#some S3 action ? XD

[yuerikoko]

So…

I can’t believe it took me 3 years to be able to say it out loud but—

Old woman yuri.

(Or at least one-sided gay pining at the very most)

(Apologies for the lack of good screenshots, I just started replaying WE recently since my Angela brain rot is coming back)

———

Okayy so I want to confess: I initially wrote a fic about them because I wanted a wlw equivalent to Jars from S3 so then I thought about them— and thus came a slow burn fic (actually a 1k word one shot because it was part of a one shot book in Wattpad I had back then) I made of them in 2021 in an AU where Lars was the mole for the sake of making the ship sail. The one shot has been deleted, unfortunately, and as of now I might not have plans to rewrite it : (

Anyways I started shipping them seriously after I wrote that fic (I still like Angelars and Carchelle tho!) and the more I read into their interactions, the more I realized just how much untapped potential their relationship has (PS knew they would be too powerful so they had to make Angela the mole with little to no buildup until literally two cases before IPS/s). Also incoming ramble about them since barely anyone talks about them:

Their interactions, while few, are super wholesome and have a special place in my heart as someone who’s skimmed through the transcripts for either Angela’s appearances OR their interactions. No one talks about how Carmen, while usually hotheaded and quick to action, constantly praises Angela and is really patient with her enough. And as @celestiarambles has pointed out in their analysis of their relationship, Carmen has only gotten mad at Angela ONCE for a reason that wasn’t out of concern for her well-being and it was because she was flirting with Lars in front of her. (Could it be because she wasn’t being serious? Or could it be out of envy? We may never know, unfortunately…)

Likewise, I see so much potential to be explored when it comes to their interactions: Carmen teaching Angela photography after having very nicely for some reason (I bet 50 bucks that if it were Jack or Lars it’d be different) told her she sucked, them discussing parenting tips, and character studies of their relationships. Or if we were to enter fic territory, their pre-canon/post-canon dynamic is also an interesting idea to think about, or maybe an AU where they could end up together (Mole!Lars seems like the easiest way tho). Fic writers, I call upon thee to make this wish of mine come true/j

Their personalities also complement each other very well : D. While both show clear work ethic and seriousness in their work, they also complement each other. Carmen is tough, hotheaded and started off as distrustful at us in the beginning of WE, being focused on her work first and foremost, while Angela is much more calm, patient and initially warm and family-oriented. This also leads to some interesting parallels as they almost become each other’s core traits by the end of WE: Carmen having grown more motherly and caring after having Sanjay, whilst Angela grew distrustful and cynical, likely due to her pledged loyalty to SOMBRA, which lead her to follow their orders so devotedly that she was actually willing to blow us up.

The fact that the transition from the main plot of IPS to the AI has Carmen change facial expressions from holding a straight face to being sad/disappointed. It could’ve been Ripley, who was upset at the loss of one of their most competent members by the hands of the organization she swore to destroy. It could’ve been Jack, who was upset for Lars— his best friend, and they did have some nice interactions, too. But the fact that Carmen of all people was chosen for this, despite the fact that her relationship with Angela wasn’t either of their most important (Lars to Angela and Sanjay/Elliot to Carmen /platonically btw), did make for an interesting choice.

Also not related to canon but fun fact: my hc of Carmen nicknaming Angela “Angie” actually came from that one fic I wrote XD

And don’t get me started on the way they also fit into so many tropes at once:

Birds of a feather: Both of them are hardworking, serious and devoted to their work, but are shown to also care about the people around them, especially children and young people.

Red oni, Blue oni/Opposites Attract: Despite their similarities, Carmen is more hot-tempered and impatient, while Angela is known to be more calm and reserved.

Coworker yuri: do I even need to explain myself…

Brains and Brawn: Angela is shown to be really intelligent (you do not just forget a Nobel prize in biology) and it is also shown when she almost succeeded in deceiving us into thinking anyone but her was the mole. On the other hand, Carmen is more prone to action and violence (the fact that PS barely put out a moment in which she lets her badass personality shine and is almost always rescued by Jonah is a huge sin against humanity). Their jobs also reflect this in a way.

Pair the smart ones: Angela with her academic expertise in biology and Carmen with her field experience in journalism.

Battle couple: Most of the points I stated for Carmen earlier apply, along with the fact that we learn that Angela takes military training in the finale.

Dating Catwoman: Can somewhat apply post-canon, or after Angela has been outed.

Morality pet: To Carmen, since Angela is one of the few people she rarely ever gets mad at that wasn’t a child or teenager.

You (he) never did that for me: For Angela. An example was in Case 8 where she had went missing for hours and Lars was only like “hey guys my wife went missing” while Carmen actually went to go look for her.

Not so Different: Aside from their personalities, their character arcs also reflect this as discussed earlier. Carmen’s warm and motherly side gets to show itself later on with Angela still around, while the finale also shows Angela loyal to SOMBRA and being colder and meaner towards the Bureau, showing this sense of superiority(?) over their respective allegiances similar to Carmen in the early cases (and also throughout, to an extent) of the season.

Complementary colors: Red and green. Need I say more?

OKAY THIS WAS A LOT— it took me a whole hour to type this up but I wanted to get these two out of my head rq also as a means of unwinding from exam stress (will probably disappear into the shadows again after this). Please do correct me for any inaccuracies, though ^^

[wishingstarinajar]

Hey, just wanted to pop in and say I almost finished watching Wakfu season 4. I wasn't that much interested in watching before, but finding my old fic and re-discovering your art and stories made me reconsider and inspired me to do so.

Idk why I am so obsessed with such a side character Master Joris is, but I am gobbling up every single scene he's in. Plus his confused expression every time Adamai picks him up is so cute and adorable I just can't. He so surprised every single damn time 😂😂

Also wanted to finish today since I have two episodes left, but my internet connection said nope. I hope I'll be able to finish soon and maybe see some more of my favourite blue bean in action 💙💙

I'm glad you gave it a watch. Now to wait for Season 5, huh? xD

Honestly, if Joris wasn't as involved as he was in S4, I would have cared even less for it. It's still a crime he wasn't in S3 but oh well. At least he got some love and he deserved it too.

[bonearenaofmyskull]

Hi! I love your Hannibal meta and it's such a joy to see you back. The ask about IWTV reminds me, would there be any chance that you might write the Good Omens meta you said you wouldn't do a few months back XD? Or some hints about what you were interested in talking about? I feel S2 added a bit more depth to the characters that hasn't been discussed enough (or I haven't delved into that fandom enough to see) and the Job story did get a tiny bit Hannibal-y with the god questioning and temptation

Thank you! Glad to be back.

No, I'm not qualified to write Good Omens meta. xD But I can give you ONE piece, the sum of my opinion, which is that the commentary about the finale (what I saw of it, at least) made the common fandom mistake of viewing the characters' actions through the ship instead of through the individual characters' personalities and values. They talk about Aziraphale not being ready for an overt relationship, or just frankly condemning him for his betrayal, or that both of them do not have good relationship skills, or the Metatron's manipulations, or idk, something about the coffee being drugged?

But while all these things are important (maybe not the coffee, idk what's up with that), the real issue that I haven't seen talked about is faith. (Not that I've researched it, so my apologies if this is all going to be not new because someone else covered it extensively, and I'm just not in the fandom so I didn't know.)

And not in faith each other but in God, or more specifically, in God's righteousness.

That's the purpose of the Job story in the narrative, to illustrate that difference in their worldviews. Aziraphale has come to the understanding that Heaven is operating in its own interests, but he still believes in God's goodness. Crowley...doesn't.

