#shipping pole: arc 1

[krakenshaped]

Okay so!

Poll numero uno for the yurilings who are reading the idol au fic!

Since the fic and the Judai shipping is going to be more or less completely decided by the audience because I have a chronic case of multishipping, Here is the first ship related poll of the au!

Ladies and gentleman I must ask!

You have a day to vote! Good luck yurilings!!

NOTE: THIS WILL NOT IMPACT THE ENDGAME PAIRING AT ALL

[starlight-bread-blog]

Why I No Longer Ship Zvtara

Warning: This is a very anti zvtara & pro kataang post. This is your chance to leave.

As some of you may know, I am (or rather was), a Zvtara shipper. But lately I've been shying away from the ship. A lot of the arguments I used to believe in, for me, don't hold water anymore. And given how vocal I was about shipping Zvtara, I feel like I owe you an explanation. In this post I will go through common pro Zvtara & anti kataang arguments and unpack why I can no longer support them in good faith. (I will kinda burn through them though, it's just that feel like I owe you this).

"Zvko and Katara's character arcs & characters are parallels"

This is interesting because I wrote an essay on this very subject, and I still stand by everything I said in the essay, but only as a platonic reading of it. See, A:TLA is full of parallels and symbolism. Zuko also has parallels with Aang, Katara has parallels with Azula, etc. In a show like this, the parallels between Zuko and Katara don't carry enough weight to justify some specialness. They have a great, incredibly well written relationship, but in my opinion, the extent of it can remain platonic without standing out.

"Tui and La represent Zvtara"

Tui and La are The Ocean and the Moon spirits and very explicitly represent Yin and Yang. I can't see Yin and Yang as Zutara for two reasons:

1) Yin is the moon, feminine and shade. The moon & feminine, that's Katara. But Yin is characterized by dark, wetness, cold, passivity, disintegration etc). Katara might have an edge, but she is not dark. Not to mention passive. And disintegration seems like the opposite of a waterbender. Katara fundamentally is not a Yin.

2) Yin and Yang is a dynamic. A self perpetuating dynamic of two opposites creating and controlling each other. Katara and Zuko never created each other. While you can argue that they control each other by being "capturing the avatar" vs "protecting the avatar", the only time this conflict of interest ever turned into a dynamic was in the north pole, and by then Zuko would go on a season long journey far away from Katara.

"Making Zvtara canon would be thematically cohesive"

I also wrote an essay on this subject, and just like my other essay, I still stand by a platonic reading of it. I even went back and edited it to make that reading more prominent. The thematic cohesion is already achieved through their platonic bond. In any show, naturally the relationships between characters are going to reflect the themes, that's just how writing works. It doesn't mean the relationship should be romantic. They already have a thematically cohesive relationship, making it a romantic one doesn't add anything.

"Aang idealizes Katara"

For context, there are some instances where Aang is dismissing Katara's anger. For example, in The Chase:

Toph: You're blaming me for this?

Katara tosses aside her sleeping bag and gestures with her hands, challenging Toph to move closer. Aang jumps in between the two.

Aang[Desperately.]: No! No, she's not blaming you.

Katara[Angrily.]: No, I'm blaming her!

Rather these instances reflect of idealization, or merely of Aang's peace seeking nature that's trying to de escalate the situation, is up to interpretation. I choose to interpret them as the latter, because of The Southern Raiders.

Katara: We're going to find the man who took my mother from me.

Sokka pauses and stands up, surprised.

Zuko: Sokka told me the story of what happened. I know who did it and I know how to find him.

Aang: Um ... and what exactly do you think this will accomplish?

A really common talking point in the Zvtara fandom is that Aang just assumes that Katara is going to murder her mother's killer, instead of simply confronting him. Either way, he knows\thinks she's talking about murder. If he'd idealized her, he'd make a different assumption.

"Kataang harms Aang's character arc"

This is referring to the dilemma presented to Aang in The Guru. He had to let go of his attachment to Katara in order to master the Avatar State. The assumption is that his chakra was blocked, therefore he didn't let go. I disagree. We see him open his seventh chakra right before Azula shoots lightning at him.

One might argue that nothing changed about Aang's relationship to Katara, so the dilemma rings hollow. But something did change, Aang was romantically braver than he was before. He got more confident. Compare his flirting from The Headbend (b3) to The Fortuneteller (b1). It's night and day. And if you ask me, this is the natural consequence of feeling less attached.

Furthermore, when he explains to the GAang why he couldn't master the Avatar State, he cites Azula's lightning as the reason:

Toph: So, what's your strategy for taking him down? Gonna get your glow on and hit him with a little Avatar State action? Aang: I can't. When Azula shot me with lightning, my seventh chakra was locked, cutting off my connection to all the cosmic energy in the universe.

He couldn't master the Avatar State because of Azula's lightning, not because of his attachment to Katara. (I heard some people say this was confirmed that Aang was still attached, but I'm a big believer in Death of the Author so I don't really care if it's true).

"Kataang was one sided"

The general consensus in the Zvtara fandom is that Kataang is framed from Aang's perspective, and while the show teases us about Katara's feelings to create a "will they get together or won't they" tension. But can all of these hints really be contextualized that way? Some can, others, not so much. For example, Katara is show to be jealous of Aang in The Headbend when he dances with On Ji, and when they dance she gives him a loving look; in The Cave of Two Lovers, Katara smiles when she suggested they should kiss, and she blushes at the end of the episode. All of these moments cannot be swept under the rug in favor of a reveal that Katara didn't love Aang.

"Katara passing herself as Aang's mom is maternal"

I never really understood this argument, if I'm being completely honest. For two reasons:

1) In Howl's Moving Castle, Sophie works as Howl assistant and falls in love with him, but she's cursed, looking like an old lady. There's a scene where she too has to pretend to be his mom, and it turns into her realizing her feelings towards him. She becomes young again, a girl Howl's age. It's a beautiful confession, while pretending to be his mom. No one criticized that, becuase pretending to be someone's mom for the sake of a mission isn't maternal.

2) Sokka is also there. I don't think it's controversial to say Sokka isn't at all a parental figure to Aang. That's because the point of this joke isn't that Katara actually is motherly towards Aang, it's that they aren't actually similar to [Aang]'s supposed parents and this entire situaton is very silly. The implication behind this joke isn't that Katara is maternal towards Aang, but that she isn't.

SO! That's all I'm covering. Now, I hope I can put this subject to rest and discuss the many other great aspects of A:TLA.

[lady-menrva]

PJO Meta (1 of ??)

DISCLAIMER: I don't mean to offend anyone. I am a ship and let ship person. Please note that criticism =/= hate. Lastly, if you're a solangelo shipper who doesn't wish to hear any criticism regarding their ship, please scroll away.

Ever since it's first appearance, solangelo has been a massive fan favourite. I, however, don't have a favourable opinion of the ship. Here is a brief explanation of my reasons for the same. (I apologise for my inarticulation)

Characterization:-

Nico-

Honestly Nico's writing in the trials of Apollo was terrible even by the usual character assassination standards- in the hidden oracle, he legitimately read as a gag charater who served no purpose apart from being "Will Solace's Goth/Emo Boyfriend". Things were hardly better in Tower of Nero, where he was basically just "Will Solace's traumatized Goth/Emo Boyfriend" who happens to be lazy PTSD rep.

Will Solace-

Can't say much. He was never a character of his own, and probably never will be. His substance as a character is comparable to the quantitative mass of an electron in Kilograms (9.11x 1/10³¹) i.e, negligible.

Nico's Healing Arc (or lack of the same )-

After what was essentially two series worth of fanfic-esque trauma bombing, Nico should have received a proper healing arc. Unfortunately, there was no such arc for him (courtesy of solangelo), because Rick has this earth-shattering, inspired-by-Disney idea that relationships can fix everything. So guess what? Nico's years' worth of emotional baggage, pain and trauma simply volatalize into oblivion .

Some shippers may argue "Oh but he got better off page"-but that it is bad writing per se; Nico's struggles, grief, fears, unhealthy coping mechanisms etc. are more pivotal and relevant to his character than a nascent, one dimensional relationship with an insignificant side character. He is much more than just his sexuality, after all.

Cliché and one dimensional:-

Solangelo is firmly rooted in the "opposites attract" trope, which is simply unrealistic in nature.

Also, newsflash: "Opposites attract" is a law specific to physics and chemistry; It's all fun and games till people who are poles apart sit down to take serious decisions, or share opinions. Friction between them can be rather intense.

