#shipping politicians is also a *thing* over here

[todayisafridaynight]

I’m fairly new to the fandom, but I do have a question if you can answer it! Why do people ship Daigo with Aoki / Masato? I tried looking to see if they’ve interacted before, but couldn’t find anything! Sorry for asking I’m just </3 dumb AND I LOVE YOUR ART OF THEM!!! Nerd looking ahhhhhh

hi ! welcome to the community i hope you're having a lovely time so far and ty for enjoyin my stuff :) no need for apologies it's a very fair question to have :]

i cant speak for everyone (all. ten people into masadai anyway) but Personally To Me i just think the idea of them together is very funny. thats quite literally it im afraid..

[fatehbaz]

When you tag things “#abolition”, what are you referring to? Abolishing what?

Prisons, generally. Though not just physical walls of formal prisons, but also captivity, carcerality, and carceral thinking. Including migration prevention; detention; fences and hard national borders; indentured servitude; inability to move due to, and labor coerced through, debt; de facto imprisonment and isolation of the disabled and medically pathologized; privatization and enclosure of land; sacrifice zones at the periphery; the urge to punish; categories of “criminality"; etc.

In favor of other, better lives and futures.

Specifically, I am grateful to have learned from the work of these people:

Ruth Wilson Gilmore on “abolition geography”.

Katherine McKittrick on "imaginative geographies"; emotional engagement with place; legacy of imperialism/slavery in conceptions of physical space and in devaluation of other-than-human lifeforms; escaping enclosure; plantation “afterlives” and how plantation logics continue to thrive in contemporary structures/institutions like debt colonies, workplace environments, prisons, etc.; a range of rebellions through collaborative acts, refusal of the dominant order, and subversion through joy and autonomy.

Macarena Gomez-Barris on landscapes as “sacrifice zones”; people condemned to live in resource extraction colonies deemed as acceptable losses; place-making and ecological consciousness; and how “the enclosure, the plantation, the ship, and the prison” are analogous spaces of captivity.

Liat Ben-Moshe on disability; informal institutionalization and incarceration of disabled people through physical limitation, social ostracization, denial of aid, and institutional disavowal; and "letting go of hegemonic knowledge of crime”.

Achille Mbembe on co-existence and care; "necropolitics" and bare life/death; historical evolution of chattel slavery into contemporary institutions through control over food, space, and definitions of life/land; the “explicit kinship between plantation slavery, colonial predation, and contemporary resource extraction” and modern institutions.

Robin Maynard on "generative refusal"; solidarity; shared experiences among homeless, incarcerated, disabled, Indigenous, Black communities; to "build community with" those who you are told to disregard in order "to re-imagine" worlds; envisioning, imagining, and then manifesting those alternative futures which are "already" here and alive.

Leniqueca Welcome on Caribbean world-making; "the apocalyptic temporality" of environmental disasters and the colonial denial of possible "revolutionary futures"; limits of reformism; "infrastructures of liberation at the end of the world."; "abolition is a practice oriented toward the full realization of decolonization, postnationalism, decarceration, and environmental sustainability."

Stefano Harney and Fred Moten on “the undercommons”; fugitivity; dis-order in academia and institutions; and sharing of knowledge.

AM Kanngieser on "deep listening"; “refusal as pedagogy”; and “attunement and attentiveness” in the face of “incomprehensible” and immense “loss of people and ecologies to capitalist brutalities”.

Lisa Lowe on "the intimacies of four continents" and how British politicians and planters feared that official legal abolition of chattel slavery would endanger Caribbean plantation profits, so they devised ways to import South Asian and East Asian laborers.

Ariella Aisha Azoulay on “rehearsals with others’.

Phil Neel on p0lice departments purposely targeting the poor as a way to raise municipal funds; the "suburbanization of poverty" especially in the Great Lakes region; the rise of lucrative "logistics empires" (warehousing, online order delivery, tech industries) at the edges of major urban agglomerations in "progressive" cities like Seattle dependent on "archipelagos" of poverty; and the relationship between job loss, homelessness, gentrification, and these logistics cities.

Alison Mountz on migrant detention; "carceral archipelagoes"; and the “death of asylum”.

Pedro Neves Marques on “one planet with many worlds inside it”; “parallel futures” of Indigenous, Black, disenfranchised communities/cosmologies; and how imperial/nationalist institutions try to foreclose or prevent other possible futures by purposely obscuring or destroying histories, cosmologies, etc.

Peter Redfield on how metropolitan residents try to hide slavery and torture/punishment on the periphery of Empire; early twentieth-century French penal colony in tropical Guiana/Guyana; the torture of the prison relies on the metropolitan imagination's invocation of exotic hinterlands and racist civilization/savagery mythologies.

Iain Chambers on racism of borders; obscured and/or forgotten lives of migrants; and disrupting modernity.

Elizabeth Povinelli on "geontopower"; imperial control over "life and death"; how imperial/nationalist formalization of private landownership and commodities relies on rigid definitions of dynamic ecosystems.

Kodwo Eshun on African cosmologies and futures; “the colonial present”; and imperialist/nationalist use of “preemptive” and “predictive” power to control the official storytelling/narrative of history and to destroy alternatives.

Tim Edensor on urban "ghosts" and “industrial ruins”; searching for the “gaps” and “silences” in the official narratives of nations/institutions, to pay attention to the histories, voices, lives obscured in formal accounts.

Megan Ybarra on place-making; "site fights"; solidarity and defiance of migrant detention; and geography of abolition/incarceration.

Sophie Sapp Moore on resistance, marronage, and "forms of counterplantation life"; "plantation worlds" which continue to live in contemporary industrial resource extraction and dispossession.

Deborah Cowen on “infrastructures of empire and resistance”; imperial/nationalist control of place/space; spaces of criminality and "making a life at the edge" of the law; “fugitive infrastructures”.

Elizabeth DeLoughrey on indentured labor; the role of plants, food, and botany in enslaved and fugitive communities; the nineteenth-century British Empire's labor in the South Pacific and Caribbean; the twentieth-century United States mistreatment of the South Pacific; and the role of tropical islands as "laboratories" and isolated open-air prisons for Britain and the US.

Dixa Ramirez D’Oleo on “remaining open to the gifts of the nonhuman” ecosystems; hinterlands and peripheries of empires; attentiveness to hidden landscapes/histories; defying surveillance; and building a world of mutually-flourishing companions.

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson on reciprocity; Indigenous pedagogy; abolitionism in Canada; camaraderie; solidarity; and “life-affirming” environmental relationships.

Anand Yang on "forgotten histories of Indian convicts in colonial Southeast Asia" and how the British Empire deported South Asian political prisoners to the region to simultaneously separate activists from their communities while forcing them into labor.

Sylvia Wynter on the “plot”; resisting the plantation; "plantation archipelagos"; and the “revolutionary demand for happiness”.

Avery Gordon on haunting; spectrality; the “death sentence” of being deemed “social waste” and being considered someone “without future”; "refusing" to participate; "escaping hell" and “living apart” by striking, squatting, resisting; cultivating "the many-headed hydra of the revolutionary Black Atlantic"; alternative, utopian, subjugated worldviews; despite attempts to destroy these futures, manifesting these better worlds, imagining them as "already here, alive, present."

Jasbir Puar on disability; debilitation; how the control of fences, borders, movement, and time management constitute conditions of de facto imprisonment; institutional control of illness/health as a weapon to "debilitate" people; how debt and chronic illness doom us to a “slow death”.

Kanwal Hameed and Katie Natanel on "liberation pedagogy"; sharing of knowledge and subversion of colonial legacy in universities; "anticolonial feminisms"; and “spaces of solidarity, revolt, retreat, and release”.

[bridenore]

HD longer fics recs : 90k to 100k words

Here are a few recs for fics ranging between 90k and 100k words.

You can see my recs for fics that have more than 200k here, between 150k and 200k here, between 125k and 150k here and between 100k and 125k here.

Allegiance and Sedition by SilentAuror [98k]

The war is in its fifth year, and Harry finds himself caught up in the confusion of friend versus enemy, spy versus traitor.

At Your Service by @faith2wood [95k]

Hogwarts students are in danger; Harry is determined to save them all. There’s only one thing he knows for certain: Draco Malfoy is somehow involved.

Balance, Imperfect by @bixgirl1 [91k]

When Harry sustains an injury in the line of work, he no longer knows how to navigate the life he loved, and finds help and solace from the most unexpected source.

A Case of You by @epitomereally [97k]

Draco was doing just fine working as an Unspeakable in Paris, hanging out with his living and ghostly pals, inventing new spells, and definitely not thinking about Potter. Then, Lucius just had to break out of prison and turn his world upside down. Now, Draco has to return to England, where he is forced to confront how family ties bind us—and one infuriatingly fit Harry Potter.

Chasing Dragons by @the-sinking-ship [98k]

Draco can think of only one way to outclass his pleat-front-khaki-wearing politician ex, and that’s by making headlines with an obvious upgrade. And who better to upstage the cheating bastard than the Saviour of the World, Harry Potter himself? Sure, Potter is a little rough around the edges in ripped jeans, a rumpled tartan shirt, and a permanent scowl. Draco reckons a haircut and a shave wouldn’t hurt, either. But Potter is also in need of a Healer willing to keep his secrets, and Draco is just the man for the job. It’s a perfectly reasonable exchange. They need only attend a couple parties arm-in-arm, smile nicely for the paparazzi, and tolerate each other long enough to convince everyone they’re smitten. In return, Draco will keep Potter alive and in one piece. But it isn’t long before Draco realises he might be in over his head, because Potter is ten tonnes of trouble packed into a leather jacket, and seems keen on hurtling himself towards death on the back of a flying motorbike. And that says nothing of Potter’s penchant for fire-breathing beasts and things that bite. Ah well, at least they’ll have some fun while it lasts. After all, Draco always did like a bit of danger.