That's why Crowley can't go with him because that lack of faith means he doesn't believe that Aziraphale (or even the two of them together, if he were an angel again) could possibly set something right that has no righteousness at its core, while Aziraphale must go to right Heaven because what has been happening there is an abomination of God's goodness in his eyes.

Aziraphale was wrong when he thought that Crowley would take the Metatron's olive branch, but his error is so enormous because he can't wrap his head around how to Crowley, Heaven's iniquity is just a symptom of God's own, which Aziraphale just cannot accept. So he chooses to see it as a flaw in Crowley, instead of recognizing that Crowley's moral backbone is (apparently) greater even than God's.

So what Aziraphale is forgiving Crowley for is not the awkward kiss or anything he did wrong in their relationship. He's forgiving him for his lack of faith. And Aziraphale must go, he has to make Heaven worthy of regaining Crowley's faith, and he has to prove that God is worthy of Crowley's faith as well. He's got to save them all: he has to rescue Heaven from its iniquity, God and goodness and the world itself from the grip of Heaven, and, more than anything, he has to save Crowley from his unbelief, from living in that outer darkness that Aziraphale is really starting to see for the first time.

If Aziraphale can just do these miniscule few teensy tinesy itty bitty wee things, then Everything Will Be Okay.

How this will go in S3 --whether Aziraphale falls and Crowley rises, or something else--is going to be largely dependent on how the show decides to handle God's character. Whatever the powers of Heaven and Hell believe on this show, God Herself seems to be a Deist. She was notably absent in S2, and in S1 She was definitely treating creation like a spectator sport. I think the show is going to have to finally answer the question of whether or not the angels and demons are all carrying out God's Ineffable Plan through following it, or through failing to follow it. The fortunate fall, on a celestial scale, perhaps.

As that is revealed, just how benevolent God is should also be revealed, and I imagine that could have some significant bearing on how the Ineffable Husbands' relationship resolves. They're setting poor Aziraphale up for his own crisis of faith, ofc, and Crowley more than anyone knows just how that outer darkness feels. But they're also setting Aziraphale up to understand that the belief in goodness that he misplaced with God is a belief in goodness he can safely place with Crowley instead.

[tumblingxelian]

For the Salty Ask, any fandom:

#1 What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?*

#6 Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?*

#11 Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

(Smashes a glass bottle on my face) Let's fucking do this!

#1 What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?*

Gosh there are too many to list in a single post, and a few may get me targeted assassins XD

I'm quite lukewarm on Rei & Mina from Sailor Moon, maybe reflecting that I wasn't super into the manga & only watched some of the live action stuff but still.

Reylo, obviously. Other Star Wars would be Obi-Wan/anyone really, and also the fact people actually treat Anakin and Padme as romantic or like they could have a functional relationship scares me.

If we do a quick drive-by on ATLA, I really don't get why Azula & Aang became so popular, or Zuko & Katara. Or more, the best explanations I have for them still leave me going :/ at best. So there's that.

In Warcraft we have Thrall & Jaina, which is just 100% a case of, "Wow, they sure are standing next to each other" as far as ships go. Also for WOW is Jaina & Sylvanas, I only get it aesthetically, kinda.

Felix & Kagami from ML has me like ???? I didn't watch past S3 though so ??? Also that people treat Gabirel & Emile or Gabriel & Nathalie as like.. healthy is just... What!? I get the ships, I don't get the fanon spin on them.

In Dragon Ball, this one also draws targeting fire, but I never really got Vegeta & Bulma, which is canon I know, but still. A fling is one thing but an actual relationship just leaves me head-scratching. Also not sure if this is still the case, but I recall Gohan & Piccolo as being weirdly popular back in the olden days, and like, what!?

In DC, oh boy, gonna piss some people off with this one, but:

Bruce & any long term relationship, I don't care if its Selina, Talia, Clark, or Diana, or Harvey. This is not a man who can commit to another human being, because he's committed himself to staling the utterly uninterested Gotham City. Anything claiming otherwise is positively incomprehensible to me.

Also I don't grasp why Dick & Babs is so popular, or Tim & Steph, or Tim & Jason. The former has some history, but it so often feels like crow-barring two former high school crushes who have moved on together against their will. The latter is just like,... No, just no.

Within RWBY, if we are strictly going by popular pairs then I really don't get Weiss & Jaune, or Ruby & Jaune. I'm not even talking about like, V2 behavior or whatever, they've all grown, but I don't see how they've grown in a way that leads to these being popular ships. I had a similar stance on Blake & Sun when it was a major player; like attraction can be there without me thinking it works as a ship.

Also Ironwood & Glynda is just like... She could not be more utterly not into him if she tried, why are you people forcing it? Same with Winter & Qrow, their dynamic doesn't even have a fun rivals to lovers vibe to it.

Also as I believe you mentioned but Oscar & Ruby doesn't click with me. Again, I can sort of follow the logic, but I always end up at, "Why is this what you want?" Because to get to it, at least when it comes to the more intense advocates, it usually involved ripping out all the interesting stuff from their dynamic and characters for hurt comfort fic material.

You're gonna kill me.

But I have similar feelings about Ruby & Penny. I can see it more than Oscar & Ruby, but at the same time I just... It doesn't click with me and most stuff I see of it removes all the interesting character drama and dynamics so I get bored outside of a purely aesthetic appreciation level.

#6 Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?*

Sort of an interesting spin on this, I kind of tricked myself into enjoying a ship I previously didn't like through fandom.

Specifically when writing a Sailor Moon fanfic, I tweaked Usagi & Mamoru's dynamic to be a bit more like their mutual antagonism from the early anime, but cos both were on equal footing, I found their banter really enjoyable to write & started vibing with it.

There might be others but I am drawing a blank right now ><

#11 Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

Yamcha.

Always Yamcha, forever Yamcha, my poor sweet victim of character desolation, Yamcha!

He's introduced in the comedic part of the series with this premise being that he's a powerful and dangerous bandit, who is chronically shy around girls and is deeply romantic, wanting a family.

He's shown to be a skilled fighter who developed powerful techniques on his own with zero training. He knows tons of martial arts lore, was a nice mix of sensible but brave and basically Goku's big brother.

But he kept getting used as the WORF and then after being killed via kamakaze after stepping up to protect his younger friend from such a fate, he is memed to death by the fandom. & is later characterized as a cheater despite having been nothing but loyal to Bulma across the series. Has his desire for a married life & family surgically removed & given to Krillin, & basically gets treated like trash for the rest of time.

Outside of DB...

Pretty much every character, creature or faction I find interesting in Warcraft is hated or regarded with indifference so that's fun XD

As to specific characters from other series:

Chloe of ML, people hating on an already hated in universe 14 year old whose neglectful, corrupt father left her to be raised by he staff in a room that makes a dentist surgery look homey & who otherwise only taught her the worst lessons imaginable. Along with an emotionally and verbally abusive mother & who was actively groomed by the main villain of the series who has known her since she was a child are just... For fucks sake she's 14.

Lila of ML, she's a messy, confusing ass character cos it seems the writers don't have a solid idea for her. But like, within the first three seasons at least, she's still a 14 year old who has two adults with cameras plated in her room manipulating and controlling her.

Azula of ATLA, another 14 year old who was treat like shit by the adults in her family. She's a weapon to her father, a monster by birth to her mother, "Crazy" to an allegedly kind old uncle who has killed infinitely more people than her & only felt bad when it impacted him. Seriously, fuck all those doing Azula hate. She's a better villain than Ozia, a more merciful and skilled general than Iroh, and seems to have at least some actual loyalty to her family unlike Ursa who only cared about Zuko.

Mai of ATLA, People hate her for her dead pan affect and the fact she's not cradling Zuko's sof lil baby head, and or between him & the ship for him they like. Fuck off again, Mai's fun.

