#otp: i really believe that you can change the world

[wistfulwatcher]

10k follower celebration text + supercat, labyrinth | requested by @catelyngrant

[evilminji]

Okay, you know WHAT? I have been SILENT for too long! I can endure it no longer!!

There is a CRIMINAL lack, CRIMINAL I say! Of Batman/Brucie Wayne Fanfiction out there!

But Minji, you say rightfully concerned for both my sanity and memory issues, isn't Bruce Wayne... Batman?

And, fuck off maybe! I know that, YOU know that, but WE are 5th dimensional spies watching their lives from beyond the 4th wall! NO ONE IN GOTHAM KNOWS THAT!

I want Fandom access!!! *rips shirt to reveal stolen Brucie/Batman OTP shirt from I got from some Gotham based Fan meet up*

It's part of their COVER! Since OBVIOUSLY himbo Brucie Wayne and dangerous brooding Cryptid Batman are VERY different men with VERY different moral and social philosophies about how to help their shared, beloved, city! They should kiss about it!

Tell me the bat-brood don't write terrible fanfic as stress relief. Lurk, just to make sure no one's getting to close. Lurk, just for that sweet, sweet fan art and other merch of themselves or loved ones.

Tell me there aren't arguments over "are they family or co-workers" and "how DARE you suggest our Cryptid would sleep with that Metropolitan SLUT instead our sweet himbo dilf!"

Look me in the eyes and tell me Clark has not COVERED the fan conventions, as a fluff piece, because Bruce annoyed him recently.

Where are my Meta fics? My characters reacting to disturbingly good and engaging fiction about their co-work and himself?

FFS fifty shades of grey(curse its name) was originally a fanfiction! Tell me some enterprising Gothamite wouldn't go "hmmmmm >.> " and pull the same thing? Barely change details and publish? So everyone is like "that is... SO CLEARLY about Brucie Wayne and Batman. But not clearly enough to sue. Holy shit."

Then READ it.

Because who would have the BALLS to do this and what did they WRITE?

And maybe it's... disturbingly good. Like no, really. Deeply philosophical and starkly human. Lot of sex. Excellent pacing.

....about their co-worker literally going and fucking himself.

They are SO conflicted.

I. Want. Fan. Fiction. I want in-world Fandom shit! It's literally a CLASSIC otp pairing! Himbo and gritty warrior with a mysterious past! Wayne getting kidnapped fics. Bodyguard fics. Secretly I'm Batman but now you're my slutty, slutty Boss fics!

Will no one CHALLENGE themselves!? I suffer.

Brucie/Batman

Come one guys! I believe in us!

@hdgnj @the-witchhunter @stealingyourbones

[dangermousie]

If someone were to ask what my favorite historical cdrama is (ie not fantasy, real historical place etc) - the answer would be The Advisors' Alliance, a two-season masterpiece that follows the rise of Sima Yi as he and eventually his sons navigate through the rule of Cao Cao, Cao Pi, Cao Rui and Cao Fang and eventually establish the Sima Dynasty.

The first season covers only up until Cao Pi's ascension and the second season the rest.

This drama is smart and beautifully filmed and incredibly acted. There are politics and fights and interpersonal relationships that are very very complex. Romance is deeply tertiary (though Cao Pi x Guo Nuwang are one of my all time fave secondary OTPs of all time) and this really is not the drama to watch for traditional eye candy. Cao Pi is my jam to a ridic degree but he's vvvv much an adult warlord, not a pretty young dude; even those you normally think of in terms of idol looks, like Tan Jianci, look suitably historical and non-idoly:

And oh, this drama would never ever ever in a million years pass censorship nowadays even if they changed their names to fictional ones. There are no good guys here - there are different flavor of monsters, monsters than can love and compose poetry and joke but monsters nonetheless (because they are feudal warlords and their women) and yet from the safe confines of the screen you end up loving some of them a lot - it really is pick which monster team are you.

It feels realistic about the uniform horribleness of those in power and their motivations the way no cdrama past 2019 is allowed to truly be (Eternal Brotherhood and JoL2 are about the only exception and I think it's because in further parts they will walk some of it back or just sidestep it, leaving it implied - it does not confront it head on the way TAA does.) And yet and yet and YET God, I loved some of those characters so so so much!

I mean, my favorite scene in the entire first season is Cao Cao's last sword dance. The aging warlord is a monster - murderous to seize power, terrible father, terrible friend etc etc and yet I love him. He is so magnetic, so smart, so larger than life that you believe this is a man who could establish his rule and bring down a dynasty. I watch his last sword dance and shiver because this is a relic of a bygone era - a man who outlived all his rivals and friends and he's on top of the world but he mourns his lost world and his lost youth - all his achievements legendary but behind him, him about to join the past with all the people he loved and hated the soldiers watching him not even born when he did all his feats. This scene conveys the end of an era very few things do.

[chronic-escapixt]

His Rose ~ Details

(Kai Parker x Bennett OC fanfiction)

content warnings/tags ~ Dark fiction, dom/sub dynamics, abuse, murder, childhood trauma (mentioned). Minors DNI

I don't claim ownership of The Vampire Diaries or its characters. All credits go to the rightful owner(s). I only own my original character(s).

K.P. Masterlist

This fanfiction is born from my dissatisfaction with the way Kai was criminally underutilized in the TVDU. Honestly, I found him annoying at first, but he grew on me as season 6 went on. Thru Chris Wood's charming performance, Kai stole the show for me. I'll never forgive the showrunners for a lot of things, including underutilizing Chris Wood in this role & not allowing this broken king to have a real redemption arc.

On the topic of the showrunners, I'll never forgive them for how they did Bonnie Bennett or the Bennetts in general with how they were limited to magical plot devices for everyone else's use without any appreciative focus on their power & how it could really benefit them. Even though I love Bonnie & Kai, my otp endgame for her has always been Bonenzo, but I also adore Klonnie ❤️.

My AU changed and added plenty of lore around his coven & certain events. The plot follows the life of Bonnie's younger sister, Rosalina "Rose" Bennett-Ruiz. I go on to describe her below, but I'd like to state that she acts as Kai's antithesis as an innocent, fledgling witch. She's also Bonnie's support system. I always hated how the show often ignored that Bonnie lacked family around her that were unconditionally there for her. Bonnie's mom left when she was small, she lost her grams in season 1, and her father was a non-factor in her life until he returned... just to get killed off in front of her.

I wrote Rose & Bonnie's dynamic keeping in mind everything I hate about older sibling/younger sibling dynamics, like the one between Buffy and Dawn in BTVS. Bonnie deserves family that consistently supports her, encourages her to prioritize her well-being, and actually tries to lessen the existing load on her shoulders.

Another thing I kept in mind when adding Rose to my TVD AU is not to have her replace or take away Bonnie’s space in the plot. Now, I do give her Bonnie's plotline of being sent to the prison world in season 6, but this is essential to the story, and the way Bonnie was treated that season made me so sad that I have no problem taking traumatic experiences from her (of which she has more than enough) and giving them to Rose.

Okay... if you made it through my rant, congrats. I also want to offer my inbox as a place where anyone can offer up requests, scenarios, ask questions, even if you want to roast my cruddy writing... my inbox is open.

🌹Rosalina "Rose" Bennett-Ruiz:🌹

Born: March 18th, 1994 (18yrs)

Gender: Female | Height: 5’1” | Hair color: Brown | Eye color: Hazel

Race/ethnicity: Black and Latino/Hispanic

Species: witch (Bennett)

Titles: Rosy (Kai), littlest witch (by Kol), kid (by Damon)

Characteristics:

Rose is a gentle and kind-hearted person, always looking for the good in people and situations. She can be a people pleaser and overall naive when dealing with people, often seeing the best in everyone and believing in second chances

Family is important to her, so bonding with Bonnie means a lot. Due to her naivety and weakness, she can be easily manipulated and taken advantage of. Like Bonnie she’s compassionate and tends to selflessly help others. But still with spells due to her insecurity & inexperience with magic

She enjoys singing, gardening (honing her nature-based magic, making potions & studying herbology), fashion (sewing & thifting) and cooking (food is her love language)

She has a strong aversion to blood & violence so spending time with vampires took a lot of getting used to

Trilingual: fluent in Spanish & Portuguese

Despite her demure demeanor and virginal innocence, with her stuffed animal collection, enduring love of cartoons and a lack of dating, she’s a hopeless romantic that harbors the hidden desire to submit herself to a powerful dominant

Background:

Family: Bonnie Bennett (half-sister), Jamie Ruiz (half-brother), Abby Bennett-Ruiz (mother), Matteo Ruiz (father 🕊️), Sheila Bennett (maternal gm🕊️)

Rose was raised in Summersville, North Carolina. She was a child model until 13 when her father tragically died. She was the captain of her high school majorette dance team. Her life drastically changed when Bonnie arrived on her doorstep.