(Oh! wait... I think Nico was described to be a Nitride anion {or was he Azide? No, I think he was Nitride} and Will was a Tungsten cation. So, they are basically Tungsten Nitride... Boy! They have so much chemistry between them/s)

Anyways, I totally understand why people prefer jasico, valdangelo, percico, nicobaster etc...

[sludgewolf]

We need to talk about the lack of "filler" in series that're been released recently

I just watched a video about ATLA and it's filler or lack there of and, they're right, ATLA doesn't have filler episodes as we define "filler episodes" now. Our understanding of filler is closer to what's used for anime that is, non canon episodes that are made so the anime doesn't catch up with the manga. Applying this to western animation (I say animation bc I graduated in it thus a better understanding and I don't really watch many live action series so I don't have much of a say) we ended up with the impression that it means "episodes that don't move the plot forward"

Which, doesn't make sense with Western animation since most of it isn't a adaptation of something else, or with comic adaptations for ex, they're mostly adaptations of various arcs coming together as a single story. Smt very different from the manga to anime adaptation process

Comparing ATLA who positively doesn't have "filler" and X-men 97 who negatively doesn't have "filler" is a good example of what I'm trying to say.

Not all of ATLA episodes move the "learn the elements and defeat the firelord" plot forward and that's good thank fuck not all episodes are rushing ahead to throwing this 12yo we barely know into a battle with a full grown adult who's perpetrating a war against the rest of the world. Instead we actually get to know the characters, we see them traveling from the South to the North Pole instead of spawning where the plot demands, we see Aang adapt to the world post iceberg nap and learn to be the avatar, we see the effect the 100 year war had in this world. And most of all, the more "filler" episodes contributed to the pacing of the series, when binging the series now I still feel like the Gaang traveled across the whole world and didn't just teleport to the plot.

Opposed to X-men 97, don't get me wrong I'm absolutely loving it but the story is always being racing forward at a breakneck speed. They did try to pace it better inter cutting the main plot with Scott, Jean, Madelyne, Wolverine's whole deal and the "LifeDeath " plot, but if there wasn't the weekly wait for the next episode we would not have any time to breathe and digest what happened in the episodes.

I'm still confused on how Madelyne went from trying to have a normal life outside the x-men to being in Genosha's council. Still on Madelyne, I didn't care that they had to part ways with Nathan, ik he's their baby and all that, but as soon as they named the baby Nathan I knew they were throwing that baby to the future to complete the time loop of him being in the original series. And that's because they never got the chance to try to make us care, the writing team couldn't waste time with that since they only had 8 episodes to tell all these stories, the speed that the plot is being taken makes me believe that when writing this season Disney still hadn't signed on the second season and when they did it was too late to rework the script.

This whole thing is reminding me of Hazbin Hotel's pacing problems, analyzing it as if I didn't watch the pilot, we just met the characters and suddenly had to care that they were going to die in six months, we don't really know Charlie other than 1. she's Lucifer's daughter, 2. daddy issues that aren't rly addressed besides jokes, 3. she's with Vaggie (other character we didn't get to know) and 4. she's the owner of the hotel and wants to rehabilitate the sinners. The worst part of it is, we teleported from the start of the season to 6 months later out of nowhere and suddenly we're at the finale with the big boss battle. Of course HuskDust is a more popular ship than Charlie and Vaggie, we never got the chance to see them being together other than in episodes when the characters are being dragged by the plot while Angel and Husk had an episode where we met them and got the time to see them interact without being pushed by the extermination plot

This is exactly why "filler episodes" are important, we should actually know who these characters are before the big fight at the end so we can actually care about what happens to them. X-men 97 may not suffer that much from it but it's because we already knew most of the characters, but we never got to meet this version of Madelyne, see her going out alone to a world that hates her existence, see her morn having been forced to send her baby off to the future and maybe not being able to see him ever again and finally see never see how did she even end up in Genosha.

Or Storm, sure we got a two parter, but how did she get to fuck knows where to meet Forge in that bar, what did she go through during the time she was traveling alone, it's not as if people wouldn't recognize her as a x-men even if she'd left the team, maybe see more of how the relationship between her and Forge developed, cuz I didn't get why she still wants to be with him even after he basically created the tec that was turned into the weapons used to kill mutants, that's smt one can't just forgive, and yes I'd like to see her as she struggles with not having her powers, smt other than she feeling lonely without the wind (this would work even as just a montage with sad music as she travels to the fuckall haunted desert)

On a rly quick note on Invincible I do think they did a good job with their pacing and character development with the time they had, I'd like to have seen a bit more of Rex's development from complete douche to Lizard Leader homemade lobotomy to where we are now, but on the Grayson family whole thing they did an amazing job at showing how they're dealing with the aftermath of season 1, there was just a little jump from Debbie downing a bottle of wine every day to full bug mom mode but I do think she'd step up to it no doubt.

Maybe just some scenes of her still working through s1 trauma and questioning wtf is wrong w Nolan bc from her perspective he just killed hundreds of ppl on Earth, almost killed Mark, fucked off to space and suddenly there's a purple half bug baby living in her house calling her mom. But I don't think that's strictly necessary since there's always fanfiction to bridge this gap and it's just a minor thing that bothered me

TLDR: Filler in western cartoons isn't really filler, these are just episodes to help develop the world or characters without having to rush with the plot and also episodes that help with the pacing of the story, thus showing the passage of time or great distances being crossed without having the characters spawn at the next plot point. And we do need it specially for shows that are intended for binging, such as most shows now. What determines good filler from bad filler here is good writing

[canonicallyobserving911]

Eddie Diaz: 7x7, 7x9 and 7x10

Eddie Diaz is my favorite character but I still don't like the storyline they gave him for the end of the season.

(Full disclosure: I did a similar post about Bobby's storyline but before 7x9 airs, I decided to do one about Eddie too.)

It's been a couple of weeks since the plot or whatever TM (showrunner) is trying to do with Eddie's character was revealed (man is obsessed with his deceased wife's doppelgänger but he ignores the woman who's been by his side the entire time) and I still HATE it. Therefore, I'm not looking forward to whatever this raggedy "Vertigo" storyline is supposed to be for multiple reasons.

The main reason why I don't like it is because IMO, Eddie's storylines have always taken a backseat to those written for other main characters and the truth is he hasn't had a storyline all his own since he was involved in the illegal fight club in season 3. All of his other storylines were made to be about someone else or they weren't given adequate room to be developed, i.e., the shooting, his PTSD and his return to the 118 at the end of season 5. His breakdown was shoved into the last 5 minutes of 5x13 then he went to therapy once afterwards but the audience didn't see any more of his sessions.

Also, if his storyline didn't take a backseat, he was sidelined for the majority of a season (for most of season 6, he was treated like a side character with nothing to do for 13 out of the 18 episodes and the ones they gave him in 6x7, 6x14, 6x15, 6x17 and 6x18 were lackluster at best) and they were treated like "This will do" for his character while other mains got-well thought-out storylines that didn't make the audience dislike them.

Three things that have been magnified about Eddie since 7x5 aired is (1) people who already didn't like him (it's possible they're jealous of him because he's so beautiful and Buck's in love with him) despise him even more without a valid reason; (2) people who hate cheating storylines have already dismissed him and are now classifying him as irredeemable and for whatever reason they don't think he deserves redemption or to work through it even though others (Hen and Buck) have cheated too; and (3) those who shipped Buddie before, no longer believe Buck should wait around for Eddie since Buck's in a relationship with a discount dollar store version of Eddie. I mean let's be real here for a minute because the show literally wrote the character of T*mmy to be a cheap bargain basement version of Eddie Diaz.

Aside from him emotionally cheating with his dead wife's doppelgänger 🙄, it appears there was no real thought put into his season 7 arc and for those who've seen the movie "Vertigo", they might be interested but I am not. I get it, he's grieving the "relationship" he thought he could have had with Shannon but wouldn't it have made more sense to let him deal with his grief in therapy LAST SEASON WHEN THEY DIDN'T GIVE HIM ANYTHING ELSE TO DO?

YES! They could have used those 13 episodes to allow him to go to therapy so he could have already worked through this situation with his deceased wife instead of shoving it into the end of an already robust and limited season. Or was the F*X network against letting him move past it too? I think it was poor planning and lazy storytelling but that's just me. Also, why is Maris*l still around? Eddie's storyline could have worked without her so what's the real goal here? It's unclear if his storyline will end the way it did in season 5 with him sliding down the firefighter's pole and rejoining the team like everything had been fixed but hopefully that won't happen this time and he'll get the help he needs.

