#joking about the writers being too cowardly for them to interact used to be a joke but now i say they ARE cowards hghghghhg

[infinitelystrangemachinex]

Imagining this Viktor sassing Mel. No screen on earth could have handled their power, I fear.

[epickiya722]

Seriously though, coming from Twitter or not, if you're going to be here, here's some tips!

First, don't be a blank blog. If you have a blank blog, there is a 99.9% chance you will be blocked. Usually blank blogs are bots or just people with these accounts used to harass other people. If you're not that kind of person, you better start making posts or reblogging.

Second, speaking of reblogging! Biggest pet peeve is blank blogs liking content posts and not reblogging. How is an artist's work going to be seen here? Or a writer's story? If you want to see more creative content, START REBLOGGING THE CONTENT. IT HELPS ARTISTS, EDITORS, WRITERS, ETC.

You gotta follow people if you want to have a dashboard full of things you want to see. Follow people who have similar interests as you, or post fics and art you like. Don't claim your dash is "too boring". You have to follow people.

But be mindful of who you follow or allow to follow you. We have "DNIs" (Do Not Interact) here. A list of people we do not want to follow. If someone has "DNI if you're a minor" and you're a minor, DO NOT FOLLOW THEM. If they have a ship they don't like and they don't want those shippers to follow them, just don't.

PROPERLY TAG YOUR POSTS. For goodness sake, if you're going to make an anti post about a character you hate, put anti - and that character's name. Otherwise, people are going to think you're being an ass. If you have visible blood or violence on your post, put it so. Drawn or real.

People have triggers, be mindful of that. Don't cross boundaries. People don't want to just spew out their trauma, so don't force them to. Don't be an ass.

BLOCK PEOPLE WHO GET ON YOUR NERVES. It is not a cowardly move. People who say that it is are just trolls and bored with themselves. They aren't worth your time. If someone posts anti things about your comfort character, block them. If someone is transphobic and you're transgender, block them. Block people who make you feel uncomfortable. Keep your space healthy.

We have weird jokes here. Don't be surprised if you see a post with a screenshot of the crab rave or something about a Tumblr Sexyman. That is normal here.

You do not have to censor words like "death" or "penis". It's actually helpful you don't because people can just filter out those words without the need to block censored versions of them.

Rolling back to blank blogs, people here do make headers and icons that can be used. Use them. Reblog their posts to share their work and credit them. You can put "Icon Made By..." in your bio or on a pinned post.

Don't just randomly DM people. People are uncomfortable with that.

FEEL FREE TO ADD MORE!! I'M SURE I FORGOT SOME THINGS!!

[none-gender-left-man]

Let's talk LGBTQ+ erasure in the Marvel Fandom

Mischaracterization in fandom is a big problem, and it's something we see from every fanbase. A character gets boiled down into a few condensed traits and their nuance is washed out and forgotten. Fanonization isn't always inherently bad, and can lead to fandom solidarity and representation through headcanon, and this can sometimes eventually have influence on canon, which can be seen in the Homestuck fandom, where eventually slash pairings that received enough attention became endgame romantic pairings (Dave and Karkat, Rose and Kanaya, etc.). Of course I'm not here to discuss Homestuck today, I'm here to discuss the Marvel fandom and its toxic dudebro fans, as well as related topics that intersect with this issue. 

There's a common mischaracterization problem in the Marvel fandom, particularly in relation to queer relationships and characters. 

First example is Deadpool. Wade Wilson is described by his canon writers and creators to be omnisexual or pansexual, or of an otherwise fluctuating and open sexuality. The Deadpool video game wildly mischaracterized Wade and even made him behave in some homophobic ways, acting grossed out by men and homoerotic implications. This was jarring for me as someone who has read his comics and knows for a fact that Wade has multiple emphasized crushes on or at least attraction to other male characters, such as Spider-Man, Thor, Cable, and others. The game was very popular despite this mischaracterization and created a condensed fanonized Deadpool that is made into nothing more than an ultraviolent oversexualized joke, despite his character being the epitome of coping humor and having a very tender and compassionate side to him. It's known in the comics that Wade uses his humor to cope with his severe trauma, this doesn't mean he is just comic relief. This has gotten consistently worse since the Deadpool films. (I'm looking at you, shitty Wal-Mart DP t shirt that shows Wade holding a sign that says "oh I'm sorry did I offend you?" Which is really OOC imho)

Many of the more hypermasculine fans of Deadpool seem to have this false image of him being the epitome of "offensive humor" when in reality his trademark is Metahumor, not going out of his way to be a dick to people. These fans also often either ignore or aren't aware of Deadpool not being straight, portraying him as thirsting after buxom ladies but forgetting his openly admitted male attracted orientation which is just as obvious if you're not actively ignoring it. This is a grave mistake that takes so much from his character, especially in the case of the Deadpool/Spider-Man team up comics. 

In that span of issues Wade went through an entire moral transformation, molding himself and his moral compass to earn the respect of Spider-Man, while unable to go more than a few pages without flirting with him. The things Wade goes through in order to Do the Right Thing by Spider-Man in any other story would be considered romantic. If a man did this much for a woman in a narrative of course no one would question the romantic subtext, but because it's two men, half of the fanbase has a kneejerk reaction to this concept and swear that Deadpool flirting is a joke. (Or that it's just "Bromance")

Yes, because apparently a man being attracted to a man has to be a joke. /Sarc

Wade and Peter are even canonically shown to be "heartmates" and this still isn't enough for the erasure to end, and ultimately I think this is because the fans guilty of this either didn't read the Deadpool comics and only know the movie or game, or they chose to read the comics through a straight washed lense, assuming all "gayness" is a joke.

It's made prominently clear in Deadpool/Spider-Man that Wade is probably in love with Spidey based on his actions, and truly every single interaction with him leaves more evidence to support this idea, especially when you look at his relationship with Shiklah and how not-good it was in comparison to his much healthier dynamic with Peter. Even with the knowledge of the ridiculous Peter Parker Policy (that states Peter Parker must always be portrayed as a straight white man in canon despite him being the embodiment of the underdog), one cannot deny Wade is attracted to Peter canonically. The only thing in the way of them being a pair is that they're both men and Marvel is too cowardly to make one of their most famous and family oriented characters queer, and that fans who aren't queer actively ignore the obvious subtext and narrative value of the Wade/Peter dynamic in the comics. Marvel has doubled down on this with the MCU by making Peter Parker WAYYYYY younger than Wade than he actually is in the comics (don't ship MCU spideypool folks, that's gross. Comics only. MCU Spider-Man is far too young even at 18), making it now impossible for us to see this dynamic on screen, because they're only capable of giving queer representation when it comes with an R rating, apparently (and they really didn't do that w Deadpool either tbh they stated that he's pansexual in some trailers but never showed much queerness in the films at all, even with Ryan Reynolds wanting to focus on Wade having a boyfriend at some point, it hasn't come to fruition bc Marvel is too scared to lose their rabid straight fans).