Rose was 16 when she & Bonnie would finally meet. Bonnie and Elena came to Abby for help with a spell. Rose was shocked to find that she had an older sister as Abby never mentioned Bonnie or the life she left behind in Mystic Falls. She was even more surprised upon finding out about her magical bloodline and that supernatural creatures walked the earth. Unlike Grams, Abby never mentioned magic throughout Rose’s life and even went as far to suppress her magic with by binding it.

After Abby is turned by Damon, she decides to leave her family to gain control as a fledgling vampire. Rose moves to Mystic Falls with Bonnie where she learns magic from her.

Magic doesn’t come naturally to Rose. But she often helps Bonnie with powerful spells, offering herself as a conduit for channeling together.

Admittedly having a 50% accuracy rate with her own spells. Rose’s confidence & focus are hindered when chanting and spells drain her much quicker even when she tries channeling the energy around her. Despite this, Rose is determined to improve, valuing her one-on-one time with Bonnie and spending late nights on her own practicing & memorizing spells. She uses her magic for good and wants to prove herself as a capable witch.

She excels at herb studies. Often experiments with potions and creates charms using the herbs they grow in their garden.

Her role in the Mystic Falls gang is the “Bennett witch in training” or “the bringer of baked goods” (according to Damon), since she often supplies their gatherings with fresh pastries. Everyone underestimates her power, even Bonnie. She tries to keep Rose out of danger unless she can’t help it.

🔪Malachai "Kai" Parker:🔪

Born: May 9, 1972 (22yrs)

Gender: Male | Height: 6'0" | Hair color: Dark Brown | Eye color: Blue-gray

Race/ethnicity: white/non-Hispanic

Species: siphoner (Gemini Witch coven)

Titles: abomination, black sheep, the defective twin (his coven)

Characteristics:

Charismatic with a charming smile. Upon meeting him, his charisma operates as a façade to hide his lack of empathy and his sadistic tendencies

Can be hard to read but that’s because he struggles with expressing his emotions which stems from his abusive childhood. He’s cold and relatively unfeeling with people, but once he lets someone in, he’s fiercely loyal and protective.

He can be observant, calculating and manipulative to taking advantage of someone and get what he wants

He’s a sassy man, often comes back with quick quips and has a natural sense of humor (typically dark humor)

When he’s comfortable, he never shuts up, has no filter and sucks with certain social cues. After being alone for nearly his whole life, will talk anyone's ear off without realizing they are not willing to listen

Kai can siphon all of a witch’s magic without killing them. He controls how the process feels - at its worst, a fast searing burn to a slight tingle. Overtime, a witch will regenerate their magic

High libido!!- He’s starved for touch and affection (though he would never admit that he needs anyone). Sexual desires reflect his sadistic personality as he enjoys dominating another person through absolute control and pain infliction

He likes raunchy comedies and media with half-naked women such as Bay Watch and MTV videos. A major foodie with constant cravings for sweet and salty snacks. He prefers snacking throughout the day but when he does bother to cook, it’s really good

He is fluent in old Latin, often found in grimoires and other ancient texts. When he was young he’d get his hands on old grimoires and study them, all the time to himself allowing him to hone his knowledge of witchcraft and technique

Background:

The Parker family is the head of the Gemini coven. Its patriarch, Joshua Parker is the coven leader. Kai is the eldest child, being half an hour older than his fraternal twin, Josette. Unlike Jo, Kai was born without the ability to generate his own magic, instead siphoning magic from lingering spells, objects, or other witches. When he was young, he would naturally gravitate toward the magic of his sister, so Joshua quickly decided to physically isolate Kai from everyone for fear of his son's "defect" hurting others.

As fraternal twins born of the coven leader, Jo and Kai would be set to merge on their 22nd birthday, where the winner takes the other's magic and coven leadership and the loser dies and is absorbed into the other but with the risk of Kai's siphoning ability giving him an edge in the merge, Joshua and Viviane continued having kids until she birthed another set of twins that would merge instead.

Kai's upbringing was lonely, spending most of his time locked in his bedroom up in the attic. Following his father's lead, most of his family excluded and demonized him. As he grew, Kai learned to internalize the cruel labels they gave him. If they wanted a monster, they would get a monster and on his 22nd birthday, May 9th, 1994, he would finally act on his boiling rage and resentment toward his family, unleashing the hatred he accumulated through a lifetime of torment onto his siblings when Jo refused the merge. To protect the twins, she would relent to merge with him but the coven was waiting and with the help of Sheila Bennett they banished him to a prison world of complete isolation.

Each year that passed only added to his hunger for revenge, left with nothing to do but plan his escape and seizer of coven leadership. He grew to take pride in what he had done to his siblings and his status as a sociopath capable of killing anyone who gets in his way without remorse.

AU-Specific Lore:

Prison world Lore:

Prison worlds are created by Bennett blood sacrifice, meaning a Bennett must be bled to death so the gemini coven can channel her blood magic.

A prison world resets with the eclipse every 3 months.

Time works differently, so no one ages throughout their time there.

A prison world cannot create life so the only living inhabitants are those sent there or arrive via ascendant.

Kai is linked to his prison world so he can’t die. If something kills him, he’ll be out for a while depending on the damage but the magic will heal him back to life. Without Kai, the prison world falls apart so while he’s there, it sustains his life to sustain itself. Once he leaves, it ceases to exist.

The Ascendant - an ancient device created by the Gemini coven and a Bennett ancestor that only responds to a living Bennett’s blood magic. The ascendant is sensitive to magic in general, so even when the spell is done right, it will activate then fall apart. You only have one chance at the time of the eclipse to correctly do the spell, which Kai knows from experience because early on he tried collecting a vial of Bennett blood that he hunted down in a hospital and using Josette's magic he siphoned from a hidden dagger. Disappointment boiled over into rage when he did the spell beneath the eclipse, the ascendant disassembled, but he was not transported out.

The Gemini Coven Lair:

Exists as a interdimensional where the coven keeps ancient texts, grimoires, enchanted items (talismans, gems, ascendants, etc.), and materials for spells & potions

Infinite space that can be utilized by the coven leader: often includes a space for magic instruction, a library, spell casting, a gathering area for the coven, etc.

Accessed only by portal, which is summoned by a spell entrusted to high-ranking Gemini members

[talaofthevalley]

if it hasn't been asked already. revolver for the ask game? your postings are fun to read

smacks my desk MY BOY, THANK YOU FOR GIVING HIM TO ME. also thank you that's so sweet of you to say

Why I like them/why I don’t Where do I even start-

He's one of the most honourable characters in the whole franchise. He's ridiculously composed, that the few times he's rattled you know it's significant. He's carrying the sins of his father like they're his own, even though he was eight when the incident happened. But it's like he understands he's the only one who can carry that burden and deliver closure to the ones affected because he wasn't one of the perpetrators, but was still involved and wrapped up in it all.

But he's also a dork who strikes poses during duels. His deck consists of gun and bullet dragons. He's so extra and camp in the best way and is never not taken as a very serious threat. He's one of the strongest duelists in the show. He doesn't consider himself a victim of anything. He was willing to die at the end of S1. He regularly finds the villain of the arc/his enemies first and almost murks them. He's connected to flower and ocean imagery. He gave one of the most beautiful description about loved ones who has passed away I've ever heard. He cares So Much but isn't the best at showing it, yet can help in just the way others need. He hates himself so damn much. But does not let that get in the way of what he believes needs to be done. But he's not completely close-minded either.

Ryoken's just such an amasing character. I love him so much.

What I like about their appearance Everything Since I did the same for Aoi I'll do both his real world and LV designs.

Ryoken: Gorg. Beautiful beautiful boy. I love the soft tones used for his eyes and the blue in his hair. The feathery side bangs are so pretty. And I'm so weak for white hair. I'm not above to admitting I'm not fond of his outfit, but that's just because it's very far from my taste in clothes. I don't think it's as bad as people claim it is though. Love his pink shirt, and that his colour scheme overall in the real world is very soft-toned and almost pastel in contrast to the bolder colours used in his avatar. And of course the eyes, and the eyelashes. My god he is so pretty.

Revolver S1: I like this design! I do think it's usurped by his second avatar, but they share a majority of the same elements and design points, so I'll cover those in the next part. I think his mask is pretty cool ngl, and it's Very yummy to chew on for analysis. The red hair with lighter shades running up the sides looks great as well.