Finally, as a Buddie shipper, I WILL NOT SETTLE FOR A KNOCKOFF VERSION OF A RELATIONSHIP FOR EDDIE OR BUCK BECAUSE THEY BOTH DESERVE BETTER. Therefore, why should Eddie or Buck settle for something that doesn't compare to EVERYTHING THEY'VE BUILT TOGETHER FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS?

IMO, they shouldn't and it's time for the show to stop delaying their CANON love story. I for one don't want to sit through another season of LIs being thrown at them like javelins and hoping one will stick. This is EXHAUSTING just like season 5 was and I'll watch the episode after it airs so I can fast foward through the parts I don't want to see.

I ONLY SHIP BUDDIE!

[schmirius]

okay but what if... a different ofmd s2

I tried several times to make a less tl;dr version of this post, but it's not happening. BEHOLD: a season I just like better. It fixes things that I personally didn't like (and I have a strong Ed and Izzy bias). I wanted to do a few major things:

Keep 2x01-2x03, because I love them so damn much. this unfortunately sets the stakes *really high* for the rest of the season, so...

Rework the characters that canon s2 introduced, to be able to focus more tightly on the Revenge's response to the 2x01-2x03 atom bomb.

Give Ed and Stede more focused arcs (individually and as a couple). Ed and Stede were, emotionally, at completely opposite poles in 2x01-2x03, and in canon I think they didn't connect much after that. So in my version, they'll do basic work to understand why their s1 meet-cute failed and how they can move on to having a real relationship.

Address Ed's very vividly depicted violence from 2x01-2x02. I found the amends depicted in canon somewhere between "unsatisfying" and "horrifying." Jesus did I need to fuck around with that!

the three major acts in the season:

ACT 1 (2x01-2x03) – Trauma! These episodes remain largely the same as in canon.

ACT 2 (2x04-2x06) – Recovery I've edited these episodes so Ed + Stede are entirely separated from Izzy + the Crew. This gives the OTP space to work on themselves and their relationship. Likewise, Izzy has space away from Ed to go through his arc of self-discovery and consider if he wants to reconcile with Ed. Izzy and the Crew all get a chance to recover from The Trauma on their own, together as a community. ACT 3 (2x07-2x08) – Reconciliation Act 2 has given everybody time to process Act 1 and how they might come out of it as better versions of themselves and a stronger community. Now the OTP and the Crew reintegrate and, in the 2x08 climax, prove all their work has been worth it by fighting together against an external menace. (It's Hornigold. It's got to be Hornigold. This is so obvious to me.)

* * * THE CHARACTERS:

Each crew member is talented brilliant incredible showstopping spectacular, but in the interest of brevity, the characters in the imaginary episodes are going to be:

Ed and Stede → The OTP – Ed and Stede as a couple. Color-coded red so you can follow their arc.

Izzy

The Crew, who begin in Act 1 as three separate crews:  → the Castaways (everybody Ed marooned/tossed overboard at the end of s1) → the Breakup Boat (everybody from canon s2 on the Revenge with Truly Insane Ed → the Girls (introduced below)

THE BOATS:

Most episodes are going to have two plots running, taking place on two ships:

The Revenge

The Pearl Diver (again, below)

Last terminology note: I'm going to be comparing "canon episodes" vs. "imaginary episodes" or "new episodes" a bunch.

Ready? Alright, let's kick it.

* * *

ACT 1 – 2x01-2x03 – TRAUMAAA

Ed + the Breakup Boat: The action on the Revenge remains basically the same, with the torture and the murder-suicides and all the crimes. Stede + the Castaways: I'd cut the Republic of Pirates in 2x01. Instead, I'd start with everyone at sea on the ship that rescued them (which also creates an atmosphere of everyone still being trapped by the awful shit that happened in 1x10). What ship? I think introducing Zheng the historical pirate is a really cool idea, but I also think it's one idea too many. Zheng's objectively cooler and more successful ship is always, implausibly, overshadowed by the lovable misfits on the Revenge, since the Revenge is the workplace that the show is about. This is annoying to me (and probably Zheng). Instead I'd make the rescue ship one of equal goofiness: Mary and Anne's ship. I'll call it the Pearl Diver, just because I can. We can lift the formula from Ed's ship in s1:

s1: gay men // s2: lesbians!

s1 power couple on the ship is Ed+Izzy // s2 is Mary/Anne

s1 crew members who later join Revenge are The Boys, Fang+Ivan // s2 will have the Girls, a surgeon and her competent sailor girlfriend. one of them is a trans woman, I said so

the set is just the Revenge with different props on, lol

Okay, that's our lesbian ship set up. It'll last five episodes and be a very easy foil for the Revenge. Stede: His 2x01-2x02 bit seemed to be "I love Ed, I'll get back to him no matter." I'd push that harder. New s2 will open with Stede as a brave romantic adventurer sallying forth into true love (the same way he was a brave romantic adventurer sallying forth into piracy in s1). So: "I love Ed, I'll get back to him no matter, and the force of our newfound love will be what straightens this all out." The OTP:  Ed and Stede are both hopeless romantics, of course, but they're coming at it from opposing genres. Ed thinks he's the doomed villain in a big-R Romantic novel. Stede thinks he's the little-r romantic hero in a bodice-ripper. Their job in new s2 is to shift ideas of self & genre to meet somewhere in the middle.

ACT 2 – 2x04-2x06 – RECOVERY

I think a lot of what s2 tried in mid-season succeeded, but it didn't really add up to anything. In order to advance Ed and Stede's arc(s), I'd isolate them from the Crew. This gives everyone space to start clearing up the Act 1 wreckage.

(quick 2x03 note:) The major change I'd make here here would be moving the Breakup Boat crew off of the Revenge sometime mid-episode so they can recuperate on the Pearl Diver instead. They get to leave the trauma boat, which gives them and us the audience some breathing room as we transition out of the murder-suicide portion of the season. In the Pearl's infirmary they meet the Girls – surgeon and girlfriend – and reunite with the Castaways. There's a palpable sense of each group feeling isolated from the others.

2x04 – really intense cleanup

Time skip: The Breakup Boat crew have been declared physically recovered enough to start repairing the Revenge (and therefore prepared to grit their teeth and return to the scene of their trauma). The Castaways offer to help; the Girls come along in solidarity with their new friends. The Revenge: (this is also 2x04 in canon) Izzy never left the wrecked ship, is doing Bad. The three separate crews do ship repairs, but then come together as one Crew to declare Izzy their unicorn.

The Pearl Diver: (this story has no equivalent in canon)

Ed: never leaves the Pearl's infirmary, is doing Bad. He's trying to come to grips with the fact that he did all that shit, the kind that his dad and Hornigold used to. Stede: is focused on telling Ed about their true love rather than trying to understand how awful Ed feels, to the point that he's telling his newfound love~ story super loudly to avoid talking about Ed's pain.

The OTP: They have a moment where they stop talking past each other.

Ed hears Stede when he says that he really does love Ed. (Ed doesn't necessarily believe it, but he's willing to listen.)

Stede hears Ed when Ed says he feels trapped worse than ever (though he's weirded out Ed thinks he's a doomed villain). (Stede, our favorite Ed stan, literally doesn't care what Ed did except as far as how Ed feels about it.)

2x05 – letting loose

Time skip! Again, everyone looks slightly less haggard. The Revenge: (this is 2x06 in canon; I've moved it to 2x05) The Crew: have Calypso's birthday, paid for with the treasure they wouldn't throw overboard in 2x01 because it's their treasure and not Ed's, ffs. Joyful, queer, "we're surviving, we're getting through this together." Izzy+Ed: I'm aiming to untangle the shitty parts of their codependency and eliminate Ed's outright domestic abuse. I read canon s2 as Izzy fully untangling himself from Ed and then presenting Ed as a gift to Stede, and I did not like that for anyone. I'm aiming to conclude new s2 with Izzy+Ed acknowledging how bad it was at the end (with a little more emotional insight than they might have been able to do in s1 – maybe this huge event in their lives leads to self-reflection and growth!) and how they could move forward maybe as very complicated friends. Izzy's going to be taking the lead on this one, because the codependency very much ended in Ed doing violence to him. He gets to decide what the fuck happens. So: Izzy: is finally somewhere without Ed, first time in 30 years. Now that he's been unicorn'd (feels supported), he has room to unwind and start discovering what he might like to do. So he does drag. And also sings about his complicated feelings for Ed, come on, Izzy has love for him. In new s2, Izzy still gets to bloom, but he remains closer in personality to his grumpy cunty s1 self, not quite consciously understanding how he's changing. The Pearl Diver: (this is 2x04 in canon; I've moved it to 2x05) The OTP: have the bonkers Mary/Anne dinner party (their f/f co-captain counterparts). They do their awkward exes bit. In canon s2, they see Mary/Anne as "these guys are so weird, wtf"; in new s2, they're more like "these guys are so weird, omg. remember how weird we were last year? that was so fucking great." Conclusions:

Ed and Stede have more in common than they'd feared (since, like, 1x10)

They see they can be dramatic assholes in love like these bitches and that's great.

