#it’s the good type of het ship lmao

[the-son-of-hastur]

thinking about tzeentchian garviel and mersadie oliton rn. mersadie probably got kidnapped during a battle or something because garviel’s fixated on her throughout his corruption. she’s his anchor kind of, his remembrancer, his girl, and tzeentch is basically just slapping buttons on the control panel of his mind but he wants to keep her safe and healthy so bad even if it hurts. that’s His Human and yes she’s begging to be let go but she’s *safe*. anyway catch you later if i ever have coherent thoughts about this ship

[starstriix]

hi star! i really love your work!

what are your favorite ships overall?

Hiii!!

I obviously mainly fixate on jock, but I'm really open to a lot of pairings. Though tbh, this may be the one fandom where I don't really care for any mlm ships at all?? (Not that I mind them) It's mainly wlw or het ones.

I'm pretty much open to most canon pairings too (duncney, aleheather, etc), but I don't care for gen 1 as much in general so I'll tell you a few gen 2/3 ships I've liked:

Obviously I'm cool with zoke, and samkota was super super cute. I actually don't mind Dott either, I think it's pretty fun and very reminiscent of the 2012s (Dott fans are like siblings to me. They could never make me hate you) Shasmine was pretty much the main thing I remembered from watching PI when I was younger, so it's cool in my book (also height differenceee)

For Jo, I pretty much like the concept of most Jo x female character ships (brick is the only man I see her with. Think of it as the bisexual who mostly likes women and one very specific type of man). Jomaria makes sense to me, Jo/Dawn is pretty neat and I can see the appeal in Jo/Zoey but I really enjoy them as best friends, lmao. Also Joeather is funny as shit but I don't see them being an ACTUAL couple.

Dawn/Zoey is a really good one I've seen, I like em being weird girls together. It's a super cute concept, and they actually had decent-ish interactions in canon. We need more weird girls in our lives. Dawnkota and Dawnmaria are rarer ones I've only seen a few times, but I think they're neat and worth exploring as well!

I don't really ship them but can we PLEASE talk about Zoey and Dakota's interactions. "Hold me? 🥺" and then Zoey proceeds to awkwardly look away THEYRE SO FUNNYYY

Ella/Sammy is super sweet :) though the concept of Ella/Scarlett is SUPER cool too. Especially the ship name,, "Poison apple"?? Brilliant. Alsoo...Scarlett x me because she's hoWHAAAT WHO SAID THAT?? WHO SAID THAT

I've seen Sky/Lightning in fics and I honestly think it's neat?? The matching names are really cute, too. We love jocks in this household. I also think Scott and Zoey would be interesting as a pair, though I don't see much content of them. Same with Zoey x the system (minus Mike and obviously Chester). AND Zoey x Anne maria??? I genuinely have no idea how I've never seen content of those two together. I thought it'd be a bit more popular.

And of course,, Lightning x his muscles. Best ship, you can't change my mind.

[lilac-hecox]

I have this one headcanon about Ianthony dynamic which I wish was included in fanfic universe. I've noticed whenever Anthony playfully flirts with Ian, he freezes up, changes the topic or doesn't know how to respond meanwhile if others do that, he flirts back as a response or gives back the same energy and tbh I wonder why is that? Maybe because they have been friends since forever and they never had this type of dynamic with each other OR...it's different when Anthony does that because there are some unsaid feelings which he doesn't want to face, he doesn't want to open that pandora’s box, to lean into this feeling even as a joke (when it's outside the sketches). Now, I'll be overanalyzing this bit but, in the halftime, show we see how chance (A) confronts angela (I) about the tension between them but pulls away when it gets too close. Is this something what Ian feels? that if he lets himself get too comfortable, he'll be stranded on this island of complex feelings alone, yet again. So, as a defense mechanism he doesn't pander to this because he feels it's too good to be true. This might stem from self esteem issues or from the fact that he knows Anthony way too well. (I've seen this weird energy in cis/het male friendships irl that get too intense and complicated so maybe I'm projecting and feel kinda weird speculating but that’s why I added the “fanfic universe” thing. Like that corny ass quote goes "She makes me hard, but you make me soft" lmao)

ANON, YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME LOSE IT!! This ask is poetry!!

It's true that Ian gets more flustered when it comes from Anthony. Meanwhile, Anthony cannot stop being flirty and throwing all these terms that are typically used in flirting and/or viewing someone romantically/sexually.

Except, like, in the last FWS (Flashback w/Smosh) with the Zelda rap, Ian was the one that pushed Anthony's joke further after being taken aback by it, and referenced them having sex canonically in Food Battle.

*ship goggles on*

So, what if there is some tension, something there that hadn't been or it had and they hadn't dealt with it. Maybe they really could be happy together now? Maybe one of them needs to take the chance and uguuu my heart over the idea that Ian has lingering abandonment issues over the fact that Anthony left and Anthony wants to more than make up for it.

It would be scary and terrifying because they own Smosh again, it's theres, what if they fuck it all up by crossing one last threshold together that they never have before.

I can see Anthony being like, "I'm straight, but not when it's you." and wanting to explore this simmering tension with Ian. I think Ian might be much more open to it all but way more afraid to even let himself go there.

[bsdtakanenohana]

My Opinion on Every Single Bungou Stray Dogs Ship

Part Three- Het Ships III

Let’s see if I rank any ship above a five or below a negative two and a half. Let’s see if y’all are serving any good food or truly stank ish.

Part One & Two

Fukuharu/ Yukichi Fukuzawa x Kirako Haruno: This is how I’m finding out Haruno is not her given name and it’s Kirako. Lol. Is she also underage like Naomi? I mean even if she’s above age she’s still young enough to be his daughter so ick. Also Fukuzawa always struck me as the “married to his job” type. -1/10

Fukuchi Protection Duo: Yukichi Fukuzawa x Teruko Okura: Whoever was shipping this has definitely stopped after the age reveal LMAO. -2/10

Shippers be like “she was looking at Fukuzawa here”

Fyoagatha/ Fyodor Dostoyevsky x Agatha Christie: I had always heard that people shipped this, but I never saw any of it myself. But one day a few months ago I stumbled upon a post on here with a ton of fanart by different artists saved like a collage. So there’s definitely more shippers than what it seems. Unlike the Shibusawa x Agatha ship, this one makes a little more sense since The Order of the Clocktower was against what Shibusawa was doing and saw him as a threat, whereas Fyodor has things going on in different countries and has different sorts of “allies” and works with people to use them, it makes sense if he would try to get involved with the people in the Order, if only to use them. 2/10

Hawmitch/ Nathaniel Hawthorne x Margaret Mitchell: I don’t care about Hawthorne but I do want to see more of Margaret now that she’s healed and we still have more potential for a Guild subplot. Even though I don’t care much for the characters, this is the only ship so far where both (?) members have feelings for each other. (Even if there was a bit of a tsundere trope going on.) Who am I to stand in their way? I’ll give them a six just for that. 6/10

Of course it’s going to end tragically for them though, the romances in both the novels their abilities are named after don’t end happily.

