#otp: never believe anything else

[lunarharp]

more phoenix wright situations

[dangermousie]

In which I, of all people, make a post in praise of a love triangle

I hate love triangles. I HATE THEM. They never make any sense to me - either it's an OTP and an interloper (in which case it's not a triangle, go away interloper) or I keep going "make up your damn mind" and "why should I be invested in one ship when you aren't."

But Lost You Forever proves that like any other tropes I am not too fond of (slice of life comes to mind), it's not that I hate the trope per se, it's just that it's almost never done in such a fashion as to satisfy me and when it is...oh boy!

Because the love triangle of Xiao Yao with Tushan Jing and Xiang Liu (sorry, Cang Xuan, I love you, and I am rabid about the fact that the ML of this is not the romantic interest, but you are not ever a contender) makes me RABID. The acting, the writing, the possibilities.

In the first season, I never felt that Xiao Yao was in any truly meaningful way considering Xiang Liu as a choice for any length of time (I don't mean it NEVER occurred to her, I just mean it was little flashes that disappeared quickly.) But in this season, she very much does.

Why do I, the obsessed Jing x XY shipper love it so? Because it so makes character sense.

The reason she largely never considered him in s1 was because by the time any such consideration could occur, she already allowed Shiqi in her heart. There are flashes of what-if and the sexual chemistry with XL is off the charts, but she is hopeful and happy with Jing, she's experiences the giddiness of first love and first mutually accepted desire with him. XL is a what-if but a not a particularly longed-for one, if it makes sense.

But in this season, Jing broke her heart (whether she should have that attitude is a separate question of course, but she does and so here we are.) Which means that XY, heartbroken over Jing, has a little space and here is where it all starts coming rushing in vis-a-vis XL.

I love this because this is so so so so human and so realistic. As I was mentioning to @aysekira - despite demanding unrealistic permanent constancy of her loved ones, despite needing them frozen in amber forever, XY herself is not like that because few people are and it's healthy actually and she's healing! (Yes, Jing is not like that but to me that is actually a sign of how broken he is. Separate tangent tho.) And so yes, it's so human to, after a relationship ended, mourn and grieve but also on some level open your heart to other possibilities.

I genuinely believe that if Xiang Liu allowed himself to be with her, she would move on from Jing and be happy and fall in love with XL fully and eventually Jing be merely a memory in the corner of her heart (pleasant or sad, depending.) Just as if/when she and Jing get back together, she will move on about XL and he will be a memory the same way.

And it doesn't cheapen her feelings or their feelings or anything. It's just life. We are the sum of our choices.

I hate hate hate the concept of fated soulmates, of one perfect soulmate destined by fate. That's lazy writing, that's a crutch when you can't narratively show WHY these characters should be together.

And this show gets that. It gets it so well.

She could have been happy with Jing. She could have been happy with XL. Maybe in some other universe she met someone else entirely and was happy with them. Alternatively, if she remained a spoiled and petted princess of Haoling, she'd have never looked at Jing and most likely never looked at XL and they may not have liked her either (look at Nian - you cannot imagine either of the men liking her.)

Just as if Jing was never tortured into near-dissolution of his self by his brother, he would have been a very different person and not capable of winning her heart or caring to, or if XL had a different life, same.

There are so many possibilities and paths and choices and the fact that the drama gets it is one of the best things about it.

We watch Xiao Yao heal and grow up (in a way, she's so emotionally stunted due to trauma, we are watching her going through her teen years in some ways - figuring out who she is and what and who she wants.) And I love that one of the ways she figures out who she wants is by looking at what kind of life she can have with that person.

Anyway, this drama is a MASTERPIECE.

The end.

[runespoor7]

I mean obviously I’m am going to ask you about chengxian, for the ask meme

What made you ship it?

It was the most interesting relationship in the book. I'm a sucker for childhood friends with broken promises, for grief, for misunderstandings over loyalty and love, and for relationships whose resolution in canon is bittersweet.

It still took some time and effort before I started really shipping it. I was theoretically open to shipping it but I hadn't yet read fics that really sold me on it (this was in 2019, I think). Then as an experiment I put a WWX-inspired character in the setting I was GMing for the JC and JYL NPC stand-ins to have him to play off of. Turned out I did ship them.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

😬

*wide, helpless, expansive gesture*

It's never simple with them. It's always fraught. They love one another but they also resent one another. Hunting demonic cultivators is about WWX still maybe being alive. Maybe JC can bring himself to kill WWX this time, or maybe he can find a way to bring WWX back home and forgive him. WWX promises to be with JC but he ends up promising that he won't stay ("like my father served your father") but he didn't mean it with an end. the mess that is the fraughtness of WWX's liminal space when it comes to his social rank.

love hurts, what hurts is love.

the fact that the one 'leading' is WWX, not JC, going against the accepted social order. (tbh, if that wasn't the case, I probably wouldn't be into the ship.) it paints such a picture of WWX being so charismatic, and JC being so taken with him, that JC falls into being WWX's sidekick. no wonder YZY was awful about it.

JC keeping Chenqing like a mad dog and keeping Lotus Pier WWX-safe. I. god. JC rating WWX's attention >>>>>>>>>>>>> JC's self-respect every time, in every way. Amazing.

it's incredible to me how WWX asks JYL about love in a scene framed in a manner to make it subtextually point in the direction of LWJ (it's mdzs; the canon pair in mdzs is wgxn; there are no - explicit - love triangles in mdzs; and yet even WWX's original crush on LWJ is, uh. informed by JC and how WWX is with JC and the fact that LWJ is New and Not The Son of WWX's Benefactor. this is normal.), where it's apparent that WWX is scared of being in love because it changes how you act, it's a limit, it's a cage, you're limiting yourself for someone else - and then WWX does something for JC that is everything he was scared of.

and it does ruin him! it's terrible! so his romance with LWJ is everything his feelings for JC weren't. He's not the one doing the protecting. LWJ doesn't question him. There are no expectations of anything, no discussions of the future, no thoughts of society. LWJ is just such a comfort, just a good thing WWX gets because he wants it. Also LWJ isn't emotionally taxing af (this is a big one). (WWX kinda ends up YZY-ing himself at the end of the book but I'm not thinking about that.)

WWX's utter toxicity toward JC. not a iota of respect for either JC or JC's boundaries to be found, except when convenient for WWX.

they both really, really believe that WWX is better than JC in every way. it's very cool

look. i'm a simple person. arrogant genius jerk/grumpy dutiful tsundere otp.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I love the joke that chengxian isn't incest but both of them wish it were, but I think the only time one of them wished they were brothers was JC when he decided to sacrifice himself for WWX and he was lying in bed making morbid jokes. At least sacrificing yourself for your brother who is the better cultivator and can lead the sect would be simple. Forgivable. Good.

I also think they might grow to think of one another as brothers at some point post-canon, that's a sort of reconciliation that might happen, but to me it's key that during canon they don't know what they are to one another, they just know they're scarily, terrifyingly important, and there's no word for what they are to one another.

JC refused shixiong-shidi (in a shocking reversal of their normal dynamic, I think he forgot he did that and spent roughly two decades feeling insecure and weird that WWX doesn't call him shidi) and they can be nothing else, socially speaking. The love that dare not speak its name, if you would. And at that same time post-canon they could also decide that what they're to each other is that WWX used to be in love with JC, and maybe JC still is, and they're not brothers. Or maybe both! The point is, the definition of their relationship is uncharted waters and they never thought of each other as 'brothers' (much less called each other that).

2) WWX is incredibly bitter and resentful of giving his core to JC and that colors everything he thinks and says about JC afterwards, including after he's returned to life. Basically, he gave, and gave, and gave, and felt there was no gratitude, and he's unable to live the life he wanted, unable to reap the promises life made him, and JC isn't any more agreeable or tractable than before (less so, in fact!). It's not fair.

