#still baffled one of my ships is canon

[ghostindeedee]

Rip the 10 image limit, I'll post the other in a reblog or another post or something. Anyways, wanted to acknowledge the Kidpool from the crossover! Loved it so much, I just had to reunite my favorite spider with his wife.

Hope you enjoy more of my silly AU!

[chloedoesart]

Back to my roots...

I began my internet art journey nearly a decade ago as part of the Wings of Fire fandom. Somehow, my footprint in that fandom still exists despite leaving it many years ago.

I received a sweet message from a parent of a young teen this year asking if their son could use some of my old Wings of Fire artwork for his podcast cover. They reached out to me to help teach him about copyright and getting permission from artists to use their work! I was so touched and impressed that I offered to draw a custom cover for his podcast, as long that he promised he would never stop following his interests and exploring new ways of expressing himself!

It was fun to redraw one of my favourite characters from the series, Qibli, after so many years.

Podcast version under the cut!

[takaraphoenix]

I saw someone refer to Steter as a comedy relief duo earlier and it just completely sent me, because that's just... so far from what Steter is, in canon?

As I'm currently rewatching the show, it has shot up into being my favorite ship on the show because of the gravitas it has.

It's a ship that highlights Stiles' fearlessness in such intriguing ways, in canon. From the boy who yelled at a feral Alpha in the school, to their first face to face meeting at the hospital, when Peter recognizes him, knows him, acknowledges him ("You must be Stiles", as though Stiles' reputation as the one who figures things out proceeds him, as he is the first one to put together that Peter is the Alpha).

There's nothing comedic about the scene on the lacrosse field, when Stiles is kneelng beside Lydia's unconscious form and Peter... for reasons beyond comprehension... decides to curl his claws beneath Stiles' chin and guide him up. Not grab him by the arm and haul him up, not command him, not demand.

This is... sensual, filled with tension, and I don't even necessarily mean the sexual tension (even though the imagery of Stiles kneeling before Peter and Peter grasping his chin is something that I find hard to not see a sexual read on).

Peter kidnaps Stiles into the parking garage to force the boy to track down Derek and, sure, the "His username is Allison? His password is also Allison?" - "Still want him in your pack?" is absolutely iconic and is comedic... how do you boil that entire exchange down to "comedy relief"?

The way Peter offers Stiles the bite - Peter, who so far, only took whatever he wanted, never asked or offered - and doesn't force when Stiles says "No". Even the way Peter catches Stiles on the lie is a moment of tension and revelation on Stiles' part. The way Peter acknowledges Stiles as the clever one.

The season 1 finale? When Stiles sets the survivor of a horrific house fire on fire? Absolute riot, huh. It's vicious, it's cruel - it's everything.

And when Peter is resurrected? Sure, Stiles sarcastically asks if someone can kill him again and sure, Peter snarks about living in a cave system. But even in that episode, these brief comedic moments are absolutely overshadowed by the way Peter and Stiles work together, figure out what the vault is made of, then call Scott to warn him and Derek, by finishing each other's sentences. Two brilliant minds working together, on the same wavelength.

The next time they interact is when Peter tells Stiles about Paige, explains what the blue eyes mean. It's one of the more heavy and serious moments in the season, aside from all the death scenes. It's a big lore drop and character background on both Peter and Derek. And it's Stiles this information is shared with. It's a serious moment and even as Peter tells it all, Stiles doesn't trust, sees past the silver tongue and that too is part of the appeal.

When Peter and Stiles work together to save Cora's life in the hospital, while the Alpha Pack is hunting them down? Blind trust. Stiles asks Peter to help him and Peter doesn't even ask, much less quip, he just follows Stiles' lead and they work together.

Now, I'll admit, I haven't seen seasons 3B through 6 in six years and hey, maybe they'll be a real Abbott and Costello in season 4 and I'm just not remembering it, but damn it all to hell if the first half of the show doesn't present them as two clever minds challenging each other, with a growth from terror and pain to respect and teamwork.

I understand and respect not liking a ship, but I am genuinely baffled when people deliberately misinterpret a canon to suit their needs. Always makes me wonder what alternate reality's version of the show they were watching, surely not the same as me.

[lunar-skylar]

It has come to my attention that people genuinely consider narusasu | sasunaru a proship or a problematic ship, and I’m actually pretty baffled. 

While I’m not all that familiar with the term “proship” or what it even means, their definition of it is shipping problematic ships (i.e., incest, age gaps, etc.). They were essentially saying that shipping Naruto and Sasuke together was incest, as they’re related, and I mean, if you want to see it like that, then sure, they kinda are, but it’s so very distant that it really doesn’t even count. 

Honestly, if we wanted to get really technical, then naruhina (you know, the canon ship of Hinata/Naruto) would be incest (or a proship?) too, as they’re also related. All the Uchiha, Senju, Hyuga, and Uzumaki clans are very distantly related. They share an ancestor, Kaguya, who had two sons, Hamura and Hagoromo. Hamura's line started the Hyuga clan, and Hagoromo's started the Senju and Uchiha clans, as he had two sons; one being Asura, who started the Senju and later branched off into the Uzumaki’s, and the other being Indra, who started the Uchiha). So they’re all related—very, very distantly—but still related, as they’re all descended from Kaguya. 

Even the argument of “oh, but they’re reincarnations of brothers” falls pretty flat because it’s merely their chakra, not their souls (“Even after their flesh perished, the chakra the two honed continued to reincarnate across time, without vanishing…”). Indra and Asura’s chakra just inhabits the incarnates, and once they die, that chakra moves on to the next set of incarnates (as it did with Madara & Hashirama and every other set of incarnates). Naruto and Sasuke are not Asura and Indra (Naruto states that himself). They’re two very different individuals, with their own separate souls.

I mean, if you don’t like the ship because you see them as brothers, then okay, see them however you want, but to label said ship as problematic when it’s quite literally like the least problematic ship there, or to bash people for liking it, is pretty weird.

[fuumiku]

Chilcille huh... ngl I was a little suspicious. like why would you do that, huh... hope youre not mischaracterizing anyone in your weird and wacky ship. a little weird. but then you said they both had flat asses and you know what? I salute you and your perfect characterization

The fact you seem to think you managed to not make this ask insulting is baffling. What the hell. Fuck off.

If you actually care to be open minded about the ship, I talk about marchil on my sideblog 24/7. Funnily enough I’m currently 4k words deep into an analysis of their character arc together in canon, but that’ll take some more days to get done. Some notable posts:

Of course without counting the analyses of Chilchuck on his own I’ve made, like my masterpost on his family situation. Or better yet you could also read my fics for them, see how weird and wacky they are here.

