#otp: on the wrong side of history

[the-king-and-the-druidess]

Showing mercy

Mordred x Morgana, Aithusa, S5 canon divergent, redeemed!Morgana and Mordred, destiny

They always wanted the best for everyone. They chose to save themselves. None knows who is more eager to redeem themselves: Mordred who burns the throne of Camelot with a single blink of his eyes, or Morgana who sends the rain to wash the ash and smoke away, or Aithusa who soars above in the sunrays and wants to laugh but can't. They did this not to rule and reign, not anymore. Maybe Aithusa's sad, clear eyes have revealed the truth to them. They want there to be no more power and authority left but that which breathes in the lake mists and apple blossom. They think they will throw off the burden of the generations.

"Go." they say to their former friends, to the lowered swords. They won't hurt them again, not anymore. Now that Camelot is gone, Arthur, Merlin and Gwen can finally go to their farm and get lost in the legends; and Morgana, Mordred and Aithusa can get lost in the druid forests and never be alone anymore. Maybe this farm will stand on the edge of that very forest.

They think they will throw off the shackles, break the vicious cycle. But even in their desire to help, to return the good, Morgana and Mordred can bring nothing but downfall. They leave, they don't care, leaving what is left of Camelot clean and defenseless, and the tribes from the North come to fill the empty space.

[elysianholly]

Why Spuffy

Decided to put this here so I can find it more easily. Originally answered on r/Fanfic: What is your OTP?

Why? There are a lot of assumptions made about Spike/Spuffy fans. Like, we're just whores for good cheekbones. We're blinded by Spike's abs. We're all just abuse victims waiting to fall in love with the wrong person. And honestly, after 2+ decades of this nonsense, it'd be nice to just say: "read this then get back to me."

So. What is your OTP?

Buffy/Spike from BtVS. They've owned my heart for more than 20 years and show no signs of slowing down.

At first, it was the enemies-to-lovers thing. I've always been a sucker for that. Especially for a villain who turns to mush for a hero in the falling process. That is still true, but my love for them has become more nuanced the older I've gotten. I just turned 39; I fell in love with Spuffy when I was 17. What I love most about them today is that their history as enemies means they know each other better than anyone, have seen each other's faults, have done the worst things they could do to each other, and have a very honest, non-rosy view of their relationship. Spike is also the only man in Buffy's life (on the show; I'm not counting comics) who owns the hurt he's caused without making it her fault or imposing his view of things and convincing her he's right. He shows her that loving her doesn't always mean sacrifice or suffering, the way it was with Angel or Riley, but that she can make someone want to be better. And he also knows her well enough to know she will assume the responsibility of the soul he sought for himself (the most effective and tortuous sentence for the demon who hurt her), so he first tries to hide it from her, then encourages her when she starts dating Robin Wood that she owes him nothing, that she doesn't need to consider his feelings. It's the first time someone she's been intimate with has not been petty or jealous at the thought of her moving on. And because he has seen the best and worst in her, when he says he loves her, it's with a view of the whole person Buffy is.

And for Buffy, loving Spike is about loving herself. He was her outlet for her depression, a representation of all the bad things she thought about herself when she was at her lowest, and she punished him for that. She was conditioned to believe her friends' acceptance of her had strings attached. By Season 7, after she has come to peace with the worst thing she went through, she is no longer apologizing for herself or making excuses. She is unapologetically in charge. Loving Spike means loving the parts of her she always thought were ugly or twisted or irredeemable, going all the way back to how she carried the burden of Angel having lost his soul when she was a 17-year-old girl in love and had no idea what was going to happen. Furthermore, how she was made to feel responsible (side-eyeing Xander here; Giles and Willow get a pass but Xander was the most egregious offender). She also assumed the responsibility for her relationship with Riley falling apart even after he negged, gaslit, and cheated on her. Spike showed Buffy that she is not the problem in relationships, and allowing herself to love him meant an acceptance of self she struggled to find throughout the course of the show. In the end, after bringing out the worst in each other when they were at their worst, they learned to bring out the best in each other. It's just beautiful.

And that's why Spuffy, friends.

[joltionizagamrr]

DMMD - Koujaku Route

My thots :)

To begin:

Character Design and first impressions: I LOVE Koujaku's character design- he's HOT. He's honestly so my type- a perfect blend of pretty and strongly masculine. His reputation as a ladykiller makes sense- honestly, his swag was so strong, it made me wonder if DMMD was made by a woman, lol. The game wrote him perfectly I feel like- he defintiley gave that strong impression of his authority as a gang leader, while also showcasing that side of him that is vulnerable and careful in his personal life. It was a very realistic portrayal of what he was meant to be.

First impression in hindsight to Aoba's POV: At first, I didn't understand why Aoba was honestly so weird about being around Koujaku. The fact that he would try to skeddadle at the sight of him, or would be so STRESSED having to talk to him-- I thought that might have been weirdly uncharacteristic. However, I couldn't be further from wrong. Aoba's reactions weren't THAT extreme, and were honestly kind of relateable (which is why I love aoba as a character so much) given the circumstances. This is his childhood best friend we're talking about- someone he shared a CLOSE tie to his whole childhood, he lost contact from him for a time period, and dude comes back to be a total hottie with the ladies AND a gang leader. Like, I wouldn't know how to act around him either LOL. I feel like sometimes when you have an extensive history with someone, relearning how to be around them after you have both changed is SO weird. It's not that Aoba didn't like him or hated him all of a sudden, he just needed a push to not resist that change. Obviously spending more time with each other, when choosing Koujaku's route, will easily help. Also, if you notice, Aoba mainly feels so resistant when Koujaku is out in public, around the ladies-- this is just an awkward situation for anyone.

Koujaku route scenes:

His scenes are SO realistic and honestly wholesome. He has a very positive bearing on his attitude, and playing his route realistically feels like someone id date.....except for *that* scene lol. The one problematic scene in the main storyline was a bit shocking for me, considering it wasn't even a bad ending or anything like that. It's kinda wild how aoba just KEEPS IT MOVIN after experiencing the most traumatic things in his entire life LOL. The way they wrapped up that scene and bounced back from it was well enough for me, considering I love everything else about his route :3

Character design:

Koujaku was one of the characters that strongly catched my eye, which got me interested in the DMMD series in the first place. He's very attractive, and i'm also biased because I like dark hair and tattoos lol. The way he smiles too is attractive as well- I love a fun upbeat type character!

Is he my FAV OTP?

NO! He's soooo close tho. Ideally, I want him, aoba, and ren to be in a threeway relationship ;w;!

[scolop98]

Turns out I have too many thoughts to put this in a comment and honestly it was a matter of time before I made a post about these two.