[yourtwistedlies]

❝ women’s hearts are lethal weapons ❞

val ! ✩ she/her ✩ minor ✩ jason grace’s gf (REAL) ✩ speak now obsessed ✩ gracie abrams lovebot ✩ summer baby ✩ certified procrastinator ✩ professional listener ✩ pathological people pleaser ✩ general amaya’s #1 fan ✩ fitz vacker defender ✩ honorary grammar police ✩ kpop stan (mostly ggs) ✩ my moots’ cheerleader ✩ under the illusion i can write ✩ somewhat smart ✩ cabin 13 girl ✩

dni: if you are racist, homophobic, xenophobic, support kill all ___, sexist, 18+ only, religiophobic, creepy, toxic, or literally just a jerk, please leave!

byi: i swear sometimes!! i also adore using cute nicknames and pet names for my moots!! if you don’t feel comfortable w/ that or anything else, please let me know <33

moots - wattpad - ao3 - carrd - follower event (coming soon ⁉️) - save the children!

•̩̩͙⁺ the basics ₊˚. ↴ ·˚༘

call me valerie/val or twisted!!

she/her, straight (heterosexual), minor (18+ only acc’s please do not follow), 18+ do not interact unless i interact first or we are moots (on my list or to be added- i am the judge of who is to be added), cancer (zodiac, but i don’t believe in them), Christian (i post about it sometimes), << summer baby, entp (mbti), 8w7 (enneagram), ambivert, slytherin, cabin 13, shade (guys i swear i wasn’t trying to be edgy or smth with the past two and this 😭😭 i took the official quizzes i promise lmao), swiftie, kpop fan, staying up writing until 4am gives me life, purple is the best color (this is not up to debate, only yellow even comes close), proud notes app writer, CATS > DOGS (occasionally my verdict changes), bunny lover, chronic platonic sofitzer, i’m either hyperactive or extremely tired (there is no in between), people say im smart, but sometimes i feel like the biggest idiot ever lmao, and ofc dex dizznee’s much needed publicist (my favorite role of mine ever)!!!

•̩̩͙⁺ music ₊˚. ↴ ·˚༘

taylor swift, olivia rodrigo, sza, conan gray, alicia keys, emei, gracie abrams, maisie peters, sabrina carpenter, laufey, queen riri (rihanna), adele, beabadoobee, tiffany day, le sserafim, ive, newjeans, itzy, nmixx, stay-c, aespa, everglow, txt (baby fan), illit ＆ more kpop, lizzy mcalpine, pheobe bridgers, nessa barrett, pinkpantheress, claire rosinkranz, lyn lapid, alessia cara, reneé rapp, mckenna grace, and more!!

as i hope you can tell, i like a lot of music :)

•̩̩͙⁺ books ₊˚. ↴ ·˚༘

pjo, hoo, (never read toa, but yes, ik what happens in tbm), the rrverse, kotlc, city spies, ss (spy school), alex rider (not done with rr), the academy for the unbreakable arts,

and my many other fandoms i’ve forgotten about (dead magisterium fandom oop-)

i’ll add more fandoms as i remember them lol

•̩̩͙⁺ ships ₊˚. ↴ ·˚༘

rayllum, clauderry (stfu they’re adorable), percabeth (otp energy), sokeefe, dexiana, tiana (yes i know im the most indecisive bitch ever shut up you toad /jjjj i actually love u platonically), jason grace x ME (/j but i do love him lol), and more!!

•̩̩͙⁺ blogs ₊˚. ↴ ·˚༘

side blog: @yourtangledpromises

taylor blog: @iknowplxces (guys this is so abandoned + has my old intro 🤮 ignore this js trust - august 15 2024 val)

and perhaps more?? (muahahaha)

•̩̩͙⁺ side note ₊˚. ↴ ·˚༘

if you’d like to be added to my moots list, or talk, please tell me (by wonder girls)!!

if we’re moots we’re actually bffs now (you just don’t notice it yet)

if i don’t respond to your ask/tag/rb/literally anything immediately i am not ignoring you!! i’m just lazy or busy and will do it later <33

im your biggest fan btw

1 Corinthians 16:14

with love,

valerie

[nervoustoastthing]

Rachel Dare, for the askgame!

three facts about them from my personal headcanons

Vitiligo on her face and stomach, her eyes started a faint glow when she became the oracle and it never stopped, has many gerbils.

a reason they suck

prophecies 😔

a reason they are great

token mortal

a reason I relate to them 

I don’t really have an answer for this one

(what I consider to be) the top tier otp/ot3 for that character

aro/ace :)

five things that never happened to that character that I believe should have happened

her and Annabeth should’ve had a section where they became friends. not be put in a FUCKING CAVE!! should’ve been more than just Percy’s mortal friend and the oracle. I can’t think of anything else I’ve been up since 3

five people that character never fell in love with and why

Percy, I just don’t think she ever did, she didn’t understand the difference between friend love and partner love. Octavian, fellow prophet, probably competition. Reyna, they’re just so different from each other, and not in a + x - kind of way. Grover, goat. Tyson, he’s like 4.

[longing-for-rain]

I know you said no bait asks, and I promise this isn't, I'm genuinely curious to hear an opinion from a Zutara shipper who seems pretty rational. (I am not a kataang fan either by the way so I'm not trying to argue that or anything.). Do you believe that Zutara is a feminist relationship in comparison to Kataang? And what are your reasons for being so strongly invested in Zutara?

Hi, thanks for the ask. I’ll do my best to explain my feelings on this, but to summarize, I think there are two questions here that aren’t inherently related: a) is Zutara feminist and b) why do I like it so much. I know this might surprise you, but even though Zutara is my OTP, I don’t consider it inherently feminist. Let me explain though because that doesn’t mean it’s a bad ship at all.

Obviously, I really like the characters together. However, I won’t go ahead and say it’s the “feminist” choice over kataang, because personally I think that discussing whether a female character has a feminist narrative should not center around which man she ends up with. The primary focus should be on her narrative independently. And if she doesn’t have an independent narrative, well…that’s not feminist at all.

But I’ll answer in more detail below because I think this is an interesting distinction.

a) Is Zutara feminist over Kataang?

Like I said above…no, not inherently. I think what this question is getting at is which relationship gives Katara as a character a feminist narrative, which is a tricky question. Only one of these ships is canon, so we only know how one relationship would have played out in the eyes of the creators. Everything else is up to the interpretation of fans.

First things first, I absolutely do not think kataang, as portrayed in canon, adds to Katara’s independent narrative as a character, and certainly doesn’t contribute to any potential feminist narrative of her character. There are many instances of Katara being damseled and/or generally reduced in complexity whenever she’s placed in a “romantic” situation involving Aang. Despite Katara also being a main character, the “crush” is portrayed entirely through Aang’s POV. And post canon, Katara ends up being relegated to the role of a healer who stays home at the South Pole (this is why I could never get invested in LoK). Which, if you paid attention to her character at all, was something she explicitly stated she didn’t want to be and fought to escape. Ending her story that way reversed any “feminist” narrative set up in ATLA. So no, this is not a narrative that centers Katara and her ambitions at all.

Now onto fanon content.

The beauty of fanon is that it’s completely up to interpretation. Fans can give the characters whichever narratives they want. This goes for both Zutara and kataang. Just because your ship is canon doesn’t mean you have to adhere to canon; many canon shippers write “fix it” type content or otherwise make changes to the canon relationship to make it more appealing to them. I’m sure there are kataang shippers who rewrite their canon relationship to give Katara a feminist narrative, but to be honest the ship just doesn’t appeal to me at all so I haven’t seen those, but I’m not saying they don’t exist.

