#like it doesn't even have to be shippy

[emilyskinners]

my friends encouraged me to post this, so i am (it is so them core, i could cry)

[jessicas-pi]

it has occurred to me that it is truly preposterous that I, the Maker Of A Ridiculous Number Of AUs, have never yet played that ask game that's like "send me an ask with a character pairing and an AU and I'll write 3 sentences"

anyway, send me an ask with a character pairing (or just some characters) and an AU and I'll write probably way more than 3 sentences

[ilikemicrowaves]

Harold just wanted the spotlight

[psychopomp-namine]

the "nobody likes liu xiao" memes are funny but man we really need li tianchen to show up again to represent the liu xiao likers

also, of course memes are for the funnies and are meant to be exaggerations (I think the jokes are funny). but I think what makes them funnier (ironic) is that... tbh... only xia fei and lu guang seems to dislike liu xiao? cheng xiaoshi was nice to him and doesn't know any better (the way he is now, he would hang out with liu xiao none the wiser), vein is obviously in cahoots with him (and vein strikes me as the kind of person who wouldn't let liu xiao manipulate him, they feel more like equals and willing participants in their relationship), and li tianchen is hanging on to every word liu xiao says. like, there's more people who are neutral or like liu xiao than there are who dislike him, imo. xia fei and lu guang just happen to be the focus of the fandom right now

(I guess liu min probably didn't like him, but nobody's thinking about liu min lmao. the rest of the liu family definitely liked him more.)

[swan2swan]

Absolutely incredible how I went into both Camp Cretaceous and Chaos Theory fully ready to commit to a gay ship but both of them wound up giving me next to nothing in the first season.

[orangeearlgrey]

Lost my original post of this from the other day but I genuinely don't understand how Black Butler discourse ever shifted into the does Sebastian ~really~ like Ciel or is Ciel just dinner line of conversation that is pervasive as it is because Sebastian is the one that has absorbed his whole existence into Ciel's. Sebastian's face is what Ciel wants Sebastian's whole purpose is doing things for Ciel Sebastian's every hell of a butler yes my lord speech is about how he's Ciel's and Ciel is the one going around saying shit like whatever Sebastian is just my pawn 💅

[bonded-by-love-and-hatred]

While I'm on the Jeremiah in a dress kick:

Imagine him trying on clothes while at the manor in season five while waiting for everything to be ready for Bruce. He's got time on his hands and maybe he'll find something he likes, who knows?

Because I love Wayleska, he obvs stole some of Bruce's clothes. Maybe a hoodie that's usually baggy on Bruce, and like a random tshirt of his that is a little too short on Miah, but he can crop it if he wants. He's quite curious as to Bruce's reaction to seeing him in his clothes.

He takes a watch of Thomas' and maybe cufflinks and other such accessories. But then he sees Martha's side of the closet and... Well why not?

(Realistically, Miah is too tall and muscular ((have you seen his arms??)) to be able to wear her dresses, but this isn't reality so shhh they magically fit him)

Maybe he imagines growing up with the Wayne's for a moment with all of Alfred's stories running through his head. Imagines a life where they love and support him for his "unmanly" (according to his adopted family) tastes, especially his brother, Bruce, who loves him unconditionally. Bruce stands up to any bullies for him. Thomas is proud of him and says it all the time to him and others, even when he's not around. Martha takes him shopping and lets him raid her closet from time to time, helping him learn how to do his makeup and such. Bruce even joins them sometimes just for some fun, family bonding time. It's all perfect.

All a perfect dream. Just a dream.

And then Ecco comes running in to let him know Bruce is on the way. He's still wearing one of Martha's dresses, but... Fuck it, he's going to express this side of himself to Bruce. And he wonders what Bruce will think of him wearing his mother's dress of all things.

Extra points if it's Martha's wedding dress, honestly. Her most cherished dress, which Bruce knows that, and Jeremiah is just strutting around in it. And to see him running around the rest of the episode like that? Like... I think that would honestly be kinda hilarious. Oof, it's gonna go bye bye in the chemicals tho.