Higuzai/ Ichiyo Higuchi x Osamu Dazai: Eh. But props to Higuchi for freaking Dazai out with that phrase “your blood is blacker than anyone in Yokohama’s. Port Mafia black” (paraphrasing), that definitely hit a soft spot that not many people can get at. And he didn’t do/say anything in retaliation! Interesting. 2/10

Slay (just a girlfailure trying to have a girlboss arc)

Kajisano/ Kaji Motojirou x Akiko Yosano: Ew. The lemon guy annoys the hell outta me. Yosano doesn’t like him either✋🏽 0/10

Katagin/ Katai Tayama x Gin Akutagawa: She already rejected him. Not that rejection or dislike stops this fandom 🙄 0/10

Real

Kenlise/ Kenji Miyazawa x Elise: What in tarnation? That’s exactly my first thought when reading that this is a ship. I’m live reacting. Just, how? Shouldn’t this be on the character x object section since Elise is an ability not a person? 0/10

Kunicott/ Doppo Kunikida x Louisa May Alcott: This list is making me wonder if some of these more random ships I haven’t heard of before are from the Japanese fandom. I’ve heard they have more pairings than the English speaking fandom. I don’t think these two would be bad as a couple. I’m interested in this dynamic. Maybe one day they’ll interact, I’d like to see more of Louisa. 3/10

Kunisaki/ Doppo Kunikida x Nobuko Sasaki: In all honesty, I don’t know how I feel about them as a ship. I know there’s theories he’s actually the Azure Messenger, which means they were a couple at one point. But I doubt it. However, I’ve only seen the butchered adaptation of this, I haven’t read the light novel. So my rating is subject to change. 3/10

Kunisano/ Doppo Kunikida x Akiko Yosano: I made my mom watch the anime with me last year and afterwards when I asked her about ships she said she wants them to be together. When I told her “no one ships this” she was shocked. Gave a whole mini rant about why they’d be good together. And tbh I can see it. But not too much. I do want them to interact more. Everything on AO3 about them was poly ships or a/b/o, so I can’t even turn to fanon for more details 😞 3.5/10

He’s sweatin’ 💀

[the-bloody-sadist]

Just see this in twitter by someone : "Why do people read shonen for subtextual doomed yaoi click bait when X exists and you don’t have to pretend?"

Like because of those subtext, there can be fanfics and fanarts, right? And then I decided to read your fics and this blog of yours is one of my fav...

Lmao whoever wrote that tweet Doesn't Get It. Maybe some people just don't understand the fundamentals of what makes stories gripping and what makes characters work really well with each other (TENSION), otherwise it would be more clear why shipping is so popular--especially with minority groups who don't get to have much (GOOD) mainstream media that explores those relationships. Rarely ever do so-called yaoi click bait become canon, but the same happens with het click bait (although nobody calls it that because they see queer baiting as such a different thing just because it doesn't become canon [I don't give a fuck, the vibes are still there]), and then het click bait has a higher chance of becoming reality.

It all comes down to: it doesn't MATTER. Why some people get their little panties in a bunch because the queer community decided to ship two men that they were planning to base their personality on and desperately didn't want to be seen as gay is hilarious. SUFFER! We're out here enjoying ourselves.

And also yes, you're absolutely right. BECAUSE of that subtext, we creatives get excited and start dreaming up what we could do with that subtext. It gives us a fun baseline for freedom of expression that we can make FEEL canon, but would never BE canon because that's not the type of show it is.

THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME I'M YOUR FAVORITE BLOG BTW YIPPIE! GLAD YOU'VE READ MY FICS AND HAVE COME TO HANG AROUND!

[alleyskywalker]

2023 Fanfic Year Wrap-Up Meme

Number of Fics: 53 Number of Unique Fandoms: 6* (ASOIAF, GoT, HOTD, Harry Potter, War and Peace,  Romeo and Juliet) Number of Unique Pairings: 35 (repeat ships: Throbb [6], Alicole [3], Tristheon, Theonsa, Patheon, Tris/Sansa, Montacrew OT3, Romercutio, Regulus/Evan, Dransy [2 each])** Total Number of Words: 104,970

*Counting ASOIAF, GoT and HOTD as different fandoms because that’s kind of how I’ve been doing it when tagging and stuff.   **Only counting ships which were primarily featured as a focus of the story. Often times ships would hover in the background but weren’t counted. # Gen: 21 # Het: 24 # Slash: 20 # Fem: 3 *Some stories fall into more than one category.

# PG: 33 # PG-13: 17 # R: 3 # NC-17/Explicit: 0

Looking back, did you write more fics than you thought you would this year, less than you thought, or about what you predicted?. I’d say more. I actually beat what I wrote last year, despite writing less (if my calculations are/were correct) for Battleship than I did last year (in 2022).

Where did you publish/archive your stories? AO3 with some cross-posting to Tumblr. What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January? I accidentally fell in love with Tris/Sansa this year… Did you take any writing risks this year? Not as many as last year I think, but Battleship always inspires weird shit. *gestures at space selkies* Do you have any writing goals for the new year? I always do and then I never accomplish them. But no ok…I WILL finish that throbb WIP I started posting, good lord. What’s your favorite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest. Always hard to choose but either This Love Feel I (That Feel No Love In This) or Tore My Heart In Sunder. Okay, NOW your most popular story? Going by kudos, Sweet Misery. Story of yours most underappreciated by the universe, in your opinion? The Tris/Sansa fics, though I get it lol. Mm also Adjust For The Wind, maybe, bur it does have like 5 lovely comments which is pretty good for a niche gen fic. Story that could have been better?

There’s always a few, especially with Battleship. Most fun story to write? Mmm several were in their own ways, but like....Tore My Heart In Sunder was super cathartic in a way so lets go with that. Story with single sweetest moment? The Sweetest Marriage is, as the title suggests, pure domestic fluff.

The story that made you cry? If any did, it was probably Tore My Heart In Sunder.

Most “holy crap, that’s wrong, even for you” story? Hmm I don’t think there was one this year? Sexiest story? This year was really not about that lmao (like even for me). Hardest story to write I kind of want to say Homeward Bound (the space selkies ones) but idk. I wrote it super fast lbr and just kind of let it do its thing. There’s always several fics that are difficult in different ways/different types of painful and it’s hard to compare sometimes.

Easiest story to write? Mm this isn't saying much, really, especially that it being super short is part of it, but probably In Robb's Dreams. Most unintentionally telling story Ok, so actually…A Soft Epilogue probably because I think it Says things about me as a throbb shipper at least. Story you haven’t yet written, but intend to Still hoping for to materialize the throbb/reyne longfic AU somehow…

[edoro]

☕ + Huntlow?

i am very fond of it! honestly though, i really wasn't at first?

rest of this under a cut bc it's long!

like in the first half of s2, i was aware of it as a thing, and it struck me as very like... well pretty much just the het version of Goldric, tbh. the art and fic and posts i saw for it felt, to me, like people just kind of reaching for a way to pair Hunter up with a girl who wasn't Luz (due to the variety of frankly bonkers Opinions And Takes about Lunter lmao) and it all just felt very cishet in a way that was profoundly uninteresting to me.

i spent a lot of s2b gradually considering it more and more while also being absolutely terrified that every single episode was going to confirm it in a way that i would hate. which did not happen!

i know opinions are very divided and some people feel like if it does become canon, it'll be really rushed. it's definitely not going to get the same amount of screentime as the lead-up to Lumity did, but honestly, like... i'm still not sure it IS going to become canon, but if it does, then at this point i think there will be... a pretty decent amount of build-up and foundation for it.

not as much as i'd prefer, but they had their entire third season amputated. Lumity, imo, is kind of a rarity among cartoon ships; they often DON'T get that amount of build-up or development or feel that organic, but i actually personally do think that the hints we've gotten of Huntlow suggest an organically developing relationship.

they're all relatively small, background things, because more important stuff is going on, but they do a good job of communicating that 1) Hunter at least definitely has a crush or at least gets very flustered by Willow and 2) Willow also cares about him a lot

(and, honestly? yeah, sure, getting together after knowing each other for a couple of weeks or a month or two is pretty quick. they're teenagers. plenty of kids develop crushes and attractions to people based just on Thinking They're Really Neat after knowing them for a short amount of time at that age, and impulsively get into relationships. so, Shrug Emoji, i don't really think the argument that it's super unrealistic holds water, and at this point i think they've done a pretty decent amount of build-up for the idea that the two of them might have a mutual crush. it's not like they're gonna get married on-screen.)

the sheer amount of discourse about Huntlow is honestly bewildering to me, and i say this as a person who initially really disliked it and felt like, genuine anxiety watching episodes being worried that it was going to suddenly be confirmed.