Now, Zutara. Even though there are definitely some hints in the series, there was nothing explicitly romantic between these characters in canon. So, fans are free to interpret how a relationship between Zuko and Katara would play out, and therefore Katara’s narrative within that relationship. Some people do make a strong effort to give Katara a feminist story, and in my experience, this is often a direct response to canon. But on the other side of the coin, some people absolutely…do not. It’s a big ship with lots of content. Some of it gives Katara’s character a feminist narrative, some of it…does the exact opposite of that. I think anyone familiar with the ship is probably well aware of some of the unsavory tropes associated with it so I won’t get into that.

But anyways, for any ship, there is a variety of content featuring Katara. Sometimes she’s a great warrior, sometimes she plays an important political role, and sometimes she’s just treated like a slave. Sometimes she has her own wants and ambitions and sometimes her story revolves entirely around whichever male character the author is thirsty for. Sometimes she’s treated as a complex human being and sometimes she just exists to be a fetish. Which again, goes for literally any ship and character you can think of.

So when asking yourself if Katara is given a feminist narrative, asking which man she’s paired with is asking the wrong question. Instead the focus should be on Katara herself and what the message of the story says about her.

b) Why do you like Zutara?

Although you can probably tell from the above, I do consider myself a feminist and enjoy analyzing media from that perspective. But honestly, that has little to do with why I like this relationship so much.

Sorry if this answer is boring, but I just…like them. Everyone has different tastes. For me, I was immediately drawn to them watching the show as a kid, because I’m a sucker for that sort of hurt/comfort dynamic they had going on in books 2-3. Growing up and taking a closer look, I also found that I see Zuko and Katara as having a lot of similar values and personality traits that I feel would make them compatible in a relationship. Also, there’s the fact that I just really like Katara and Zuko as individual characters so I like the fact that Zutara allows me to explore both characters by themselves, as well as how they interact together.

But if I’m being real, the final Agni Kai scene is what sold me. The emotional intensity of that scene just had me hooked for life. It’s really not much deeper than that, but yes, I’m extremely obsessed and emotionally invested in this ship.

And yes, I do write a lot of Zutara fic and do my best to give Katara independent goals and ambitions and agency as a character. I do my best to write her in a way that portrays a feminist narrative because I personally find that important. But that’s something I could apply to any ship. I don’t think it’s inherently feminist to ship Zutara, because like I said earlier, it completely depends on the individual fans and how they interpret it. I like interpreting it in a way that gives Katara individual power and goals, but that’s just me. Not everyone writes Zutara the same way.

Hope that answers your question ❄️

[depressedhatakekakashi]

Hey! For the otp ask! Kakagai, obviously, 1, 9 and 20!

who fell first, and who fell harder?

Kakashi.

Kakashi fell when he was a teenager and realized that Gai was someone he could happily spend the rest of his life with.

It’s one heck of a realization to have, especially when he’s certain Gai does not think of him the same way.

Gai fell harder. For Kakashi it was a slow realization that kind struck him. For Gai it was standing there one day looking at Kakashi and being suddenly slapped by the realization that he loves this man.

That he adores him and would do almost anything for him.

soulmates by fate/chance or by choice?

I love all of the above, but i have to go with ‘by choice’

I think if they got given other soulmates by the universe, they would ignore their ‘fate’ and choose each other every single time. Espeshally because Gai is (by Anime canon) agnostic and thus less likely to follow destiny, and for Kakashi while i think he believes in destiny and fate he has also had it hurt him so much that in this instance he’d choose his own path

their absolute favourite thing about each other in the whole wide world.

Kakashi’s favorite thing about Gai is his unending determination. No matter how hard things get Gai never gives up and he never lets anyone get him down. He also doesn’t blame anyone else for his short fallings or expect his power to increase because of some special circumstance’s ‘guaranteed to him by birth’

Gai’s favorite thing about Kakashi is his kindness and refusal to give up on anyone, even if he knows he should. His second fav is Kakashi’s areogence

It’s sexy

[spider-jaysart]

Hi!! Can I ask Damian (and maybe Dick 🙏?) for the character ask game?

Thank you, take care <3

@zephyrwrites2

Damian

Favorite thing about them: I just love his whole personality loll. He's a crazy, funny little guy that I think is really cool

Least favorite thing about them: Nothing. Only when he gets really mischaracterized by official writers who don't understand him, which happens A LOT

Favorite line: "Father, I imagined you taller."

Brotp: Damian and Jon

Otp: Damijon

Notp: Batcest, any of them that have adults paired up with him, including the canon ones Mar'i x Damian, Cassie x Damian, and Cassandra x Damian

Random headcanon: He can do ballet and it's because it's something Talia taught him while he was growing up in the league and being trained to learn many other things. He's a skilled professional at it now because of this and also bonds with his sister Cass over it and will sometimes even join her in her dancing. He also tries teaching Jon too, which can become fun for them both, and his other friends sometimes as well whenever they get curious or don't actually understand it that much like they think they do. Damian also owns a pair of green ballet slippers, but usually keeps them put away in his closet to keep them safe and clean and only takes them out when he really does want to use them.

Unpopular opinion: Okay sooo, a lot of people believe that Talia's character just gets only more ruined because of Damian's existence or whatever, but I don't believe that at all. Damian may be her son and is big part of her life because of it, but his character itself has nothing to do with hers like that at all when it comes to hateful writers choosing to write her horribly and just as another evil, lunatic villain and whatever else. Some people even say that he stole her story, but he did grow up with her during those 10 years of his, so of course he's gonna have the same life she dealt with and is also gonna have to get through certain issues from it now too because of it. But the point is that if anyone's gonna get blamed for Talia's usual trash characterisation, it should be the writers who hate her, NOT Damian who has many writers of his own who don't even treat him that well or like him that much at all either just like with Talia. Trying to pick on him is never going to fix anything about her. If Talia's ever gonna get anything better that she deserves in comics and other things, it needs to be done by writers who actually have care about her character and don't have anything weird against her that just only causes bad intentions of messing her up and then THAT'S what will finally start doing justice for her. And this not meant as an argument towards anyone or whatever btw, this is just me stating my opinion and beliefs about the whole thing

Song I associate with them: Self love by Metro Boomin & Coi Leray (Mostly because even though Damian may always put on a very confident act and always seems so prideful of himself a lot of the times, he actually has a lot of insecurities underneath all of that and doesn't actually always think so great of himself as a person)

Favorite picture of them: Definitely this very beautiful panel of him ofc💖

I just LOVE the way Gleb Melinkov draws him and gives him his Arab features without holding any of it back as well! He even gives him long lashes (longer than Flatline's even, which I noticed while looking at another panel from this series!), which I really love too!!

Dick

Favorite thing about them: I really always liked his leadership style, especially in the Teen Titans 2003 cartoon, which I grew up with

Least favorite thing about them: Only when he's potrayed as a dumb, clumsy guy in some canon stories just to lift up other characters and put them in a bigger spotlight instead. It makes no sense because he's a professional acrobat and always has been that way since he was a little kid, so how could he ever be so trippy all over the place as if there are invisible banana peels getting in the way everytime?! And he is very smart, especially with all of the important experience he has from his many years of hero work, so he's not dumb either and if he was, he wouldn't have made it so far with this kind of life because of it or ever get much done like he did because he has to overly depend on others knowledge

Favorite line: "Titans Go!"

