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velvet-vox · 9 months ago

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My Top 10 Favourite Male Villains of all time.

"How arrogant of you to think that any of us are anything but irrelevant". -John Greer, Person of Interest (2011-2016).

There comes a moment in a blog's life where some things are just long overdue, and while the argument could be made that this happened way too early, I'd say that as long as this helps me to find my groove, I am free to experiment as much as I want.

So..... Villains.

Gotta love them. As long as I do not meet them in real life. This post is in particular about male villains since I have one dedicated to their female counterparts in the pipeline so expect that to come soon enough and for this part to be rewritten. By the way, "villain" is a generalisation, I can totally put antivillains, antagonists or more general antiheroes in this list; your definition of "Bad Guy" can vary greatly and so can mine, someone like Walter White from Breaking Bad could have made it in here. My taste is very unusual, so prepare yourself for some unexpected picks.

Also, since these are meant to be some big celebratory posts, for the occasion I'll reveal my Italian heritage and translate every line of dialogue in Italian and publish it separately with a link, so that English readers who are learning Italian can exercise.

Here's also a follow up to this post, the first part of my top 30 favourite female antagonists of all time. Check it out, if you are curious to see more.

The bad girls

But first, some honourable mentions:

Oropo (Wakfu): Once you see the number 2 spot for both this list and the female villains list you might notice that I tend to gravitate towards characters with wasted potential more often than not, but while we're just talking about this guy, I cannot stress enough the amount of unceremonious mishandling that lies within his concepts and execution. Really needed two seasons of 25 episodes each to explore it to their maximum.

Tai Lung (Kung Fu Panda): I love him, but not as much as others, it's a matter of personal preference. He's an amazing antagonist, so even if he is just an honourable mention, I wouldn't call him a lesser villain by any stretch of the imagination; I once felt like he was too sympathetic for his movie's sake, but looking back at it again, he's actually moderately evil for a lot of reasons, even if Shifu is the main one.

Bill Chyper (Gravity Falls): It's been way too long since I watched Gravity Falls, I really can't give you an accurate opinion on this guy anymore.

Flintheart Glomgold (DuckTales 2017): That season 2 episode. If you know what I'm talking about, you KNOW. Also the music for that whole sequence was a banger, really driving home the deranged nature of that twist reveal.

Big Jack Horner (Puss in Boots The Last Wish): I feel like when people praise Jack for being a breath of fresh air in a stale environment, they often forget just how good of a villain he was in his own right without the larger industry wide void of truly devious antagonists that act out of pure malice.

The Wolf (Puss in Boots The Last Wish): Two villain entries from one movie? Of course it was gonna be The Last Wish, what else could it be? Honestly I don't even wanna talk about this guy, you need to experience the movie for yourself.

Rob (The Amazing World of Gumball): Everything I have to say about this guy gets talked about much better by the number 6 Spot on this list, but as it stands Rob was my first villain OTP and the guy who opened the box of Pandora for me on what an antagonist could and should be, since then my perception of villainy only widened and now I enjoy their role in a story in much different way.

And now, with that out of the way, let's finally start with the ranking of my personal favourite male villains of all time.

Major spoilers down below:

Number 10: Silco (Arcane)

This guy is the reason that brought me to specify who or what counted for this list as trying to simplify Silco into one specific group of characters is a challenge that can only end in a misunderstanding of what makes Silco such a complex and fascinating character with an amazing character arc, that ends with him not being redeemed, mind you, but allows the audience to grieve in such a way that would make a side character death jealous.

When writing an antagonistic character, Silco is my goal and high standard, and just for that he deserves all of my respect and endless praise.

Now, admittedly, Silco's arc takes a while to kick in, but it works out to his advantage by the end of it since you don't realise just how much you've grown to care for him until he's dead and you're left with the surprise.

10 out 10, the nation of Zaun would have been much better (worse) with him than with Vander.

Number 9: The Riddler (DC)

The Riddler is literally my ride or die villain, when I'm in the mood for him, he's literally my favourite antagonist ever; when I am not in the mood for him, I completely forget about his existence.

When compared to many other entries on this list, Riddler is definitely more on the pop culture side of antagonism, and when you've been around for almost a century, you tend to have many different versions of the same character written by different writers, so I wanted to highlight here my favourite versions of him:

Arkham Games: He's hilarious. He's not my ideal Riddler, but whenever he comes on screen, his whiny rat's ass voice stimulates my pheromones.

Batman The Animated Series: I've heard somewhere that this version of him is disappointing, and to that I'll say... yeah, but only when he wasn't on screen, because otherwise, he kind of slayed.

Matt Reeves The Batman: This is the version that rekindled my love for him after so long. Out of every interpretation of The Riddler throughout the years, this is the one version that treated Edward more as a character rather than an obstacle for Batman to overcome, and for that I'll be eternally grateful.

LEGO Batman The Videogame: My very first introduction to The Riddler and the Batman universe as a whole, this version has a permanent place in my heart , I love how much information and emotion you can get out of him by just looking at his mannerisms and quirks alone; unironically, being silent helps him reach that quote on quote idealised version of Riddler that I was talking about earlier.

Number 8: The Snatcher (A Hat In Time)

There are many things that can carry on a villain in a story, their evolution, stage presence, complexity, thematic contrast to their counterpart, and so on and so forth. While an antagonist can check off many of these boxes simultaneously (like the one pictured), there's one box that is almost impossible to truly nail perfectly: comedy.

You see, comedy is subjective, and when your main antagonist is also the funniest part of a given story, it becomes hard to also match a sense of gravity and menace that allows them to also be an imposing threat, even harder is to give said antagonist depth and a tragic backstory.

But somehow, out of nowhere, The Snatcher from A Hat In Time manages to simultaneously be the funniest character in his section of the game, carrie said energy throughout the whole experience even down to the DLC, simultaneously strikes the balance between being scary, wholesome, sympathetic and tragic, exude an insane amount of charisma, all while having a deeply disturbing backstory that touches on some heavy themes and re contextualises his actions into something more complicated and out of a broken man, everything I just said + he's the biggest bastard in his videogame and never repents nor does he have his actions called out.

Snatcher really has all the right cards that make a stationary character work and uses them to his maximum potential, and it works because his character arc throughout the game is more about becoming affectionate to Hat Kid than it is about redeeming himself.

Lastly, his voice actor, Luke Sizemore, aka Yungtown, really sells the performance of this devious soul eating worm and burns his catchphrases into your brain for the rest of eternity, much like his boss theme,

Your Contract Has Expired

A song that switches around being scary, epic, energetic and desperate in a short, yet perfectly paced amount of time. You need to listen to it regardless of if you've played the game or not.

Fool.

Number 7: Judge Claude Frollo (Hunchback of Notre Dame)

You can never say no to a classic.

There's nothing that I could say that hasn't already been said by thousands of videos on YouTube, but I'll try anyway: you see, Frollo is the reason why we need a new term to identify certain villains that aren't "sympathetic" but still make you feel some sort of human emotion and a form of "I wish someone could give you the care you need to fix your life", I guess the term empathetic exists, but when do you really see it used?

Now, don't get me wrong, Frollo is absolutely not sympathetic in the slightest, he wants to r##e a Romani woman that's way younger than him, but you can still feel that he's very troubled about it in the Hellfire scene and has definitely a lot of unidentified issues and internalised bigotry that could be worked through, even if it's too late to work through them right now.

In general, I feel like people forget that the main reason why past Disney villains worked had to do more with their human traits juxtaposed to their malice rather than just their plain wickedness, otherwise the Horned King from the Black Cauldron would be top of the Disney villains league and that couldn't be further from the truth.

We should really strive towards writing more villains like Frollo, less omnipotent beings that end up falling flat because they don't have much thematic relevance aside from being a threat (Bill Chyper works because he represents Ego and he's used sparingly) and more average vicious individuals who use their power and influence to get what they want.

All in all, if you've seen The Hunchback of Notre Dame, then you know why this guy is here, but just to cite a couple of repeated points, the Hellfire scene is perfect. It's immaculate. It's unreproducible; there will never be another scene like this coming out of the House of Mouse or animation ever again, the excessive amount of stars and elements that came together to create this gothic classic is so vast that it's literally a miracle.

Frollo is truly the personification of the dark, twisted side of humanity peaking through the door and into your mind, from which he shall never escape as his performance still remains perfect to this very day.

Number 6: The Spot (Spider-man across the Spiderverse)

"You've hit me with a bagel!" It's still the greatest villain origin story of all time. There's truly something maniacal about this reveal, like the entire universe was shattered and reality was shocked at the mere realization that while Miles was having his coming of age moment back in the first film, this guy was having his normal life completely and utterly shattered by a combination of both our heroes stepping up to do the right thing and our doofus lack of foresight and self reflection; all of this stuff is hilarious and completely made up for the film but good god they did such an amazing job tying all the elements together in an unexpected way that makes sense and parallels the journey that our protagonist faced in the first movie.

Like with Rob from The Amazing World of Gumball, and a little bit like number 2 on this list, I just really enjoy the concept of turning background characters who had no relevance whatsoever into the big bad of the story who's been there all along and the heroes (and the audience) just couldn't notice.

