity in their relationship, and even on the first watch, once Mel's perspective had properly been revealed, I really grew to appreciate their relationship in the show. I will always be partial to jayvik, but I would never try to turn the morally gray-ness of their relationship into a black or white issue. It is well written, well placed, and frankly a brilliant plot point. I will always be more interested in her relationship with her mother, though. And as far as shipping her? Well, have you considered how cute her and Sky would be together??? Everything Mel likes in Jayce times 10, and how could Sky not fall for Mel in return? I am aware this sounds like an 'oh no my ship left two women what to do with them oh no' but honestly I would ship them if Jayce and Viktor weren't even in the show. Let me have this crack ship, it's delicious. Its like nerd x jock but with kdrama PUMPED in. on steroids.

Final thoughts:

I will never know if any of that was intended by Riot or Fortiche. I would like to think at least some of it was. I also worry about the implication that Sky will be important to Viktor in season 2- I can only see a few ways that could come about and most of them do not align with the way I see these characters. I trust Arcane to write itself well, I do, but still... girl no...

What I do know, is that I've been listening to "Mmm cheese" the entire time I've been writing this and my brain is begining to melt. like. cheese. so im gonig to turn that off before i revise this post. umn, goodnight everyone!!!

[userautumn]

i don't know why you act so surprised that some people would be upset about how sooo many people in this fandom, you included, used to preach about how buddie was going canon, just trust the storytelling blah blah blah (sorry i always thought that was bullshit). and now you're like just kidding maybe it will be bucktommy forever instead. i'm not blaming you but really popular people in this fandom building up the idea for years that buddie was going to go canon and then just dropping that is absolutely part of what made this fandom go batshit don't play dumb about that

I'm not responsible for what other people think 🤷🏾‍♀️ I'm sorry that you appear to be unable to differentiate between me articulating my opinions on my blog versus me giving you targeted leadership about what you should think or believe, but I said in my pinned for years that I'm not your leader re: Buddie and it's not my job to "convince" you one way or the other. See pinned below:

Second, I'm going to be painfully blunt:

You gave me social capital. You, and everyone else who followed me and interacted with me, have made me a "really popular" blog. I have mixed feelings about that, both positive and negative, but we're here now and it is what it is. The problem you and I are having is that you made the mistake of believing that the social capital that you gave me made me an authority on all things 9-1-1.

It didn't. I'm not and I never claimed to be.

So you want to talk about the story? Yes, let's talk about the story. Per Oliver's own words, we as a fandom did interpret the story correctly. Oliver said in May that they (the higher ups) fished around the idea of Buck being bisexual in Season 4. Given this confirmation and, absent of any other love interests, it stands to reason that Buck and Eddie were supposed to be on a romantic trajectory, culminating in the events of Season 5 which is why Season 5 ended with me (because I can only speak for myself) fully believing Season 6 would be the season they finally got together.

Season 6 comes around. Not only do Buck and Eddie not get together, they also don't share many significant scenes with each other. Kristen was the full-time showrunner at the time, so I assumed she wanted to highlight the other dynamics on the show. This was also confirmed.

Season 7 comes around. Buck and Eddie share many significant scenes but none of them leave room to interpret explicit romantic intent the way some of their Season 3 / Season 4 / Season 5 scenes (in my opinion) have. Now, this is something we will likely disagree on because what I view as "romantic intent" is going to vastly differ from what you may view as romantic intent and that's fine. The gist is that none of the scenes Buck and Eddie shared this past season seemed geared toward explicitly pulling their relationship in a romantic direction.

Just the opposite, in fact. Enter Tommy.

I mentioned at the beginning of Season 7 that I didn't think Buck and Eddie were going canon this season. I said months ago that Tim et. al. were introducing the show to a new audience and that, what would be a slowburn for us, would be sudden for them. I said months ago that if, Buck and Eddie were to go canon, I didn't see it happening before Season 9 because they would need to build that relationship up for the audience. I still maintain that and, in fact, said in my personal DMs that whatever happens in Season 8 is going to be the determining factor for a lot of what happens in the future of the show.

So you want to talk about interpreting the story, trusting the story? That is what I am doing and, right now, the story seems to be veering away from romantic!Buddie. Does that mean they won't ever veer back? No! Does that mean I think Tommy is going to be Buck's endgame? No! What it does mean is that I'm leaving the door open on both fronts as a possibility. Which shouldn't be a shocking concept and yet is.

