#like obviously I have my endgame ideas for them

[dirtytransmasc]

MarkRex fandom, how are we feeling about the pilot?

[the-river-rix]

Hodgins x Zach is growing on me tbh

[gxlden-angels]

the only person who was actually right about the world and human nature was Max striner everyone else is a fucking moron

Striner? I hardly know 'er!

Anyways, I'm not a philosophy expert. I'm just some guy. I like the egoist belief that there isn't a universal moral truth. I like the absurdist belief that, because nothing matters, we should be radically sincere. I like the christian belief in a place without suffering after this life. I like the Universal Random Number Generator idea my therapist and I talk about

All of them have their flaws though. Egoism gets used to condemn social movements and civil rights advocacy. Absurdism and the RNG can create a sense of existential dread and a loss of motivation. Christianity encourages the loss of identity and free will

I'm just some psych student with a weird ass therapist that understands my weird ass brain. He encouraged me to look into absurdism since I took a class on absurdist literature my freshman year of college and he said I might enjoy looking into the actual philosophy. And I do! At least a lot of it! I like the idea of a chaotic universe and us humans trying our best to control it. I like the idea of letting that go and living authentically instead of with a direct purpose. There's chaos and mayhem and entropy and I'm just here to react to it. And I can react in ways that makes others happier if I wanted just because I can

Egoism/egotism feels too disconnected from the human need to connect to me. It traps me into that feeling that doing something good for someone is selfish if you're doing it to feel good. I'm actively working to get out of that spiral Christianity put me in now

I don't know, though, anon. I'm just some college student with an ex-christian tumblr blog and a lot of trauma. I like to believe there's some Universe-sized Abstract Computer with a random number generator that causes the chaos we call home. I skim wiki pages and reddit posts and decided if I want to engage any further/look for textbooks. I could possibly be looking at the wrong page about the wrong philosophy. I'm honestly just on this earthly plane for the bit

[literaryavenger]

Careless

Summary: Part 2 of Thoughtful.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avengers!Reader

Warnings: My poor attempts at being funny. No use of Y/N. Fluff. Angst. Tony being kind of an asshole. Bucky's self-deprecating thoughts. Reader being clueless.

Word Count: 1K

A/N: I keep having no idea what this is, I have no endgame but I hope you enjoy!

Masterlist | Part 1

Stark parties are a hassle. Tony always insists on the team dressing up, cocktail dresses, tuxedos and all that.

So that’s why you’re all dolled up right now, a black sparkly floor-length gown that highlights your curves perfectly with a slit that goes up your left thigh with black stilettos, your hair curled perfectly and your make-up on point thanks to Natasha and Wanda, gold hoop earrings finishing the ensemble.

The only thing that looks like it doesn’t belong on your right now are Bucky’s dog tags hanging from your neck.

Things with Bucky have been going relatively good, you’re not really dating but neither of you let a moment pass without trying to flirt with each other. You enjoy the attention he only gives you and he enjoys making you flustered.

You’ve even managed to make him blush himself a few times.

You haven’t taken his dog tags off since that morning Bucky put them on you, and that’s not gone unnoticed by the team who have had a field day teasing you about it. Just never enough to bother you and make you want to take them off.

Until now.

“Come on, they look so out of place!” Tony says while chuckling as you roll your eyes, drink in hand while you stand in the middle of the party while talking with Tony, Scott and Maria.

“Leave her alone, Stark.” Maria comes to your defense and you give her a grateful smile. All the girls think it’s adorable that you wear Bucky’s tags.

“He’s not wrong, though.” Scott chimes in. “That’s a beautiful get up, but the tags stand out, and not in a good way.”

Anyone else, you’d be creeped out, but you know Scott is in a happy relationship with Hope and he doesn’t mean anything by it. He’s more of a girlfriend at this point.

“I don’t care.” You say simply, sipping your drink. “I like them, and I’m not taking them off.”

“You haven’t taken them off in weeks.” Tony points out, a dangerous smirk starting to grow on his face. “Could it have anything to do with the particular soldier that gave them to you?”

You roll your eyes, knowing where Tony’s going with this because he’s gone there countless times now.

“It has nothing to do with Bucky, I just like them.” You say causally.

“You like him.” Tony says childishly while the other two snicker at your groan. “Maybe you even love him.”

You scoff and almost glare at Tony. “I don’t love him.”

“Then prove it.” Tony says without missing a beat. Obviously he has you exactly where he wants you. “Take them off.”

“What would that even prove?” You roll your eyes again.

“Prove to me that they don’t mean as much to you as I think they do. Take them off.” He keeps grinning at you, challenging you.

“You’re a child.” You say simply, having no intention to accept this silly challenge.

“Yes, I am.” He says and all four of you chuckle, before Tony takes it one step further. “Take them off for a week and I’ll give you ten thousand dollars.”

You give him an unimpressed look. It’s not a surprise, Tony’s known to do this kind of thing all the time. He once bet Sam twenty thousand dollars if he went streaking for at least 4 blocks around the tower.

His ‘falcon’ was on the paper the next day.

“Come on, if you’re so sure I’m wrong, why not make some money off my arrogance.” Tony says with a smirk when you narrow your eyes at him, he knows you’re considering it.

“Fine.” You say after a pause. You hesitantly take the tags off and put them on Tony’s outstretched hand. It’s only a week and it doesn’t mean anything, you tell yourself.

Unbeknownst to you, Bucky saw the whole thing from a distance. And it meant plenty to him.

He couldn’t hear what you were saying even with his enhanced hearing because you were far away and the party noise was almost deafening, but Bucky saw you clearly as you took off his tags and gave them to Tony.

To Tony.

Did they not mean as much to you as they did to him? Was this whole thing just a joke to you? Was he making a fool out of himself thinking you liked him as much as he liked you? Maybe you just liked the attention. Maybe you were fucking with him, having fun at his expense because he convinced himself you like him, because how could he even think someone like you actually likes him? Maybe you’ve been laughing behind his back while he’s been falling for yo-

“Hey, Sergeant Grumpy.” His thoughts are interrupted by your playful voice that just a minute ago was the single greatest sound that he wanted as the soundtrack of his existence for the rest of his life.

But right now, it’s making his nostrils flare with barely contained anger while he almost glares at you.

You think nothing of it, convincing yourself that maybe the party is making him anxious like it usually does. After all, Bucky doesn’t do good with strangers.

Or maybe Sam has been getting on his nerves more than usual tonight. Whatever it is, you want to make him feel better.

So you wrap your hand around the tie of his suit and pull him towards you a little, copying the move he’s now done countless times with his dog tags around your neck.

“You wanna hear something funny?” You ask playfully, wanting to tell him about the bet you just made with Tony and thinking Bucky will get a kick out of it and it’ll take his mind off of whatever has him in a bad mood.