With The Spot in particular, there's that sense of satisfaction of turning the wasted potential of a villain who has been underestimated for literal decades and treated as a "villain of the week" (God do I love the meta narrative of this movie) into an actual competent, well written antagonist that is aware of his reputation and strives towards bettering himself and his powers.

He's also the funniest character of his movie too and the voice acting of Jason Schwartzman only accentuates his mannerisms and pettyness.

He also has the coolest usage of portals I have ever seen and his whole "There's a hole inside all of us" metaphor is simultaneously hilarious and very deep personal information that can only be understood if you put yourself into his shoes.

I can't wait for Beyond the Spiderverse to come out and see how his arc resolves, more importantly, I wonder if he's going to rank higher in the future.

Number 5: Lord Shen (Kung Fu Panda)

"Happiness must be taken. And I'll take mine"

.....

What a character.

What a movie.

You cause so much pain and suffering, because you don't understand the people around you, and then those people banish you, and you can't understand why, so you start to believe that they hated you.

They never loved you, so you keep causing pain and suffering but it's not that easy anymore; the guilt starts to resurface, all those bodies keep piling up, but you can't stop because then it would have all been for nothing; so you keep chasing those dreams of grandeur because that's all you have left; the emptiness in your heart can no longer be filled by love, so you try to fill it with something else.

You try to fill it with power. You try to fill it with glory. You try to take everything else for yourself so that you can fill that cup, but it doesn't work, because that cup has no bottom.

And so you're left... with yourself.

And the damage you've done. But now it's different; you've failed. You are left with nothing. Nothing.

And so you outrage, for the last time... And then it all ends. Forever. And you've finally come to accept this, after all....... Who could ever love you?

Number 4: Spamton G Spamton (Deltarune)

You know, in retrospect, it's kind of insane what Toby Fox managed to achieve when creating Spamton.

Not only because Spamton feels like the most insane combination of ideas ever conceived, but also because Toby Fox created such a complex character with such a complicated language and personality and then not only shafted it all aside for the players to go out of their way to interact, but also made all of this in what are officially 2 or 3 cutscenes at most (4 if you consider his shop encounter as one) and only one of them being truly mandatory.

You spend so little time with Spamton, and most of that time is spent fighting him, and yet by the end of it you've become enlightened by the knowledge of him, that after a while... you forget how scary it all was.

All the memes comparing Spamton with Turbo are 100% correct and justified, Spamton truly is Turbo but better; you go through an insane rollercoaster of emotions with this character that you are left absolutely dumbfounded when it all comes to a stop and you go back to play the rest of chapter 2 normally.

His insane mannerisms and mood swings are pretty funny at first, but once you peel back the layers a bit they reveal a pretty realistic and sad portrayal of mental illness, mania and hysteria coupled with an unhealthy amount of social distancing, loneliness, and abandonment issues, that reinforce into your brain the idea of someone lacking proper healthcare and needing to be locked away from society for their (society) own good, simulating the vicious cycle that Spamton lives by: nobody wants to help him but he's still expected to act like a regular individual despite the amount of hardships he's facing and the lack of a support system keeping him from falling back into his bad habits.

I'll admit, I've considered putting Spamton in place of the Number 3 spot on this list; but then I've realised that on an objective level, the next entry totally deserves to be ranked above Spamton; plus, with at least 5 more chapters of Deltarune on our way, whose to say that one of the next gremlins won't be able to dethrone even the number 1 spot?

Drumroll for our top 3:

Nox, the Watchmaker (Wakfu)

There will never be another experience in my life as cathartic as watching the first season of Wakfu for the first time ever again.

On a later rewatch, the initial problems that you've noticed throughout the first half of the season and a little bit in the second half become too apparent to ignore, but the first time everything that goes from the ball tournament to the finale is one of the best paced arcs of television, and everything that happens when the team reaches the Sadida kingdom is just peak Wakfu.

And the king, the culprit, the crown jewel of properly paced stories and arcs is no other than the sad clockwork dilf himself: Noximilliem Coxen the Watchmaker.

Arguably, the greatest sympathetic villain of all time. There has never been another case of a character who has committed such vile, unspeakable crimes, and yet still managed to make me root for them while simultaneously not putting down the heroes.

And let's not be mistaken here, Nox is pretty evil:

Aside from the generic murder, Nox also defiled and stitched together the corpses of multiple victims and turned them into his obedient puppets in order to commit even more murder and genocide in order to achieve his goals.

Also, this is one of the funniest crimes Nox has committed: he abused his dog. It's really not that hilarious nor is it that important in the context of the show, but if you look back at it from an outside perspective then it's really like: Oh yeah. That happened too. Lol.

One of the best parts of his entire arc is his defeat. The "20 minutes" scene deserves a "One Villainous Scene" coverage video to forever immortalise it amongst the greatest. Everything from the music, the subversiveness, the cinematography, the voice acting and just the general art direction of it is worthy of an Eminem award at the Oscars, there's genuinely nothing wrong with this scene, it's truly immaculate.

Words alone cannot do justice to the treacherous, gut wrenching emotional rollercoaster that is experiencing his story for the first time. An hour long video essay would only serve to cover the basics and fundamentals, while for the real deal you need to watch the first season of Wakfu for yourself.

Number 2:

Bradford Buzzard (DuckTales 2017)

And now it's the perfect time to pull out my final wild card, the hole of the sink of my autism, the masterpiece of wasted potential that is Bradford Buzzard from the DuckTales remake of 2017.

When you'll also see the number 2 spot on my villainesses list, you'll come to realise that this spot is more of the "I really wish I could put this at number one but I can't because objectively he doesn't deserve it and the majority of things I love about him in canon were probably an afterthought and in fanon were never plausible to begin with."

And that's how I feel about Bradford Buzzard, an antagonist I spent more time thinking about than probably anybody else on the Earth.

The show runners were so genius for this: we are going to create an original character that will probably struggle to maintain a foot print on the franchise due to the way the Duck verse works, we'll give him an insanely cool backstory and motivation, all coupled with interesting character traits and ideology, we'll make him the ultimate foil to Scrooge McDuck that has been working with him for literal decades, we'll make him the one who has got the closest to isolating Scrooge and destroying his family, and THEN we'll turn him into a generic anime villain that shoots lasers and fumbles his own plan and loses because of insane plot armour and contrivance. Good job writers.

Anyway, I should probably make the case for why this guy ranks so highly in my mind to the point of almost taking the podium for my most liked villain of all time, especially when compared to the stiff competition that we just went through.

Now, part of it is just because this is a personal top 10 and so I can put whoever I want in whatever order I want. But also, with Bradford in particular, there's a personal aspect of relatability, various interests, and passions all coming together to make him stand out in my brain.

The thing is, I've had a pretty strong connection to Disney's Duck's comic books my entire life, even if my love for them came dwindling over time, so when I finally started watching the Reboot and it was amazing, all of that buried passion and love finally re emerged back to the surface, turning me into an annoying super fan. But while season 1 and 2 were great, season 3 actually gave me something to latch on for the rest of time even after the show had ended: the character of Bradford Buzzard.

You see, DuckTales, both in the shows and comics, always had a plethora of villains; from the crazy, megalomaniacal millionaires, to witches, demons, and other mythological creatures, to power hungry aliens, to straight up super-villains. But while all of that is true, there has never been another villain, aside from Magica, Glomgold and Rockerduck at traits, that was built specifically as the anti Scrooge McDuck, and even further, there has never been another antagonist who challenged the very core ideas and concepts of the entire franchise.

Bradford is like the Frank Grimes of DuckTales: just a regular, average, real world guy who's fed up with the nonsensical constant state at which their fictional universe operates and seeks to correct it in the most logical way possible. And while Frank was ultimately a victim of a world in which he couldn't conform, Bradford's outrageous and extreme plans and methods put him on everybody's hit list until he was left all alone, but not before indirectly causing every major disaster throughout the reboot's runtime.

A cold, calculating, machiavellian mastermind whose impact and presence secretly permeates the show, right till the very end.

Shame he wasn't written better.

And now, for the one and only,

Number 1:

Qilby (Wakfu)

Qilby is the biggest example of an anomaly that you could ever observe in a work of fiction. The first time experiencing a story is the most important and impactful moment of that story, as every future rewatch won't be as good as the first. In particular, this is an important aspect of twist villains, as they can only surprise you the first time, since at future rewatches the twist becomes predictable.

Furthermore, if the twist ends up ruining the character that was established up to this point, or it doesn't make any sense, then the story is kind of ruined and it only gets worse on future rewatches, since now you know that everything that you are seeing right now is ultimately worthless and doesn't provide any value.

So why do we love twist villains and keep churning them out? Well, you see, it's a matter of execution. A bad guy introduced in an unconventional manner is much more memorable than one introduced in a straightforward way; the twist can also serve to showcase different aspects of the character before becoming an obvious obstacle, be it quirks, interests, personality in casual settings, or cunning.

Let's not beat around the bush.

If Nox is the single greatest sympathetic villain of all time, then Qilby is by far the greatest twist villain of all time, and the crazy thing is, that he surprises you two times in a row, at first by revealing himself as more evil than you could ever imagine, and then, by outing himself as more complex than you could have ever anticipated.