Okay so: AMC's Pantheon. Season one episode one. Cary and Renee are playing out their whole "pretending to be in an abusive relationship" shtick. We the audience find out that this is a ruse after their shouting match at dinner, when they meet up in the garage.

Everything about this exchange—their dialogue and poses, the smirk on Renee’s face, the casualness of it all—read like flirting to me. That, combined with the general reveal that they'd been faking an abusive marriage—not to mention how Renee immediately slides back into The Role after Cary leaves—had me HOOKED. AND it was our first hint that something was seriously and abnormally wrong (= very interesting) with Caspian's life/the Keyes family, so my initial interest in Caspian's subplot was heavily tied to Renee and Cary's dynamic.

Then we get to episodes two and three... and they absolutely hate each other.

(context: first video is after he shoves her to the ground in front of their "son" and his "girlfriend" in ep2. second video, from ep3, they are picking out the hammer that (spoilers) will be used to break her arm later that night)

Every interaction is clipped dialogue and frosty glares and the bare minimum effort spent to make sure you and your coworker aren't going to step on each other's toes. At least on Renee's side—sometimes Cary seems like he's trying to connect with Renee (ex: after they meet "Hannah" for the "first" time), and sometimes he just seems pissed at her (ex: buying out the hammer) (which is understandable, she's the worst. she is such an asshole and I love her for that)

And then we get to end of episode three: The Hammer Scene

Where Renee breaks her own arm because Cary is "too pussy to do it himself" (not an actual quote), and Cary breaks down in tears after leaving Caspian. When Cary shows that despite participating in this ethical nightmare, he's enough of a decent human being to not want to break his coworker's arm and also genuinely cares about the surrogate son he's raised for the last 17 years; and when Renee shows that she is 110% committed to whatever this still-ambiguous, evil-shadowy-tech-corp-backed Truman Show gambit is that she's dedicated the last 17 years of her life to.

Also relevant (to me specifically) is that this scene is sandwiched directly between David and Ellen's breakup scenes, which are some of my favorite moments in season one and the primary reason why David/Ellen is my favorite Pantheon ship. The contrast between David and Ellen's dynamic (we both agree it's healthier to not get back together, but that doesn't mean we can't still banter about old memories) & my reaction to them (WOW is it obvious these two used to be married, instant OTP) compared to Renee and Cary's power hour (i.e. performing the most jaw-dropping, unexpected plot twist in the show up to that point) did something irreversible to my brain chemistry and single-handedly kickstarted my interest in "incredibly divorced animated parents with convoluted relationship histories" ships.

In hindsight, the tone shift in Cary and Renee's interactions in the first three episodes was probably just bad continuity or one of those "characterization was not fully fleshed out when we made the first episode" situations. Aside from the first episode, literally all their scenes in season one make it obvious that Renee and Cary were in a purely professional fake marriage and were NOT friends. Renee can’t stand Cary, and he’s incredibly frustrated with her half the time. While their garage banter did an incredible job as a Reveal Scene, it's also a clear outlier in terms of how Renee and Cary's relationship is written.

I wasn’t really thinking about any of that during my first watch of Pantheon. I was thinking: "flirty coworkers in a morally fucked up job" + "clearly pissed at each other" = "hate-to-love-you ship dynamic," and then I was thinking "HOLY SHIT SHE JUST BROKE HER OWN ARM" and could not stop rotating this family in my mind. I did notice that the garage scene didn't match their later characterization, but instead of thinking about the bad writing I kept rotating the potential of that dynamic in my mind.

Later S1 developments such as "Renee sees Cary and shoots him on sight" and "now that I've put you in this hospital bed I will gloat about everything (I think) you've lost, and also we still have to pretend to be married," and "we are in different states and still jump at the first chance to throw each other under the bus, which unintentionally reads as obsession with each other" did nothing to dissuade this train of thought, mind you.

So to synthesize all this: Cary and Renee are very clearly not in any sort of romantic/sexual/emotional relationship. Renee dislikes Cary at best, and all of Cary's post-episode-one moments of concern/sympathy toward Renee can be framed through this flashback sequence:

Cary, exasperated: "And… we're gonna be working together for awhile […] Let's. Try and make it pleasant. Deal?"

Cary (reasonably) wants to get along with the coworker he's going to spend the next 17 years of his life with, even (especially) if she's an asshole.

But that plot-critical-but-OOC moment in episode one wired my brain to think about these two being close enough to banter, and through that filter their dynamic in the rest of the season looked a lot like those sexually-charged, obsessive mortal enemy dynamics that enemies-to-lovers and hero/villain shippers thrive on. Not to mention the fact that these two have lived the last 17 years in the same house and might've been sleeping in the same bed for several years to keep up appearances (I know that everyone's favorite fake-marriage duo don't sleep in the same room but TwiYor don't have to keep their fake marriage a secret from their child). It is very, very easy for me to imagine an AU where Cary and Renee would have hate sex sometimes, and I feel like it would have practically zero butterflies on the outcome of the plot. Or alternatively, imagine if they were genuinely in a relationship while raising Caspian and how insanely toxic it would be—especially since their platonic, professional canon relationship is already incredibly unbalanced in terms of emotional labour.

And the fact that one of their most emotionally charged, status quo-changing, plot-relevant scenes was paired and directly contrasted with the most emotionally charged, character arc-relevant scene of my favorite Pantheon ship (David x Ellen) in what rapidly became my favorite sequence of season? Meant I was constantly reminded of this ship (Cary x Renee) whenever I thought about why I loved this show.

Anyways that's how a tiny bit of inconsistent characterization in pantheon's first episode turned these awful fake parents into my second favorite Pantheon OTP - not in the sense of "I think these characters should be together," but more like a "can you imagine how much worse their lives would've been if they were in an on-and-off situationship at any point in the last 18 years" that I constantly rotated in my mind for weeks after finishing season one. I hope my first attempt at a proper tumblr analysis essay was coherent, I wrote it between midnight and 3 AM. As a bonus, have this edit of them that I made last summer for a "toxic/complicated/disorienting relationships" MEP

The song is Tainted Love, covered by Milky Chance and originally by Soft Cell

Also, to clear up any confusion: just because I think Renee is The Worst and an Awful Human Being does not mean I don't like her as a character. I like her character a lot more than Cary actually. She's not blorbo material but she IS "I love to hate this character" material. She's the centerpiece of the entire fucked up Keyes Family Dynamic! From an audience perspective, she acts as The Face of Logorhythm's clone plot, given how she has more screen time and direct interactions with Caspian than Cary or Julius Pope in S1, and she's so intricately tied to Caspian's "what the fuck is wrong with my life" investigations. She's an asshole, but she's a complex, interesting asshole with plot relevance, screen time, and more personality than Julius Pope, and I loved watching how she and Caspian play off each other and how that changes over time. also she's a fucked-up and evil woman and idk i find that compelling in a fictional character, sue me.