Cinder of RWBY, villains are meant to do bad things. Villains like Cinder do not appreciate being blackmailed. Villains like Cinder don't appreciate people who know their secrets, like using the Lamp, being around to hold it over her head later. She's not stupid, some people just lack media literacy.

Harriet of RWBY, while I get that she's not super popular, I tend to find the level of vitriol she gets uncomfortable at best. Like, it often feels less like people not getting the characters role & more like, some people running will with the chance to be unrelentingly hostile towards a fictional black woman. Elm gets some of this but is more often forgotten.

Talia of DC, there is so much racism both in canon and fanon and its heartbreaking.

[ineffablecolors]

hey just wondering why you think Roy reuniting w Keeley post s3 would’ve been bad for him? I sort of agree but also don’t want to bash keeley in anyway so I haven’t talked about it

Heya! Thanks for the ask and sorry you feel like you can't discuss something though I do understand why. I'll preface this by repeating something I've said before - canon did such a horrible job of holding Keeley accountable for anything and wrote her as if she could do no wrong and fandom seems to have picked that up and totally ran with it.

I do love that when reading RoyJamie fanfic, I never see Keeley bashing, as you call it, because vilifying female chatacters is such common practice in fandoms. But Ted Lasso fandom seems to swing to the other extreme where I've never even read a fic where Keeley apologises for something? And you can't even quite blame the fans, they just picked what canon put down - Keeley can do no wrong.

So, first of all, I think simply judging Keeley's actions is not bashing at all, it's just treating her the way every character BUT her is treated in both fandom and show. I think Keeley, like almost every other character, has made plenty of bad decisions and mistakes and, personally, how I react to them is a mix of how well I can relate to her and something else. Jack, for example, was a very professionally questionable decision but I completely sympathise with Keeley for it because 1) she faced consequences for her mistake even if it's never acknowledged that she made one and 2) I can relate to it! Hiring Shandy on the other hand was such a monumentally stupid decision that I could never relate to, so it just makes me annoyed with Keeley and the fact that the show treated it as her just being too sweet and wanting to give another horribly unqualified woman a chance rather than as a point towards her lack of professional skills.

Anyway!! The something else is important for my answer. As much as I love discussing my favourite shows and try to be objective, I very rarely am. Once I pick a favourite character, my opinion of almost every other character is informed by how they treat my favouriteTM. Is that fair? No. Do I do it without fail? Yes. Do I feel bad for it? Umm, no, that's my baby, nobody is allowed to be mean to them xD

And this is how we get to the Roy Kent of it all (finally! christ, this is gonna be long, sorry but also thanks!). Roy's my favourite, my baby, my grumpy, old, emotionally constipated and physically aching romantic. Roy can and has done wrong, I'd never claim otherwise. But I'd still claim he's the best chatacter and one of the best people on the show. And he's always gonna put himself last on his list of priorities.

Which is why I fully admit that I judge Keeley extra harshly when it comes to her and Roy. For brief context - I totally shipped Roy and Keeley and think they were good for each other, for the most part, in s1, I was ecstatic they were together in s2 and still shipped them like hell on my first watch (which was binged with s1!) and less and less on every consequent rewatch, part of me still wanted them to be together and then to get back together in s3 until I actually watched it all and completely changed my mind.

Shall I finally answer your question? I don't think Roy should reunite with Keeley because he gives too much of himself and she gives too little. I don't believe they are well balanced and I dont believe he'd feel loved with her again.

That WAS brief! But if you'd like more detail...

I think as sweet and good-hearted as she's portraited, Keeley is inherently a selfish person. Now, we circle back to bashing and judging. I'm doing neither. I'm myself a selfish person in many ways, that's not the worst thing to be in some regards. But I think Keeley is especially selfish in her romantic relationships and that simply does not suit someone like Roy. When paired with a selfish partner, Roy would just give and give and blame himself for not getting as much back.

I'm not saying there haven't been some great moments between Roy and Keeley, full of affection and care from Keeley, such as the scene at the end of s1. That's probably my favourite moment of theirs. But there have been some pretty shit ones too that for me outweigh the good and, more importantly, came once they settle into the relationship.

As early as their first kiss, Keeley got so annoyed and impatient, she immediately slept with Jamie. I know the show took it as an opportunity to have a kinda feminist moment but can you picture that turned around? Roy and Keeley kiss after tons of flirting and build up, and the day after Roy sleeps with a girl Keeley has a proper (however childish) feud with just cuz she told him she was busy that night. That would've never been fine. Again, I'm not saying it's wrong, I'm saying it's the response of a person who only cares about what they want and doesn't plan for the future.

Then, we have the infamous "Roy is a fridge magnet" episode which I still can't wrap my mind around so gimme a sec here. Your boyfriend is too into you, is perfect (by Keeley's own words) but not giving you the space you haven't asked for. So, instead of talking to him - don't even get me started on people writing Keeley as a character who's good as communicating - girl, where?? - you talk about it to his boss, a bunch of his coworkers and your ex who has an antagonistic relationship with him, and eventually as you're spending time together and he's trying to share one of his interests with you, you start screaming bloody murder at him about how clingy he is. Do I have that all correct? All of this would have been forgivable ofc, miscommunication happens, people aren't perfect, etc, etc, expect... forgiveness was asked by the wrong person. What on earth did Roy have to apologise for? This is the #1 example for me of that show trying so hard to make Keeley a perfect sunshine girl boss that they made 0 narrative or even logical sense. Honestly I hate that whole episode with a fiery passion.

Then we have the funeral shenanigans, which I won't even get into because I think Roy was 100% hilarious in that and Keeley was 100% overreacting (and yes, that's a heavy term to use towards a woman but here's the thing... she was). I guess this would be a good place to talk about their ILYs as well. Roy's ILYs always come with an acknowledgement of Keeley's feelings and his own fault for hurting them in anyway. Keeley's first ILY though has absolutely nothing to do with Roy. She's happy about her own success and he's celebrating her. That's it. That's the first time we see her say I love you. Don't get me wrong, I don't think Roy's aren't better but I think that just proves why he couldn't be happy with Keeley. Every time he's said ILY, it's been tinged with sadness and guilt and self-incrimination. Why would I want him to be with someone who constantly inspires those feelings in him?

This is now definitely too long so I'll try to wrap up with s3 very quickly and mainly the fact that the episode Keeley is drinking alone in the pub is one of the only ones where Keeley faces consequence for her actions (in this case, sleeping with her boss - again, not something I blame or begrudge her for but also something she should've probably considered can get her funding pulled when it ends, see: never thinking about the future (and why I don't see Keeley being successful without people like Barbara or Rebecca but thats a different topic)). Keeley responds to being made to face the music by using Roy to make herself feel better. I'm sorry but there's no other interpretation of their hook up for me. He's just read her a very heartfelt apology, ending with another guilt ridden ILY and then he was leaving. Except she chased him down, not to say it back ofc, but to use him for sex.

Thanks, I hate it.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to the fact that I think Roy was right to break up with Keeley. Not because she's not a great catch and not because there was anything wrong with her being successful or needing time for herself but because they're not right for each other. Roy is too selfless and ready to blame himself for everything and Keeley is too focused on herself and ready to take advantage of that.

Roy is the kind of romantic that would tell his cabbie to date his wife and compose a playlist for the girlfriend who treated him horribly yesterday. He's the kind of guy that's had to bottle up all his emotions forever and never talks about himself with people and has had his fucking watch stolen by his fucking hook ups. He deserves someone *cough*Jamie*cough* who is absolutely obsessed with him! Who will appreciate the things he does for them and the time he spends with them rather than take them for granted at best and be annoyed at worst. Who will make him feel like he's been struck by lightning! He deserve someone who cares about his feeling and frankly, in season 3 at least, I don't think that's Keeley or should be again.