Wanna talk about mischaracterisation? They’re literally a comedic duo who interacts 24/7. Marchil is crazy bc ppl are like "did those shipper read with their eyes CLOSED?? They have no chemistry!" Meanwhile canon is like: "She’s obsessed with knowing everything she can about him and she reads him like a book." In her eyes he’s like that extra rare and hard and shiny unlockable dating sim character, that brooding mysterious character trope that’s thrilling to crack open and typically is at the center of the plot. The wife roleplay???? "Hey, did you know his type is blondes. Hey did you know he likes his women pretty and blonde. Hey did you know he likes her hair. Hey did you know that he teases her 24/7 and it’s one of the few things that consistently gets him grinning because he finds her reactions cute." Like a schoolyard bully pulling on the pigtails of the girl he likes.

It’s not like they have any thematic narratives or relevance. It’s not like she’ll live to 1000 and has existential dread about it while he’s logically gonna be her next friend to die at 50 and wether it’s romantic or platonic it’ll terrify her to lose him. It’s not like it’s fear of death x fear of rejection so they’re both obsessed with the thought of loss looming, past and ongoing. It’s not like it’s half-elf x half-foot and there’s an inherent journey that was and still is to dispel prejudices and truly come to see each other. It’s not like he’s painfully real and raw and flawed but still a good man, that he’s not the figure of prince charming that she’s always dreamed of while still being virtuous and worth fighting for. Or you know, her hair being golden and it being the epitome of beauty to him, and his hair turning silver and it being Marcille’s worst nightmare.

Just a weird wacky ship who means nothing but shallow things to people who have weirdo reasons for liking it. Like can you not. If you’re not imaginative enough to think of reasons why this ship may have an appealing dynamic that’s not my issue. But yes, yes, they’re both flat asses to me, thanks.

[cardierreh15]

Variants

This is just part one of two! Enjoy ⚡️🐺

***I do not give anyone consent to copy, translate or repost my work!!!

Warnings 18+: Cursing , Angst , Mild Violence .

Pairings: Logan Howlett (Cavillrine) x Ororo Munroe also known as Storm ⚡️

Description: Ororo wakes up in another universe, she meets someone familiar…

Word Count: 4.8K

Song: Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen (but whatever your favorite version is)

Earth-811, Days of Future Present (my own twist) to Earth-199999

Side Note: Please keep in mind, this is not at all accurate and I am only writing something I thought up. Anything from how she got to this Earth from to her meeting Logan is not canon events.

Side, Side Note: Lyrics are in regular italics. Ororo's thoughts are in Italics Bold and OG Logan's voice is in orange italics.

Part One

Now I've heard there was a secret chord

That David played and it pleased the Lord

But you don't really care for music, do ya?

It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth

The minor fall, the major lift

The baffled king composing "Hallelujah”

It was a beautiful day on Earth 199999. Not a cloud to be spotted. The birds chirped and there was even a cool breeze to combat the humid air that the season had brought in on its back. But all of that was about to change.

With the bat of an eye, dark heavy clouds rolled into the view of the sun. Blocking out any rays that were toasting up some skins and feeding flowers. Violent lightning bolts filled the sky and loud thunder shook the ground beneath the feet of man. Rain beat down like rocks and the wind blew so strong, it toppled cars and pulled trees from their roots.

In the middle of that chaos, was a woman who would change the entire timeline of this world. Though, she had no idea where she was or whether she was even alive. But she was what this world needed.

Falling unconscious from the thunderous clouds, she collapsed into the pacific. Engulfed and swallowed up by the merciless deep blue. One would think that was the end of this Storm Goddess. But fate and destiny were willing to bend the rules when it came to fulfilling their name.

Upon her contact, the impact of her landing had not only caused hurricanes but water spouts that could tear up an entire island and record breaking tsunamis. Countless lives had been lost upon her ascend.

Months had passed on by and the world was slowly healing from the detrimental damage that came with Ororo’s hard landing. Reporters and storm researchers tried to get to the bottom of what could’ve caused something like this to happen so simultaneously and without warning. The UN (United Nations) had already started on their own journey trying to get to the bottom of it; if it was mutant related and purposeful. As if they give a damn about that really. On her Earth, the United States were the reason why she was here in the first place.

Ororo was found caught in a fishing net in Vancouver. She was well preserved and oddly enough, still warm to the touch. Yet, still knocked into a deep coma that not even inhaling water could wake her from.

A man, not from this plain, had noticed that she wasn’t exactly human. And if the other fisherman had suspected her of being a mutant, they’d have her shipped off to a lab somewhere in the US after they collected their reward. So, he took her back to his home in Alberta, Canada. Far away from society and where he could be himself.

The stranger would come check on the brown sleeping beauty every once in a while. Everyday in the morning before he went to chop wood to aid her fireplace and then once before sunset. She looked familiar to him, but he couldn’t exactly pin it. She was enigmatic! And the feeling of limerence grew the longer she stayed. The way her white finely twisted dreads lay splayed out beneath her head, her thick white brows and lashes. How the shade appeared to enhance her skin and feminine features. Even in her time of nadir, she took his breath away.

Almost like a forbidden kind of beauty. The one that came with a dark past.

Those days had turned into weeks and finally a month had passed since her arrival at the stranger’s residence.

Ororo’s eyes had flashed open, white as her hair as she inhaled so much air that instantly burned her lungs and choked her out.

Sitting up, she placed her hand over her chest before gripping the linens that she wore. She wheezed as salty tears streamed down her face as she fought to breathe. Her vision blurred, her head felt so heavy and it throbbed with an achy vengeance. The words of her lover repeated in her ears.

I love you, Ororo. You don’t have to come back for me. If you find a perfect world, stay there.

She coached herself to steady her breathing as her snowy eyes had faded into something more human. Brown as the Earth’s soil. Ororo hiccuped as her awareness finally hit her like a ton of bricks. She scanned the bedroom for anything to tell her where she was. Or at least, which part of the Multiverse she had landed in.

Pulling herself from the warmth of the heavy comforters, she felt as if she’d been only asleep for a day. Her limbs and balance worked as they did when she was fleeing from the Sentinels. Though, it came with only a little bit of soreness. That was from the battering of the waves.

She whimpered as she rotated her arm to aid the soreness there. ‘Aah. Where the hell am I?’ The bedroom was a piece of paragonal work. Lots of natural light that was let in by 3 large arched windows and a large skylight window that made stargazing comfortable when night came. 

The furniture was vintage; carved out of mahogany and donned with gold handles and knobs. All of the furniture was dusted clean, the mirror at the vanity didn’t see a speck or smudge. A telltale sign that someone had been in here to visit her quite frequently.

With the bedroom’s cleanliness, came no clues of where she was. Ororo began to rummage and search through the dresser drawers and the nightstand. 

Breathing heavily as she felt herself growing anxious with tears filling her eyes, she felt herself falling apart. 

Don’t come back for me. 

Logan please.

I mean it, thundercloud. If you find a perfect world, stay there. 