But also: maybe they need to be less self-centered than "burn down your ship which is your entire livelihood without considering that this might kill your crew." Maybe Mary/Anne rowing off cackling in a boat together (to, say, China) isn't the W they thought it was.

also also: caught up in the adrenaline of understanding they're mad lads, Ed/Stede do the impulsive "taking it too fast" (canon: 2x06) and BONE.

Lastly: The OTP ask to reboard the Revenge now that there's no Pearl Diver, mentioning hopefully that they've learned a lesson. The Crew are not convinced. They maroon Ed/Stede on land at close of ep.

2x06 – restucturing

The Revenge: (this plot is similar to Izzy+Stede's story in canon's 2x05)

Haven't thought of a frame story I like here, honestly. But the point of the episode is that Izzy helps Crew to be better pirates. This does two things:

Izzy's getting a chance to choose to manage people for himself, rather than as Ed's minder or Ed's goon.

Crew are getting competent advice from someone who genuinely gives a shit (Stede or Ed do not fit the bill). This allows them to keep running things in a fairly democratic structure where they do make decisions based on actually, for real, Talking Things Through.

Crew: consider what they're going to do about Ed and Stede – who maybe have had time to sort themselves out a bit? – replete with silly company restructuring metaphors.

Izzy: probably does shirtless swordplay considers how he wants to deal with Ed. Talking to Crew he decides that he, too, can try airing grievances with Ed in workplace metaphors. (It doesn't take much to convince him. Izzy will always love being a professional.)

On Land: (this episode has no equivalent in canon)

The OTP: in true OFMD style, they attend a modern couples retreat that has 18th c trappings. It is run by the straightest dude ever (Steve Carell levels of Kinsey 1 in 18th c khakis).

This dude is obnoxious, but he does remind them to strike a balance between demonstrating their love by talking through their needs (e.g. 2x04 infirmary, 2x05 dinner party) and by taking action (which will always be bonkers for them, like 1x09 act of grace, 2x05 impulsive boning). I'm thinking of it like: Ed/Stede realize they're whim-prone (as in canon 2x04), and also there's this tool nearby.

They're like, hey, actually I really love you, and make out sappily for a while then wonder, bemusedly, why they didn't do that before fucking a bunch. ("but the fucking was still good?" "oh yeah mate, we should definitely always be fucking")

Unfortunately: The retreat ends abruptly when they spot pirate hunters closing in on the B&B and have to make a run for it.

ACT 3 – 2x07-2x08 – RECONCILIATION

I really couldn't tell what canon was going for at season's end, starting from about "Stede kills Lowe" at the end of 2x06. I found a lot of it contradictory and kind of ass-pull-y. Major divergences to follow.

2x07 – reintegration

(this episode is similar to canon episode 2x05)

The Revenge: Having spent 2x06 thinking about what they want to do next, the Crew decide they can take on Stede + Ed on their flight from pirate hunters. Everyone's back on the boat. I'd probably make the frame story here something silly and light-hearted like the Cursed Red Suit. Everyone can mingle in groups that are different from the ones they started out in during Act 1 – permutations of people from the three distinct crews, Stede and Izzy and Ed thrown together with people they haven't seen in a while. These different groups can brainstorm deeply stupid solutions to this probably fake problem. I'd probably make the frame story here something silly and light-hearted like The Cursed Red Suit. Everybody can mingle in different groups and brainstorm deeply stupid solutions to this probably fake problem. Ed/Stede: Crucially, Stede and Ed aren't together in any of these groups. They separate and see everyone and understand that they're not, actually, in charge of Crew anymore. It's weird but okay. They both have to legitimately listen like they've been practicing all season. Ed doesn't apologize but he at least doesn't fuck with anyone, so that's... fine. Izzy+Ed: They haven't seen each other since the murder-suicide farrago in 2x02.

Izzy: "You can do the big gestures but you're a shit captain, Ed. You can't be there on the everyday stuff." (with subtext: you need to give a shit about me all the time, not just when I can be convenient to you.) It's not any kind of forgiveness, and Ed can't offer an apology because he still doesn't understand them. But this is Izzy saying he'll talk to Ed (with more pushback than canon's 2x06 "oh look it's scowly face").

Lastly: This has been a monster of the week ep where the first five minutes were like, there's a problem which will affect us in the future! and then the middle of the episode is, but it's not affecting us right now so let's do interpersonal stuff! Sadly, whoever they dump the Suit on at the end of the episode reminds them the problem still exists: the pirate hunters are worse than they thought. Hornigold is on their trail.

2x08 – IT'S REAL PERSONAL

(this episode has no equivalent in canon.) And here we reach the locus of all my frustrations!

Nose Guy doesn't exist in new s2, so we don't need to blow up the Republic with no foreshadowing as in canon 2x08

Zheng's awesome fleet doesn't exist in new s2. The foreshadowing that she was planning something incredible doesn't have to come to nothing like it did in canon 2x08, when her fleet also blew up with no foreshadowing. (what was that badass montage from canon 2x02 of her crew portaging ships thru the jungle even for ;_;)

Canon s2's sudden decision to make the stakes of the entire season "oh, uh, everyone wants to destroy piracy?" and completely ignore all the interpersonal problems set up in Act 1 – that doesn't happen!

Probably nothing in imaginary s2 will be as intense as 2x01-2x03 were. But new 2x08 will be a claustrophobic, high-pressure situation where everyone will have the resolutions they made in Act 2 tested, in a situation as dangerous as the worst of Act 1.

HERE WE GOOOOO Cold open on the Revenge:

A scene that looks about as bad as Ed's storm in 2x02: Izzy is dead from a headshot, Crew are panicking, Stede is alone and can only shout to Ed that he loves him from far away.

Ed is kitted out as Blackbeard at his worst – makeup and all – and seems ready to, again, blow the whole ship up. Viewer is perhaps worried that Ed has, again, lost it. We balance on the precipice!!

TITLE CARD!

Chronological start of ep:

Wind back the action!

Time skip from 2x07: The Revenge has been running from Hornigold for weeks, hiding themselves in ever smaller spaces as they get jumpier and jumpier about the pursuit. (Think on deck → main cabin → galley → the secret fucking deathbed under the galley.)

Ed, off by himself, is beside himself at the thought of meeting Hornigold for real once more. He failed to kill him all those years ago – what must he do now to solve the problem for good?

Intercut with Hornigold's ship:

Hornigold is chasing them, being a dick in his sumptious cabin. It's light on the action, heavy on letting us know who he is.

He's cruel and violent, like Act 1 Ed, except (a) he's less concerned about covering up his awfulness with charm and (b) he's perfectly open about "I hate this guy I used to own and I want to kill him" (about Ed) in contrast to Act 1 Ed not being able to say anything of the sort about Stede or Izzy.

We already know what kind of evil shit Hornigold used to pull because mostly-dead Ed told us in 2x03, so, you know, good enough.

Ed has to kill himself and also his dad again, lol, we get it

Climactic stuff on the Revenge!

Hornigold catches up to them; there's some fighting or whatever; it leads us up to the cold open. But then it pushes through to: it was all a fuckery!!

(do not ASK me what kind of fuckery. they are hard to write, they are both deeply psychological and incredibly goofy. This is just an outline of a fake season LEAVE ME ALONE)

Ed was a distraction, acting how Hornigold expected him to act! It works: Stede kills Hornigold!

The OTP: The murder addresses how each wants to deal with violence in their respective genres:

Ed, when he did patricide on behalf of someone he loved (mum) got caught up the cycle of dreadful murder and trauma he wanted to escape. And now he sees that he can – he's not the doomed Romantic villain!

Stede, in doing step-patricide on behalf of someone he loves (Ed), commits in a real way to ruthlessly murdering bullies. He's a swashbuckler! He definitely likes it! Finally, he's found a way to express romantic love in a grounded* way. (*by OFMD standards.)

It's a deranged pirate sitcom way of turning their tentative courtship into a healthy adult relationship.

Ed + Izzy:

During the fuckery: Izzy is playing murdered-by-Ed, so he's "dead" on deck (vulnerable) amidst the chaos.