Revolver S2-3: I do think this is just, an absolutely banging design. The way it's separated into parts through use of colours and lines. Love the long gloves, and the coat is so cool, it really adds to his presence. The second avatar did a good I think by adding these cut-ins at the hips to give it more definition and volume.

The new hair colour is really good too, adds another change besides the mask showing more of his face to show his growth from the last time we saw him. Like a visual sign he's mellowed out after the breakdown he had in the S1 finale. Especially love the grey-violet eye colour they gave him, it's really nice. And that visor.... I know it's a crime they hide half of his beautiful face, but it's also so exciting to catch glimpses of his fringe under it. And it does look cool, I can't lie.

And of course I have to point out the bullet earrings. Top tier design. Just immaculate. It's so distinct and memorable. It even got made into official merch. Just iconic.

Do I prefer their dub names or original names? His name only gets a letter hacked off in the dub, thankfully, but I cannot take Varis seriously. It's a bit silly, but also in my first language it's spelled and sounds very close to a word for something less than pleasant =_=

OTP Datastormshipping my beloved, datastorm my everything. I can say so much about them but it would make this post even longer.

NOTP Datastorm is such an otp to me that I don't romantically ship either Ryoken or Yusaku with any other character. I don't think anything comes close to NOTP status for me with Ryoken though.

OT3 But I can accept Ai into the mix, since I see him and Yusaku as very queerplatonic.

Favourite card they use Am I basic if I say Borreload Dragon. I love that giant gun boy so much. The colour scheme is very nice, especially with the contrasting teal wings.

But also. Mirror Force is so iconic. It is SO FUNNY they had Revolver use Mirror Force and built it up so much. And for Link monsters it technically is! They can't be put in defense position! How effective it is makes it even funnier. You know he was having a blast blindsiding people with all these old trap cards.

Favourite moment they were in I can't pick one oh god-

Okay but, seriously I can't pick just one. He has so many good moments over the course of the show. All the duels against Yusaku. The first irl conversation he has with Yusaku. First time using Storm Access. Crashing the Ignis reunion party and curbstomping Windy into putty. The due against Lightning. The AFTERMATH of the duel against Lightning. Both duels against Takeru. The final scene between Ryoken and Yusaku. Yeah no I can't pick one. And a lot of his best moments are built from past scenes and the development he's had across the show.

Least favourite moment None, my perfect boy has done nothing wrong in his whole life- /j

[seventhdoctor]

For the yugioh character ask meme: Supreme King Judai!

Oh boy is this an interesting one.

Why I like them/why I don’t I'll be honest, at first I didn't like him. Back in 2007 when I was experiencing GX through Photobucket screencaps and forum discussion, I was like "Wait. Why is Judai evil now. What's going on. I don't like this. Also the Evil Heroes look ugly."

[Haunted voice] I understand now.

Supreme King Judai says a lot about Judai Yuki, how he deals with his guilt and his fear and his trauma, and what he'll do to try and...feel safe? Regain control? I bet he'd like to know the end to that sentence, too. And I came back to GX after one of the worst periods of my life so uh, that part really got me when I was rewatching GX last year!

I love love love his little monologue about how "I won, and I kept winning, but still [all of this happened, I lost everything, etc.]" and how it parallels early S1 Manjoume. We heard that lesson and learned nothing! It says a lot about both Judai (who failed to internalize it) and the way he's treated (because yeah that feels emptier when everyone and their mother and even the bad guy is depending on you to beat the bad guy, SAIOU I SEE YOU WITH THAT SATELLITE KEY). I even appreciate the symbolism of the Evil Heroes: to defeat evil he did indeed become evil, and yet defeating evil makes you the hero doesn't it?

He also raises questions about Judai and his past life. Like...how did this guy:

...become this guy?

He came like this. Judai lost himself in the darkness of his heart and out came a side of himself buried underneath a life he doesn't remember, and this is how he came out. The little boy who made a tearful promise in response to another's self-sacrifice turned into a tyrant who believes power is the only way to achieve anything, and how did that happen?

Obviously this is a question that's driving me to write a 40k word prequel fanfic. Help.

What I like about their appearance

Hey, do you think those shoulder spikes were originally meant to match Yubel's? :'D But also, the cape. Of course in that black and gold armor, he's got a red cape.

If I can give voice acting a shout for appearance, KENN's work was amazing too. I recorded his debut monologue to show a friend who watched the dub and sometimes it's nice to revisit that clip because damn.

Do I prefer their dub names or original names? There really isn't much that isn't carried over from the original Judai -> Jaden change; Haou is just Supreme King. (I use Supreme King as a title and Haou to refer to the character but that is extremely a personal thing for my brain only.) As with Asuka I'm neutral on the name change here aside from being ehhhhh on localizing names to Western ones as a broad trend but that's for another kind of post entirely.

OTP What Haou are we talking about here. Probably with Yubel or Johan but it EXTREMELY depends on time point and circumstances.

NOTP IDK man. Any ship with him is probably a little fucked up but we enjoy that here.

OT3 See above.

Favourite card they use

CHOU YUUGOU

Favourite moment they were in

Definitely his debut in episode 136. That monologue about "In order to defeat evil, one must become evil" and "In this world with the rule of the jungle, one must rule with power" is iconic.

Least favourite moment

Is there a moment that qualifies? His scenes are bangers.

[happilyfeatherafter]

Happilyfeatherafter’s ficrec Fridays

Welcome back to a new week of fics that I’ve read and loved recently.

If you missed last week’s you can find my previous rec lists here for more!

23 February 2024

A Call To Motion by @banshee1013 (art by @nickelkeep) is a delightful dancer fic from the @hoziernaturalevents mini bang! After becoming mesmerised by modern dance when passing by the studio on his way to work, Dean becomes Rowena's protege student. She tells him about an opportunity at a dance company in Kansas City, alongside Castiel Shurley, the man who's audition for the Paul Taylor Dance Company in New York inspired him to pursue his new-found passion. Cas is going through his own turmoil, having been cheated on by his former lover Ishim. With no one to dance his love inspired duet with, he's left adrift. But that all changes when Dean dances into the picture. So much great tension, camaraderie and the love inherit in a shared passion for dance. I adored it.

Mourning Doves by abstractthinking (@cascigarette) for @destielvalentinesexchange: 'The mourning dove symbolizes spirituality, hope, peace, freedom, and love. Some believe they are messages from angels.' This is a really sweet, quiet in the best way little valentine's one shot. Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and Dean wants to make it special for Cas. He's not really gone in for Valentine's Day before, but he's ready to fully embrace the romance of the occasion. Cas is somewhat befuddled by the need to manufacture romance, when their lives are already inherently romantic when in each other's company. Together they find a gentle balance of appreciation.

We Are Either Here Or Not Here by @hufflepuffdean (art by @armellin) is a 2017 @deancasbigbang fic post-12x23, in which Mary brings an AU!Cas back to a mourning Dean. Castiel is stubborn, judgmental, infuriating - and the best shot Dean has at getting Cas back. The conversations start as Dean’s last hope, but they soon turn into his version of catharsis. When Cas does find his way back, he comes along with stories of his own. I love the way this fic takes a possible spin on season 13 canon, leaning into the ensemble cast, and through it all keeping such a wonderful thread of yearning between Dean and Cas as they set out on a journey to forgive and better understand each other, between the universes.

The Day in the Palm of Our Hands by tabaqui - A DeanVictor fic! I'm normally a total otp fic girlie, but I love the possibilities inherent in Dean and Victor Henriksen's early seasons storyline dynamics, and what could have been had we got to keep him. Their chemistry is so great. So here's that story. Victor can't shake the supernatural world, and turns to Dean and Sam to learn hunter 101. Along the way his and Dean's heated eye contact trips into something more. A lovely glimpse at a possible canon timeline divergence circa season 3.

[georges-chambers]

for the character asks...ishmael, ofc :3

Idk when you sent this but I wish I had seen it earlier because !!! VERY glad to do this!!