‘Ooh! Fuck you, Logan!’ She exclaimed through gritted teeth as tears fell from her eyes. ‘Fuck you! Fuck you!’ She exclaimed as she slammed her fists into the mahogany wood that cracked beneath her strength. 

A loud thunder crack echoed outside, with a bolt hitting right outside her bedroom window.

Tiny bolts of lightning danced around her fists as she brought them up before opening her palms. The tiny bolts flickered before vanishing completely and a tear fell in their place. 

Wiping her snotty nose with her sleeve, she took a deep breath and wiped her tears with her free wrist. How was she going to make it without him?

The sound of 80’s rock and roll brought her out of her misery. The same kind of music they’d listen to together on his motorcycle when times were much simpler. She used to peel the clouds out of the sky or simply push them over the next city so they could go riding. 

The smell of his cigar smoke mended into his brown leather jacket. The way his thick dark hair used to fluff about in the wind and how he used to risk their lives by rubbing her arm when she held him tight.

Good times.

Ororo rushed towards the large wooden door and tugged it open with its golden knob. She was met with fresh air when she rushed outside. The sound of the music was no longer muffled by the thickness of those wooden walls. Yet it did echo and bounce off of trees in the surrounding area.

Quickly making her way down the wooden steps, she founded the calls and howls of the infamous Axel Rose. It didn't take her long to find the host; just a cut around the cabin and she was standing in front of it. Catacorner from it was a makeshift garage. Old broken down cars, motorcycles, and tires lie scattered about.

This looked just like Logan’s garage. A mess and unkept.

She felt as if this was all some kind of fever dream. 

Inclined to meet the person who saved her, Ororo began to journey forward until she came across a mature and very large Fir tree that sported claw marks. She walked towards it as the fast music became a blur in her ears. She ran her finger tips over the marks. 

9 claw marks but in threes. She knew only one person who could pull this off. 

‘Oh my god— JAMES!’ Her heart fluttered like crazy as she sped walked to the garage and pushed the doors open. ‘JAMES!’

There he stood, back turned as he worked on his bike. He wore his classic white wife beater, denim jeans and brown boots. His skin was covered in a thin sheet of sweat as he squeezed the clutch of his bike. She was sure that he couldn’t hear her over the shouting of Guns N Roses and the purr of his motorcycle, so she reached her hand up towards one of the hanging lamps and shot a lightning bolt at it. 

A gleaming smile curled up on her lips with a twinkle in her eye.

That caught his attention, causing him to stand up straight.

There was a long pause before the individual reached over and turned down the old school radio that sat on the toolbox. 

‘You know it’s been a long time since someone called me that.’

His voice… He didn’t sound like the Logan she knew and loved. Though from this angle, he was the spitting image. Her smile remained. ‘Wh-what do you mean we—‘

The male finally turned around to face her. But the cloud of smoke from the cigar that he puffed on, made him impossible to make out.

She used to hate the smell, now she lived for it. Craved it.

‘You still smoke those-‘

Stepping through the cloud, the individual revealed himself. 

His hair was curly thick, styled up to resemble ears as if he were a puppy. The same way her James used to style his hair. He even sported that very same beard cut with the center of his chin shaved and his jaws furry. 

His eyes were bright blue unlike the original Logan’s, comforting brown.

Her smile faltered as she placed a hand on her stomach and took a step back.

‘Hmm.’ The man grumbled as he reached behind him and scooped up a white dirty hand towel to wipe his hands. He held his lit cigar in his jaw before taking it out with his clean fingers.

Ororo stood there, her eyes wide in shock and confusion. Her mouth opened to ask a question but the words just wouldn’t come out!

‘I didn’t think you’d ever wake up. You seem to be walking well.’

He was the one that saved her.

‘H-‘ she swallowed, ‘How long was I out?’

Tossing the dirty cloth on the toolbox, he placed the cigar back between his lips and inhaled greatly. And when he exhaled, another large cloud of smoke shrouded the garage.

‘Well,’ he grumbled, ‘You’ve been here for about a month. I uh— suspect you have no idea what’s going on… do you?’

A month? There’s no way I have been here for a month! I stepped in that portal yesterday! 

Ororo placed her hand on her neck as she felt her blood pressure begin to spike. Her body began to gently rock side to side as her stomach twisted and turned.

‘Wh-where did you find me a-and where am I?’

‘You’re in Alberta…’

Her eyes grew, ‘CANADA?!’

‘Some fishermen in Vancouver found you sleeping in a net with some salmon.’ 

She brought her fingers up to her temples and began to rub that spot when her head began to throb. 

And right on cue, thunder roared outside. 

Logan looked up at the roof as rain drizzled and created a song atop the metal. Then he looked back at her. She appeared to be fighting a migraine. And the more she fought, the heavier the drizzle became.

Then it clicked.

‘You alright over there? Need some pain meds?’ He mumbled with his cigar in his mouth.

‘Mmph! It’s okay just—.’

‘Uh-huh. Y’know, there’s been some dangerous storms going on. Tsunamis, Hurricanes, typhoons, the whole nine.’

‘Mmm.’ Ororo grimaced at the pain, squeezing her eyes shut tight as she clenched her jaw together. ‘How long have I been asleep?’

‘I don’t know. But, the storms started about 4 months ago.’ 

I’ve been here for four months?! Oh my god.

‘I think I’m gonna be sick.’ Ororo whimpered as her vision blurred once again from tears. Her chest began to heave and her heart thudded hard in her chest.

‘Oh, whatever you do just—‘

Barf. Clear bubbly flim mixed with yellow bile splattered on the smooth concrete. 

‘Take that… outside. Aw shit.’

The woman collapsed to her hands and knees as he rushed over to her aid. She choked as her insides forced and fought to be on the outside. The taste of the raw acid burned at her esophagus and mouth. The rancid taste only made her gag more. 

‘Hey, it’s okay.’

It’s okay, Storm. If we’re meant to be… we’ll be.

Her eyes turned white with tiny bolts dancing around them, heaving harder as she stared at the disgusting vomit.

‘You have to look away! Look at me!’ 

As soon as Logan snatched up her hands, lightning zapped him to hell. 

Fortunately nothing that’ll kill him, but it stung like shit. ‘Aah!’ He hissed as he snatched his hands away, fanning them painfully. ‘Fuck!’

You’re my strong girl.

Ororo shut her eyes tightly as the heaving turned into a sob. ‘I can’t do this without you…’

The drizzle had turned into a heavy pitter patter. Thunder roared outside, causing the tin can of a garage to rattle. 

Logan’s brows tugged into one as the burning tingling began to fade into his hand. He watched as the woman crumbled into herself. 

This wasn’t tears of fear or confusion. But of mourning and grief. He could practically smell the pain exuding off of her. Logan knew what it felt like to lose someone. To be completely lost in a world that didn’t accept who he was. To be alone. 