[advestager]

I feel like saying Josuke doesn't have any daddy issues whatsoever isn't entirely fair (I've seen some fic and comics go further into how he and his mom might have been treated due to the circumstances of his birth that were pretty compelling) but people who act like he grew up without any father figure are definitely off base imo. Every single adaptation and extra material have always had a focus on his close relationship with his grandpa for a reason!

see, that's precisely the thing. it is literally impossible to be a grown up human without having internalised some sort of illogical Feeling about oneself or the world – but fandom as a whole tends to just assign arbitrary ones to characters based on stereotypes rather than what they actually are like.

i do think josuke feels some sort of way about his lack of a father growing up, but that's as inevitable as joseph himself (or giorno, or jolyne, or even jonathan) having feelings about his own dad, and yet somehow jorge's absence does not get brought up despite joseph and josuke's fairly similar upbringings. the fact is that most of western fandom tends to view the JJBA characters through a (white, usa-centric) lens that simply does not lend itself to a fair or accurate reading when most of the cast is either POC or from an entirely different cultural background. that's why i'm so resistant to label josuke as having 'daddy issues'; the term means something entirely different to me than it seems to do to most of the fandom, based on all the fic, comics, and discussions i've seen (and had) about the topic. it's not exactly like the organised crime aspect of VA, but it fills me with a similar kind of frustration. i don't think one needs a degree in cultural studies or history or whatnot to enjoy a silly series about people punching each other with slutty soul-ghosts, but it's exhausting to see the same thoughtless, very specifically westernised takes being regurgitated over and over as Absolute Truth until the characters are so flanderised they seem nothing as much as a caricature of their original versions. i love transformative works as much as any other fan creator, but i also happen to like the source material. it is infinitely more interesting to me to think about what kind of relationship josuke might have to his heritage as a mixed-race person, or his identity as the son of a single mother or the obviously cherished and spoilt child of a family such as his own (especially in a place and period like canon's late-90s/early 00's japan), than to hear yet another iteration of 'haha, josuke has daddy issues' where the person saying it has no intention of analysing that premise beyond the puddle-depth obvious.

at barely sixteen years old, even as interested in high-end fashion (and as very much part of a working class family who could definitely use the nest egg) as he is, josuke's immediate reaction to being told his missing father is incredibly rich and wants to take care of him is to say that it's not necessary, and he's fine as he is. sixteen. i worked as a teacher with kids as young as a year old and people as old as mid-seventies; that kind of ease of mind is one-in-a-million and not something you'll find on someone who fits fandom's definition of 'daddy issues'. he's not angry at joseph, he's not grasping for money, he hardly even wants to find out more about the missing part of his origins. his only thought is to wish he wouldn't be the reason other people were hurt, and to protect his mother once there is a risk she might find out and be distressed about it. his entire morality system is (from what i remember of canon) mostly based around the question What Would Grandpa Do?, with some leeway allowed for the temper he clearly got from tomoko and for the fact that he is, again, a big and slightly spoilt sixteen year old.

so yeah. it might not sound fair to say he doesn't have daddy issues, but i don't think the terms fandom's operating under are fair to start with, so i'd rather recuse myself (and my interpretation of the character) from it all til we're playing the same game. the sandbox's wide and wild, and the block and mute buttons are there for a reason, so i'll just stay in my corner writing about higashikatas wielding their feelings like sledgehammers til my mum says it's time to go home.

[anghraine]

I love this scene too, and Spock's addition before he closes out the call:

I remind you it's a proven killer. I'm on my way.

[0ann3]

The plan was to just doodle these two together to expound one of Yu's relationships, but I guess it became a comic ٩(｡•́‿•̀｡)۶ (a comic that looks slightly shippy to me LMAO ToT but ig that's what happens when it's Malleus - )

But they're like, best of friends ( ´ ▽ ` ) Yu is someone who doesn't like it when someone's left out, so when they meet Malleus and befriended him, they would try their best to hang out with him on any possible occassion and have some fun together. Most of the time, they just wander around and talk. And if they're invited to hang out together by others, then Yu would do their utmost best that Malleus gets to attend, especially after they realize how often he gets left out by others (even though it's by accident)

Malleus on the other hand, appreciates how often Yu reaches out to him, and still continues to hang out with him even if they know of their identity. He would tend to give them gifts, in which Yu would only accept if they're practical and useful (like clothes they can use everyday and food), and would have given them more if they didn't stop him and told him to just do it at least once a week (to Yu, the 'once a week' was supposed to be a joke or sarcasm, as they believe that Malleus has a poor sense of time and would probably not realize it whenever a week passes, but they suppose that they underestimated how much he appreciates their friendship)

[alleycatchitchat]

Just rewatched The Three Caballeros and wasn't expecting such a goldmine of cute little moments that specifically appealed to a certain, uh, subset of the fandom... anyway have some Three Gay Caballeros screenshots

Donald Duck, coming on strong

Lots of dancing together in this film but I specifically like that Donald and José are reflecting the couple behind them in this scene

If I had a nickel for every time Donald leaped onto José and clung to him tenderly I would have two nickels which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice

I call this one "Gay Panic"

José and Panchito's little cuddle here is really cute. Notice that Panchito pulls José closer; their heads are probably touching underneath the sombrero.