Ed throws himself over Izzy to save him from getting shot.

This doesn't erase all the shitty things Ed did! It's a big gesture instead of an everyday thing, just like Izzy was complaining about! But it's definitely an indicator that Ed would prefer not to drive Izzy to suicide and Ed does, even, ask if Izzy's okay afterwards, checking him over, before someone else points out that Ed got shot.

Lastly:

With final approval from Izzy – after a lengthy pause where Izzy looks at Edward panting and bleeding on the deck – the Crew decide to journey forth to find Super Good Medicine to save Ed.

THERE ARE HINTS THAT s3 MIGHT SHOW US:

Blackbeard's historic raid on Charleston (who is playing Blackbeard at that point? who knows!)

Ed and Izzy working on being weird-ass friends again, but without so much murder-suicide

Stede and Ed finally talking about how they want to spend their life together: what's between retirement and piracy?

This is all pretty okay because new s2 ends in a hopeful place where nobody FUCKING DIED jfc where everyone's grown a bit but, as always, still has room to grow more.

the end!

[rosekasa]

20 questions for fic writers!

thank u @jattendschaton for tagging me 🥺 i love these questions

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

i have 107 on maketea, but with my um. two other accounts i have 128

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

on maketea i have 293,935, but with at least one of my other accounts (one of them is for ml and one of them for another fandom, the latter of which i cant be bothered to log in to rn shdjsk) the total is 313,681!!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

miraculous ladybug mainly! but i have also written for owari no seraph. ive written for other fandoms but im not counting it if i literally only have one work to my name for them HSJAJA with ons at least i have 3 on maketea and 12 on my other account

THEORETICALLY. i also write for sailor moon. i have a substantial amount in my google docs. they just havent manifested themselves into existence yet

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

apology gifts, like poles of a magnet, new marinette, a nine-year old (fhfjsj), and i'll marry you! ive actually had kudos/hits/comments stats hidden on ao3 since 2021 so i have no clue how many kudos any of these have which is very funny to me

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

i try to but i always get distracted midway through going through my inbox which is totally on me fjdkka. i always decide to do it when im literally in the middle of class for whatever fuckin reason HAHAHA. i also always feel bad because im like 'oh i havent replied to this in literally two years im too embarrassed to reply now'

i also want to reply with more than just 'thank you' because comments mean SO MUCH TO ME but i think i psych myself out of replying because im too scared i won't be able to express it properly

im trying to resolve to get better at it!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

ehemememem. ya'aburnee.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

ooh, id say new marinette! in terms of like. the emotional arc or whatever

i was gonna say lpoam, but i think there's still a bit of lingering Sad there

8. Do you get hate on fics?

nope!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

i want to say no. but ive been writing fics for ten years now and i feel like i mustve done Something weird when i was younger

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not to my knowledge!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yep, for an old fandom on wattpad!

shdkska this is really funny, but back then i made a playlist for the fic, and i remember the person who translated it wrote in their translation of that chapter 'i wouldve done it differently but it's okay' that still makes me laugh

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

yep, i did one for owari no seraph and one for ml! i have some others in the works tho hehe

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

guess

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

oh hmm. i think i am delusional and believe all my wips will someday be finished HDJFJSJS so im changing this question to 'doubt you will in the near future'. for that, id say maybeeee my amnesia adrien fic. 40k words in the doc and babe is still marinating

16. What are your writing strengths?

hmm. i think im quite good at writing interactions! i mean, i like the way i write them at least. i love capturing the feeling of being with people and i think i do it well!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

there's something that feels kind of hesitant when i read my docs sometimes? it feels like im worried to hit the point of the plot head-on and skirting around what i actually want to say. i think what i'm trying to do to improve is to be a bit more direct in my narration style and focus on being descriptive only when it's needed.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

ive done it before!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

oh i dont want to answer this. one direction

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

like poles of a magnet <3

tagging @destiny-with-you , @mozzygan , @asukiess , @ladyofthenoodle , and whoever else wants to do this!!! just say i tagged u when u do it hehe

[salty-protagonist]

Determining Star Lords with Astrology (Part 2)

This post references back to Part 1 and includes the analysis for Polaris and Canopus.

Polaris ****

Polaris is the most common blood type in the series. But what makes it special is the fact that we actually met Lord Polaris (with his identity concealed)!

I assume that Lord Polaris is male because he is/was a butler and it is traditionally a masculine role.

Polaris is the “Pole Star” that moves around very slightly compared to the average star movement has has been used as a guide to determine the direction of north over many centuries. It’s part of the Ursa Minor (Little Bear) constellation.

Polaris is known for being a trusty guidepost that leads people with a purpose. These qualities are shared with his identities as butler.

The second thing we know about Lord Polaris is that he is dead. When did he die? Was he always dead? Well, according to the fan translation I’m putting here, he was alive until very recently. (If anyone has the official copies, it would be great if you’d share your wisdom because the English translations are not sold in my region and I have no means to look for one at the moment)

Blue stars are the hottest stars (simply due to the electron jumps in their atomic levels). Here, I’m guessing it’s either to talk about Lord Sirius because he is more powerful compared to the other Lords, or to talk about Lord Sirius because it is associated with the Phantomhives who’s trademark colour is blue. (Ciel means sky in French as you all know, which is blue). A third possibility would be to talk about Lord Sirius, since it’s a white-blue star (sourced from the internet).

I would like to elaborate more on this but I will do so regarding chapter 169 in the future when Polaris becomes relevant again. I was busy at the time 169 came out so I couldn’t directly comment on it at the time.

Moving on, the reason why I mentioned the official translation is because how I understand the panel above is as he wasn’t dead at the time. So I want to make sure the meaning is as close to that as possible. Nevertheless, something has happened between RC reveal and ch169 for Polaris to have died. Perhaps when RC stopped being Lord Sirius, it also meant the fall of the Blue Star that led Polaris to sacrifice himself in a cultish way? Or RC needed an organ and Undertaker took it from Polaris?

Still, I don’t think we can create solid connections between any butler character we already know and Lord Polaris. Many new characters were introduced during the last few years so it would be safe to assume he hasn’t been seen in the story before this.

(Disclaimer: Most if this is regarding ch 169, so if any of this has been mentioned by someone else before, original credits are directed to them)

Canopus** (Doll)

This is where the theories for the orphanage arc start

I will be connecting Canopus to the dog orphanage because all the other Lord seem to have connections to one of the new settings. Although orphanage is the only one left (process of elimination), there are still some connections between Canopus and Lord Canopus who I think is Doll.

Canopus is the second brightest star in the sky (1st is obviously Sirius) and it is a part of the Carina constellation, which stands for the lower part of a ship. Carina used to be a part of the Argo Navis ex-constellation until it was divided into 3 others. Argo Navis means Argo Ship. It is the ship used for the quest for the Golden Fleece. Carina doesn’t have a legend for itself so it ties with the myth for Argo Navis. Other 2 constellations that were a part of Argo Navis are Vela and Puppis, whose names also stand for parts of a ship.

How ships and sailors tie in with Doll is through the circus which was named “Noah’s Ark Circus”. To summarize, Noah had a boat (Ark) which carried 2 of each species on Earth to conserve life after God flooded everything else.

If we consider Argo Navis as Noah’s Ark Circus, we can relate Carina, Vela and Puppis to the 3 pieces of the circus. Carina is Doll, Snake is Vela and the deceased circus members are Puppis (meaning back of the ship therefore making it seem like they’re left behind in a roundabout way).

We already know that Doll is a bizarre doll and a newer model too. So, it corresponds with the other confirmed Lord Polaris, and relates to Layla as Vega. It would make sense for Undertaker to have revived someone without any family to look for them and to have given them command over a blood collection operation.

Let’s look at the Canopus bedroom in Sphere Music Hall blood experiments wing.

Compared to the rooms of all the other star lords, it doesn’t have any personal decoration or belonging of any kind. Much like a hospital or a hotel room, it seems to be for temporary residence. A logical explanation regarding Doll would be that she was only kept here until she was able to move on her own. The bandages could be from the injuries Sebastian gave her.

The lack of any personal belonging could be because Doll is used to frequently moving around rooms in the circus. She didn’t do anything special to settle in with OC when they were roommates too.

The placement of the stool doesn’t match either object in the room. It’s too far back for anyone to have looked into the mirror (for makeup or sth you know) or for someone to have helped whoever was on the bed to take of the bandages in the orientation shown above. Maybe it was pushed away as Doll went up to the mirror and saw that Undertaker fixed her eye after ripping off her bandages by herself. (This is very deep speculation without any concrete proof)

The speech bubble belonging to Lord Canopus is impatient, wanting to begin the plan for bringing back RC. This could be about Doll wanting to take revenge on OC as soon as possible.