(you will notice that despite having this intense emotional reaction to the idea that a cartoon i enjoy might make a decision i don't like, i didn't go around taking it out on people, lmao)

like. it's so inoffensive. what we've been shown so far has been cute. it has cute potential. if it happens it'll probably be good, bc TOH is pretty solid about character development and relationships and has so far shown a refreshing lack of Shipping For The Sake Of Shipping. i totally get being worried about it or disliking it but i also think that there's kind of a tendency to just assume the worst and take what we've been given so far in bizarrely bad faith among some people, and i'm kind of overall tired of this trend of like, treating media creators like they're hostile enemies when they have absolutely NOT earned that kind of treatment. also, the argument that "Hunter can't be in a romantic relationship because he's traumatized" annoys me. Hunter's trauma is going to affect every single type of relationship he has with anyone, ever, for his entire life, romantic or otherwise. i'd love to see an in-depth exploration of how Hunter's trauma causes problems for him in dating Willow, and those problems don't just magically disappear because they love each other - how he has this very paranoid and insecure style of attachment, feels the need to constantly prove himself, is afraid of being punished with withdrawal of affection or replaced, etc etc - instead of having it just be used as a gotcha to try to prove how the ship is wrong.

like, people with trauma get into relationships. being in healthy, functional relationships is a great way to recover FROM trauma. it's ridiculous and infantilizing to say that someone who's traumatized just can't be in a relationship until they're 'better', especially because healing from the severity and duration of abuse Hunter's been through is probably going to be a lifelong project for him. sometimes someone's trauma CAN prevent them from being in a healthy relationship or make it so it would be better if they weren't, and tbh i'd also be interested in an exploration of Huntlow where they end up breaking up/not getting together because Hunter just can't handle the demands of an intimate partnership without spiraling and behaving in unhealthy and self-destructive ways, but, again, i find it insulting for it to be used as a gotcha rather than an actual topic of conversation.

but anyway! i have been thoroughly convinced re: Huntlow. i think they're super cute. i think Hunter is an adorable boytoy sub and that Willow would make an excellent loving domme for him and they should get together, be precious, and end up having a ton of mentally-healing kinky sex.

[tamibae]

thoughts on antis that accuse nalu shippers of being heteronormative?

This really is ridiculous 'cause ykw? A major part of the NaLu fandom ships CheNdy/FrAxus/StingUe. How the hell can someone with enough braincells call those poeple heteronormative? Lmao. Like I don't like Yuri/Yaoi personally but that doesn't mean I'll force any m/f ship possible with a character who's usually shipped with the same gender.

Those idiotic people just use this term as an excuse to justify their hatred instead of actually supporting lgbt ships. Shipping a het ship isn't same as being homophobic. It will never be.

I don't see how people are in wrong for shipping two people with outstanding friendship. Even if Natsu and Lucy were completely platonic, I don't see why the shippers should be called homophobic for that? There are plenty of ship moments ntm.

Wendy ships can be used as good example for my take : as I said, I don't quite like gay ships but I absolutely don't ship her with Romeo just 'cause it makes a m/f ship unlike most RoWen shippers (and BixAnna, RoGura). That being said, I also don't ship her with Sherria. I see them as best friends.

Then again, I ship MirAxus and StingYu 'cause I like the idea of them together since I'm into het ships. But do I spite other ships involving them? Obviously not. Especially MirAxus, they haven't had moments but I still love them. As for StingYu, they've had a couple of moments. I often see the MirAxus and StingYu shippers getting called out for being homophobic like really? Clowns?🤡

Shipping a ship and denying facts related to other ships(be it het/yuri/yaoi) for its sake are completely different things. I ship Laxus with Mirajane but that doesn't mean I completely ignore Freed's obvious crush on Laxus. Heck, I even think sometimes why Hiro had to create Freed as a love intetest for Laxus when he doesn't let him reciprocate those feelings and makes it an unrequited love thing. It still doesn't change the fact that I ship MirAxus.

Besides, shipping was never dependent on having plenty moments/being canon anyways. If someone wants to ship a m/f pairing with 2 characters that have never even met each other, it's just fine. Ship Ichigo and Lucy or Natsu and Rukia lol. Your choice. As simple as that.

Rarepairs exist and people ship those despite knowing they'd probably never be canon nor they need to be. I ship NaLu, but I get why people ship NaLi/NatZa. I'd ship Natsu with Lucy even if they weren't meant to be canon(Ichigo and Rukia) while still acknowledging whatever ship Hiro dediced to go for.

"Not all m/f ships need to be shipped" it seems ridiculous to me 'cause it's upto people's choice of shipping and using a statement like that means indirectly stopping them from doing what they like. You can ship whoever you like, be it m/f or m/m or w/w. It's your choice in the end as long as you don't act like a child and try to dismiss canon material that may or mayn't benefit shippers with different preference.

Idk if I typed properly 'cause I'm going through little tough time with my mental health. I'm having a lot of unnecessary mood swings and all. I hope you guys pray for me, love y'all.

[miss-kittyy]

🌌 for the ask game?

🌌Twilight - Favourite ship and least favourite ship

I can’t choose just one so I’ll do top three in no particular order

Fernsong x Ivypool: this ship is the one thing standing between Warriors and complete misogyny (/hj). All their canon interactions are 10/10 Fernsong sees the best in Ivypool and rlly admires her and its clear that Ivypool rlly loves being around him even if she’s too prickly to admit it. But I also headcanon Fernsong as autistic, he prefers doing jobs in camp like helping the medicine cats and queens rather than hunting or fighting cause he finds it confusing and/or over stimulating while Ivypool I headcanon as having PTSD so she likes to patrol and hunt but can’t a lot of the time because she gets distressed and paranoid, so Fernsong accompanies her while she does her duties and does grounding exercises with her if needed, so they’re a rlly good team!! I also think Fernsong’s relationship with Lionblaze has a lot of potential regarding his relationship since I can’t imagine Ivypool likes Lionblaze very much given that he was totally on board with keeping her in an abusive situation as a child for the greater good even though he could’ve done it himself because he is literally invisible and defeating the dark forest is the reason why he had super powers in the first place. (Sorry Lionblaze lowkey pisses me off)

Feathertail x Sasha: read A Shadow in Riverclan and look me in the eyes and tell me they were not girlfriends. I love the trope of two individually troubled people finding eachother and loving eachother despite their pain so much and I think they could’ve worked things out if Feathertail didn’t die, she forgave Leapordstar she def would’ve forgave Sasha, also I understand why she was mad at her, even though it wasn’t justified I think it makes sense given Feathertail’s mental state. I also rlly like how you can actually see how their relationship developes, it’s not instant and you can understand WHY they like each other so much. I wish Feathertail hadn’t died, I wouldve traded Brambleclaw POV for Feathertail POV in a HEARTBEAT. I think Sasha might have stayed if Feathertail was still in Riverclan when she returned, after understanding her trauma more I def think Feathertail would have forgave and apologizing to Sasha. Seeing Sasha and Feathertail’s interact with Hawkfrost would have also been very interesting and could have fleshed him out more.

Grasspelt x Briarlight: I got another AU coming up that has to do with them, so I wont give to much away but I love the idea that indivually Grasspelt and Briarlight are both very smart and admirable cats but then when they get within 5 feet of eachother they both become goofy mushy idiots. I know Grasspelt is like a very minor side character so I’ve just given him a personality myself but just let me have this ok I am tired. They’d also make great parents!! I headcanon Grasspelt as autistic and I like to think he infodumps about how incredible Briarlight is- he is completely and unapoligetically in love with her and she thinks he’s a wonderful cat he lights up her life.

Least favourites:

Im not gonna include any of the obvouisly bad ships like firetiger or other shit like that, just assume all the pedophelic and abusive ships are also my least favourite, ok?

Daisy x Spiderleg: why did they feel the need to do Daisy like this?? What was the point??? I get that those types of relationships happen I’ll but I don’t see why you’d include it in the book if it wasn’t going to have any type of meaning beyond Leafpool being mad at Spiderleg. They could have still had that happen and then had Daisy get a mate that treats her right, I just feel bad at her.