But you get no chance to say anything more since he takes your hand away from his tie.

“Leave me alone.” He says with a harsh tone you’ve never heard him use towards anyone, let alone you. “Forever.”

That said, he walks off and out of the room in the direction of his quarters without giving you a second glance, leaving you to look after him, too dumbfounded as your mind tries to play catch-up.

What the hell just happened?

Requested Taglist: @marvelcasey05 @ordelixx @alltoounwellread @capswife @sapphirebarnes @rio-reid-whoreee @theunknownmarveluser @alltoowellread @a-very-fictional-girl @geeky-politics-46 @winters1917 @yujyujj @blackhawkfanatic @hot-cheeto5739 @shortnloud @disneychic8 @unaxv @ziyahs-world

[latteenightss]

Okay so I just finished obx season 4 and I need to give my honest opinions

So let me just start off, the ending? Awful I’m so disappointed. JJ’s death was such a stupid decision, I get that it was probably more Rudy’s choice than the writers because we know Rudy wanted to leave but.. I’m genuinely so disappointed.

JJ was a beloved character, there are so many people that watched obx FOR JJ. FOR JIARA. Obx in general was peoples comfort show, JJ was a comfort character. He brought the comedy but also angst and Jiara??? EVEYONE knows Jiara is the most loved couple, PEOPLE watch this show because of them…

They should not have killed him at all but specially not in this way. In season 3 we see JJ start finally opening up, he tells Kiara he loves her and we get some development that just made sense yk, but then in season 4 they throw all of it away.. JJ finds out his dad isn’t his biological father which don’t get me wrong- I don’t think that was a bad plot but they made JJ do all this stupid shit and then they have his father stab him to death?? Like what

JJ is such a big character and that’s all you can do??? We had no development, his death felt so forced and didn’t give him any justice.

I also wanna get back to Jiara, like I said they are THE couple of obx, but we literally got almost nothing of them.. it’s so ridiculous. Not a single kiss in part 2.. nothing, we got some cute monologues but that’s all and that is far from enough.

I’m just so disappointed. This was not the ending JJ or Jiara deserved. I also don’t wanna say anything bad about Rudy- love him but if it really was his decision (it probably was, I just don’t know for 100%) then that’s really sad. The drama behind scenes should NOT affect the show.

Obx was literally supposed to have 6 seasons- that was the original plan. 3 seasons of the gold and 3 of whatever this is now. I think why they changed it to 5 is because of Rudy leaving..

And yes I’d love to think JJ is coming back but we saw him get buried and the directors unfollowed Rudy.. as heartbreaking as it is he’s probably not coming back. This is the end of JJ’s story.

When season 4 part 1 came out I honestly thought it was amazing, better than season 3 but they really ruined it with the ending. That’s how I’m gonna end it.

When it comes to season 5, I think it’s going to be Kiara’s season and I think we might get more scenes of Rafe and Kiara. Obviously Kie will want revenge, she might kind of go into this idgaf mode and just break, maybe they’ll even kill her of in the finale? Like girlie was with the whole group, her and JJ were supposed to be endgame. I honestly have no idea what they can do with her now other than that..

[miwiheroes]

Dropping Byler Evidence Every Day Until Season 5

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ Day 7: The soundtrack . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

Here is a little one for you today since I'm a little tired and busy today, but I'm still keeping my promise for you guys DGAHSGDJ hopefully I can keep this up yknow <33

One of the things that I think that writers just can't explain to me if byler isn't endgame is the fact that some of these soundtrack choices cannot be coincidences. If byler isn't endgame then I will have to really really question why the two soundtracks in season 4 titled 'Being Different' and 'You're the Heart' are perfectly lined up!!!!!

Here is a youtube video with the lining up of the audios after putting the two tracks together: X

Being Different is the track that plays during the van scene. It has the motif and the chord progression of the famous ones in 'The First I love You' and 'The First Lie'. However, it is very much incomplete. In my opinion, this soundtrack piece correlates to the one titled 'The First Lie' because it is the very first lie that Will has told to Mike before, making it a very impactful moment.

You're the Heart is the track that plays when Will encourages Mike to say I love you to El, which he then does, and it plays while he's monologuing. This one is also incomplete. This soundtrack piece may correlation to the one titled 'The First I love you', obviously because it is the first time he's really said I love you to her, but this is not genuine love because the L in the the 'love' in the title of that song is not capitalised.

So when you put them together and they are linked, make a complete song rather than utter rubbish, this tells me all I need to know.

'You're the Heart' cannot be complete without 'Being Different.'

Mike's monologue speech cannot be complete without Will's speech to him in the van.

Going through this much effort to make these two songs match up so perfectly with each other is not coincidental. If it symbolises something like this, why would this then end in having Mike and El end up together without anything changing due to the Painting and its impact?

It maybe shows what we already know even more: that Mike could never have made his speech without Will's words. He could never have felt like he loved El without those words. But they weren't El's words, so Mike only loves the idea of her. The idea that in reality is Will.

[saintsenara]

Thoughts on remadora?

thank you very much for the asks, anons!

while they are by no means my otp, i really enjoy remadora as pairing - and i think they’re fully up there among the canon couples in terms of being an amazing vehicle through which to explore all sorts of questions about life and love - which i am aware is a sufficiently controversial statement that it involves an immediate engagement with some discourse…

because remadora girlies [gender neutral] get an enormous amount of shit within the fandom, particularly from fans who consider wolfstar to be a more plausible pairing for lupin than tonks. i have seen remadora shippers called homophobes for simply enjoying the couple, justified with the bizarre idea that it disrespects remus' relationship with sirius [so... the non-canon one?] to put them together. i have seen tonks turned into a pathetic shrew who is trying to keep remus from the real love of his life by trapping him with an unwanted baby. i have seen remadora shippers get a lot of the usual stuff that people who prefer the canon-endgame couples do [that to ship a canon pair is boring, that it is indicative of a lack of talent, that it indicates an uncritical support for jkr] magnified to eleven because tonks has the temerity to be a barrier to remus’ relationship with the fandom’s favourite hot and brooding man.

obviously, this is bullshit - primarily because its unreasonable and cruel to invest so much time and energy being mean to people because of their harry potter shipping preferences [fandom should never be that deep].

but it’s also a disappointment to me personally because it means that it can be very hard to find the sort of remadora i like without looking like i’m coming to contribute to the pile-on. because where many remadora fans and i don’t see eye-to-eye is that i have absolutely no interest in thinking about them as a relationship which is actually functional. and, all too often, i find myself sifting through fics which do prefer to interpret them like this - as romantic and passionate and stable - largely, i think it’s fair to say, as a defensive move against the tide of “urgh, imagine shipping that” nonsense - even though all the evidence of canon is that they are… very much not.