Third and finally, let's be clear, this betrayal you're articulating isn't directed at me or anyone else in the fandom. It's directed at Tim. You spent years getting your hopes up about a ship you're now not sure will come to fruition and that scares you. I feel genuine empathy about that because that's always such a shitty feeling and it's easier for you to direct your frustration and sadness and anger at targets that are more accessible because we're right here and, in this way, your emotions still have an outlet. But I'm not to blame for this uncertainty any more than any one else. I've not conducted myself perfectly in this fandom and I've owned up to it every single time. But in the conversation of what, exactly, drove this fandom to becoming "batshit insane," it's definitely those feelings of betrayal and uncertainty (which, for the record, I don't blame anyone for having).

Hope this helps.

tone: /not mad

[meldingintheunderdark]

The Drow twins and Halsin

Notwithstanding Halsin's peculiar predisposition with drow, yet another interesting topic about the man tbh, the foursome is honestly quite sad.

First things first, solo romanced Halsin ends up as a mute bear. There is none of the daring flirt present with Astarion and Shadowheart. Absolutely tragic. While I understand dirty talking to an ever changing PC would have been a logistical nightmare for Larian, the scene feels rather stale. But it's nothing compared with Halsin's behavior before, during and after the "Underdark experience".

Halsin: An intriguing pair. Takes me back to my youth... Sszazar: Interested, Halsin? Halsin: More than interested, if you feel the same. [...] Sszazar: I would like to hire both of you. And I hope my partner will join us as well. Halsin: So long as all are willing, I see no reason why we should deny ourselves...

Whilst I've read comments arguing Halsin is not enthusiastic at all or cocky and happy to show off, I disagree with the lack of nuance.

Clearly, during the initial talk to hire or not the twins, the bear is down to have fun with them and, from my pov, the fact they are drow is the driving force motivating his choice. He craves drow as much as he despises them (Lolth-sworn).

Sorn Orlith: I can't quite believe it - a night of passion with the famous Halsin? I might faint before I can expend myself. Nym Orlith: Legends spread of you throughout the city... We heard tell that you can change into a bear. Halsin: I hadn't realised I was that popular. But we must give the people what they want, mustn't we?

It's interesting to note the first allusion to his traumas happens during said talk. Furthermore, as soon as they're in complete darkness, Sorn immediately admits they know who he is. The twins explain that Menzoberranzan drow (they seem to hint they fled this city) aren't merely spreading rumors about Halsin but legends. In other words, his traumatic years are widely distributed folktales, retold over and over again. We know that legends are altered over time, thus I wonder if details are embellished. Since Nym mentions his wildshape the instant Sorn is quiet, I do believe his traumas are now a bunch of raunchy, bawdy tales Menzoberranzan drow like to share when they're feeling naughty.

Of course, some stories may come from his other visits. Unfortunately, the canon doesn't give sufficient info to differentiate their content, let alone their sources.

So, Halsin is already thinking about his captors, moreover he is physically vulnerable because they're all blind and butt naked, then he is hit with this information.

Halsin: I hadn't realised I was that popular.

This sentence alone is worth analyzing.

Halsin is already aware he is popular amongst drow (and everyone else with good taste in men). This is probably related to one of his statements during his love confession :

Halsin: And I've been to the Underdark. Many times.

He returned to the Underdark despite his traumas (or rather because of them), therefore he has surely been exposed to his fame. Some of it, at least, because the emphasis "[...] that popular" implies he doesn't know how famous he actually is. He is now exposed to the glaring fact that he is (and his traumas as well) fetishized to a certain extent by Menzoberranzan drow.

Halsin: [...] But we must give the people what they want, mustn't we?

English isn't my first language, so my interpretation may be erroneous. Nevertheless, the use of "we" instead of "I" intrigues me. In my opinion, the pronoun is very significant. Why does Halsin switch from "I" to "we" the very next sentence? Because he is diluting the first person with the pronoun "we". He's distancing himself.