I would also like imagine Doll’s real name is Carina, because it’s a great name with a beautiful meaning. It peaked in the era that she is living in as well.

——————————

Thank you for reading!

[god-usopps-preacher]

Thank you for the honesty of the 5% on the cat pole, you've been spared with a read more 🙏🏼

Now for the other 95%, here's my AU on One Piece where half the characters are cats.

My favourite hobby over the last 2 years has been making AU's for stories I like where the characters are cats either in a Modern world cat cafe or their own world, and with my One Piece phase coming back into full swing let me tell you I am having a blast making this cat version of One Piece.

And an additional rule for this AU, if something here doesn't seem logical for cats to do just don't think about it too much. It's like how Zoro can be human but lift 10x his weight, just don't think about it and have fun.

Here are the main story points and history so far:

- The Strawcat Pirates are a group of cats that live and travel on a pirate ship belonging to Captain Merry. In this AU, Merry is a human and the Captain of a pirate crew, and each of her crewmates is a personified version of a different part of the og ship.

- Cats in this world were worshipped immensely and even seen as Gods in old times in this world (like real life tbh), and at some point around the time of the WG coming into power these beliefs died down.

- Gol D.Roger is a big cat, who was the 'pet' of the most wealthy, famed and powerful pirate crew of the time. To set an example and to lure out the crew members by using him as bait, they set up a public execution for him (unknown to them, this big cat was actually the captain of that crew).

- Haki in this world also sometimes has the ability to allow cats to communicate with humans in various ways. Mostly in a telepathic sense. Gol D. Roger had this ability, and in his final speech he used it to make sure the people could hear his last words alongside the cats. Believing a devil fruit was being used, the marines were ordered to go forth with the execution instead of keeping the animal as bait, since keeping him alive was becoming dangerous.

- The cats that gathered by the execution stand where the first to race away en masse, understanding Rogers final words immediately. The people didn't move at first, unsure where what they heard came from and if they really heard it. After the first few people started dashing to the ships upon realisation and not risking losing this chance to being skeptical, the rest of the crowd followed and the golden age of piracy began.

- Because of the incident at Logue Town, and based on some old history in this world, a lot of pirates believe that cats are the key to finding where the One Piece is buried. So, a lot of pirates searching for the great treasure will have a few determined cats on board in order to aid their search. Some pirates believe any cat will do, but the pirates that do the best know it takes a determined cat with a great passion for Adventure.

- While a lot of pirates are sailing in search of the One Piece, it's mostly cats that make up the most determined of the searchers. So finding a few cats for your ship isn't as hard, but it can be tricky to convince them to join since its the cat that chooses the ship/crew that it wants to aid them in their own journey.

- The Pirate cats and Pirate people are co-dependant on eachother. The cats wanting to sail as pirates to find the One Piece/accomplish their dreams but being unable to do a lot of ship maintenance and sailing because of their cat bodies, the people wanting to find the One Piece/explore the grandline but needing the luck and mysterious qualities that Cats uniquely have in this world to aid them on their journey.

So that's the history. Not every character in this AU will be a cat either. Most main characters will be cats and all of the strawhats will be cats, but I'm mainly deciding the species based on:

1) What I think would fit with the new changes for this version of One Piece

2) What I find funny

I'm gonna make a post each on the arcs and how they go in the catverse, so far the next post is gonna be on the Romance Dawn trio so it'll be about them from the start up until just before Syrup village. Let's see how many arcs I can get through.

[phoebosacerales]

Do you know anything about the fixed star Dubhe?

I know a little about the Ursa Major, Dubhe's constellation of the great bear. It's a funny thing that it has a tail. Real bears don't. But greco-roman mythology explains that by saying it was Jupiter/Zeus by picking her up and streching her, that gave her a tail. It has a very important relationship with the constellations around it, especially Ursa Minor and Bootes, which I've talked about before, and you can't understand one without the other.

Dhube is the alpha of the Great Bear, known as a circumpolar constellation in the northern hemisphere. It's really high on the northern celestial pole, making a lot of its stars never set on the horizon, and so here in Brazil for example we never see the bears entirely. I've never seen them. The proximity to the northern axis makes the Great Bear always look as if she's going in circles around Polaris, the star that's placed in the exact spot of the northern axis and never moves while everything revolves around it, making it look like we're all in a centrifuge.

"Now where heaven reaches its culmination in the shining Bears, which from the zenith of the sky look down on all the stars and know no setting and, shifting their opposed stations about the same high point, set sky and stars in rotation, from there an insubstantial axis runs down through the wintry air and controls the universe, keeping it pivoted at opposite poles: it forms the middle about which the starry sphere revolves and wheels its heavenly flight, but is itself without motion and, drawn straight through the empty spaces of the great sky to the two Bears and through the very globe of the Earth, stands fixed. Yet the axis is not solid with the hardness of matter, nor does it possess massive weight such as to bear the burden of the lofty firmament; but since the entire atmosphere ever revolves in a circle, and every part of the whole rotates to the place from which it once began, that which is in the middle, about which all moves, so insubstantial that it cannot turn round upon itself or even submit to motion or spin in circular fashion, this men have called the axis, since, motionless itself, it yet sees everything spinning about it." (Manilius, Astronomica. 1st century AD. Book I p. 27)

Manilius saw a different sky than this in the 1st century, Polaris wasn't as close to the pole as it is today, but the Bears still had this movement. The Great Bear was also called by astrologers as Bootes' carriages. It's hard to understand its thing if you see them just as bears, but the idea is that Bootes (aka the bearward or Icarius) is driving them like a team of plowing oxen, because Icarius is a shepherd who keeps the rotation of the heavens. So, the bears have to do with plowing, planting, agriculture, cars, carriages and driving or carrying etc.

The top of the axis is occupied by constellations well known to hapless mariners, guiding them over the measureless deep in their search for gain. Helice, the greater, describes the greater arc; it is marked by seven stars which vie with each other under its guidance the ships of Greece set sail to cross the seas. Cynosura [Ursa Minor] is small and wheels round in a narrow circle, less in brightness as it is in size, but in the judgment of the Tyrians it excels the larger bear. Carthaginians count it the surer-guide when at sea they make for unseen shores. They are not set face to face: each with its muzzle points at the other’s tail and follows one that follows it. Sprawling between them and embracing each the Dragon separates and surrounds them with its glowing stars lest they ever meet or leave their stations.” (Manilius, Astronomica. 1st century AD. Book 1 p.27, 29).

Ptolemy says the constellation is like Mars in its effects, which makes sense with plowing. But looking at my post about Bootes will help you see a bigger picture and get the movie reference I made here. On there I left out the fact that Cooper is also a pilot besides a farmer, later I realized that the spacecraft could also be seen as the bears in the story, as well as his agricultural machinery that starts showing anomalies in the beginning of the film. Movies are the best help in understanding astrological symbolism, it's amazing. And when you see it you can't unsee it.

[theladyghost]

Gladiator 300th Chapter Celebration

Thank you @kigozula for organizing this event to mark the 300th chapter of this amazing fic!

Favorite…:

1. OC: Shoji, he’s a sweetheart!

2. Guard: Haoren, just for the way he roasted Fei Li in the Spirit Library arc (sorry Fei Li)

3. Gladiator: Sokka and Toph aside? Rhenzi.

4. Sponsor: Azula aside? Yang. He’s a riot.

5. Pair/Couple: Kori and Sneers

6. Friendship: Azula and Song

7. Villain/Antagonist/Opponent: Rhone. His story was quite interesting.

8. Suitor for Azula: Aonu

9. Place: Northern Air Temple

10. Event: Azula’s birthday (took place in part 1, but I guess it still counts)

Favorite Top Three…:

Kisses (in Part 2):

1. Fire Nation Festival #2 arc 7 (when they thought Zhao knew the truth)

2. Fire Nation Festivals #2 arc 7 (after they they learn that Zhao got the wrong idea)

3. Firelord for a week arc 4 (before facing Rhone)

Lovemaking:

1. Fire Nation Festivals #2 arc 2 (The Palanquin)

2. Return to Shu Jing arc 6 (the hot springs cove)

3. Gladiator and Sponsor Race arc 9 (Oma and Shu’s tomb)

This or That:

1. Part 2 or Part 3: Part 2, mainly because Part 3 is not finished yet.

2. Zuki family or Mai Jian family: Mai Jian family. Yuudai is hilarious. My inner 3 year old related to him a lot at Ty Lee and Haru’s wedding. And Ruon Jian and Mai are cute together.