[skayafair]

Podcasts against gender stereotypes (yay!)

I made a post about the way gender essentially doesn't exist in Arcane, but I also wanted to say a few words about two podcasts I've been listening to lately.

In The Sheridan Tapes, I was struck by the way Bill Tyler and his partner, Robert Quincy, became the emotional and caring core of the searchers team. Sam Bailey was also allowed to be vulnerable, his "Heart" episode was soul-piercing, and his power relies mostly on intuition, on feelings. He literally needs an emotional connection for it to work in a certain way.

Kate Sheridan and Maria Sol, on the opposite, felt more like the action members of the team for the most of S2, very determined and tough when needed, holding themselves together at all times.

Things shifted to more neutral in S3 and 4, but S2 had me pleasantly surprised, because the traditional gender roles were sort of reversed but not driven to the extremes (like a lot of movies deal with 'tough women' nowadays). I'm agender so I like when gender stereotypes are treated as non-existent and the authors write people, not "men and women".

It's pretty much the same with Syntax Podcast. There's no clear devision gender roles wise, but I liked how Silas - not Lizzy or Alyx or even the most sociable of the group and the team leader Cassius - became 'the caring one' for the team: despite his stuck up attitude at first (or it just sounded that way to me in the beginning, I'm relistening and it feels way less so now), seemingly being more of an introvert and just 'on his own wavelength', it's Silas' trailer where everyone ends up gathering when they need support, Cass goes to him right away from the very beginning when they want to have some advice or just to discuss anything, any time a team member is having a hard time he makes sure to come up to them and give some reassurance or ask if they need help, and it was him who was making rounds to ensure everyone was ok when they were waiting out a siege. All this, considering that they have a leader, a medic and a security head on the team as well. So it wasn't strictly necessary, but he ended up taking this role all the same, just like he used to care about his mother's wellbeing since childhood after his father died.

Greg, being the "papa bear", also never shows any callousness despite serving in the military for the most of his life. In fact, his supernatural experience story is concentrated on moral support of his fallen comerades families. Moreover, although he tries to act tough like his place in the team demands, he's still allowed to show vulnerability and takes the chance. Same with J - military experience and no toxic masculinity whatsoever (I mean yes there were a few jokes but he was lightheartedly picking on Alyx and paid for this right away XD).

The girls are never damsels in distress and do a lot for the team.

(I don't mention enbies since I'm not aware if we even have any stereotypes going on for us, assigned gender at birth aside? Anyway, there's none of that bullshit either.)

Well, I may mention Greg being "papa bear" and June behaving like a mother hen but these traits aren't toxic, at least in their case. They feel very nice, and actually these two (I'm in denial S3 ending-wise, I have a fix it au in my mind OKAY) act pretty similarly in their care for the team, although they do it in different ways. Plus, I don't mind gender existing at all, only the expectations related to it being perceived as mandatory.

Everyone is written just as people, and they don't shy away from things that traditionally may be attributed to the opposite gender. I love to see - well, technically, hear - this. Please, more.

As a side note: I'd love not to pay attention to such things in general because to me people are just people as is, but in the society I live in every day gender stereotypes are still shoved in everyone's faces. In my country visibly not conforming to them is edging on committing a crime now. Plus gender socialization is still a thing, sadly, so toxic masculinity and femininity still exist and show up often enough, so I have to consider this as well. All this makes pieces of media like Arcane, TST or Syntax all the more enjoyable as they show the world the way I see it and would like it to be in reality.

[divinekangaroo]

Fav season of peaky? Why..

Best gal for Tommy? Why..

Is death the best end for Tommy? Why..

Thank you 😊

Fav season of peaky?

Season 5, season 6 close second, because of Themes.

In an interesting outcome, S5 is better for what then happens in S6. Tommy's experiencing the emotional/moral trauma/consequences of the deferred traumas of all his other seasons' worth of activity by S5 and yet still pushing forward, because it's all he knows how to do (all about action) and it's what he thinks needs to be done (do good things that can only be done by a 'bad' man because of what/how he has to do it), and the ego aspect is thinking only he is capable of doing it and what that then means for him/everyone around him; putting himself into an even worse pressure cooker (British politics stretching into global impacts) for which he is blatantly unprepared and honestly, feels like he's floundering, compounded by the class/sexual/political/ethnic attacks imposed by Mosley all in one aristocratically snarly package? So interesting. The dynamic between him (good man doing bad things for good reasons and perceived as a bad man) and Mosley (framed as evil and righteous and all things accepted by British culture as proper) is insane. That sense of creators creating a situational pressure cooker and watching to wait for it to go bang...

I do struggle to rate the plotline in S5 / S6 - so many coincidences, so much happenstance, so many things that even on detailed rewatch and script reading and headscratching I grapple with. But thematically wow. S1, S2 and S3 were better written/plotted, S4 felt like huge amounts of fun and was dramatically and visually great, but S5 and S6 for thematic emphasis.

Best gal for Tommy?

IE, who would be the most healthful? Jessie Eden. Ironic how it ended with her, because that was the one relationship where I was like, this woman who, in and of her characterisation only, is someone who could work with him as a partner and who would recognise and navigate his traumas without adding to them or taking them on her own shoulders. Everyone else, there were huge swings and roundabouts in power dynamics, blame, self blame etc. If he'd married Jessie between S4 and S5, he might have actually been equipped for S5's confrontations. Although that would have created a very different story XD.

I do love watching/writing Tommy x Lizzie for multiple reasons, and I do think there is love and care there, but they have a conflicted and complicated relationship which makes it difficult to say "this is best for Tommy".

I don't believe May would have been good long term for reasons explained before. May also wasn't love, it was just...fun. And sex, and interest. I don't think May could have ever accepted who he was. And I don't believe Grace would have been good long term because Tommy immediately put her on the most insane pedestal, and I think he was too immature to recognise that; I imagine they would have divorced, or similar to my thoughts on May, he would have had a diifferent kind of (and much earlier) breakdown through forcing himself into a mould he didn't fit into. And I know there's this thing about "only you see me" with Grace after he beat a man to death; but that was one act only, his violence, and it was a reachout to balance Grace's own violent act which was also scaring her right then. But that didn't get anywhere near his lying, his deceiving, his dealing - in S3 it was immediately obvious Grace was unaware of the extent of what Tommy does for business; I think it was represented that he did definitely love her, but he was also putting on a front for her no matter that line or his love, and I think that would have backfired at some point.

Is death the best end for Tommy?

Nope. Get old, live, suffer, live, learn, go to prison, still have to live, actually change, actually grow, etc. Also more storylines if he lives!

Plot and theme wise, I think it would be SUCH a cop out to have him die in any closing movie. There's nothing very appealing about this idea of repentence through death-sacrifice. There's also too much religious connotation to that to be of purpose with who Tommy's character is, slipping into a saint's martyrdom or a jesus-like sacrifice feels too easy.

Plus, they've now effectively done a death (and subverted) in S2 (brilliant), S5 and S6 (very good for very different reasons to S2), substituted Arthur's death in S4, and had a few representations of 'little death' in S3, so if they repeated that? Like how many ways can they do this?

I mean, repentence through death has always itched at me though, because he doesn't seem repentent? He does have a sense of wanting to balance bad acts with good, but he doesn't exactly regret those bad acts...only their consequences if they bounce back at him.

I suppose I could buy into a cool shock-value death sequence if he dies through pure incidental mischance in the first fifteen minutes of the movie and the rest is about how his brothers/family have to pull their shit together for revenge, but not a death-as-repentence sequence.