The same erasure can be seen in Venom, in relation to Eddie Brock and his undeniably queer relationship with the genderless, masculine presenting alien living in his body. 

Eddie and Venom are portrayed and referred to as if they're married, Venom himself states that their bond is equivalent to a marriage, and Eddie calls Venom "love". Yet again, this is ignored by edgier straight fans who refuse to see the blatant truth about the characters. 

Venom drops everything to be with Eddie, his purpose in life itself. He chooses Eddie over his biological purpose and has repeatedly been shown to do ANYTHING to stay with him, never wanting to be apart from Eddie. 

After the release of Venom 2018 this relationship is receiving spotlight again, but not without pushback. Many fans seem to have the impression that this relationship is fan generated and accuse shippers of "hamfisting gay shit into everything" when in reality they're the ones hamfisting straightness where there is none, and erasing the canon in order to fit their personal interpretation, the very thing they accuse queer fans of doing. The same thing happens with Spideypool, with Stucky, with Symbrock, with Loki and Venom's nonbinary genders, with every LGBTQ+ hero or character in Marvel this can be seen as a pervasive problem. The elitist nerds who go out of their way to delegitimize other fans are often the least fluent in the source material they claim to defend.

This is both a result of toxic fandom, and of badly managed representation on the part of Marvel as a company. I'm by no means an authority on all things Marvel, but as a queer fan of Marvel properties, I feel this needs to be said.

[tessatechaitea]

Justice League #1 (1987)

This is actually a more impressive line-up than I remember.

I'm pretty sure this line-up is a huge scam. I don't remember Doctor Fate interacting too much with this group and I think Shazam bows out fairly quickly. Batman probably does that thing where he acts like he's leader (even if Martian Manhunter actually is) and only helps out every sixth mission. So at that point, the line-up is already decreasing in strength and intimidation factor quickly. Adding Fire, Ice, and Booster Gold later won't really improve the team much. But I'm getting ahead of myself. My impressions from this initial cover were "Wow! Pretty interesting team!" and "What asshole fucking decided on the shit stencil font for the title?" Sorry, I cuss a lot when I'm writing on the Internet and trying to seem like a bad-ass. The issue begins with Guy Gardner calling the other Green Lanterns jerks and suggesting, to himself, that he should be the Commander-in-Chief of the new Justice League. Some people would read this first page and think, "What an arrogant fucking asshole." But my stomach got all queasy and I giggled a little bit and I muttered quietly under my breath, "I love him."

I'm not saying it isn't composed of some truly ridiculous aspects but Guy still has the best costume in the DC Universe.

I don't love everything about Guy Gardner because most writers at the time didn't truly understand him. They made him a jerk that nobody would like because they were too cold-hearted to see the brain damaged cool guy that he really was. Guy Gardner often needed to be written by somebody who loved the character; it would have done him a world of good. He could still have been that abrasive jerk. But written deftly, those who actually cared to take the time would see his true self. Sure, that would also be an abrasive jerk! But a little bit more likable!

Stallone was pretty sensitive in a few scenes in Rocky IV!

Black Canary is second to arrive, after which Mister Miracle and Oberon show up. I never quite understood how Oberon fit into the Justice League. Wasn't he like an agent or a manager? Did Batman and Martian Manhunter need Oberon to sign off on every mission or else Scott Free would have to remain behind? I bet he was included just so Giffen and DeMatteis could make dwarf jokes.

Why would Guy choose Sneezy?! Oberon's breathing has been impeccable since he arrived!

Normally after some kind of cynical prediction about the comic book that immediately is proved true, I'd write, "Grandmaster Comic Book Reader!" But it doesn't feel right to say it in this case. I mean, Oberon is present for four panels before he becomes the butt of a joke based on his diminutive nature. And by Guy Gardner, no less! Is this why I loved him so much at sixteen?! What a terrible and typical sixteen year old white heterosexual male I was! Black Canary (whose costume I'm just now noticing is really fucking weird) responds to Guy's awful behavior by saying, "Dozens of GLs around and we get 'Rambo' with a ring!" That's unfair to Rambo! I'm also unsure who in this story (including the writers of this story) have actually seen First Blood. Gardner is more like the authority mad Sheriff Teasle than the sensitive green beret John Rambo! Rambo should be admired as a hero, battling back against corrupt cops who think they have the right to use as much force as they want for any stupid fucking reason! It's possible they were talking about the Rambo from the second film who gets to kill more than one person because the people he's killing are Russians and Vietnamese. He does get a bit murder crazy in the second film. Or maybe they're talking about Rambo from the third film which wasn't actually out yet so I don't have to read up on it. Next to arrive are Captain Marvel, Blue Beetle, and Martian Manhunter. Martian Manhunter proves to be a buzzkill, reminding everybody how the old series ended in total death and disaster.

His view of the media is pretty spot on though.

J'onn calls up the files of Steel, Gypsy, Vixen, and Vibe before purging them completely from the Justice League computer. That's probably a good idea, like deleting old joke tweets on Twitter that were a bit racist and also boring. Meanwhile Maxwell Lord IV watches from a distance, doing that Ozymandias thing where you watch dozens of televisions at once. I think it proves you're a genius whose done the research and contemplated all sides of an issue before making up your totally rational and logical mind about any issue. As opposed to us losers who simply use compassion and empathy to almost immediately understand the correct and most ethical path to take. Maxwell Lord IV watches all of this television and decides the correct course to take is to leave the "America" off of the Justice League of America this time. Oh, and also the "of".

Maybe this is why I liked Guy so much: because he knew the saying was "you've got another think coming." Look, I'm going to be desperately finding good reasons to have liked Guy Gardner so much when Giffen and DeMatteis are this determined to make him a huge and unlikable jerk.

Look, I was sixteen! Hardly the best time in a young man's life for qualities like compassion and empathy and fashion sense and hair styles! I'm also fairly certain it wasn't this comic book that made me like him so much. I'm pretty sure he gets knocked out by Batman with one punch before the year is over and I remember loving that scene. So I probably despised him like a good reader of Justice League was supposed to do. Hopefully he'll have some character moments during this series that will show why I wound up liking him so much as a character. Right now, he's just a complete and utter asshole. The five panels following the one I just scanned consist of Guy once again calling Oberon "Sneezy" and then suggesting Black Canary is going to want to fuck him soon enough. Martian Manhunter tries to break it up and just winds up part of the chaos.