i am aware of the pottermore article which smoothes the edges of lupin’s canonical reaction to tonks’ feelings for him in half-blood prince - but, while i read this as something of a retcon to make the relationship more palatable, i also don’t think that assuming that both tonks and lupin’s attraction to each other was sincere precludes them being as dysfunctional as they canonically are. i don’t go in for the common anti-remadora argument that tonks “forces” him into a relationship with her - it’s clear in half-blood prince that it’s not only her who has discussed her feelings with molly and arthur weasley, lupin is definitely flirting with her when they pick harry up in order of the phoenix, lupin is an adult man [no matter other power imbalances between him and tonks - such as the fact that she is an agent of the state which oppresses him] who possesses the capacity to refuse her advances, and - since teddy’s conception is not immaculate - he has no issue with enjoying a sexual relationship with her even if he then wants to run away from the product of that.

instead, what i like with remadora is that they reveal something which goes against the grain of the rest of the series: that love is not always enough. throughout the seven-book canon, we see time and time again the idea that love - and, crucially, love-as-noble-suffering and love-as-sacrifice - is enough to overcome any problem. entire civil service collaborating with a terrorist regime? don’t trouble yourself, love has won. your mother dying in childbirth leaving you to be neglected in a state institution? your own fault you’re not interested in love.

i understand the genre reasons for this, but i also love the way in which lupin especially exists on the margins of these genre conventions [just as he exists on the margins of wizarding society!]. i’m always struck in deathly hallows that he’s the only person who’s actually realistic about the demands of war - particularly when he tells harry that it is breathtakingly naive for him to think he can get through the fighting without having to shoot to kill - and that part of him having to be shuffled out of the way when harry tells him to return to the pregnant tonks is because, were the story focused on realism, the idea of a wanted man who is considered an unhuman by the state fleeing in order to guarantee the safety of his wife and unborn child becomes eminently reasonable and harry's defense of the nuclear family embarrassingly unradical.

and so i like the idea of lupin seeing tonks - and tonks seeing lupin - initially as just a bit of fun, as the two of them being just two chill single people who think the other is hot and interesting and want to bang because of it.

[which is something fandoms in general really struggle with as a concept. we like epic love stories - and you won't find me objecting to that! - but we're less good at thinking about casual sexual attraction or transient friendships, and how these can be transformative and meaningful without having to end up going any sort of distance.]

and i then like the idea of the relationship being forced into a profundity it doesn’t really have the juice to sustain by the sheer avalanche of grief which besets the two of them - sirius, dumbledore, mad-eye, ted - and by the pressure of the war and the fact that the order is scrambling and the hangover of remus' self-destruction in half-blood prince which makes each cling to the other as a life-raft. i like remadora as something codependent and messy and strange and sad, and i don’t think this prevents it being sincere and fun and based in mutual attraction, but instead that these positive qualities can exist in conjunction with the fact that, without the war, it would have been a summer of fucking and that was probably it.

on tonks herself, i don’t think i can say it better than @evesaintyves in this meta on her character. i’ve been really uncomfortable with quite a lot of stuff i’ve seen recently which has taken against the idea that tonks can be meaningfully read as queer on the basis of what we find in the text, above all because it so often comes with the implication that one cannot imagine her in her canon endgame pairing and presume that she’s something other than straight or cisgender. eve sets out an excellent case for tonks as bolshy and liberated and in tune with herself and fun and confused and in flux and still figuring stuff out about who she is and where she’s going - and this translates, may i say, to an astonishingly beautiful way of writing her, lupin, and the dysfunction inherent between them which i highly recommend you read.

[helluverse-rewrites]

I saw your rewrite for Stoliz and it got me thinking about them for my rewrite, actually helped me decide between a few ideas! First thing's first, in my rewrite Stolas isn't like... *vague gesturing to the show* that. He's closer to biblically accurate Stolas, a peaceful demon who rules over stars, gems, plants, and math (something that leads into Andrealphus later). He still has flaws of course, the power dynamic between the two is still a huge thing and will be treated with more importance, as will the whole cheating thing that comes in later. Second, the deal isn't about sex. At first at least Stolas isn't looking for sex, and obviously Blitz, who at that point has literally just been caught mid-theft by this bird, is not looking for that either. What Stolas is looking for is knowledge, and maybe gaining a friend from the imp. He allows him to take the book if he comes back every full moon for the full day to be with him, talk and discuss with him. He knows their worlds couldn't be anymore different, and is curious what a life like that could possibly be like. Third, they are not endgame. At best they end up as friends, the first ones each have allowed themselves to make for years of their lives now. I don't know if I'll have Blitz end up with anyone, or a mix of Fizz and Striker, but that's unimportant to now. Now this might be where I lose you for a moment, but they would get together for a short while at some point, trying to do what they think they're supposed to do cause neither has had a friendship that was close that didn't lead to something like this, but quickly would find out that what they feel about each other isn't right for a relationship like that, sexual or just romantic. Stolas still looks down at Blitz even when he thinks he doesn't, he grows apathetic to the issues that pop up like he did in his marriage, blames Blitz for the issues that start pushing them apart, and it ends up with them not speaking, broken up, and Blitz scrambling to find a way to keep paying his employees as Stolas takes his book back. Stolas isn't the only one who messes up in the relationship of course, it'd be hypocritical to put all the blame on him when I critique the show for doing the same to Blitz. Blitz can't talk about things that get under his skin cause he doesn't want to shove Stolas away, but that ends in him yelling at him about things that seem so small in the end when his anger gets to him, he uses Stolas' money as he pleases for whatever random wants he has, and encourages him to drink with him despite knowing about his alcohol issues at this point. I'll try to cut this down a bit to not just be a mile long ramble- but that's the main points! Stolas would try to apologize- actually truly apologize by giving Blitz money and an Ausmodeus crystal so he wouldn't be forced to see him again if he didn't wish to. That's all I've got so far, gonna keep workin on it!

my actual reaction

This is so much better than whatever Viv tried to do with Stolass

Like... It's so easy to have Stolas take responsibility, it's extremely easy actually

[nothoughts-onlywomen]

proof that lumax is NOT bones

ok look, i know we’re all freaking out a bit right now (see here for context), but i feel i have tangible proof that lumax will have a satisfying ending come s5.

1. she was listening to his game

i don’t know if we fully acknowledge how meaningful this is. max doesn’t go to lucas’ game because there’s a big crowd and she’s very depressed. BUT she knew the game meant a lot to him. even earlier in the episode she was the one who explained the tournament to the boys. she doesn’t care for sports (except skateboarding obviously), but she cared for lucas enough to know what was going on. and she cared enough to listen to the game on the radio even after the fact.