[kapunsparkles]

→ Talking about Good Omens 2 Spoilers and theories ahead ←

Just needed to talk about it somewhere my friends and people who didn't see it yet won't read by mistake

↓↓↓

I'm so NOT fine after Good Omens 2

"No nightingales" is going on and on in my head from times to times i am so not okay i needed to get it out of my system somewhere !!

I wanna make fanart also

And i saw an analysis post about Azi (here) —just gonna sum it up and say what i feel about it so it's not gonna be exactly what the post says— made me understand his character more and i'm so here for it. Explaining how in this season we saw him as a warrior, how Crowley helped him getting in action for his own beliefs. How he wants to change the world no matter the cost, so that heaven will really be Right and everything would go fine, no more armageddon... No more chasing them and just a happy life waiting for them both... He needed Crowley to go with him and give him courage like he always did... I'm devastated

So proud of him for making choices that hard and keeping his head up... So sad for them both... Hoping for s3 making...

I saw fanart of Crowley taking Beelzebub's place and going into war against Aziraphale. I'M NOT OKAAYYYYYY I'M SO AFRAID OF THAT AND WHAT IF WHAT IF IF THEY if they.. die together ?... I don't want them to end becoming humans but a war between the two of them could go any way and i am so not ready for it i hope it will not become real please don't 😭

I've started rewatching it all in english cuz some scenes and dialogues go better in original than in french. Like their voice tone is softer in english in some scenes... And some words were changed in dialogues, like french said "duo" instead of "item" ("heard you two were an item") and that sounded so wrong xD

Gonna be back with more tears certainly 🫡 hope anyone who read this will recover, we're together in it my friend have some hot cocoa ☕ and cake 🍰 before you go 👋

[ecofinisher]

Valentines stuff I didn't post during the 14th, because I didn't.

I made a heart with lights on the wall 😐

I picked four random couples, cause I didn't have enough time to search for poses and all that only for said day. (Also I heard about the malware hidden in some mod pages, so I rather avoid the pages for a while)

Ok I added a platform, because otherwise, you couldn't see the heart.

I just realized I had a fourth couple and forgot to screenshot them.....

Don't ask, but I don't like the new Goth version and stuck with the old ones. The only thing I would change would be Bella's skin.

Ah yes, Ayesha Ansari and Xander Clavell in Sims 4 are so unrealistic 💀

Bonus: Ok not a bonus, but that was my previous plan on S3, but I disliked it somehow

Like I had spontaneously the idea to do something for Valentines day on said day and had two ideas in mind. A couple dancing in the middle of the heart or more couples dancing around the heart. I found this on the gallery from the Seasons pack. I just wanted to see, if this would look any cute, but the teeth are bothering.....

But we all know, they DON'T WANT TO DANCE THE WAY I WANTED. And for some reason Gerda was nauseous (Story Progression made her pregnant 😭)

*Sings something romantic in Spanish* Oh by the way, they're Rollan & Gerda from Snow Queen.

7/10 rating for my creation. Weirdly they look better here than in S4.

This was my idea, but they were all on the wrong spot. Then I had a plan C and filmed all couples from the near slow-dancing. THEN JAMIE'S HUSBAND DECIDED WITH ME HAVING THE ACTIVITY TURNED OF GO TO WORK AND BREAKING THE ACTION BY HIMSELF!

With some cute music each couple dancing would be cute :3 Except I didn't know what to put on it 😂 (Watch me put Amy MacDonald over Rollda, because the movie did the same)

Right you become a James Bond-rip-off, when you get Level 10 in Law Enforcement. He's also the dumbass, that decided to leave the dance for work. (He's also a workaholic, so....)

Fun fact: Both their names mean the same thing, but when I made him I just gave him a random name xD

My child-me had weird Sim-ships. But hey, I had a cousin get interested into the game, because of Leighton!

River the rizzler 🤣 Okay, this is what you get from being around a Langerak for too long. (Also I like seeing her in a smoking somehow🥵)

Can't take her expressions here serious.....

It's been raining the whole time and all just enjoyed the party. That's the spirit!

The Adrinette of Sims. Don't ask me why, I think it doesn't make sense.

Ayesha out of nowhere decided to get her husband wet.

Well, that's all. I just wanted to share this here as well. Did it on said day on Instagram, but pictures remain there in low quality.

[xenia12]

I think your amphibia analysis is spot on. Marcy did get forgotten by pretty much everyone she loved, proving her fears where right all along(still don’t care for evil Marcy though). I get the impression that the writers just..didn’t feel all that bad about, and that her stabbing and subsequent possession was a punishment for her previous actions.

I mean it is actually BAD for writers to hold back and be too nice to their characters XD. There’s no story without struggle. But unnecessary pain that doesn’t push the story is another thing. I feel like Yunan, Olivia, and (kinda) Anne simply not showing much care towards Marcy in s3 might have been a cop-out for the writers to bring more focus to Anne, the protagonist. I’m of course not sure, but that’s all I can really think of so I’m livid.

What I’m saying is: the stabbing and possession is okay (from a writing perspective), in my opinion, but avoiding Marcy’s arc and not really giving her the time of day in s3 is A WHOLE OTHER THING. I understand that Anne IS the protagonist and Marcy was… incapacitated for a while, but little things like making a few characters Actually Care wouldn’t have taken much extra screen time (if any). The only reason I can think of as far as why the writers didn’t let that happen was that the extra drama around Marcy would’ve taken some focus from Anne. Which is dumb because she gets plenty and the whole story hinges on the trio’s friendship, so ALL of their arcs should be incredibly important…

This show had SUCH cool concepts and set up, but they kinda dropped the ball in s3…. I was theorizing about so many theories for Marcy’s arc, her possession, and how those would get resolved, but then they gave her almost no development/screentime, snipped a cord, had a one minute talk, then moved on :T

[amplifyme]

S3 underway!

Though Lovers Be Lost: You weren't lying when you warned me about the over-the-top summary. XD This episode got me, btw-- showing how V and C's dynamic could change and thrive, Vincent struggling, and Cathy wanting to celebrate their new gift only for Gabriel to claim it (literally believing in gifts now) as his own. Cathy's death was no her fault; and I'm glad, because it's more tragic and honoring to the best in her character rather diminishing it with another thoughtless action. Father and the community just waiting outside the tunnel for V and C got me laughing... little did anyone know. Vincent not remembering at first, his face very Buster when he was brought back home, slowly regaining names and his normal memories (the constellations with Father and Father realizing he's healed enough to joke with), and struggling over the loss of their bond... which, all told, was the worst thing to happen to the both of them. His tenuous bond with his son is intriguing. Cathy's betrayal (Moreno is brilliant), torture, imprisonment, labor, and death was cruel, cruel, cruel; but I am so glad the writers gave her dignity and strength. Gabriel: really enthralled with his character. Eyyyy, Elliot and eyy Bruch's right-hand man. Eyyyy Joe (though Joe forgets Cathy's special someone in the next ep., or assumes it's Elliot Burch.) Moreno: stellar.

Walk Slowly: Top-tier. The new theme song-- I LOVE IT. Vincent's walk as he carries Cathy's body back to her apartment; and his vigil until dawn forces him to go. His and Below's mourning was exemplary. Joe's tears and shaky and referral to Diana and meeting Diana was fantastic. DIANA. DIANA, DIANA, DIANA. I love her. I never would have imagined her so serious-- for some reason, I read her voice as fast talking, higher pitched-- a far cry from measured and deliberate. Her case... and jumping into a new one. I adore that Diana "met" Catherine first, and really connected with her through her little doll. (I also noticed that she seems to get flashes or insights by touching objects... hmmmmm.) Mark took me by surprise, wonder how long he's going to be around. Her interrogation of both Joe and Elliot was spectacular. Vincent finally seeking out Father, and Father knowing Vincent's grief and guiding him through it... wow. Vincent's fight with the Other, Catherine's necklace, remembering her words, shocking Father to death with the revelation. Joe and Jen and the FUNERAL-- all the people Above and Below. Diana observing everyone, marking their pictures with question marks (and Father with the most.) The children hugging Vincent while the others are at the funeral.... Diana's contemplation and Vincent visiting the grave after dark. Wonderful, wonderful episode.