Let me paint you the picture: you just finished the first season of Wakfu, and you are still pretty fresh of the hype surrounding Nox, so you think to yourself "Oh, now every future antagonist is ruined because nothing could ever top the emotional gut punch that I just went through. Whatever, I'm going to stick around just to see if the story gets worse" and you start the second season.

So far, everything is normal, even better of the first season in terms of engagement value, but you can't help but feel the lack of a Nox like figure inside of the story, but at this point, you just accept it.

Then the final six episodes roll around and OH MY GOD WHAT IS HAPPENING, HAS THE WHOLE SHOW JUST GONE INSANE?

Somehow, in some mystical, french, magical way, the season 2 finale is arguably even better than the ending of season 1 despite the fight having less buildup and introducing a lot of brand new characters and an entirely irrelevant faction into his conflict.

The entirety of the scene in Emrumb is some of the best writing I have ever experienced in any work of fiction, and the music accompanying it only accentuates the repressed dopamine being released after various episodes of filler, all of them important for this moment to be as impactful as it is.

Qilby is also just a great, tragic character, that is simultaneously an unforgivable bastard that tried to kill his family and doomed his entire race for a family trip, and a sad, nihilistic man still trying to reconcile his love for his family and his need for knowledge and discovery; his curse never truly allows him to move on or relate to others but his ego and need for his forgetful brothers attention just pushes him even further into resentment, ending up damaging himself and those around him, until he's finally isolated again by the vary people he harmed and showed his love towards.

He's as good as the evil secret sibling trope can get and I never get tired of watching him on screen. His reveal scene to Adamai still gives me the chills to this very day and demonstrated me just how good the surprise villain concept can get when it's executed correctly.

Just an all around great show.

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crazy-ache · 10 months ago

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SJM is a Zutara Shipper? That sounds like Elucien....let me explain

It was recently brought to my attention that Sarah hinted in 2017 at being a Zuko/Katara shipper in the Avatar the Last Airbender series. This was exciting to hear as I was in the ATLA fandom over a decade ago and Zuko/Katara was my first OTP and introduction to fandom. I have loved them a long time and they will always hold a special place in my heart. I want to explore why Sarah shipping Zutara is really important when it comes to Elucien because there are a lot of great parallels.

Note: if you know anything about the ATLA shipping fandom/wars...you immediately know what she means by this. Zutara is a fanon ship that was often baited by the writers. Her disappointment is a shared, common reaction to the ship.

A very long, detailed analysis is below the cut. This NOT for ATLA discourse. This is intended to focus SOLELY on Elucien. Read below if you are a fan of Zutara/Elucien....

ATLA Characters vs ACOTAR Characters

Let's start with the characters themselves.

We have Prince Zuko, the exiled and scarred prince of the Fire Nation, who was banished after his evil, power-hungry father (the Fire Lord) horribly punished him for embarrassing him with his kindness (not wanting innocent soldiers to be used as bait in war), which he viewed as morally inferior and weak. It is implied his mother, a gentle-hearted woman, was abused in the marriage. She disappeared when he was young to maintain her husband's political power, only so that her children would live. The loss of his mother is his greatest trauma, along with his desire to go back home and gain his honor and father's acceptance.

Then we have Lucien Vanserra, exiled and scarred son of the Autumn Court, who had to flee after his evil, power-hungry father (the High Lord) horribly punished him for embarrassing him with his relationship with a lower-Fae female, which he viewed as repulsive and below their High Fae status. It is implied his mother, a gentle-hearted woman, was abused in the marriage. His lover was brutally murdered by the hands of his father/brothers and he had to flee, never having the chance to see his mother again. Losing Jesminda is his greatest trauma, likely along with losing his home, Court, and family.

Let's also not forget...they BOTH WEILD FIRE! I do think the Lucien/Zuko comparison is quite obvious and direct, where the Elain/Katara is a bit more symbolic.

For our ladies, we have Katara, master waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe. She is the youngest daughter of the Chief. She begins the journey as someone untrained and incapable of bending her own element, in a small, impoverished village due to the effects of war and destruction on their nation/culture by the Fire Nation. Her mother was tragically murdered by the Fire Nation in order to save her daughter's life. This is singularly her greatest trauma. Throughout the show, we see Katara become a powerful and master bender.

Finally, we have Elain Archeron, who was once human and is the middle sister in her family. She was the daughter of a once-successful merchant. She also loses her mother and is very close to her father, who she also tragically loses in the war. She loses her humanity and her fiance, Graysen, in one fell swoop when they put her in the Cauldron. This is singularly her greatest trauma, one that we see she has trouble letting go, even becoming practically comatose when it first happens. We later learn Elain possesses magic and is a seer.

A little less here, but I am not surprised. Katara and Elain, personality-wise, are very different. However, I will add that both Elain/Katara are often associated as symbols of HOPE in the narrative. But this brings me to my next point which is where I believe SJM was influenced by Zutara when writing Elucien....

Shared Grief as the Catalyst

Every Zuko/Katara shipper knows the crux of their relationship is from their shared trauma. Despite being on opposite ends of the war, they both carry an immense grief in losing their mothers to the war. It is the first thing they realize they have in common, the first moment they share a genuine, sincere connection, enough for them to reach out and open up to each other.

Elain and Lucien also have a shared trauma. They both lost their first loves/fiances. Lucien lost her tragically. Elain lost him in a brutal rejection. It broke both of their hearts, and they both carry grief and complicated emotions around it.

The hurt and pain brought Zutara together. As a result, they understand each other in ways others can't. I have no doubt that Elucien will spark from a similar place of understanding.

Complimentary Symbolism

One of the most beautiful parts of Zuko/Katara is the use of opposite/complimentary symbolism. Two halves of a whole. Balance and unity.

Zuko= Fire and Sun and Blue Spirit Katara= Water and Moon and Painted Lady

Lol can you believe we got the line below...I couldn't come up with a more romantic symbolic line if I tried and that's canon folks

Lucien = Day and Fox and Spring/Loss

Elain = Flowers and Fawns and Spring/Life

Elain, often associated with gardens and flowers and roses, was asked what she needed at her lowest point. She said "Sunshine." Enter Lucien, the secret heir to Day Court and Helion, whose name means Light. The Fox and the Fawn. Elain "Made for Spring" Archeron and Lucien "Spring Court Emissary and Courtier" Vanserra. I wrote Spring/Loss and Spring/Life because Lucien had to see Spring become ruined/flee the one place he called home. There is strong foreshadowing that Elain will help in some way to revive spring and possibly bring it back to life, hopefully with Lucien's help.

Let's also not forget that Elain was formerly human and now living as a High Fae in the Night Court. Lucien is a High Fae who looked down on humans and now lives in the mortal lands. It's an interesting dynamic!

Betrayal

Okay buckle up. This one is important. The feeling of betrayal is important to the development of both ships. Let me break this down.

Katara is a victim of the Fire Nation. Zuko is the prince of the Fire Nation who once hunted them down to retrieve the Avatar. She often conflated her feelings toward Zuko with her feelings regarding her mother's murder by the hands of the Fire Nation', as evidenced here.

Katara: I'm sorry I yelled at you before. Zuko: It doesn't matter. Katara: It's just that for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face.

We see these messy emotions come back when Zuko joins the team to teach Aang firebending.

Zuko: This isn't fair! Everyone else seems to trust me now! What is it with you? Katara: Oh, everyone trusts you now?! I was the first person to trust you! [Places her left hand on her heart.] Remember, back in Ba Sing Se. And you turned around and betrayed me, betrayed all of us! Zuko: What can I do to make it up to you? Katara: You really want to know? Hmm, maybe you could reconquer Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King. Or, I know! You could bring my mother back!

Now, at this point, we know she has not forgiven him for Ba Sing Se. Remember, this was the moment they shared their intimate connection over their shared Dead Mother trauma. (In an episode called The Crossroads of Destiny nonetheless). She offered to heal his scar, and later when given the chance to choose between what is right vs. what he wants....he chooses what he wants, which is to return home to his father for his acceptance. Katara took this as a personal betrayal and we see she still imagines his face as the enemy by demanding he bring her mother back (even though it isn't possible/he isn't responsible for it).

You know who else has mentioned betrayal?

For a long moment, Elain’s face did not shift, but those eyes seemed to focus a bit more. “Lucien,” she said at last, and he clenched his teacup to keep from shuddering at the sound of his name on her mouth. “From my sister’s stories. Her friend.” “Yes.” But Elain blinked slowly. “You were in Hybern.” “Yes.” It was all he could say. “You betrayed us.” He wished she’d shoved him out the window behind her. “It—it was a mistake.” Her eyes went frank and cold. “I was to be married in a few days.” He fought against the bristling rage, the irrational urge to find the male who’d claimed her and shred him apart. The words were a rasp as he instead said, “I know. I’m sorry.”

Elain associates Lucien's involvement with Ianthe/Hybern/The Cauldron as a personal betrayal. Lucien, much like Zuko, is sorry for his actions that have hurt her.

Both Zuko and Lucien don't argue about the anger/accusations of betrayal. They own it. They just want to make it right.