2. her letters

tell me she didn’t write some sentimental shit to him in that letter. we have yet to see what was in it, but my guess is that whatever’s in it, max will get a chance to say some of those things aloud. like if she wrote “i love you” or something to that effect, it’ll show growth for her character to say it aloud to lucas. which brings me to…

3. the cemetery scene

the entire point of this scene was to show that lucas doesn’t only want the good parts of max. he wants ALL of her. even the sides of herself she views as ugly. and even as max is struggling to just TELL lucas how she feels, lucas is letting her know it’s okay. he just wants her to talk to him. all this is the crux of what i believe will be one aspect of max’s arc next season. learning to SAY how she feels. especially to lucas.

4. THIS moment

another reminder that LUCAS IS THE ONLY PERSON WHO MADE MAX SMILE OR LAUGH LAST SEASON. this is another aspect of the lumax arc that i think is important. lucas makes max FEEL things, which is why the whole thing terrifies her. one of max’s reckonings in s5 will be with her own feelings. and if she ends up permanently blind or disabled, those feelings might explode out.

5. “i see you now. i see you.”

apart from the cruel irony we’ll get if max ends up permanently blind, this again echoes the idea that lucas sees max for exactly who she is and loves her completely. even in her darkest moments.

6. rv scene

lucas is the impetus of max’s HAPPIEST MEMORY. i mean writers don’t do that shit on accident. her happiest memory is KISSING HIM. that won’t change overnight.

7. cute as shit notepads

they have mutually agreed to go on a date again. you think the duffers would leave us hanging on that? have they ever let us down before? mike told el in s1 they would go to the snowball, and they held onto that shit until the end of s2.

8. fuck vecna

here’s my prediction for the “going left” that caleb mentions. while i don’t think they’ll break up or not be together in the end, i do think that vecna will possess her and use it to physically attack lucas. like i get the feeling they’re going to pull a mockingjay on us. this scene foreshadows that. she’ll be clawing at him and he’ll just be holding her off looking devastated. cue waterworks

9. i don’t even want to talk about this scene

why would they have max die in lucas’ arms if we WEREN’T getting s5 lumax in some capacity? lucas’ trauma from that will have ripples in s5, leaving him vulnerable to vecna’s attacks. because he now has that something haunting him.

10. and finally…

ok COME ON. the duffers even posted a bts picture with this in it. combine that with the other bts we’ve gotten so far? i'm not worried.

max's arc in s5 will be about connection with her loved ones. namely, her finally being able to break through her own walls to tell them how she feels. and both her and lucas' arc in s4 will lead up to that eventual conclusion. which is why we're getting our damn endgame.

[randonwilmonfan]

I'd love to talk more about the locker room scene in S2 E2 of Young Royals, where Wilhelm tries to convince Simon to get back together with him, in the process (sadly) demonstrating that he believes his mother's feeble offer to "talk" about him possibly coming out when he's 18. This takes place after his almost-removal from Hillerska.

Plenty of people have already pointed out how Henry snitched on Wille and Felice’s kiss, but apparently didn’t choose to tell anyone (as far as we’re aware) about Wilhelm almost pleading with Simon to get back together with him during that post-almost-dragged-out-of-Hillerska conversation. And that's definitely an interesting thing to chew on. But there's more...

Here are a few other things that stand out to me too:

First -

I think it’s worth pointing out the obvious — Wilhelm clearly sees Simon in his future long-term (possibly for the rest of his life). The way he casually says to Simon “So, we’d only have to keep it a secret for 2 years” implies three things very clearly.

a) He immediately and easily sees himself together with Simon in 2 years and beyond. Actually, specifically, definitely beyond. Because his eye is on the prize: coming out and living openly with Simon *after* he turns 18 — implying his focus is entirely on the intended afterwards period. He doesn’t even blink at that idea; it’s obvious to him.

b) He also really doesn’t seem to think 2 years is a big deal. For a teenager who’s only lived 16 years on this planet (only approximately ~11-ish of them in a state where they’re forming conscious memories) to think 2 years is just a drop in the bucket is kind of wild. Even 6 months feels like forever to a kid. So Wilhelm — a child — viewing time from this perspective suggests he’s likely balancing 2 years out against a much longer expanse of time; hence why those 24 months would look so minuscule and shrug-worthy by comparison. In other words: he sees himself with Simon in the LONG long term. Two years is nothing if you’re imagining growing old with someone and spending the rest of your many decades on this Earth with them. (All of this is pretty much confirmed later on in S2, when Wilhelm offers to abdicate the throne for Simon.)

c) He also doesn’t seem to think Simon should be appalled by the idea of waiting for 2 years. Yes, sure, we can chalk part of that up to selfishness and lack of mentalization / empathy for Simon’s point of view. But I’m going to suggest it’s more than that. My takeaway is that he assumes Simon also sees them as endgame, and so naturally wouldn’t be bothered by waiting a bit longer in order to spend forever together. (Sadly the conversation does not play out that way for him; ouch. Though no shade to Simon: what he said in response was realistic and fair.)

Second -

I think we have to rewatch his interactions with Simon as Henry slams a door and slowly walks past them with a raised eyebrow. Because, in S1, that Wilhelm would have immediately jumped away from Simon to create distance and try to pretend there’s plausible deniability about what their relationship has been and could be again. That’s (one) part of the whole point of S1: Wilhelm is not ready to be brave enough to face a homophobic aristocratic world and take a bold stance to stand by Simon.

Instead, in S2 E2, he sits still. He stays right next to Simon. In fact, he *leaves his hand resting directly on Simon’s thigh.* And he knows someone is coming their way! He heard the door slam inside the locker room. Obviously he knows someone else is here. But he doesn’t jump. He actually doesn’t really stir much at all.

He sits there like it’s of no importance, and he doesn’t care who sees. Or, even, who overheard this very intimate, vulnerable, and pleading conversation. A conversation in which the future King of their country is almost on the verge of begging his ex to please be his again… not just for now, but for multiple years’ time. I mean we’re like 2 steps away from Wille practically offering Simon a “promise ring” (not sure if that concept holds up in Europe, but it’s basically a very pre-engagement type thing in the US; it’s not common though). (Their convo also makes it very clear Simon was the one who dumped him and that he’s having trouble accepting that and moving on.)

Yet he doesn’t seem perturbed or disturbed by Henry’s presence and overhearing and seeing them. He doesn’t seem embarrassed at all. He’s not ashamed of his love for Simon. Even more specifically, he’s not afraid of people (Henry) seeing him put his heart out on the line, and of them knowing that he wants Simon back - not for just a hook-up, but for a very long-term, serious, committed relationship. And he doesn’t make any moves to emotionally or physically distance himself from Simon, despite Henry’s clear witnessing of this private moment.

This is a subtle way to show that, even though Wille hasn't yet gone through his full S2 journey of self-awareness and self-growth, he has still already begun changing and growing after the end of S1. So he’s at least started to learn some of his lessons about what he needs to do differently.