Brotp: Dick and Starfire, Beast boy, Raven, Cyborg (I know he's friends with many others too, but this is the group I grew up with and am more attached to, so they're my fave to see together)

Otp: Dickkory because they bring the best out in eachother and have so much love for one another too

Notp: DickBabs because I just don't think they really fit that well together at all and most times Barbara just makes Dick feel bad in a lot of ways with how she usually treats him in a romantic relationship, and that's not a healthy thing to deal with at all. And then there's also Batcest and Slade x Dick (which I don't even get at all because Slade is just such a horrible, gross and very toxic guy)

Random headcanon: Years ago, back when he would used to have long hair still, he one time had it tied up in a ponytail and then a villain chopped it off in half while fighting him. Dick was pissed and really kicked their butt for doing that

Unpopular opinion: People always think of Dick as the positive, sunshine guy and then there are the ones who get very mad about it and say that he's actually the angry, tough guy because him being super friendly and happy is just too "ooc". I don't listen to any of that stuff, because I believe that he's actually both. He IS a friendly guy with a warm, charming, humorous attitude that easily attracts others, and is very much an inspiration to many because of his positive, sunshine vibes as a great, hardworking hero, but none of it makes him dumb, weak or gullible, because he IS also the type who can become very serious and gets mad when he needs to be, also doesn't actually take bull from anyone, can be chaotic and crazy, works a LOT, is independent, does have a lot of intelligence and especially experience that should never be forgotten about just because he's nice, and also definitely has the determined mind to take care of things and get them done even though others will sometimes try to tell him what to do, but he doesn't actually listen because he's not the type to easily be controlled that way like a puppy would be and if he believes it's something that needs the attention and it's what should be done and no one else is doing it, then he will do it

Song I associate with them: Annihilate by Metro Bommin, Swae Lee, Lil Wayne & Offset (because it's about being fearless, embracing self strength and individuality, and becoming a much more independent person, and I think that totally fits Dick because he's not the type to fear much and hates being stuck under Batman's shadow and having independence is something that always had an important role in how Dick's life goes)

Favorite picture of them: Well, I just found this pic of him, which was done by Travis Moore

It's very nice and really shows the struggle he goes through as a hero a lot of the times. Also, I really always liked the way he draws Dick, because he doesn't just look like everyone else and isn't sharing same face syndrome with his brothers and Bruce either, it's just a look that's unique to only him and it fits him very well. It's the exact way I always imagine him looking like whenever I envision him in my mind, even the hairstyle that's given to him by this artist too!!!

Thank you for sending this ask, I enjoyed answering it! And you take very good care too!! :)

[bronx-bomber87]

Good morning Happy Weekend :) Our ship is back together in this episode and what a come back it is. I keep saying how each ep is so good its because it is ha S2 doesn't disappoint for moments. Let's get started.

2x08 Clean Cut

We first see our beautiful OTP getting ready for the day. Tim and Jackson are being recognized for helping that family last ep. Lucy telling Tim his accommodation is a big deal. Tim being his self deprecating self is thinking it’s not. He’s out of his damn mind if he thinks she’s not going to make a big deal out of this. Lucy couldn’t be prouder of him for this. I could see her beaming as Jackson tells her the story.

Lucy telling him she’s planned her emotional day around it is too cute. It's the most important part of her day. I love them so much. Tim continues to lessen what he did. Saying it’s not why he does this job. Ok honey she’s not buying that for one second. Their banter is the best. Lucy is of course is going to give him crap for his lack luster excitement. She wants him to be a little more excited about this.

You know he’s proud but just won’t acknowledge it let alone let Lucy do so. Oh Tim. Can't say I don’t relate to Tim with this. No doubt he wasn't given words of affirmation growing up. So when he does receive them he deflects it. Because he either doesn't believe he deserves it or just can't handle when it is genuine. (Like from Lucy and all her sunshine proudness) I'm the same way. I too didn't get those growing up. So getting them is hard to process or accept.

With Lucy making a big deal of it he can't process it so he deflects that feeling instead. Lucy calls his bluff tells him to turn it down then. Tim freezes then says it doesn’t matter to him (Lying liar who lies) but it matters to the higher ups. Says if he scores well in his exam plus the award it could rise him in the ranks faster. Lucy lets it go for now replies fair enough.

We rejoin them them in their shop. Lucy asks if Tim invited Rachel to his award. He says no and reminds her it’s not a big thing. Lucy calls him on it says she was busy wasn’t she? He caves and says out of town... They cute. They’re having a good time till Tim doesn’t see brake lights in front of him. Then their whole day changes in an instant.

The look of worry all over Lucy’s face when she see’s Tim is bleeding. Looks like she wants to reach out but doesn't. He disregards his nose and asks if she’s ok. He's more worried about her. Ugh my heart. You know him crashing is going to shake him alone. Crashing a car with Lucy in it only makes it so much worse. He thinks he’s endangered her on top of everything else. Tim calls it in and lets them know a city vehicle is involved.

Doesn’t take long for their crash to be swarming with cops. Lucy is surprised at how many are here. Tim tells her how serious this is. Officer involved accidents are anything but good. His body language is all anxiety. He’s trying to keep it in but he’s worried. He’s never been very good at hiding his true emotions from Lucy.

The Sargent running the scene comes up and is cavalier. Telling them Tim is getting a day at the beach. Lucy is beyond confused about what this means. Tim explains what the off handed comment means. You can see the stress coming off him in waves. We all know how Tim needs his control and now it’s out of his hands. He’s listing off all the ways he could be disciplined. All the joking and 'not caring' about his award is out the window now. The only thing left is his disappointment and shock.

Lucy’s face in that gif above ugh my heart. Her eyes alone showing all the empathy she is carrying for him. She doesn’t want him to feel this way. To feel like taking the exam is useless now. It’s written all over her face she wants to fix this. To save him from whatever is headed his way about this. It’s killing her to see him so defeated.

Lucy knows he’s beating himself up ten fold over this. You can see her wanting to protect him from this whole thing. All she wants to do is make it better. Tim is thinking all his hard work is going to go down the drain before his eyes. That all he can do is wait and watch it happen. Lucy can't stand the fact he's defeated right out the gate. Its all over her body language how much she wants to rectify this for him.

Tim’s face kills me when Grey pulls up and asks what happened. He’s in a state of shock as he’s explaining. He looks so sad. Grey says he should sit out the ceremony. Tim makes a morose joke the deputy director won’t want to give an officer facing demotion a plaque…Lucy looks just as sad as him. We all know this award meant more to him than he was leading on. It's being ripped away from him now.

Harper advises Tim to get checked at hospital for liability reasons. He looks so beat but says thanks. He’s clearly upset and lost by the end of the scene. Lucy tells him how sorry she is. It’s coming off him in waves. Tim tries to compartmentalize. Tells Lucy to get their shop back to the garage then meet him at the hospital with their new one. She looks like she wants to say more but doesn't. That anxious need to fix this for him is seeping out of every pore in her body.

Poor Tim is at the hospital by himself. He sees Lopez for a second but she’s looking after a high af Jackson LOL You can tell he wants to talk. Jackson wanders off and Angela has to follow leaving him standing there. Dr Sawyer tells Tim, Sarah the driver is ok and that she asked about him. Then he is cleared and goes to talk to the driver. She seems like she just wants to let it go. Let the city pay for everything and move on. Her BF is a little more intense. Saying they’re gonna sue. Flying off the handle when Sarah is trying to just be done with it. Alarm bells are going off for Tim with this guy. He just doesn’t know why. So he walks away from the situation telling her he hopes she feels better soon.

Lucy arrives at the garage and the Sargent that was at the scene is there. Calls her little lady (first mistake my friend…) Lucy shakes it off and says she was the one with her T.O. and the accident. He continues to be an ass and says 'Oh beach boy...yeah he’s screwed.' It’s like this guy wanted to have his head ripped off by her I swear. She’s already anxious from how he’s feeling, with no way to currently make it better.

He’s poking an angry bear and has no idea what he’s in for. Lucy is aghast with his finality about the situation. Questions him and ask if he’s even checked out the other car yet. He tells her not yet. Lucy tells him she doesn’t remember seeing brake lights from that woman’s car. The Sargent continues his condescending tone and says ‘uh huh…’ Lucy then asks him if he can check. He is dismissive and says when he has time. That’s when the wrath of Lucy Chen comes raining down on this man. LOL

There is a great line from Castle that fits this. It's from one of my favorite episodes. Where the baddie is caught by Beckett and he says he was told about hell raining down on him if he was caught by her. Then says "He said something about hell raining down on me. Never imagined hell would look like you." That's how I feel about this scene. How this guy had no idea the hell that was going to rain down on him by not helping Lucy with Tim's situation. I am sure he wasn't expecting that day if he was going to get his ass handed to him it would be by her. Amazing.