'How I feel about this character': So Much. In general. What can't I say about him? On one hand, as many point out, he's an almost definitely some kind of undiagnosable neurodivergent and due to this is incredibly relatable. ACCIDENTALLY CLICKED POST WHEN I MEANT TO SAVE THIS TO DRAFTS. ANYWAYS. I HAD MUCH MORE: He Also Suvks!!! He knows a lot but that doesn't mean he actually believes in objectively true things! Hes aware of his own faults but we get the feeling he's not too concerned with changing them very much! I also feel like some fans of Moby Dick kind of choose to gloss over the ways in which, beautifully as he puts it, his love for Queequeg is also almost definitely through a very warped lens due to the way he just thinks of Queequeg, and at times it also seems almost obsessive. And another important part of him, I think, is that he becomes just as obsessed with things that are important to him as someone like Ahab, just in a way that doesn't lead to relentlessly chasing them down and trying to kill them. Well, breaking down a door to 'save them' is. I'm sure you can see the similarities. But of course there's the way he writes obsessively about minor details about the whole voyage and people on it and Moby Dick himself in a way that implies he has a fascination with it all borne from the trauma it gave him. Which reminds me of how much he seems to actively want to hide any part of himself and his past from the reader but where it starts slipping out are often memories that seem kind of. Worrying(?) Definitely not Pleasant anyways. Which again, he seems to zero in on a bit. Also to me he is Not Cis. Of course.

'All of the people I ship romantically with this character': Ishmael's one of the very few instances where I think the only romantic ship I have of him are with the canon love interest (Queequeg of course). Aside from probably 2 ships or so, but those are either rather RPF (about someone who is dead but nonetheless real. I mean. He's kinda implied to exist in Moby Dick too, but he's very much real, its based on the real version) focused or Angst Heavy, so I would only share those in DMs at request.

Now as for potential sexual relationships? Another entire area I will leave to DMs.

'My non-romantic OTP for this character': Okay nevermind, I lied. I could Never explain it fully because its Not in the book and not based on anything in the book, but the 2011 movie. Showed me a whole layer to the potential of whatever was going on between Ahab and Ishmael and god. The toxic workplace relationship he had with that old man. That whole movie became Their Movie to me. Queequeg can of course become involved. I also like the idea of him and Bulkington of course.

'My unpopular opinion about this character': Its hard to say what'd be considered unpopular for this kind of a fandom, but I feel like the fact that the racism from his POV was progressive for its time only makes it even more immersive to him as a character. Its the sort of thing that's like . 'This is a fascinating indication about the time and the author writing in this time' and 'This could be considered a part of the character narrating all of this and how they view the world' Can very much coexist here. To me they feed into each other and I love it. Less like that, though, since that'd probably be the more popular of the two: I feel like a lot of adaptations are a bit less than accurate to what I personally think of with Ishmael because they often make him (even including the 2011 to some degree) a lot more overtly 'benevolent' than really fits. In the book, he does shit like contemplate just boarding up the room he's in and basically steal it from its original owner, and just the near frantic, almost aggressive tone he often takes with fucking Cetaceans, In General, towards his audience, I love, and really wish there had been like. Any of, in most adaptations, which seem to want him to be a much more 'relatable nice hero' which he just Fundamentally Isn't. There are so many times reading this book and rereading it where I've just gone, 'Ishmael, whoever you're having this argument Isn't here right now. I love you, but Please.'

'One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in-canon': I feel like actually learning more about what he did in his Past would kind of spoil some enjoyable and very fitting mystery and ambiguity so really what I wish we knew more about were his travels and life in general between the wreck of the Pequod and when he's writing that. Actually, no, if I absolutely Had to choose to actually be told 1 more thing about him? When and where was he a stone-mason. I love how hes very intentionally like, 'At Some Point in Time, For Some Point In Time, Neither of Which You Need To Know, I was a stone-mason.' And its just like. Actually no. Normally there'd be nothing odd about that but no, now I really do need to know what he could be hiding with that.

Once again Thank you so much for asking this and once again encouraging me to ramble incoherently about Moby Dick

[typingtess]

 NCIS: Los Angeles Season 14 Rewatch:    NCIS episode:  “Too Many Cooks”

The basics:  The teams from Washington, Los Angeles and Hawai’i investigate the death of a respected and beloved FLETC instructor.

Written by:   Christopher J. Waild, who wrote over 50-episodes of NCIS.

Directed by:  Michael Zinberg, who directed 20+ episodes on NCIS, 13-episodes of NCIS: New Orleans.

Guest stars of note:  Some of the Hawai’i (Jane Tennant and Jesse Boone) and Los Angeles (G. Callen and Sam Hanna) stopped by. 

Our heroes:   Finally get to be part of a big crossover!

What important things did we learn about: Callen:  First at the crime scene. Sam:   Grateful McGee escorted him to interrogation. Kensi:  In Los Angeles. Deeks:  In Los Angeles. Fatima:  In Los Angeles. Rountree:  In Los Angeles. Kilbride:  In Los Angeles.

What not so important things did we learn about: Callen:  Knew Gibbs from way back and knows the rules. Sam:    “300-pounds of muscle” according to Parker. Kensi:  In Los Angeles. Deeks:  In Los Angeles. Fatima:  In Los Angeles. Rountree:  In Los Angeles. Kilbride:  In Los Angeles.

Where in the world is Henrietta Lange?  I’m guessing she knew Dale Harding/The Professor/The Cockroach and his secrets.

Who's down with OTP:  Jess and Jimmy seem to be doing well and encouraging and Jane-Nick love connection.

Who's down with BrOTP:  Thought the Nick and Parker scene near the end of the episode was interesting.  Don’t see Nick as much of a big sharer of his feelings and Parker being the guy he shares with to be honest.

Fashion review:   Callen wore blue, Sam wore black.  Everyone else was better dressed, maybe except Jesse Boone.

Music:  Barry Manilow got a mention.

Any notable cut scene:  Nope, unless it is on the NCIS DVD (which I don’t have).

Quote:  McGee:  “I can't believe this. You guys are accusing me of treason?  In my own house?” Callen:  “It is nothing personal.” McGee:  “Really? Then why aren't we doing this in the conference room?” Sam:  “We didn't know where that was.” McGee:  “You didn't know where this room was.  I had to show you.” Sam:  “And we appreciate your cooperation.”

Anything else:  In Washington DC, an older gentleman, Mr. Harding, is explaining his houseplants to his young house-sitter Libby.  Libby is working cheap monetarily but is also going to pick ten albums from his record collection.  Harding wants to preserve the Barry Manilow albums.  Libby notices a Hawaiian shirt and some other warm weather gear.  She now wants 12-albums as part of an envy tax.

Harding’s phone rings so Libby departs.  The person on the phone is a surprise to Harding who is unhappy the caller has his number.  He doesn’t want this person calling again.  As he is trying to wrap up the call, there is a hard knock on the door.  He asks if it is Libby at the door but two very hard knocks change that thought.

Harding runs to his computer and types something on his keyboard.  The person at the door is picking the lock.  Before the person at the door can enter, Harding takes a gun out of his desk drawer and kills himself.

In the NCIS elevator, Nick and Jessica picked up some party essentials – cups, streamers, champagne – for Kasie.  Kasie runs a very tight ship when throwing a party.  This party is for “The Professor”, a legendary instructor at FLETC, who is retiring.  Nick doesn’t like The Professor, Jessica loves him.  She see him as a mix between Robin Williams in “Dead Poets Society” and the Professor on Gilligan’s Island.  Nick is thinking more of the instructor in “Whiplash”. 

Walking into the bullpen, Nick and Jessica see people lurking about at their desks.  It is Jane Tennant and Jesse Boone from the Hawai’i office.  Everyone is happy to see everyone else.  Hugs are shared.  Both are in a day early because they didn’t want to miss the party.  Jane talks about how much she learned from The Professor about threat assessments, Jesse was a D.C. Metro Police Officer who was recruited by The Professor.  Parker and McGee arrive with stats of all the feds The Professor trained – both are big fans.  Parker was a fan from the FBI where The Professor was known as The Cockroach. 

McGee says he had lunch with The Professor a few days earlier.  The Professor was looking forward retirement.  With the mention of retirement, Gibbs’s name comes up.  Would he show up for the big party?  McGee doesn’t think Gibbs is coming though Gibbs and The Professor went fishing a few times.  There is a “so you say there is a chance” joke but an arriving Leon Vance ends all the joking.  Professor Dale Harding was found dead in his apartment that morning.  The teams are shocked.  When Vance says it is likely a suicide, Parker and the DC team start to work.  As they leave, Jane and Jesse join them.

There is some ‘who is in charge’ scuffling between the DC and Hawai’i teams arrive at Harding’s apartment when Jimmy rolls Harding’s body out on a gurney.  Both teams want to know who cleared Jimmy to take the body from the crime scene.  Callen and Sam did.  Jane recognizes “Agents Callen and Hanna”.  McGee gets a shout out from Callen – how it has been a long time - but wants to know what they are doing there.  Sam realizes maybe it hasn’t been a long enough time.

McGee is taking photos at the crime scene.  Callen comments on using an old fashion DSLR.  McGee comments on the type of gloves Callen is using – black gloves where the dye could contaminate the evidence.  Callen says he and Sam were in DC for Harding’s retirement party.  They heard about his death getting of the plane and went straight to the crime scene.  Nick implies that it may not be Harding but Sam assures him it was and things were “not pretty”.  Single gunshot under the chin, gunshot residue – it was a suicide.