Anyhoo, the whole point I’m trying to make is… gosh there were so many fascinating things happening in that scene. And they rush right past us in the blink of an eye! But there is so much meaning built into every small interaction and non-interaction there, and into every nonchalant assumption the characters casually voice.

I’m sure there’s more meaning and are more details I missed, too! What did you think? I’d love to learn more from others’ perspectives, too. :)

[comfortlesshurt]

Skyler's 2025 January VLD Fic Recs

Boys, I did not read a lot this month, but I still have a couple recs under the cut! As always, sorted by least to most hits, so show the top ones some love ;_;

Letters to Lance by AsterikaMay: in progress! Klance! I usually won't touch a journal-format fic, but ughhhhh, Asterika is teaching me to let go of my prejudice against them. this isn't finished yet, but i got to read the first chapter this month and had a good time, can't wait to see the rest!

Fan the Flames by Nuri (SpicyIsopods): small oneshot! gen! makes me a little sad to see a fic from 2017 with so few hits... you're allowed to like longer, shippy content obviously but man... hurts my gen heart when these ones go ignored! quick little pre-canon, post-kerb keith angst that immediately gave me ideas for my own pre-canon longfic, so i owe it lots of love

starlight by AsterikaMay: Klance oneshot! little AU moment with some miscommunication. getting together fic. it is adorable

Common Denominator by SilenceIsGolden15: oneshot! Keith-focused gen fic! broganes, some emotional angst. do I really have to sell you on a SilenceIsGolden fic? they are THE gen keith author to me. if you read gen fic and aren't already subscribed to them, i don't even know what you're doing with your life... they have another current wip i already KNOW i'll be reccing as soon as it's done

i'm only overthinking when i'm close to you by langst: Klance oneshot! I was so lucky to get to help beta this a little bit and UGH, when I tell you el spawns beautiful stuff even in the very first draft? i'm jealous actually. this is an early seasons getting together fic with cute flirting and the team finding out and teasing them a little

let me in if i break by existwound: Klance oneshot! another one I was lucky to get to help beta >:D Keith whump, getting together, post-canon.... so many of my favorite things in one fic

You were dreaming by iybms: EXPLICIT Klance oneshot! man, okay, i'm realizing I was really into getting together fics this month, but uh.... here's another one!

Reverse Psychology by tempestbreak: EXPLICIT complete Klance multichapter! NOT FOR YOU if you're uncomfy with one-sided Sheith, but Klance is the endgame here. little post-canon friends to FWBs situation

and bonus rec! Grin and Bear It by loadingboy! zack's a friend so maybe i'm biased but UGH, the little bit i've had a chance to read so far is LOVELY, so i'm gonna go ahead and pre-recommend this bad boy. check the warnings for yourself before committing if you aren't fully on board with the range of things i typically rec! i hear this one is closer to the angstier end of what i like

[lgbteca]

Lets be clear: while I believe that this union makes sense from a narrative perspective, I'm not blind to the implications of Marta marrying a man in an era when being a man meant being almost equal to God. However, given my trust in the writers, I am confident that a written agreement will be put in place to protect both Marta and Pelayo, as well as the empresas, from any potential harm. The specific terms of the alianza will be determined by the parties involved, given that it is a business agreement and they are highly competent individuals that have a lot to loose if things go south. Of course Jesus will always be there to brighten up the day.

There will be problems in paradise - obviously!!! -, but not because Pelayo is a man or because he might be a bad homosexual, which I don't think he is. The problems Pelayo will cause to Mafin come from the fact that he is a politician and a very ambitious one. When Marta starts helping him reach his goals, he will want her to get more involved. This means that Fina will get less of Marta, which will be interesting to see. At least from my perspective. Marta will need to deal with all this in a different context to Jaime's. I'd like to see Marta navigate other circles too, and maybe deal with other important gay women when they start noticing her, which they will.

This will cause conflict, but conflict is necessary for a story to develop. Mafin is endgame, but they don't live alone on an island. Would we be happy if our ladies had a boring life from 9 to 5? We're mostly happy with that in real life, but that's not what I want to see on TV.

So, Marta marrying Pelayo doesn't bother me, given the historical context and despite the great, great, artistic liberties they allow themselves. This means the world of Mafin will grow and change and that we can put the idea of danger to the side for a while. There will always be danger, but I want them to be able to handle it without being paralyzed.

I also want to see what will Fina gain from this situation. How can the writers develope her more? What is her potential? Where can she go from here? I think there’s a lot of room for Fina to grown, with Marta and despite Marta.

The conflict can be annoying sometimes but I'd rather have conflict in a story than lose interest in it. And if things don't go as planned, all the better. I love it more when the writers keep us on our toes.

[sickofthistoxicshit]

Thanks for your response to that other anon about Tommy; you’re totally right. I also was intrigued, even liked him and Buck after their first kiss. But his closet comment and behavior on their first date, like he didn’t care that Buck has LITERALLY just figured out his bisexuality and that’s A LOT to process, his dismissive attitude towards Buck’s ideas and feelings (the bachelor party henley, the “enjoy it while it lasts” at the medal ceremony)….and then add in the way some fans have gone 0 to 100 on them so quickly, even calling them endgame, and likely at least in part JUST because it’s two men…it’s become such a turn off. I was neutral, even wanted to like them at first, but now am counting the days until it ends. And it’s not because I’m a BoB or would dislike any Buck LI that isn’t Eddie. And I don’t agree with anyone getting HATE (we can sideeye and judge people’s actions ($cameos$) But I think seeing Buck in a canon male/male relationship has caused some people to lose their damn minds. Ship and let ship! Stay in your sandbox, we’ll stay in ours!

LOL I am so removed from all the crowing bummies that I have to ask wth is BoB?

I actually went to look it up and found some interesting options, I am going with this one:

"Bob" is a generic and common name, and using it can be a way of avoiding formalities or creating a relaxed and approachable atmosphere

If you have the other meaning go ahead and tell me, like bummies I understand what benefits me in the moment😂

I kinda wish ppl will look up the meaning of "comphet" (I actually looked it up) that Ryan keeps bringing up in his interviews - that way ppl can stop saying crap things about him being the one to derail Eddie-T because he was supposedly against it. - Which is bullshit, Tim repeatedly said it was because the Natalia actress couldn't come back and M actress could. - Also, Originally T was supposed to be Lucy, she just couldn't come back so they took Lou in a pinch, so Obviously the endgame sure as shit wasn't the pilot.

And you're right, T's attitude was condescending at best, I was talking about it with a mutual the other day, and said that if they really had an interest to build BT properly, also by the time they came up with BT they knew they were being renewed for S8, they could have slowed into this. Actually make Buck's coming out story, a coming out story, not "So first date was a bust, how bout you come to my sister's wedding?" like who does that?