Lucy is already irritated with the entire situation. She is also feeling a lack of control. Then she comes here trying to help Tim and gets this dismissive schmuck. She was ready to fight before this guys rude attitude. This only lit that fire from a flame to an inferno and he was in her path. I love how she completely destroys him. How fiercely she defends Tim to this man she doesn’t even know.

Refuses to let this be the end of it. She’s going to make him look at that other car even if she has his drag his ass over there to do it. Lucy calling this guy out on his macho BS. God I love her resilience in the face of stuff like this. Lucy is so wrapped up in passionately defending Tim she forgets she’s speaking to a senior officer the ‘sir’ and respectful posture at the end. Classic.

The best part is he listens. I think he respected her for standing up to him and calling him on his crap. The Lucy Chen effect haha This wouldn’t be the first time she’s chewed out a superior officer for him. She did the same thing back in 1x16 with Detective Murphy. No one kicks Tim while he’s already down superior officer or not in her presence. I love watching her defend and protect him.

They go to check out the car and the brake lights were pulled. Lucy asks if this could've happened during the accident. He says no they were pulled on purpose. So our girl was right. Gotta love it. She asks why this person would do this? He tells her insurances scams. He sees it all the time. Tells her maybe your T.O. isn’t screwed after all. Lucy relaxes visibly and the claws get put away. They find extra stuff in the trunk. Chemicals that are used to cook meth or set fires. Tim’s gut from earlier coming true about these people.

Lucy makes it back to hospital to tell Tim the good news. That the brake lights were disconnected. The relief on Tim’s face when she tells him is immense. She also tells him about the arson materials they found in the trunk as well. They go to confront Sarah. Tim has his confidence and swagger back. Not as defeated as before. You can see it in his stance while they're in Sarah's room.

They tell her they know her car was rigged and the materials they found in her car. She gets testy and a tad defensive. She then tries to say car isn’t hers. Tim goes on offensive and says is it your boyfriends? The one who wanted to sue me? She doesn’t reply. They get his name off her contact sheet ‘ Mike Garvey’ and he’s next.

First off I love that he trusts her enough to do this interrogation alone. It makes sense she would do it solo. He doesn't know she was with him. I just adore him not even thinking about it. Knowing she can handle this all on her own. Lucy doesn’t question it for one second. Just does this for him on his behalf because that’s what partners do. Right now she will do anything to get him out of the hole he’s in. They just need to get this guy to crack and they're golden. I do love how he paces watching it. Ready to pounce on this guy if he does anything.

Mike is instantly defensive with Lucy. Could not be more guilty. He tries to get under Lucy’s skin and tell her Tim should be fired. She won’t even make eye contact with him cause she will eat him if she does LOL Straight up lies when Lucy asks if he ever uses her car. Lucy goes right at him. Saying he didn’t disconnect her taillights for insurance fraud? He lies again says nope. Lucy brings up his past of being convicted of fraud.

That’s the last straw and he storms out and Tim follows him out. Mike goes off saying how he’s going to sue him and whole dept. Tim confidently (also very sexy btw) comes up to him. Says if he can only afford one retainer he should go for a criminal one. *fans self* God I love me some confident Tim. Phew lord. Mike takes off. Lucy apologizes for not getting more out of him. Tim says not to be the point was to wind him up. Send him back to Sarah wind her up and see who breaks first. Look at that sexy stance. He knows he'll have him dead to rights soon enough.

They go to see Sarah tell her to make a deal. She’ll wanna be first one on this. She agrees. Sarah tells them she was about to leave him. That she was using the car to get suitcases. She had no idea about the brake lights. Lucy asks why she’s leaving him? She tells them he's going over the edge. Used to just be insurance scams for money or arson scams but now it’s worse. She says he’s agreed to kill a man’s wife for cut off the life insurance policy. What a prince… Tells them she know it’s going down today.

Lucy gets to do another mini UC as the potential wife. They easily catch Mike and Tim gets to be the one to stop him. Sweet karma you putz. I think he enjoyed shouting instructions at this ass-hat to get him to surrender. I know I did haha Tim is cheeky and can’t let the wig go and makes a comment to Lucy about it. Her face I’m dying LMAO Even in the middle of an arrest the work flirts find their way in.

Lucy is so so proud of Tim and his accommodation. She is in wifey mode 100% and there is no stopping her with the pics and pride. Claiming they’re ‘For Rachel’ Sure they are Lucy.... Whatever you need to tell yourself. Tim is trying to make sure she doesn’t add it to her Home Screen haha They’re so cute I can't stand it. Also little bit of payback when he took all those pics of her last season when she fell asleep haha Parallels galore in this ending scene.

The look on his face when she shows him the lock screen hehe he’s so used to her shenanigans at this point. Doesn't even fight it. Tim has gone from annoyance to adoration though. It makes me so giddy.(The growth *heart clutch*) Look at that sheepish smile. He’s so cute and flustered by her attention and affection for him. Girl isn't hiding how she feels about this one bit. That reverence she has for him It's inevitable at this point and he's accepting it slowly. Another crack grows, carving out a piece of that wall of his. It hits the ground and shatters.

He then gets serious. Tim is very aware he wouldn't be standing here without her. That she fought and clawed to save his career. I love him for thanking her. The absolute growth in him for doing so. We get two special growth moments in this scene. Makes my shipper heart so damn happy. Recognizing what she did for him today. Verbalizing it the best way he can. He's still working on this particular skill with her. He’s in awe that she did that for him. It shows in how he tries to thank her. He's stumbling on his words to get it out.

She relieves him of his flustered thankfulness by throwing his line back at him. The most beautiful thing about this moment is the parallels to when Tim saved hers. Lucy didn’t even think for two seconds before going and doing everything she could to save his career. Just like he did in Plain Clothes Day and The Checklist from last season. Refusing to let this be the end of his path to Sargent. Her way of thanking him for all that he’s done for her. Also she didn’t record that audio book for nothing LOL

The lengths these two go for one another astounds me. Her doing this was letting him know she has his back just as much as he has hers. This is the kind of stuff that built the amazing couple we get in s5. The beautiful base they build along the way is rock solid. These are the moments that get us there.

Honestly Lucy throwing back his doing my job line. My heart. The work flirts make my heart so happy. He can’t even fight the smile on his face. She saved his career and used his own words against him. He’s falling in love and has no idea about it. So smitten with one another not ready for that to be more just yet. The underlying chemistry and attraction was always there though.