In the same episode of the snippet above ("You could bring my mother back!") Zuko and Katara go on their infamous "field trip" or journey together, just the two of them. Despite Katara's anger, the two of them are in perfect sync. They are the perfect team and pair, moving fluid in their elements, sneaking around enemy ships. Zuko defends her desire for closure (however dark it may be) against her friends and family wishes. He never questions her. He supports her emotionally. He yells at an enemy solider- "Don't lie! You look her in the eye and you tell me you don't remember what you did." (OH COME ON, what is hotter than that!?) In the end, she forgives him. Not because of what he did. But because he understands her and gives her space and places no expectations of who she is or what she should do. He accepts her. All the dark and pain and light inside.

Don't mind the romantic sunset in the background

Going on an adventure? Likely against the wishes of friends and family due to it being dangerous? Doing whatever is necessary to help the girl forgive you/trust you? Giving her the necessary space and support to do what she has set her mind to? Helping her find closure and healing along the way? Falling love? Sure sounds like an Elucien book......wonder where SJM got the inspiration?

Azriel vs Aang

I cannot write this post without mentioning Aang and Azriel. This is NOT an ATLA shipping discourse so please no comments regarding the Kataang/Zutara ship war. I am using this as a comparison to Elucien/E/riel.

I have a feeling that SJM has written Azriel (specifically in the Bonus Chapter) to serve as a foil to Aang's dynamic to Katara. Which is that both characters feel entitled to their crush.

Aang, the young hero and savior of the world, has a long-standing crush on Katara that is not really reciprocated romantically throughout the series.

When the group goes to watch a play based on themselves, there is scene where the actors on stage go:

Actor Zuko: Wait, I thought you were the Avatar's girl! [Aang in the audience nods in agreement.] Actress Katara: The Avatar? Why, he's like a little brother to me! I certainly don't think of him in a romantic way. [Aang in the audience grows concerned.] Besides, how could he ever find out about ... this? [Actress Katara and Actor Zuko embrace and hold hands while Actress Katara pops up one leg. Aang gets up from his seat to leave.]

It can be interpreted that his nodding and getting upset is attributed to feeling possessive of his crush on Katara. That she belongs to him, as he is the Hero and the Avatar, and should get the girl. He is jealous of something that didn't actually happen between the actors on stage (he is only 12 to be fair).

Further evidence here:

Aang: But it's true, isn't it? We kissed at the Invasion, and I thought we were gonna be together. But we're not. Katara: Aang, I don't know. Aang: Why don't you know? Katara: Because, we're in the middle of a war, and, we have other things to worry about. This isn't the right time.

...and then he kisses her, and she doesn't want it/isn't expecting it, and runs away back to the theater. We won't get into that here.

Hm, this story sounds familiar....

Azriel ignored the question. "The Cauldron chose three sisters. Tell me how it's possible that my two brothers are with two of those sisters, yet the third was given to another."

There is a similar sense of entitlement, that also ended with Elain running away from the scene, upset. The difference being he rejected her at the urging (and convincing) of Rhysand because he knew it was a mistake.

Tension & Healing & Growth (What's Next)

"There is a great deal of tension, growth, and healing to be found for both of them (together)." - from Sarah J Maas herself. If she was a Zutara shipper, I can totally see her inspiration in elements of Elucien.

In the end, many Zuko/Katara shippers really believed these two brought out the best in each other in the best possible ways. (I know I did). And I think that's a big reason a lot of Eluciens ship Elain/Lucien...the potential of how they'll complement each other is so huge.

Just as Katara and Zuko were once extremely tense in their relationship, they underwent an incredible and beautiful journey of healing and growth. One that ended in....Zuko sacrificing his life for her. Animated in slow motion with romantic/epic musical scores. For the girl who lost her mother (who sacrificed herself to save her daughter). An epic friendship but no romance....which Sarah herself agreed she wasn't a fan of....

So I imagine she is going to rectify that narrative for Elucien. I for one cannot wait to read their story in their book.

#elucien #pro elucien #elain x lucien #lucien vanserra #elain archeron #SJM is a zutara shipper #elucien meta #THIS IS NOT ATLA SHIPPING POST #DO NOT ENGAGE IN ATLA SHIPPING #this is purely elucien comparison #anti elriel #antielriel #elucien supremacy #i wrote this because i fucking love zutara and elucien #also these ship wars are so similar lmao

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alliepretends · 10 months ago

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Since I posted one of my Dimension 20 hot takes, and didn't literally explode. I think I'll post the other one that really matters to me.

The discourse around aroace Riz is really hard for me. And I find it really hard to be empathic toward people who think about it differently than I do. And I think it's important to put that lack of empathy in context. Fandom (and by this I mean the broader fandom culture, not D20 fandom specifically) has generally been an extremely hostile space for aromantic people. Shipping is the central pillar of fandom engagement and dialogue. And a romantic lens is typically the very first lens applied to the source material when it is brought into fandom spaces. By that I don't just mean it's what people think about first, I mean analysis tends to pass first through the lens of romance, and then only things the romantic lens can't lay claim to are left for other kinds of analysis. Even for aromantic people like me, who very much enjoy romance when it exists in the realm of fiction, it's hard not to feel like there's a message in that. "Characters, and the fiction they exist in, are only valuable when seen through the lens of romance. Regardless of the genre of the source material. That's because romance is unquestionably the most important and defining feature of life. Unless it's sex." This can get pretty extreme if you become a fan of something with an especially strong central ship (like a Supernatural), where it can feel like literally all analysis of any aspect of the work has to tie back to the ship. In my experience, the sub-culture of fandom, for all its trappings of queer acceptance, is far more arophobic and aro-hostile than any other culture or sub-culture I participate in. Not because fans are actively making anti-aro posts or hate aro people, but because romance is elevated as the primary element of human experience. The only one really worth talking about and exploring. The only one worth writing fics about or dedicating massive posts to. It is worth noting that the Dimension 20 fandom (and, based on my experience, actual play in general) seems to be less romance-focused than other fandoms. There's lots of gen fic. There's lots of discussion that doesn't focus on romance. But that doesn't mean the Dimension 20 fandom somehow exists separately from overall fandom culture. The baggage of that larger culture still informs this fandom.

And that's why the way Riz gets talked about feels like such a slap in the face. He is the first example I (and I expect many others) have encountered of a heavily-coded aromantic character popular with fandom. And yet, that hasn't freed him from the fandom scramble to read him through the lens of romance. I'll admit to being a bit of an extremist on this. I know that for many aromantic people having a single qpr that fills many of the needs of romance is really an important part of their experience. Many of my aromantic/aspec friends feel this way. But I don't even like qpr Fabriz. Because even though that is an authentic and important part of aromanticism to represent. With a character like Riz, whose fears are explicitly based around the lack of access he has to coupledom, qpr Riz still feels like an attempt by romance-oriented fandom to jam the first aromantic character the sub-culture gets its hands on into something that looks enough like traditional coupledom that no one has to change their romance-oriented outlook. The myth of the OTP can live on if you just change some of the verbiage. I know there are arospec people that would also feel excluded if fandom fell in line with my perspective and kept Riz as far away as possible from anything resembling romance. I don't actually know what the right solution to these problems is. We got thrown one bone and there's a bit of a desire to fight over it (Wikipedia's list of aromantic characters has 18 characters, and while that's not all of them, it's a decent percentage). But I did want to put this out in the world. Because I feel like there's a lot of context and baggage missing from this discourse. And all I really want is to have fandom still be able to treat an aromantic character as valuable even when they can't neatly pair him off

#Riz Gukgak #Dimension 20 #negativity #discourse #i will say #the other piece of this is that while I trust Murph and Brennan have the best of intentions #I don't actually trust them to really understand how much this matters to me and many people like me #not because of anything they've done wrong #just that when you have so little representation #it's hard to trust that people who don't share your identity will do it right

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blackkatmagic · 2 months ago

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Hi Kat! I want to thank you for all the amazing stories you brought to life! And made it also possible for US to enjoy them!

Where I live, back in the day (I swear, I'm not that old), you couldn't just GET english books. Writers like you, are so the main reason, I've got to actually learn the english language. So thanks for all!!!

Also, thank you for introducing to me my new favourite OTP Anakin/Consequences. You just got to love it!

Wish you all the best!

I'm so glad!! And congrats on your English being so incredible, it's great!

Also, my little secret: I first learned English so I could read Avengers comics and then Star Trek fanfic, so I really feel that.

#kat answers

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chronically-ghosted · 13 days ago

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✨get to know your moots!✨

thank you thank you thank you to @sp00kymulderr and @perotovar for the tags!

What's the origin of your blog title? from the song boogeyman by dead posey, it reflects my deep seated desire to be hunted like a prey animal by one of pedro's many competent characters and finally give my overactive anxiety a real fucking reason to panic.

OTP(s) + Shipname: Been a hot minute since I shipped anything other than me and whatever pedro's flavor of the week is, but looking at my ao3 tim rockford and shane morrisey (@perotovar what's their ship name), aloy/avad (horizon series), and father john pruitt and this pu$$y.

Favourite colour: tbd but dark green or purple

Favourite game: all time? horizon zero dawn. currently? fields of mistria - yall the brainrot is so real and deep and i need to spend every waking hour harvesting my crops or repairing bridges or giving every goddamn shiny stone to Balor in hopes that he'll fuck me in his wagon

Song stuck in your head: Stayed Gone from the Hazbin Hotel soundtrack (for all of you who thought i was mysterious i hope you appreciate me showing my whole ass for this)

Weirdest habit/trait? I need a fucking chapstick on my lips and lotion on my hands or i will explode. my husband legitimately has a stash of chapstick and lotion in his car and in the house in case of emergencies.