Firebond by Oakstone730 / @i-didnt-wanna-do-it​ [94k]

Draco is forced to tutor Harry in potions. A slight problem occurs.

Helix by Saras_Girl [92k]

Seven months after the end of the war, Harry is feeling lost. Fortunately, he is about to be offered an unexpected and sparkling chance to find himself again. [2014 advent fic]

Hermione Granger’s Hogwarts Crammer for Delinquents on the Run by @waspabi [93k]

‘You’re a wizard, Harry’ is easier to hear from a half-giant when you’re eleven, rather than from some kids on a tube platform when you’re seventeen and late for work.

How I Met Your Father by @dracogotgame [95k]

Harry sits his kids down and tells them a story. A very long story. 

How To Train Your Malfoy by @fencer-x [93k]

Good manners dictate that, when one’s best friend Apparates onto one’s doorstep holding the unconscious, haggard body of the schoolyard bully and begging for sanctuary, one ought to invite the two of them in for a cup of tea. Harry Potter sometimes wishes he weren’t so polite.

I Am Not Who I Became by mab_di [93k]

Draco left England after the trials and has travelled the world meeting wizards and Muggles from different cultures and with vastly different relationships to magic, each other, and the natural world. Now he’s a fisherman in Finland on commercial vessels. Harry has been struggling since the war and has become a recluse while trying to write his autobiography. An invitation to the Hogwarts class of 1998’s 15th reunion isn’t welcomed by either of them, but neither could predict how the night, and their reunion, will upend their lives.

Light up the Night by Saras_Girl [98k]

This year, despite his better judgement, Harry’s love life is going off with a bang. Advent fic 2019.

Season of the Spirit by Saras_Girl [95k]

It starts with a swan. What happens after that is a bit of a mystery. 2018 advent story.

The Silent World Within You by @femmequixotic and @noeeon [95k]

Harry only wanted Malfoy for one night, one birthday. It wasn’t meant to be anything more.

Tempus Fugit by Poison Pen [90k+]

A monumental cock-up in Potions means that Harry and Draco have more to contend with than mutual enmity. A journey of discovery, self-reflection and love.

Who we are in the shadows by @quicksilvermaid [99k]

What happens when you’re forced to become the very thing you despise? Ex-Auror Harry Potter, tossed out of the Ministry for something he had no control over, has been looking for a way back to his former life. When he comes across Draco Malfoy in the criminal underbelly of Wizarding London and in need of protection, Harry figures bringing him in to face the Ministry’s justice is his ticket back to everything he’s lost. But nothing is exactly as it seems. Not even Harry himself. And as he gets drawn further and further into Malfoy’s world of honour and deception he finds himself questioning everything he thought he knew—about his childhood nemesis, the Ministry job he misses so much, and most of all, about himself. What happens when you’re forced to see that you were wrong?

I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did!

[januaryembrs]

WORTH THE WAIT | Poe Dameron x Reader

Request: my sweet @happyhauntt says: and to counteract the fact that my last request was sad as fuck, here's a happy one!!! a wee fic based on the song 'i guess i'm in love' by clinton kane, and this one feels like it should be for poe or steven!! enjoy!!

Description: Poe tries to help reader overcome her fear of flying by giving her something good to remember

length: 2.1k

warnings: mention of puke (none just feeling of nausea) mention of fear of heights?

authors note: yes I did listen to Romantic Flight from HTTYD when I wrote this and yes this did heal the part of me that always wanted to be flown through the clouds like this. also sorry this is so late things have been HECTIC

Poe really hoped she liked his surprise. 

There were very few things that he knew he was good at besides flying; knowing exactly how to tell her just how deeply he felt for her even after all this time being one of them. He knew he stumbled over flirtatious lines, not at all like the bachelor he once was, that his chest still pounded at the thought of her just the same as it did when he was soaring through the stratosphere, his stomach flipping when they kissed as if he’d done four barrel rolls on an X-Wing. 

He knew he was in uncharted waters being so far in a committed relationship, that his usual rendezvous' had lasted little more than a few weeks at most, but that was entirely in the past. No one had even come close since the day he met her. 

She had been his mission once. Captured on a First Order ship, Leia had ordered him and his squadron to go rescue her, had said she was some lord’s daughter of a dying planet wanted by Ren for information about her father. He had heard the stories of how his resistance leader had come to be kidnapped from Alderaan when she was young, and figuring she was just screamingly empathetic for the girl, he had done exactly as he had been told. 

He’d had no clue that his mission would become his entire life within a few short months. 

“I feel like this is a little unfair,” She teased, his hands over her eyes as he led her out to the hangar, the lone sun on their planet lowering behind the horizon, “You make me wait all day for my present, and I can’t even see it,” 

“Have a little patience, Princess,” Poe said, his lips drawing into a small smile as he felt her huff beneath his palms, “I know you’re used to getting what you want in your palace, but you’re in my town now, baby,”

She chuckled, shaking her head as he directed her down the stairs. He wasn’t entirely lying. After she’d been rescued from Ren’s grasp, her planet had quickly declared its allegiance to the resistance and she had been appointed as one of Leia’s advisors. Whether it was her quick wit, or the love she seemed to drench every single person with, no matter who they were or where they had come from, Poe wasn’t exactly sure what it was that made her such a good leader, other than the fact she was so entirely herself it was hard not to favour her; a rare quality of politicians he'd often teased her. 

She gave a sniff through her nose, trying to give herself some kind of hint as to what her gift was. “Smells like… oil? Did BB-8 leak again?” 

“Just wait, one more step in front of you,” Poe replied, his eyes trained carefully on her high heeled steps over the concrete. His stomach somersaulted as he wondered for the last time if this was a good idea, but he couldn't very well lead her all the way back out of there empty handed. Reminding himself it was her, and she would never spit anything kind back in his face, he released her face gently, “tada!”

He watched her shoulders tense under the jacket he’d given her because he worried she’d be cold in the night air, and he could tell her mind was racing a million miles a second trying to make sense of what it was he was showing her. 

His T-70 starfighter. The only thing, he often joked, that could ever rival her for the title of his beloved.

“Poe…” Her voice trailed off, unsure but not wanting to seem rude, “Poe, I can’t-”

“Baby, hear me out,” He cut in, knowing she was never going to be jumping for joy before he could explain, “I promise you, nothing bad will happen while I’m there,”

“Poe,” She said hesitantly, as he came around the front of her to see her worried expression that made him cradle her face with his warm hands almost immediately.

“They don’t call me the best pilot in the galaxy for nothing,” He smiled at her cheekily, and he was relieved to see her crack a grin then, though the fright lingered in her eyes that rolled at him.

He’d known since the day he’d rescued her that she had a fear of flying; when he’d had to sit her on his lap in that very same cockpit so they could escape the base together, when she’d screamed bloody murder and held his hands so tight he worried he might lose circulation. 

Not the best of first introductions, and not quite how he’d imagined his two greatest loves meeting. Which was why he wanted to change her experience of the whole thing. 

She gave him a tentative glance, and he fretted for a moment that it had all been a mistake; that his kind act coming from a good place had been one giant heap of selfish bantha fodder that he felt stupid for even suggesting it. But then she took a deep breath, her hands coming up over his own on her cheeks and squeezing them gently. 

“Certainly don’t call you the most humble pilot in the galaxy, Dameron,” She said with a tease, moving past him to head for the jet, “Alright, help me up. My carriage awaits,”

He beamed so hard he thought his cheeks might explode, rushing past her to lift himself up onto the right arm the way he had done so many, many times before. 

“My lady,” He stretched out his hand, all but yanking her up most of the way to where he kneeled, and he was glad he’d told her to wear her cargos and not the pretty dress she’d showed him.

Pulling herself up to a sit, she looked unsurely at the metalwork beneath them, “You’re sure it can hold two?”

“It did before, didn't it?” He countered back, hoisting himself into the cockpit that felt like a second home to him, his body sliding into his seat like a hand into a glove. He parted his thighs, granting her a space of her own, and patted the leather chair, “Actually, don't think about that. Hop in,”

She paused, uncertainty written across her face that cracked when she saw the hopeful gleam in his eyes, brown hues that had always seemed to watch her with pure adoration. She had always struggled to say no to him, especially when he looked like that. 

Slipping between his legs, she hated to admit that she found herself rather comfy enveloped between his body and the dash. 

“You sure we’re safe?” She asked once more, and his arms slid around her to grab the wheel in his right hand, the left pulling her back against his warm body that made her relax just that little bit. He kissed the side of her head, resting his temple against hers for a second. 

“You know I would never put you in harms way, sweetheart,” He said, all trace of jovial teasing gone as he kissed next to her ear and pushed the button to lock the glass canopy over their heads. It slowly lowered down, hissing into a click as it shut, and he felt her shuffle in closer to his chest, “There’s something up there I really, really want to show you. Okay?” 

She looked up at him over her shoulder, his eyes twinkling with excitement at seeing her in his seat, his co-pilot for the evening. 

How could she ever resist?

“Okay,” She nodded, tugging his arms over her shoulders like a seat belt as if strapping herself in for the ride, “Okay, I’m ready,”  

He chuckled, praying to the maker one last time that this would work, and switching the ignition up to a low rumble. 

The jet rolled forward slowly, and he wheeled it around to a clearing in runway that made her think he’d told everyone to take the evening off just so they could have their solo flight.

“Okay, baby, I’m going to have to go fast at this bit, so you might want to hold on tight,” He warned her, and he felt her grab onto his thighs with tight fists, “That’s it, I got you, you’re safe,”

Not giving her much time to overthink what was coming, he floored the gas, flicking a few of the levers above their heads. She sucked in a breath, her knuckles almost turning white with grip, “Poe,” 

“I promise you’re safe, baby,” He reassured, forcing the throttle down and they jumped forward as the engines kicked in. He would have been in the air by now if it had just been him, would probably already be doing a loop-de-loop, but he didn’t want to terrify her before they had even really started. 