How can two people exude so much chemistry just sitting next to one another? All they’re doing is drinking beer and yet. They look so married in this scene. Like they're already a couple just celebrating with their friends. Let’s also note how much room there is on that bench. Yet they’re within inches of each other. Their love affair with being anti personal-space continues. I’m here for it all damn day. Look at how in-sync they are in both those gifs. The physical chemistry between these two long before they were together blows my mind. I love them so much.

~~~~

Side notes- Non chenford

Jackson being high as a kite is hilarious as hell. Angela chasing him around all ep, trying to keep it under wraps too damn funny. Always enjoyed their dynamic.

Harper having a good day with Grey. Getting him to write a positive eval for her for Lila. Her growth continues as well and I love it. I enjoy her journey to the Harper we have now so very much.

John and Ellroy super cute as well. Him introducing him to Nell beyond precious. I'll say it again I enjoyed John and Grace a lot. They had solid chemistry.

[hello-nichya-here]

Let’s be real. The only reason toxic Zutarians and delusional Zukkas became so rampant is for the same reason.

Zutararians and Zukkas are two generations of the same issue.

Maiko is written so incoherently and Mai gets no development of her own. Zuko and her are a terrible match and treat each other poorly (I know the fandom can’t agree which one is at fault but I don’t think it matters).

Fans searching for a more satisfying conclusion of the fandom fav Zuko stumble into the waiting clutches of Zutarians or Zukkas who bombard them with their terrible takes, OOC writing, and admittedly beautiful fan art. Before you know it, they lose touch with actual canon.

This is all Bryke’s fault for writing Maiko terribly.

And yet people blame Zucest… nonsense!

Anon, I don't mean to be rude, but you're just wrong all around. Not only do I not think Maiko is terrible (might not be my OTP, but I am fond of it), but even if it WAS and fans had to rely on fanon for good romance, that does NOT explain or justify the way Zutarians and Zukkas not only act like their personal preference is objectively better than everyone else's but also actively lie to themselves and others about their ships totally being secretly canon but screwed over at the last second.

They do that for one reason alone: Entitlement. They're entitled, spoiled cry babies who screetch at anyone with a different preference because they take it as a personal attack.

Bryke writting Maiko any differently would not have made these people less insufferable. Hell, their ships hapenning in the exact way they wanted them to would also not do the trick, if anything it'd make them worse.

It doesn't matter what you think about Bryke as writers and people, or how you feel about the canon ships: The bad behavior of Zutara and Zukka fans is the responsibility of Zutara and Zukka fans, nobody else.

I don't like Legend Of Korra or the comics. Never sent a death threat to the people who made them. Never harassed fans of it or had them doxxed. I love Zucest to unhealthy degrees, but you won't see me claiming "There was totally a deleted scene of them kissing in the finale instead of fighting, but evil Bryke ruined it all, and if you don't believe my obvious bullshit I'll scream at you until I'm blue in the face!"

I LOATHE the ending of How I Met Your Mother with all my being, and resent the showrunners for being such dicks to fans and complaining we didn't praise their terrible writting. I would NEVER accuse them of abusing their authority over the actors and being predators just because I disagree with awful messages the finale sent - something zutarians do Kataang and Maiko fans ALL THE TIME.

It's really, really, really, really easy to not do that kind of stuff.

Be critical of Bryke and their writting, have whatever opinion you wanna have on Maiko, but let's not pretend writers/showrunners are to blame for FANS attacking people.

It'd be like going "Oh, this actress and her fans got death threats because audiences didn't like her character, clearly this is the writers fault for mishandling said character" NOPE, the blame of that kind of awful behavior ALWAYS lies solely with the people who choose to act like that.

[minban]

𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎. answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog.

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓'𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐎𝐓𝐏 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐒? — for roleplay purposes, any character that my writing partner gets me obsessed about. if we're throwing specific characters at each other and the dynamic starts altering my brain cells enough, then trust that those two characters have taken up a slot in my brain and are living there rent free. i do not like going into rp with a set ship in my brain because that's no fun at all and i believe that both hinders and prevents dynamics from forming. this is not a jab at anyone else, i'm simply talking about my own preferences. i do not automatically subscribe to popular ships. as long as me and my writing partner are enjoying the dynamic that we're cooking up, then that is going to be my otp.

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐏 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐈𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆? — i will write pretty much any themes and tropes so long as it gets my brain cells going aside from anything that can be considered dead dove (ie. i will not be writing nor engaging with incest, pedophillia, non-con). under no circumstances will i be writing adultery. while i love darker themes, cheating has always been a choice that has made me feel ill even in works of writing. it's a turn off and a quick way to make me uninterested in a dynamic altogether.

i am aware that i write sexual content on this blog, but i will never write hardcore bdsm. it's a squick of mine and i rather not engage with it. this is by no means me saying that i want purely vanilia ships because i love my darker themes. i love when characters are obsessed with their beloved, i love when their infatuation is so strong that it destroys them, i love when their devotion to their beloved burns them from the inside out until the love is all they know. i also really enjoy my sweeter and softer dynamics, where they will melt into their loves embrace and listen to the sound of their heart beat during a lazy afternoon. aside from the aforementioned topics, i'm up for writing anything.

𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐆𝐀𝐏 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐈𝐓 𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐅𝐘? — as long as both characters are well into adulthood, then i'm fine with it. many of my muses are immortal, and mortal/immortal dynamics have such interesting themes that i enjoy writing.

𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆? — yes, absolutely. unless we are close friends and/or are talking about a dynamic quite often, then i prefer for our characters to have a build up through ic interactions. i love shipping, but again, please do not assume that i automatically ship popular ships. i want to see how my interpretation of a character will mesh with my writing partner's interpretation, and then we can feel out the dynamic from there. there will always be exceptions to this rule, as seen as when i get so obsessed over asks and whatnot.

𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐅𝐀𝐑 𝐃𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐘 𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐆𝐎 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘'𝐑𝐄 𝐍𝐒𝐅𝐖? — if its steamy then it's getting the nsfw /// tag. while i do not believe that nudity is inherently sexual, i do believe that nsfw means not safe for work. if it is not content that you wish to see while you are at work with your coworkers nearby, then it is nsfw.

𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇? — with any of their current ships. with anyone who i am plotting ships with. so long as we are interacting, ic or ooc, those are the characters that i'm shipping my characters with.

𝐃𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐀𝐒𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐘𝐎𝐔? — yes! alternatively, i will ask to ship if i can see that the dynamic is going into romantic territory.

𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐎𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏? — whenever the dynamics are just right. there is no timeframe for this, so long as our characters have developed that little spark that bonds them together.

𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐌𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏? — yes. i love shipping and i love seeing how my muses interact with others in various verses. i am also ship exclusive, meaning that if i am shipping my kaveh with a cyno, that i will not ship my kaveh with another cyno of a different mun. this does not need to be returned. trust that i am not keeping track of you guys like that. i simply ask for our plots not to be reused word for words. plagiarism is a big no, no matter where you go.

𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐎𝐁𝐒𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 - 𝐎𝐑 - 𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒? — obsessed!!! i love the ships that i have and i love talking about them and writing for them. however, my interest will wane if my partner's interest also wanes. if i am the one doing doing all of the talking and writing, then i will most likely drop the ship.

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓'𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐈𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐌? — kaveh x me and jing yuan x me and boothill x me and leviathan x me and noe x me and jiang cheng x me and

𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘, 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐃𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐘𝐎𝐔? — interact with me! i'm here to write, and i love seeing where our character interactions will take us. if you believe that we can start shipping with our characters based off of our interactions, then you are free to ask. for close friends, you can yap away in my dms and that will most likely get my brain going enough that i'll start writing the dynamic unprompted.

tagged by @apocryphis thank you ! tagging @yeonban, @venstm, @lunaetis, @oneireth, and you !

[intothewickedwood]

🐈‍⬛ 🌻 😇 👥️ 🎶 for the ask game <3

Thank you so much for the asks! <3 :D

🐈‍⬛ animal

My favourite animal is a cheetah! I'm just so impressed by their speed and how they run. If I had a mutant power, I'd want it to be super speed. So I want them to teach me there ways!

😇 blorbo

Right now, my The Wilds hyperfixation is so strong I can think of practically nothing else (oopsie). But yes! I love all the Wilds girls but Toni Shalifoe is my favourite <3. Honestly, she might have taken the crown of favourite character of all time at this point. Just gaaah. Such a softie underneath all that understandable anger. Cares so much for those she loves. I love her and all the layers of her character.

Before I watched the Wilds I got really into Legacies again (by finally watching s3 and s4). Absolutely obsessed with Lizzie Saltzman! Very relatable in some regards. Absolutely hilarious! Has so much pain and so many deep insecurities.

Alice Jones from Once Upon A Time, (my beloved) <3! A silly who has suffered too much!!

Chelsea Daniels from That's So Raven. She's so endearing to me. The silliest of sillies. Raven is a very close second, though.

Natalie Goodman from Next To Normal. Relatable in an ansty way.

Peter Simmonds from Bare: A Pop Opera. So relatable. A Cinnamon Roll <3.

Kate Dalton from We Are The Tigers. Sarcasm queen.

Vincent Lin From Adamandi. They may be a murderous blorbo. But they're my murderous blorbo.

Circe from Epic: The Musical. She's just so cool.

Draculaura from Monster High. Again, so cool and I love how much she loves her friends.

Chloe Sullivan from Smallville. Big influence on me growing up. Though I probably shouldn't have been watching Smallville at 9. She just cared so much about those she loved.

Simon Tudor from Jeopardy. His character development is everything <3.

Cloe From Bratz. The biggest drama queen ever and I love her for it.

Kurt Wagner from X-Men Evolution (and just x-men in general). He's such a silly guy.

Shalimar Fox from Mutant X. The most badass, protective queen to ever.

And that's all I can think of, but they're in no particular order. Except Toni. Toni gets the number 1 blorbo badge.

🌻 flower

I don't know much about flowers but I really like the look of Plumeria.

👥️ otp

So many! I shall limit myself to one per show.

Shoni!! (from The Wilds). I think they have made it to number 1 otp status!

Snowing from Once Upon A Time. But also shout out to Curious Archer!

Mizzie from Legacies! Still can't believe they got to be endgame!! I thought it was just gonna be hopes and dreams but the way I screamed my head off!! I love an unrequited love storyline but I love it even more when it then becomes requited. He thought the world of her and then she realised she felt the same about him too and it was beautiful and I cried (and screamed).

Natalie x Henry from Next To Normal. He's just so supportive of her and would do anything to make sure she's okay and that makes me want to cry into my cereal.

Peter x Jason from Bare: A Pop Opera. Everything hurts. But their chemistry was of the charts and they were so in love and I am in pain.

Cheer Wives from We Are The Tigers. They were sooooo bad for each other but needed each other? It was a mess but I was so very there for it.

Quincent from Adamandi. I am once again in so much pain. I can't get over how beautiful the lyrics they sang were when referencing each other.

Freffy from Skins. The way he cared for Effy D,:. He would haved moved mountains just to make her smile. My heart will forever be broken over what happened to Freddie. He deserved so much better.

Dracudeen. Just the whole of 'This is Not How Or Story Goes.' There was no hetrosexual explanation for that and Clawdeen nearly died to save her!

Chlark from Smallville. Next to Simon x Chrissie, they were one of my first otps. No one did friendship like them. But I always wanted it to be more. That whole unrequited thing that was never really given a chance to become requited.

Edited to add: Chlavis! I now one cannot have 2 otps that include the same character but I always go back and forth between which I like best. Chlavis' story was so intense and traumatic but at least it ended up being requited this time around! Extremely requited!

Simon x Chrissie. Tfw the two most terrible people you'd never wanted to be stranded in the wilderness with have the most beautiful, unrushed character development and learn to care for people other than themselves as they slowly fall in love, when there was merely the shallowest one-sided crush you ever did see there before. The way they became heroes <3. And the way Simon just didn't know how to be without Chrissie but persisted in trying to save her when chances were beyond slim. I miss them so much and need to rewatch <3.

Harlan x Cyrus. They had so much chemistry and genuinely had a connection and now we'll never know what happened to them. I wish we got to know them better. Darn you Amazon!

Cloe x Jade from Bratz. It was more of a case of all the unwritten fanfiction I had in my head for them as an 11 year old. But I only let it get as gay as Monster High 2 at the time, which is actually very incredibly gay, so I don't know who my brain was trying to fool.

Lance x Kitty from X-Men Evolution. They had a really interesting connection and were drawn to each other.

🎶 musical artist

I mostly listen to musical theatre songs but my favourite band has always been S Club 7. I'm not sure I have an overall favourite solo artist. Maybe James Morrison!

Thank you again for the asks! They were such a blast to answer!

[thoseyoulove]

Hi! How’s part 2 of QotD treating you? And as you seem to have reached it, what was your impression of the Devil’s minion chapter?

Hi!

So far so good, but I'm really early, I've just read the first POV (Daniel's) and now I'm on the second page of Khayman's. He just entered the venue, but nothing has happened yet. There is this alarmingly clear feeling in the air that something big is about to happen, but I haven't reached that part.

The Devil's Minion was probably my second favorite chapter. I mean, I love Armand, he's my favorite, so it's really easy to love anything that includes him. It was sweet, appealing and even hilarious at times (I literally laughed so loud I woke up relatives in the a.m. and had tears in my eyes). It warmed my heart to see Armand learning about all the changes the world has gone through and his excitement with all of it. It was lovely to see how Daniel would just go on with it and was so patient because Armand was, well, intense about those discoveries lmao. It was awesome that Armand felt safe and comfortable to be himself and experiment so much when he was with Daniel. I truly enjoyed it.

The only downsides for me are, first, the fact that Anne's timelines are weird sometimes. She covered, what, 12 years on one chapter? And even though it's on my top 2 of chapters, it didn't feel like it represented as much time as it was supposed to. I think I'd only be convinced of that if there had been more chapters, or even a whole book series about them. It was deep, but didn't feel like it was such a long period, you know?

And the second thing is the fact that I still don't believe I know Daniel that well. I usually take too long to fall in love with a character or ship, I often need a lot of time and development. I have to feel like I know both of them well, and why those two are the right match for each other instead of something else, I have to see the chemistry etc. That's why I struggle with movies (they're too short) and books (I can't see them in front of my eyes) and prefer TV shows. However, even with TV shows, I usually take seasons plural to fall in love with anyone/anything (specially now with series getting shorter) and don't have as many favorite characters and OTPs as most people do. It's very hard for me to be immediately sold. There have been a few exceptions that captivated me in film or just one episode/chapter, but it's rare. I think I need to learn more about Daniel, but it's okay since there are more of his POVs coming. Still, it doesn't change the fact it was one of the best chapters so far. Like I said, I genuinely enjoyed it and it was my top 2, but not my number #1, you know? Quite high, but not the highest.

That said, I'm absolutely sure the writers and actors will elevate it to a whole new level. I can't wait to see it finally being brought to life, because it has so much potential. Specially if they span it through multiple episodes and do it at a slower pace. And it would make it both more earnest and tender. Plus, I have a soft spot for slowburns (they're most of my OTPs), the longing, the wait, the hype, the sense of something being earned and that whole shebang. The journey of slowly reaching milestones, is, like, 30% of the fun for me. And I'm positive they'll use the opportunity to make it more dramatic, emotional, intense and give us chills and tears in the best possible way. My expectations couldn't be higher and I have total trust in them. I mean, THIS is already my favorite scene on the show.

Okay, it's a perfect tie with loustat's church and reunion/hug scenes and I'll never be able to choose one, but these are my HOLY TRINITY. I will never stop freaking out about their chemistry. TDLR: I already enjoy Armand and Daniel individually and together (specially on the show), I'm really curious and excited to see more and I expect them to get even more of my appreciation with time. They're special, just not a favorite at the moment... But with the full potential of becoming one.

By the way, sorry for how lengthy this is, it suddenly got waaaaaaay longer than I'd anticipated lol. How about you, what do you think? :) And thanks for the question! <3