3.Fire Nation Festivals arc or Anniversary arc: I can’t possibly choose, I’m sorry.

4. Captain Rui Shi or Captain Fei Li: Captain Rui Shi (again, I’m sorry Fei Li)

5. Ozai or Zhao: Zhao

6. Scavenger Hunt, Pairs Tournament, Gladiator Brawn or Sponsor Race: Damn, this one is so hard… I’m going with the Gladiator and Sponsor Race.

7. Appa or Xin Long: Xin Long

8. Sokka’s Squad or Azula’s Squad: Azula’s Squad

9. Mai or Ty Lee: Ty Lee <3

10. Shoji or Kino: Shoji

11. Haru or Ruon Jian: Ruon Jian

Others:

1. Place I’d like to visit: Ember Island

2. If I’d could give the Part 2 a title what it would be: True Home. Because in Part 2 they find their place of belonging near each other. Corny I know.

3. What I most look forward to: Sokka and Ozai’s confrontation/Azula meeting Hakoda and Gran-Gran

5. Fave artwork for Part 2: I love several, but the one that comes to my mind right now is the one where Sokka and Azula take part in the Spicy Ramen Challenge. Imo Seyary Minamoto writing really shines in the most humorous moments of the narrative. And Sokka and Azula being their ridiculously competitive selves over something like an absurd eating contest? What’s not to love?

Guessing Time:

1. Future ship: Soooo, sometime ago someone went to seyary’s inbox to ask her about Sokka and Yue’s future interactions in Gladiator and she answered that while they’ll form a friednship, there’s no room for a romance between them in this story. Then she implied that Yue will find love with someone else, so I sent my guess to Seyary’s inbox and going by her answer to kigozula’s post, I think I might be onto something. However, revealing my suspections might be spoilery, so I refrain from doing so.

2. When will Azula and Zhao get a divorce: I think that Ozai has to be dealt with first. But maybe the spirit oasis thing will be Zhao’s downfall.

3. Hakoda’s first meeting with Azula and Hotaru: Hakoda and Azula will have a very difficult conversation about Azula’s capturing Sokka and taking him alway from home. But after hearing Sokka’s version of the story, Hakoda will be able to forgive Azula. And he will be super emotional upon meeting his granddaughter

4. Ozai and Ursa reunion: Ozai might flip his shit

5. What Ozai’s future looks like: Hard to tell. I’m not sure if he’s going to die or have his bending removed like it happened in canon.

6. When Azula visits the South Pole for the first time: I hope to see her interacting with Gran-Gran, who’ll tell her all sorts of embarrassing stories about Sokka’s childhood. Azula will get lots of ammunition to make fun of him, he’ll state his so called manliness once again, and she’ll think it’s adorable

7. First thing Sokka and Azula will do upon reuniting: The two of them are horny as hell, so… Just kidding! Seyary posted that artwork where they reunite in a battle and make out, but I trust them to have a full conversation before jumping each other’s bones. There’ll be crying involved.

Quiz:

1. First Gladiator Sokka faced: The Spawn of the Volcano, I think…

2. How long they’ve been together: 3 years

3. First person to find out about Sokkla’s relationship: Rui Shi (If we’re taking that day in Shu Jing as the starting point of their relationship)

4. Who was onto them from the start: Song

5. Ozai’s first love: I don’t remember. In my defense, I still have some arcs left to read and I don’t exactly read them in order…

6. First event The Princess and The Blue Wolf participated in: Scavenger Hunt

7. How many times the Blue Wolf fought in the Slate:Twice

8. Which Azula’s suitor got closer to being crown prince: Out of all Azula’s suitors? Kuan, I guess…

9. How old were Aang when he was frozen in the Iceberg: I’ll just say 18, but I really can’t remember *hides in utter shame and humiliation*

Words for the author @seyaryminamoto

Dear Seyary Minamoto: I already told you most things I wanted to by sending some anon messages to your blog askbox. Well, now you know it was me. But I think it doesn’t hurt to repeat myself: I started reading Gladiator recently and I’m almost done with it, cause it’s addictive. It’s crazy to think you’ve been writing this story for so many years. Your dedication it’s really appreciated by your readers. I mean, it’s such a long fic and I’m amazed by your attention to every little detail, at how every aspect of the plot seems to be crafted well in advance. Like Azula telling Sokka about the bloodlust spear for the first time in chapter 46 when their partnership was just beginning, only for it to be brought up again years later at chapter 206! Or Sokka writing his haiku on chapter 37 and the very same words causing a powerful emotional reaction in Azula on chapter 276! I look back to the beginning of the journey and think about everything these characters have been through and how much they’ve grown ever since… it’s overwhelming! Can’t even imagine how it must feel for you. The characters and their universe might’ve been created by Bryke, but just by changing a small detail from canon you brought to life something that feels entirely new. Honestly, I wish I could read it all for the first time again, because I already reread my favorite bits so many times that I know them by heart now. Can’t wait to see what you have planned for the future chapters!

[magicofthepen]

shipping ask game: [immediately forgets every ship ever whoops]

how about Korrasami?

ship it/don’t ship it ask game

Korrasami - Ship It

What made you ship it?

oh this takes me back! how has it been almost nine years since I first watched Legend of Korra, oh my god the passage of time.

I never liked the love triangles of early Legend of Korra - especially in the context of, I was a teenager, so many stories aimed at teenagers had love triangles, and I was deeply rolling my eyes by that point. The rapid romantic development of Korra and Mako in season 1 also didn’t click with me, which especially makes sense in hindsight, because romantic attraction developing really quickly after meeting someone is never an experience I’ve had. Certainly not at the time.

But the subtle hints of something building between Korra and Asami? The established friendship shifting over time? That was my preferred kind of romantic storytelling, and it struck a cord, in a way I was only just beginning to consciously process. And the idea of two former romantic rivals falling for each other was also extremely compelling, given how much I disliked the love triangles.

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

on an out-of-universe level: this ship made me realize I was queer. this story, the way it spoke to me, the way the writers confirmed that yes, there was something there. their friends to lovers arc resonated enough that my brain finally went oh. I came out to myself because of this ship, and I’ll always be grateful for that.

on an in-universe level: okay I did an A:TLA rewatch within the past year, but I got distracted a season into Korra (slash possibly I stalled out in season 2 because, well. season 2). so the later parts of the show are not that fresh in my mind, so this is going to be fairly vague.

but I love the friendship they have even early on, when they’re romantic rivals. how they come from very different backgrounds (learning to bend most of the elements in the South Pole vs. having a technology-centric life in Republic City), although both with some Expectation of Importance (Korra raised knowing she’s the Avatar, Asami growing up as the heir to Sato Industries), and how they respect each others’ strengths, even early on.

and the relationship we see them build in the later seasons is just so lovely - we see them hanging out and having fun together! fighting together! looking out for and protecting each other! confiding in each other! I know that there are downsides to the romance being so understated, but at the same time, I genuinely appreciate seeing a romance build in a series of moments stacked on top of each other - not flashy and impulsive and dramatic. and yeah, impulsive and dramatic is what we’ve seen from Korra especially before, but I like that it’s atypical for her? it feels like the sort of romance that crept up on her, too.

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

I don’t know what opinions are popular or unpopular these days about Korra and Asami’s place in The History of Queer Characters in Cartoons, but where I’m at is:

yeah, it really was more subtext than text in the show. even the ending. the intentions were there, and I’m glad they made it overt in the comics, but these days I don’t think the ending was as Obvious as I thought it was at the time.

but! that doesn’t mean it wasn’t important. Legend of Korra did help move the needle forward, and on a personal level, it was The show that did it for me. the representation thing of seeing yourself reflected in the show and coming to accept yourself more because of it. I was in my mid-teens, Legend of Korra was aimed at my age group, that subtextual representation (and how much the creators stood behind it as canonical) clearly made a difference to one queer teenager. and that matters.

and I’m so glad that Legend of Korra’s queer story looks lackluster in comparison to later cartoons. it means we have moved forward! not enough, queer cartoons are still getting screwed over by networks, but still. look at the stories that have been told since.

(I realize a lot of this is me talking about Korrasami’s place in media history and not their storyline itself, but 1. again, haven’t rewatched recently, a lot of the details are fuzzy, and 2. it’s place in media history was hugely important to me personally, of course I’m gonna talk about it.)