Hobbies: thinking about writing, videogames, watching youtube essays and getting fed up with it and going back to nebula like an abused housewife

If you work, what's your profession? project coordinator, but i'm going back to school to get my license as an LCP so i can counsel people with addictions and their families.

If you could have any job you wish, what would it be? "I don't particularly dream of having a job, I dream of not having to work." <- real talk from @sp00kymulderr so i'm just gonna leave that.

Something you're good at: escapism

Something you're bad at: getting work done when i'm anxious

Something you love: the picture my husband gave me of our wedding for my desk at work, HotWorx, Dieter Bravo, and that little heart-shaped patch in Pedro's beard.

Something you could talk about for hours off the cuff: how late-stage capitalism effectively ruined fandom, in conjunction with the pandemic allowing the normies to find fandom spaces.

Something you hate: when i forget crucial little details that make my life easier (like putting tweezers in my purse)

Something you collect: men's hearts weird and cozy baseball caps

Something you forget: my own fucking head if it wasn't attached to my body

What's your love language? acts of service

Favourite movie/show: rn Severance (i'm rewatching the first season with my husband and i'm catching all these little things and alsdjkfalsdkj we don't get tv with this much care any more) and movie rn is the 2018 Suspiria (cuz it was the first one I thought of)

Favourite food: chicken and white bean soup

Favourite animal: my dog specifically

What were you like as a child? overconfident, a reader, dramatic

Favourite subject at school? english always and forever, but i did take an economics class in college that i thoroughly enjoyed

Least favorite subject? Maths <- once again, gideon with the correct answer

What's your best character trait? i think therapy can fix everyone because people are fundamentally good

What's your worst character trait? i think therapy can fix everyone because people are fundamentally good

If you could change any detail of your day right now what would it be? brought my fucking tweezers in my purse

If you could travel in time who would you like to meet? this might sound signal-virtue-y but Rosa Parks. What she and the rest of the NAACP did for community-building and protests is something that has been lost in time. we lost our unions and our local chapters of these social organizations and now we are more lonely than ever AND we are fucking powerless to fight back against an increasingly fascist government. (i think the isolation epidemic in this era is one topic i could yell about forever about too)

Recommend one of your favourite fanfics (spread the love!): going through old favorites:

making out to pablo honey by @mothandpidgeon

An End to Drought by @almostfoxglove

lotus-eaten postcard by @harehart (hope i tagged the right person bc i originally found it on ao3)

Forgot to tag!: @almostfoxglove @jolapeno @tinytinymenace @penvisions @quinnnfabrgay-writes

#taylor talks #tag games

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destinygoldenstar · 4 months ago

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It’s honestly very crazy that a garbage Hollywood trailer makes so many people apologize to Minecraft Story Mode.

My experience with MCSM was that I was gifted the show by my dad as a teenager the same year the news came that Telltale went bankrupt. (It was the summer, so a couple of months before that)

I got a lot more into it than I was expecting. It had its problems, sure, but I was incredibly immersed with its story and atmosphere. Later on it became one of my obsessions once I finished the two games. It was the first fandom on the internet I ever became a part of. It was also the first time I ever outright became a shipper over a ship that wasn’t canon. (Jetra is my OTP to this day)

But in terms of real life, I never really felt confident talking to people about it. That’s because this was around the same time the hate train for MCSM started to arise. Then it became “Pure Fact” quote on quote that the games were these terrible things.

Now in my opinion and from my experience this started when some popular Let’s Players bashed the games. And even then I can’t blame them for simply having an opinion. But it’s because of their influence that their audiences take their opinions as gospel. (That should not be how that works)

From there every time I brought it up I would get cyberbullied for liking the games. And this was true for a lot of people who did like the games as well. We were all getting cyberbullied into joining the popular crowd and that we were wrong.

“Everyone else is saying it’s bad, therefore it must be true”

And then every time MCSM popped up in my feeds, my heart would sink and I would feel sick. Weird part was, while I did become far more critical of the games as a result of the trend… I NEVER found it in myself to outright hate it.

Like I said, the games have problems. They are by no means perfect games, and some of my critiques of it still hold up. (Not all of them though, ones I do wish I could take back) it was talking about THESE games that even spawned my hobby of writing essays of stuff I like.

So… that’s a sad origin story for how AnalyzGolden came to be. Now you know.

I’ve since drifted away from MCSM, simply because I was older and getting into new stuff. I talk about other stuff on this blog, like The Amazing Digital Circus, Ninjago, Total Drama, and quite recently Disventure Camp. And more. I also try to advertise my own stories to failing results cause no one cares.

So to see, after all these years, people like me finally being VALIDATED for our soured opinion on something… it just warms my heart so much.

I became more critical because of the trend of “MCSM sucks”. And now that that’s growing to not be the case, and I became more exposed to some crazy and wild fandom takes on other media that boggle my mind, that I’ve stepped more away from being negative and made choices to be in my corner and simply “Enjoy Something. Because I enjoy it.”

Oh I’m still a critical cynical bitch. And I do talk about my own critiques and problems if I personally have a problem with it and how the writing or whatever was handled. But I guess I’m more willing to hear the story itself out and what it’s trying to do before I jump to conclusions.

I cringe at my old emotionally impulsive self. And I hate having regression episodes of reverting back to my awful teenager self. But I can say that through experiences, I have to thank that for the person I am now, even if it sucked.

So… thank you MCSM. And thank you Hollywood for making a trailer/movie so awful that it made people such as myself finally feel heard and validated.

(Oh and btw, you guys don’t need to follow the trend of loving MCSM either. This doesn’t need to turn into the complete opposite thing. The lesson here is that you are allowed to like and dislike MCSM, and anything really, and trends should not sour your take on it. You can still not like the games if that’s your honest opinion.)

#minecraft story mode #minecraft movie #minecraft movie trailer #minecraft

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schmem14 · 1 year ago

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Hello friends! Recently, I participated in the fourth HP Rare Pair fest, and with 81 unique and beautiful entries it was a veritable FEAST for the eyes and heart and soul. (Check out the whole collection here)

I wanted to take a moment to post highlights of the fics that just really brought me to my knees in hopes that you’ll fangirl/boy/person over them with me!

1. Evergreen by @thecouchsofa (23k)- Harry Potter x George Weasley What would happen if Harry asked George to go to the Yule Ball with him instead of Parvati? This GOF Yule Ball AU is sure to slay you with sheer adorableness. I couldn’t stop smiling and squealing through the whole thing. This rare pair is one of my favorites, and this fic went above and beyond, plus it’s the perfect holiday read! Rating: T

2. Lonely Creatures by @apricitydays-lazynights (5k)- Severus Snape x Giant Squid The prompt to put these two together could easily have been pure hentai crack nonsense (which is a brilliant option) but this story did things to me that I can’t even put into words. It’s tender, melancholy, and cuts to the heart of Severus Snape’s isolation and longing to be seen and loved. The details of this are so richly woven, and I particularly enjoyed the authors’ focus on Mermlish/Merfolk. Standing ovation to this fic! Rating: E

3. Slice of Night by SquibNation10 (9k)- Aurora Sinistra x Severus Snape This was the fic that took me the most by surprise. I love the creativity in taking a character who gets very few canon details and making them real and beautiful and believable. Auror Sinistra is divine in this, and I’ll give some honorable mentions to both Argus Filch and Rolanda Hooch as excellent supporting characters that also don’t typcially get a lot of spotlight. What a gorgeous slice of life fic! Rating: T

3. Quick Quotes and Quibbles by RainstormRadish (3k)- Luna Lovegood x Rita Skeeter Rita and Luna have to work together to cover the wedding of Neville Longbottom and Pansy Parkinson. There’s just something about a story told in unconventional medium that will always ALWAYS pull me in! This unlikely pairing comes together in the sweetest way, their strong personalities balancing each other out until they become a formidable team. I particularly loved the graphics and paper trail memos/epistolary style storytelling. Rating: T

4. Your seat, it’s the best seat by @the-houseryn (17k)- Ron Weasley x Draco Malfoy MOVE OVER only one bed, there’s a new trope in town and it’s the ONLY ONE SEAT trope!! This was sexy, flirtatous, and hot AF. I’m always down for a Dron fic, but this one is one of the best I’ve read in a while, with some delicious pining and a predictably oblivious Ron. Do yourself a favor and indulge in the lap-sitting fic of the year! Rating: E

5. Vivaldi and Hot Chocolate by @patriceavril (6k)- Percy Weasley x Stan Shunpike What was Percy up to in OTP/HBP? What a lonely life that must have been! This fic was soft and sweet, giving some much-needed love to a character that we all wrote off in canon for being a stuck-up prick. I love how Percy seeks out the warmth and comfort of the Knight Bus, coming back for more because of the kind-hearted and bubbly Stan Shunpike, who always insists on giving Percy free hot chocolate. I never expected to be so enamoured by this pairing, but I am! Rating: T