They could have started as friends with Lou being a gay guru, they could have had private dates until Buck was actually out to everyone and ready to be seen in public.

There could have been feelings involved that developed over time.

I gave the example of Tim-Ashley vs Nolan-Bailey from The Rookie, while Ashley was fairly kept to the background (btw she got more screen time than T, just saying) while Bailey was constantly and still being weaved into the story, intricated into Nolan's life, because he was meant to end up with her.

What ppl, who seem to have never watched good tv in their lives, don't seem to understand is that there is a way to write a story, and 911 not only screwed up spectacularly with Buck and Eddie's storylines, but they managed to make it clear from the get go that any LI to come along would be written just bad enough for it to be clear that they are not lasting.

Even furious, Eddie never walked away from Buck. Even when Buck was an asshole in 2x01, Eddie stood his ground and insisted they sort it through making it clear that they are on the same side, that he cares about him and wanting to be his friend. - His partner, a team.

Tommy, like all his predecessors, walked away as soon as something didn't fit his little comfort zone. Tommy walked away on that first date, he didn't contact Buck after that, Buck had to make contact and apologize for not being comfortable on his first date with a guy, like how messed up is that?

And Tommy's little acid retort in front of Eddie in the restaurant before that? From the side it's hilarious for someone who was never in that position. It was mean and uncalled for, but not exactly a surprise because T was never much of am understanding person, he was pretty much an ass from the get go in S2, only difference now is that he is out of the closet.

How did Athena put it when Michael first brought his new bf home after they got divorced? "If Michael had cheated on me with a woman, no one would have expected me to slap on a fake smile and welcome her into my home."

And that is exactly what the GA expects us to do, so what if Buck injured Eddie for attention? He's bi now.

So what if T was an ass and pretty much dismissive towards Buck and talks to him often in a bored way like one talks to a child? He's gay now.

A certain sexual preference does not excuse bad behavior. A person's behavior is supposed to be taken at face value, and not excused just because that person is now seeing someone who happens to be of the same gender.

Crappy behavior is just that - crappy behavior - equal accountability and all that.

I actually liked Taylor for Buck in S2, I think Lucy could have been perfect for him in S5, but the writers made sure to smear their characters in the eyes of the GA from the beginning, thus ending up with another failed relationship, while Buck's relationship with Eddie thrives from one episode to another for the last 7 seasons. One has to wonder about that even if they don't ship buddie.

Same pattern here with T. I was prepared to like him with Buck, I was prepared to see Buck making his way out of the closet with someone who would make him feel safe to do it, not kiss him unprepared under the pretense of coming originally on Eddie's behalf. Not that crap show that was that restaurant date. Not Buck apologizing after feeling insecure and exposed in public for the first time out of the closet and so many other things. - I'm getting the same vibes as Taylor looking through her phone in disinterest in 4x11 as Buck recites some google fact.

And you're right, the fans going from 0-200 after one kiss was just ridiculous, like chill people have you never seen two men kiss before?

I have, on screen and in RL, I grew up with lovely lgbtq+ friends from childhood, it's not all that. When my gay best friend dated someone who didn't treat him right, I told him to get rid of him. When my cousin's gf treated her like property and like she owes her something I urged her to find a better more nurturing person to be happy with.

Two men kissing is not endgame making, hell, from experience two men having sex (hot as it is) is not endgame making.

Love, passion, trust, security, fun, friends gatherings where they're cute and gross, can be made into a healthy endgame making relationship.

Buck and Tommy have physical attraction, they make for a steamy picture but nothing else.

And Lou, I am just... I don't know, I would have preferred not to find out the things he's done as cast of 911, I am just so disappointed.

I loved Lou, now it's just meh. Like he's trying to make as much money as he can before he finishes his way in the show is all kinds of wrong. Also very misleading to the ppl who are hanging on his every word. (And I don't think Oliver likes it either, he is pointedly ignoring any scene with T, not promoting anything that doesn't involve Eddie and Christopher or Buck's own development).

Even Ryan didn't know he was going to get shot until he got the 4x13 script, he was sure he was being killed off until he talked to whoever was showrunner at the time lol.

So Lou can't know he just talks out of his ass and make himself look bad in the process.

And I agree, ppl should be free to ship whoever they desire, but they are not entitled to force their desires upon others, I'm talking about both sides of the ships not just one. (Although I gotta say I've never got hate asks until a certain ship popped up this season. A lot of hateful - now blocked anons - that I refused to give stage to.)

These toxic battles are useless and made this season worse than it's writing.

All that's left is kick back and hope this season's last episode can salvage the poor and repetitive storylines we got this season, - I mean even Henren and Bathena got a replay of S4.

And don't even get me started of the fart shaped storyline Eddie got after switching last minute.

I'm tired lol

didn't mean for this to become this long monster, If you made it this far thank you, sending LOTS of love. ❤️

[geothewriter]

Vermillion Seas Cardinal Skies: Chapter 24 - The South

The opportunity to finally release years of pent-up fury arrives for Katara. Will she still be herself on the other side?

--

Happy New Year y'all! I've been busy busy busy, so unfortunately, the idea of finishing posting the entire fic by Christmas is long gone, but we'll be reaching the endgame soon enough! Boy, it's 2025 now. I would have never guessed that I'd still be writing this fic, but you know how it goes!

This chapter is definitely long in coming. It's another of those that I've had in the back of my mind for how I wanted it to go for months, so it's great to finally get to share it!

As always, MASSIVE shoutout to Achillmango for her awesome editing <3 She's the bomb, and I couldn't have done this without her.

Now then, please enjoy Chapter 24 - The South!