Okay, I'm starting to get why I might have liked him at sixteen, even after the first few pages. To a sixteen year old white male, mocking Martian Manhunter with a "Ho-ho-ho" trumps ableism, sexism, and, with this attack on J'onn for his inherent physical Martianness, almost certainly racism as well.

Guy continues to play the role of Squeaky Wheel for another page or two. I suppose if you want more on-panel time than the other heroes, you've got to be a raging asshole. I can't say I'm not entertained by it!

Captain Marvel earns a little of my love with this line as well. No shame in drinking warm milk at night!

This is only nine pages into the first issue and Guy has completely derailed the formation of the new Justice League. Was this blasphemy to previous fans of the Justice League where the team may have had some minor squabbles about various things and Batman would quit every six issues but mostly they didn't break out into brawls whenever they got together? Or were internal struggles and arguments a regular plot point? I have no idea because the only Justice League comics I read previous to this title were the terrible months where everything was breaking down and then Steel betrayed them and Vibe was killed off and Martian Manhunter felt like a huge failure. Although was Aquaman leading the team at the time? I dislike Aquaman so much, I'm just going to believe he was leading the team and that's why everything completely fell apart. He sucks. Once per day, I think about that lousy meme trying to prove Aquaman wasn't useless by using the image from New 52 Justice League where he controls a bunch of great whites to breach and kill a bunch of parademons and I hate everybody who actually thought that was a cool moment. Batman and Doctor Fate arrive in the middle of the Justice League brawl (which even Martian Manhunter, the only adult in the room, is taken part in) and shuts shit down The Batman way.

I guess heroes are also a cowardly lot.

Meanwhile, Doctor Light winds up being held hostage with the rest of the United Nations by some white terrorists. I felt I needed to say they were white because a lot of racist assholes can only envision terrorists one way. Also, I should always describe people as white when they're white since I don't want to be an accomplice to maintaining a world where we assume a person mentioned is white, male, and heterosexual unless they're described more fully. Doctor Light was given a Justice League emergency beeper by a mysterious figure some time previously. This isn't revealed but I just read Justice League Spectacular #1 so I know Maxwell Lord gave her the device so that she could alert the Justice League when the United Nations was taken hostage by terrorists that Maxwell Lord IV paid. It's all about getting some early press! There's an advert for the new Flash which I'm surprised I didn't pick up since the advert shows him having some kind of accident in a sperm bank.

Ew Flash is right!

The Justice League head over to stop the terrorist attack. At some point, Doctor Fate disappears to go do something else and I think he never comes back? Is that why I barely remember him as a part of this league? Was he just there to look cool on the cover and fool all the lovers of DC magic users? The League storms the UN, murdering several terrorists.

Look. Manhunter either phased their heads into the solid ceiling or he smashed their skulls straight through the roof. Either way, I don't see a high percentage chance of their survival.

The Justice League capture all the terrorists and then Batman has the building evacuated, leaving just the leader of the terrorists alone in the United Nations building threatening to kill himself so that the bomb attached to his heart would detonate and kill them all. He does kill himself but the bomb doesn't detonate. And the thing is, Batman realized during the mission that the bomb was almost certainly a bluff. So he left the man alone to kill himself. Later we discover the man had a history of mental illness. So this, to Batman, is justice? Batman almost certainly realized the man was being manipulated and that he'd definitely kill himself to blow the bomb and Batman let the man do it. Batman is a fucking monster. After the event, the media points out that the terrorists were mostly composed of 60s radical groups like the Weathermen and the Black Panthers. Which is odd because there wasn't one black terrorist in the bunch. The issue ends with Max Lord talking to himself and admitting to being the one who staged the terrorist attack. He also knew the leader was unstable enough to kill himself for the cause and he sent him in with a bomb that definitely wouldn't blow. So he's a fucking monster as well. And Martian Manhunter is a monster, not because he's a weirdo martian, but because he basically popped the heads on a few of the terrorists. No way will I believe those guys hanging from the ceiling by their necks survived! All in all, Guy Gardner is starting to look like a rational member of this group! Justice League #1 Rating: B+. A better than average start to the new Justice League, building some intrigue and conflict right from the start. Who is Max Lord? What are his plans for the Justice League? Why is he acting like it's his group? Will Doctor Fate ever return? Will Oberon poison Guy Gardner? Will Black Canary and Doctor Light become best friends because they're the only women in the League? Will Guy Gardner and Batman ever come to blows? I can answer that! They will not! They'll just come to blow. One punch by Batman. And that one punch causes some severe psychological trauma to Gardner and nobody thinks he should get medical help simply because he starts acting nicer. They're all fucking monsters!

[thegizka]

Swift as Wind, Soft as Shadow

Chapter 6:  Complicate

It’s been a few months since Shikamaru and Temari have heard from each other.  Ino and Chouji think it’s time something is done about that.

Written for Writer’s Month Day 13:  Feelings.

Note:  I do not own any aspect of Naruto.

Read it on Ao3.

“Have you heard from Temari?  When’s she stopping by next?” Ino asked while they were taking a break from training.

“How should I know?  Go ask the Hokage’s office,” Shikamaru grumbled.  She rolled her eyes and stretched out her back.

“You’re usually the one who tells the Hokage’s office when we can expect her.”

“Only because I coincidentally open her letters in the correspondence office, along with a quarter of the deliveries from the other villages and some mission reports.”

“I thought you two were always writing each other,” Chouji hummed, taking a gulp of water.

“Only if the Leaf has business with the Sand.  Otherwise no, I don’t write to her socially.  What would be the point?”  Not that he hadn’t entertained the idea.  It had been a few months since they’d seen each other, and while it wasn’t the longest they’d been out of contact, it had felt strange.  At some unforeseen moment they’d crossed the threshold from formality to familiarity, and he’d catch himself wondering how she was and what she was doing.

“You’re friends, right?” Ino pressed.  Shikamaru had caught himself asking that a few times, too.  They couldn’t really be just coworkers at this point, but he also wouldn’t categorize her with Ino and Chouji and Naruto.  Temari was something different and undefined.  Until he could articulate what, though, “friend” would have to do.

“I guess,” he said, shrugging.

“Then invite her over.”

“Why?”

“She promised to help me with my hand-to-hand combat.”

“So what do you call what we’re doing?” Chouji demanded somewhere between offended and amused.