No thoughts head empty just thinking about Donald's head resting in José's lap

José is having the time of his life right now

Donald kisses him 6 times during this sequence btw. if you even care

LISTEN. LISTEN. I HAVE REWATCHED AND REWINDED THIS MOMENT SO MANY TIMES. Slowed it down, gone through screenshots one by one, nitpicked and analyzed and I CANNOT FOR THE LIFE OF ME DECIDE WHETHER PANCHITO IS SLAPPING DONALD'S BACK OR HIS ASS

I think my general conclusion is that Panchito slaps Donald's back and then lets his hand slide all the way down before he pulls away. But again, not 100% certain.

This one isn't shippy I just think Panchito looks really cute

I love this little dude look at his goofy rooster face

This one doesn't need a caption I don't think

bruh

I tried so, so hard to find a screenshot of this moment that wasn't cursed. So hard. This was too important to leave out

But still, look at José's horrible beak, that's going to haunt my nightmares

anyway shoutout to the polycule ever! three gay caballeros truthers were right all along

[saurongorthaur9]

Potentially unpopular opinion for the ROP fandom:

I really wish people/interviewers would stop pushing the Hot Sauron and Haladriel stuff directly into Charlie's face.

I woke up this morning to drama in the fandom about Charlie (yet again) very politely deflecting Haladriel questions, as if this is some sort of insult to the fandom and shippers. And I know it's not going to stop, but I wish it would.

To make it very explicitly clear, make all the stupid sexy Sauron and Hot Sauron memes and jokes you want within the fandom. Ship Haladriel to your heart's content and create glorious fanfiction and fanart of them making out as they ride into the sunset (or as they simultaneously attempt to kill each other, if that's your vibe). All great. All fantastic. Everyone knows I'm a huge fan of sexy Sauron both inside and outside the ROP fandom, and I am a thorough Haladriel enjoyer at this point.

But I really, really, really wish people would stop pushing it on Charlie himself.

It just makes me so sad and uncomfortable for him. I saw the interview yesterday that I'm pretty sure was what caused everyone to be up in arms where he was being shown Sauron memes and fan posts and a lot of them were very Haladriel/shippy. He is obviously SO uncomfortable with those and the "Hot Sauron" comments. You can see it in the difference between how he answers questions about Sauron's motives or psyche or his research into Tolkien and how his eyes light up and he gets so animated and he just starts gushing vs when he's asked for the millionth time if Sauron has feelings for Galadriel and he gets quiet and reserved and gives a short, diplomatic answer.

And he's been so gracious and polite to the shippers and about all the shipping questions that he keeps getting asked. Each time, he gives basically the same answer: that he doesn't personally see it as romantic but that he's happy people care enough about the characters and story to be passionate about what they see in it. He's not going to suddenly flip a switch and start passionately shipping Haladriel.

I personally like to view it as Sauron (particularly as Halbrand) having some genuine feelings for Galadriel: genuine sense of connection, genuine sense of shared purpose, genuine attraction on both a spiritual and physical level, and yes, even some genuine admiration and love, mixed in with the complex mess of other things Sauron feels, which is why he's a great, complicated villain. The fact that this doesn't 100% line up with everything Charlie has said that he feels about the character is fine with me. I respect Charlie's opinions and the clear thought he's put into portraying that character. But I can also have my own thoughts and perceptions of the character and story apart from that, without needing him to validate them.

I know this isn't the first time an attractive man playing a charming, sexy villain has been inundated by thirsty fans (I remember Loki's Army very clearly) and that some level of it is to be expected. But he's clearly put such thought into portraying Sauron and I'm so grateful to him for that, so I'm sad to see him having uncomfortable questions shoved at him that reduce everything he's done to "what do you think of being Hot Sauron?" and "Do you think Sauron and Galadriel should kiss?" And I'm even sadder to see fans reacting negatively to him simply because he won't validate a particular ship or perspective.