She squealed, a muffled version of what he knew she was probably holding back as they started lifting off the ground, and he sped up even more, the g-force throwing her back against him, and he flicked pressed the switch on the dash to start retracting the wheels into the underbelly. 

“Poe, I’m scared,”

“You got it, I got you,” He removed one of his hands off the wheel and looped it around her waist to keep her secure, “You’re doing so well, baby,” 

It was then she made the mistake of taking a peak outside, seeing their base quickly becoming little more than a speck beneath them as they sped off upwards into the atmosphere, “Oh my stars, we’re so high,” 

He chuckled, kissing her hairline tenderly, “That’s a good thing, means we’re not in danger of crashing into trees or mountains or-”

“Poe!” She slapped his thigh, scrunching her eyes shut, “I can’t look, I’m going to puke,”

His resolve wavered for a minute, and he made the impromptu decision to yank the steering wheel down, forcing them to take a quick turn up even higher into the air, to which she tucked her head towards his jaw so she didn’t have to watch. 

He wondered if he was going to regret such a bold move, he felt her whimper against his skin and Poe cursed the whole concept of ‘Go big or go home’ that he had been going for. 

Until-

They burst through the clouds, the dusk air that had been growing dark under the smog disappearing as they cut in a straight line up, further and further until the cottony slew of powder white clouds blanketed beneath them, the way they had for him so many times before. The sun was still out this far up in the aerospace, syrupy orange, and almost pink as it met the pillowed floor, like they had flown right into a meadow of blankets and warmth. 

“Poe, I tried to be brave, really I did, for you, but my nerves are shot-” 

“Baby, look,” He cut her off, engaging the auto-pilot and moving his warm hands down her arms softly to hold her fingers in his own. The X-Wing evened out, the force barely feeling like a pull at their bodies anymore and more like a lingering jitter in their skin that could so easily be passed off as the engine. 

“I can’t, I feel sick-” She protested, pushing her nose into his neck, and he felt her hands shaking with nerves that he gently stroked away. He chuckled, the sound reverberating over the apples of her cheeks.

“Just trust me, look,” Poe said, and she took a deep breath, as if holding back another complaint, peeling herself away from him just the smallest amount to glimpse outside the star-fighter. 

Her eyes widened, sitting upright almost immediately as she saw the technicolor that had been a dull beige before, the world she’d known for over two years entirely gone, buried beneath the silkened clouds. Her mouth hung open, eyes darting over the teracotta hues, down to the valley of puffy clouds beneath that didn’t seem nearly as threatening as she’d imagined. 

She was silent for a moment, and Poe had feeling that was atleast a good thing, but he was known to second guess himself when it came down to her. 

Watching her expression with a besotted gaze, the sun’s heat glowing her cheeks with a honey kiss, he ran his fingertips over her palms, “Do you like it?”

“Poe, it’s-” She swallowed, not once ripping her eyes away from the oil painting infront of her, “You get to see this every day?”

He laughed, dipping his nose in her neck and leaving a loving kiss there, “Pretty much, yeah. I told you, it’s a whole other world up here,”

“How do you ever come down, I mean it’s, it’s,” She stammered, shuffling on the edge of the seat to take it all in even more, “It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen,” 

“I have my reasons that are pretty compelling actually,” He smiled, eyes washing over her face, trying to commit that expression to memory because there were very few times they were allowed to have something good in the middle of a war. But this was it. She was it. His little bit of goodness that had been so worth the wait, “Happy Anniversary, honey,” 

[toaarcan]

Rishi Sunak and the D-Day Disaster

Babes wake up, Rishi Sunak did a fuckup again!

Hokay, so, at time of writing, yesterday was the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings during World War II. This is a big deal for a lot of reasons, D-Day is one of the most significant events in the largest and most destructive war humanity ever fought, and this is likely to be the last major anniversary that the surviving veterans will be alive and well enough to attend.

Political leaders from the world over made their way to the Normandy beaches for a commemoration. Biden, Trudeau, Macron, Scholz, and Zelenskyy were present. Keir Starmer was there, as were King Prince Charles and Prince William, but the UK government proper was represented by Rishi Sunak and David Hameron.

Until suddenly it wasn't!

Let's run down everything (that I'm aware of) that went wrong!

As part of the British event, army paratroopers landed on the beach... and then had to reconvene in a tent to get their credentials checked by the French authorities. Because Brexit happened and we don't have free movement any more! Pro-Brexit nimrods have, predictably, complained about getting exactly what they voted for.

Once each nation's part of the proceedings were done, they were to reconvene at Omaha Beach for an International commemoration. Speeches, medals being awarded, that sort of thing. Except... Rishi Sunak was not present.

No, see, Rishi "The Least Elected PM Ever" Sunak had stayed until the end of the British event and then promptly fucked off back to England, snubbing the leaders of America, France, Canada, Germany, and Ukraine and leaving everything in the hands of the Hameron, his also-unelected foreign secretary that last rubbed shoulders with any International politicians when he was fucking everything up in 2016. Also, in the hands of his main rival, Starmer (Okay calling Starmer and Sunak rivals is a bit unfair, it implies Sunak has a snowball's chance in hell, which he does not).

Naturally, people were pretty fuckin' steamed about this, and put Rishi on blast for showing enormous disrespect to... literally everyone involved. Especially since this is right on the heels of Sunak proposing that they bring back National Service to "fill young British people with loyalty and honour."

Don't worry it gets worse.

Naturally, there are a lot of journalists with cameras present, and this means that we get to see images like these:

Image Description: Left to right, David Cameron, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, and Joe Biden, standing in front of a partially cloud blue sky. Macron, Scholz, and Biden are lit by the sun, while Cameron appears to be in the shade.

Image Description: Keir Starmer sits, centrally-framed, among D-Day veterans in ceremonial dress uniforms. To the right of the frame sits Emmanuel Macron.

Image Description: Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Keir Starmer talking, with a photojournalist in the background aiming his camera at them. Both are smiling.

Quote Pippa Crerar, writing for the Guardian (You may remember her from that time she blew the lid off of Partygate!), Starmer is "already looking like a Prime Minister."

So this is really, really bad for Rishi. Britain has been keen to support Ukraine lately, and we've actually shipped a supply of our Challenger 2 tanks over to them for their use. The impact from this hasn't been as massive as you'd hope, largely because the British military has been absolutely gutted under the Tories, for reasons that I'm sure had absolutely nothing to do with all the financial support David Cameron got from Russians, but Britain has been trying to help.

Boris Johnson in particular liked to really stress the Ukraine point whenever he was losing control of the narrative, essentially making Ukraine's plight and his support for them a shield from criticism. And now, here's the leader of the opposition being photographed in a positive light with Zelenskyy. The optics are incredibly bad for Rishi.

But surely, Rishi had a reason why he had to zip back to British soil post haste? Maybe an emergency that he had to resolve?

No, he needed to record an interview with ITV, for his election campaign. That was it.

Well, interviews in election cycles become outdated pretty quickly. Normally a few days is enough to render them outdated. It must've been pretty urgent.

No, the interview is scheduled for release in six days' time.

That's an eternity in election season. There's a high chance that more than half of its content will be void by the time it airs.

As a reminder, we are four weeks from the big day. In fact, yesterday was exactly four weeks before election night. Time is very short.

Well, maybe this was the only time they could fit him in?

Nope, Paul Brand of ITV has confirmed that this was the date and time Rishi wanted, and they could've moved it to prevent scheduling conflicts!

So, how did a fuckup on such a grand magnitude happen? How did Rishi manage to create a clash between the 80th anniversary commemoration of an event with a specific date (6th June, 1944 is not hard to remember, my guy!) and the election that he called? Well that's very simple! He didn't want to be there at all.

Yes, it seems that Rishi had already told the French government a week ago that he wouldn't be attending at all. Someone seems to have convinced him that skipping the event entirely was a bad idea, but not enough for him to actually commit to it.

Image Description: A block of text reading "The French government was told a week ago that Rishi Sunak would not attend the D-Day 80th commemoration, Tory sources have confirmed. The message to Paris from his team was that he would be too busy campaigning in the general election to make the trip. The decision was reversed, and a short visit was the compromise, but it is extraordinary that an attendance by a Conservative PM, or any PM, was ever in doubt."

Rishi has denied this, however, so the whether it's true or Sunak has elected to not lie for once, well, that remains to be seen.

Quote John Healey, Labour's defence spokesperson, “Given that the prime minister has been campaigning on the idea young people should complete a year’s national service, what does it say that he appears to have been unable to complete a single afternoon of it?”

Conservative commentator Tim Montgomery called it "political malpractice."

And so, after thumbing his nose at half the world in order to pursue an already-foundering election campaign, Rishi Sunak decided that he needed to apologise. Via tweet.

It's been a very bad day for Rishi Sunak.

[milevenstancyendgame]

i NEED to hear your thoughts on this:

Yeah, it seems like sending links isn't allowed in asks, which sucks.:/

I'm flattered you're asking for my opinion.🙃 I chose not to check out the post you described (turns out I already have that blog blocked, for good reasons I think.😂), because I really don't want to waste my energy on B/ler bs. I see red every now and then, but it's best for my mental health to ignore them as much as possible. Thankfully blocking tags/content/blogs works quite well here (though sadly there are loop holes of course). Not allowing anonymous questions helps too.

BUT I can offer a *little psychological analysis of the dominant B/ler culture on here. *Sits down by the fire place and plucks lyre*

*This got waaaay longer than planned, so get comfy, lol.😆 Turned into my manifesto or something. So might as well give it a fancy title.✨

B/ler Shippers And Narcissism

As we know, every Tumblr fandom has its fanon ships, and sometimes those ships become a mass phenomenon (usually it's m/m ships, though sometimes it's also other ships that become huge, like Zutara from ATLA for example). Sociologists, where are you? It's such an interesting phenomenon, especially the demographics of it.

ANY way, I never was as directly involved in and impacted by a ship war as much as in the ST fandom, so I can't compare. But one very disturbing thing I noticed within the B/ler fandom, is the amount of narcissism I see.