The gentle rumbling of the airship engines almost lulls her into a sense of ease. Almost. The world around her and back home is so filled with problems– problems that she cannot avoid– problems that force her to refuse any sort of satisfying rest. After all, how could she relax? They’re en route to the Fire Nation. Her fate awaits her. She failed. Her men saw her failure and no matter the fear she’s put into them, they’ll surely speak of what the Avatar did.   As much as she hates to admit it, the only way she was going to survive that fall, she knows, was with his help. She recalculates the moments again and again in her mind. Blasting from the top of the ship, falling through the air, impacting the wall, losing consciousness, then–  Her only hope would have been to jab her crown hairpin into the rocks, but she failed even that. She doesn’t deserve to be here. To be alive. And yet.  I forgive you. She knows that from anyone else, this wouldn’t have any effect on her. That stupid naive kid meant it with all that he is. Zuko would’ve been lying. Anyone else would be obviously lying. But him. That stupid kid.  How can she make sense of all this? Can she even go back home? The burgundy reds of her room feel suffocating now, completely at odds with the feeling she had experienced atop the ship. Why is that voice in her head so intent on ruining her life? The voices she corrects herself. There are two. One younger, and one with depth of experience.  With an exasperated sigh, she tries to discount her imagination. They can’t be real. She’s just under a lot of stress, that’s all.  Azula, Zuko, promise me you’ll look out for each other.  The words come back to her, clear as any cloudless sky, and she’s struck then, by the clarity of her mind. She’s never generated lightning as quickly as she did when firing toward the combustion bender. Only someone with total focus could do such a thing. Someone like Father. Someone with a singular ambition. Someone who knows their place in the world.  Not even Father is that fast. Part of the clarity brings realization. The voice she heard begging her and reminding her of a promise made as a child. It is Mother’s voice. Why here? Why now? She’s long gone, never to be seen again. How could her voice reach her– it must only be in her mind. Does a part of herself want to keep Zuko alive? Does she lack the conviction to follow through with Father’s orders? She even allowed the Avatar to escape unscathed.  It’s what Mother would have wanted, she knows. But this isn’t what she wants. Is it?  Her goal always has been and always will be to be the perfect princess. To be the gem of Father’s eye. To be perfect in all she does. Why is she slipping up now when the journey is at its end? She clenches and releases her hands and watches as they tremble and shake uncontrollably. “There’s good in everyone, even you.” What’s that supposed to mean? Good in everyone? As if she isn’t good? She’s doing what’s right for her nation, for her people for–  The door cracks open and the wide-eyed captain of the airship nudges the door further. “Princess, by orders of Fire Lord Ozai, we are making way for Caldera City. Are we to make any deviations within reason?” He clears his throat meaningfully.

Continue Reading on AO3

[jamesirius]

“All he had to do was ask you out, not my fault he was too stupid to get around to it. This—” He gestured around at the Burrow, encompassing the entirety of the ridiculous fake dating scheme. “—Was a last ditch effort. If it hadn’t worked, we were about to give up.” “We?” “Me and Hermione.” Ron caught sight of the look on her face and smirked at her. “Oh, come on, you thought I came up with that on my own?” “It was an absolutely mental idea, so, yeah, I did think that.”

Keep Reading

Ginny is not totally looking forward to a Christmas spent at home with all her relatives asking her why she's the only unmarried Weasley child. Ron suggests she bring Harry as her fake boyfriend. There are a million ways this could go wrong.

Featuring happily married Ron and Hermione, lots of Weasley babies, the family curse to only have boys, Cedrella Black meddling in her granddaughter's love life, and endless amounts of sugar, mistletoe, and other Christmas shenanigans.

Well, happy new year! Fruitcake has been such a joy to write - I was working on it viciously all through Christmas because I really wanted to finish it in the holiday season. Everyone's responses have been so wonderful to hear, I am truly thrilled people read it and enjoyed it. This last chapter was really just an extra to show more of their life together so here are a few notes and future endgame thoughts in case anyone is interested:

Harry is not subtle. Honestly it's shocking that it took Hermione such a long time relatively to catch on to him in HBP. In this one, since Ron and Hermione are thirty, and have been married for years, and generally no longer have the emotional ranges of teaspoons, they caught on much faster.

Yes, Ron and Hermione's baby is a girl. Everyone except Harry, Ginny, and Cedrella is shocked by this.

Harry and Ginny also go on to have three daughters, which neatly parallels Cedrella and her sisters (although with less tragic endings): Aurora Lily, Felicity Molly, and Cedrella Ginevra. Aurora has the green eyes, Felicity has brown, and Cedrella inherited the Black family grey. Life has a way of working out.

All the other Weasleys did end up having more kids, all girls, once the curse was broken: Bill and Fleur had two more (I think this is less planned and more because they're one of those couples who is literally always having sex. By the way, please notice that Harry and Ginny are being disgusting on the porch swing exactly the way Ginny was making fun of Bill and Fleur for doing a few chapters ago.); Charlie and Steffan adopted a girl named Robin (Wren wanted a brother but he adapts quickly); Fred and Angelina have two girls; George and Cassie have one. And finally, way after everyone else, because Penelope did in fact swear she was done after two, Percy has a tail-ender little girl.

I like to think Ginny did eventually become an Animagus and join the Marauders on full moon nights - something the Marauder kids would bring their eventual spouses into once actually married (as obviously, Remus' secret isn't technically theirs to share).

Did you catch the initial canon divergence mentioned in this chapter? And now you know why Remus' secret has never gotten out.

Yes, Harry and Ginny did get engaged in 2010 so it might be a little quick but we do have to consider that Harry's been in love with her for two years and neither of them like wasting time. I do think they went traditional with it (marriage, then babies, probably when Ginny stepped back from playing professionally to coach) just because Cedrella would have had a fit if they didn't break the curse properly. And they do love her.

Is the curse ACTUALLY real? You know, it was very unclear...

Thank you again to everyone who read the fic, or these notes, or both! I hope Fruitcake provided a bit of joy in the holiday season for you; it certainly did for me!

[conundrumoftime]

Fandom grandma tales: how I survived canon ruining two of the ships I liked.

(Written after a discussion with some of my TROP fan pals about how canon can break your heart re: shipping, and how fandom manages. There are spoilers here for the entire run of Babylon 5, and for one story JMS wrote after it. yes, that story. sorry.)

Babylon 5 was a sci-fi space opera show that ran from 1993 to 1998. It is sci-fi of the era of 22-episode seasons, of huge ensemble casts with characters who get their own B- and C-plots, with an effects and casting budget that doesn’t always match its ambition, and - something it was quite pioneering in, at the time - grand pre-planned story arcs. 

It’s the first fandom that I was involved with in internet spaces as it was running, or at least when its final season was (there’s Discourse and drama from earlier years that I missed). Its showrunner, J. Michael Straczynski - ‘JMS’ - was very active in (non-fanfic) fan community spaces, and you always knew exactly what he was thinking about things because he was part of the discussion around them. There was also fanfic, which he didn’t stop but didn’t go near on the grounds of legal liability for story ideas. 

Most of the fanfic in the early days as the show was airing was focused around two big ships, of which one was canon endgame (Delenn/Sheridan) and one was canon all-ends-in-despair (Marcus/Ivanova). I, as a teenager discovering a developing online fandom for the first time with all the overwhelm and excitement that causes (ask me anything about what reading fic was like before the days of tags/ratings/warnings!) got into Marcus/Ivanova and also into one of the minor ships, Delenn/Lennier.

Delenn/Lennier was never, ever going to happen in canon. This is obvious; it clashes with Delenn/Sheridan which was JMS’s baby darling OTP, the show’s big love story. Delenn is married for the later part of the show. Lennier is her diplomatic aide, is absolutely devoted to her, and they have a very intense mentor/student relationship, which it seems is kind of standard in their culture (when Delenn’s own mentor died she went briefly insane with grief and started a genocidal war over it) but is still Very Intense. He is canonically in love with her, but that’s as far as the explicit canon statements go.