“Inoshikacho training isn’t the same.  What if we’re separated on the battlefield?  I need to up my combat game.”

“And you can’t find someone in the village to help you with that?”  Shikamaru asked.

“Everyone’s either busy, lazy, or would utterly crush me in a second.”  She crossed her arms and looked at them like this fact should be obvious.

“And you think Temari’s a better option?” he chuckled.  “Have you forgotten what she did to Tenten during the first chunin exam?  I’ve seen her when she’s teaching.  She’s just as ruthless.  You’d get torn apart.”

“Gee, thanks for your vote of confidence.  Glad to know I can always count on your support.”

“I think you’d be fine, Ino,” Chouji declared.

“Thank you.  I’m glad someone believes in me.”

“If it were anyone else, my money would be on you,” Shikamaru promised.  He knew he shouldn’t feel proud that Temari would win against Ino--after all, that was admitting a shinobi from another village would beat one of his best friends--but it was the truth.  (But why was he siding with Temari?)

“It’s not a fight; it’s training.  I might as well learn from the best, right?”

“Then you invite her.”

“But you’re her friend.  It would be weird if I suddenly ask her over to train.  I don’t know her as well as you do.”

“And me asking her to come to the Leaf just to help you train wouldn’t be weird?”

“No, because it wouldn’t just be to train me.  You two would hang out and do whatever else you do when you’re together.”

“We work.  Ours is a working relationship.  I’ve never asked her to the Leaf unless it was for work.  I can’t ask her to take time away from her duties in the Sand to come and hang out.”

“Why not?” Chouji asked.  “I mean, you said you were friends.  Friends take time off to hang out all of the time.”

He smiled because Chouji would drop anything in a second if a friend needed him.  But Chouji was one in a million.  Shikamaru and Temari were cut from the same cloth.  Their sense of propriety and duty was strong.  He wouldn’t leave the village for an unnecessary trip, not with all of this Akatsuki business and Kurenai’s pregnancy.

Unless, he realized, Temari asked him to.  Lately his missions to Suna had felt more like excuses to go see her.  He hadn’t really noticed how attentive he was to business in the Land of Wind, but he knew almost every assignment and message that passed between their countries.  What did that mean?  Why was he so interested in their alliance?  Why did he no longer mind making the trip to the Sand?

If he asked Temari, would she feel the same?

“Besides,” Chouji continued, unaware of his friend’s inner questions, “if she comes for a visit, I can ask her more about that spicy soup she was telling me about last time.”

“Wow, and here I thought you were just being your usual friendly self.  You’re no better than Ino,” he teased.

“I am being friendly!” he pouted.  “Food is a common interest.  It’s the best way to a person’s heart.”

“Your heart, maybe.”  He poked his pleasantly plump friend with his elbow.

“So are you going to invite her over or not?” Ino prompted.

Shikamaru thought it a little strange that his teammates were so eager to see Temari again.  They seemed genuinely interested in her.  They’d only interacted a handful of times.  Had the other two managed to become friends with the Sand kunoichi in such a short time?  And if they were already friends, then what were she and Shikamaru since they’d spent so much more time together?

Had they breached the realm of good friends?  He thought back to her crying against his shoulder, or the evening they’d spent on the roof after Asuma’s death.  When had they waded into the deeper emotional levels of this relationship?  He couldn’t ignore that he didn’t feel the same way about her as he did Chouji and Ino and Naruto.  Did that mean she wasn’t yet at the level of a close friend?  Or was she something else entirely?

These feelings were so confusing.  Trying to figure them out was a huge drag!

But he couldn’t deny that Temari had a great talent for helping him clarify things.  She wasn’t afraid to ask challenging questions.  It was annoying, but it also saved him a lot of time ignoring or avoiding problems.  Often she could quiet his confusion.  He could use that clarity now.  He maybe even craved it.

“I’ll see if she’s not busy,” Shikamaru sighed, giving in.  It didn’t mean anything.  He would just be inviting a friend over for a visit.  So why did he feel so nervous?

-----

“Have you heard from Temari lately?  It’s been a while.”

Shikamaru groaned, letting his pen fall to the table next to a few discarded pages of scribbles.

“What, did Ino talk to you or something?”

“Hm?”  Yoshino looked up from the book she was reading.  “No.  Why, did she say the same thing?”

“Yeah, when we were training earlier.  Both she and Chouji insisted I invite her to come visit.”

She blinked at him, then grinned.

“I guess that means you’ll have to ask her over.”

“I guess.  It’s going to be a real drag, though.”

“Hey!  Temari is lovely company!”

“That’s not what I meant!  It’s the paperwork and the optics.”

“What paperwork?  This is just a social visit, right?”

“Well yeah, but she’s still the Sand’s representative.  There’s lodging and security to figure out.”

“Nonsense.”  Yoshino waved her hand dismissively.  “She’ll stay here with us, and you’ll be her host and responsible for her safety.  It’s simple.  Plus she’s a very capable kunoichi and can take care of herself.”

“I think you’re oversimplifying things, Mom.”

“I think you’re overcomplicating them.”

“You think the village leaders would allow an official representative from the Sand to stay with the Hokage’s advisor?  Wouldn’t that seem a bit suspicious?”

“They’d allow a friend to stay with a friend.”

“You can’t just ignore her and dad’s political positions.”

“And why not?” she demanded.  “When you look at Temari, do you see the official ambassador to the Leaf?  Or do you see a beautiful and dangerous peer who you enjoy spending time with socially?”

That sounded like a trap.  She’d used the word “beautiful”.  While it was true about Temari, women were funny about whether a guy admitted it or not.  He screwed up his mouth in a frown.  Yoshino just laughed.

“Invite her to spend a few days with us, or I will, and I’ll make sure she knows you were too cowardly to do it yourself.”

“I’m doing it!  Calm down,” he grumbled, pulling a new piece of paper towards himself.  Even though he was having difficulty figuring out exactly what to say--he didn’t want to be too formal but sounding too eager would be equally awkward--he knew whatever his mom would write would be infinitely more embarrassing.

-----

“This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when you invited me over.”

“Well if I had known I wouldn’t have a home to invite you to, I would’ve told you not to bother with the trip.”

“Good to know.  I’ll keep that in mind when I rate your hospitality.”

Temari was keeping her tone light and joking, but she had been shocked and worried to arrive in the Leaf and find it missing.  All but the furthest properties were replaced by a giant crater of rock and rubble.  The initial panic was tempered somewhat when she noticed crowds of people moving amongst the destruction, but she couldn’t shake the inner terror making her blood freeze in her veins.  She needed more information.  She needed to know he was okay.