From everything I've heard of fans who have gotten the opportunity to meet him, he's an absolute sweetheart and very kind and appreciative towards his fans. I hope dearly that I can meet him some day and tell him how important it was to me to see Sauron portrayed on screen as such a wonderfully complicated character. But I truly hope that the constant barrage of nagging for him to openly endorse Haladriel and the backlash whenever he gives one of his reserved, diplomatic answers about shipping doesn't sour him to his fanbase. He's given us a gift that I wouldn't have even dared dream of only a few years ago; why can't we focus on that instead of whether or not he's enthusiastically pro-Haladriel or not?

[shadamyheadcanons]

For me, Shadow and Amy's dynamic is basically two different types of touch starved in a person

((If any of the gifs on this post aren’t loading for you on mobile--like they aren’t for me--you can download them or check the sources listed. As for desktop, they play just fine, but they won’t line up next to each other like they do on mobile. Tumblr is a comedy of errors.))

Yes! Absolutely. I’ve seen tons of fans say Shadow is prickly and would respond badly to hugs, but canon says otherwise. This is a bad reaction:

[Sonic 06]

Whenever I feel like being sad, I wonder if Bad-Future-06 Silver has ever been hugged.

This is a bad reaction:

[Sonic Unleashed, gif source.]

And I shouldn’t have to say this, but...yeah. These are very bad reactions:

[Sonic X]

[Sonic Generations]

Yikes. I feel bad for both of them.

But this?

[Sonic Adventure 2, gif source.]

This is Shadow’s only canonical hug in the games, and aside from jumping slightly from being snuck up on, he seems to like it just fine.

Just look at that smile! He’s happy. He finds it endearing.

It was a hug from a complete stranger meant for someone else, but he still drank it in--and, given that he’d effectively just lost Maria, he really did need it. It’s the combination of Amy’s gentleness AND her speech that changed his mind. After all, if someone as sweet as her sees something in the humans, maybe they’re not so bad.

My buddy who runs @shadowxamyweek recently reblogged a post about this hug, and their tags sum it up perfectly:

[ID: A screenshot of tags on a post. The tags read:

#official art #4kids #shadow the hedgehog #amy rose #YEAH 😭 #listen I read nothing that has happened with them in SA2 as shippy - and i ship them #THIS HUG? THR SPEECH ON THE ARK? #those are two lonely kids #those are two left behind kids #those are two kids so desperate for affection #for two vastly different reasons #Amy loves with her whole chest and will never stop doing so- no matter what happens #and Shadow does too- that is key to remember- Shadow loves... so fucking much... that it hurts #you are RIGHT op when you say this is probably the first time someone has been gentle with him in a long long time #he doesn't even run away #in the game- when Amy flees- he takes a step after her- a moment's hesitation- a 'wait' #this kid NEEDED a hug #and i firmly believe part of the reason Shadow listens to Amy in the end is BECAUSE she is the only person who showed him gentleness #softness and kindness and affection #if only for a moment #fjdodhdofjgor THIS is what i mean when i say 'be gentle- be kind' #it MATTERS #it FUCKING MATTERS

End ID]

Shadow doesn’t hate hugs inherently; it’s just that no one hugs him in the first place...

...aside from one person.

Amy’s easily the most affectionate character in the cast. It’s cute at first glance, but there’s a common thread to every instance that puts a damper on it.

She’s always, ALWAYS the initiator.

She puts more into each hug than anyone else does.

She’s always the last to pull away.

The most reciprocated Amy hug I know of in canon is this one:

[IDW Sonic issue #22]

Which is absolutely adorable...but Amy still initiated. Because it’s always her job. Even the characters who like affection don’t need it the way she does...with one exception.

And this tiny detail just killed me. The little, “wait, come back 😟”

It’s the only time I know of when someone has actually stepped after her like this. In a game where everyone left Amy behind, he wanted to follow her. Mister so-called-prickly didn’t want the hug to end.

Because he’s the only one who needs it as much as she does.

He wants to be held as much as she wants to hold someone else, and no one else is warm and sincere enough for it. Compare these instances:

[IDW issue #6]

Sonic thinks Shadow is wrong about something, so he grabs Shadow’s arm to stop him, and Shadow aggressively wrenches it away and leaves.