I'll stop there; but I am seriously addicted and want to watch more and more. I love everything about S3 and it's making me way, way too happy for so unhappy a time in the characters' lives. :DDDDD

Here we gooooo...

Though Lovers Be Lost. I'm going to address a few things you've written and then pose a few questions.

Cathy's death was no her fault; and I'm glad, because it's more tragic and honoring to the best in her character rather diminishing it with another thoughtless action.

Yes! I've always thought, given the corner the creative staff had been shoved into by circumstances beyond their control, and knowing there was no way they were going to please all the fans, they did a tremendous job of making sure Cathy's death had meaning and some dignity and that the events that followed it honored her and her impact on V's life and the lives of all those she loved.

Father and the community just waiting outside the tunnel for V and C got me laughing... little did anyone know.

C'mon, how ridiculous was that? I snicker every time Mouse says, "So quiet." Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the two most quiet lovers in the history of ever. And exactly how long did they wait before Father decided to go in after them? And how did Cathy manage to undress an unconscious 200+ pound man, ravish him, and then redress him? I still have so many questions about this opening scene. It could have been so much better. But then I remember that Linda Hamilton was ripely pregnant when this was shot and had only agreed to 10 hours of filming for these first two episodes and likely wasn't up to a love scene - supposing they'd even considered shooting one. Not going to say any more about the whole lava and roses thing either. Like GRRM said, at that point the writers were scrambling and doing the best they could with what they had. Let's move on to better things, shall we?

struggling over the loss of their bond... which, all told, was the worst thing to happen to the both of them.

Here's the first of the questions I'd like to ask you. Any theories as to why the bond was lost? Because that's a debate for the ages and I'm always up for digging into that.

Yes, it was a bad thing to have happen. But I also think it was inevitable.

I also think Cathy was very ambivalent about having the baby once the initial shock of her pregnancy wore off. She looked distressed when she went to visit the nursery after she got the news. And then there was her daydream about telling Vincent, and his less-than-thrilled reaction. I know from a storytelling standpoint that she couldn't tell him she was pregnant when she went Below to do just that, and I love the way she was so gentle with him and her speech about gifts lost and found, but I've always wondered what would have happened if she'd told him then.

Are you picking up on the signs that Vincent possibly walked out of that cave more comfortably integrated with parts of Buster's personality than we'd seen before? We know he's stressed out and frantic, searching for Cathy, but he also seems less... patient overall. Less willing to swallow down the kind of emotions he would have before the cave and the madness, maybe? Thoughts?

His tenuous bond with his son is intriguing.

Yes, it is. Especially when you consider that he thought his bond with Cathy was being restored and it wasn't that at all. I love how he actually empathically experienced the birth of his son but didn't know that's what it was. He was convinced Cathy was on that helicopter with Gabriel and didn't have any idea she was wasn't until she called out to him. And he didn't have to "feel her go" again, as he did in The Watcher, and I'm so grateful for that, because once is enough. I also like that it took a while before her revelation to him about what happened in the cave and their son sunk in (after finding her crystal there, mid-fight with Buster).

Gabriel: really enthralled with his character.

I'll admit it: I love Gabriel. He's the perfect nemesis for Vincent at this point in his journey. He's batshit crazy, but in a whole different way than Paracelsus. And he has some of the best lines. Stephen McHattie nailed this role.

I noticed, too, that Joe seemed to have forgotten the convo he had with Cathy at the beginning of TLBL. I decided to chalk it up to it being late at night and he was tired and it was more than six months later that Diana questioned him.

Speaking of, I'm going to take the rest of the discussion of Walk Slowly over to its own post. See ya there in a bit!

[tumblingxelian]

Sorry this took so long, busy days, anyway, thanks for the response!

Hahaha, that is also fun XD

The Kwami are indeed bound and it is fucked up. I tend to be a little gentle on the concept if not the Order, if only cos the Kwami don't seem "as" bothered by it as they otherwise should be.

Not to say they like being treated badly, they definitely would rather the Order not be a thing and so on. But I do tend to think their nature as concepts given material form means they're like... Ideas first & people second if that makes sense? & that influences how they interact with and perceive stuff, they are kind of like fae.

The fae comparison is also rooted n the true names thing and I low key think one could have fun expanding on that to Akuma and people too.

But yeah I get why it bothers you, it does me as well & I definitely don't endorse the Order & I imagine Fu's somewhat more well regarded by the Kwami cos he's like the lest dickish Order member they've dealt with in generations. Yeah he follows some of their shitty rules but he doesn't treat them like worthless tools at least.

#FreeTheKwami

I did see it, I mentioned sending you a response at the start of the ask, is this why you tag me in posts, do you not get alerts @rachelsshowerthoughts ? (OO)

Mhm I think this makes sense, as you say Fu is not strictly wrong about some of the risks, the issue is just how unwilling to adapt his thinking in response to the situation is once he's made a decision. & there definitely are issues with using a relatively untrained substitute or splitting the Miraculous time as it reduces the individuals experience.

Excellent idea Marinette, just a terrible audience for it XD

I think it'd be a combo of things, the situation is already out of his hands to an extent, he is more predisposed to Marinette, she is more respectful & gentle and generally self effacing as one would expect of a child talking to an adult. While Chloe (The default argue with Fu person) treats him at best like a peer which is respectful from her but rude to him. Adrien's more respectful but he backs Chloe to the hilt and is better at aiming emotional gut punches which Fu does not appreciate. Plus yeah there are good counter arguments too.

Honestly more dispersed Miraculous would be so much safer, S2, S3 & 4's had major issue or the finales issues caused by them all being together. Also solid other points I like the cap off regarding him trusting her judgement and the tennis match angle XD

Coccinellidae maybe?

Bee Kagami is fun!

Though I always find the Bee to be kind of a fight killer as its like Cataclysm that it ends the fight the moment it land but safe to use on people XD

Oh that is fun, granted I find Wayzz a little on the mild side personality wise, but there's definitely fun to be had there. & it makes sense from Fu's perspective. The fact he still doesn't know who Chloe is, is impressive on the kids part "We dodge around papparazi & Gabriel all the time, we're experienced.)

Though would the hero's have different names as they are body doubles?

Anyway very solid logic, also I think the Turtle should be able to do way more than make a bubble shield if one is creative. Thoughy hamster ball-ing Chat would still be fun. "Its enrichment!"

Also it doe snot go quite to plan and they both start trading Miraculous on the sly? XD

Side Notes:

I did see that discussion and it was indeed insightful! Kudos to you and @princess-of-the-corner,

As it is, when designing my twelve Kami reboot Lore I did this:

Creation Snake - Eternity/Ouroboros & Time Ladybug - Creation & Purification Cat - Destruction & Mutation

Cosmic Tiger - Ignition & Havoc/Combustion & Chaos (Still use ignite & Cry Havoc) Dragon - Storm & Power Bee - Order & Subjugation

Life Peacock - Transmutation & Evocation Turtle - Protection & Resilience Horse - Action & Migration

Animals Fox - Mirage & Materialization Mouse - Multiplication & Duplication Butterfly - Transmission & Transformation

So the tiger basically melds the monkey from canon & tiger, giving someone energy claws to either try and short-circuit other magics, or igniting and creating explosions. The powers can be evolved from there, including into a fusion which is mega dangerous for all concerned.