However. HowEVER. Canon also gives us, for that relationship, some wonderful ship fuel. Lennier knows about every bad thing Delenn has done, including all the stuff she doesn’t/can’t tell her husband. He’s her link to her previous world and culture and stands by her even when they kick her out. She says at one point, “without him, I would stumble and fall and never get up again.” 

And then… we had Season 5, the final season.

Season 5, for various complicated production reasons, was operating a little outside of pre-planned story arcs and in this season the Delenn/Lennier stuff ramped up about three gears in one go. It was still very obviously never, ever going to be canon, and was almost certainly not intended by the creator (who wrote most of the episodes himself) to look like there was even anything there. At this point Delenn is married; any relationship with her aide would not only be going against the show’s OTP, but going against it in the sense where she’s cheating on her husband, and there is Just No Way JMS would have gone there. And yet! Season 5 gave us:

A scene where Lennier says he can’t stay, it’s too painful to be around her now she’s married, and she’s devastated and has the following conversation with her husband about it:

S: I got your message about Lennier. Is there anything I can do?

D [snapping]: Almost certainly not.

S: Is it because of me?

D: In part, I think so.

S: Yeah, I was afraid of that. Well, as we say back on Earth, three’s a crowd.

D: On Minbar, three is sacred.

S [slightly uncomfortable laugh]: Well, I don’t think I’m ready to handle that one, Delenn.

Delenn then calling Lennier back to the station to do some secret mission thing for her, which involves her sneaking out of her bed while her husband sleeps to meet Lennier in a darkened alley behind a bar, where she tenderly strokes his face and they have a whole conversation about whether her husband understands her or not.

A scene where Lennier comes back from his secret mission to meet both Delenn and Sheridan, Delenn goes to greet him with a hug, and Lennier does this very pointed step back and nod in the direction of her husband, and she pulls back and just sort of pats him on the arms instead. 

I MEAN.

But, the issue here is not what fans did about it but what canon did about it. Canon did the canon equivalent of dragging that ship outside and shooting it in the head. 

In the final few episodes of the entire series, Lennier tries to kill Sheridan, runs away in shame, and then someone finds his diary in which he’d been writing for ages about what a bad decision he thought Delenn had made and how her whole marriage was an awful idea. Even to this day, it’s fun/awful watching people go through a first-time watch when they get to season 5 and hit that. ‘Character assassination in the form of a diary’ was a whole thing for a while. It’s been 20+ years and the actor who played Lennier is stilll mad about it (not because of shippy stuff, but because he - correctly! - thinks Lennier absolutely would not have done that). 

What *fandom* did, on the other hand, was Fixed The Problem.

Delenn/Lennier was not at all a big ship when the series was airing, and for a few years after. Then the fandom dynamics started to change. With less pressure on what canon was going to do, it felt like fandom had more space to play around with things it didn’t do. Fanfic got less interested in trying to fit within the overall story being told and started spinning off in all its own directions. And *this* ship started getting bigger and bigger. People did really interesting things with it, canon divergence went in all directions, everyone wrote a fix-it story of some variety, some authors did a great series of connected stories based on an idea that Minbari have three genders, the quality of the writing has been brilliant. And I think without that absolute whiplash feeling of what happened in canon, there would never have been this feeling of “well I’m not having THAT” which led to all this.

We did not need canon! Canon had done its thing. And canon had broken our hearts enough ways with many of the other stories it told (entirely on purpose) and we weren’t just going to sit back and let it ruin us forever.

By comparison, the other ship I was into was Marcus/Ivanova. This is entirely doomed. Susan Ivanova’s love life is just perpetually doomed. The first partner of hers we meet is an ex who’s interested in getting back together, but then it turns out he’s just using her to infiltrate the station for the fascist terrorist group he’s secretly joined. Then she falls for an archrival of hers, Talia, who works for Psi Corps, the organisation she loathes most of all things - but it’s okay because it turns out Talia is starting to question them too! Maybe these crazy kids can make it work! They have one night together and then OOPS turns out Talia was being secretly controlled by a sleeper personality implanted in her by Psi Corps the whole time. Ivanova’s love life is doomed. 

So for two seasons, she has this sort-of-flirty, sort-of-bickery, sort-of-friendship going with Marcus, who is on the surface of it very much “why not fall in love at first sight like a true romantic, YOLO!” but it turns out is actually deeply messed up himself and full of survivor’s guilt and pain and, you get the clear impression, would have died of shock if she’d actually called his bluff on the OTT flirting and said “yeah, let’s go for it”. And then he sacrifices himself to save her life. It is a very tragic ending, it is absolutely the way he would have wanted to go, she wakes up both furious and absolutely distraught, says that the last thing she heard was him saying “I love you”, says she wishes she’d at least slept with him once, and says that in a way all love is unrequited. PAIN. 

So, lots of fix-it fanfic, lots of ‘Marcus comes back to life’, lots of canon divergence AUs where he doesn’t die and they live happily ever after and both get over their huge levels of unresolved pain. Pretty standard for that kind of pairing. And as a pairing it doesn’t get in the way of any big canon pairings, it doesn’t imply anything icky like mentor/student power imbalances or adultery. And JMS clearly quite liked it. So that’s better, right?

NO. It was WORSE.

JMS wrote an Marcus/Ivanova story himself, published in one of the sci-fi magazines, to try to give them a happy ending. This happy ending involves Marcus, many many years in the future, waking up from the cryogenic suspension he’s in (it’s sci-fi, keep up, keep up). Ivanova is long dead, but he isn’t about to let this get in the way, so what he does is to *create a new Ivanova* by getting some kind of DNA + computerised memory/personality bank thing, finding a doctor who will clone her, putting himself back into animated sleep until the clone reaches the age Ivanova was when she died, then - THEN, I’M STILL GOING - takes her to a distant planet where, with her memories wiped and their spaceship having deliberately been crashed BY HIM so there’s no way back, they live out their lives in peace.

WHAT.

That pairing still does okay in fandom but it’s not really taken on a post-show world of headcanons and riffing on other people’s ideas and tropes in the way that Delenn/Lennier has (and we all just pretend that story never existed). 

So! This has been my experiences in the field of What We Do When The Show Has Thoughts On That Non-Endgame Ship We’re Into. Fandom manages. Fandom will see you through. And in the words of Susan Ivanova:

Babylon Five was the last of the Babylon stations; there would never be another. It changed the future, and it changed us. It taught us that we have to create the future, or others will do it for us. It showed us that we have to care for one another, for if we don’t, who will? And that true strength sometimes comes from the most unlikely places. Mostly though, I think it gave us hope that there can always be new beginnings - even for people like us.