[Archie Sonic Universe #23]

But when Amy thinks Shadow is wrong about something and grabs his arm to stop him, he gently removes her hand and thinks about what she has to say.

Even when he doesn’t want to be touched, he makes the distinction between “don’t touch me” and “not right now, please.” These are from two different continuities, of course, but I think the point stands. Amy’s special. He’s gentler with her than he is with other people, and that’s consistent across all canons.

Side note: how often does Amy get to feel special like that? I actually really like that Sonic doesn’t place others in a hierarchy of importance, and I wouldn’t change that about him even if I could...

[IDW issue #2]

...but Amy does play favorites. I want her to feel like she’s someone else’s favorite, too. I want her to have someone who puts her first and likes her best. I think Shadow’s more than capable of that. I believe he craves clinginess like hers deep down, even if he hasn’t consciously figured that out yet.

I have an entire tag for these two being affectionate. My favorite is probably this one.

Of course, there may be those who say I’m reading too much into one (1) hug. And you know what? Maybe they’re right! We need a bigger sample size. Sega, make more characters hug Shadow, please. Let Rouge comfort him after he confides in her about something. Have Omega give him an awkward metal embrace because he read on the internet that organic beings like that kind of thing. Make Shadow himself pull Silver into a hug when he’s breaking down crying from the stress of always having to be a hero. Show Tails accidentally grab onto him out of fear when they’re trapped in a lightning storm, and when he gets embarrassed and pulls away, have Shadow hold him for the rest of the storm and admit he’s not fond of bright lights, either.

[Sonic Boom]

That scene where Shadow and Amy rescue Cream and Cheese from Cryptic Castle? That easily could’ve turned into a cute group hug.

[Shadow the Hedgehog (2005)]

And I have seen some absolutely adorable fanart where he holds Cream’s hand while he and Amy lead her through Cryptic Castle to make sure she doesn’t get lost 🥺

Have Knuckles give him an empathetic bro-pat on the shoulder when he finds out Shadow’s the last one of his race, too.

[Archie Sonic Universe #89]

Have Sonic try to hug him, and then when Shadow inevitably pushes him away and says he doesn’t do hugs, have Amy arrive and latch onto Shadow instead while he tries to stutter out an excuse as to why she’s allowed to and Sonic isn’t.

The most affection Shadow has in recent history is stuff like this...

[Sonic Prime season 2 episode 1]

...where Sonic tries to hug him and Shadow immediately pushes him away, knocks him over, and tries to punch him in the face. Kind of says it all. Amy stands out as the only one with a good track record here.

[IDW issue #36]

Especially when you have him look at her like this when someone else is on the receiving end of that affection.

So in the absence of further evidence, I have no choice but to interpret this in the most Shadamy way possible. Your move, Sega.

[neokamui414]

I really like crossover fanfics and fan art, I really do. However I sometimes feel like some of the most popular fandom crossovers are also ones that perpetually fall into boring and predictable patterns while simultaneously and consistently ignoring/forgetting the most obvious and easy ways two or more fictional properties could be combined or crossed over.

And I think this is nowhere more apparent than the absolute proliferation of Danny Phantom and DC comics content here on this site.

Because you know what, I think there are some really cool and interesting things you could do with placing Danny and company in the world of DC or vice versa. The problem is that overwhelmingly I don't see any of those interesting ideas being done.

It's all the same variation of like three different plot points, all of which are exacerbated in their boring unoriginality and fandom cringiness by the fact that they also almost entirely revolve around the same flanderizations of DC characters that originate from people whose understanding of these comic book characters is entirely based off of watching the Teen Titans and Young Justice cartoons.

I am so so so so tired of seeing the same premise of Danny getting involved with Batman because he's a dark-haired light colored eyed superhero "twink" just like the rest of the male Robins. I'm tired of him getting adopted by Bruce, I'm tired of him being secretly Dick Grayson's long lost relative.

What's even worse is this crossovers frequent demonstration of what I think is the inexcusable sin of unoriginally using John Constantine, a character that I by and large think the vast majority of this website and it's user base just doesn't understand and probably never will. (this is a whole separate rant but the website that at one point had the majority of its user-base obsessed with an imaginary queer interpretation of one of the most aggressively mediocre and dude bro heterosexual paranormal TV shows to have ever existed is one that I think is fundamentally incapable of actually understanding or appreciating a legitimately compelling queer paranormal/urban fantasy character. The website that thinks Cas and & Dean were anything, whether that be a compelling romance, compelling characters or even in a good or enjoyable show, I think are forever incapable of actually understanding John.)