Luckily she’d run into Ino at what used to be the village perimeter where she’d been reassured that despite the terrible state of the land, everyone had miraculously survived.  That should have been enough to calm the rest of her worry, but it wasn’t until she saw Shikamaru that she actually relaxed enough to process everything.

After the initial shock, she was somewhat disturbed by her reaction.  Since when had he become so closely tied to her feelings?  He could affect them, sure, but Temari had never anticipated he could be the source of them.  What business did he have making her feel things without her permission?

She’d let him recount everything Ino had already told her and fill in the details.  Shikamaru anticipated her questions (when had he learned to do that?) and seemed to know exactly what she needed to hear.  It was soothing but unnerving.  Even with her brothers, she rarely had conversations as easy as this.

“So,” she said in a low voice, “the Akatsuki.”

“Yeah.”  Shikamaru sighed and leaned back against a slab of concrete that used to be the foundation of his home.  The damage stopped about an acre in front of them, mowing down the first rows of forest trees.  He’d been amused when she’d asked about the deer and reassured her that the herd had been far enough away to emerge from the ordeal unscathed.

Temari understood what had happened, but she was having difficulty really understanding that one person--or six people?--had done this.  The Akatsuki were stronger than they had suspected.  They were more dangerous than they’d thought.

“That’s two villages that they’ve attacked openly.  They’re getting bold,” she observed.

“They’re escalating, which means they must be running out of time.”

“For what?” Temari demanded, but she knew neither of them could properly answer that question.  It was something they’d both been trying to work out for months.

“Whatever it is, they need the Tailed Beasts.”

“Which means they need the jinchuriki, including Naruto,” she finished.  Naruto, who had somehow saved Gaara and somehow saved everyone in the Leaf and somehow always saved the day.  Would anyone be able to save him if he needed it?

She watched Shikamaru’s face as its features stilled, his brows pulled down slightly in serious thought.  His hands drifted together in his lap, and his fingertips touched in a slightly relaxed iteration of the thinking position she remembered so clearly from their first chunin exam and countless times thereafter.  He had learned to think on his feet, but in moments of deep contemplation like now, his old habit would creep out.  She wondered if he knew.

She wondered if he could sense how much she trusted him, so utterly and completely that it scared her because she trusted almost nobody like this, not even herself.  She knew unerringly that whatever problem his mind was unravelling, he would solve it given enough time and confidence.  She loved to watch, to imagine what constellations he was drawing between the facts, to try and trace the twists and turns of his mind so that they’d meet up at the same conclusion.

When she was frustrated with some problem in the Sand that she couldn’t solve, she’d wonder how Shikamaru would look at it differently.  She hated how often it happened and was ashamed that she felt pulled toward him and the Leaf when she was so proud to be a Sand shinobi and support all that Gaara was doing.  But she couldn’t deny that she felt something akin to loyalty for this man thinking beside her.  It had been growing over the past few years, and she feared that it might some day conflict with her other duties.

Temari shied away from thinking about that future.  There were more pressing matters right now.  Her brothers needed to know what had happened, and the other villages ought to be notified, too.  She didn’t know how many Tailed Beasts were still out there, but the Akatsuki threat had become too big for anyone to ignore.  They couldn’t all depend on Naruto to save the day.

“I should get back to my village,” she murmured.

“Listen, I know our facilities aren’t the greatest right now, but you’re still welcome to stay the night.”  He was smiling wryly, but she glimpsed something like regret in his dark eyes.  She wanted to say yes, to waste what was left of the day with him because she hadn’t admitted to herself how much she’d been looking forward to this visit until she’d arrived and feared the worst, but she forced herself to shake her head and stand.

“Whatever comes after this is going to be big, and we need to be ready for it.  I have a feeling time isn’t a luxury right now.”

He nodded, understanding, and a little part of her was disappointed he didn’t insist she stay the night.  Instead he led her back through the destroyed village.  They walked past people who were tired and sad digging through the rubble of their homes and memories.  But they were also strong and determined to rebuild.  It made her think of Shikamaru and the Will of Fire, and that was comforting even though it was confusing.

“Next time, things will be more in order around here, assuming no other earth-shattering events occur.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

They looked at each other for a long moment.  Temari got the sense that he was trying to memorize her, afraid that this would be the last time they saw each other despite their optimistic promise.  She studied him, too:  the arch of his eyebrows, the slant of his eyes, the angle of his nose, the line of his lips, the sculpt of his chin.  She wanted to reach out and touch him, to study him with her fingers to add tactile memory to his visual profile, but instead she merely said, “Be safe.”

“You too,” he replied, and her ears pretended they’d heard his low voice catch a little in his throat.  But when neither of them made any further movement, Temari turned away along the path she had taken just that morning, carrying her hopes with her.

[ultimctepoet]

@illuminating-wings​ said: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 ROAST AWAY >=3

Opinions No One Asked For || Accepting !!

( I guess I’ll use this for my RP opinions, extremely small icons and formatted text are very hard to look at, especially with my poor ass vision, so I’m not a fan of it, I prefer icons that I can actually tell what the character is emoting and text that I can actually read, but I’ll still interact with you regardless bc holy shit you have so much more power than me )

( People who don’t bother to read a blog’s rules or choose to ignore a blog’s rules should really get off their lazy asses and y’know, read them and acknowledge, I’ve been holding off on getting pissed about this, but it’s happened too many times that I actually had to make it KNOWN when you click on my blog, READ MY FUCKING RULES )

( Elitists can bite my cakey ass, fancy aesthetic promos, icons and headers don’t make a good RP partner LMAO, those things come second, many people who have no icons, promos, or headers are fantastic writers and should be given a chance )

( OCs should be given more love and respect, like?? Someone put in a lot of love and care into that character, and you’re going to turn your nose up at them because it’s an OC?? Y’know those canon characters you love so much are technically OCs too, right?? You can’t escape OCs, they’re everywhere, so respect them )

( Anon hate is so cowardly, if you got something to say; say it to my face, don’t hide behind anon like the little bitch you’re being, sis )

( The amount of sensitive people on this site is unreal, and this is coming from someone who’s REAL sensitive, jokes used to be a thing, but now no one can do that bc it’ll hurt someone’s pwecious wittle feewings ;w; )

( WRITING ISN’T A JOB, IT’S A HOBBY, JUST BECAUSE I TREAT IT LIKE A JOB; DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD !! >:c )

[hoothootcatdaddy]