[lonelylonelyghost]

Re-watch of The Spirealm. Episode 7

A crazy scientist. Scrawny lil dude of a man. I like him

A mysterious building where you can hop through different timelines by going up and down the stairs. A hotel where you'll likely to be murdered but it's also the only place that is safe from the poisonous fog outside, which may or may not contain zombies.

The concept is amazing. You can come up with so many other stories!

Every Door is truly a distinct world, no matter how small, with its own aesthetic, little details, characters and history. One of the reasons why I love this show.

Another reason for my love for this show. A smart little cookie.

The other little cookie. He's currently practicing for an upcoming boop

He's me. Down to the hair, the outfit and the posture. My spiritual twin omg

:(

He did lots of messed up stuff, but here you can feel the relief and exhaustion washing over him after so long. It's finally over. He did everything he could to save his mother and then some, while slowly drowning deeper and deeper in the darkness himself. And now that he has managed to fix the timeline and right the wrong, you can see that terrified 10 year old boy's face showing up behind the Wizard's facade.

Beautiful and heartbreaking.

Lmao WHAT I haven't noticed the guy in the background before, what is that expression AHAHAHAHAH

Me, watching my otp interact asldkaslk

"Move to Obsidian. When you move there, Chestnut might let you get closer to him."

Blackmailing your future husband with his own cat. Oh, Nanzhu, the menace that you are

Ah, to be coerced or not to be coerced. That is the question.

Fuck it. Chestnut is worth everything. Just look at this cutie patootie

He looks goooood here

Ding! New item acquired: a second cat.

Qualities: strong, smart, dramatic, possessive and actually not really a cat.

Congratulations and good luck!

The beauty in need of lychees.

You can never go wrong with some hurt/comfort. Also, if you look form the side and squint, you can see them holding hands. What a nice shot

I mean, what else can I say here?... Nothing. I can only look

[big-royal-chicken]

Hazbin Ship Meme

My friend @staticradioismyfavhateship brought this meme to my attention, so here’s my take on it. My feelings on these ships can be read under the cut:

RadioRose 📻🌹

OTP but in a platonic way. I just really like this duo, and I think it’s because I’m biased and Rosie is my favorite character. Their dynamic reminds me a lot of another pairing from another series (one that I do ship in a romantic context).

They’re just aesthetically pleasing to look at and I love the silly fluff that comes with it. Which is ironic as they are both demon canibals.

Alastor isn’t into sex and romance, but he trusts Rosie and seems to be on good terms with her, so that’s all that matters.

RadioSilence 📻📺

I’m intrigued by the idea of Vox having these unrequited feelings for Alastor, both as a rival and maybe a lover? I just like the idea of him being uber jealous over Rosie and Lucifer. Rosie for having a deep friendship with him, and Lucifer for having a compelling rivalry. (I blame my friend and their cute art too)

Season two might shed some more light on their past so we’ll see how things go from there.

Lucifer x Alastor

(I know what it’s called, I’m not using the name)

I’m gonna be real with you chief, fandom kind of ruined this one for me. I like them as rivals who may become friends later on. I’ve been given too many recommendations showing explicit or suggestive art of the two, which is extremely out of character for Alastor. I can’t stop people from shipping it, but I am going to have to resort to filtering it out and blocking blogs that have it.

Alastor x Charlie

Same reasons I don’t like Ra/pple, but also to do with that Charlie is already in a loving relationship with Vaggie and Alastor has canonically stated that he sees her as a daughter. Honestly, Alastor x any of the Morningstar family is a NOTP for me.

Other ships

Emily x Charlie x Vaggie: I think Chaggie is cute. It could’ve had some more development in the show though. I’m intrigued by the idea of Emily x Charlie x Vaggie as a polyamorous ship.

Carmilla x Zestiel: I think it’s cute. Like Radiorose, it seems these two have a history together and have formed a deep relationship from it. Unlike Radiorose, I’m uncertain if theirs potential for romance.

CherriSnake: Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s cute and their dynamic is intriguing, but I think they were done dirty by the pacing of the show.

Lucilith: I’ve seen some cute art and their backstory is adorable, but we have yet to see how their dynamic plays out.

Huskerdust: Not a shipper, but I can see how people could be into them.

StaticMoth: This one is weird because I don’t like Valentino for obvious reasons, and Vox isn’t any better- so I think these bastards deserve each other.

Lute x Adam: Neutral about it, but I can see it being a one-sided admiration.

[jynjackets]

for the ask game your fav ship ever: bix/cassian 😍

omg my otp <3

dedicated to all four of the shippers aka my biggest fans mwah 😙

before i catch strays, here’s some optional background information under the cut

tbh, I would not give a single shit about this ship if:

-their dynamic and her character wasn’t written to be extremely sexist. it’s literally so fucking sad if i have to explain that fridging a woman who had zero significance outside of ‘caring about cassian’ is sexist. like. this character is unique in that she was purely, entirely made in bad faith. have you even questioned why she is the only latina? along with the fact that his biological sister was implied to be a prostitute?

- the ‘fans’ weren’t using it as a hateship by saying a background extra was meant for cassian just to hate on jyn before the show even fucking aired. i might believe there’s like 2 genuine people out there but that’s because they genuinely like to know the history before rebelcaptain. that said…

- the binian shippers who also ship rebelcaptain weren’t pretending they’re not insane misogynists for obsessing over a fictional man’s fictional sexual history, as if it is ONLY Cassian’s relationship with them that establishes these women’s importance; as if women literally don’t create their own importance lmao. and even if that extremely fucked-up logic had any truth, even then bin STILL loses

And also like, you idiot fans, please show me where the bin hate is. like WHERE?? because i would be liking and reblogging that shit. where is the hate that ISNT grounded in defending latinos and better writing for female characters? and don’t fucking show me a post from fucking 2022 because the fans made entirely of orientalist men-obsessed bitches are acting like they’re a persecuted minority

- the ‘fans’ weren’t fucking latinophobes and literally harassing me in my anons for being a latina speaking out against their favorite anti-black show. and whose biggest shipper wasn’t a racistass homophobicass first-world white woman in her 60s like 💀 i’m side-eyeing the fuck out of any of you who are even nice about this. you want to /not/ be called a misogynist sooo bad you’ll pretend one of the worst characters ever actually means something to you. let alone to latinas. and is that not weird?? that almost every latina in this fandom doesn’t like or just doesn’t care about this bitch? like who are you trying to fool?