That's just me though.

As for Venom I thought that already was the limit? XD

I don't think I've seen Snake!Nino before, definitely some interesting angles there!

Sent a response regarding the Aware AU stuff, I hope it was interesting, also had other Kwami thoughts.

Cos like, I love the substitute angle but I doubt that'd it sustainable long term once more Kwami start coming out.

Kagami is likely on lock for an early Kwami due to Marinette, meanwhile Chloe may need to get one by 'accident'.

I do love Queen Bee, though Benom is so low key over powered it can make fights vexing, but I also love Snake!Chloe & Tiger!Chloe.

The latter also fits given how similar but distinct one can make the Tiger Miraculous, especially if they get creative with it, or so I feel.

Roaar: Well now, you aren't who I was supposed to be with, & I'm not where I was supposed to be >:3c Chloe: I get the sense that isn't a problem for you. Roaar: No way, I'm Roaar, let's cause havoc!

Cue Chloe & Adrien showing up with supremely destructive Kwami and the tagline from that art piece, "Supreme Feline Violence!" as their new catchphrase.

so, first of all, I read that last line as "Sublime Feline Violence!" which . . . sounded odd until I reread it, but anyway!

So, one thing I meant before, about my problems with the Kwami, is I see a lot of problems with them as . . . well, kind of being the Order's fault? Like. The implication I keep getting, is that the Order BOUND the Kwami to their will, basically, which is why they have to do whatever their "owners" say. Like, just. I don’t know how to describe it properly, just.

Ok. Let's try this. The Kwami don’t read as "partners". They read closer to indentured servants. They aren’t allowed to do anything without asking their "owners" for permission. Gabriel can literally take Nooroo's speech capability away. Yes, maybe it’s convenient that the Kwami have NO IDEA about the power ups and stuff, as it means Gabe doesn’t know about it, but the implications . . . the Kwami aren’t allowed to know about magic that affects them, that CHANGES how they work (imagine this as a medical procedure you are REQUIRED TO HAVE, but aren’t allowed to know what someone will be doing to you). And the reason why is that they HAVE to answer their "masters". They CAN'T say no. Seriously, imagine the series with the only change being that the Kwami don't HAVE to answer questions. They can keep their own secrets and thoughts. How much shit gets solved if that happens?

Just . . . I don’t think I can explain properly how UNCOMFORTABLE the Kwami's situation makes me. Like, it feels like the only difference between Gabriel and the Order? Their goals. #FreeTheKwami

(Moving on, I'm not sure how coherent this is . . . )

I think the substitute angle would still be in play, but after the Big Conversation (not sure if you saw my take on that?), I feel like Marinette starts pushing a little more, and in my head, I see a compromise that looks odd from canon-view. Part of Fu's argument would, weirdly, be that the doubles are in danger, because the Miraculous are still primarily Adrien's and Marinette's. Like, Yes Chloé and Adrien spend maybe equal amount of time as Chat Noir, but the split is probably closer to 60-40 in Adrien's favour, with Chloé taking over the 40% he CAN'T get away without risking consequences with his dad. And Marinette, once she gets the go ahead, would split that even less, still primarily being Ladybug, with Kagami only taking over in the case of illness, or if Marinette REALLY can't leave without hurting someone (babysitting or similar comes to mind). So the rest of the time, Chloé and Kagami would be defenceless against Hawk Moth, should he figure them out or target them.

Marinette, of course, agrees. She does often have an easier time seeing things from Fu's point of view, especially because despite his hang ups, it isn’t like he's outright WRONG. The doubles ARE in danger without a way to protect themselves. Her solution? Hand the doubles a Miraculous of their own!

Yeah, this is where it gets loud.

Fu is STRIDENTLY against this. Oh no, no way, no how, absolutely NOT, Marinette, I expected better from you-! But Marinette stands her ground. She argues right back, and I think a combination of Fu seeing her more favourably, and Marinette making some very good points might sway him.

Having more Miraculous out is dangerous? Having the ones ALREADY out is dangerous, how much more danger are we talking here?

Fu doesn’t know who the doubles are? Well, Ladybug and Chat Noir don’t know who each other is, and that’s seen as a layer of security.

The doubles are defenceless? They don’t have to be!

Just this intense back and forth (Chloé and Adrien are watching this like a tennis match) before Marinette plays her trump card. Fu says he trusts her judgement. Well, Marinette trusts the Chats Noir, and her friend, Ladybird (Kagami's Ladybug handle? Not a major fan, i see it more as a combo name for Ladybug/Peacock, but I don’t currently have other ideas). More than that, the fights are clearly getting harder. They NEED back up. SHE needs back up. Back up she can TRUST.

eventually, Fu caves.

As to which Miraculous they get, I too love Queen Bee, but hear me out. Kagami gets the Bee (maybe can extend the trompo-top stinger into a fencing sabre?), and Chloé gets the Turtle. Yep, Fu gives up Wayzz. Why?

So Wayzz can SPY on this unknown Chat. Because while Fu trusts Ladybug, he still is wary of the second Chat Noir, this one he still doesn’t know. He knows who Adrien is, so he KNOWS he's an only child. The closest "sibling" he can see is Felix, who lives in London, no way he can get to Paris that fast. He also doesn’t suspect Chloé, because he's been taken in by her outward persona. But if Duchess Noire has Wayzz, then Fu can maybe figure her out. He knows the limitations of the Miraculous - if Duchess tells Wayzz "don’t tell anyone who I am", he won’t be able to tell Fu who she is. But he'll still have insight into how she works, what her morals are, if they can REALLY trust her. Plus, Fu knows Wayzz, they've been partners for CENTURIES. Fu knows not just how to fight with the Turtle, but how to fight against the Turtle. If this second Cat turns out to be bad news, the Turtle is the Miraculous Fu has the best chance against.

(Also, random sidenote: I discussed this with @princess-of-the-corner, cause she always makes the Tiger's thing Invisibility, and I was saying I'd sort of like it if the Tiger had both that AND Clout, so I think what we ended up with was the Tiger's thing is related to Confidence. High confidence, you get Clout, low confidence, you get Stealth. You CAN figure out how to access both, but it can take awhile. Cause, also, you know, a Tiger's whole THING is that it's camouflaged, invisible in its environment, until suddenly you get slammed with several pounds of muscle, teeth and claws.

Also, if you feel that Venom is too OP, I’d institute a time limit. Like, the five minutes you have until you detransform, that's how long Venom lasts? Something like that.

also-also, I see your Snake!Chloé, and raise you Snake!Nino. )

[othsource]

Did you feel like Peyton liking Lucas came out of nowhere? I always wanted it to be Jake and Peyton

hiiiiii :) i'm gonna go on a rant, if that's okay xD

this rant is about lucas, peyton, brooke, and jake! but short answer? no i feel like it made sense. i love peyton with jake! don't get me wrong. but peyton never really got her chance with lucas for the first 3 seasons. it makes sense that those feelings didn't go away completely.

i think they were masked with anger after the shit lucas pulled toward the end of s1 and then they slowly came back to the surface as lucas continued to show up for peyton throughout s2 and s3. examples: lucas calling jake because he knew that peyton needed someone to lean on; lucas being there for peyton through the entire ellie situation; lucas going back in to the school when he found out peyton was shot.

i think all of that (and more that i'm not thinking of atm) reminded peyton why she liked lucas so much in s1 but she couldn't admit it to herself because brooke was with lucas and she wasn't going to do that to brooke again

and to be perfectly honest, i like lucas with brooke and i like lucas with peyton. i ship both of them. either of them. i'm cool with whatever!

but after re-watching s3 as a grown adult, i realized that lucas was a really realllllyy crappy boyfriend toward brooke. watching her break down at the wedding like that hit different this time.