Reaching out to her, tiny lightning bolts reached out to embrace his fingertips as if they were familiarized with his energy or aura. 

They didn’t burn him this time, just tiny manageable pinches. He placed his palm on her back and sighed softly.

If we’re meant to be…

His mouth parted to say something, afraid to say the wrong thing. 

Ororo blinked her eyes open before looking over at him. 

He was almost the exact same replica of her James. That same mean scowl that she adored greatly.

‘You’ve got blue eyes.’ She said in a hushed tone as she stared into his eyes.

‘You’re very observant.’ Logan said sarcastically with a small chuckle leaving his lips. ‘What is it that they call you?’

My Stormsy. Hey there, my lil’ thundercloud. Hang on lightning bolt! Stormy. 

‘Oro—‘ she sniffed, ‘Forgive me but, I don’t think you’d be able to say my name, white boy.’ She scoffed.

Logan raised his brow, ‘Oh yeah? Try me.’

She tried to muffle her giggle but it fell through, ‘Ororo.’

His brows rose and he blinked hard once.

‘Oro—OK, do you have a nickname?!’

Ororo’s small smile from her giggle had turned into a charming grin as laughter escaped her, ‘Yeah,’ she sighed softly. He was just like him. From his facial expressions to how effortlessly hilarious he was. She was comfortable near him.

‘Storm. Just call me Storm.’

‘Now that sounds… do-able.’ His smirk curled up into a small smile before he felt a raindrop fall upon his shoulder. They both looked up at the ceiling. Another fell on his forehead.

‘Well, that would explain the weather.’ Then wiped his head free of the water and looked back over at her, then it clicked. He was a terrible host.

Her white eyes began to fade into her brown ones.

Glancing down at the barf, he then glanced back at her, ‘You must be starving.’

‘No, no. It’s OK, I’ve been too much trouble already just—‘

‘No, I insist. You haven’t ate—‘

Wrrrrr. Ororo slapped her hand against her stomach as it sang its hunger song, as if she could shut it up like a finger to a set of lips. She snatched her eyes away from his gaze and shut them in defeat.

‘Mmm. I thought so. Alright, up, up, up.’ He took his large hands and helped her to her feet. ’

Rolling her eyes at his condescending tone, she pushed herself up to her feet with his help.

‘Ya alright?’ He asked as he slowly pulled his hands away.

‘Yeah,’ The electricity vanished once again within her, ‘Thank you.’

‘Mmm,’ his head fell to the side, ‘Don’t mention it. Look, I’m gonna get this cleaned up—‘ 

‘James, please—‘ she paused. 

He looked down at her for a long moment. ‘You’re the only one who can get away with calling me that.’ Turning away from her he walked towards the far corner of the garage. 

Ororo let out a sigh and placed her hands on her hips. Were they all the same in every universe? Hardheaded and guileless. Arguments were always challenging with him. 

‘You don’t have to clean up after me, I'm not some kind of damsel in distress.’

‘Well,’ he scoffed as he picked up a bucket and a mop, ‘You were just kind of sleeping beauty for ‘bouta month. I’d say you’re pretty damn close enough. Oh, and— Aurora… mind easing up on the rain until we get the food here?’ 

Her mouth fell before she stammered over her words. ‘We—I—‘

Wait a minute did he just call me beautiful? Damn, they are just alike. 

And he left her inside of the garage to retrieve water for the bucket.

***

Ororo did not in fact keep the rain in check. Instead, when she went back into the cabin she found herself missing James more and more. But, how could she miss him when he was right outside? 

Oh, she was so confused. Stuck in a whirlwind of emotions. But she had to count her blessings. Who knows what would’ve happened if he didn’t find her. She could’ve been poked and pried at beneath wandering eyes. Chopped up in itsy bitsy pieces and thrown in a particle accelerator to be sold to the highest bidder.

At least that was more humane than the chaos that ensued on her world. 

A knock echoed in her bedroom and the sound of the knob twisting followed.

Ororo was bent over the vanity, checking for any oddities that the portal could’ve left her with. So far, so good. The door creaked open and she turned torso to the side.

‘Hey—whoa—‘

With her voluptuous rump in view, she rested her chin on her fist, ‘Your mama ever taught you to knock? What if I was naked?!’

‘Well for one, I did knock. And my mama, didn’t exactly raise a gentleman if you want me to be honest. Come, I’ve got Chinese.’ 

***

The pair sat in silence as they indulged on their take out. Ororo did her best not to inhale all of it so she ate slowly.

Logan chuckled, ‘That’s cute!’ 

Shit, he was on to her.

‘Mmm? What?’ She grumbled as she placed her hand over her lips so that she wasn’t spitting out food.

‘Oh nothing. It’s just you’re trying so hard not to kill all of your food. Eat! Trust me, you definitely need it more than I do.’

‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’ She said as she stifled her giggle and took another bite out of her food. 

‘Right.’ He snickered and took a sip of his beer. 

The dining room grew quiet once again, soft thunder filled the silent void between them. Not necessarily on purpose but she was studying him. They were eating sweet n sour pork. 

James hated pork. He hated the smell, the salty-ness, the texture and the tummy ache and headache that it gave him after it all. She remembers having to cave in to buying turkey bacon. 

The things you do for love. The sacrifices you make.

James was also right handed. Everything he did started with his right side and eventually the left would aid it. Not that the left was as strong as the right, but when it came to swinging his claws, it always got the job done.

This Logan was an ambidextrous individual. Using both of his hands to work into his food without looking funny. It was so natural.

‘I can feel you burning a hole in my face.’ He murmured as his bright blue hues remained glued to his plate.

It was then when she finally blinked, ‘sorry you just— you just remind me of someone I—‘ she paused as her head fell into her lap.

Logan’s eyes flickered up at her for a second, reading her like a book. ‘Boyfriend?’

She remained quiet.

‘Yeah, I know that look. Sported it a few times myself. Would you like to talk about it?’

Oh she wouldn’t even know where to begin. Should she start with Mystique mercilessly murdering Senator Robert Kelly? Or how her blood contributed to the industrial process of the Sentinels that killed mutants or threw them into concentration camps? How this Logan sitting in front of her could be one of hundreds and maybe thousands of variants of her dead lover?

That was a lot to take in. He wouldn’t even believe her.

‘I—Honestly, I wouldn't even know where to start.’

‘I’ve got nothing but time.’

You take up all my time, Lightning Bolt. A punishment when I have to leave but a reward when I come back home to you. 

Inhaling deeply through her nose, she let out a gentle breath. ‘I’m —‘ Ororo tried to process it herself. If she hadn’t lived it, it wouldn’t have even made sense to her either. 

‘This is going to sound crazy.’ 

‘Trust me, I’ve seen and heard crazy. There’s nothing you can say to me that I haven’t already heard.’ 