- if the miss morbius actress wasn’t one of the worst people alive. i am so serious.

aside from her father being a piece of shit and one of the richest men men in latin america (meaning she’s a nepo baby, and if she has ever called herself poor she is literally lying), she’s dumb as bricks bruh. not a single brain cell behind anything she says. this is my post about her sexism with some dumb shit she’s said over the years. once in a while is understandable i guess but it’s every fucking time

she’s also a zionist

so yeah. otherwise I genuinely wouldn’t give a shit. i wish we had someone like q’ira which would make it super interesting how cassian ran into criminals before. THAT would say something about cassian and his moral departures in relationships and what that meant meeting jyn who was a rebel ‘on the wrong side’ versus q’ira who also had limited choices but different priorities in needing to rebel. she moreso ‘followed orders’ with maul which would make him understand and be familiar with someone like her. being with someone too similar to him AND contrasting in his morals would be an interesting development to see them need to break it off in order for them to grow.

but alas we have this shit. it’s pretty fucking hard to be a shipper and not fall into one of these categories of shitty fans i talked about. the least worst imo being having piss poor media literacy. so maybe you’re just a dumb don’t-know-better sexist instead of an intentionally malicious sexist. same shit to me tho.

[danpuff-ao3]

Rare Pair Tag Game

Rules: List the top rarepairs that you like outside of your OTP, and why you ship it! (Criteria for what makes a rarepair is up to your own discretion.).

Thanks for the tag @writcraft!!

Tagging: @perverse-idyll, @lizzy0305, @fleetingdesires, @cindle-writes, @serenaew, @tackytigerfic, @sweet-s0rr0w, @broomsticks, @lumosatnight, @indigo-scarf, @the-paper-monkey, @maesterchill, @snapesnailtape, @kellychambliss, @givereadersahug, @coconutice22, @likelightinglass, @crazybutgood, @sugareey-makes-stuff, @anaxandria-writes, @greenmegsnoham, @siriusly-sapphic, @thistlecatfics, @vdoshuand anyone else who wants to play! But no pressure to anyone I tagged, either! 💛

Now....onto the ships!

OTP is Snarry of course! And most of my rare pair loves, or other ships in general, feature DRACO my beloved!

Draco/Sirius: top tier for me because of that juicy, juicy age gap. And a hint of incest for extra flavor, but also isn't too close for comfort. There's the Harry connection (Sirius as the godfather and Draco as the rival), and the war connection (Sirius in the Order and Draco as a teenage Death Eater.) Lots of room for tension. But they're both also very bright and gifted. Sirius is rebellious enough to catch Draco's eye (very "bad boy" of him) and Draco is sassy enough and quick enough to keep Sirius entertained. Plus I see them both as being a bit vain and will both especially love how good they look together. 😉 Basically: lots to explore and lots of potential that I am DYING to play with, and to see played with more! (Really need to do a rec list for them soon....)

Draco/Remus: also really up there for me. Again: the age gap. But also! More to play with. There's again that Harry connection and the war connection we see with Sirius, but the whole dynamic changes with Remus. The pureblood boy raised in pureblood culture and Remus, who is not only a half-blood but a werewolf! Also: poor. Everything about Remus should be "wrong" but I think they could complement each other well. Remus is very smart and has lots of experience with troublesome Marauders....Draco's not going to give him any problems! Remus is patient and experienced and while he is capable of temper, and capable of mischief, he also has quite a stable and reliable presence to him that I think would appeal to Draco. Remus feels like a "safe" choice on a personal, one-on-one level, though their relationship itself would get all sorts of heat from all sides. Remus will find Draco to be endearing, even with all his sass and drama, and in Remus Draco will find love and acceptance he's never truly had before.

Draco/Ron: ah yes my enemies to lovers + opposites attract loves!! Both purebloods, but raised on opposite ends of the spectrum, Draco with the blood supremacy and in high society, with the Weasleys as "blood traitors" and poorer. Draco is the spoiled only child, Ron the sixth of seven children. The Gryffindor & the Slytherin, the Order vs the Death Eaters, and so on and so forth. Both very smart, both pretty temperamental, both pretty competitive. A lot of tension and a lot of fun. It's all SPARKS between them and I can see them both realizing how attracted (if not connected) they are waaaaay too late and being horrified by it which is hilarious. There's a lot of humor potential here, too, with two quick witted men! Also the aesthetic! Red hair and blond hair, blue eyes and gray eyes! 😍 (Listen, I can't lie, the aesthetic is just too good!)

Draco/Charlie: this is a fun one! A lil baby age gap. Plus Draco being the dragon, and Charlie being the dragon keeper. It's obvious but oh so delicious. There's the idea of some initial tension due to their families' history, but one easily moved past since they don't have personal history between them. Plus I see Charlie as very like Remus in being a sorta patient and stolid presence, and someone who can put up with all Draco gives and provides a safe place for him to be himself and be accepted and cared for. Also all the fun potential of postwar Draco escaping England and going to the dragon reserve and training as a healer there!!!! I'm a sucker for those stories, not gonna lie. Charlie is so fun and adventurous and I think he can really brighten Draco's life and help Draco find more of who he is in a safe and non-judgemental place.

Draco/Albus Severus: age gap galore! Dating the son of your childhood nemesis who looks like a mini him?? Too much fun I can't lie. (Also and this is very specific to me, but c'mon....Snarry + Dralbus???? Harry being horrified but also his son is just in the position he was in many moons ago!!!!) (I'm writing a fic like that right now, it's just slow going, but one day!!!! One day it will exist in the world.)

Neville/Percy: This one is hard to explain but like....the awkward romance vibes! Uptight Percy and chill but shy Neville. Neville can respect Percy's rules and standards I think, while Percy can appreciate Neville's strength and skill. Both are people whose contributions are often overlooked or belittled so them appreciating each other and finding that support and respect in each other would do them both a world of good I think!!

Neville/Remus: Age gap! Soft sweet bois. There's not enough of these two out there I swear, and they're both characters I have so much love for!! They're strong and decent and they've both overcome so much in life, and I think they'd have a nice steady and comfortable relationship once they got together.

Hermione/Ginny: It's so hard for me to find fics of these 2 that work for me but I still have so many feelings. They're such competent ladies. Very individual and independent and confident. I love the idea of Hermione being the brains and Ginny being the brawn haha! The bookworm and the athlete!! 😍 All the awkwardness of dating a friend and extra awkwardness if we keep Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione as temporary relationships (until everyone realizes they're gay, of course.) Ugh. There's just so much potential here and I need it!!!!