6. The monster you feed by @ghostfelicis188 (11k)- Regulus Black x Remus Lupin This canon-compliant fic tore me to shreds. TO SHREDS. Like, I am such a simp for tragic Remus romances, and this took the cake. Features: pining artist Remus, and shit-eating cruel Regulus who toys with Remus the whole damn fic. If you like hurt no comfort, this is the fic for you. *Chefs Kiss* Rating: M

7. Gilded Web by @emilyrickman AlihotsyTotsy (8k)- George Weasley x Blaise Zabini I cannot believe that this understated fic packed such a punch in 8,000 words. George agrees to an undercover operation to investigate the mysterious deaths of Mrs. Zabini’s deceased husbands. He is so pure in this, his characterization charming and believable, I just need more of this George! Bonus points for references to “the Sting” Rating: M

8. Sleeping with Ghosts by @ghaniblue (21k)- Harry Potter x Regulus Black x Draco Malfoy My initial thoughts when encountering this relationship tag was something akin to a bewildered head scratch but OMG the best thing about this fest is having expectations completely upended! This fic slayed hard with a slow burn, found family, semi-sentient house renovation angle that had me completely melted by the end. Rating: M

9. The Last Trial of Peter Petegrew by @sleepstxtic (20 k)- Peter Petegrew x James Potter If possible, I’d like to ram this fic down the throats of all my mutuals with a plea to PLEASE READ THIS FIC. I can’t begin to describe in a tiny paragraph what this did to me. Often Peter Petegrew is relegated to the traitor bus in fandom (understandable) but this took every mean and traitorous part of his character and made me almost like him despite his treachery! The format of this was also a delight to read, and I love that Hermione presents the case for Peter Petegrew in this meta purgatory-style courtroom drama. Rating: M

10. Anatomy of a memory by @venom0usbarbie (9k)- Ginny Weasley x Tom Riddle This story was pure poetry wrapped in a sinister diary-shaped package. I love the self-fulfilling prophecy nature of this time loop style storyline, as well as the toxic obsession and manipulation played out between Ginny and Tom. What a mindfuck ending that was, too! Kudos to the “Tom Riddle is his own Warning” tag. Rating: M

11. Sweet Boy by @maraudersaffair (6k)- Narcissa Black Malfoy x Harry Potter A not-quite-fake dating fic with lots of smut, thirst, and mommy/praise kink? Yes, please! I was literally panting by the end of this, Harry and Narcissa are so hot together! Rating: E

12. Growing Suspicion by nocturn (1.8k)- Neville Longbottom x Marcus Flint Someone keeps mutilating Neville’s plants, and he’s going to get to the bottom of it OR that time Marcus expresses feelings but doesn’t understand proper plant care. This fic was A-DOR-ABLE. Love me a good Hogwarts professors/staff fic, and this was just a bite-sized delight to read. Rating: G

13. For Your Burning Gaze by SquibNation10 (22k)- Neville Longbottom x Pansy Parkinson The fic that I most want to see a sequel for award goes to… this Twilight Zone post-war marriage law fic complete with creepy house elves and a very troubled Pansy, who seems to be the only one realizing that something is not quite right! This is one of the best Panville fics I’ve read, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Rating: E

Thanks to @hprarepairfest for putting on another amazing fest!

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ghostflowerhotpotch · 2 years ago

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Do you have any more Ghostflower/Gwiles headcanons 👀👀 ?

Hehe, I haven't done more of those for awhile haven't I? Okay, let's see.

Miles actually, ended up doing a painting of Gwen for his Studio Art classes; he has done so many drawings of her that it came almost naturally for him, and his teacher found the painting so beautiful the teacher begged him to let be on display on the academy. Gwen eventually saw the paint, to Miles embarrassment, she just said she thought it was cute. In reality she felt her heart melt at seeing the portrait of her in warm colours, sunflowers, and with a smile and a glow so beautiful she was in awe at the knowledge that yeah, this is how Miles sees her.

Gwen actually started taking classes in Spanish after she came back to her dimension in the first movie; I dig that headcanon I had seen around that she likes languages in general, but she got a tad curious after meeting Miles. She works extra hard after the fiasco that was meeting Rio and Jeff; she actually ends up having a better pronunciation than Jeff to the amusement of Miles' parents. (Jeff learned Spanish for Rio, no idea if this is canon or not but it is for me.)

Miles and Gwen at some point develop a tradition of trying stuff from their own dimensions; all started with Miles being curious about the difference between his Kola-soda and her Bepsi. After awhile, both Gwen and Miles made an habit to keep handy the snacks the other likes from their respective dimensions (Chocolate covered pop rocks for Gwen, plantain chips seasoned with pimenton de la vera for Miles.) They didn't even coordinate for it to happen, they just caught on the fact once after a difficult mission, Miles offered the chocolate and she the chips.

Miles can dance, if only enough to not make a fool of himself in the parties (Rio's idea, not son of hers was going to be moving uncomfortable while Chayanne is playing on the dance floor.) Gwen will deny it until she is blue in the face, but her brain became mush while Miles was showing her to dance salsa. (Sidenote, I think Gwen is better dancing alone, while Miles knows how to move better in a couple's dance.)

Remember in ATSV when they are swinging around New York? They do that a lot, in both of their dimensions; they like to chase each other and try daredevil tricks while laughing as the world around them doesn't exist. It has gotten into a point that there video compilations of them doing this, a lot of with the title of "Spidey dance" or "Spiders in love" because even a bystander doing a video can see the way they go after each other has mean to something else. Gwen's dad is the one who brought her attention to one of these videos, one of the most embarrassing moments in her life.

These are a few! Hmm, maybe I should try one of those OTP memes or something, I bet it would be fun with them.

Hope you like these!

#ghostflower #gwiles #miles morales #gwen stacy #atsv #across the spiderverse #headcanons #ghostflower hcs

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dangermousie · 5 months ago

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To everyone's joy, Undaddy has found out Nana and YS' living arrangements. And is in Nana's house. And he saw the bullet necklace. And is enjoying terrorizing the fuck out of YS.

Oh my God, and when he smiles that dead smile when YS comes running in, freaked out of his mind - unclean unclean get thee behind me, Satan but also I love that the camera dwells on him for an uncomfortable length of time. It fits the vibe.

"Because of you, that girl could die." Aww, Undaddy, you are all heart, threatening your son's OTP and all to blackmail him into becoming a good automaton assassin. Sweetness and light you are. Go fucking die. (I kinda love how he's almost relieved to find out about Nana because it makes more sense in his psycho world-view that YS would interfere with murder of even the guilty and certainly deaths of innocents out of a 'selfish' reason and not because of right-and-wrong - but Undaddy is so wrong - even if he didn't love Nana, he'd do exactly what he had done).

The way YS has started the campaign of pushing her away so nobody would think he loves her - but like you can not outwit Undaddy emotionally because you care about people and he doesn't. I love it when later Nana stands up to the old psycho MMMMMM

YS found her earring - poor guy, that's all of hers he can allow himself. Honestly, he wants so little, it's heartbreaking he can't have it (when he types in 'bring me coffee' and deletes it before sending it. My heart.)

When Ahjusshi later comments that living with Nana was the first time YS started laughing for real - no wonder he's glommed on, it's his first bit of normalcy. I love this drama for turning him into a "real boy" so gradually - if you think about it he was brought up in a drug den by a psychopath and then sent to a normal college with fake IDs and he couldn't get close to anyone because it might risk everything. This is almost the first proper human interaction he's ever had with a normal well-adjusted human being.

YS doesn't think Nana has figured out he's the City Hunter. Oh my very-very-very dense darling! Ha. Well, actually she was only suspicious until she saw you asleep on her couch (I loved that the common-sense thing to do would be not to say good-bye in person but he simply can't do that) and covered half your face like during the incident and recognized for sure. I love her gasp of acknowledgement. How I love that this drama doesn't drag things.

Oh, it must be killing him to say all those awful things to her about how he just kissed her because she was easy and this is boring blahblahblah and it might have worked to push her away except she figured out the truth so she knows he saved her life twice, once even after she shot him, despite his rescues interfering with his targets etc. Good luck, YS, in convincing her she doesn't matter to you. I love that Nana is no dummy. Once she figures things out, that's it.

(He also kinda spoils his whole bastard image by telling her that while he's moving out she can continue to stay in the house for free. Oh, YS!)

"I can't love. That's my fate." No, YS, it's not fate, it's your psycho Undaddy. Seriously, a targeted grenade, anyone?

Undaddy really is the biggest monster in this story. He ends ep 9 by killing two innocent cops who were only doing their duty to get to his target which makes him no different from the men he wanted revenge on. Worse - they at least had geopolitical peace in mind, he's doing it for vengeance that will bring nobody back.

#kdrama #city hunter #lee min ho #park min young

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silviakundera · 1 year ago

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Dramas I watched in 2023

[Chinese Dramas]

My Journey to You - Wuxia. Spy games, badass ladies, subtextually homoerotic cousins. Gentle & sweet ML who melts the cold & calculated heart of FL assassin. Gorgeous setting and cinematography. Left me with a burning desire to see Zhang Ling He play more gentle babygirl MLs and Esther Yu to play more anti-heroes. Absolutely perfect to me.., if we just pretend the director didn't add a pointless cliffhanger in the last 5 min. Which is how I choose to live my life.