"But I must give the people what they want, mustn't I?" sounds harsher. He must do it. It's an obligation. He's compelled to do so. The pronoun "we" helps him feel safer. He's trying to have control in the given situation. People write novels about Astarion dissociating, rightfully so, yet I believe that "I" vs "we" is a form of dissociation too. He sees the twins. He thinks about his captors. He is sexually attracted to the twins. He was and still is trauma-bound to his captors. He learns his traumas are saucy tales in total obscurity, naked.

But it isn't the icing on the cake yet.

If we rewind to the very beginning, who are Sorn and Nym? They're prostitutes. They are paid 1000 gold to service their clients. And yet...

Sorn Orlith: Will tonight at last be the night I die during an act of pleasure? [...] Nym Orlith: Doesn't it...? How does it even fit? [...] *The drow are filled with awe at your and Halsin's habits throughout the night, time and time again.*

In the end, Halsin is servicing them, like he did with his captors. He shifts to a bear because they want it. Their overeager reactions and the narrator line may indicate they are thrilled to get the famed bear and have him at their entire disposal. He is a legend. Do they truly ackowledge him as a common, but thick af, wood elf? Or do they solely see the mysterious hero of some spicy tales? I particularly dislike the scene because it seems Halsin and, in my case, Sszazar are observed rather than pleased by the twins. I suspect that for Sorn and Nym Halsin is an exotic toy and not a normal client.

Also, he only shifts back to his hunk self when the twins are out of the picture. In the closing shot of them all napping, he's still a bear. I assume he spent the whole night as a bear. Is it merely to become the best pillow available? I bet his wildshape make him feel safer.

Halsin: Indeed. Our time with them was... certainly bracing. Takes me back to some youthful misadventures in the Underdark.

Last but not least, the option to ask Halsin about his "misadventures" in the Underdark is available thanks to this encounter. Technically, Halsin can reveal his traumas without ever leaving the Underdark room at Sharess' Caress. His years of suffering are at the forefront of his thoughts and he opens up about them the moment he's asked by the one person who reciprocates care.

To conclude, I think Halsin did not have a grand time during the foursome, even if he appears eager at first. I don't believe the night was downright traumatizing, however it did reopen old festering wounds. His decisions are heavily influenced by his unhealed, unaddressed traumas.

It does bother me to read countless lame takes about Astarion vs Halsin, as if one deserves more care and attention than the other. They're both terribly traumatized. Because Halsin reacts differently to his traumas, because he is not the perfect, ideal victim, too many fans disregard his pain. The way I see it, the foursome is full of hints about his traumas. He's not dumping everything out of nowhere when morning comes. His pain was here all along. It's a fascinating encounter.

[lucagray813]

Enemy Number One

Rating: Gen

Word Count: 2,266

Characters: MK, Macaque, Mentioned Wukong

Relationships: Hinted Macaque & Wukong (could be interpreted as Shadowpeach)

Summary: The Six-Eared Macaque had been imprisoned by the Buddha centuries ago but he might be the only one that has the answers MK needs.

Additional Tags: Not canon compliant, alternative first meeting

CW: None

Link to AO3 Version

----

It hadn't been easy for MK to find his way to the prison of the Six-Eared Macaque, and it had been even more difficult keeping this whole plan a secret from Monkey King and the others, but they were running out of time and options. And if there was even a chance that this guy had the answers then he had to at least try and get his help.

He wasn't quite sure what was waiting for him deep beneath this mountain. All he really knew about his target was that he was apparently unrivalled when it came to seals and that he'd done something so bad with this knowledge that the Buddha had to lock him away as he once had Monkey King.

When he finally reached the large cave that served as the prison cell, he was immediately struck by how bright it was despite there being no obvious light source. The next thing that caught his attention was the ludicrous amount of gold chains and seals that decorated the space.

Many of them leading to the centre where they bound a monkey that bore a striking resemblance to Monkey King. He held his staff defensively as he carefully made his way over.

The chains forced the monkey to stand, his arms spread wide, legs forced apart, tail restrained. He hadn't responded to MK's presence yet, and his head hanging too low for MK to get a good look at his face.

He stood a safe distance and called out to him but the prisoner didn't so much as twitch. No matter how loud he was, he got no reaction. He worried for a second he might actually be dead before he belatedly realised that there were some golden seals covering his ears.

He frowned. He thought Monkey King's prison had been awful, but this just seemed ever so slightly worse. What had this guy done to deserve this? It really must have been something really terrible.