Ginny/Gwenog: mega rarepair but oh god I love them. 2 athletic ladies!! Plus age gap, at least some sorta age gap. I also love to headcanon Gwenog as a Slytherin and a bit arrogant and playing the story of "don't meet your heroes" with Ginny hero-worshipping Gwenog until they meet and get off on the wrong foot!! But then obviously fall together!!!! I need it I swear. I need to write more of them, maybe in the same universe as Red All Over...🤔

Fleur/Hermione: god I love them. Like with Hermione/Ginny it's putting two very skilled and competent ladies together. Brave and strong and sure in who they are and also their values. Fleur is also pretty dang badass. She was a champion!! I especially adore the idea of Fleur being a good role model for femininity and how it's okay to be fashionable and get dolled up for oneself, but also how women can still be capable while being attractive, and even if she's a little vain there's more to her than just that. And Hermione having to face her own prejudices against more "girly" things. And maybe Fleur having some disdain for Hermione's "know it all" attitude, and them working through bad first impressions and finding someone they can really connect with and have as a teammate in life. I really love the idea of them bonding over activism and Fleur being impressed with Hermione's passion, and sharing her own struggles as being part-Veela and the struggles her Veela family members have dealt with.

Severus/Filch: Age gap! Also: caretaker/student? Yes please. Something about this pair does it for me. Not as a forever love kinda thing, but definitely a special connection for two men who are starved for connection. Think about it: Filch is a Squib working in a magical school! No wonder he's so bitter. And the students don't treat him much better than he treats them, really. Then we have Severus, who is so skilled and so intelligent and so under-appreciated by practically everyone around him. By his peers. By his teachers. Even at home (whether or not Filch knows this), between Tobias not liking magic much, the abuse at least between Eileen and Tobias, but also I like to see Severus as being too bright as a kid and his parents not really knowing what to do with him in general. And then Severus being bullied at school for not being handsome enough or charming enough or having the right connections or having money, etc. And Filch sorta seeing something he relates to, not being appreciated, and himself learning to appreciate how sharp Severus is and how independent and capable he is. And Severus having someone who looks out for him, and who sees him, and having a safe place to be.

(Originally this was numbered but Tumblr tells me I exceeded the character per block limit 😒) (Anyway this next one is number 12 which is a good number to round off on.)

Harry/Scorpius: I've said it before and I'll say it again: Snarry is my husband and Scarry is the hot pool boy I fantasize about. I legitimately feel like I'm cheating on my OTP when they're in other ships but something about Harry/Scorpius draws me in! Part of it is, much like the reason I ship Snarry, I love both Harry and Scorpius so much. And this is Cursed Child Scorpius, the Cinnamon Roll, who is beyond precious and I adore him. Plus you know: age gap + "child of my school nemesis who looks just like him" and you know....+ son's best friend. It's so wrong and awkward and fun!! Especially when it's Scorpius having a massive crush on Harry from basically childhood and Harry eventually seeing him in a new light. PLUS with Snarry being forever in my head and heart, it's the idea of having another love so different from his first, which is softer and sweeter and both are really good but in different ways. And maybe Severus and Scorpius can each hold their own special, unique place in his heart (though I don't dare think long on why Severus might not be in the picture anymore...) Anyway idk Scarry just does it for me and I'm obsessed, but please don't tell my husband (Snarry.)

.....if you made it all the way through this, 10 points to your Hogwarts house.

[ninadove]

Lukadrinette and Clemmy for the ship ask game !!!!

THANK YOU HEHE 💖

Lukadrinette ✅

1. What made you ship it?

Honestly? Migration! Pretty late to the party, I know. As someone who loves unconditional and overpowering devotion (romantic or platonic) between two characters, I don’t have many poly ships in general, and Wishmaker left a bad taste in my mouth. I did not want my boy Luka to constantly be the Love Square’s third wheel.

In that sense, Migration did the exact opposite of Perfection and Protection, which crushed the remnants of my interest in Adrigaminette beyond repair. It started off on the wrong (but admittedly hilarious) foot with the therapy session, and yet somehow by the end I could see Luka taking great care of these two idiots and being cared for in return. As far as I’m concerned, all three of them are in a long distance relationship by the end of the episode.

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

Lukadrien

Seriously though. I think @paracosmicat said it best when they called Luka the Love Square’s grounding force. They need his quiet strength and kindness to not explode the fucking moon.

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Okay okay. Do not stab me.

… I think Lukadrinette could have been pretty toxic in S4, given the dynamics between the characters then, but that it is leagues healthier than Adrigaminette as of S5.

And yeah, I’m biased, obviously. It doesn’t change the fact that I am absolutely right.

NOW THAT I’VE BEEN CONTROVERSIAL ON MAIN. Let’s move on to my obscure ship, my beloved rarepair, the OTP amongst my OTPs.

CLEMMY ✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅

1. What made you ship it?

The actual origin story is that I joined a Layton roleplay group wayyy back then, and picked up where their former Clive had left off. Keep in mind, I was just about to turn 14, which means Azran Legacy wasn’t even out yet.

AND THEN IT WAS. AND IT MADE EVERYTHING A BILLION TIMES BETTER.

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

I absolutely love the parallels and contrasts between Clive and Emmy. Both are twist antagonists, both are redeemable, both deeply care for Hershel despite having betrayed him. One is a manipulator, while the other has been used her entire life. Most importantly, one accepted the consequences of his actions, while the other ran away.

There’s just so much potential here, and the fandom has been sleeping on it for over a decade.

LIKE

AS MUCH AS I COMPLAIN ABOUT THE LACK OF FELIGAMI AND SENTICOUSINS CONTENT, THERE ARE 10+ TIMES MORE WORKS FOR THEM THAN FOR CLEMMY. I WROTE TWO OF THESE. I AM DYING SQUIRTLE.

Get on it, people. I’m saying that in your own interest. The Clemmy agenda will prevail anyway — you want to be on the right side of history when it does.

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Clive is bi, but doesn’t know it because he is also demi and as such did not have any crushes before meeting his future wife.

Emmy is pan. For some reason, non-lesbian Emmy seems to piss off fans beyond belief, even though there are no canon elements to hint either way. As a lesbian myself, I am perplexed.

Ask game here! 💙💛

[dio-the-thot-exterminator]

For the character meme: beast wars dinobot

-cybertron-after-dark

hiiiiiiiiiiiii :)

How I feel about this character

Love Pink!

I think everyone's love for him was the reason why I decided to watch beast wars in the first place. And i almost quit the show after he died so i'd say i like him a normal amount (lie).

I have a love hate relationship with his design cuz its sooooo hard for me to draw like why did he do that he should have chosen something simpler. 

His mannerisms and how tall he is makes everything in the show 10 times more funny(to me). ohhhhh I'm fixed on his voice and vocal tics it really does make him stand out from the rest of the cast.

He’s so mean too, a hating ass bitch, I can respect that. He’d be the best fast food coworker (he’d still work at popeyes!!). And sometimes he be loud and wrong, like ok CLOWN.

How do I say this nicely? Making fun of him is my favourite thing to do. Also since he is the fan favourtie (am i correct in assuming this?) everyone makes fire ass art involving him. always a treat, he never let me down.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

A good fight would make him hooooorny.