McGee brings up the lunch with Harding again, how he had big retirement plans.  Jessica finds a plane ticket to Cabo.  Sam comments about Harding, calling him The Cockroach as well, but offering it as a sign of respect.  Jessica thinks Parker and Sam have too much respect for “primitive insects”.  Parker disagrees – cockroaches are survivors.  Dale Harding was a survivor – he taught all his students to adapt and survive.  Nick disagrees but Callen and the rest of the teams think they are missing something.  Harding may have committed suicide but he had to be pushed. 

Jane and Jesse join the others in living room.  She jokes about the most number of senior NCIS agents in a single place but has more serious news.  Harding’s cellphone is missing.  She also spoke with Libby, who heard the gunshot at 7:40AM and had the building manager open the door at 7:50AM.  Libby told Jane and Jesse that she was with The Professor when he got a call on his cell – the now missing cell.  McGee does McGee things on Harding’s computer.  It was last accessed at 7:45AM, after the gunshot and before the body was found.  Someone was in the apartment.

As Nick and Callen break down the party room, Nick brings up Rule Number Three – always double check.  Callen knows what Rule Number Three is.  He and Gibbs “go way back.”  Nick isn’t sure it is a suicide, Callen is.  There is talk of a friendly wager over the difference since “there are no rules against that” according to Nick.  Jane arrives explaining that there are actually rules against it.  “Number 15.”  Nick is sure that he and Callen aren’t dating but Callen says Rule Number 15 is about lawyers.  Jane isn’t going to run through the rules but if Harding killed himself, maybe he was coerced. 

An arriving Jessica has news of a blocked call at 7:38AM.  The call went through all sorts of VPNs and without Harding’s cellphone, no back-trace.  They are going to adapt and solve the case for The Professor.  Well, most of them are – Nick brings up that The Professor tried to have him thrown out of FLETC but he deserves justice.

In Autopsy, Jimmy is a bit sad that McGee dropped by.  He’s happy to see McGee but was hoping one of the visiting NCIS agents would drop by.  Jimmy wouldn’t mind an invitation to the Los Angeles or Hawai’i offices.  McGee hasn’t been to the Hawai’i office and hasn’t seen the Los Angeles office since “OSP moved into that Mexican restaurant.”  Jimmy thought it was a Spanish Mission. 

Back to The Professor, Jimmy has a towel over the dead man’s face.  The way he shot himself, the bullet bounced around Harding’s head, shattering bones in his face.  “It’s not a good look.”  Jimmy has question about Harding’s body.  There are signs of bullet wounds, burns, deep scars from cuts.  With the tissue buildup, some of the scars are decades old.   McGee brings up Harding’s time with the Marines as a gunnery sergeant.  Maybe he was wounded in battle.  Jimmy thought of that but Harding was never wounded in action.  Whatever happened to him was kept a secret.

Kasie is working in her lab, debating with Jessica about eating the cupcakes ordered for the party.  They all have a little topper with a smiling photo of The Professor.  Jessica could eat them without the topper – makes it less creepy.  Kasie thinks eating it without the topper is creepy.  Kasie believes that The Professor was a noble man who was forced to do what he did.  She also says whoever worked on Harding’s computer knew how to cover their tracks.  Going through some of the data, Kasie sees that the computer was used less than a minute before Harding ended his life.  He typed “extra homework” into a text program. 

Digging a little deeper, Kasie finds some old DOD files – TSSCI – Top Secret Sensitive Compartmented Information.  That is not something a civilian employee would have either on his computer or really at all.  Harding deleted the files.  Not the actions of a noble man according to Jessica.

Vance is on the phone with the head of cybersecurity of DOD.  Harding did not have clearance to have the TSSCI files on his computer.  In fact, the DOD didn’t even know the files were missing until NCIS contacted them.  Parker asks what was in the files.  The DOD calls it need to know and Parker says he needs to know.  DOD needs to know how a FLETC instructor got the files.  Vance thinks Harding knew he was caught and killed himself.  Parker thinks there is more and Leon agrees – more resources on this case than any other NCIS is investigating.  Parker has all the different teams are looking into Harding’s life.  Maybe he was going to sell what was on the computer files.  The investigation is starting at FLETC’s Maryland campus.

On a crowded subway car, toxic gas has been released.  The passengers are trying to get out.  There is a loud bell and an instructor pops up.  He asks a group of probationary officers/agents how would they stop public panic like what is happening on the train.  “You can’t,” Nick says as he walks into the class with Callen and Sam.  The instructor tells Nick he’s right before asking the class what is the next course of action.  Callen says to identify the threat and Sam adds to neutralize the threat.  Again, the instructor agrees.  Sam dismisses class, which is news to the instructor.  Badges are flashed and class is dismissed.

As Nick, Callen and Sam look through Harding’s office, the instructor and his class are learning how to search an office through the office’s window.  Nick, Callen and Sam are doing an excellent job with resource management and evidence preservation.  Callen and Sam shut the blinds to the office, ending the lesson.

Nick finds a scrapbook of former students – promotions, commendations, etc.  Callen asks if he is in the book – he’s not.  Nick is, however.  And Nick is surprised since Harding hated him, calling saying Nick had a “lone wolf mentality and not a team player.”  Sam disagrees – Harding never hated any of his students.  Nick says just before he was going to graduate from FLETC, Harding asked him to quit.  Sam says his father always told him if the coach is yelling, it’s a good thing.  It means he cares.  If the coach isn’t “riding” you, then you have a problem.

Sam finds a case of old floppy discs – how could a man still using floppy discs hack the Pentagon?  Callen has a more disturbing discovery.  Harding never missed a class but he had a substitute teacher planned for his final class. 

The final class was a driving class, watching a controlled car chase.  Jessica was chasing Jane.  Jane was complimented on her evasive driving, Jessica complete a perfect pit move.  Instructor Greta Ford was impressed.  Jessica and Jane were favorites of Ford.  Ford was surprised when Harding asked her to fill in for his last class.  Ford almost said no – their teaching styles couldn’t be more different – but Harding said he was moving up his retirement a few days.  He couldn’t wait to go on vacation.  Cabo is mentioned but Ford says Harding was going to Hawai’i.  That caught Jane’s attention.  Harding was going to meet an old friend.

Sam arrives in Kasie’s lab with everything from Harding’s office.  She is on the phone but once off, she wants to know “who are you?”  Sam introduces himself, “Sam Hanna.  Los Angeles.  OSP.”  Kasie is not happy – Los Angeles didn’t RSVP – but gets back into the case.  She was on the phone with the airline.  Harding have a ticket to Cabo but changed it to Hawai’i a few days ago.  The ticket to Hawai’i was for early that day.  He would have missed his retirement party.

Kasie is confused.  There is nothing from Harding’s apartment that would indicate a friend or family member in Hawai’i.  Sam thinks it was an excuse to skip town with the stolen files, sell them and pad his retirement account.  Kasie tells him they don’t have proof Harding stole the files.  Sam admires Kasie is a positive thinker.  Kasie’s computer beeps – there is a security alert from DOD.  Harding wasn’t the hacker.  They have a new suspect, however. 

McGee can’t get into a locked MTAC.  Callen and Sam approach him – he’s under arrest for treason.

A very unhappy McGee is on the wrong side of the interrogation table “in my own house.”  He’d rather the questioning go on in a conference room.  Sam says they didn’t know where the conference was.  McGee says they didn’t know where interrogation was either – he had to show Callen and Sam the location.  Sam is grateful for McGee’s cooperation.  Callen wants some answers and hands a file to McGee.

Vance is in the interrogation observation room when Parker walks in.  Parker isn’t pleased that an outside team is interrogating McGee.  Leon tells Parker it was either an outside team interrogating McGee or it is DOD interrogating McGee.  The server hack at the DOD goes back to McGee’s credentials.  So Leon was given a choice of turning McGee over to the DOD or having an outside, neutral party talk to him. 

McGee is able to figure out what happened – his credentials were used to create a backdoor into the DOD server.  That would be the way he’d break in.  Callen thinks maybe McGee did break in.  McGee asks if Callen and Sam really think he broke into the DOD server.  Sam doesn’t, neither does Callen but DOD does.   McGee thinks someone took his credentials and did this.  Sam can’t believe that “the computer guy” lost his password.  McGee brings up that Sam, a car guy, lost Charlene once.  And Callen had his identity stolen.  So let’s not get “judgey” about someone taking McGee’s log-in info. 