[williamedwardparry]

winter chronicle posting, part 1: “heaven’s vast concave”

I'm gonna be posting bits and bobs from the Winter Chronicle because it's honestly so endearing (and what better in the middle of winter!)

Brief context: during Parry's first expedition to the Arctic, the officers ran a ship newspaper - the North Georgia Gazette and Winter Chronicle. The paper's editor was Edward Sabine, and the paper encouraged submissions, which were generally fake adverts, humorous poems, letters to the editor, etc. All contributions were anonymous, and were submitted via a box placed on the deck.

Midshipman James Clark Ross (who was 19 at the time) was probably a bit shy about submitting his poem about the aurora for publication, to judge by the encouraging note which was run in the paper in the same issue (p. 84):

It has given us great pleasure to perceive a considerable increase in the number of our correspondents during the last week. To all of these our acknowledgements are due, but particularly to the author of the "Lines suggested by the Aurora Borealis." This production we do not hesitate to pronounce at once extremely descriptive and highly poetical; we congratulate our readers on such an acquisition to our Poets' Corner.

"Lines Suggested by the Brilliant Aurora" (p. 82) was one of the more earnest and serious works submitted, and was referred to twice, apparently with affectionate humour, in later contributions. A letter to the editor, which suggested conveying some of the paper's contributions via the hot air balloons which the expedition was planning to send up with accounts of their whereabouts, noted that "high-flown language, lofty conceptions, elevated sentiments, &c." would be "quite at home" when "soaring aloft into 'Heaven's vast concave'" (p. 119).

The same phrase from the poem was also quoted in a song written for the very last number of the Winter Chronicle, which contained brief references to many of the contributions made through the winter (p. 129).

The poem itself is under the cut!

LINES SUGGESTED BY THE BRILLIANT AURORA, Jan. 15, 1820.

High quiv'ring in the air, as shadows fly, The northern lights adorn the azure sky. Dimm’d by superior blaze, the stars retire, And heav'n’s vast concave gleams with sportive fire. Soft blazing in the east, the orange hue, The crimson, purple, and ethereal blue, Form a rich arch, by floating clouds upheld High poised in air, with awful mystery swell’d; From whose dark centres, with unceasing roll Rich coruscations gild the glowing pole. Their varied hues, slow waving o'er the bay, Eclipse the splendour of the dawning day. Streamers in quick succession o'er the sky From the Arc’s centre far diverging fly; Pencils of rays, pure as the heaven’s own light, Dart rapid upward to the zenith’s height. Transfix’d with wonder on the frozen flood, The blaze of grandeur fired my youthful blood; Deep in th’ o'erwhelming maze of Nature’s laws, 'Midst her mysterious gloom, I sought the cause; But vain the search! inscrutable to man Thy works have been, O God! since time began, And still shall be.—Then let the thought expire; As late the splendours of Aurora’s fire To dark oblivion sank, in wasting flame; Like the dim shadows of departed fame!

— J.

If you want to read the Winter Chronicle itself (I recommend it!) it's online here.

[ameleco05]

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[scienter]

Couldn't contain myself from sending this ask since I saw your other anon mention Plec's interview about Caroline being picked first.This instantly brought back memories.When I first read the interview, it had made me angry because the last thing I wanted was for Caroline to be picked passively.Caroline's character arc should have been about becoming a woman who would not only,actively,find 'The One' for herself but also would be the active decider,picker and chooser of whether she wanted to pursue a relationship with 'the one' that is good for her wellbeing.While this was achieved to an extent(because it's TVD & especially Steroline so expectations had to be kept low) in SC's narrative, Caroline was still reduced to having no voice at all in the finale via plot contrivance and Aldrich hinted at KlArOlInE ,with his voiceover ,that is often weaponized by the Carolaus-ers as a sign of Epic,True *insert other existing tvd jargon* Love.Basically,the point of this rant is that Caroline's narrative never had anything to do with KC which is why I think(I might be wrong though) an interview like that wasn't necessarily meant for Caroline's arc on TVD.It was rather a nod to a certain belief that the KC-ers wanted to hold on to( since Caroline was their favourite self-projection & still remains so) that eventually materialised in the form of the KC acknowledgement in the series finale of TVD i.e

3 billion dollar+However Long.... = Picked FIRST.

By the way,serious question.How do you think Caroline celebrates this true love of hers for Kloos?Does she carry the metal pole/lamp,on her shoulder, that he impaled her with, to his memorial site ?She must have had it engraved with "You are not the villain of my story". You know Nostalgia and all that!

*pony neighs in the distance*

Hey, anon! I agree that JP was indulging in Klaroline fandom with that interview because she had to hype up the audience to keep them tuning in. To be fair, she did it with all the ships. It’s just part of promoting the show.

Anyway, I think your assessment of Caroline's arc is accurate because so much time was spent on building Caroline’s confidence and sense of self-worth. While Caroline looked for external validation during season 1, by the end of the show Caroline’s belief in herself was one of her defining characteristics.

3 billion dollar+However Long.... = Picked FIRST. By the way, serious question. How do you think Caroline celebrates this true love of hers for Kloos? Does she carry the metal pole/lamp, on her shoulder, that he impaled her with, to his memorial site? She must have had it engraved with "You are not the villain of my story". You know Nostalgia and all that! *pony neighs in the distance*

[rms10]

"Why is zuko's arc so good? Because it exists separately from aang"

Not only did Aang save Zuko's ass many a time to even allow him his arc, Zuko's arc just doesn't exist without Aang. Their evolving relationship throughout the show is one of the central pillars the entire thing is built on.

For anyone who misses it throughout the first couple of books, it's spelled out in detail in the third book. Aang and Zuko in a continuum through their past lives have a relationship that is a direct parallel for the war. The healing of their personal rift is a necessary component for restoring balance and achieving world peace.

Yes, Aang reaching out to Zuko in the Blue Spirit, leads directly to Zuko's first sign of doubt about his desire to continue with the Fire Nation's current course. We get an outright symbol of this when Zuko turns away from the Fire Nation symbol in his ship that evening. (Note: it is Aang, not Uncle Iroh, that draws this out of Zuko.) Zuko isn't ready at this point, but it's a small chip into his worldview.

Every time in the first book that Aang shows great courage (starting in EP2 when he surrenders to save the SWT village), or shows that he's after more than a straight up fight (Katara's necklace), or saves Zuko outright from a well-earned death/capture (North Pole and Blue Spirit) provide this constant and consistent demonstration to Zuko that everything he's been taught might just be wrong. Zuko's arc is heavily dependent upon that. It's what allows such a great narrative for Zuko in that it builds constantly, and he retreats from it a bit - 2 steps forward, 1 step back - but moves him steadily along that arc until Zuko and Aang finally come back together again and work directly together late in the third season.

https://www.tumblr.com/sokkastyles/737634460051406848/if-this-is-how-you-talk-openly-you-have-no

Your thoughts?

HOLY SHIT. I've seen bad takes in my life, specially from this dumbass, but WOW.

"The sole survivor of a genocide who, thanks to the war, lost nearly everyone he loved, has no home, and is being hunted down by the very nation that killed his people, so he can, canonically as Zhao explained, be kept alive BUT JUST BARELY, has only experienced 'local' conflicts, not the true horrors of war."

This is the kind of stuff that, if I heard in person, I'd slap the bitch who said it. Imagine being so ignorant. What's next "Katara and Sokka didn't truly experience the horrors of war since they 'just' had to grow up without a mom and being 'safe' in their destroyed tribe, wondering if they were gonna starve before the Fire Nation army came back to kill them all"? Or maybe "Toph doesn't know what controlling parents are, after all hers 'just' canonically hid her existence from the rest of the world so she'd only rely on them, wanted her guarded 24/7, and then paid two guys to abduct her"? Even better: "Zuko doesn't understand the pain of being an abused child, after all, his father JUST disfigured him and kicked him out not just of the house, but of the country"?

Also HOW THE FUCK is "fighting the FIRE LORD" a "local" problem, instead of a full escale war thing? He is the leader of the nation that is imposing said war on the world. They had to invade his nation to try to stop him. Aang had to face him in A BATTLE THAT WOULD DETERMINE THE FATE OF THE WORLD!

And here I was thinking I was a petty bitch just because I love talking shit about the worst people of the fandom in two separete blogs. Silly me. Motherfuckers be like "Aang needing to single-handedly end a war entire armies falled to end is actually just a smaller, isolated conflict, not him experiencing the consequences of the war" just because Aang kissed Katara when they were rooting for Zutara.

Fuck these morons and fuck their shitty "takes." I've seen toddlers throw less pathetic tantrums over cartoons.