Tarantulas - one, I just think it's funny and two, that one episode when he was complimenting tarantulas's hunting skills?? Can you imagine them hunting things together??? I need it!! Dinobot in his evil cannibal twins era <3

Tigatron - uhhh the solitude uhh the warriors bond the best slow burn ever. They are opposites and dont understand each other at all. LITERALLY Law of the Jungle ep is just: tigatron doesn't behave the way DB wants him to so Dinobot is thinking “ *snorts* i can fix him!!”. It’s peak to me…

Tigatron so calm and wholesome, and Dinobot is…NOT pfttttt  AHHH LIKE FIRE AND ICE FIRE AND ICE!!!!! They clash but go togetherrrrrr *sigh* who sees my vision 🥹

thats all my brain could come up with aack

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Cheetor and Dinobot lol hi grandpa take his ass to hot topic 

My unpopular opinion about this character

Dinobot would not make a good leader. He’s not emotionally considerate and does not have the skills to “think past the battle”. He can fight, anticipate an ambush, command some soldiers but that's pretty much it.

Actual diplomacy, or caring about the health of his teammates? HA! 

He constantly wants to abandon people, or overthrow someone, switching sides like crazy. Nigga never been loyal…and he likes to talk about his “honor”.

Now I really need some insight on what “predacon honor” is cuz wtf?? Rattrap was lowkey right, how could we trust him? 

I was sad when he died but ion really feel like he needs to come back, you know? You could kind of sense that there was no direction the show could take his character.

And getting rid of him was the logical choice. He a lil self destructive and got some issues (that's why I love him) but after a while it got repetitive for me. I don't think this show was equipped to handle the characterization they were building up to so him dying was kinda a good thing dare i say. 

He's a bottom 🏳‍🌈

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

More predacon interactions that hint at what his life was like before they crashed on earth.

The lil nuggets we get are so interesting to me, I need to see how the dynamics were before he ‘betrayed’ them.

He knows these guys so well im so madddd i missing out on all the dramaaaaaaa

i also wanted him to interact more with rampage...i cant explain it but....there's something there that needs to be explored

Eat more people

be weird

be a freak

Nerd out tenfold about history

Should have killed silverbolt whaaaa who said that

Thats all i can think of off da top of me headdd, thanks for the ask @cybertron-after-dark 💜

sorry for typos!

[the-king-and-the-druidess]

from: V.Mayakovsky// better if you killed me.but you knew I'd survive, and you left me with the consequences // MorganaxMordred

[olympeline]

Reply regarding the fruk v usuk posts.

I’ll start by stating my personal preference is Fruk, they’ve always been my OTP. I find usuk cute at times but generally I don’t seek out usuk content so it’s not on my mind much.

While I do agree with your interpretation, I think I always leaned more towards Fruk because I always saw America and England as brothers/family. The revolutionary war stuff, for example, always felt to me more like a father loosing a son. So I naturally gravitated to Fruk since they have the next most canon moments in an England ship (especially with Paint it White included), and I just love an enemies to lovers. I’m also a history buff and historically, Fruk fits so much better. (Also FACE fam)

This is not to bash usuk shippers at all it’s just how I interpreted the canon.

Side note - I feel like in recent years Fruk has become more/equally as popular than USUK (I could be wrong thought cause, again, I do seek out Fruk content). But if that is the case, it’s interesting to see how the fandom evolved from USUK being clearly the more popular of the two to it being relatively even. This might also be due to the rise in rusame shippers (I am one of those…)

That’s the good thing about Arthur and Alfred: you can interpret their relationship in many different ways and there’s still lots of fun to be had. All that’s really confirmed by canon is “they cared about each other and were hurt by the fight.” Whether you interpret that care and hurt as a father losing a son, a battle between brothers, or a mentor/mentee which later turned into something more, it’s all entertaining nonetheless

Since I go deep diving into old blogs it’s difficult to judge how the popularity of ships has changed. To me it seems there’s tons of USUK but maybe that’s just because I’m looking back? It doesn’t seem like there’s more Rusame than when the fandom was new. I always remember there being lots of it anyway. Definitely Alfred’s second most popular ship back in the day. Not sure about the amount of FrUK. Who knows 🤔

[blairwaldcrf]

Caroline, Lexi, Rebekah

Caroline:

1: sexuality headcanon

somewhere on the queer spectrum, but less so than some of the other characters imo. also very demiromantic.

2: otp

stefan. i mean day one pilot episode it was him, and she got her june wedding just like she wanted which is Queen shit. (i do also have a soft spot for other ships with her though as i think she's one of the most shippable characters created. ie forwood, baroline, katholine, carenzo, klefaroline)

3: brotp

I think Bonnie, but like. as with every other character in the show she could have treated Bonnie so much better and the wedding invite was some bs. That being said, they were still both so much better to each other than the other half of the barolena friendship

4: notp

Other than the extremely obvious daroline? this used to be klaroline back when the show was airing, but since i don't hate them anymore, I'd say matt/caroline. he was just always pointing out her flaws in a "I'm so great for accepting you despite you" nice-guy way, while not bothering to hide that he was still in love with her best friend??, that was gross.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head

she doesn't let stefan sacrifice himself and after whatever finale fix alternative they run the school with klaus lol (idk if i like klaus as a school board figure or as a history teacher ala the hilarious bodyswapped!alaric scene but that's a different post)

6: favorite line from this character

not a line so much as an exclamation, but I adore her "Seriously?" every time. favorite quirk.

other badly paraphrased highlights off the top of my head while high: "lesbian friend necklace because we're freakly like that?" "if someone says I can't, I prove them wrong" "no one's more dangerous than who you're inviting into your bed" "come to me. whenever you need. i won't let you lose control" "I'm a good vampire. i don't go around killing people!"

7: one way in which I relate to this character

lol only one??? I'm the type A control freak, her favorite blood is B+ and that's indeed my blood type (caroline suck on me please), i was the insecure highschooler who got with an abuser, my mom died of cancer after i got close to her in adulthood...

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character

this quote specifically makes me cringe every single time: "girl likes boy, boy likes girl. sex."

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

I'm probably the problematic one for thinking this considering her body count if nothing else, but cinnamon roll

Lexi

1: sexuality headcanon

bi/pan

2: otp

I don't really have one? I think she and Sheila would be adorable after reading the comic but Sheila knows better than to mess with vampires lol

3: brotp

Stefan!! ❤

4: notp

her & damon obvs

5: first headcanon that pops into my head

when stefan goes to the other side in the finale she berates him for at least a year non stop for sacrificing himself on his wedding day for damon.

6: favorite line from this character

"She was, and she will always be an epic love. Contrary to popular belief, there are actually multiple ones, especially for a vampire."