Bumblestripe x Dovewing: Bumblestripe is such a pick me and their relationship reminds me a lot of a past friendship of mine that did not end well. Dovewing deserves better Bumblestripe is manipulative as hell and I feel like he takes advantage of Dovewing’s kind nature. I am so glad she left his pathetic ass, I rlly hope he doesn’t get a mate in the future and I am convinced Rosepeta’s crush on him was comp-het or something cause she must have some taste. I understand why Ivypool was for Bumblestripe and Dovewing’s relationship, she was still totally in the wrong and doesn’t deserve to be completely excused but it makes sense given her character, she’s been denied any agency for a rlly long time, Hawkfrost was her best friend and he treated her just as shitty as Bumblestripe treated Dovewing- so she’s less likely to see the red flags as they’ve been normalized to her. Everyone else though?? I have no idea why they told Dovewing to get with Bumblestripe he literally sucks so much. I think it should have just been Ivypool who said that cause it makes me dislike everyone else lmao.

Blossomfall x Ivypool: Blossomfall is mean to her as an apprentice and compares her to Dovepaw which fuels Ivypaw and Dovepaw’s unhealthy relationship, and then the only reason why they become friends is that Blossomfall gets sympathy from Ivypool and that strikes me as p toxic and unhealthy, obv if someone were to make an AU or headcanon where their relationship plays out differently than that’d be totally fine but in canon I just can’t see them doing anything but dragging eachother down- also Blossomfall is mean to Dovewing and Ivypool and Dovewing’s relationship is already strained as hell that would be very counterproductive.

[marciego]

You said somewhere that you know that Lutteo is endgame, so do know any other couples that will happen and what other ships have you now seen or predict will happen

i know about simbar and i'm really excited for them!! i've seen a lot of people say they were really good, i know ambar is 100% my type and i like simon so this is exciting! i've also seen people talk about gaston and nina even tho i know nothing else about them, but this one was pretty obvious since the beginning of the show so nothing surprising

as for my guesses i honestly don't know, the whole jim/yam/ramiro thing feels so fake and so straight i absolutely can't tell if i'm supposed to take it seriously, but i sure hope we'll get over it and they'll all stay friends. if i had to guess one that could be canon, i wouldn't be surprised if yam and ramiro ended up together, i'd say it feels a tiny bit less fake than everything else but like it's just because jim's "feelings" feel REALLY fake lmao

but besides ramiro/jim/yam and simon/luna i feel like i've seen almost no m/f relationships and since we all know wlw and mlm pairings are out of the question when we're talking about canon i don't really have any other ideas so far. i don't really believe it myself but i just hope they'll let some characters stay single because i really don't want to live through another het nonsense

[cabeswaterdrowned]

the main alina het ships

Malina: in the books they are okay. I do think when I was younger I was overly hard on the dynamic in some ways since the story is all in Alina’s perspective and you don’t get Mal’s, and because it’s a type of ship I’d been set up to dislike (when I was younger I really did not like childhood friends to lovers because I always thought of them as like, a guy being entitled to a girl’s feelings when she clearly only wants to be friends because that’s what I saw in examples of this like Gail and Katniss or Simon and Clary, obviously now I like that trope more and love friends to lovers stories because they should never be that lol) when I reread the trilogy over the summer I definitely noticed that Mal DOES care for and prioritize Alina in a lot of ways in books 2&3 (and even book 1 we just don’t see it) compared to how I remembered the dynamic. And there are scenes with them that genuinely endear me. However I still find most of their book content to be rather boring, I despise that he cheats on her with Zoya and is forgiven pretty readily (I understand that in times of like life or death everyone in the book is prioritizing other things over this, but I’m still salty on Alina’s behalf). I also don’t agree with the take that Mal has actually always been supportive of Alina’s powers and was never afraid of them because that just isn’t true, he does have moments of resenting her for her power in S&S. His jealousy over her seeing visions of the Darkling is.. on the one hand more understandable than I gave him credit for because like, Alina why would you not tell someone about that earlier? But he handles it horribly. But it’s like three bad moments as opposed to 50 which is how I remembered it, and I do think he grows in book 3 and becomes someone who is a good/acceptable partner for Alina if not a very interesting one. The part where he tells her she’s his flag and his nation? is really great. I’m fine with them ending up together, I just have some issues with Alina’s arc and the direction it seems to be going in vs the direction it ends up going in which I’ve talked about before. So ultimately meh. In the show Jessie and Archie’s chemistry as well as being out of Alina’s head give it a huge lift, and I also just think there’s better romantic material given to them in terms of banter, being shown as a team that works really well together, angst and longing on both sides etc. so I solidly like/ ship them in the show!

Darklina: When I first read these books (I was like 12 for the record) I enjoyed it, as a dynamic that was interesting although obviously I did not see The Darkling as a good match for her at least after reading book 1 I don’t fully remember if I guessed him being evil or not I think I might have first suspected that but been lulled into a false sense of security before the big reveal lmao. I still wouldn’t say I was crazy about it then but I solidly shipped it and also the edits and fan arts for that fandom back when I joined tumblr a very long time ago on a different blog were super beautiful so I think I enjoyed them more as a fanon thing than a canon one, but then I started to get annoyed by the woobification of the Darkling etc. in that fandom and it killed my enjoyment  quite a bit. on this reread I found their interactions in books 1&2 to be a lot more boring (romantically, I think it’s a well constructed story in terms of showing a male abuser who is also charismatic and charming and how that unfolds) than I rememebered tbh and book 2 has scenes that are disturbing in that The Darkling kisses Alina without her consent a couple of times when he’s a vision although it’s very clearly portrayed as bad, I just didn’t fully realize how bad until rereading. In book 3 I do find their dynamic to be compelling from Alina’s side and for her character, I’m obsessed with the scenes where there’s a role reversal with the tether bond and she can get to him, “I am an apt pupil” absolutely slaps I love that scene. And I love the last scene with her killing him and crying it is good to me, but I also don’t want anything more from the relationship than those few scenes or think it’s like, a hugely interesting dynamic (really the answer is that since getting into Buffyverse and Spuffy my bar has been raised for twisted dark m/f ships and I don’t get obsessed with lower quality ones as often or easily lol). And also the fandom continues to ruin what enjoyment of them I do have so I’m pretty apathetic to it currently, and that goes for the show even more so far. Also as per the show I feel the way I did while reading book 1 for the most part, again Ben and Jessie have chemistry so there are moments I like/that work for me while watching but ultimately I’m not too into it. It is what it is at this point story wise.

Nikolina: See this used to be my preferred ship for Alina when I was younger I really liked it and it seemed like the best of both worlds especially because I mostly shipped Alina with the Ravkan throne and this was a good way to accomplish that, otherwise I thought it was a cute dynamic with potential. On my reread I really disliked it actually and it’s my least favorite pairing for her (romantically, as a friendship I still really like it and I love both characters). There’s a scene I’d completely forgotten about where Nikolai kisses Alina in front of other people as like, a political move but he does it without her consent, and unlike with The Darkling where this was clearly framed as a wrong action the tone of the writing is sort of … neutral on Nikolai doing it? Alina is annoyed with him for a little but that’s about it. I also just found them to be really incompatible, and their incompatibility is very much the point we aren’t supposed to see them as good matches for each other. I love the last scene in R&R with the Lantsov emerald and am looking forward to when Nikolai casting is announced and I know someone will make a champagne problems fanvid but that’s the whole of my investment. Also I obviously really love Zoya and Nikolai together and you know me I can multiship but in comparison it’s really obvious how badly Alina and Nikolai would fit together. And a lot of my growing antipathy has to do with how even though that fandom is small I despise the way they talk about Zoyalai but especially just Zoya in general and treat her. That ‘Zoya is as bad as the Darkling!’ essay someone wrote 💀🔪.

If I was like ranking these

Show! Malina > R&R! Darklina > Book! Malina >> Books 1&2 Darklina = Show Darklina > Nikolina

Thanks for the ask! (Send me a ship and I’ll give you my brutally honest opinion)

[tellywoodtrash]

immj2 12.11.20 lb

well………….. let’s get this the fuck over with. isske baad pls god let this show go back to their random tuchchi saazishein. mere se itna action jhela nahi jaata.

ok back to dead inside vansh who is analyzing every single interaction with riddhima and musing about DHOKAAAAAAA DHOKAAAAAAAA DHOKAAAAAAAA

lmaoooooooooooooooooooooooo kabir is like “itne saalon se tum mere liye itneeee bade sardard the, but finally ab khel khatam.” dude i love this caviler fucker.

but tell me these caps don’t look like kabir expressing a whole other sentiment:

damnnnnn, dat chemistry. seriously, 10x what riddhima has with vansh. i am so mad that we’re not getting these two as endgame.

aaaaaand the handcuffs are out. mmmhmmmm. kinky!

mummy be like ARRE AISE KAISE TUM DONO HI SAARE OSCARS LOOTOGE KYA, MERE KO BHI CHAHIYE I AM ALSO PERFORMERR and throwing herself in front of vansh and giving passionate defense.

this one also like chalo my turn nowwwwww.

human angry bird is like NOT ON MY WATCH YOU FUCK.