He mustn’t be so sure.

Even that little comment was something James would’ve said. Verbatim. 

‘Alright.’ She sat up straight and let out another breath of air, ‘I’m not from… here.’

Logan sat quietly. She had his full and undivided attention.

‘I’m not from… here.’ She repeated.

‘Oookaaaay, I think I got that the first time.’ He sighed and folded his arms together. ‘What do you mean?’

Damn it was a lot harder to say than she thought. Perhaps she try a different approach. She would talk about… him.

‘My boyfriend… he uh— he was one of a kind. Smart, goofy, sweet… he was everything I dreamed of. He uh— and his brother had it rough. His family was well off… and in most cases the mother and father weren’t around much thus, was raised by their nanny. One night, some man comes into their home and kills their father. It was then when he discovered his powers. He grew—‘ 

Ororo glanced down at Logan’s fist as his fingers tapped against the table cloth. 

‘Claws.’ Her gaze rose to his once again. ‘He stabbed the man in hopes of getting to avenge his father… but it was then revealed to him that the stranger was in fact he and his brother’s biological father.’

Logan stared at her in complete horror. But he remained calm.

Your faith was strong, but you needed proof

You saw her bathing on the roof

Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew ya

She tied you to a kitchen chair

She broke your throne and she cut your hair

And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah.

‘What then?’ He asked before picking up his beer once again. 

‘He and his big brother ran away. Fought in World War II. Years later he met me at Xavier’s School of Gifted—‘

‘Youngsters.’

‘Youngsters.’ She repeated slowly. 

He stared at her for a moment before shaking his head, ‘How do you— How do you know all of that?!’

Swallowing her spit, Ororo pressed her lips together, ‘I know — so much more, Logan.’

‘So what, do you read minds like Charles?!’ His voice was a little bit more stern than before.

‘Ja-Logan, it’s not like that! I—I come from a different timeline!’

His eyes grew in disbelief and he raised his hands, ‘Alright. That’s enough sweet n sour pork for you. Now you’re just talking out of your ass.’ He reached over to grab her container but she grabbed his wrist tightly. It was heavy. Just as she thought.

‘Has it ever occurred to you why or how a complete stranger would know your name?!’ 

‘Maybe you’ve been looking at my mail?!’

‘Your name is James Howlett! You had a brother named Liev, also named as Sabertooth—‘

‘What?!’ He chuckled.

‘You were born 1882! Here in Alberta, Canada.’

‘These are all things you can look up on google sweetheart.’ He said as he gently pulled his fist away.

‘That would make sense if I could use google in my sleep!’ She bit back. She watched as he pulled her styrofoam container away. ‘And I don’t think you added your Adamantium skeleton to the census.’

I did my best, it wasn't much

I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch

I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool ya

And even though it all went wrong

I'll stand before the lord of song

With nothing on my tongue but hallelujah

He stared at her for a moment before swallowing hard.

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about? That metal doesn’t even exist.’ He added as he carried off their take out to the kitchen.

Now, she was annoyed. She folded her arms across her chest and slouched back against the wooden chair with her full lips in a slight pout. That was until she realized what he said.

‘Wait—‘ she quickly stood to her feet and walked into the kitchen, ‘I never said anything about Adamantium being metal!’ 

Logan opened the refrigerator to place the containers inside, ‘You didn’t? Well, it sounds like it would be metal. The “Tium” at the end of it adds the razzle dazzle.’ 

Ororo was growing irritated with his banter. So she snatched the refrigerator door handle and slammed it, not caring much if the food was in there properly. Her backside was pressed firmly against the cool stainless steel.

‘Hey!’ He glared at her.

‘You asked me if I wanted to talk about it and I AM—‘

‘I didn’t ask you for a damn biography on my life!’

Her head fell to the side before looking down at his fists. 

‘Show me.’

Logan stepped back, his thick brows tugging into one. ‘Show you what? There’s nothing to show you!’ 

‘I want to see them! Show me!’ 

‘Lady, you’re really losing it right now.’

‘I WANT TO SEE THEM— NOW!’ She exclaimed as her eyes glowed white with lightning and she raised her hand to cast a lightning bolt at his chest. 

The white electricity sent him flying back against the wall, leaving a large cave in, in its place. He fell to his hands and knees as he groaned and howled in pain. White lightning bolts danced and trickled around his torso, arms and neck. ‘GUH—AAUURGH!’ 

She hadn’t realized what she’d done until it was too late. ‘Oh my god! James!’ Ororo rushed over to him but stopped in her tracks when she heard the unsheathing of his blades. 

She blinked away her glowing eyes as he painfully pulled himself up to his feet. Bubbles of saliva dripped from between his teeth. At his sides were those infamous Adamantium claws. They were beautiful. 

She glanced up at him in caution as she began to slowly approach him. 

Logan growled, taking a step back as he breathed heavily through the pain. 

‘James please, I’m sorry! I know all of this sounds crazy ok? You have to believe me.’

‘B-believe y-you?! Hell, I d-don’t even know you!’ He sputtered through the pain.

The words pained her, ‘I-I deserve that. But I know you.’ She finally walked to him and reached out to wrap her small hand around his fist. Logan turned his head away from her.

Maybe there's a God above,

but all I've ever learned from love,

was how to shoot at someone who out drew you.

And its not the cry you hear tonight,

its not somebody who's seen the light.

‘In a different time— you loved me. And looking at you now…’ she placed her hand against his jaw and turned his gaze back towards her, ‘Means that I have a second chance. Think about it, you went all the way to Vancouver … you had no idea I was there but you came there for me.’

Logan stared down at her, his heaving panting began to slowly return to normal.

‘I know that you hate New Age music, I know that your hobbies include choking down cigars and chopping wood. I know that you love riding your bike on sunny days in the mountains! I know that you dreamed of living in a small cabin like this one.’ Her voice cracked as she did her best to fight back her heartbreak. He never got to see the life he deserved.

It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah.

‘I know that you’ve moved far away to keep from hurting others. I was there, Logan.’

Ororo’s words were almost inaudible; being choked up with tears, she stared up into his eyes as she fought hard not to cry again. 

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

Sheathing his blades back into the safety of his knuckles, he reached up to grab her fist gently into his large hand. 

‘How much did you love me—him?’

‘Oh James…’ her eyes fluttered as a thick warm tear fell down her cheek. ‘With all of my being…’

Those words ached him a little as if he knew that she did, as if he witnessed her love for him. He’d fallen in love many times. But they never amounted to anything in the end. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be.

Maybe—

If we’re meant to be— we’ll be.

Ororo burst into a gut wrenching sob before Logan brought her into his strong, heavy arms. He rested his cheek atop her head as she soaked his filthy wife beater. 

Hallelujah. 