7: one way in which I relate to this character

i too ship steroline and think Stefan needs to stay off his bullshit

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character

she liked damon for a second :/

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

cinnamon roll

Rebekah

1: sexuality headcanon

probably bi but I doubt she cares about labels after millenia

2: otp

her and Marcel. granted I didn't watch more than maybe a season of the originals, but still

3: brotp

Hayley

4: notp

Damon, per usual

5: first headcanon that pops into my head

at some point she finds the letters klaus sent elijah while pretending to be her while she was staked and she teases klaus relentlessly for his flowery descriptions of stefan (once the anger subsided)

6: favorite line from this character

I'm not sure I have an exact line but I did enjoy the breakfast club esque episode where she said plenty of on point, petty, hilarious things

7: one way in which I relate to this character

like she does for nohumanity!elena, i too support women's wrongs

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character

weirdly, her thing for stefan? i'm not sure I could even pinpoint why tbh

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

sinnamon roll

[ajgrey9647]

OTP questions: Quad Life timeline; Jason/Tommy/Red/Drakkon

Who gets sick more often? Does one of them avoid affection? Who apologizes first after a fight? Who uses the other’s shampoo?

Ohhh this will be fun. I LOVE talking about my baby boys! I feel like I word vomit them in my stories but I just adore them...

Let's see:

Who gets sick more often?

I'm going to go with Jason. As seen in Sunshine in the Storm Part 1 and Part 2 and Couple Stubborn Asses, he gets himself into some SHIT being boneheaded and having a bit of a temper. Rushes in and sometimes gets his ass handed to him. Definitely not one to take it easy or rest. He could probably avoid a lot of illness just by doing that.

Drakkon and Red probably not as much due to their time in the dystopian Coinless world with its crazy microbes and hardships. Plus Red still maintains his fighter's diet and exercise regime because its comforting to him. Drakkon's eased up some and kicks back with Mountain Dew and snacks and tv a little bit. He's still paranoid about being weak and vulnerable.

Does one of them avoid affection?

Drakkon. He doesn't necessarily avoid it per se. He doesn't understand it and it feels odd because it was never shown to him as a child. Unless someone wanted something. It was a commodity: love. In the beginning of the relationship, he might dodge it, but over time as he learns to trust and be vulnerable, he'll allow it. He's like a mangy alley cat that's been mistreated.

I think with Red though he's more open to it due to their long deeply entwined and intimate history. Jason is easier. Tommy is the hardest because all of his issues with HIMSELF at the core of things. I think that comes up in Going to the Chapel Chapter 1 where he admits to Tommy he's learning to trust him. I mean he has some type of affection towards him (just not sexual like with Red and Jason) later on. Initially, in the start of the relationship Drakkon and Tommy bicker and insult and instigate each other.

Who apologizes first after a fight?

First answer to pop up is Red. He is desperate to smooth fights and situations after decades spent fighting for sport, killing on command for Drakkon, and being so crazed and violent, he can't take a lot of harsh words and feelings. Poor guy is trying. And he's learning to not just apologize to end a fight if the other is in the wrong for the sake of ending it. Tommy worries about him using safe words and sticking up for himself; he doesn't want him to get walked on or feel unable to voice his thoughts, feelings, and opinions.

Who uses the other's shampoo?

LOL this is an easy one. Drakkon and Tommy both mix and match Jason's and Red's. They both love the scent of their bodies; its like catnip. They have scent kinks.

Drakkon is very vain over what little hair he has left and secretly is stressed over the bald side. His shampoos and all his other hair care products are probably expensive as fuck and locked up so they don't see how much he actually has. Besides Red since Red used to help him by shampooing, conditioning, and drying his hair and combing it with oils etc. So the amount wouldn't be shocking to Red.

But Tommy would definitely tease him mercilessly about it.

[joiedecombat]

OTP asks: 17 & 6 😊

17. Who fell in love first?

6. When did they realize they loved each other?

For Raine and Aymeric, this is kind of a whole saga, really.

Detailed Heavensward spoilers and a lot of tl;dr under the cut.

I've talked about Raine's early impressions of Aymeric and how she found it difficult to trust him at first. Though that improved after she spent some time in Foundation, she didn't really start to see the true man until she came back from her Dravanian road trip with Alphinaud and Estinien and Ysayle, when Aymeric insisted on confronting Thordan about the truths they'd uncovered. Until then he'd maintained the mask of the political game-player, supportive but also carefully hedging his bets; that was the first time she understood the depth of his idealism.

At that point, Raine had a much closer connection with Haurchefant. She might have had romantic feelings for him - she was still in the process of sorting out how she felt when the raid on the Vault happened and everything went to shit. Haurchefant's death hit her very hard, and between that and the necessity of chasing down Thordan and the Ward and finally getting some leads on the missing Scions, there was simply no time for her to process much until quite a while afterward, any feelings of attraction toward Aymeric least of all.

Meanwhile Aymeric had been getting reports on Raine's actions around Dragonhead and Whitebrim from well before the two of them met in person, and was already intrigued about what he'd heard. Canny as he is, he took all the praise she received with a healthy grain of salt, but once they met and especially after she came to Ishgard he only found himself more and more impressed by how much she did for his nation - not just for House Fortemps who sheltered her, but for pretty much anyone else who crossed her path, from the Brume all the way to the Convictory and more.

So Aymeric definitely fell first. However, this was also a very fraught time for him personally, with the looming threat of a decisive attack by Nidhogg and his horde, civil unrest within the walls of Foundation, and then having his whole understanding of Ishgard's history and the Dragonsong War upended by the information Raine and company brought back from Dravania. He experienced a very personal and ideological betrayal at the hands of his own father, was tortured by the Heavens' Ward, and while the narrative doesn't spend time on it we can't minimize how much that had to have impacted him.

And almost as soon as Raine stopped Thordan and the Ward from enacting their plans, there was the need to work things out with the dragons, and then that was jeopardized by Nidhogg's return - this time by possessing Aymeric's closest friend. So while his feelings for Raine were growing through all of this, he also didn't have much opportunity for him to process it until later.

For Aymeric, I think the lightning bolt moment was at the Grand Melee.

Riding the emotional high of Ishgard's victory against the other Grand Companies, the proof that they can still pull together for a common goal despite all the strife and upheaval... And Raine's the one who carried them there, wearing Ishgardian colors, because he asked her to fight on their side even though she had no obligation to.

(Thancred had it figured out before either of them did, once he witnessed Aymeric asking her to participate on Ishgard's side and Aymeric's reaction when she agreed:

"Gods help me, I think it might be love. [...] And did you see the way his eyes lit up when you nodded? 'Twas a look of boundless relief and joy. One would think a politician more practiced at concealing his emotion.")