Going through how someone would get his log-in info, McGee uses two-factor security for his laptop and a six-digit alpha-numeric code on his phone.  McGee stops for a second.  For the third time, McGee brings up the lunch with Harding.  He unlocked his phone when Harding asked about McGee’s kids – wanted to see photos.  McGee used the restroom shortly after that and Harding likely accessed McGee’s phone.

Kasie is on her iPad with Jesse.  She cannot believe that Harding not only broke into the DOD’s server but that he used a former student’s credentials to get in.  Jesse has more bad news and to Kasie’s great relief, it is not that Harding was a Cylon the whole time.  He can’t find the cellphone and he’s been all over Harding’s apartment.  The two share their love of Battlestar Galactica when Kasie complains about Sam arresting McGee.  Sam is barred from Kasie’s lab, which is going to be a problem since Sam just walked in.

Kasie wants an apology for arresting McGee.  Sam isn’t apologizing and he didn’t arrest McGee.  He never believed that McGee was a criminal.  Kasie is in a better place.  She has some news.  After going through all the old floppy discs – and the files on them were decades old – she did find one file created last week.  It also said “extra homework” just like the file on his home computer.  That means the disc is important, except there is nothing else on the disc. 

Sam thinks there was something in the disc.  A girl named Heather Richardson use to send Sam notes inside floppy discs.  Kasie takes apart the disc and finds a note that reads “The answer is in the files.”  Kasie is disappointed – Harding deleted the files.  But there is a photo with the note of the fireplace in Gibbs’s old cabin.  It looks familiar to Kasie.  Sam, not so much.

Nick and Jessica arrive at Gibbs’s cabin.  Nobody has been around for a while and almost nobody knows about the place.  Someone knows about it, however, when they open fire on Nick and Jessica.  She wonders if it is Gibbs shooting at them but Nick tells her if Gibbs was shooting, they’d both be dead.  Nick and Jessica return fire.  The find a grey jacket near the cabin covered in blood.  Inside the jacket is a cellphone that took a bullet for the shooter.  They hear a motorcycle take off.  He may be wounded but the shooter is in the wind.

McGee is getting roadblocks set up all over near the cabin.  Jane is running the search, Jesse is working with the county police.  The mystery shooter found the files.  Callen is on his way back to Los Angeles.  Kasie found wire transfers coming from Malibu to Harding.  He and Sam are going to check things out.  Callen and McGee exchange a manly handshake as Callen exits.

Kasie runs into the bullpen.  The phone the shooter had wasn’t a personal phone, it was Harding’s.  The mystery shooter was the person at Harding’s apartment.  Going through the phone, Kasie found a program that recorded all of Harding’s calls.  The damage to the phone, however, left the audio file a mess.  The caller says he’s “Simon Williams”.  Kasie hasn’t run the name yet but she doesn’t have to, McGee points to Williams on the NCIS Ten-Most Wanted wall.

In Vance’s office, Vance, Parker and Nick listen to the whole call.  Harding stole the files from the DOD because he knew Williams was trying to get them.  Parker again asks what was on the files and again, the DOD won’t share.  Harding’s plan failed since Williams now has the files.  Parker brings up that Simon Williams is a Ten-Most Wanted suspect on most law enforcement walls.  A rogue operative who has committed about every crime in about ever country over the last 30-years.  No law enforcement agency has come close to catching Williams.  Nick and Jessica wounding Williams is the closest anyone has come to catching him.

Vance wants to know how Harding got involved in this in the first place.  Why would a wanted career criminal be involved with a FLETC instructor and vice versa?  Parker found out the two men knew each other.  Williams was a FLETC trainee who Harding failed for a “lone wolf mentality and not a team player” – the same thing he said about Nick.  Nick looks stricken but wants to look through some files.

Jessica is negotiating with some local county police when McGee calls.  The locals do things a certain way and that includes not help Jessica.  Kasie is monitoring the local officers radios – just chatter.  Kasie hears one squad car is missing – 117.  Kasie is tracking the GPS for the squad car.  It is nearly 40-miles away near a farm.

McGee, Nick and Parker move in on a barn on the farm.  They find blood in the car and blood all over a first aid kit in the car’s trunk.  In the barn, Simon Williams is burning all his ID’s.  The man is much younger than the photo of Simon Williams on the NCIS Most Wanted wall.  He claims “we’re all Simon Williams” before he passes away.

In autopsy, Jimmy tells Jessica and Jane that their Simon Williams is 30-years younger than the Simon Williams on the wall.  Jane thinks “We’re all Simon Williams” is a bad omen.  As Jessica and Jane are about to leave, Jimmy wonders if they all shouldn’t get something to eat.  It has been a long day.  Jane wouldn’t mind some blueberry pancakes.   Jimmy is going to text Torres to join them, make it a double date.  Jane shoots Jimmy a look, Jessica gives him the cut sign and it becomes a share professional meal among colleagues. 

In his nice home, Parker wants some info from his friends at the FBI, all the files they have on Simon Williams.  Nick is at his front door.  Parker lets him in as Nick hears from Jimmy – dinner at 10PM.  When Parker ends his call, Nick updates Parker on the files.  They were in the things Simon Williams burned in the barn.  Parker doesn’t think this is the only reason Nick is by. Nick brings up the “lone wolf mentality and not a team player” comparison with Simon Williams.  Parker offers a good pep talk – he’s nothing like Williams.  When his phone chimes, Parker has the Williams FBI file.  An associate of Williams was going to meet with Harding in Hawai’i. 

Nick shows up at the diner (Gibbs’s diner maybe) where Jimmy and Jane aren’t there.  They left together before Jessica left the NCIS office.  Nick sees Jimmy’s “Dadmoblie” parked near the diner.  When Jessica calls Jimmy, his phone rings in a nearby trash pail.  She tries calling Jane.  Jane's phone is in a dumpster.  Jimmy and Jane are tied up in a van with a gunman watching  over them.

What head canon can be formed from here:  I have a lot of thoughts about this three-show crossover but I’ll save them for the problematic episodes.  This was a good set-up episode with one huge flaw.  “The Professor” was such an important part of the NCIS world (and FBI for Parker) that Jane and Jesse flew 5,000 miles, Callen and Sam flew 3,000 miles for this huge retirement party and 20-seasons in NCIS, 14-seasons into NCIS: Los Angeles and two seasons into NCIS: Hawai’i, this dude was never mentioned once.  NCIS foreshadowed Gibbs’s family tragedy for three seasons, the first half of season three of NCIS: Los Angeles was setting up Sam’s trips to Africa and Kensi’s investigation into her father’s death.  These programs have done that work in the past.  Didn’t do any of it here. 

Also, Robert Picardo is a big TV character actor.  He worked on two television series on ABC at the same time (The Wonder Years and China Beach).  He didn’t make it past the teaser.  What a waste.  There was also Stephanie Hodge as FLETC Instructor Greta Ford who had a delightful season one NCIS appearance as Sheriff Dupray and was Tangerine in “The Sounds of Silence” season 10 episode of NCIS: Los Angeles.  Another quality character performer woefully underused.

Episode number:   This is episode 10 of season 20 of NCIS, the series 445th episode (wow!).  This is the first part of a three-series, three-episode NCISverse crossover.

[dnana-2809-blog]

heyy do u mind if return an ask that u sent me?

"what are your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them?"

how are you, btw? :)

Not, at all... I'm fine, thanks.

My favorite characters mostly change from time to time. But my top 3 have been the same in the last 4 years. Here they are :

1. Ash Lynx (Banana Fish)

He is an amazing character. Have been through a lot but still have kindness in his heart. He deserves all the happiness in the world. His relationship with his "good friend" Eiji is just something else. That is why, after the series ended, I search for the fics. This series is the reason I made ao3 account, to search for their happiness.

2. Yona (Yona of the Dawn)

She is strong, beautiful and a great leader. Watching her journey from a spoiled princess to an amazing future queen is a so great. Also one of the few m/f canon relationship that I love is between Yona and her bodyguard, Hak....

3. Wei Wuxian (Mo Dao Zu Shi)

The one who started it all and got me to BL is him. I was surprised when I know he got together (canon) with the ml. And then I read the other works by the same author, they are all amazing works. And I became a BL fan until now. Wei Wuxian is smart, kind, cheerful, mischievous, and people can't help but like him when getting to know him...

4. Nakajima Atsushi (Bungou Stray Dogs)

I love him so much. He always try his best and try to see the good in everyone. Can't believe when I saw someone's hate in him. Like, how can you hate someone who already hate himself so much? Glad to see his developement as the story progress. Also, I'm surprise to find new otps (non canon mlm) when I start this series.