[prototypelq]

Nero?

YESSS NEROBOI lets goooo

Ember, thanks for choosing Nero. I don't really talk about him enough, or, well, I rarely ever do talk about him at all sadly, and this injustice has to be eliminated! I adore the nephew/son, and he is a precious punk boi who I should appreciate more.

favourite thing about them

ONE-ARMED NERO. I love Nero for many things, but his time as a wounded/disabled is my favourite period of him for real. Boi was truly physically Hurt for the, probably, second only time in his life and he didn't stop for a second when the situation called for all hands on deck. One-Armed Nero literally stared down a demon king that has killed Dante before his eyes, and went 'I can take him'.

Of course, part of it was pure spite, sparda losers are known to be very good at using it as fuel, but also, this takes some fucking Guts and I really respect him for that.

Also the one-handed reload animation. I love many things about DMC5, but one-handed Nero reload animation might be the most underappreciated thing in this fandom, in my opinion.

least favourite thing about them

the fact that he got his arm to regrow. I genuinely wish he didn't. Being disabled didn't slow the boi down even for a second, he was even able to fight properly before Nico invented Breakers, Breakers themselves are very creative tools to help Nero be more capable in a fight, plus he even got two additional gorgeous dt wingclaws!

Just imagine if Nero didn't regrow his arm back:

The twins will have a constant visual reminder how close they were to losing everything they love, that despite how unimaginably bad it had gotten in dmc1 - dmc5 story was much Worse.

Nero himself would remain the same way he was. He could use with wingclaws to help with tasks if he really needs two hands, but he also adapted to living with only one hand. Maybe he could use the wingclaws to wield Red Queen and shoot at the same time.

I know some people enjoy the fantasy of a disabled character finding a 'cure' for their disability, but I am not one of those. I want to see characters suffer, get support from their family and then heal to live on with what they go through.

favourite line

credits cutscene. 'i won't cry (answers phone) devil may cry -fuck'. never fails to make me laugh

brOTP

Nero and Nico are siblings, they are great. Also Nero and Patty, they are cousins and get along like house on fire and I refuse to believe anything else.

OTP

NeroKiri. This is the rare case when I'm mostly happy we don't see much more of a canon Kyrie, cause I do not trust Capcom with any female characters at all, and I doubly so don't trust them with female characters from DMC specifically. So yeah, I'm glad here our fandom hands are free to make up our own version of Kyrie and her relationship with Nero. I do believe Kyrie to be a very capable and strong woman in her own right, otherwise Nero wouldn't have fallen for her.

nOTP fucking incest

random headcanon

He can play guitar and some basic drums, can dance, cannot sing at all, but he can rap very impressively well. Also, I support the 'Italian Fortuna' headcanons for the fun of it - bilingual Nero for the win!

Secretly likes to listen to Red Hot Chilli Peppers when Dante has them on.

unpopular opinion

sorry not sorry for this, but I heavily dislike the common fandom interpretation of the orphans he and Kyrie foster. Nero is a mature boi for sure, but not mature enough to be fostering children. It works for me if the fostering is a temporary solution, then he and Kyrie are more or less like camp counsellors or older siblings role, but I don't like the situation remaining that way forever. Don't get me wrong, I adore found families, it just seems to me like Nero is not mature enough to be raising children, half his age ones at that. At least, nothing I have seen in canon suggests he is mature enough for this.

song i associate with them

favourite picture of them

his classic :T face. extremely adorable and hilarious

[brother-lipsmackariah]

Jem Carstairs!

Now, be ready for LONG post, anon. You can't just ask about Jem and expect to be brief

Sexuality headcanon

Definitely Demisexual. With Tessa, I always felt like Jem became attracted to her AFTER they were already close friends and besides that one line in After the Bridge, there's no signs of Jem being attracted to anyone. He also doesn't even think of anyone besides Tessa in that, he's too oblivious.

Also, not a sexuality but I ADORE the idea of Non-binary Jem

OTP

Jem x Himself (literally and metaphorically both). While I love Jessa and until recently, didn't ship Jem with anyone else, I don't believe Tessa loves him as much as she loves W*ll, CC wrote her that way and tid books are proof.

The only person good enough for Jem is HIMSELF.

BROTP

Jem and Church, my soulmates!!!!

And even though I hate W*ll, I love Heronstairs. Well, to be specific, I love how dedicated W*ll is to Jem.

Brother Zachariah and Brother Enoch are also cute.

NOTP

Heronstairs as a romantic ship is a big No. Just no. Let people have close platonic relationships for fuck's sake.

First headcanon that pops into my head

Jem posts violin covers + his original songs on Tiktok, Instagram, and YouTube and his comment section is filled with people trying their best (and failing) to respectfully thirst over him.

Later when Mina does the same, and posts videos with her dad, HER comment section is "can your dad fight"

Oh and he's very kinky

Favorite line from this character

So, SO many to the point he would simply say "hm" and I would cry of happiness.

But the ones that that pop into my head rn are "my apologies" *corset rip* "to antiquity"

"We are all the pieces of what we remember. We hold in ourselves the hopes and fears of those who love us. As long as there is love and memory, there is no true loss."

"She could be anything she pleased. She was everything already."

"You hurt everyone. Everyone whose life you touch." And "Alone? Whose fault is that?" (DESTROY HIM, JEM)

"Unless there were secret Silent Brother orgies I wasn't invited to. I always worried I might not have been popular"

"If you insist. W-H-O"

One way in which I relate to this character

Our love for cats, our inability to let go of things, our insecurity. While there are some similarities, Jem is the opposite of me in many ways, and that is one of the reasons why I can love him so much. Everything I am not.

The thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character

Jem. My love, my darling. My Jian Ming.....LOOK IN THE DAMN MIRROR!!

Sometimes, I think someone has put a curse on him to never see his beauty because WHAT THE HELL?? He can recognise everyone's beauty but not his own? I think he might need glasses.

Oh, and sometimes he's so fucking horny, like geez

Cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

The furthest from problematic a character has EVER been

Send me a character and I'll answer these questions

[fenicenera83]

It pains me deeply to see one of the things that I loved most during my adolescence and that everything now accompanies me, so deeply loved, taken and despised and denied by other people. But this is not about the simple childish talk of fighting for the favorite couple. It is about distorting and brutalizing a beautiful and profound love story like no other. The chronicles are full of strong, beautiful and sometimes destructive loves or other loves that heal instead but are undeniable, inseparable from both the characters and the story being told. I am quite tired of seeing people distort Armand's character and the Canon that Anne has decided for him. And for Marius. This is not about interpretations, because both I and people much better at writing than I am, could slap you with TVA in hand, and you would continue and deny the 'evidence and rape Armand's character.

There is only one, I believe, apart from his faith in God, one authentic truth that makes Armand,

well... Armand! and that is his immense and unbreakable love for Marius. It is one of the real cardinal points that create Armand. Anne Rice, she was the number one Marius/Armand fan, and I'm not kidding. But I don't say this, to battle because it's my OTP, I say this, because I can recognize the immense love that Marius has for Daniel or the 'love that Lestat has for Marius, like Thorne's or Avicus' etc. ... all of them love Marius, all of them deeply and differently from each other. Of course I have my preferences but I would never deny the feelings that unite these characters, or the nuances that I personally see in them.

I don't discuss people's preferences, maybe I can do that in private, with friends, but because we like to talk about Anne's vampires, more than anything else. The point? The point is that I am tired of hearing bullshit about Marius, yes, tired of hearing bullshit about Armand, and I am tired of hearing bullshit about Marius/Armand. No one is forcing you to like it, but you still have no right to force yourself to brutalize the author's Canon and present yourself as the saviors of us poor miserable Marius/Armand fans. Honestly, the truth is only one, that Armand loves Marius, that Marius loves Armand, both with immense, unbreakable and undeniable strength and passion.

That Armand survived and struggled only because of the memory of Marius' love for him, that Armand is afraid that Marius will no longer feel love for him and that is why he shuns him.

Armand has loved Marius forever and ever and that is why Anne made both of them suffer the loss of the other, to put both of them in the same pain, to put both of them in front of the need for each other, to put both of them in front of the truth that they both know well but hide inside, because they are afraid, because time and the world has separated them for a long time, and the truth is their love. So I don't care about ship and blah blah, do what you like, but if you deny the Canon and Armand's love for Marius, you are just creating characters of your own, which don't exist in the chronicles. Maybe you should either learn to understand a text or write your own stories, so you don't disrespect anyone and say less rubbish.And yes i am angry.