It could have very well ended there, if Raine had taken off immediately for the Rising Stones and her next adventure. Aymeric wasn't blind to Haurchefant's feelings for Raine, and he had no idea if she might have reciprocated; she obviously grieved for him, so either way making a move seemed disrespectful and wrong. And even without that, he didn't want to put any pressure on her when she was already in such constant demand for whatever the Alliance might need doing.

But precisely because the events around ending the Dragonsong War took such a toll on her, Raine stayed on in Ishgard for a good while after everything was settled, helping with the restoration efforts and the establishment of the Firmament and generally recuperating. That gave them more time to interact without all of the other crap looming over them, and Raine had the time to heal and to see Aymeric's best sides as he continued to work to build a better Ishgard.

It's hard to put a finger on when she realized she'd fallen in love with him. If she had to say, it was probably during the Skyrise fetes celebrating the completion of the Firmament district. She was roped into participating by a group of orphans she'd befriended (the oldest boy among them was reluctant to join in for fear of looking childish, so Raine felt compelled to set an example for him). Aymeric managed to get away from his work as Speaker long enough to put in an appearance, and during the final round of games, when the participants were tasked to hand out gifts to various people, Francel and the organizers of the fete conspired to have Raine deliver a gift to him. Their intent was mostly just to show respect and gratitude to Aymeric for his leadership by having the Warrior of Light and national hero present him with a token, but it ended up being a moment that tipped Raine into examining how she felt about him more closely.

(Estinien had also turned up, semi-incognito in his civvies, to check out the completed Firmament and got the unexpected side bonus of seeing this all go down.

"Fury take me, you're in love with her," and then Aymeric all but combusted on the spot, giving Estinien a chance to make good his exit.)

Even then, it took a long time afterwards for either of them to act on their feelings. Raine had no idea how Aymeric felt and did not want to overstep, especially as she knew she wouldn't be in Ishgard permanently. The main result was that they formed a strong friendship with an increasingly powerful undercurrent of unresolved sexual tension and romantic pining that didn't get worked out until, uh, right before Raine disappeared off to the First for Shadowbringers.

[absolutehumandisaster]

Cats propaganda! (Please read, I’ve had to rewrite this two times because it didn’t save, I’ve spent too much time on this for you not to read it, please)

I love this show! It means a lot to me, and is probably the media that has impacted my life the most through it’s incredible community

One contradictory thing I love about Cats is both the plot and lack there of. “What? Cats has plot?” I hear you ask and yes, it does! Though it’s vague on some details, the core of the show is rather simple

A group of cats called the Jellicles are having a ball to choose who gets a new life. Grizabella, an outcast who is shunned by the Jellicles, comes along and tries to connect with the Jellicles but is chased away. In the end, she sings out her pain and sorrow in an incredibly beautiful song, and the Jellicles choose her to get a new life.

There are also two side plots: 1. Victoria the White Cat is coming of age through dance. Near the beginning she dances a slow and expressive solo and during the Jellcile Ball she dances a pas de deux. In the end, she is the first to welcome Grizabella after she sings Memory. 2. Macavity the Mystery Cat, a dangerous criminal, is constantly disrupting the show and putting Demeter, who has a history with him, on edge. Near the end he kidnaps Old Deuteronomy, the Jellicle Leader, and tries to kidnap Demeter too but is fought off. Mr. Mistoffelees, the original Conjuring Cat, brings Old Deuteronomy back through his magic.

But there are quite a few questions left unanswered, like what is Grizabella’s history with the Jellicles? Did she wrong them in some way or is their disdain completely unfounded? What is Demeter’s history with Macavity, and how does Bombalurina fit into it? Was Macavity’s motive to kidnap Old Deuteronomy all along, or was it a ploy to get to Demeter? Who knows! There’s enough of a base in the show to follow a story, but so much wiggle room that you can create your whole own interpretation! There’s also the famous question of “are the Jellicles a cult and is everyone singing “auditioning” to be the Jellicle Choice?” While the 2019 movie might have gone somewhere in that direction, most fans don’t subscribe to that interpretation. The stage show also has a more simple explanation: in the first song it’s established that there’s a human watching the cats, and they’re so appalled by the fact that he’s never heard of a Jellicle cat that they’re introducing him to the different members!

Speaking of the members, there are so many interesting characters that don’t get songs too! I’ve already mentioned Demeter, a skittish yet determined cat who faces her fear to try to protect the Jellicles, and Bombalurina, her confident and bombastic companion who supports Demeter despite their apparently differing opinions on Grizabella. There’s also Munkustrap, who narrates basically the entire show and, depending on production, sometimes puts on a play about dogs that goes horribly wrong! There’s also Victoria who I mentioned earlier, and Jemima who is integral to Grizabella’s story by being one of the first to show sympathy and understanding for her. (Side note, there are a lot of female characters in Cats who are all unique and interesting, a vote for Cats is a vote for feminism lol) There are also a bunch of background characters with fun names like Tumblebrutus, Etcetera and Asparagus

Another thing I love is what goes on in the background, because while everyone of course have instructions on where they’re supposed to be on stage, when someone isn’t singing or dancing they’re free to interact with the cats around them! If two performers are good friends they can work that into the show without disrupting it! If two performers want to make their OTP canon, they can! For example, Tuggoffelees (the Rum Tum Tugger x Mr. Mistoffelees), the most popular ship in the fandom, has been canon in several productions! It makes it so that there’s always new fun details to notice in the background, and if a specific production doesn’t line up with your headcanons, there’s probably one that does!

Then there’s also the costumes and choreography that really gives the appearance of felinity. I know watching humans pretend to be cats isn’t everyone’s thing, but Gillian Lynne’s choreography creates cat-like movements while still making it impressive and beautiful, and the costumes just look awesome. And just like with the background interactions, there’s a lot of variety. Maybe you prefer the more scruffy and creepy look of the original Broadway designs, or the bold and unique designs of Shiki. Or maybe your favorite is the more muted and soft look of the lastest international tour

It might be weird to talk about the music of a musical so late in the propaganda, but the music is just amazing. The Rum Tum Tugger and Skimbleshanks are high energy numbers that make it clear what a close and loving community the Jellicles are. The old Gumbie Cat and Bustopher Jones are fun filled introductions to respected members of the community. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer is a wondeful and hilarious representation of how mischievous cats can be. Gus the Theatre Cat and Memory pull at your heart stings through reminiscence. And that’s not even mentioning how the Overture and the Jellicle Ball transport you into a different world where magic is real, cats have terpsichorean powers and they really do have nine lives.

I love this show so much, and it hurts to see how much hate it gets from people who haven’t even watched it. I know it’s not everyone’s thing, but please at least give it a chance, the entire 1998 film is uploaded in parts on youtube!