5. William J. Moriarty (Moriarty the Patriot)

As a fan of Holmes, of course I start watching/reading this series. And I can say that this is one of the best adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. The story and characters are all great. As I read, I'm surprise that my favorite is not Sherlock himself but William. He is just so kindhearted but willing to kill that part of himself for the greater good. Also, the relationship between William and Sherlock is special (that letter and bridge scene are a few of my favorite moments ever). Yes, I found new otps again from the series.

6. Merlin (BBC Merlin)

As new fan of this series (about 2 years), I'm glad I found it. Really love him, how he is kind hearted but can do cruel things if it's for his loved ones. His loyalty and bravery are just so him...And the ending, I did not see that coming. Well, it's me, of course there is a great bromance moments between Merlin and his prince/king, Arthur. Their relationship is so bittersweet (and why I search for their happiness in fics)

7. Patrick Jane (The Mentalist)

I've first watch the series in midde school. And he is the main reason for it. He is smart, unpredictable, mischievous, but deep down a kind hearted person. (Okay, now that I wrote it down, Jane is so similar to Wei Wuxian). Glad he can find his happiness in the end.

8. Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice)

Love her. Never got bored reading her story. My favorite from all Austen works. Now, I'm not really into m/f romance stories anymore, but this book will always have special place in my heart.

9. Maomao (The Apothecary Diaries)

The reason I got into the series is because of her. Love her personality, how dedicated she is to her hobby, and how she always use logic more than personal feelings. Now, I know I'm a minority here but I dislike JinMao ship. Like, I wish she can stay single and just focus on what she loves to do (I know it's romance and she will end up with Jinshi), but it's just my opinion.

10. Hinata Shouyou (Haikyuu)

How can I not love him. He is really just like his name (a sun). Because of his bright personality, he can made friends with anyone and also learn from them. There are times if it were most people, they'll give up. But not him, he always got back up again when falling. And it's great. Overall this series is inspiring and we can learn a lot from this. (Also, yes, I have at least 5 otps from this series, including Hinata with his rival/friend)....

Sorry for this long answer, hope you don't mind.

[sleepy-vix]

I found this interesting books ask :

https://www.tumblr.com/dnana-2809-blog/749706502296813568/bookish-asks?source=share

Do you mind if I ask, no. 13, 14, 15, 18, 34, and 50? Thanks...😁

oooh

13: "Name a book with a really bad movie/tv adaption"

ummm i dont actually have an answer to this. i don't really watch movies/tv very much and the adaptions i watch for my fav books arent that bad.

14: "Name a book where the movie/tv adaption actually was better than the original"

oooh i really liked little women (2019). ik i cant really say confidently that it is better than the books because i havent read all of them, i've only read little women, so 1/4 of the books, but i just think the movie is so great. i loved the book and it was cozy and precious but i ADORE the movie. yk?

15: "What book changed your life?"

hmmm this is a little sad but i wouldn't say any book changed my life... that's not because i havent read any good books though, it's more due to the fact that my life feels like a river with strong currents and i'm only floating along- with barely any freewill or the ability to change my fate (if u believe in fate. i dont believe in fate but i just thought it was appropriate to say)

thoughhh i guess if i had to pick one then it'd probably one from my childhood... harry potter? i hate jk rowling ofc etc etc but harry potter was what got me into the world of books i think... well ive always been a reader but harry potter made me really obsessed with being a reader, and the months after reading it was magical and full of joy

18: "Which character from a book is the most like you?"

oh, definitely tori spring. it will always be tori spring. she is me at my best and she is me at my worst and she is me in my dreams and in real life and in every life that i have lived and will live. no, i will not explain.

34: "List five OTPs"

ooh hmmm. okay this isnt in order tho:

1. Alice and Henry from 'if you could see the sun' (it is my favourite romance book T-T)

2. James and Oliver from 'if we were villains' (it's been years and i am still not over them. i will never be, i'm afraid)

3. Wylan and Jesper from 'six of crows' (they are so precious to me. i would kill for them)

4 tori and michael from 'solitaire'

5. pip and ravi from agggtm

honourable mention: rin and nezha from 'the poppy war'. i didnt know if they counted since they were always more enemies than they were lovers... sigh. i miss my doomed-by-the-narrative blorbos

50: "Why do you love to read?"

i've always been a little afriad of living life, tentative with my friendships, scared of adventure, afraid of change, etc etc. so i like to live vicariously through characters. actually, my love for reading has many layers and branches of reasoning to it, but i find that this is the happiest and plainest answer i can offer, so it is all i will offer (for now? maybe i'll make a longer post some other time

thank you SO MUCH for this ask :DDD IT WAS SO FUN

[wistfulwatcher]

Just dropping to say I've been back on my Supercat bullshit lately and I Loved getting to rediscover your fics!

Thank you so much!! I'm so glad you enjoyed them once and a second time 🥰 I miss them a lot, sigh.

[beans-core]

I finally got around to watching season 2 of Invincible (great show btw) and… oh my lord.

I need to ramble. I MUST.

spoilers after the cut! (If there’s still people who haven’t watched it lol I’m late to the game)

Oh my good god. There’s so much, but this is just the stuff that’s lurking near the front of my brain.

First off, Allen the Alien is the pookiest pookie to ever pookie. He’s so sweet and so determined. He literally risked loosing a battle on purpose to try and be taken to prison, a prison of the enemy, on the off chance that Mark’s dad would be there. And even then it was still a maybe that Nolan would even want to help the cause! Allen still trusted Marks word completely, even though it sounds crazy... “yeah dude okay I believe you, your mass-murdering Viltrumite father who totally tore up Earth and a bunch of other planets has changed his mind and feels bad. Good to know, I’ll make sure to find him and make sure he isn’t executed. I also understand you not wanting to ditch your planet and loved ones, and even though I’ll get in trouble with my commander I’m not going to force you to come to space with me. Bye now, sorry for breaking your bed, nice seeing you man!” And this was all in season 2. Even in season 1 he was still a bro. Allen is the Bro Code personified and I love him for that.

Eve and her family always makes me tear up. Because I can understand how her father, a hardworking man who was probably raised on the saying ‘money doesn’t grow on trees’ — who now has a daughter who can literally make money grow on trees— would feel so upset. It doesn’t make up for the fact that he’s yelling at his family like a dickhead, but it’s still a whole shitty situation. It’s always a grand ole time when Eve is back with her parents… ha ha. The little pep talk from Rex was an awesome little insight on their relationship through the years too.

Rex… my boy, how do I even begin. He’s been a reluctant fav of mine since season one, but he’s also such a douchebag! Sucks that it took being shot in the head and watching your superhero friends/coworkers die in front of you to realize that maybe the whole douchebag thing isn’t really the way to go. But yeah. Good for him! Want more of his backstory tbh, think that’d be cool. And yes, I know I could probably look through the comics and see if there something in there if I really wanted to. But what if I spoil something for myself :c

The Immortal grieving and confused on why he feels so much… the parallels to Nolan with that… not to mention the reveal of Kate being alive! The way he stood there stunned before hugging her was so beautiful. Ugh. Was a bit weary of their relationship until Kate said ‘he knows what it’s like to die over and over’ and then it was like bam they’re in love your honor new otp.

And man. Amber and Mark were my old otp… I knew it was going to end sooner or later (I accidentally got spoiled bruhhh) but I really had hope for them. Sad but honestly Amber deserves the world and if Mark can’t give that to her (and he’s so sad about it too he just wants to go to college and be normal and love his bae) then literally no one can fault her for putting her needs first. That’s another thing I love about the show, there’s no shame when people put their own lives first, and the tough conversations are organic. Magnificent. Anyway Amber is amazing I’m going to miss herrrr T-T hopefully they stay friends and she shows up in other seasons!!

Have I mentioned that I love the gorey fight scenes? Because I really really do. It’s the whole reason I started watching Invincible. So the scene with Mark beating the life out of that slimy megamind with the name I don’t remember? AMAZING. For me, anyway. Mark experiencing the panic and mania right after was still not so great for him, but for me? Good soup. I like my soup seasoned with extra angst, morality struggles, and mental breakdowns. Yum.

Mark hugging his mom so so tight after he gets back to his dimension and curling up crying on the hospital bed next to her? Hitting a little too close to home. Had to pause to wipe my eyes. Also grape baby Oliver has all my love. If something happens to that child, I’ll want to burn the world down. Mark Grayson probably will.