Jimin and antis’ holier-than-thou appeal to OT7ness

Here’s the thing - I’m not a seasoned fan of BTS. I’ve been in love with them for only the past 2 years. I shipped Yoonmin briefly, and then Jikook. So I only have a taste of “classic” BTS inside jokes, or “traditionally-popular” ships/members/images of the ships and members that have taken root in the minds of ARMY - e.g. Jimin has no Jams running joke. And clearly, there are some gems there, but at the same time, let’s not kid ourselves - many of these jokes are at best, outdated, and at worst, reductive and harmful. I personally wouldn't want RM to be insecure about his dancing, nor would I want Tae to be pressurised into being something he's not just to maintain a 4D image. But what's even worse is that it seems like many of these inside jokes have been used by the antis of solo members/BTS in general, so that they have the particular effect of sculpting an image of the members in a reductive and horrible way, while at the same time allow said joke makers to fall back on the excuse of, "this is a joke, look ARMY, I'm one of you, I know your inside jokes". It's cowardly, but it's pretty useful - and while I absolutely detest when antis of BTS do that, what I want to address in this post is how I abhor when antis of individual members rely on this cheap tactic to disguise their hate and get into the good side of the other members' stans.

And as you can guess, what I want to address is how JIMIN in particular has been the target of these tactics.

In particular, I would like to note one particular way that Jimin antis do this, which I've noticed some other bloggers address - the OT7 trick. As I've stated before, I am only into BTS for a short while, and having the benefit of being primarily on Tumblr, I get kind of sheltered from the majority of the hate towards Jimin, which I see now operates primarily on Twitter (and almost everywhere else apart from Tumblr). So for the longest time, I didn't really believe Tumblr blog writers when they talk about the extensive hate that Jimin hates - my thoughts were that, there may be hate but surely other members receive them too. But now that I operate more on Twitter, and I've started reading the comments on Youtube videos [especially those that are supposed to be ship/member-neutral], I've really opened my eyes.

It is truly an amazing thing - you literally can't praise Jimin without someone DEMANDING that you extend that praise to the rest of BTS members/some particular BTS member. This is everywhere, even in supposedly neutral platforms. Here are some of the literal examples that I've seen thus far (you could PM me for the links to them; I redacted the names of the other members in this interaction so y'all won't be defensive LOL):

[Jimmy Fallon interview comments - a reenactment] A: Wow the Jimin-effect when bois everywhere are falling in love with you even Fallon has fallen in love B: Okay so member-X ALSO had this (even more major) gay moment with Celebrity-Y! A: Okay I didn't realise this was a competition C: (playing the good guy) okay see I think what B was trying to say is that ALL the BTS members equally make men gay for them :) [even though that's not remotely what B said] D: @C ;)

... and the tension is thus defused, the subject is changed, and everyone moves on but the problem remains.

Let me be clear. This is not the only interaction I've seen. I've seen it on multiple channels - on Youtube, on Twitter, on Weibo etc. I've seen it in English AND Chinese comments about BTS. And the funny thing is, while appreciating 2 different people CAN occur in the same vein - e.g. A says, Taemin is amazing! B replies, Minho is also amazing! That's fine on its own. But when you see this sort of behaviour consistently happen when someone praises Taemin, you start to realise that something is really off. And let me clarify - it's not only a problem with Taemin's anti fans. It's the problem with the Shawol fandom [I'm sorry Shawols y'all are v peaceful so I thought it'd be safe to use you as an example], who collectively turn a blind eye to this sort of behaviour, and just chalk it off as an unlikely coincidence, or just a joke, and ultimately no big deal.

Let me reiterate - this phenomenon has been happening for a while now. But the recent events have highlighted its prevalence because nothing's more clear than when the OT7 argument escalates into accusing Jimin-stans (or any person who defends/supports Jimin really) of being solo stans or anti-stans of member-so-and-so when they have the audacity to give Jimin credit. It's a problem that sporadically pops up, and I finally have the opportunity to say something about it. As others have mentioned, it's super convenient that other BTS members can be praised, but as soon as someone says something nice about Jimin, some random can pop up to accuse you of not sharing credit. And for some reason, all patience, understanding, and kindness can be extended when someone disparages, disputes, looks down on Jimin's talent, but the same generous people can become unflinchingly stingy when someone says something in his defense. We are never given the benefit of the doubt, but we are always expected to be the bigger person. It's frankly really fucking exhausting, and for those people who persist in defending Jimin against these senseless attacks everyday, I have no idea how you do it. Real kudos.

Here's the thing though, I have no idea if Jimin just has more anti-fans than the rest of the members, and ARMY is just not used to these tactics. I certainly don't want to believe in a fandom wide conspiracy to hate Jimin, nor do I believe that there is one. I simply hope that the rest of the fandom can open their eyes to this problem that we have currently. In particular, I hope that ARMY can understand how repugnant it is to build your bias up on the backs of other members, so if you see such behaviour from your area of the fandom, please take action - hold what they say to a proper standard, make them understand it's not alright, and report and block if necessary.  

[orrtala]

Post-season 1 mini-analysis of the characters

It's a liveblog! I only finished season one, please no spoilers in the comments/reblogs!

I won’t be going into details here; the proper character and relationships analyses will be written after S2. But, since few people did want to see my opinion about character after S1, and to help collect my thoughts, here’s this little thing.

I’m going with alphabetic order cause why not.

Hunk

First impression: Please tell me he’s not going to be that fat best friend comic relief. He definitely lives up to his name (nickname?) though.

Actually: Sweetheart genius pun-making big beautiful yellow child. Team’s tank and support. Had a really nice character arc. Gut feeling power. Great chef and mechanic. Anxious and nervous, but also strong and ready to be here when needed by space family and Zarkon’s victims.

I don’t really know that much about him? Nothing about his parents, potential siblings, etc. Heck, I don’t even know if “Hunk” is actually his name! DreamWorks I demand justice, give me his backstory! His family, how did he become friends with Lance, just give me something!

At first he was a cowardly lion (…pun not entirely intended,) and didn’t really have a motivation for being a Paladin except, you know, the whole “universe will be destroyed if I won’t do something” thing. But once the things are calm (before the storm) and Pidge wants to leave the team he expresses a desire to leave as well. So he gets an arc. First of all he gets motivation to save Lance, which is personal to him. Then gets to meet Shay, learns how life looks like on the Balmera, what does it mean to live under Zarkon’s rule. And only then it also gets personal for him. Basically if you want this guy’s help you need to shove the rightful issue right under his nose. And boy, the help he delivers. I’m so proud. Hunk used to be an engineer back at the Garrison; he’s quite knowledgeable when it comes to technology. In addition he’s a good cook, so let’s hope Paladins won’t have to deal with green goo all the time in the future. I’m not exactly sure what writers are planning to do with him in a future, since he does have a motivation and means to continue being a Paladin. The continuation of his arc, I think, will need some big event that will result in things for him to overcome. What it’s going to be? No clue right now. On an ending note: he loves puns. And I don’t think there’s a faster way to worm into my heart than being a pun lover.