[bambifornia]

huuUOOoLRgGghh fiinnne I can't stay away from you all

i bring more autobot!swindle. plus my attempt at writing his backstory

disclaimer : most of the stuff below isn't canon i just wrote this for fun. if u guys wanna make ur own swindle backstories i invite yall to do so :D we will make our own swindle content

swindle came online during cybertron's early years of the age of expansion. the autobots (with their goal to expand cybertron's empire) engineered a set of bots who would serve cybertron as its intergalactic merchants, programmed to be ambitious bots who sought profit. they also came with bigger processors (for storing transactions and whatnot) and versatile frames (so they could withstand organic climates)

shortly after coming online, swindle was assigned a teacher (another merchant) who'd pass down the knowledge of the trade. swindle did his best to keep up with his lessons

as a student, swindle was determined and clever. as a bot, though...eughh...

- he had less of a filter, and didn't know how to keep a poker face

- his little new England accent used to be a lot thicker (think earthspark swindle)

- very friendly, had a lot of amicas back in the day (he was definitely the "I know a bot" guy). it was a struggle for him to keep quiet

- loved hands on activities, hated sitting still

- kept a journal detailing his intergalactic trips. tried to doodle any organics he found interesting

- LOVED shiny stuff. he was like a crow lmao

- his sharp glossa would sometimes get his aft beat

- despite being a chatterbox, he wasn't as suave back then. he'd often get himself in awkward situations, which he'd try to talk himself out of the embarrassment but he'd end up digging a deeper hole for himself

- petty king. also kinda nosy and had a thing for gossip

- loved pranking, and teased the bots he liked

once he was ready, swindle was given a ship and assigned a trading post (as a starting point). from that point, swindle was a rootin tootin merchant and nothing bad ever happened to him again :D...

...

until the quintessa skirmishes

the age of expansion ended with border disputes between cybertron and quintessa. multiple skirmishes sproutted along the border, and while swindle didn't fight in them, he was certainly caught in the crossfire. swindle ended up with a broken ship, a looted inventory, and a bungled up frame. he had to return to cybertron for repairs

back on cybertron, swindle finds a planet wildly different from the one he knows. tensions between autobots and decepticons are rising, and the banks aren't holding up that great. swindle finds himself in a tight spot (financially speaking) since he still has to deal with his losses from quintessa. unable to go back to his actual merchant job, swindle resorts to taking odd jobs to keep himself afloat (yes, even stealing)

when the war breaks out, swindle gets drafted into the front lines (a decision that still baffles him to this day). since he's not much of a fighter, the autobots have swindle work as a spy, ordering him to smuggle weapons out of decepticon servos...

in future hindsight, that was a poor decision

---

wrapping it up here because i don't want this post to get too long LMAO but I still have more ideas for him if yall are interested. just know that this is not the end of swindle lore

ALSO I finally came up with autobot!swindle designations :D I've narrowed it down to 3 and I need help deciding. it's either between

quickdime - cuz. you know. he's always looking to make a quick buck

treasury - his subspace acts like a treasury if you kinda think about it

fortune - idk it sounds cute. besides fortune tends to "favor the bold and clever"

if u made it this far then congrats. thank u for listening to me yap. have a bonus doodle

[janewayintersection]

the amount of people who are like "omg i ditched kaidan for garrus after he was mean to me on horizon!!" baffle me. shit on bioware's writing for making shep work with cerberus all you want, but kaidan calling shep out on this and not joining them is NOT the issue. in fact, him reacting like this is why i love him??

he specifically states he trusts shep, just not cerberus. which is the only rational response in that whole entire goddamn game!! like?? you spend all of me1 stopping cerberus operations. they kill several alliance soldiers and admiral kahoku, try to make a rachni army -- they are WELL known for cloning and ais... miranda even outright states she wanted to plant shep with a control chip. there is literally zero reason for kaidan to believe the shep in front of him isn't some cerberus sleeper agent. or an ai. or indoctrinated. or being manipulated (THIS ONE IS CANON BTW). even if he trusts shepard, he doesn't trust cerberus not to pull any of this. quite frankly, i'm baffled more companions don't have this exact, entirely justified concern.

loyalty is important, but blind loyalty is dangerous.

honestly, the crew in me2 is lucky that the illusive man was so weirdly and uncharacteristically insistent on shepard remaining untouched. things could have gotten very bad otherwise.

being best friends with someone, or more notably, being in love with someone, isn't the end all be all magic potion in this world. being in love with someone doesn't mean you should blindly trust their actions. if my significant other joined a terrorist group, you can bet my ass i wouldn't join them! sorry! if anything, it's healthy that kaidan has his own sense of morals and priorities he follows over shepard. he's his OWN person, love shouldn't be something that makes you suddenly give up who you are and what you believe in.

not to mention kaidan is entirely out of the loop for the whole game. his intel states that cerberus is behind the abductions (the horizon incident is partially a result of cerberus' fiddling btw), and that shep has been alive and never even reached out to anyone. he doesn't have the information we the players have. he doesn't know that the illusive man insisted on no control chip. he doesn't know about the lazarus project or its specifics.

and as for the "cheating" discourse if you romance someone new in me2, i do personally believe shep getting with one of the me2 love interests is cheating on their me1 love interest. to shep, they skipped those two years. they wake up as they did during the me2 prologue. no time has passed. and then they immediately get with someone else after one (1) argument with their love interest over them, may i remind you, joining a terrorist group. even if you don't think it's "technically" cheating, it's at the very least pretty trashy and flakey.

if anything, i'm gonna say it! kaidan is more forgiving than i'd be! the fact that he even sends an email saying he still cares and that they can see what happens after this is all resolved is WAY more than i would have done. the fact that kaidan will find out shep got with someone else, and STILL be willing to give shep a chance is like. man. it's saying a lot. i am just saying.

imagine losing someone. you see them literally die as your ship explodes and they burn up in the nearby planet's atmosphere. you grieve. you put yourself into your work. then suddenly, two years, later. they pop back up again. ALIVE. and with a terrorist group. and basically tell you the equivalent of "just trust me bro" despite the fact that while you trust them, you don't trust the terrorist group. so you're like hey, what the fuck. why are you with a terrorist group. and they're like i'm not with them, we just have common goals. and you're like. i'm gonna say it again. i trust you, not the terrorist group. okay?? i can't join you for this reason. please be careful out there, seriously.

and then they immediately jump into the pants of that one guy you knew back on a mission from two years ago.

what would you do?? would you not feel hurt? betrayed? upset? confused?? i'm sorry, i'm completely on kaidan's side. i'd go as far to say that he's far more understanding than he should be in me2.

me3 is all about regaining that complete and undying trust back, and that cerberus didn't fuck around w shep. or that being with cerberus didn't change them. his "loyalty" quest is just visiting him in the hospital and showing him shepard still cares. that they're still the same. that cerberus truly didn't alter them. that there was more going on. that shepard was forced to work with cerberus out of complete necessity and only did what they thought was right. and i think that's neat!!!!