Wary, he tore out a bit of his hair and transformed it into a pebble to throw at the Six-Eared Macaque's feet in a bid to get his attention. At first, nothing happened and MK feared he might actually have to try and physically rouse him but after a moment he sluggishly raised his head.

He blinked uncomprehendingly for a moment, before an unsettling grim spread across his face, his voice was hoarse from disuse, "Well, well, what have we here? I've never had a visitor before. To what do I owe the honour?"

MK tightened his hold on his staff, "You're the Six-Eared Macaque?" He then faltered, "Wait, can you even hear me?"

The monkey laughed, "Hear you? No. But I can read your lips well enough. Peculiar that you would come to my prison and have to ask who I am though. Almost as peculiar as that staff you're holding. That's not yours."

He resisted the urge to hold the staff possessively to his chest, "It is mine! I'm the Monkey King's successor!"

"Successor? Well, isn't that unexpected... That must be quite the story."

Forgetting himself for a moment, he responded, "Oh, you have no idea. I've had this thing for, like, two years and-" He held his staff up properly and pointed it at the Six-Eared Macaque, "Wait, no! No distractions! I'm here on business!"

He didn't know what this guy was capable of but he'd met one too many manipulative foes to let himself be caught off guard. Before the Six-Eared Macaque could respond, he cut him off, "No! No chit-chat! I'm only here for one reason."

He brought one end of his staff to the ground and reached into his satchel to bring out an unassuming wooden box and held it up as he explained, "The world is in danger and the only way to save it is by opening this box. Can you break the seals on it?"

So far, no-one across the realms had been able to do it - some claiming such a seal would take centuries to unravel.

They didn't have that sort of time.

The Six-Eared Macaque drawled, "I've no doubt I could but I'd need a proper look at it and I'm a little tied up at the moment."

Despite himself he felt hopeful, and he let go of his staff so he could hold the box in both hands to carefully touch it with his magic, a white ball of seals immediately appeared and hovered around him. He took a step forward, "The Celestial Realm thinks that it's based on the-"

The Six-Eared Macaque laughed, "I can promise whatever they think it is, they're wrong. That ball of squiggles is all it is. A distraction from the real seal. You really do need my help if you haven't even figured out that much."

He looked around at the seal doubtfully, surely someone would have mentioned to him if they'd made that sort of discovery, right?

"How do I see the proper seals then?"

"I'm afraid, bound as I am, it'd be impossible for me to explain how to reveal them to you."

He thought of the long, rambling, inscrutable explanations he'd heard so far from the number of people that had looked at this box and thought that he was likely telling the truth.

He shifted the box to one hand and pulled out his phone, "You might not be able to explain it to me but I can take back whatever you say to someone who will be able to understand. Just start talking and I'll record it!"

The Six-Eared Macaque looked amused, "And why would I do that?"

"Wh-? Did you not hear me? This is the only way to save the world! A world that you're living in!"

The monkey raised an eyebrow and looked around him, "You call this living? I'm here for all eternity, kid. Makes no difference to me if the world ends - it might actually be an improvement."

Angrily he argued, "And what about everyone else in the world? You can save them!"

"Look, let's cut to the chase here. There's nothing you can say that could get me to help you. You want that box open? You've got to free me. You're really telling me you came here not knowing that's what you would have to do?"

"I'm not freeing you! Who even knows what you did to end up like this! Besides, even if I wanted to - there's no way I would be able to! These are the Buddha's seals!"

The Six-Eared Macaque's grin was dangerous, "Oh, I know how to undo the Buddha's seals - that's why I'm here in the first place."

He offered a confused, "What?"

"I'm sure you must be familiar with the Monkey King's imprisonment, no? He was in a situation not too dissimilar to mine. I intended to free him. Took me five hundred years to learn the secrets of those seals but I did it. Unfortunately, I was beaten to the punch. But as you can imagine, the Buddha wasn't too happy about the knowledge I'd acquired. And so, "to keep the world safe", he locked me up. As if I ever cared about the world. I just wanted us to go home."

"Us?"

He laughed a little sadly, "Not ever mentioned me, has he? Well, we did part on bad terms. But all I wanted was for me and Wukong to return to the island and forget about the world entirely... Tell me, how long has it been since he was freed from his prison?"

Unsurely he responded, "I don't know... Six hundred years?"