Katie “Pidge” Holt

First impression: Okay, so is that a boy or a girl? What kind of name is Pidge? Ah, apparently a guy. A guy that gets angry when Kerberos mission is involved. Hmmmm.

Actually: Poor kid who lost half of her family and is determined to get them back no matter what. A genius, a nice kid, MVP who almost single-handedly managed to save the Castle, the Lions, and her space family.

The character with most known background; we know her family, we know that her father and brother were taken by Galra, we know she has a dog, we know her full name, we got some flashbacks about her life for a last year, when she wanted to find out the truth about her missing family. It’s also implied that while she’s a prodigy two captured Holts apparently were also good enough to be chosen for Kerberos mission. Must be genes.

Pidge might be a prodigy, but is also a little kid who just wants to get her father and brother back. An awkward kid, who rambles when she gets nervous and overthinks things, and, similiary to Keith has a little problem with handling other people. At first solely motivated by rescuing her family “I’m not here to make friends” Pidge initially refuses Lance and Hunk’s friendship at the Garrison, but they got through to her, at least partially. When she wants to leave she’s stopped by Lance getting hurt and decides to stay after seeing how much the team (and by extension the universe) needs her and because she actually cares about her new family. As the season went on she got close to Shiro and Hunk, finding a support in them, just like she had with her family back home. She trusts all six of them and they trust and respect her in turn. The future? Working with Voltron and saving all of them multiple times. Won’t stop searching for her family until she finds them.

Keith

First impression: What is mullet. Why does this kid look like Shadow the Human. He’s going to be one of these edgy kids, isn’t he, he has motorcycle and everything. Also he looks too similiar to Lance from Sym-Bionic Titan, let’s hope I won’t have any problem with mixing their names, that would be awkward.

Actually: My poor isolated red kid not used to relying on others. Good instincs, good fighter, bad at socializing, touch-starved, probably autistic. Survivalist who doesn’t really think much of his safety and is ready to be sacrificial when he thinks the situation calls for it.

His background isn’t explored, but I’m pretty sure it was purposeful. He lives alone in a shack after being thrown out of the Garrison and knew Shiro. Most probably an orphan (or at the very least his parents/one of the parents disappeared and we’ll know more about it later). Too many hints made me believe he’s part Galra. And perhaps even has some space magicks?

The right arm, a pilot prodigy, sadly didn’t get an arc yet. If I’d have to guess it will tie-in with his heritage (*cough*Galra Keith*cough*) and finding answers about who he is. He’s not… great with people; he can’t understand some jokes, he yells at Pidge instead of properly reasoning with her in a calm when she wants to leave, and while he’s not bad at coming up with plans, he usually carries them out alone (though he does have his moments of being Shiro’s substitute when he’s indisposed like in the “Return of the Gladiator”, he is a lancer of the team after all.) Dude lived on a desert for a year and was somehow fine with, I presume, very minimal human contact. Self-sufficient person who now has to learn to work with others. And he tries! …Sometimes. One of the things that confuses me about him is his sword training. Where exactly did he get it? He was being trained for pilot in the Garrison, I doubt they thought he needed such practice. Another thing to add to his secret past? I guess so. From what I’ve seen Keith is a person who relies mostly on his instincts and feelings. Once he sets his mind on something he’s going to do it, unless you’ll give him a good reason (good enough for him) to act differently. He does spend at least a few months in the shack, searching for the source of some energy connected to Blue Lion. And he can’t even explain why he does it. However he is thorough with his search, as his cork board has shown. Has an eye for detail and at times can be inquiring. Knows his faults (when Lance calls him out on the actual mistake on his part he backpedals and agrees,) tries to focus on a bigger picture (Voltron vs Allura in the finale, Pidge leaving the team,) ready to sacrifice himself if he thinks the situation calls for it (stalling Zarkon in the finale.) He is loyal to his team, frequently tries to bond with them despite being a loner (pretty much every free time he spends with a team he’s smiling,) and his actions are focused on helping others and, by extension, saving the universe.

Lance

First impression: An embodiment of DreamWorks Eyebrow™, full of false over-confidence, ruins everything with his actions and- did he just protect his teammate and then took the Sergeant Drill Nasty’s ire on himself and was reminded that he wasn’t supposed to be there? Ohkaaaaay. Also really, really pointy chin.

Actually: Child with self-confidence issues, trusts easily, everyone’s friend (unless you’re Keith and only at the beginning, they’re good-ish now!) team’s heart, relies on his eyesight a lot, self-proclaimed laaaaaaadies man. Probably a hipster.

He’s a Cuban with a family he misses very much. We even get a look at them during the mind-melding scene. Tried to be a fighter pilot and only became one after Keith dropped out.

Ah, Lance. Kid doesn’t really know who he is. I mean, if I was compared to Keith so much and then started to compare myself to him too I’d also get confused. His arc, amusingly, is similiar to Keith’s as in it’s also a quest for identity. Except Keith has some knowledge about his abilities and doesn’t feel overshadowed by anyone, but he has no place outside Voltron. Lance meanwhile has a family back on Earth which he dearly misses, but doesn’t know who he is in a team, can’t recognize his talents. And here’s a thing: not only he’s confused, the audience is supposed to be confused too. It’s really weird how these little things point Lance into different directions, when, ultimately (I think,) he’s Blue Paladin. He likes people, he likes paying attention to them, he’s perceptive, observes their reactions. Easily befriends everyone, even when they refuse his friendship (Pidge.) The only exception being Keith, though before S1 ended they became friend-ish despite initial petty hostility (but didn’t really have that much problem with working with him when the situation calls for it from the very beginning - they did carry Shiro out of the tent together after all.) It’s not a coicidence that he’s a person who gets to interact with everyone first - with a sole exception of Shiro, though even their handshake was a focus for few moments. He’s a team player, something that Pidge considers a dangerous trait. I think the moment that showed best how important and valuable he was to the team when he was out of commision. Literally right after he leaves the party Allura learns that Pidge wants to leave Voltron and can not be deterred by anyone else. The fake Rover blows up, he saves the life of a guy he only just met, and everyone are suddenly working together cause Lance is injured he needs a pod, they need a crystal, Pidge doesn’t even hesitate at offering help, and essentialy it’s a Voltron’s darkest hour so far. He’s a heart, he’s a glue to a team. I don’t really want to think what would happen if he got seperated from space family for a long time; nobody would handle it well.