Now this is the moment for my disclaimer, because I don't want to generalise. I'm sure there are normal, nice B/ler shippers, but those stay out of the Mileven tag. I don't know how the algorithm of the "For you" suggestions works, but in my experience (and from what I heard also of others), engaging with ANY ST-content will fill it with B/ler posts. Which is why I stay out of there, and the same counts for any ST tag, tbh. And the vast majority of all those B/ler posts were full of Mileven hate, Mike hate, and even Eleven hate.

That's why I want to be clear that I'm talking about the B/ler fandom as I've experienced it. Take that with a grain of salt and don't come "Not ALL B/lers!"-ing at me.😂

Okay, with that out of the way, let's start. The way I see it, there are two ways of shipping B/ler:

1) You start watching the show. You like Will and Mike. You see that they are close friends. You romanticise their relationship (encouraged by Will's hinted at homosexuality in early seasons, or not). You create your fanon version of Mike, who loves Will back. You enjoy your fanon and prefer it over canon. The end.

There's obviously nothing wrong with that and that's the blueprint for most of fanon. I have my fanon ships too, or characters that I like, while I dislike canon or the whole franchise. But the thing with B/ler is that the majority of fans seem to have caught rabies. For them, it's more like this:

2) You start watching the show. You like Will. You see that Will is close friends with Mike. You romanticise their relationship (encouraged by Will's hinted at homosexuality in early seasons, or not). You create your fanon version of Mike, who loves Will back. You think your fanon is canon. You preach it and call yourself a "truther". You try to convert other people. You bully Mileven shippers. You hate Mike, but want him to be together with Will. You drag the actors into your fanon.

This type of B/ler shipper is remarkably like a narcissist (in an abusive relationship, or a cult leader, or megalomaniac politician. The world is full of them.)

We got:

Delusion

"Mike is gay and in love with Will 100%." Fact remains that there is not even a hint for this in the show, nor writer/actor/director hints. To claim that the exact opposite is true, is a complete rejection of canon and replacing it with fanon.

Inability to doubt and self-reflect

When someone refuses to admit an external reality, it's because they can't deal with their internal reality. Like for many of us, their ship has a deep personal meaning to them and they are attached to it. But they are incapable of even entertaining the thought that Will and Mike might not end up together in s5. Let alone that Mike is actually not in love with Will, nor ever was. Letting in that doubt would be too painful. It would mean that they were wrong. They would feel ashamed. They would feel betrayed.

Now I would say that I'm 99% sure that Mileven will be endgame, but I leave room for that 1% of doubt, because I simply don't know. I haven't read the script of s5. I haven't written it. I don't control the writers and runners of the show. I am human and I can err in my expectations and assumptions about others and their actions. We all do, but some people just can't deal with this truth, so they completely disconnect from it, and just act like they can't be wrong.

Hostility/Polarisation

Since upholding the delusion of a B/ler reality is EVERYTHING, people who doubt or negate it, are a menace. They need to be controlled. How do we do this? By shaming them, of course. B/lers mostly draw from the scapegoating palette of the universal abuser's tool box:

-Name calling (M/lkvan, and I've seen others) -Accusations/Gaslighting -Provocation -Criticism -Slander/gossip -Mockery/humiliation -Personal attacks -Invasion/hijacking of personal space (coughthemileventagcough)

By doing that, they have achieved to drive a great amount of Mileven shippers from Tumblr (I don't blame those who left at all). That way, the voices who are opposing their delusion become less and less, which is how they think things should be.

Contradictions/Making No Sense

Another thing that is true for all narcissists, is that they create an Upside Down version of reality (pun not intended, but it's fitting).

Since they believe in a delusion, they obviously don't have logic on their side. They have to change the goal posts all the time (classic narcissist behaviour) and will argue that blue is red. We got a ton of examples for this:

-Some say they love Eleven. They say they are feminist. Contradiction: They use Eleven to "prove" their point. They say she's ugly and looks like a boy. They say she needs to be independent, which means to break up with Mike (???). They say she's stupid/other ableist insults. They patronise/infantilise her.

-The above-mentioned user said Mileven shippers don't appreciate Mike. Contradiction: B/lers make up the vast majority of Mike haters. They say he abuses Eleven. They say he abuses Will. They say he abuses Lucas and Dustin. They say he abuses Max. They make everything he ever said and did about how he secretly loves Will or how he secretly doesn't love Eleven. They aren't even able to see the character Mike as he exists in the show.

-Some say Mike babies Eleven. Contradiction: They also say Mike puts her on a pedestal.

-Some say to ship Mileven is homophobic. Contradiction: They fetishise Will and Mike. They objectify Mike and turn him into a trophy for Will.

-And of course: They say Mike loves Will. Contradiction: There's no evidence for this.

And then there is just plain insanity, like:

-The "When blue and yellow meet in the west"-part of the Russian code is actually about B/ler

-The colours of Mike's s5 sweater represent the bisexuality flag

-The light!!!!

-Once I saw a B/ler claim that a riddle from ST promo contained a hint about B/ler. I asked them for more info and checked it out. But when I told them that I thought there were other possible solutions to that riddle, they shut down and simply insisted that their interpretation was the only truth and they were being queerbaited.🫡

💩

What I also find noteworthy is how above-mentioned user said that it's not just Mileven shippers who don't appreciate Mike, but also the GA - which I think stands for general audience? Because that's another classic narcissistic move to puff up their ego - claiming that they are the only one who has some sort of deeper insight into something or someone. It's not just arrogant, it's another wonderful upside down example, because the truth is that they don't even have a basic, superficial understanding of reality (like I said, that can't see Mike).

Projection/Gaslighting

Everyone does a bit of this, especially insecure people. But since this type of B/ler shipper we're talking about, is extremely insecure AND isn't capable of self-awareness, it runs rampant.

To project onto someone means to place feelings, behaviours, or attitudes onto them which you hold yourself (good, bad, neutral). Gaslighting is a form of projecting, which means to accuse someone of your own flaws and wrongdoings, in order to undermine their status/credibility and make them question their own perception/reality.

I already listed this among the shaming tactics, but wanted to point it out in particular, because it's so fitting to what you described. Saying that Mileven shippers and the GA don't appreciate Mike (probably because they don't understand him?) is such a perfect example of projecting AND gaslighting. Because, like I said, no one hates Mike Wheeler like the majority of B/ler shippers, lol.

So saying this serves so many purposes:

-Distracting from B/ler hate of Mike -Discrediting Mileven shippers to other B/ler shippers and possibly non-shippers -Shaming Mileven shippers who read the post -Possibly converting non-shippers and Mileven shippers (haven't read the post, but this definitely happens too) -Setting up B/ler shippers as some sort of "chosen group" that has exclusive insight into Mike's character (the irony!).🤣😂🤣

I mean, again, I didn't read the post, but to me it sounds quite like a little dictator right there.😆 Yes, it's "only" shipping, but it's definitely toxic and purposefully hateful as hell. And after all a fandom is like a mini-society. A group of people who inhabit the same social space.

So, in conclusion - the more I see and hear of B/ler shippers, the more I become convinced that this ship attracts mainly narcissistic and otherwise toxic people, who need a delusion to cling to and an excuse to abuse others. I didn't want to say it before, because it seems incredible for something as harmless as a fictional ship, and like I said, I don't want to generalise or demonise people. But the glass is full and this was the last drop.😬 My experience of 95% of B/ler shippers is as described above, and it is what it is. Someone needed to say it.

[vodika-vibes]

CONGRATS ON 500!!

Long time lurker, I am here every morning around work, and have reread most of your fics at least 3 times. Your writing is amazing!

Okay I'll stop gushing 🙈

For the follower event, I was thinking Kix, Emerald, and late night.

Thank you, and congrats again!! 😊

I'll Wait Forever

Summary: When an emergency makes Kix late to pick you up for your date he’s incredibly apologetic. What he doesn’t know, and what you need him to understand, is that you’d wait forever for him.

Pairing: Post-Stasis Kix x F!Reader

Word Count: 830

Warnings: None

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: Thank you for your nice comment! I'm so glad that you like my stories enough to come back to them! I hope this is close to what you wanted, you didn't specify, so I chose to go with Post-Stasis Kix rather than TCW era Kix. Both are swoon-worthy. My goal is to keep all of these under 1000 words. I wonder how I'll do, lol.

The fall of the Empire, and the rise of the New Republic, has made you a very wealthy person. Wealthy enough that you, and a group of your friends, were able to repurpose a Lucrehulk Class droid control ship into something a little more useful. 

As of now, and with the permission of the New Republic, the ship is home to over two million displaced individuals (many of Alderaanian descent), it’s also home to a massive shopping center, and is the home point for this sector's Bounty Hunters Guild.

It is a point of some pride, yes.

And, at this point, it basically runs itself. Which means that you only have to do a little bit of work to make sure it stays running smoothly. Which, for you, means that you have to play nice with the politicians in the New Republic.

But that only happens every so often.

Which means you’re able to focus on more important things.

Like writing your novel…and spending time with your boyfriend.

Both are very important to you, though you’re not ashamed to admit that Kix, your boyfriend, is far more important to you than anything else that you own. Including the ship that you currently call home.

He travels a lot, and you don’t mind, because in the end he always comes back to you. 

Speaking of said boyfriend, he said that he was going to take you on a date tonight.

You tilt your head back to catch a glimpse of the chrono on the wall, and you release a sigh, though there’s a smile on your face. It is well past closing time for all but the seediest of restaurants, which means no going out tonight.

Ah well. Such is life.

You flick your gaze back to the first draft of your novel, and you make sure to save your work before you set it to the side.

Time to make dinner, and if you’re lucky, Kix will join you for dinner. 

You meander into your kitchen and you put some water on the stove for the pasta, before you dig around your pantry. Might as well make a proper meal.