Do I think you could write an interesting story with John Constantine interacting with Danny? Yeah sure but I think that that would be entirely predicated on one's ability to actually write John compellingly, which is a dubious ask in the first place AND regardless it's still the most uninspired and boring interpretation of what you could do with "Danny interacting with one of the supernatural characters of DC"

Here are some actual recommendations for interesting crossovers and universe fusions :

*The fact that people want to have Danny Fenton interact with DC characters and Deadman and Secret are not the characters that immediately come to mind for fic ideas shows I think either the fundamental lack of creativity on the part of people who like this crossover, or just that they really don't know shit about DC comics....... Danny and Boston Brand would play off each other so well both comedically and as potential mentor and mentee. Greta and Danny would be ADORABLE together whether it is just friends or in a shippy dynamic.

* We need stories where Danny is interacting with The Spector, and the lack of them is just plain criminal in my opinion. I really could see a bunch of really cool stories where GhostKing Danny is put into conflict with the Vengeance of God. Or make him team up with The Specter have and have him fight Eclipso.

*we know the DC afterlife is incredibly complicated and interconnected with other mystical realms such as The Dreaming and Hell, maybe explore how that would relate to DP's conception of the Ghost Zone. Danny, Zachary Zatara and Kid Devil's bizarre interdimensional odyssey would be a great fic!

* if one has to put Danny in Gotham for some reason or another have him fight against the Gentleman Ghost, play around with the relationship with the glowing green ectoplasm and the green glowing liquid of the Lazarus Pits, and if you do that you have an excuse to make him interact with Jason Todd if you absolutely can't resist bringing in a member of the Bat family. Remember, Jason has the ability to summon forth magical blades under certain circumstances and as a character who has repeatedly died and come back to life he's the only bat that I think would actually have interesting interactions with Danny.

* but above all if you have to have Danny Phantom and company goes to Gotham as your story premise, I cannot emphasize this enough, HAVE HIM TEAM UP WITH RAGMAN!!!!!! I swear to God, have the snarky Ghost Boy interact with the character whose costume is literally filled with ghosts!!!!!!

*going back to the ectoplasm and Lazarus Pit idea, make Danny an avatar of The Black/ Rot. I would absolutely love to see him have to contend with the likes of Anton Arcane or come into conflict with Swamp Thing and Animal Man. Also having Swamp Thing present in the story would give a far more organic reason as to why John Constantine would be interested in this teenager with ghost powers.

So yeah I would kindly ask the people who are so insistent on producing crossover content of these two fandoms to actually do some interesting ideas.

And incidentally while we're on the subject matter, the fact that so much of Danny Phantom is directly inspired by Spider-Man and yet there's not really a lot of crossover between DP and Marvel properties is really really bizarre to me, especially because this website's user base purports to be such huge appreciators of the Spider-Verse films........

[exuberantocean]

Its not about choosing Gemma or Helly, it's about being recognized as a person dammit!

I know you're all into shipping Mark with Helly or Gemma, but I would like to introduce a non-shippy analysis of this scene:

Mark S. has spent this whole season and half of last season arguing and fighting for his right - and the right of all innies - to be seen as a person. For their fundamental right to exist and to treated fairly. And he just "killed" Ms. Casey. Right here, before his eyes, he's seen Ms. Casey (who he isn't in love with but does care about) turn to Gemma with no real hope of Ms. Casey ever coming back.

Up until this moment, Mark S has been trying to save Ms. Casey. And conflating her with Mark Scout's wife. And here the realization hits him in the face that he's just done the very opposite of everything he was fighting for. He might have saved Mark Scout's wife, but in so doing, he's killed Ms. Casey, soft spoken, kind Ms. Casey, and replaced her with this stranger.

Thematically I think it's very, very important that in between Ms. Casey walking through the door and Gemma fronting, we get this brief scene:

The rise up of the innies against their oppressors. The choice to fight for their personhood and their rights.

Mark S was never going to walk through that door. He loves living far too much to give it up. And he's aghast that he was just used to do that to Ms. Casey. (Not just Ms. Casey, but the what, 25 other alters Gamma's body and mind now hold.)