Mark telling his mom he needs to get better so he’s leaving college. ouch. “I need to learn to control myself”… “I can’t be like dad”… gods above. And also “what am I going to do, become a dentist?” LMAO it sucks but he’s right, unless some crazy shit happens and his morality suddenly crumbles to dust, he’ll be a superhero. Because with great power comes great responsibility and all that. There’s usually a bonus savior complex included in the package, but everybody doesn’t learn about that until later womp womp. He and Amber talked about it too, she said something like “if you were the type of person who didn’t immediately leave to go save people, we wouldn’t be dating”. PERIOD.

Don’t even get me started on that last line from Nolan. Caught me by surprise, came out of nowhere. “I think I miss my wife.” STRIKE ME DEAD… I actually shed tears. After everything he’s done, after getting a new wife and having another child and seeing Mark again,,, this bastard is just now missing his wife?? He’s so fucked up fr. But the pain in his voice, BRO, he sounds so confused and heartbroken, like he’s wondering how after everything he’s done to earth and their family, how can he still miss his wife when he doesn’t even deserve to think her name??

Man. This show. So many different subplots and they come together like *chefs kiss* it’s amazing. This show makes me FEEL, even for the characters that I thought I’d always hate… the writers and actors and everyone make all of the characters so human it hurts. EVEN WHEN THE CHARACTERS ARE ALIENS—

[dangermousie]

would you happen to have thoughts about the acting/casting and/or depth of characterization in rise of ning? i'm watching it and wanna be more into it but fsr most of the cast (besides wanyi and the stepmom) are not very...charismatic? to me 😧 would love a convincing mousie blog on the topic if you have one up your sleeve!

I am a terrible person for this kind of question because (a) I tend to watch most shows for the mains and supportings are less important to me in general and (b) I am not really a person who wants to convince others to like what I like because all my liking means is I enjoy it; others may or may not - I am no arbiter.

This said, while the OTP are the shining stars of the show for me, I do find the rest of the characters interesting (even if a lot of them are not likable - I dare anyone to find Dad likable.) I think it's because they all feel like real people to me - in their good and their petty. Even minor characters like First Aunt - I knooow women like this. Or the Dad - too many men are like that. Or take oldest daughter of First Aunt - so many other narratives would make her evil or besotted stupidly to the end but she is not - she ends up doing the sane thing and moving on from her crush and repaying FL's favor; but they don't become BFFs, they basically a nicely tolerant, which is a realistic thing in families.

And it allows characters both greyness and consistency. Take Lady Qiao. Awful person but loving mother and you really understand how Dad and societal structures pushed her into what she is. Or, even better, grandma - she is very much a grande dame of society, I am sure she was a good wife, but it's clear she is part of all the generational trauma and dad got his tendency to favoritism from her. And I love that she's consistently so - no magic change of heart vis-a-vis ML. It's realistic.

As to non-Luos, the only ones we really see are Ci Sha's sinister sexy marquis and his nephew. I am interested in the former not just for the hotness (tho mmmm) but because I want to know what his deal is, and nephew is interesting enough for a minor character.

(I am leaving actors out of this write up because I think they all do fine jobs, but mainly because unless acting is truly bad, I care about the characters only.)

This said - this is (a) very much a costume take on slice of life or, perhaps better, a cdrama take on something like a Gaskell novel - I love that small but wonderful subgenre but depending on one's taste, it just might not be one's bag (no matter how well a proper harem drama is made, for example, I just don't like them) and (b) this is all my very subjective take - I am a big fan of "clicking." I believe things either click for us or don't, somewhere in the lizard brain; we can then write a long explanation as to why but it really is an attempt to explain after the fact. And this just might be a situation where those characters/narratives just don't click for you. I mean, plenty of people enjoyed Are You the One this year and I felt like it poisoned my puppy - not even 100 essays could ever make me like it because it's so subjective. I could very well go "I get why X likes it" but it would, alas, not make me like it any more than I do now. I am one of probably three people who dislike the main premise of Nirvana in Fire (could write essays on it!) and the fact that everyone else loves it has not changed my mind.

I can perhaps explain (badly) why I think the click happened for me here, but I have no eloquence to make that click happen for anyone else (if I did, mwhahahahahaha I would take over the world and adapt every good danmei out there :P)

[parasitoidism]

sending you walter after u sent me jonathan #dialectics

waoh its like cause like law and chaos are the same woawwwwwwwww

favorite thing about them

I do really like that he's such a little asshole sometimes like he just talks shit about people and demons right in front of them its really funny LOL but aside from that I just really like how .. clear his line of thinking is? Like it just makes so much fucking sense exactly how his life experiences and the structure of mikado's society led him from point a to point b in the course of the story because its like soooo fucked up. And it's just like this thing with him and jonathan where it's like he IS being manipulated and the .. conclusion he reaches is really not sound but the way Jonathan just can't understand that he's not just being corrupted by a demon and actually has reasons for feeling the way he does which like in turn drives them apart even more is like ooh its so good

least favorite thing about them

Oh walter i understand where your feelings are coming from but trying to create a world where the strongest survive isn't very based of you

favorite line

I have been thinking about the way he brings up Issachar to Flynn a lot recently and I think it's like... It is ultimately manipulative right. Like he is at the end of the day bringing up Flynn's dead friend whenever he's trying to get Flynn on his side like yeah he's using that tragedy to appeal to his emotions and especially in the YPR scene he's just flat out saying "If my worldview is fulfilled, what happened to Issachar will never happen to anyone else". But I don't think it's just like "Oh I'm just going to say whatever I have to in order to get this guy on my side" I think he really does believe it like he always has this sense of camaraderie with Flynn because they're both casualries throughout the whole game and I think he probably saw himself in Issachar in his last moments which is why this one at shen duque has been sticking with me because he's directly repeating Issachar's last words about "changing this rotten world". Like I think that did genuinely affect him and him invoking Issachar and his fate the way he does is his way of being like, his way of trying to get Flynn to understand what he believes to be true, that his world will never result in that kind of injustice again. IN MY CUTE LITTLE OPINION AS THEY SAY

brOTP

I THINK HE AND ISABEAU SHOULD HANG OUT MORE for the parallels bro the parallels does anyone else see the parallels Walter and Isabeau both have the thing of like being raised with a singular expectation for what the rest of their lives will look like (fisher for walter monk/monastery work for isabeau) and then being chosen as samurai instead like I think IDK i just think. i think about things sometimes.

OTP

Jonathan and Walter are really good like notice how although they do get along with and respect each other they can never fundamentally understand each other. notice how it was always fated to end before it could even begin

nOTP

uhhh Idk. I can't really think of any ships that I hate in smtiv because nobody really gives af about this game like that it's just me and my mind palace and like a few other people's mind palaces

random headcanon

Second oldest child with an older sister and 2 younger brothers idk when this popped into my head but it just did one day and now it's just like. i believe it.

unpopular opinion

People focus on the Hoy thing but that's just like a way that all the casualries talk in this game like Hope also says it a lot but I think the funniest thing about the way he talks is that he says shit like HELLS BELLS all the time like he's an old woman

song i associate with them

I DONT HAAVE ONE again like theres only a few characters I have Songs For

favorite picture of them

I only read like 2 chapters of it but the artist of demonic gene draws him very cutely

[plusultraetc]

interested to know what u think abt erasercloud as a ship … im a emic otp kinda guy so i have it easy LOL

🤝I am definitely an erasermic otp kinda gal (I am tied to the mast of this ship like Odysseus except I actually want to be here), but I think erasercloud is really cute!! And Painful :')

tbh I did read this ask and literally have to sit there like 'what DO I think of erasercloud as a ship???' bc I only ever really think about them as friends? Obv their dynamic is so compelling, romantic or platonic. It's about the belief. It's about the remembering. It's about the love, persevering. It's about how Shirakumo was one of the first people who really, vocally believed in Aizawa, and now Aizawa is one of the only people who believes in him. (That he's still here. That there's still hope.) It's about how they only knew each other for a short time, but the impact they had on each other is so important. Life-changing.

(link bc this is getting long lol)

On a less-emo note, I also think that Shirakumo is just a super likable character, and in-universe, I can totally see him being the kind of person that like... everyone has a little bit of a crush on. Like we've all met one of Those People. Maybe I'm a little biased, bc in undergrad I was embarrassingly smitten with a very funny, very social person who, what do you know, would NOT let me be in my little reclusive introvert bubble. I can say from experience that being singled out by a person like that is very. uwu. you know how it is. ANYWAY even in a world where they're not together I could very easily see little bby Aizawa having a fleeting crush on Shirakumo for a reason like that. TL;DR cute ship if you smile through the pain!!

(I also know that a lot of Marvel fans ship Captain America and the Winter Soldier and isn't that,, kiiind of what's going on with Aizawa and Kurogiri?? So there's that!)