You’re about to put the pasta in the boiling water when the door to your suite slides open. Absently you pour the whole box into the water, before leaning back to look into the main part of your suite, and a bright smile crosses your face.

Kix is gorgeous. 

Tall and broad, with thick curly hair and an equally thick beard. The tattoo under his hair just barely peeks out at his temple.

You’d quite happily follow him into hell, if he asked.

Not that he ever would.

“Welcome home,” You chirp from the kitchen, “I started pasta for dinner, do you want cheesy bread or garlic. I have both because I have no self control when it comes to bread. It’s a problem.” You check the water and then leave your posting in the kitchen to walk over to him. 

He sets his helmet on the table next to the door, and then casts his gaze to you, something akin to guilt crosses his face when he takes you in, “I’m late.”

“I don’t mind.”

“You got all dressed up for me.” Kix says, his lips turning down.

“I got dressed up for myself. The fact that you also appreciate it is just a bonus.” You grin at him, and slide into his arms, your arms twining around his neck, “Now. Garlic bread or cheesy bread. This is a super important decision, Kix.”

His arms tightens around your hips, “I’m sorry, love.”

“It’s just bread, Kix. It’s not really that important. I can make both.”

He laughs softly, but there’s something almost broken in his voice, “I’m sorry for missing our date. Again.”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not. It’s really, really not. You deserve better than…this.” He vaguely gestures to himself.

“I don’t want better. I want you.”

“Even though I neglect you?”

You slide your hands to his face, and you lightly brush your fingers under his eyes, “Hold on there, mister. You don’t neglect me. I have never once felt neglected.”

He tilts your head back, “How can you say that?”

“Kix,” You grin at him, “You still don’t get it, do you?”

“Get what?”

You stand on your toes to brush your lips against his, “I’d wait forever for you. You’re worth it. I’d follow you into hell if you asked.”

He exhales sharply, his breath washing across your face, “I love you.”

You beam at him, “I know, I’m very lovable.”

Kix arches a single brow, and he moves his fingers to your sides, lightly tickling you, pulling a startled giggle from your lips, “Is that all you have to say?” He asks, a smile playing on his lips now.

You hop into his arms, his arms sliding securely around your waist to support you, as you kiss him deeply, “I love you too. Always. Forever.”

[saltywinteradult]

What I hate most about the last Rhaenicent scene is how holier than thou Rhaenyra is shown to be, the writers aren't even trying to hide their bias.

In the first season they told us Alicent's evil for putting a child abusing rapist on the throne rather than their Mary Sue who's so perfect she won't even order Vaemond Velaryon's execution.

Then in the second season they have Alicent become a pathetic cockroach who will hand her son over on a silver platter to save her own skin. It doesn't matter if you see it differently, this was their intention: to show how much better a mother/woman/Queen/ruler/politician Rhaenyra is because she would scream bloody murder if anyone even suggested disowning Jace whilst Alicent doesn't even protest when she demands Aegon's head.

This show is not for Alicent Hightower fans, Rhaenicent as a ship is not for Alicent Hightower fans. I think the sooner we accept this the easier it will be to abandon HotD once and for all.

(I'm going to assume you're the same anon​ who sent me this.)

*Sigh* Okay. I've already said that I think Rhaenicent can't be canon without butchering the characters, like they have now done with Alicent, and therefore it shouldn't happen. Alicent has been made into Rhaenyra's bootlicker and I hate it. I have already said, very clearly, that I agree with all of that.

However, I have also said, very clearly, that I still enjoy Rhaenicent in some ways despite this. So why are you sending me this, anon​? Are you trying to convince me to stop liking the things I still like about Rhaenicent? Are you trying to convince me, an Alicent fan and a Rhaenicent enjoyer, that it's not possible to be both? Because I'm not the only person in this fandom who is both. We're in the minority, but we exist. You are entitled to your opinion that Rhaenicent and HotD are not for Alicent fans, but this Alicent fan has to disagree. It's not for you to decide what is or isn't "for" anyone other than yourself.

I agree that the writers' intention with that awful last scene was to show Rhaenyra in a better light - because that seems to be their intention with just about everything. This is an issue with the entire show, not just Rhaenicent. The whole story has been twisted to fit into a cookie-cutter pseudo-feminist narrative with Rhaenyra as the hero she was never meant to be, and every character, not just Alicent, has suffered for it. (I would argue that Rhaenyra's character has been butchered too. Making her a feminist hero is so much less interesting than she was in the book.) So as it happens, I don't see that differently than you.

But so what if I did? I'm sorry, but what the hell are you trying to say with a statement like "it doesn't matter if you see it differently"? I am allowed to see it however I want. People can and do have different opinions on art than its​ creator, or different opinions than you for that matter. That's literally just how art works.

And not to be blunt, but if you hate the show this much, why are you even here, anon? Are you trying to convince me to stop watching? Because if so, that's really not for you to decide. Why not just stop watching the show yourself and let other people do what they want? Personally, I'm still watching the show because while the writing is shit, I still think the cinematography is gorgeous, the special effects are great, the music is beautiful, the acting is amazing, and the schadenfreude of watching the Targaryens self-destruct spectacularly is as satisfying as ever. I enjoy some aspects of HotD and not others, just as I enjoy some aspects of Rhaenicent and not others.

[one-idea]

Part 2 of my reverse/alternate universe strawhat pirates

Master post

Part 1 can be read here

Part 1/2

Part 3

Part 4

So we have Captain Ace

Swordswoman Kuina

Navigator Nojiko

TBD Kaya

Cook Reiju

Doctor Hirikul

(And Koza the politician)

And now we have the addition of Nico Olivia. Much like Robin in the true cannon she joins the ew after they defeat Crocodile, and Ace saves her life.

She starts journeying with the crew. And I know we always kinda poke fun at Robin and her gaggle of teenagers but Olivia is really signed up for mom duty. In the beginning she’s holding back waiting for the day she will have to leave but part of her loves it. Loves seeing her young crewmates run around the boat and think what she could have had with her daughter.

Olivia went out on her journey to study the lost century. And just like in cannon she was caught. Saul frees her and they rush back to Ohara but it’s to late. The Buster call is already over. The islands is destroyed and daughter is dead. Since she escaped from prison she is still wanted by the government and spend the next 20 years running with three goals.

To complete Ohara’s goal of discovering the true history

To take out as many marines along the way as she can

To find her daughters devil fruit. The only thing that still exists that could connect her to her daughter.

Over the years it got harder for her to keep going. She is making very little progress on the first goal. But she has found Robin’s devil fruit and with it has been doing a good job and accomplishing goal 2. But it’s lonely and she misses her home and her daughter more than anything. She ready to give up when Crocodile stabs her. Only for Ace to save her.

Ace who knows exactly what it’s like to want to die. Ace who’s reason to live is a sunny boy in a straw hat still in the East blue.

Ace saves her and tells her to find someone ti live for. Neither of them knew that that someone would be himself and the rest of his crew. Olivia’s new family. Her new stupid son. (Ace gets to hang with a mom guys!)

They still do the Skyla trip but they don’t meet Blackbeard. No he’s coming later.

Instead they make their way to water 7. Their ship needs to be replaced, it’s taken a beating and Kaya doesn’t take it well. Not to the point of challenging Ace for the ship but it hurts. This was her gift to the crew. She’s not a good fighter (yet) she’s stronger then she was but that’s pitiful to rest of the crew. She’s the youngest and weakest member, the momey she brought with her has all been used. The only claim she has to being helpful is that she gave them the ship. The ship they are getting rid of.

Like I said I don’t think it gets to Luffy and Usopp’s fight but there’s a lot of hurt. It helps that Hirikul is there and as an older and more experienced member he’s able to help keep tension down. (I also think he and Kaya would be close with her training under him as a doctor)

I would love to expand on this if anyone wants it

But of course they need a new ship. And Olivia is missing and everything’s a mess. And to add insult to injury the whole town thinks they’re trying to assassinate mayor Tom.

And his son/apprentice Iceburg won’t let that kind of threat go unpunished.

In the past when Franky’s ships attacked Water 7 and Tom, Iceburg, and Franky got arrested for it. Franky thought about all the harm he had caused and how Iceburg always told him to take responsibility for his actions. When Tom tried to take the blame for the ship attack Franky cut him off. Telling the judge he planned the whole thing. That it was his fault. He didn’t think the Judge would pardon Tom so he thought if he got ride of the Judge Tom would be free.

No one believes him. Tom and Iceburg are kicking up a storm to deny Franky’s involvement and Spandam is fuming because this was his plan to get Tom not this kid. But the Judge doesn’t want to take Tom. This whole thing is fishy and the boy just gave him an out. A stupid self sacrificing out. But an out. Shame what will happen to the boy though. So the Judge passes Judgement on Franky and he is taken away to be executed.

Tom and Iceburg lose it but Franky just tells them not to blow it for him. It’s his decision. After all he’s finally take ownership for his creations, even if it means his death he will never deny they were his ships. (Tom would be so proud if he wasn’t losing his son)

Ever since Spandam has had it out for Tom and Iceburg. Tom because the leader of water 7 with Iceburg as his right hand man. Running both the ship yards and then demo (this would version of the Franky family) businesses

When Ace’s crew gets blamed for trying to kill Tom Iceburg goes after them with his loyal employees. If only all of them were loyal.

Long story short it’s Iceburg who joins the crew as a shipwright.

Again I’ll totally expand on this if you ask.

I’m getting to thriller bark soon so you’ll have to wait for Brooks story.

But after the pick up one bone man they run into an old friend of Ace’s.

Whitebeard.

Whitebeard who wants all of them to join his crew.

Ace is tempted so tempted. But then he looks at his friends.

Kuina can’t chase her dream if their crew is not actively striving for the top. Whitebeard is already at the top of the game. The only step up is pirate king and Kuina wouldn’t be on the mainship pushing forward she would be shuffled into whatever commander need her.

Nojiko hates most pirates. She was okay sailing with them because they were a different kind of pirate. But would she be comfortable with whatever crew she ended up with?