"why didn't you tell me about the kiss? and why didn't you call me while you were away? and why won't you ever just let me all the way in?"

why didn't he tell her? if it wasn't a big deal, and if it didn't mean anything romantic to him, then why not tell her? if he cares about her so much, why didn't he call her while he was away? why didn't he lean on the person that he supposedly loves so much when he's going through something so terrible? this whole season was just lucas keeping brooke close by without ever truly letting her in - especially after keith died. it was all just fun and light-hearted surface-level romance and brooke wanted something so much more than that, which is why she ultimately broke it off. she needed someone that was going to go 100% in with her, and lucas wasn't doing that.

lucas drove me wild during this part of the show, as well. brooke was clearlllllllly very upset about something at the wedding prep when lucas came up and she asked him not to talk to peyton. and then she realized she shouldn't make it about herself, so she made up some bullshit about why she's upset. but in reality, if he knows her so well, and he loves her so much, wouldn't he see right through that? no. instead, he just chuckled, shook his head, and said "pff... weddings." like REALLY bro?!?! and then when she listed off reasons why it's not working, after begging him to let her all the way in, all he had to do was admit his fault and tell her he really wanted to make a change. but instead, he just said "brooke... i'm sorry." and she looked at him like, "yeah.... okay... that's real heart-felt. thanks. cool. me too." and the look on her face broke my heart because i could see what she really felt behind her actions! she wanted him to fight for her! just like in the beginning of s3. but once again, he fell short.

it feels like he always fell short when it came to brooke and that is lucas' biggest character flaw because she is brooke penelope davis!

but the leyton stan in me chooses to believe that all of these flaws are simply because lucas never truly truly loved brooke the way he loved peyton. that's why once peyton and lucas got started in s4, they never really ended. s5 is all about them finding their way back to each other (because lucas is an idiot who put her through hell but i lowkey loved s5 because so much emotion) and s6 is all about their journey to get married and start a family.

soooooooooooo i guess what i'm saying is, peyton loved lucas from the very beginning. she just needed to be reminded of that, and that's what lucas did without knowing it in s2 and s3. so it makes sense that an emotionally mature person like jake would see that even if lucas and peyton haven't seen it themselves yet.

[elkdiaries]

Okay, next one!

If you were about to write out a composition of ST characters and their sexualities, how would it look like?🤔🤔

I mean, how do you think, based on your observations and maybe some experience 🤔

i have plenty of these! thanks for asking. i’ll start with the ones i’m most sure about, then talk about some fun ones at the end. keep in mind that these are only how i view them and i think other sexuality theories are just great (and even better when there’s proof from the show to back it up)! 

mike, from what i’ve gathered, is gay. despite having a romantic plot line with el for nearly all of the seasons, their relationship has proven to just not work out— el because she is still growing as a person and didn’t know what friendship even meant before she met mike, and mike for… a multitude of reasons xD. mike has grown up among a small, close-minded town in a “perfect” family. nancy even talks in s1 about how her family’s always pretending, trying to act the best way because of how people perceive them. mike has had to grow up with stereotypical and heteronormativity in his daily life and has been told how love works by his parents, who obviously aren’t in love. he cares deeply for el all throughout s1 and beyond, but does not label it as romantic attraction until dustin and lucas (who both appear to be straight) say that it is. 

s3 was the real tell, in my opinion. not only were there the contrasts between the m*leven and byler fights but the end scene where mike had his eyes wide open during an unreciprocated kiss? “what the hell just happened here” being in the script? c’mon.

lastly for mike (and this has been pointed out before but i’ll repeat it), over the seasons el gets more feminine— and as she becomes more feminine, their relationship becomes unstable. this implies that he is not attracted to femininity. i’m not trying to blame this on el in any way, i’m glad she’s exploring her girly side. but in s1, she was said confused as a boy/told she looks like a boy almost constantly. no wonder it was easier for mike to take action on his “romantic feelings”.

okay, now for will! i think, based on heavy queer-coding and literal scenes like “lonnie used to say he was queer” and “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls”, he’s gay. he (and mike) are not included when dustin and lucas are chasing max around because they do not have crushes on her, and though he thinks she’s super cool, he doesn’t like her. he has lines like “i’m not gonna… fall in love” and “i’m a freak”. his "sexual identity issues” are even written brought up in the pilot script. at this point i’m scared of people who don’t think it will be canon, lol.

a few fun ones next, ones that most likely won’t be brought up in the show but ones i headcanon the characters as anyways— i think max is bi. a little bit because of the elmax scenes in s3, but mainly because i am queer and she gives me queer energy. el is omni (likes everyone) but favors men. joyce is bi for sure. ace dustin is my everything.

hope you enjoyed! 

[a-e-redacted]

WARNING: This ask contains ranting, gushing, and definite spoilers for Chapter 10 of Moonshadow. Reader discretion is advised.

—

That. Was. AWESOME!!!

First of all, I l o v e d that little moment between King and Hunter. I’d love to see those two bond/reconcile a bit in S3 of the show, even though I know we might not have time for that. 😞

Secondly, that banter between Adrian and Darius? *chef kiss* 👌 Gold. I’ve had a strong feeling those two would produce nothing but peak entertainment if they were given a chance to bounce off one another, and this moment proves that right!

Thirdly, the Titan Trappers. The way they returned?? Adrenaline rush. A really good one. They come in at an already tense moment where you probably wouldn’t expect them, and then, BAM! Immediate chaos and action, and it’s all d e l i c i o u s .

Fourthly, the Collector. *deep inhale*

What made you wake up and choose violence on all our heartstrings. /positive

That was??? HhhHHHHH my heart hurts for the little guy so mUCH- you can just FEEL his trauma and raw emotions in your SOUL… and Eda was going full owl mom and just kept trying to comfort them-

My heart has melted and evaporated. Amazing work; you’re a truly talented writer. 👍💝💖

EEEEEEEEEE!!!! 😀😀😀😀😀 Thank you for this ask/review! I’m excited to finally be posting this part of Moonshadow, and the feedback I’ve been getting has been AMAZING!

I think King and Hunter would actually get along quite well, there just hasn’t been much opportunity for interaction in canon. And I just love the irony of Hunter being able to talk to a Titan and giving them agency because Belos spent so much time pretending to be able to talk to one to further his own agenda.

Hunter may have an extremely complicated relationship towards The Collector, but I can’t imagine he’d have much reason to harbor animosity towards King. Hunter is a kind and caring boy who spent his entire existence being made to play a role in someone else’s image.

I feel like Adrian is scared shitless of The Collector and is projecting a lot of tropes onto them. Like some of our other characters, he does not think that Collector could possibly be a child. Unlike Luz and company, who held that belief for the sake of their own sanity (because if they are a kid, locking them away would be monstrous) Adrian’s belief is born out of a familiarity with the trickster archetype in stories and mythology.

I had purposefully kept mention of the Titan Trappers to a minimum for the last few chapters (which @pageofheartdj took note of in a recent ask). With everything else that had been happening, our main characters had kind of forgotten this secondary invasion that was occurring.

Also I woke up and chose violence because that’s how I start most days. XD

But in all seriousness, everything that happened in this chapter is potential that has been set up in canon. Whether or not any of it goes in that direction…who knows…

BUT I think that King is one of the few individuals that The Collector has connected with on a deeper, emotional level. Any betrayal by King, or anything harmful happening TO King would hurt The Collector far worse than what anyone else did.

Right now, The Collector has chosen to trust Eda out of fear and desperation. However Eda hasn’t EARNED their trust yet, and this is something important to take note of.