[kandisheek]

FIC REC WEEK 50 – ENDGAME

SERIES: front row seats by Annie D (scaramouche)

Pairing: Steve/Tony, Steve/Peggy Rating: M Words: 27,182 Tags: Branching Timelines, Post-Endgame, Canon Compliant

Summary: A Steve/Tony series that follows one of the branching timelines set up by Avengers: Endgame.

Reasons why I love it: This series is everything I never knew I needed. The way it takes the implications of the Endgame ending and spins them to their furthest possible conclusion is so satisfying. I'm in awe of Annie D for coming up with this, because in my head this is canon now. You can't convince me otherwise.

This series consists of:

Something Beautiful

Pairing: Steve/Tony, Steve/Peggy Rating: T Words: 5,367 Tags: Alternate Reality, 1940s Branching Timeline, Making Up

Summary: In one universe sideways, it’s 2012 and the Avengers have just defeated Loki and the Chitauri. Steve Rogers, who has been out of the ice for almost ten years, wonders if his retaking the shield for this event was a one-off, or if he’s ready to keep it again. It depends on Tony.

Reasons why I love it: I really, really love how Annie D manages to drop all these little tidbits about how MCU-Steve going back in time changed the reality that this other version of Steve now lives in. The changes feel so organic, and it's all due to the way they're woven into the story without ever dumping exposition on the reader. It's legitimately masterful, and one of the reasons why Annie D's writing never fails to impress me. Definitely read this one, it's so good!

Safest Hands

Pairing: Steve/Tony, Steve/Peggy Rating: T Words: 7,080 Tags: Established Relationship, Declarations of Love, Marriage Proposal

Summary: In the one universe sideways, it’s 2016 and the Avengers have fled underground in the wake of what is the worst streak of bad luck they've ever had. Steve, Tony and Natasha are on the run together, and take temporary cover at a friend’s house.

Reasons why I love it: The interactions that Steve has with Grant are so good it kind of makes me mad that this isn't canon. And the absolute trainwreck that is Steve's proposal is so perfect it just feels like everything I love about Stony as a ship. I love this fic to death, along with this entire series!

No Do-Overs

Pairing: Steve/Tony, Steve/Peggy Rating: M Words: 10,097 Tags: Permanent Injury, Angst, Schmoop

Summary: In the one universe sideways, it’s 2018 and the Avengers and their allies have just defeated Thanos. Steve and Tony retreat from the limelight to recover, and are visited by an old friend who has an unusual request.

Reasons why I love it: I can't believe just how much this fic patches up all the holes in the MCU's logic about time-travel. It slots so neatly into canon that it's honestly baffling. I will never not think about this verse when watching Endgame now, and I couldn't be happier about it. Give yourself a treat and read this, because you WILL be impressed!

Twice the Groom

Pairing: Steve/Tony, Steve/Peggy Rating: T Words: 4,028 Tags: Bittersweet, Canonical Past Character Death, Alternate Reality

Summary: Grant Carter, formerly known as Steve Rogers, attends a wedding.

Reasons why I love it: I'm so happy that we get to see Grant's PoV in this fic. In the rest of the series, the implications of what this branching timeline might mean to him is alluded to, but here we get to see it more explicitly. I especially love his conversation with Bucky and the dorky Stony fluff, oh my god, it's so good. This fic is wonderful, and you should give it a read!

Timestamp: Front Row Seats

Pairing: Steve/Tony, Steve/Peggy Rating: G Words: 610 Tags: Multiverse, Canon Divergent, Phase Four

Summary: Steve and Tony may be retired, but they still get called in sometimes. Across universes, even.

Reasons why I love it: Okay, this is the final nail in the coffin – this verse is canon now. I've decided. This is canon and absolutely mandatory reading for any Stony fan. By the power invested in me by absolutely no one, I declare this series an official part of the MCU. Thank me later, and go read it if you haven't already!

[cryiling]

as much as i hated 431, it baffles me even more when i see people acting like it's the end of the world for bkdk / that izuocha is canon. the week of leaks leading up to the official release had me stressed with everyone was freaking out, but the chapter was honestly so open-ended??

"deku rejected bakugo!! he doesn't want to work at his hero agency!!" his initial rejection was completely accidental. deku didn't realize that bakugo had offered him a spot at his agency. hell, even *I* didn't realize that was bakugo's offer until reading some analyses of the chapter afterwards.

even when deku realizes and still tells bakugo no thank you, it's not personal at all. he literally just affirmed to the audience that he's not an active hero right now. it wouldn't make sense for him to join an agency if he's still working full-time as a teacher. it doesn't matter who offered him a position at an agency; deku would've still declined. but that's not to say he'll never join bakugo's agency. just perhaps further down the line, and especially not as a sidekick.

"bakugo let deku walk away, he gave up chasing after him, they're not best friends anymore" BYEEE LMFAO this one made me laugh out loud. this was NOT an emotional goodbye forever scene 😹 literally in the same breath as deku waves bye, he tells bakugo to drop by ua again as a guest speaker. they've been seeing each other regularly, and they will continue to keep seeing each other. also, the only reason they're even parting ways for the night is because bakugo has an early morning the next day. otherwise, it sounds like bakugo absolutely would've been deku's ride home. don't even make me laugh. this is not "goodbye forever," this is "get home safe, see you in a few days."

"izuocha is canon!!!" BE SOOO FOR REAL RIGHT NOW. there was exactly one confirmed ship in 431 and it was mushroom girl x shadow guy from class b. izuocha shippers are welcome to interpret this however they like, but there was zero confirmation that they have a reciprocal crush on each other or get together.

they're both friends but realize they didn't get a chance to talk to each other at all at the reunion dinner. deku, remembering bakugo's life advice, decides to affirm to uraraka that she is an important friend to him and not just some rando like everyone else. he asks if she wants to catch up more since they didn't get a chance to. uraraka is still clearly struggling because of toga's death, but toga tells her not to feel held back from living just because of her death. uraraka says she also wanted to catch up, and then they DAP EACH OTHER UP LMFAOOO

i can't even begin to unpack how hilarious that last panel is, but i can't get over all the bkdk-antis saying that it was romantic. if you think that's the peak of romance i feel sorry for you 😹

the beauty of this chapter is that it's so so open-ended. you ship izuocha? feel free to interpret this through your lens. you ship something else? you can interpret it that way too (big shoutout to kamimomojiro truthers i was cheering too). you hated this chapter? horikoshi has literally given you permission to ignore it altogether

me personally i will be ignoring it and living out my bkdk fantasy 🙌

[writing-in-sin]

KAISHIN OPINION: THE SHOW WILL GO ON!