Kaya is still learning. Being with the Whitebeard crew might be safer for her as it gave more protection. But she didn’t come out her to be safe she came out to start a new life and have adventures with her new friends

Reiju doesn’t want the crew to split up. She seems to have a hard time with being left alone. Something Ace can understand.

Hiriluk will do what Ace needs them to do (they all will) but he would far prefer staying together. He needs to train Kaya. He needs to keep his new children safe. (He already failed Tony Tony Chopper he won’t fail again)

Olivia just started feeling safe with them. How do they know no one on the Whitebeard crew will betray her?

Iceburg is here for HIS ship to sail around the world and he trusted THIS crew not a bunch on strangers.

(I find the fact that Ace’s crew got spread out among the Whitebeard pirate quite sad. I wish they could have gone with him on his failed mission)

In the end Ace turns him down (he’s got a mom and a dad on his crew) after all how can Ace surpass him and take his place if he’s working for him. Beside how can Ace support any other king of the pirate besides his little brother.

But they do form an alliance. And that’s how they roll for three years. Exploring the grandline, getting stronger, dipping their toes into the new world but not fully committing yet.

Until someone is ready to set sail.

Until someone betrays Whitebeard and almost injures Ace’s crew in the process

Until someone finds out that new pirate is related to the head of the revolutionary army.

Please ask about this I have so many ideas.

I can’t wait to talk about Kuina and this world Tashigi

[lemon-natalia]

Nona the Ninth Reaction - John 1:20

i honestly hadn’t considered that John would have access to a bunch of other info, like the FTL planning to leave everyone behind, via the politician he’s puppeting around. he’s practically running the government of this unspecified country at this point. i mean i guess it was good practice for everything he’d later end up doing as Emperor 

‘I’ve got plans for that arm’ um. what. y'know what i really really don’t want to even know

for a guy who keeps saying he didn’t want to nuke anything he’s reallyyy leaning into the nukes every chance he gets

something i find very interesting is that John possibly also has powers besides necromancy that he’s seemingly glossed over a lot? even though they’re very toothy, he can apparently grow roses, and earlier C— talks about him potentially stabilising the North Glacier like that’s something he could definitely do. i wonder if it is actually possible to use thalergy, the life energy stuff, which really never gets mentioned that much tbh, in a similar way to thanergy?

ok how on earth is ‘Cows exhibit mourning behaviour for other cows’ such a goddamn impactful line. like its a really chilling moment of John confirming that he’s willing to start a nuclear war rather than let the ships leave. and it’s also objectively fucking ridiculous

John’s reflection here on his friends doubting him, and how ‘People don’t forgive, not really’ is very interesting considering his actions at the end of HtN, where he asks Augustine if they can have a ‘fresh slate’ in the wake of him killing Mercy. idk really what i’m trying to say here, but i do wonder how much John really meant what he was offering there 

well what with Ianthe, Harrow, and Kiriona, John certainly took M—’s remark about recruiting teenage girls in the next cult to heart

what i’m personally choosing to take away from this chapter is that multitasking is the true villain of the Locked Tomb universe. get some sleep and stop trying to do six things at once kids, or you might just end up nuking the entire earth

‘I can’t Sister. It’s too big’ i’m quite frankly a little disappointed that John didn’t take the opportunity to make a ‘that’s what she said’ joke here

holy crap, the nun shooting herself is certainly a moment. this is really leaning into the eldritch horror of what it would be like to be a human and aware of the Earth literally screaming at you

there’s such a tragic contrast between M— literally begging in her last moments for them not to shoot John vs Mercy being the one to kill him & John killing her so horrifically in return

John’s been essentially levelling up in necromancy as all of these chapters have progressed, but it’s a truly horrifying level of power he displays here. it’s not even the nukes that end up killing a lot of people, because John points out that he was able to just straight up snap the necks of about half of the entire world population

so much about this chapter is just walking the line between absurdist comedy and abject horror, but there is something just so … viscerally disturbing about the mental image of John literally just eating dirt as he consumes the soul of the Earth 

THIS is where the Barbie comparison comes in??? this?! John modelled a body for the remains of the soul of the partially-absorbed soul of the earth after BARBIE?!! talk about taking Barbieheimer to a whole new level

‘I drank them in, and it wasn’t enough’ someone better at comedy than me has probably made a very Hungry Caterpillar joke about this chapter 

‘You and I went full fucking Hungry Caterpillar’ DUDE. ok i stg i made the Hungry Caterpillar annotation immediately before i read like the next page and saw this 

‘I picked you to change [...] I still love you’ well, there’s some form of answer about how John actually got his necromancy in the first place. there’s something so awful about being a human being given powers you just straight up can’t really comprehend by a being so much bigger than you out of love 

the message reads ‘THE/TOWER/HAS/REACTIVAT’. at this point i can’t really think of anything else it could say other than ‘reactivated’. and given this is the chapter where John describes himself as becoming God, there’s something very poetic about the chapter heading being John 1:20, in which John the Baptist confesses that he isn’t the Messiah

[miz-chase]

Cam, for the character asks 😁

YES

GIVE ME A CHARACTER;

and I’ll break their ass down:

How I feel about this character

CAM is wonderful. I miss Goodman (he should have come back just for fun anyway), but I think Cam gave the lab a healthy balance by having a Grown Ass Adult who wouldn't be drawn into Nerd Bullshit over Hittites and Assyrians. Goodman, while a good politician with the FBI, was too much like the other squints for his own managerial good. She's so deadpan funny and her efforts to herd the kindergarteners that fill her lab with bullshit is deeply amusing. I also want to know EVERYTHING about her time in New York. Cam the beat cop?? Tell me MORE.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Have you heard the Good News about the gospel of ABC? Coined by @neurodiversebones, Angela/Brennan/Cam is a delightful trio, whether sexual or platonic. I drew some pictures and wrote a fic

Also Aristoo is a dreamboat (POETRY are you KIDDING me? His patience and understanding for Cam's needs and fears?) and I'm side-eyeing the fuck out of anyone who is good with Booth/Brennan but claims workplace harassment with Cam/Aristoo.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

I'm putting Cam/Booth here. Booth has very few friends and Cam is the one person who can reliably say "Seeley, you're being a fucking idiot." to him. I love that so much, he needs the reality check and having a person in the lab who is always in his corner, even though she tries to be a neutral party.

I will say, Booth is overdue to pay Camille back for all the good she's done reality-checking him. He is not there for her in the same way and that sucks. Where's the subplot where she has to crash at his place? Where's Booth taking Michelle on for Paternal Counselling? Where's the B&B and Cam/Aristoo double date? Why doesn't Booth pull Aristoo aside for the 'Prove to me you're good enough for my daughter' bullshit and end up becoming sports buds with him to support Cam?

Also putting the other Booth here. Why is everything with Jared a dead end? I would love to know more about her and Jared's relationship and seen more of them together.

My unpopular opinion about this character

She would have been in the right to fire Brennan in season 2. Cam doesn't know Brennan is the title character of the show, she's just trying to do her job and make the lab as functional and prosecutorially successful as possible. Booth talks a big game about quitting if Brennan left, but he wouldn't actually. He needs the job too much and working with the Jeffersonian is the only thing that makes him special as an agent. I bet he wouldn't even stop his sexual relationship with Cam over it, really. Angela and possibly Hodgins (TBH I doubt he actually would, he is a playboy comfortable in a "job" where he does what he wants, where he wants) might have left, which would have been annoying but not impossible to replace. Brennan is special to our hearts, but she isn't actually the only person capable of doing her work. Finding someone who could do the work, would be a better team player, and a better court presence would be SO worth it. I would love to see how this canon-divergent AU would shake out.

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

Girl deserves career advancement. I would have loved (for her professionally, idk how well this would play out on-screen) for her to end up in a more formal role connecting the FBI and the Jeffersonian. She should not be stuck dealing with the daily ins-and-outs of herding neurodivergent cats. She's an experienced and competent cop, scientist, and manager, and all three of those skills combined would make her a good Director. IMO in the long run, the FBI is going to want their own lab instead of contracting out to the Jeffersonian forever. She should get to head that project as The Big Boss, not the nitty-gritty details manager.

[bringthekaos]

I don't know if you wanna answer this but I wanna hear your thoughts on this.

We can all agree that Mel Medarda is an amazing character on her own and people shit on her for petty reasons like her getting in the way of a ship and making things up about her. What I wanna know is your thoughts on her.

What I see, I think the relationship between her and Jayce could be tragic on its own cause, to me, it's like Meg and Hercules from Disney. Meg went after Hercules under orders of Hades in exchange for her freedom, only to fall in love with Hercules for real and feels regret for betraying him like so.

While Meg and Mel are different in circumstances, I get the tragedy between them in a way.

Mel probably brought Jayce to a seat at the council and her bed to benefit her in the long run only to slowly care about him over the course of the season.

And that could be what could hurt them. Mel realizes too late she cares about him but can't fully give her love cause of politics (and if s2 goes, war and/or her death) and if Jayce found out that her being intimate with him was just to get him to be her yes man it would shatter Jayce terribly.

From the posts I've seen here, Jayce goes from being a bright and optimistic inventor to a selfish and cold man.

His decaying friendship is already what'd pushing him towards that path. But if he knew Mel's original intentions from say... Swain or herself then it would destroy him.

Sorry for rambling

You can always ramble in my inbox 🥰

I try to be diplomatic in my discussions of Mel, cuz I don’t want anyone to think I don’t like her or that I’m trying to write her off, as a JayVik shipper. I’m critical of Mel, but I’m also critical of Jayce and Viktor. They’re all flawed people, and that’s what makes them great characters. So with that little disclaimer in mind, my thoughts.