Story of Kunning Palace - 'rebirth' costume drama that I waited to air for like 2 years or something and then it... actually didn't disappoint? And was almost everything I wanted? 😳😲 This is THE couple for that post about the pair that need to be stuck in a neverending monogamous relationship with each other as a quarantine measure to protect everyone else.

A Journey to Love - wuxia perfection. The stand-out drama that I wasn't expecting. Murder mommy & murder daddy became an otp for the ages and all of the supporting characters were interesting and dynamic. I cared about so many more characters than I expected and never fast fowarded. Just immensely satisfying.

The Ingenious One - wuxia with a weak, scheming scholar protagonist on a revenge quest (yes, we've all heard that before!) who puts together a group to execute his cons, Leverage style. I love me a martial artist x weak scholar couple 👌. Some exciting twists & turns in this one. Both A Journey to Love and The Ingenious One are best enjoyed coming in with little to no information. Hell, skip the trailers and simply dive in!

Hidden Love - Modern drama. Top tier romance-novel-on-screen writing and acting. It felt honest and real. The coming of age arc for the FL was well done. Great brother & sister relationship that feels authentic. The ML's backstory was so heart breaking because it was never overplayed for melodramatics. Just a quiet pain, a distance and a burden he carried with him.

Road Home - Modern. "Do you remember who I am?" / "Yes. If I were to turn to ashes, I would still remember you." I am very weak for the "reunited exes", "second time around" trope when the actors are capable and the breakup wasn't a narratively convenient 'misunderstanding'. As a career woman who works very long hours, I also tend to appreciate modern drama relationships where the couple manages to stay functional & supportive while not having a lot of free time for each other. That's my version of wish fulfillment 😂. I felt like this narrative made me fully understand why they couldn't make a long distance relationship work as young adults but now they're ready and have experienced enough of the world to know that they are happier with their lives joined together than apart.

Love You Seven Times - xanxia. I wrote a whole review post (love letter) on this one, since it seems rather underrated. I feel like this one may actually end up one of my fav examples of the genre. I just sincerely bought into the couple and their mutual devotion.

The Last Immortal - xanxia. Terrible trailer but turns out to be a decent show. I'm a fan of the genre, so I'm enjoying it. (I think you do need to be, to enjoy it - it doesn't transcend or really subvert..just a solid representation of xanxia) I like both lead actors and they do a good job with the material. It's working better for me than Ancient Love Poetry and Ashes of Love. After being eager for Song of the Moon in 2022 but then being let down (I dropped that one quick), I'm very happy 2023 brought me 2 xanxia I liked.

Three Body - modern sci-fi. Book 1 of my fav sci-fi trilogy of recent years. As a novel fan first, I was pleased to see it on screen with talented actors. Eager for book 2.

Love Me, Love My Voice - modern drama with an unusual couple (2 introverts) and dubbing fandom hyper fixation. A laid back relaxation drama, to de-stress with. Minimal plot, no conflict. Just sweet slow burn relationship building, singing & audio performances. Supportive friendships.

Here We Meet Again - modern drama that suffered from sloppy editing. I mean almost incoherent editing in a couple places, like when they are counting down the days until getting married and then.. It's not mentioned again? 🙃 But I very much enjoyed the couple's chemistry. I can't say it was objectively good but it sure was compulsively watchable for some reason.

Royal Rumors - Costume drama that was so aggressively mediocre that I don't have any real explanation for not dropping it. Except I find the lead actress unspeakably alluring. Blame my hormones.

Dropped

Back to the Brink - xanxia. Great concepts but the execution didn't work for me. I'm not a fan of slapstick and wacky humor within serious subject matter. (It's the reason kdramas can be very hit or miss with me.) The amount of humor layered into AJourney to Love is basically my limit for tragicomedies. (Note: I did go read the book and it was very entertaining - the tone was much more to my taste.)

My Lethal Man - modern. Embarassing english name, but they had me in the first half, not gonna lie. Then after her identity was exposed, I wasn't feeling it idk. Sometimes it's just not that complicated.

Destined/Chang Feng Du - costume drama. idk really why I dropped. I watched about a 3rd of it and then was distracted by other shiny objects. I plan to come back to this one in 2024 and finish.

Romance of the Twin Flower - costume drama; unholy abomination of a great novel. I hope somehow, someday, the culprits pay for their crime. Need I say more?

[Korean Dramas]

Perfect Revenge Marriage - a modern rebirth tale. For the 90% of it, I was high on the love of a drama that is just what you didn't know you wanted. The camp, the dedication, the scenery chewing, the glorious evil step mother. It was magical. And then the last 2 episodes I found underwhelming. I can't really explain it, the climax just didn't hit for me. But that's very much a personal taste issue and I'd definitely recommend to all drama lovers who enjoy the genre. Seriously, the performance of evil step mommy was a master class.

King the Land - modern workplace romance. I've heard complaints that there wasn't much of plot. But tbh that was fine with me, because some dramas are simply character pieces. This was all about the personal growth of the FL and ML. I ended up invested and rooting for the ML to become a decent guy who isn't a gross classist like his dad.

Destined with You - modern reincarnation drama. I blame my lingering kdrama good feelings about King the Land for convincing me to keep powering thru this one. Such a strong start but then half-way in I began to realize it simply wasn't going to go into the direction I wanted it to. I still have no idea what they intended to communicate with that love potion subplot.

Vincenzo - modern crime drama. I was late to the party on this one. But after I got around to watching the delightful Kinnporsche, this was rec'd to me as another drama that embraced the bigger than life unreality of Fantasy Mafia™ and provides a rollicking good time. Absolutely ridiculous and compulsively watchable. 10/10.

[American]

House of the Dragon - Awful people doing awful things to each other, as a 1st act before everything goes straight to hell. Plus freaky dragon-riding fantasy incest. What's there not to like?

Fall of the House of Usher (YES i DO watch every horror drama by Mike Flanagan thx) - Was it as good as the first 3..? No. Did I still breathlessly binge it in 2 days? Yes. Awful things happening to awful people, poetically. 👌 👌

#cdrama #drama review

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twisting-echo · 2 months ago

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So, you're the local Mirrorverse shipping blog, Any thoughts on Hook, or The Beast, or Anna? I'm getting back into it to finish the plot before it's gone, but that sure has me thinking about this goofy little game and all the fun interactions it had the possibility for.

I see my reputation has finally caught up with me, hehe. >:3

Hello! Yes, I am your friendly neighborhood Mirrorverse shipping blog. Thank you for noticing~

Anywhoodle, what do I think of Captain James Bartholomew Hook, AKA the Vainglorious Vengeful Swordsman?!

Well, despite the fact that his tiny waist and hourglass figure make my knees weak. His prominent, sharply defined chin that juts forward with a hint of arrogance. His face is a portrait of cunning with high cheekbones and a perpetual smirk. Luxurious, jet-black curls cascade down to his shoulders, always impeccably styled. His thick, arched eyebrows convey a constant look of mischievous plotting. And finally, his mustache is a thin, curling work of art, highlighting his sophisticated yet sinister demeanor. Not to mention how proud I am of him for getting over his fear of crocodiles—I think he's DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS! Who doesn't love a man in heels?! 😍😭💖

Now, where was I going with this? Oh, yeah! Who do I ship him with?

Okay, I ship Hook with Jafar, Hades, Gaston, Maleficent, Ursula, Cruella, the Evil Queen, Tinker Bell, and finally Aurora/Briar Rose.

Hook and Aurora are my current OTP based on my mood right now because I love to imagine Aurora wrapping her elegant arm around his delicate, womanly waist and pulling him close as she uses her mighty faerie shield to protect them both from the Fractured. Aurora is a wrecking ball with rose-shaped bangs and a flowy dress that makes his knees weak~

Hook's the only one who consciously remembers to call Aurora by her preferred name, Briar Rose. Mickey and the other guardians slip up constantly, but she's too polite to say anything and appreciates that Hook always remembers. He often engages in chivalrous acts, like offering his hand to help her down a step or draping his crocodile skin coat over her shoulders when it's cold. He likes to play his piano for her and grows daffodils (a headcanon inspired by Shrek 3). And guess whose hair is the same color as daffodils? 👀

Now what do I think of Prince Adam of France, AKA The Beast and the Knight-Errant of the Enchanted Wood? First off, this beastly beauty is looking sharp in his family armor! Puns fully intended! I love that his armor is a family heirloom, with that rose emblem is on his breastplate and cape. You know, I always liked Beast/Adam's human form, but Disney Mirrorverse made me LOVE his human form! Look at him; he's like Edmond Dantès from Manga Classics: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, Jareth the Goblin King, Howl Jenkins Pendragon, and Adrian Țepeș/Alucard all wrapped up into one! Seeing a grief-stricken, half-formed beast is something I never knew I needed in my life! Oh yeah, knighthood and that battle axe look gewd on him.

Okie dokie, I ship this beastie boy with Belle, Gaston, Aurora, Snow White, Ariel, Jasmine, Tiana, Cinderella, Aladdin, Hercules, Kuzco, and my fave, Elsa.