DUDE WHAT ARE THESE LOOKS THEY’RE GIVING EACH OTHER THERE’S SO MUCH SEXUAL TENSION HERE I CAN’T TAKE IT

asljdaslkjdlaskjdlaskjdlaskjldkj kabirrrrrrrrrrrr’s internal monologue: “haath mein hathkadi lag gayi, phir bhi tashan nahi gaya tumhara” hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

RIDDHIMA IS STILL FUCKING RUNNING. FROM FUCKING BANDRA, WHERE THE FACTORY OR WHATEVER WAS, TO BLOODY ANDHERI, WHERE THE VR MANSION IS. DUDE, MUMBAI MARATHON CHAL RAHA HAI KYA IDHAR????????

unf the way kabir pushed vansh towards the van. big Top energy.

THIS SCENE HAS JUST SOOOOOOO MUCH FUCKING SEXUAL TENSION I’M LITERALLY HERE LIKE

LIKE I’M REALLY FEELING SOME KINDA FUNNY WAY, THAT I’VE NEVER FELT IN THE VANSH/RIDDHIMA SCENES.

oh yeah in between that mummy was doing some more mother india acting, ki iski sazaa mujhe de dijiye and all, but HONESTLY WHO CAN PAY ATTN TO THAT MESS WHEN THERE’S BHAAARI SEX EYES GOING ON HERE???????

ok now that they’ve driven away, i’ll focus on her. yes, very cool acting. iss saal ka manikchand gutka jio fiama di wills colors golden petal stardust whatever the fuck award aapke hi liye.

riddhima also managed to medal in the marathon, and reach justttttttt as they pull outta the gates.

back to the Sexy Van™

ohhhhhhhhhhh boyyyyyyy, kabir instructing mishra to go off the path.

“vansh raisinghania, apne life ke sabse bade adventure ke liye taiyaar ho jao.”

DUDE THESE TWO ARE KINKY AS FUCK.

lmao vansh is like don’t write checks you can’t cash, don’t be promising orgasms you won’t be giving, “dhamki toh dhang ki dete.”

“vansh tumhe andaaza nahi ki kitni shiddat ke saath maine aaj ke din ka intezaar kiya hai. aaj meri zindagi ka sabse bada din hai!”

well damn, me too. i didn’t know that this was the pairing i was gonna end up shipping SO HARD but here we are!

ok mummy has seen riddhima and she tries to shoot her but riddhima drove the fuck away. good for her.

they have reached that random maidaan where every outdoor sequence on tellywood happens.

mishra can you gtfooooooooo from in between the hot boy sandwich??????

this dude is hottest when his eyes squinty.

OUFFFFFFFFFFFF THE SMILESSSSSSSSSS

TBH I’M NOT EVEN PAYING ATTN TO THE TRASH TALK THEY’RE DOING I’M JUST HERE LIKE KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS

kabir freeing him, which nooooooooooooo, i wanted to see some hot handcuff actionnnnnn. vansh is as disappointed as i am.

anyway some searing indictments of our country’s legal system by kabir, about no matter how much proof he collects, rich ppl anyway get away with whatever. and so will vansh. sooooooo, he’s like i just needed to arrest you and break your ego, blah blah. which, yeah right. like anyone with one working brain cell doesn’t know you’re gonna shoot him down in an encounter for trying to flee police custody.

some more flirty banter. and then……..

yup.

damn, those some cat-like reflexes.

vansh like, i knew your bitch ass would pull some shit like this.

fuck fuck fuck fuck so much sexy him walking up to the gun like that.

ofc there have to be some BE A MAN type dumbass dhamkis. you know what real men do??? KISS THEIR RIVALS WHOM THEY HAVE THIS MUCH HOMOEROTIC TENSION WITHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

DANG KABIR HESITATEDDDDDDDD. HE COULDN’T DO IT. IT’S RIGHT OUTTA THE FIGHT SCENE BEFORE THE SEX SCENE IN MR. AND MRS. SMITHHHHHH.

aaaaaand that pause was enough for vansh to start beating the fuck outta him. yeah i don’t care. the only thing i wanna see you two wrestle is TONGUES.

mmmmmmhmmmmm just a lil closer, come onnnnn you stupid fucks.

ok they’re back to pounding on each other IN THE NON FUN WAY so fwding.

aaaaaaaaand riddhima is following her special Vansh Tracker App. I REALLY DON’T CARE.

told y’all K had Big Top Energy. oh yeahhhhhhhhhh, choke him, daddy!

ok they back to hitting each other.

ooooh nice callback to that firstttt fight they had where kabir threw sand in vansh’s eyes and then vansh fought blindfolded.

back to sexy banter.

“dil, dimaag, aur taaqat. teeno hi tumse kayiiii zyaada hai mujh mein.” LIFE MEIN CONFIDENCE CHAHIYE, TOH OF AN RICH, UPPER CASTE, MALE PSYCHOPATH ON TELLYWOOD.

he’s walking backwards to the edge of the cliff as he keeps talking. sigh.

“dushman mein woh dum kahan ke mera kuch bigaad sake. woh toh apne the jo dagaa de gaye, sazza de gaye.” waaaaaah waaaaaah!!!! THE PSYCHOPATH WAS A POET AND WE DIDN’T KNOW IT!

walking back some more.

“main aaj bhi vansh raisinghania hi hoon. meri maut bhi mujhse pooch ke mere paas aati hai.” this fucker nicolas flamel or what, with the philosopher’s stone????

“kissi tuchche insaan ki gun se chali goli ko ijaazat nahi ke meri jaan le sake. maine apni zindagi khud banaayi hai, kabir; aur iske aage kya hoga naa tum decide karoge, na tumhare haath mein yeh pistol. the choice is mine.”

pehli baar this dude’s tashan has been effective for me. IT’S COZ THE DIALOGUE DELIVERY IS MEASURED AND HE’S SAYING IT FULL OF MIRTH, INSTEAD OF GRINDING HIS TEETH AND YELLING. SEEE WHAT A FUCKING DIFFERENCE IT MAKES????????

anyway kabir is like, cool, your funeral. as vansh continues to walk backwards. it’s hilarious kabir thinks he has anyyyy control in this scene anymore.

le. aa gayi. dhaaansu scene kharaab karne.

vansh having ALL TEH FLASHBACKS. poor sad eyed puppy.

“tum log kya kar rahe ho?!!?!?” BITCH THEY WERE ABOUT TO GET IT ON, BUT NOW NO THANKS TO YOU……………….

blah blah usual ishq nahi aasaan aag ka dariya hai doob ke jaana hai blah blah from piya psychopath

“aaj apne dhoke ke aag ki dariya mein dubo hi diya na tumne mujhe, riddhima?”

i’m sure this is some kasautiii kinda metaphor, ki they’re working together, or like….. he actually does trust her… or some such shit, but i can’t be arsed to analyse anything with this dumbass show. it doesn’t deserve it.

kabir watching this whole angst ridden scene with such horny eyes, i can’t even…………………

obligatory placement of show naam. tashan mein usko lete lete, JAI MATA DIIIIIIIIIIIII, LET’S ROCK.

if this isn’t the Biggest Mood for 2020, idk what is. vansh finally being relatable to the rest of us normals.

yeah whatever. i really don’t care about you. i’m more devastated ki when will i get such a KaValicious sexual tension filled episode next??!?!?!?!!? probably next fucking year now. ugh. bloody waste show, forcing us to watch this het bullshit.

let’s end this with a nice pic of this face. i think we’ve all earned it.