The Meg/Hercules comparison is actually so fitting. I think it was all politics for her in the beginning—“we need something to put Piltover on the map. What of today’s trial?”—she was thinking purely as a politician and a businesswoman, and she saw Jayce and his ideas as a good investment. And to cultivate that investment for maximum profit, she also had to play him a little. I don’t think she would see it as manipulation, like the audience tends to, she just read him like an open book; he craved validation and praise, and what’s the harm in stroking his ego?

(And other things)

But just like Meg, I think she started falling for him. His naïveté and softness that started out as a tool for controlling him began to needle at her. She started easing off the gas and trying to protect him as time went on, started taking what was best for him into consideration, for example:

Elora: “I’ve had word from our friends overseas.”

Mel: “It’s too soon. Jayce isn’t ready.”

And I think by the time they slept together, she was falling pretty good. She could see how malleable he was, and how it was turning out to not be such a great thing. Cuz that’s a Pandora’s box—if you can control him, so can others. And then you could lose him, and to someone with far more nefarious motives.

And if Jayce finds out that she was “manipulating” him (or believes that she was) to get him to build weapons that would eventually be shipped out to Noxus so that they might steamroll their enemies? Yeah, I think it would taint their entire relationship. Even if she tried to explain, tried to make him see that maybe it started out that way, but you changed me, you changed my mind. You made me see that the path I was treading was one that lead straight to becoming my mother… I’m not sure he would believe her. It’s the same thing that happened with Daenerys and Jorah Mormont in Game of Thrones—he started out spying on her in a selfish attempt to gain favor in King’s Landing. But he fell for her in the process, ceased his spying, and joined her for good. But when she found out, it soured all the good he did, painted all of it in blood. Cuz you can’t take any of that stuff back, even when you change your ways. You can’t un-betray someone, you can’t un-manipulate them.

And yeah, him losing Viktor and Mel at the same time? It could definitely send him spiraling, send him down a rabbit hole of “I’m the only person I can trust, apparently. Why bother with other people, all they do is betray and leave me.” And while I honestly have a hard time seeing how this sweet cinnamon roll of a Jayce that Arcane has given us could ever go that route… I think we saw it a little bit, in that final scene—the eye roll and “I don’t give a shit what any of you think of me anymore.”

Really I just think Mel is a complex, flawed person who has one of the more weighty instances of character growth in the show. She starts out cold and detached—just playing the game, like she’s been doing for years—and for several reasons, not just her relationship with Jayce, she starts to really think about her actions and their consequences. And I sincerely hope she’s not killed in the explosion, cuz I’d really like to see the conclusion of that arc.

[bridenore]

Author rec : The_Sinking_Ship

The_Sinking_Ship is one of my favorite authors. Here are a few recs, listed in alphabetical order.

Chasing Dragons by @the-sinking-ship [98k]

Draco can think of only one way to outclass his pleat-front-khaki-wearing politician ex, and that’s by making headlines with an obvious upgrade. And who better to upstage the cheating bastard than the Saviour of the World, Harry Potter himself? Sure, Potter is a little rough around the edges in ripped jeans, a rumpled tartan shirt, and a permanent scowl. Draco reckons a haircut and a shave wouldn’t hurt, either. But Potter is also in need of a Healer willing to keep his secrets, and Draco is just the man for the job. It’s a perfectly reasonable exchange. They need only attend a couple parties arm-in-arm, smile nicely for the paparazzi, and tolerate each other long enough to convince everyone they’re smitten. In return, Draco will keep Potter alive and in one piece. But it isn’t long before Draco realises he might be in over his head, because Potter is ten tonnes of trouble packed into a leather jacket, and seems keen on hurtling himself towards death on the back of a flying motorbike. And that says nothing of Potter’s penchant for fire-breathing beasts and things that bite. Ah well, at least they’ll have some fun while it lasts. After all, Draco always did like a bit of danger.

Criminal by @the-sinking-ship [83k]

Things were going just fine for Draco Malfoy. He successfully conned and counted cards across Europe and America, amassing a small fortune, along with a lengthy rap sheet. That was until he made the grave mistake of returning to England for a high stakes card game and got himself caught – by Harry Potter no less. Now, Draco is stuck in England under Auror Potter’s guard with no friends, no distractions, and no escape. How the hell will he pass the time? And since when did Potter get so bloody fit?

Dwelling on Dreams by @the-sinking-ship [135k]

Draco thought he could avoid Potter for the duration of his brief return to England. He’d stick to his schedule and be back home in Paris, where he belonged, in a few short months. No trouble at all. He had plenty to occupy him, what with the opening of the London branch of his successful apothecary, his innovative research, drinks with Pansy, a backlog of unread potions periodicals. Except Head Auror Potter is everywhere — in Draco's chair, at his door, in his dreams. All six feet of motorbike-riding, combat-boot-wearing, sex-hair-sporting Saviour of the World packed into one unfairly fetching uniform. Potter won’t leave Draco the bloody hell alone, won’t let him breathe, let him forget, let him sleep. Because no matter how fast Draco Malfoy runs, Harry Potter is always hot on his heels.

Finely Drawn Lines by @the-sinking-ship [61k]

Draco doesn’t consider himself an artist (though the dozens of sketchbooks lining his shelves might suggest differently). Yet ever since Potter returned to Hogwarts, accepting a teaching position alongside Draco, his drawings have taken on a rather singular focus. From the curl of his lips to the exact number of lines that form at the corners of his eyes when he laughs, Draco has catalogued every shade of one Harry James Potter between the pages of his sketchbook. So long as Potter remains none the wiser, Draco will have no trouble controlling his crush. But when Potter comes to him with a dangerous proposition, Draco fears things are about to get so much more complicated.

Never Mind the Bollocks  by @the-sinking-ship [118k]

If someone told Harry six months ago that by autumn he would be single, living on whisky and toast, and dancing the night away with Draco Malfoy, he would have told them to get their head checked. And yet, here he was.

Nights With You by @the-sinking-ship [58k]

Draco is mortified when moments prior to departing for the most anticipated destination wedding of the year, he is cruelly dumped. But when he learns that Harry Potter has, at long last, split with his horrible boyfriend, Draco is certain his luck has changed. Never a man to squander an opportunity for revenge (and what would probably be a spectacular shag), Draco vows to make Potter his for the weekend. Now all Draco has to do is convince him.

On Target by @the-sinking-ship [13k]

A charity dunk tank, some sorry excuses for friends, a Slytherin with freakishly good aim, a (mostly) empty locker room, and one very small towel. Because, apparently, everyone is dying to get Harry Potter wet.

Sugar Sweet by @the-sinking-ship [5k]

Draco thinks everyone forgot his birthday. (They didn’t.)

Things We Do by @the-sinking-ship [16k]

Drinking, dancing, and the sorts of decisions made after one too many shots of vodka.

'Tis a Far Better Thing by @the-sinking-ship [37k]

'Tis a far, far better thing doing stuff for other people — or however the Muggle saying goes — because Potter is in need of professional help, and Draco is just the man to give it to him. A Drarry Clueless AU.

The Unspeakable by @the-sinking-ship [24k]

Healer Draco Malfoy took the job at the International Department of Mysteries for the paycheck and the prestige. But what he got was Unspeakable Harry Potter and the most fascinating curse he’d ever seen.

I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did!

[fatedsith]

“Regardless of how we feel about each other.”

Her words haunt him even as he returns to his bedroom, the one across from Padmé’s on the topmost floor of the Varykino Villa. It was chosen so he could watch over her more easily; sense any disturbances. Not that there would be, at this estate– Anakin is confident in her safety, as long as they stay here at the Lake Country. After all, Governor Sio Bibble had agreed with Padmé that the Lake Country was the most remote part in all of Naboo. Despite what Padmé seemed to think, Anakin did value her input, knowing confidently that she’s the smartest woman he’s ever met. She joined the Apprentice Legislators when she was only eight and attended Theed Royal Academy, being trained to be a public servant.

He’s always thought it was a good thing that Padmé chose to serve; she was kind-hearted without sacrificing her intelligence. She was wise, strict and soft all at once. Anakin didn’t like politicians or their often indolent and selfish whims. If it weren’t for the Senate’s refusal to act swiftly, Naboo’s blockade wouldn’t have ruined so many lives. The unlawful Trade Federation had claimed taxation disagreements upon Naboo, using their membership in the Galactic Senate to further delay action. If it weren’t for Anakin’s own actions destroying the Trade Federation’s control ship, Naboo’s forces might not have overcome the blockade.

As much as he loved being of use to Padmé, he hated watching the Republic cause her such hardship, forcing her to go to even more extraneous lengths than she already would have. She was a good queen and now senator; wise and caring. Someone Anakin would trust with the universe itself, if the responsibility of it were placed on her shoulders. It was a shame all politicians couldn’t be more like her, and it was one of the many things about her that inspired him enough to keep her in his thoughts and dreams.

One of many things. There was also her beauty, and the connection they shared… the fact he can’t shake her from his visions. He would dream of her and in them they would talk and play, just like they had in the meadow. He felt as if he knew her more than he did; as if everything about her was also a part of him in some way. Lingering, even when she left him for ten years.

It’s why it leaves him in agony when she rejects him, telling him to come back to the real world as if his love was nothing but child’s play. He knows it’s not and it never was, even when they were children. He felt it— felt that they were meant for each other. Even the Force seemed intent on telling him so.

He returns to his bedroom with frustration and an aching sadness, discouraged. Why couldn’t she see they were meant to be? She wouldn’t even accept him when he tried to offer to keep it a secret. Didn’t she want him? She spoke delicately as if she did, dancing around the words. “Regardless of how we feel about each other,” she’d said, as if she felt it too.

That magnetic pull between them, like they needed each other. Or maybe only Anakin needed Padmé… Maybe he was a fool for coming here, thinking the senator still cared for him. Maybe Obi-Wan was right, as much as he hated even thinking the thought. But it had felt real to him, at the time– the way they kissed. She kissed him back; he’d felt it. The press of her soft mouth to his and the look in her eyes at the way his fingers trailed against her naked back.