I love him with Hercules because Herc is just so sweet and soft to him. But... Beast and Elsa are my OTP because my friend @frie-ice brought the "Beast of Intentions" Disney Mirrorverse event to my attention and lost my mind. I ship them because they're both social outcasts who were ashamed of who they are and thus shut themselves off from the rest of the world. But I love to imagine that they take comfort in and identify with each other over their shared experiences of isolation and self-discovery. Beast, with his struggle to accept his monstrous form, and Elsa, with her fear of her uncontrollable powers, found solace in one another's understanding and empathy. Together, they learn to embrace their true selves, heal from their past wounds, and discover the beauty in their unique qualities~

Now what do I think of Queen Anna, AKA the Ward of Arendelle?! I love this little ray of sunshine right down to her perfectly coiffed hair bun, elegantly accented by the striking white streak that runs through it. Her armor is nothing short of magnificent! Encrusted with troll crystals, embodying the enchanted protection she wields! The Joan of Arc-esque design symbolizes her bravery and leadership, with intricate detailing that showcases both strength and grace~

She is my favorite melee guardian to use because of her special ability called Elemental Surge. This ability is fantastic because it wrecks everyone within her circle, unlike Hercules and Snow White's abilities, which are limited to one enemy. Anna has carried me through this game and was my strongest melee guardian until I got a duplicate Snow White crystal that unlocked her fifth astral rating/level.

I ship this sunspot with Merida, Ariel, Cinderella, Belle, Moana, Jasmine, Elizabeth Swan, Rapunzel, Aladdin, Hades, Aurora, Mulan, Ian Lightfoot, Snow White, Tiana, Kuzco, and finally, Sheriff Woody Pride. Anna just has that personality type that makes her very shippable.

Despite Anna and Buzz Lightyear being in the Hopeful Heroism Disney Mirrorverse Event together, they see each other only as friends. Meanwhile, Woody is a rugged, heavy-hitting cowboy who secretly crushes on Anna... hard! He gets all flustered and stutters around her like he did with Bo Peep from his source world. Anna, ever the warm and welcoming soul, remains oblivious to Woody's feelings, treating him with the same kindness and camaraderie she shows every guardian. Woody's heart races every time she smiles at him, and he's constantly torn between his duty as a sheriff and his burgeoning feelings for her. He’ll throw hands at any and all Fractured to protect her and often lets Anna wear his hat, a gesture of his deep affection and trust. The two share a unique bond, sometimes even finishing each other's sandwiches~

This game has truly provided a canvas for me to think of so many imaginative scenarios and relationships. There’s a lot of fun and potential in exploring these characters’ dynamics because, since their source worlds have changed, maybe that means their romantic and platonic relationships can change too. For instance, we know that Belle and Beast end up together in their source world, but ever since two blazing stars, one light and one dark, collided, their destinies have shifted. This opens up new possibilities for who they could become and who they might connect with. So maybe Belle might find herself attracted to a big, blue, compassionate, and caring guy like Sulley. 😳👉👈

Anywhoodle, sorry for the long info dump/rambling. I genuinely loved answering this! It’s great to hear you’re diving back into it. Disney Mirrorverse has always been such a delightful and quirky game. If you ever want to chat about your favorite moments or characters, I'm all ears!

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mistybreeze1 · 8 months ago

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Hear me out

Libber GordenxSensei wu is one of my favorite ships of ninjago. Will it ever happen in canon? No. Do I still love it? Yes. People literally tried cancelling me and a friend over it because it didn't fit their otp. Anyways take some cute headcanons that came from the roleplay this was concocted out of: HC: Libber really chills out around Wu, there's something calming about his presence that makes her less fidgety Libber literally could recite the entire pacer test. INCLUDING WHEN THE BEEPS HAPPEN. Wu is very awkward and flusters easily especially when its around Libber Libber and Wu went on a date in Shintaro. Libber was living with Ray and Maya for a bit (She's trying to recuperate her life) so, Wu picked her up in Ignacia so they could have their date

Both their love languages is gift giving Libber approached him first and asked him out Wu admired her from afar. Libber though very confident will easily fluster when it comes to Wu. Libber is more vocal about her affections

They express their love through flowers

Libber did DIE! However in this roleplay a cracked version of ray brought her back to life. My original idea for her death was she was killed. If you want more libber HC's especially how I think she acts like let me know

#ninjago #ninjago wu #ninjago libber #ninjago headcanons #its a crack ship?#creativeshockshipping

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small-oneshots · 2 months ago

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BokuAka

Warnings -> Angst, Major Character Death

Authors Note -> BokuAka is my OTP, no one can top them. They are so adorable and I love them. They are also SOOO perfect for angst, I don't know why.

I looked around the table in the back corner of my hometown bar. Friends and family gathered around me in a bittersweet joy. A going-away party. A party that's supposed to be fun, but turns out depressing and miserable. But with my friends, nothing can ever be boring.

Insisting we have it at our bar, Kuroo gathered all of our high school friends, all of my coworkers, and all of my family, into one tiny section. Cheers and beers went round and round the small rectangular table, as well as through the bar, from strangers who over heard.

After about two hours, I left. Calling an Uber, with no destination in mind, I thought about all the times Kuroo and I walked out of this bar, absolutely wasted, trying to find our ways back home. I sometimes wish I could go back, but what would change? I'd still be where I am now.

The notification popped up on my phone, signaling that I had another customer. At the bar, my back seat door opened and a man sat down. His cheeks were a rosy red, his golden eyes were teary, and his hair was two-toned and messy. Despite all of that, he was one of the most handsome men I've seen in this tiny town.

"Where are you going sir?"

"Would it be okay if we just drove around? With the windows down? It's a nice night and I'm not ready to be alone just yet."

"That's fine with me."

Akaashi started pulling away and Bokuto rolled the windows down, eager to breathe in the night and forget his destiny. Arms were seen outside the window as Bokuto became an airplane, flying on the adrenaline and sorrow. To passerby's Bokuto was drunk and having fun, but Akaashi could see. He saw the way his body tensed up ever so slightly every time they hit a bump, or the way his eyes always had a tear or two threatening to fall.

"Hey man, I know we don't know each other but, is there anything you want to say?"

Bokuto brought his arms back in and slowly smiled. It wasn't a smile of joy, but a smile of pain. The kind of smile one gives when they're trying to convince themselves they'll be okay.

"Have you ever thought about dying? Or what life is like after you die? Cause I know I do.

"Unfortunately I can say that I have. Why do you ask? What's going on? What's Up?"

"I was diagnosed with brain cancer last week. They said it's too late to have chemo or even get it treated. I'm- Im dying and I'm okay with that."

Akaashi's eyes filled with tears. His vision became blurry and it got to the point of him having to pull over.

"I was at a going away party with my friends at the bar. I told them I'm moving away for a job opportunity. I didn't have the courage to tell them the place was Heaven.

Truth is, I'm a little scared. Not for myself, but for them. I wasn't drinking, and I know they sensed something was wrong, but I hope they just thought I was sad about leaving.

That's why I asked you to drive around. I'm better around people, even if they're strangers. When I'm by myself I feel lonely and sad. I don't like feeling like that."

Akaashi was stunned. At the end of each ride, he asked people if there was something they needed to get off their chest, and he's heard some things. But nothing- nothing compared to this.

"I'm sorry man. I didn't mean to go so into detail, but I think this is the happiest I've been since my diagnosis. The way the night feels on my lungs and skin is breathtaking and the town tonight has such a heavenly glow."

"I agree. Although it's small, this town really does affect you in the most beautiful ways."

"I know we won't ever see each other after this. but thank you. Thank you for listening and indulging with me. It means a lot coming from a stranger, and I really hope it doesn't have to do with the fact that I have cancer. Even though I'm dying, I'd much rather people be blunt with me, and not beat around the bush."

"You're welcome. I will let you know, it's not the cancer. You are a very likable person, and I'll tell you, that you are a very pretty crier. Your eyes shine like diamonds when you cry, and I find it mesmerizing."

"'Thank you- "

"Keiji. Akaashi Keiji."

"Kotarou. Bokuto Kotarou. Thank you Keiji."

"You're welcome Kotarou. I'll take you home now. Just know your not alone. Not ever."

Keiji sat, dressed in all black, underneath an umbrella, and cried. He hasn't known Kotarou at all, but that one might in his car, left such an impact, and Keiji couldn't believe a man like him was gone. Not two months after they're fateful encounter, Keiji read on the paper that the beloved volleyball player passed away. They never stated the reason, probably to protect the public from such a sorrowful thing, but Keiji knew. Keiji remembered how miserable Kotarou felt in his back seat. He remembered how much it hurt to hear Kotarou's voice crack and see his body tense. He remembered, despite his horrible odds, how Kotarou looked genuinely happy with his arms out the winter smelling the city.

It was a cruel fate. A horrible way to go, and with the way it hurt him, he can't imagine how the family felt.

"I'm so incredibly sorry for your loss. I hadn't known Bokuto at all, but I was his Uber driver the night of his "going-away party. I wanted you guys to know, that he was okay with dying. He said it himself. and I want you guys to know, he enjoyed himself that night. And I want you guys to remember that. Please, for him."

#fanfic #haikyuu #bokuto koutarou #akaashi keiji #bokuaka #angst #character death

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