[cancellablex]

About fem g'cest! I presume Noelle "gets along" with a LOT of musicians (especially in post-oasis era)? and what about the others in the band? Gem and Noel seem really cute in HFB... Also the Oasis-Blur rivalry would be even more interesting considering Blur are still lads? (strangely I think about Johnny being Joanie Marr in this universe haha)

Okay so this has resulted in a couple retcons! and there’s now a tag! #noellia :D 

So you see, as I’ve been thinking stuffz through I was tempted to genderswap EVERYONE but then I decided that the world was the same and the only genders changed would be those that would maintain the het/gay status of the canon relationships in this world. (So we got Patrick Kensit, Mark Matthews, Nick Appleton, Sam MacDonald, and Devon Gwyther - plus Noelle’s pre-fame boyfriend Louis, plus uh Lewis Moorish AND Lewis Ghorbani good god lmao)

So like, everyone the same but the girls, their officially recognized love interests, and Clint Boon (because lbr lmao). And I was like “The Smiths have to be guys because of the homoerotic content influencing Take Me” BUT THIS IS NOT TRUE - it still works and also I’m now a Johnny/Noel truther because if my thirst comment about Noel hadn’t killed my computer I wouldn’t have opened this interview in a separate tab to finish watching and I wouldn’t have seen the comment below it claiming they were lovers and also cos one of my cest buds ships it and has given me material go read their fic. So you’re absolutely right, Joanie Marr is perfect as a hero and mentor and friend of Noelle’s!!!! 

Thank you! :D Now, about the rest of the band, they’d stay the same - so we got Bonehead and Guigsy and Tony as guys, and Bonehead is still a bro type friend of Lia’s :) even if they kissed lol, and I can see Lia having dated Tony and that’s why he got sacked lmao. Andy and Gem are still Andy and Gem! :D so Gem and Noel would also be friends, maybe an unrequited crush from Gem’s side but it still works, you know? sometimes as a lesbian you get dudes who genuinely like you as a person crushing on you but they are decent about it so you work well together and be good friends

Ah fuck... we’re gonna need female Russell Brand and Matt Morgan aren’t we? :| WE’LL DEAL WITH 2008 AND ONWARDS WHEN WE GET THERE

I think Noelle would hang out with a whole bunch of male musicians because of the music and people would rumour there was something else but like, nope lol, but it’d be fine because everybody would make a big deal about her not being traditionally attractive despite she being really quite hot and also like A ROCK QUEEN?!. And also would hang out with more female rockstars and people would be like AH SOLIDARITY AMONGST ROCK GODDESSES but nah, they banging

Much to think about 

[gingus-arts]

AH YES ANOTHER ONE OF THESE!!! with my thoughts again ajdjsj- this is one of my favourite ships so i had to

tIME FOR ANOTHER SHIP "ESSAY." this time on keishima >:) again, the heights r just what i found on the wiki (i think it's cool that mishima is taller than keiji, his height fits him) and their sexualities & ages are a mix of what i've seen and what i think fits. which is to say, i saw this neat fanart of mishima being gay sjdhfns. generally i think they go together really well so let's start!

1. big spoon vs. little spoon — i just think keiji would want to be the big spoon asjhfshfn. mishima wouldn't be too set on either but he'd default to being the little spoon most of the time just cos keiji likes to be the opposite

2. lends clothes vs. borrows clothes — i think it'd be harder for mishima to lend keiji clothes with keiji being such a Beefy Boi, but he'd be totally okay lending whatever would fit him, generally stuff like ties and other accessories. i could also see mishima borrowing clothes once in a while, like if he forgot to do laundry and needed a dress shirt for work (it's not ideal because it'd be a bit baggy, but it's better than nothing) or if he wanted something comfortable to wear at home. he'd probably always ask keiji before he borrows things despite keiji saying that he doesn't need to, and he starts asking less as they're together longer (since he doesn't do it often anyway)

3. doesn't use pet names vs. uses pet names — mishima just doesn't seem like one for nicknames or pet names KFJSJDN. keiji absolutely does though— i think keiji would be more likely to flirt overtly in general so it just makes sense that he'd use pet names more. he'd probably stuff like "babe" a lot lol. but also, mishima would use an occasional "my love" whenever he's feeling lovey dovey (also this bouta sound hella cheesy but the way he says keiji's name sometimes is a term of endearment in itself)

4. extroverted vs. introverted — i think keiji would be kind of extroverted in the sense that he likes being around people (even if he's not particularly talkative, he can hold a conversation decently) and would prefer that to being alone, mostly because being around other people makes it easier to distract himself from his thoughts. i don't think he'd be drained by social situations either, but moreso envigorated by them (most of the time, anyway). that last part goes for mishima too! i think mishima would be significantly more extroverted than keiji just cos he seems extremely open to talking with everyone and seems to connect easily with them (and, he also seems more likely to persuade or push people into conversation than keiji is) though mishima is comfortable with having time alone too.

5. affection thru words vs. affection thru actions — i think keiji would generally have a hard time getting out affectionate words, so he just settles for doing small things like getting mishima food when he's @ work and kissing him or putting his arm around him. i think mishima would say really sweet stuff to keiji sometimes (though it's often more subtle & poetic than a straight up "i love you") and also compliment him often, so he'd be pretty comfortable voicing his affections, though he also does stuff with his actions.

6. confesses first vs. waits for confession — mishima just has a lot more confidence and self-esteem than keiji so i think he'd feel more comfortable opening himself up to rejection,,, though he would get the same nervousness about it that everyone gets. keiji distanced himself from even the possibility of being /friends/ with mishima, there's no way he'd think mishima would want to handle the burden of being his s/o, and it's possible he would just flat out deny that mishima likes him even if it's really obvious, if mishima doesn't say it upfront. so, he wouldn't even be waiting for a confession, he'd just try to get rid of his feelings (he'd probably feel somewhat guilty for "spoiling" their friendship with his feelings.) there is a small, small chance he'd tell mishima in a very unceremonious, way too casual sort of way, but this would definitely be an impulsive decision and he'd decide against doing it if he didn't blurt out in the minute he considered it (if that makes sense)

7. screams about bugs vs. squashes bugs with shoe — i just think it'd be funny if mishima was afraid of bugs LOL, tho i think it'd be more accurate to say that he's intrigued by bugs as a knowledgeable person (fr he just seems like he'd know a bunch of random ass information about a shit load of things) but likes to keep his distance from them. even though he's unnerved when they get too close to him, though, he makes an effort to not kill them. keiji does not care lol he'll just squash

8. drives the car vs. can't drive lol — i don't think keiji would necessarily be a bad driver, but i don't think he'd be good at it for one main reason– anxiety, or specifically, ptsd. the loud noises that sometimes come with driving, honking horns, the sharp rush of air and tires on gravel when a car passes you by, i think, could get overwhelming if he was in a relatively busy area. i don't think he'd be too good at concentrating either, he seems like he'd be somewhat prone to zoning out. mishima would Definitely be better at concentrating at keiji, and even if he zones out a bit, he's driven more than keiji (assuming,, he drives 2 work) and isn't bothered by loud noises. i don't think keiji would be too keen on admitting his problems with driving but mishima would probably pick up on it after it then call keiji out on it, /then/ he'd insist on driving most of the time.

9. can't cook for shit vs. makes dinner — i Actually Have a specific cooking hc for keiji which is that he can cook pretty basic things just fine, but he doesn't really feel the need to cook for himself so he barely cooks. like, if he was living alone, he'd probably live off of fast food and microwave meals KDJSJDN. now, if he was living with mishima- i think he'd moreso let mishima take care of the cooking, considering that mishima is Actually Good At It, but would offer help getting ingredients out or anything else mishima might need. if he wants to surprise mishima or give him a break from cooking, he'll order something to eat instead of cooking bc 1) his cooking ranges from mediocre to kinda bad and 2) he knows how to cook like 4 meals tops and 3) he doesn't want to embarrass himself lol (tho he won't admit that he doesn't want to..) mishima may coax him into at some point, though, and in that case, he'd try it out.