He needs more– felt more. He swears he did, especially in the way she wiggled beside him, as if she was trying to put a lid on something she felt. Force it down, choke it out.

Or that’s what he tells himself as he starts to take off his robes, first the belt and then the leather overcoat. Pulling off the brown tunic with long sleeves, he rests the clothing on the end of the bed, leaving him shirtless.

The room Padmé gave him is adorned with the same golden curtains as in the sitting room, along with matching red velvet seats near the window. Everything is ornate; golden and beautiful, just like her and the rest of her world. Everything reminds him of her; the curtains, the intricate baroque furniture and expensive rugs. She’s like a princess, even though she isn’t a queen anymore. Maybe he thinks of her as one because she rules over his very heart and soul.

So he’s pulling his pants apart, sliding the loose dark fabric down. Jedi robes were so airy, which was good most of the time but not so much when he was trying to hide his arousal. How could he not be? Sitting beside her in a dimly lit room when she looked so beautiful, admitting she might feel something for him, just like in his dreams.

He had removed his shoes already because it was improper to wear them inside of the villa, especially up in this section of the castle. So he sits down on the bed, leaning against the headboard as his hand slips beneath the fabric of his underwear, his pants still half on his legs.

There’s a low fire crackling in the fireplace that they’d lit earlier; the one in the corner of his room. It illuminates his golden skin, making it easier to see his erection as he pulls it out. A soft frustrated sigh leaves him as his fingers close around his throbbing length, stroking gently and finding himself surprised at the force of pleasure that rolls through his body in response. It feels too good, thinking about her soft pink lips and the way they felt when they kissed on the veranda. It turns him on even more than her beauty does, knowing that she wanted him too, even if it was fleeting. Even if it didn’t mean to her what it meant to him.

How could she? “I will not give in to this,” she said, as if she wanted to give in. It’s all he can think about, almost obsessively, as he strokes himself a little harder. It feels like a betrayal of some kind, the way she rejected him after leaving him with the most incredible feeling he had ever experienced in his lifetime. All he can think about is the way her sweet mouth tasted, slotted against his. Frustration laces into the way Anakin touches himself, jerking off a little faster as his face contorts from the pleasure of it. He thinks about what would have happened if she did give in; if she would have had him on the couch. It’s enough to make him leak, getting his fingers wet as he touches himself, panting softly.

What he doesn’t expect is for the door to push open, hearing his name in her sweet voice. His head snaps up, looking for her in the dim light, hand still around himself. / @fatalqueen

[allgremlinart]

haiiiiii friend can you explain jianzhu to me I keep seeing you post about them and I’m nosy and wanna know (<- stopped watching atla bc I realized zutara was never gonna be canon)

also jetko. can you explain jetko too (I’m thinking they’re more on the ghostbat spectrum where it’s like. intense friendship that left both emotionally scarred for the rest of their lives)

TEEHEE HEEHE HEE <- me when I get the opportunity to explain/infodump cross-fandom stuff to mutuals

ok so Jianzhu... ahhh Jianzhu... ((SPOILERS for anyone reading the Kyoshi novels))

This is Jianzhu and also like... probably one of maybe 4 canon images/art there is of him... he's not from the original cartoon he's from the Avatar Kyoshi spin-off novels that take place abt 400 yrs before the events of the show (idk how much you know abt atla lore from osmosis so this might get a little tedious? I'm just gonna explain as succinctly as possible.)

To be brief, he's a cunty old man. But unlike when I call, say, Minhkhoa a cunty old man it's not really loving ... its more like... I love to hate him. He's a REALLY good villain.

He's a politician. He made 500 people dig their own graves and then buried them alive. He beheaded his friend of like 20+ years. He drugs and kidnaps teenagers. etc. It's great.

His whole character arc is like... He's in control. You start off the book and he is very clearly in control, and he knows what he's doing, and he even sounds halfway reasonable sometimes but over the course of the novel he gets more and more desperate to grab hold of a situation that spirals wildly away from him and you get to watch it happen. His justifications for his actions get crazier, he gets sloppier and sloppier with his murders....

OH also you know how sometimes people think Bruce is some callous asshole who was only using his adoptive son who worshipped him as a weapon, and when he died he quickly sought to replace him without remorse ? Yeah he's like that but. Like actually this time. His dead adoptive son also then comes back after eating an eyeball in the spirit world (idk) and kills him by pressing a pebble through his sternum so. More successful than Jason at patricide I'd say. Look there's a lot I didn't cover, here's his wiki.

ok Jetko... ah... the ancient yaoi..

Important required reading before I explain this ship is this post. What you have to understand about Zuko is that for basically like... 40 episodes the only person he shares significant screen time with is his uncle so when him and Jet met in s2 and had a decent 3 episodes worth of interactions ... it was enough, lets just say that.

The basic Jetko timeline is they meet on a ferry while Zuko and his Uncle are disguised as refugees and they steal food together -> Jet tries to get Zuko (who he only ever knows as "Li") to join his emo band gang which Zuko refuses -> Jet sees Uncle Warcrimes heating his tea and correctly deduces that they are firebenders (ie not who they say they are; the enemy) -> Zuko and his Uncle work in a tea shop while Jet stalks them and steals things from their house and watches them from behind clotheslines (yeah) -> Jet confronts them in the teashop, sword fight, Jet gets arrested and brainwashed by the secret police (yeah) -> Jet dies under a lake which Zuko only finds out about a season later.

So they never had the 4 years of intense homoerotic cohabitation that ghostbat had,.. their chemistry and potential are pretty much instigated by a few of Jet's weird intense lines, such as "As soon as I saw your scar I knew exactly who you were - you're an outcast, like me." And the crux of the ship is like.. Jet both does and doesn't know who Zuko is.

He knows he is also angry and restless, like himself - he knows he is running from his past, like himself - and he knows he is going to Ba Sing Se to create a new identity. These things are all true, for both of them; what Jet doesn't know is that Zuko is from the imperialist nation that brutally murdered his parents and invaded his home and he incorrectly assumes that the anger he recognizes in Zuko stems from the same need to enact violence on those who have taken everything from him.

So I guess the "thought you were exactly like me but then I found out you're not which enrages and humiliates me so know I'm going to beat the shit out of you" thing from BTK no. 6 is something they share with ghostbat but.. Jet's anger is probably a little more justified than Minhkhoa's lol...

In conclusion it's your basic "doomed relationship/they work great together but that doesn't fix anything" ship premise. It used to be more popular back in the day... pretty sure I owe my life to maybe 3 different Taiwanese/Chinese doujin artists from 2009... yeah that's the gist of it.

[sunflowersolace]

i feel like we as a fandom tend to either over uwuify klapollo or over stoicify them and this is by no means a real character analysis or genuine conversation because it is 4am for me and i’m not very good at articulating myself i don’t actually care that much i’m in fandom spaces i’m used to mischaracterising bullshit but

why does it seem to be the only options are “apollo is an actual child and klavier is sexy and suave” or “apollo doesn’t experience emotions and klavier is a cringefail babygirl”. like genuinely can they not both be people.

i feel like a lot of the infantilisng apollo stuff is partially the usual fandom short man = yaoi bottom shit but i’m not gonna sit here and pretend it isn’t also bc of the transmasc apollo headcanon. like it can’t be a coincidence that the most infantilised grown man in the game is also the one that’s most widely headcanoned as ftm. like it feels like a lot of it is your typical uwu short trans uke baby x big strong suave tall hot cis seme and i’m used to that but man it sucks to see people making weird shit about Flustered Virgin apollo getting his first ever kiss from Playboy klavier and. y’all know he’s 25 right? not 15?

there’s also the other side of things where people make klavier into this cringefail babygirl boyfailure who’s hopelessly in love with apollo and spends every waking moment thinking about apollo and can’t do anything without relating it to apollo and apollo just fucking does not like him. and that’s almost worse because at least the first kind of mischaracterisation still feels like a ship. why are we pretending apollo doesn’t care about klavier. he doesn’t like his boy band music but it’s not personal. he still likes klavier.

and then there’s the ones who take one half of the mischaracterising and applies it to both characters. apollo is an uwu baby and klavier is a soyboy and they can’t spend a second apart because they’re so in love. OR they’re both robots who might as well not even be dating with how little they speak to each other.

y’all know you can make them act normal, right? they can be in love with each other and silly about it and also be serious characters? apollo is a dork ass who cracks jokes and is bitchy but he’s also a genuinely smart guy like he’s a lawyer he’s a politician he’s helping rebuild a whole country’s legal system from the ground up and he’s still a bitch and a loser. klavier is ALSO a bitch and a loser and a smart guy. he’s kind, but he’s not a wimp. he’s bitchy but he’s not insufferable. he’s passionate about music and law and everything he talks about. and he says corny shit and openly flirts with apollo but he’s also a damn good prosecutor and id argue he’s the only one who actually understands his job without the defense having to Fix Him tm. and they can both love each other and be all these things.

for a lot of y’all there’s only two options: klavier has trauma (excruciating) (all encompassing) or klavier is silly :3. and like. he can do both. you can acknowledge his trauma and also acknowledge he’s a dumbass who air guitars during court. human beings are multifaceted and fictional characters should reflect that. you gotta make the people you’re writing feel like people yes even the japanese visual novel people.

back to the living each other thing. klavier can openly flirt with apollo and also actually like him. apollo can ignore klavier’s first flirts and still actually like him. maybe he doesn’t wanna get it with the brother of his murderous boss while investigating a crime scene i think that’s reasonable of him. but he also clearly likes and cares about klavier as a person (“i have to pull the darkness out of him” or whatever he says) so just because he didn’t immediately throw himself at klavier the second he hit him with the never felt this way with a man doesn’t mean he’s annoyed by klavier’s flirting it just means it wasn’t the right time. apollo can hate the gavineers shitty music and still love the man who sung it. he can think klavier’s office is ugly and still love him. i don’t love every single thing about the people i love but i still love them. if my qpp made a dog shit song i hated i would tell him bc he and i understand each other.