The Six-Eared Macaque hung his head, "Six hundred years..." When he looked back up his eyes were wet, "How's the island? How are the monkeys? Do any of them even remember who I am?"

"I... The island and the monkeys are safe. But, I'm sorry, I don't know if they know who you are. I've never heard anyone mention you. I found out about you by accident."

It was Nezha that had half suggested the idea of seeking out the Six-Eared Macaque before Monkey King had snapped at him to be silent and told him that wasn't an option, not even as a final resort.

The Six-Eared Macaque voice was quiet, "I couldn't reach him in the cave. He doesn't know I was trying to free him. He doesn't know that I would have never abandoned him. Wukong..."

Ok, there was clearly a lot more to this story than he realised and he was feeling extremely conflicted about what he'd learnt so far. He looked down at the box still in his hands.

He took a deep breath and looked the Six-Eared Macaque in the eye, "If I were able to free you... What would you do? Because, I'm not sure you would be able to go home..."

"I... I don't know. Start again? I was never the one seeking fame and power. I was content with what we had. But anything is better than this. To see the sky again? To be able to move? To be free? I think I'd spend the rest of eternity appreciating it."

He hesitated. All of this could be a trick just to secure his freedom but at least then he would have ample motivation to unseal this box - doubtful that he wanted to be freed just to watch the world end.

His heart had led him astray before but looking at the Six-Eared Macaque, something told him he wasn't like the other villains he had faced. He believed him when he said he wasn't interested in the world.

"How do I free you?"

The relief on his face further cemented in his mind that this was the right thing to do.

"See the seal above me? All you need to do is move it and I can take care of the rest."

He stared doubtfully, "That can't be all it would take."

"Only one way to find out."

He set the box down and transformed into a large bird, swiping the out of place paper seal from between slabs of gold before returning to his original spot and form. He looked around waiting for something to happen and he was just about to say something when the room was suddenly engulfed in an unnatural darkness.

He felt like he couldn't breathe, he didn't even have the air to shout in alarm. But as quickly as it had came, the darkness receded into the centre of the room, leaving in it's wake ruined chains and seals.

The unnatural brightness was gone and he could finally see clearly the Six-Eared Macaque who was stood stretching and testing out every joint, looking immensely pleased to be able to do so.

MK instinctively took a step back when he started towards him, reaching for his staff, but the Six-Eared Macaque was unbothered. Calmly bending over to pick up the box, MK had thoughtlessly left on the floor.

"Alright, a deal's a deal."

The orb of white seals re-appeared for only a moment to be replaced by tens of layers of blue seals that took up almost the entirety of the cave. The orbs shifted and turned, characters and shapes within them switching places or changing at alarming speed.

What was truly unnerving however were the black, shadow-y characters that were being written and erased in the air all around them. He couldn't explain it but looking at them made him feel sick and even closing his eyes didn't help, somehow still able to see them.

They disappeared however at the same time there was an audible click and his eyes snapped open to see the Six-Eared Macaque holding out the open box for him to take.

He couldn't quite stop the awe in his voice as he carefully took the box from him, "You did it..."

They'd been trying to open this thing for over a month and had made no progress whatsoever and the Six-Eared Macaque had solved it in seconds. He was beginning to understand why he might have been locked up as a preventative measure - there was probably no seal he couldn't undo. If he wanted to, he could do a lot of damage.

The Six-Eared Macaque just stretched, apparently not at all phased by the incredible feat he had accomplished, "Welp, it's been great, kid. But I think we both need to get a move on. You've got a world to save, I've got a life as a fugitive to get on with. Busy, busy. But hey, maybe we'll cross paths again one day and you can tell me all about your wild adventures. I've got a couple of my own that I can trade you."

He smiled unsurely, "Uh, yeah. Stay out of trouble...?"

"Oh, I intend to. You think I want to end up back here again?" He started walking away from him, looking over his shoulder he grinned, "I'll see you around, MK."

Before he could respond, MK was falling through the floor and he had half a second to fear he'd been betrayed before he landed gently on top of Flower Fruit Mountain - open box and staff in hand.

Well, that saved him some time...

He was sure his decision to free the Six-Eared Macaque was going to weigh on him for some time but right now he had to find the others, saving the world came first.

Although it struck him as he made his way down the mountain - how had he known his name?

--End--

LMK Fanfic Masterlist