10. dislikes pda vs. loves pda — i think mishima would like to stay professional & within social norms in public, but he wouldn't be opposed to holding hands or a kiss on the cheek. keiji, on the other hand, has Less Shame and would nearly make out with mishima if he let him lmao- i think keiji would like teasing mishima with pda to some extent

11. overprotective vs. chill going — overall i think they'd both be pretty protective over each other! mishima seems like a protective person in general, (presumably that kinda comes with how nurturing he is) so i think that'd go doubly for his boyfriend with mental health problems up the wazoo who DOES NOT TAKE CARE OF HIMSELF NEARLY ENOUGH.... i think keiji might get annoyed with mishima's overprotectiveness but mishima stands firm in it and keiji eventually comes to recognize it less as a lack of trust & babying him, and more as a sign that mishima cares about him (and occasionally, is concerned about him.) i also think keiji would be protective over mishima, just as a base level of people he cares about, but less so than mishima is over him because mishima's pretty well adjusted and generally doesn't need protection from anything (except bugs maybe, lol)

12. has more relationship experience vs. has NO relationship experience — ok so,, i'm a little conflicted on my takes here, because if i was going with canon, it wouldn't make sense that mishima is gay because he was skeptical of kugie's same sex relationship, /unless/ he hadn't figured out his sexuality yet, which is not entirely implausible (or, if it's the internalized homophobia hittin-) i still want to headcannon him as gay so imma go with those explanations. however, if that's the case, it doesn't make sense to have him date any younger than he is now– unless, he had a serious case of comp het, which is also plausible. that may have helped him understand how relationships work, but they wouldn't be truly fulfilling if he's gay. if we're taking the relationship experience to be inclusive of platonic relationships, though, mishima would definitely have more experience than keiji. and whether we're talking platonic or romantic with keiji, i don't think he'd have very much AJDHDJ. i think he'd have like 2 or 3 girlfriends when he was younger, but nothing serious, and i don't think he'd have any really strong friendships either, in school i think it'd mostly just be the type of friends that u don't rly hang around with too often after school & then you kinda just don't see them afterwards, and in adult life it'd be coworkers, so like,, even less of a purely friendship thing. i think not having a support system would really jack him up when the trauma hit bUT i'm getting off topic so let's move on!

13. HORNY LEVEL — keiji is a horny fool don't @ me, mishima is a functional level of horniness

14. AWKWARDNESS LEVEL — so, if this was general awkwardness levels, i'd put keiji's a lot lower and mishima's a bit higher-- HOWEVER. i'm taking this 2 mean their awkwardness levels in the context of a relationship and that's why they are what they are. i would think keiji is pretty awkward in romance due to his constant deflection and tendency to distance himself– mishima would be better suited to it but A Bit Unsure either because he hasn't had relationships before or he hasn't had relationships with men before. figuring out gey things. ah but yeah i dunno, i didn't come to a conclusion in my previous rant on this :')

15. JEALOUSY LEVEL — i think keiji would b jealous mostly because he's insecure and feels like he's not enough for mishima. he wouldn't voice it and would just try to get over it, though mishima would probably notice him pouting or being a little distant. mishima, on the other hand, is quite secure in himself, and even when he isn't, i don't think he would feel particularly jealous. i feel like he'd be really happy when keiji gets close 2 other people and makes friends and stuff because that'd be good for him.

[grapecase]

Harry/Luna, Maria/Kyle, and whatever your three fave Black Sails ships are (I'm pondering whether to start it...)

Harry/Luna: A+. They’re my biggest “canon” ship for Harry (I guess outside of Ron ... fine biggest canon het ship.) I have grown to appreciate Hinny. But I feel Harry and Luna fit together in a way that was fun, interesting, and would have lead to interesting growth for both of them. The thing that I am about. Also, I just love that she got him and made him smile. While he just genuinely loved her company. I feel them falling in love would have been the cutest.

Maria/Kyle: B. If all things were equal, they would be otp. Status. But I’m looking for ships that give my babes screen time. And they are not it for each other. However, if you were to talk just fic-wise? I think I could see them being an A. The majority of their appeal is they are my faves, they are the best, and I would dig them making out. I’ve read some really good fic about them that makes me wish there were more because I feel them being the two still hanging around Roswell, forming a bond, would be so intriguing to me -- especially with their HS history. 

I have THREE Black Sails ships. ROFL. In this economy?

Max/Anne: A+ They are without a doubt my biggest ship in the show and for each other. I feel my ardor has cooled as time has gone on. But I still stick to them out of fondness and sheer stubbornness (ie, fandom sucks lmao). The things that they have gone through both positively and negatively for and because of each other. The strength and home they found together. The really bad ass image of the queen and her berserker. All about that hype.

Flint/Miranda: Run the gamut of A - C depending on my mood and their moments. LMAO. But I think that’s their appeal to me. They’re so messy, yet complex, yet direct -- in a sense. I would say they’re a solid A for me. Again my biggest ship for the other (though I love their ot3. And Madi/Flint is one of my favorite parts of Madi/Flint/Silver). It’s so fucked up yet so ... I don’t want to say pure. But I do genuinely believe that even with the pain, the machinations, the bodily presence of Thomas’ ghost, they kept each other afloat. Heck, the show says as much. And it. I wish the show had done Miranda better. Because I feel it would have elevated them more. But I have a lot of feelings about them.

This is hard .... I relatively want to say Jack/Max: They are probably high key my favorite nonromantic dynamic. Or just up there (because I am in love with Max/Silver and Madi/Flint. And I have Flint/Silver feels. Idele/Max. Is just. So much). But I will never let Toby’s quote go: He loves her. I do think these two genuinely do care about each other as much as they wanted to strangle each other and it wasn’t all about Anne -- though sh was their lynch pin. It’s an A/B+ for me. 

You should also watch Black Sails. Season one is rocky and there are some genuinely upsetting things there. I do think they could have done soooo much better writ their black and their women characters, especially given the effort they put in other things. It isn’t without its flaws. But I see it like the Leverage of that type (Outlander, GOT, etc.).  It is leagues beyond the shows of it’s type ... and most shows period. BUT BECAUSE OF THIS, you can’t always get honest discourse from the fandom about how it erred.  I would tell you to watch for Max alone. I feel Flint MIGHT be your type. But Silver could be a surprising dark horse for you.

Send Me A Ship And I’ll Grade It.

[aelinbitch-archive]

You've probably said this before but what's your favorite aspect of the TOG series? I've only read like ten pages of the first book lol

aaaaa thank u for asking!! this sort of leads into something i’ve been meaning to talk about for a while so i hope you’re prepared for An Essay No One Wanted By Me. anyway this is a two-part answer, read below:

1. Aelin. Celaena. The main bitch, whatever you wanna call her lol. Without her I probably wouldn’t have cared about the series at all and wouldn’t currently be trapped in ToG tumblr hell reluctantly stanning a racist and homophobic series, but unfortunately when I was like twelve years old or whatever and read the first book I literally imprinted on Celaena like a baby duckling. To the extent that she became, like, the default avatar for all my maladaptive daydreaming and If I Don’t Project On Her At All Times I Will Die. It’s not like she’s the only thing I like about the series (I loooove a lot of the other characters, especially the gals, and the writing can be really great and engaging and cinematic) but Aelin has always been the supermassive black hole at the center of it all for me. I wouldn’t know how to even begin untangling her character from my psyche at this point. It’s honestly a little disturbing. Anyway. 

2. Part two is a quality of the series that I feel was unprecedented in its strength in the first five books of the series (ToG-QoS plus the prequel novellas) and really really disappointingly weak in the last two books (EoS-KoA). Like I said above, Aelin has always been my main interest in tog so I read and enjoyed the last two anyway, but I definitely felt the loss of this - “this” being the detail and attention paid to all different types of relationships between characters, and how rich and unpredictable those relationships were as a result. 

That sounds like kind of a broad, vague thing, but what I mean is that (in my opinion) rarely are romances and friendships and rivalries explored with such nuance, complexity, drama, and realism in most YA as they are in ToG. I remember reading Cassandra Clare’s books (lmao.) as a pre teen and loving those as well, but totally being able to predict who was going to end up with who, and finding the character dynamics to be pretty cut and dry. 