Takashi “Shiro” Shirogane

First impression: Protagonist’s voice. Also nice eyeliner, man! … …Oh no, poor guy.

Actually: Poor guy. Taken by aliens, forced to fight in the arena, has been experimented on, developed PTSD. And yet despite his experiences he’s a good man with a sense of morality. Deep-rooted issues about him being a Paladin and protector of all these children. Doesn’t fear death, not anymore.

We know his full name. We know he is a great pilot, he can be seen wearing a medal, good enough to be chosen for Kerberos mission. Captured by Galra he essentially lost a year of his life and forgot most of it, only recalling bits and pieces. There are no hints about his family and he didn’t think about them when Paladins were looking into each other’s headholes. Could it be that he doesn’t really have anyone? Might be an extra reason how ge got along with Keith pre-show.

Shiro’s a perfectionist, who tries not let others know about his problems, but is ready to solve everybody else’s. And, sadly, he’s not handling his issues very well, choosing to internalize them instead of talking about them to somebody. It makes sense though, not only he tries to look as a steady figure who’s always in control of his actions, not when these kids rely and look up to him, but also when you consider the nature of his troubles. After a year spent fighting, being experimented on, losing his arm, having his appearence changed (and now I’m imagining how he must have felt when he finally looked into mirror and saw all the scars for the first time brain stop please) he’s not sure who he is anymore. And to add to that he doesn’t know what exactly he did during that year. Who knows, maybe he commited monstrosities for the sake of survival and he just doesn’t remember it? Is he enough to be a Black Paladin? He has PTSD, isn’t that a good trait for a leader. And what could they even say if he did spill his problems to them? They wouldn’t even know how to help him, right? Or worse, Sendak was right all along and they actually don’t need him. Despite his inner turmoils Shiro tries, and tries to be a good leader and wants his new family to survive the war, and for the most part he succeeds! He comes up with good plans on a fly, he knows when teammate’s ability is needed, he’s charismatic, he has commanding presence, he helps others and is always willing to listen to them. The only times I can think of that his ideas weren’t that great were a) letting Pidge leave the team and b) I agree that saving Allura was a Right Thing but in the end it did put everyone in danger and if it wasn’t for Thace’s intervention, well… What really gets me when it comes to Shiro, that despite his experiences he’s a good guy. Yeah, I know that all our heroes are the good guys but Shiro? Shiro was put through unspeakable pain and suffering, and yet he has his morals and sticks to them. He’s also the only person who knows how laser guns sounds like. Good on you, Shiro!

Allura

First impression: !!!! She’s so pretty! And will kick your butt. Effortlessly.

Actually: Do you have any idea how much I wish Allura existed when I was a kid? Hands down favorite Disney DreamWorks princess. Headstrong, brave, kind, strong, sad but tries not to show it, lost everything and instead of wallowing in sadness she wants to fight back the best she can.

Her backstory is pretty straightforward: only child of the space elf alien king, her planet and people were destroyed and she spent 10 000 years sleeping. Not much is known about her mother, but I’m gonna go ahead and assume she died before Zarkon turned out evil. Allura remembers her though.

Allura’s not your usual Princess. And I made no secret of how much I love her character. She lost everything thanks to Zarkon: her father, her people, her planet; the only Altean alive besides her is Coran, there are also her pet mice (to whom she is connected, and, uh, I guess it’s a space magicks explanation for her having an animal companions she doesn’t have to sing to; shame, I’d really like to hear her singing,) the Castle and Voltron. That’s it, that’s all she has. Oh, she used to have her father’s AI as a companion but… But… I’m not going to cry again. Our Princess is terrified of the war, but it doesn’t stop her in her quest of not letting Zarkon destroy any more worlds. She’s sad beyond belief, but she puts a smile on her face in front of others. She’s there to have your back, she’s there to fight when she has to, she’s there to save you. Allura has shown on more than one occasion, that she’s ready to die for others (getting captured by Galra so Shiro could be free, healing Balmera though she knew very well it might have cost her her life.) She’s very strong, and very capable in close combat and using her surroundings. …Not much luck with distance weapons. Unless throwing poeple at others can be called figthing at distance. Also she shows promise in using space magicks, and I’m not sure how much it ties to being an Altean, being an Altean royalty, or something else.

Coran

First impression: Nigel Thornberry. A comic relief, bigger than Lance and Hunk.

Actually: Team’s support, probably smarter than everyone else combined, full of pent up anger at Zarkon that we finally got to witness in the season finale. Knowledgeable about many things. Very old, very sad.

Similiary to Allura he lost everything (besides the Princess) after Zarkon destroyed Altea. But I don’t really know the extent of his loss - did he have any family? Spouse, children? Alfor trusted him and Allura apparently was alway close to him. I’d really love to see some kind of backstory episode for this guy, I bet it’d leave us all in tears.

Coran is a tricky case; he’s the least prominent part of the cast, most of the time spent on being a team’s support. And that’s exactly his role, it’s apparently what he was doing most of his life: serving the royal family. First it was Alfor, now it’s Allura. Trustworthy and capable enough to be left with a Princess, a Black Lion, and a quest on flying a Castle to Arus and then freezing himself up as well. That picture above? It’s a first expression he makes, sad, but solemn in his duties. And it last barely a second before starting some background shenanigans with Lance. And since he is an Altean, experienced at that, I don’t think he’d have that much problem with handling down a teenager. He took a look at the situation, saw that Allura isn’t actually in any danger, but just in case presented himself as harmless, so the newcomers would underestimate him. And, I guess, it was also supposed to be audience’s reaction as well: “Oh look, haha, a comic relief.” He actually is a comic relief, but non-offensive, quite astute, with vast knowledge. Treats his duties seriously, and, unsurprisingly, is very protective when it comes to Princess, trying to not let her step right into danger. Also trolls Paladins while trying to teach them something in a process. It’s also suggested that he’s 600 years old (the Castle is 10 600 and Coran’s grandfather took him to see it being built) and while we don’t really know that much about him it’s not out of reach to think he had family on his own before the war. He definitely has paternal instincts towards the Paladins and especially Allura. So yeah, Coran’s there for you whenever you need him, but he’s not going to step into spotlight, rather choosing to help others in achieving their goal.

Tl;dr: I love them all so much.