One thing both Mark alters have in common is how frustratingly easily they're swayed into following the commands of others. Mark Scout possibly due to his depression/addiction, Mark S because Lumon does all it can to brainwash its innies. So when Gemma tells him to come, he makes to motion to, but stops. Because he's learned to ask himself what he wants. And what Mark S wants is to live.

He chooses not to go/to live before Helly shows up.

I'm not saying all this to belittle the relationship between Mark S and Helly. Quite the opposite; the fact that Mark is his own person with his own desires capable of making his own decisions means that his relationship is real in a way that Mark Scout and others don't seem to understand and accept - largely because they do not see Mark S as a person.*

Which...is why I see most of the Mark/Helly vs Mark/Gemma discourse in the tags to frustratingly miss the whole point of the entire series.

Mark S ≠ Mark Scout

They are both entirely different people with entirely different wants, desires, and loves. And they are in love with different people. Mark Scout would have an entirely different, separate relationship with Helly (or Helena) than Mark S. And Mark S will have an entirely different, separate relationship with Gemma than Scout ever will.

Put an other way with another couple, the outie Irving and Burt could never have the same relationship that their innies have/had. Even if they became a romantic couple, they're different people than their innies and thus would have a different relationship.

I see the erasure of personhood in the tags. MarkGemma instead of MarkScoutGemma and MarkHelly instead of MarkSHelly. There is no one Mark, not anymore. That's one of the main points of the show, as far as I can see. Reintegration would kill them both.

Look, I don't know what endgame is for this show, but there's a high likelihood that it'll end with heartbreak for at least one of those two couples. But ever if it does, that doesn't cheapen either of these relationships. One is not more inherently purer or more meaningful or more important than the other. Doing so is like saying your best friend's relationship with their SO is cheap because you feel your relationship with your SO feels pure and meaningful and important to you.

They both matter. And they both exists. Fighting over which one "deserves" to exists ends up feeling like a fight over which Mark "deserves" to exist - which personality should, in the end, win out and be dominant. And that just feels deeply, deeply troubling to me.

*One striking aspect of the show is how often all the outies/non-severed people talk about the innies using the same kind of language that slave owners used to talk about their slaves in the US south. I do not think this is a coincidence.

[vvividlyy]

So I watched Days of Future Past again last night, and at the part where Erik stabs Logan with all that metal and then throws him into the lake, I thought, Wow this is so edgy and over the top, like why is his beef with Logan SO personal at that moment?

One funny/shippy thought is that he's jealous of Charles and Logan because they seem to be pretty friendly and Logan is VERY protective and fond of Charles during the whole movie, even though Charles is a complete mess lol. (When Erik & Charles fight on the plane, I do think that they both have valid reasons to be upset with each other, but Logan is just very blatantly on Charles' side lmao)

More importantly though, Erik is SO overwhelmingly like... evil in DOFP. He doesn't hesitate to try and kill Raven, he detains Logan in the most sadistic and violent way he can think of, and then he makes a public declaration of violence and terrorism and attempts to kill the president & co before Raven stops him.

And all of this is done in front of Charles. Charles, who doesn't use his powers to stop Erik at any point, even when Erik says multiple times that without his helmet, he's defenseless against Charles. Even at the end, Charles controls Erik just to get the giant metal thing off of him and then releases his control instantly. Erik points out that Charles could freeze him and allow the humans to arrest him again and return him to prison, and Charles acknowledges that but it's clear that he's allowing Erik to be free. Even after all of Erik's rather astoundingly bad actions throughout the movie, Charles won't hurt him.

I think this is something that Erik cannot stand. I genuinely believe that he acts over-the-top violent and awful as a way to push Charles away, but it doesn't work.

It also brings to mind the Beach Divorce, when Charles gets shot and Erik is holding him. He immediately wants to blame Moira and you can see the moment his heart breaks with Charles tells Erik it's his fault that Charles got hurt, not Moira's. I'm not even convinced that Erik was set on leaving until Charles said it was his fault. I think Erik paralyzing Charles, who up until that point had been a rare beacon of uncomplicated happiness, really convinces Erik that he can't be good. He's only good for avenging and killing, and then he spends forever trying to convince Charles of that, too. He wants so badly to be unforgivable and for Charles to not love him anymore so it's no longer a choice to return :(