In ToG that’s not the case at all. Like, you’ve got Celaena and Sam, a really complex example of enemies to lovers to….. Tragically Dead Boyfriend Whose Demise Fuels My Guilt and Self-Hatred For Seven More Books, Lysandra and Aelin, two girls pitted against each other by their abuser who team up a year later to unlearn their internalized misogyny and kill him, and Aelin and Chaol, who… how do I even describe the ups and downs (and downs. and more downs) of their relationship. 

And that’s just three pairs! Pull the names of two characters out of a hat and I can almost guarantee essays worth of material could be written about them. Arobynn and Aelin? Aelin and Nehemia? Chaol and Dorian, as much as I hate both of them and feel that their relationship as been widely mischaracterized? All fascinating!!! No two people in those first few books are just friends, or just lovers, or just enemies. It’s always more complex, there’s always a history or tension or competing agendas or viewpoints that Fuck Shit Up. 

And benefit of that is twofold: one, everything that happens between the characters just…. lands so well. The betrayals and triumphs and losses and victories of The Assassin’s Blade and Crown of Midnight and Queen of Shadows (especially TAB) are fucking heart-stopping. It’s great character-driven entertainment!! Gripping and engaging and vivid to the point of being painful. 

And two, there’s no way to predict where a relationship is going to go. Aelin and Lysandra teaming up in QoS instead of returning to their rivalry? Who would have thought! Ansel and Celaena’s summer fling (they were in love. fight me.) ending like That? Holy fuck. Nesryn and Chaol breaking up in ToD? Oh shit! I fell for it again! Rowan and Aelin ending up together after everyone swore they were brotp in HoF? Hell yeah! Chaolaena seeming like endgame and then ending forever, with Chaol and Aelin realizing that the rift between them that began in CoM was something that would never sufficiently heal? Unprecedented. Fucking badass for a YA book to curve everyone like that. Tween me was shook out of her mind. 

(Important to note, though, that the downside of this style was that SJM couldn’t tell where ~unpredictable relationships and characters~ ended and fridging began, and as a result, not one but two woc were killed off to make white characters sad and it sucked beyond belief). 

Aaaaaand then QoS, the peak of literature, turned into EoS, and SJM just… gave up on all of that. I remember the first time Dorian and Manon met, and I was like oh, okay. So they’re going to end up together. And I was right. I remember that on this site, before EoS came out, before Lorcan and Elide ever fucking MET, people predicted the existence of Elorcan!! And they were right!! Like how fucking boring? Everyone is just paired off into completely predictable heterosexual ships and those are now the only relationships we get to read about (with a few exceptions, like Aelin/Aedion, Aelin/Fenrys, etc.). 

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: my least favorite thing about Manorian is not that I find the relationship to be shitty (although I do, I really do). It’s that Dorian is suddenly the only character Manon gets to interact with in any meaningful way. 

Like, are you kidding?! I want to read about Manon and Elide, Manon and Asterin, Rowan and Lorcan, Aelin and Lysandra, Aelin and Nesyrn, even if it’s not romantically (although some of them, like Manon and Elide, absolutely should have been, and the fact that not only was that ship very thoroughly sunk, but also they didn’t even get to TALK after QoS, felt like a real slap in the face to gay fans, but I digress), because those pairings previously had hella complexity and drama. But we don’t get to. 

And this trend that’s so painfully present in the last two books Sucks for two reasons: one, every relationship that isn’t romantic (which were previously some of the most interesting ones) is abandoned so that more time can be made for The Hets™ and two, the relationships that are romantic, now the only ones left, are totally fucking boring and predictable!! If two characters are interacting at any point (if one is male and the other is female, of course) then you know for a fact that they’re not only love interests, but endgame. 

And that makes me not care even when there is drama between them. Elide giving Lorcan the cold-shoulder for three hundred pages, and Manon and Dorian arguing, and Aedion being cruel to Lysandra weren’t compelling narratives to me like they should have been, because the whole time I was just thinking “but it doesn’t matter. I know it’s still endgame. There are no stakes here whatsoever; it’s a done deal.” Whereas Chaol and Celaena’s devestating breakup in CoM felt like (and was) suuuuper Real. An all-in bet on the wrong person. Crazy shit. 

And not that I think two characters should never have a happy ending together (I really like rowaelin and nestaq and I would have loved malide!) but imagine how much cooler and subversive and entertaining it would have been if Elorcan, which seemed soooo totally cute and endgamey and borderline like fanfiction throughout all of EoS just ended forever right there and then on the beach, with Elide turning to Lorcan and saying “I hope you spend the rest of your miserable, immortal life suffering. I hope you spend it alone. I hope you live with regret and guilt in your heart and never find a way to endure it” - and BAM. She never speaks to him again. He’s dead to her. 

I mean, talk about shock value! (See, Sarah, you can have shock value without killing of a person of color to make a white character sad 🙃). And I totally get that relational twists like that alienate fans more than just going the expected route and having them kiss and make-up does (I mean, the ending of Chaolaena in QoS certainly did, Jesus Christ) but I, Bella aelinbitch, personally live for that shit, and isn’t it only fair that all media cater directly and specifically to me? Lmao. But seriously, I do think it’s objectively more interesting, and that it keeps readers on their toes (I was on my ASS in EoS and KoA. Like. I was flat on my back sinking into the Earth). 

And there are still sort of… glimmers of the old way she wrote in the first few books, but it just feels like a tease rather than something that’s really explored and indulged in the way it was before, and it just ends up being more frustrating (like what was the point of Manon and Dorian not getting married at the end of KoA if I would bet my life savings that in World of Tog it’ll be confirmed that they’re either married or still together) and sometimes downright problematic? Like to return to a previous example, I think all the drama between Aedion + Lysandra was a result of Sarah’s previous (good) instincts to shake stuff up and complicate the character dynamics, but it backfires because when they end up together, it’s not ever… worked out? Or addressed? If you create really intense drama between two people, then that needs to show up in their relationship, no matter how happy they end up together. It doesn’t just disappear.

And despite the fact that her understanding of that concept (that shit between two people doesn’t just disappear like magic) is one of my absolute favorite things about the first few books, Sarah even went as far as to use the last two books to retcon some of the original complexity away, which makes me want to rip out my hair!! Like Aelin at the end of KoA just going “Love you Chaol and Love you Dorian xoxoxoxoxox best friends forever!!!” instead of having, like, any type of mixed feelings about the way these boys treated her? I mean, come on! 100 pages earlier Chaol was openly saying she should die instead of Dorian! Why is everything just peachy-keen instead of fraught with tension!! (I know why. I know. It’s because she introduced way too many characters/POVs/storylines as the series went on and didn’t know what to do with them all besides sideline the nonromantic ones and pair off everyone else boy-girl boy-girl down the line). Or if it has to be peachy-keen, why is the peachy-keeness never critically examined as, perhaps, a repressive mechanism for Aelin to avoid dealing with painful truths from her past? Now that would be interesting. 

(My ideal World of ToG would be just a transcript of the characters’ therapy sessions where Aelin realizes that her insistence that “Chaol and Dorian Are Her Friends!” is actually a way to keep herself safe emotionally and that she has plenty of reasons to hate them, and Lysandra realizes she should divorce Aedion lmao).  

Anyway tldr: The variety, complexity, depth, and unpredictability of the relationships in Throne of Glass was simultaneously the most realistic (sometimes relationships of all kinds fall apart or veer off in unexpected directions and love is temporary and the boy you met in the first chapter isn’t actually your soulmate and it doesn’t mean he’s a villain) and the most gripping and dramatic (I would have been totally chill if maeve and erawan weren’t a thing and tog was just like a medieval soap opera, that’s how entertaining the character dynamics were) thing about the series, and to lose that in the last two books because of Heterosexuality (and introducing too many POVs and not knowing what to do with them all)…. kinda devastating. 

This ended up being waaaaaay more complaining than it was talking about what I loved, but the only reason it bothers me so much is because it used to be so good!!! So just imagine the inverse of all the frustration I just vomited into this ask and you’ll have a good idea of how much I loved the series when things weren’t this way.