Okay, so I honestly thought that I'd lose followers for continuing to ship KaiShin which would be understandable and I wouldn't blame anyone for doing so but I've been getting notifications that I've gained a few more followers? Both on tumblr and twitter. I'm grateful, I truly am, and I thank you for wanting to stick around and go along with me on this crazy ride

I'm still a little baffled though, ngl 😅 baffled but grateful though, make no mistake

Either way, I just wanna say thanks and also for any future posts about KaiShin, either headcanons or fics, I will NOT make them cousins unless said otherwise

If i do make them cousins as to possible canon, I'll be sure to give warnings and make notes

So yeah, in my fanworks, KaiShin are NOT COUSINS nor is Toichi alive

Also, while appreciated, no need for condolences. I won't speak for other KaiShin shippers, but KaiShin has been one of my OTPs since 2004/2005 and after 20 years of shipping them, this will NOT stop me.

Not by frickin long shot.

Shimegami-chan's fic from fanfiction.net was one of my 1st KaiShin fics I've read. And then there's yukuro's Fall of the Moon, a fic also from fanfiction.net that has been one of my faves since frickin 2006 (which I still remember the name of the fic title without actually checking my bookmarks which says a lot to how much I've loved this fic)

I can say that I'll continue on shipping them out of spite or pettiness and maybe there'll be times when I'll do just that. But honestly? I hope it'll always be out of love for KaiShin

And i hope that i can be a fan that'll always love KaiShin more than I hate aspects of what's happened in canon. I truly do hope for that

So yeah, that's all I wanted to say

_______

As always, thank you so much for your time and for reading this far. If you'd like to specifically see more KaiShin or DCMK, you can find me on my this side account here on Twitter @ moonlit_death

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Any opinions about Lukloe (Luka x Chloe) and Liluka (Lila x Chloe)? Honestly, I don’t like either of these ships, but I like Lukloe slightly better (like, the lesser of two evils).

I'm generally not the kind of person who gets into ships with no canon backing, so most of the Chloe ships baffle me. If she hasn't had an actual conversation with the person in question, assume the ship isn't on my radar. It's also worth noting that my ideal Chloe is extremely aroace, so I'm also not inclined to pair her with anyone.

However, if I take a step back and just look at the general character templates, I can see why someone would like a ship like Lukloe. It's probably the same reason people used to ship her with Nathaniel. The bratty, rich mean girl who falls for the kind-hearted poor artist is a classic setup which can be applied to musicians, painters, and many more. Contrasting personalities and life situations are fun to play with. They make for good drama.

Most "you can change them" stories are a hard no for me because I can't turn off my brain and pretend that's how the real world works. If the character starts off horribly abusive toward their eventual romantic interest, then the ship is dead to me in almost every setting. It's just too close to romanticizing the cycle of abuse for my tastes.

However, I do believe that people can change, so I enjoy so called enemies-to-lovers dynamics where the "bad" character is more generally rude than abusive and where there's a larger story going on, leading the "bad" character to change for reasons beyond love, but love still happens by accident. Variations where the "bad" character is just on the wrong side of a conflict work, too.

I can even handle situations where the "bad" character changes because of love so long as they're never abusive toward their eventual partner. Something where the "bad" character falls for the "good" character, realizes that the "good" character would never go for a horrible person, and superficially changes to try to win the "good" character's heart only to realize that being "good" is actually kind of awesome even without the romance aspect, leading to real, lasting change.

I think Luka and Chloe would be fun in either of those setups. Because Luka isn't one of Chloe's usual victims, I can see him being more willing to give her a chance on the civilian side. Maybe she's actually changing, but no one who knows her well believes in her because she's gone too far in the past. Luka, not having that baggage, is actually able to see that she's trying and encourages her, leading to a cute romance.

I can also see something like my romcom pitch working. Chloe falls hard for Luka, realizes Marinette is his ex, and tries to be Marinette-like to win his heart. She fails hard, but ends up learning her own brand of nice along the way and Luka likes that brand of nice, too, so she wins the guy anyway. My favorite mental image for this type of story is Chloe trying to volunteer at something, failing hard, but using her personality, money, and/or influence to make real major change.

Lila x Chloe, on the other hand, is a hard no. Lila just doesn't have enough depth to her character for me to be able to see her actually falling in love with anyone. She'd need to care about someone other than herself for that to be possible and canon has her caring for no one. I don't see how Chloe would change that when she's just another pawn for Lila to use. Lila and Marinette makes more sense since Marinette is at least different from the others in that she stands up to Lila and doesn't believe the lies. That's an interesting dynamic that could make Lila feel differently about Marinette than she does the general population. Meanwhile, if any romance developed between Lila and Chloe, it would be completely one-sided and end as soon as Chloe stopped being useful.

I could buy characters like Lila and Chloe using each other in a selfish, purely physical way, leading to a self-destructive, angsty "romance" where everyone ends up miserable after Chloe catches feelings, but that's about it. Anything that actually deserves the "romance" label is a no-go.

[miriam-heddy]

Been thinking about 9-1-1 fandom discourse with a look back at the X-Files shipping wars and slash fandom.

I’m an elder fan, I think. For the youngins just playing catch up, long before AO3, the X-Files “Shipping Wars” happened on Usenet. (For a more detailed history, I recommend: https://fanlore.org/wiki/The_X-Files).

Now this is my own recollection, but as I remember it, at the time I entered online fandom, Mulder/Scully fanfiction stories were still popular. And slash stories were still contentious (lots of homophobia toward slash & slash writers, lots of “there is no g-rated m/m, and lots of demands that we keep our chocolate away from their peanut butter.)

Many slashers in XFiles got into fanning the show online & seeking other fans by way of the introduction of Alex Krycek (who became Mulder’s partner while Gillian A. was on maternity leave). There were already Mulder/Skinner stories. Then M/Sk/K stories, and Sk/K stories.

The thing is, Krycek wasn’t in that many eps, really. So fans did a lot of work world-building for him and fleshing him out. Fans did a lot of close reading, both in hopes of figuring out CC’s endgame and bc it was fun.

I don’t recall much antipathy toward showrunner Chris Carter for not giving us what we wanted in a gift box. And, as some fans were reading fanfic before seeing the show, there were convos about, “Oh, so that’s not canon?!” As a subculture of a subculture of a subculture, we did our thing. Others did theirs. And I think most of us liked Scully (and saw her as Mulder’s surrogate sister and bff).

So… I look at 9-1-1 and Tommy fans now and feel sort of baffled by fans saying things like insisting that S8.6 & the breakup was poorly written and OOC. I tried to to perceptions of the breakup as disconnected/coming out of nowhere by comparing the transcripts of the first date with the end, concluding there was quite a bit of foreshadowing. https://www.tumblr.com/miriam-heddy/766816705652654080/for-those-who-said-that-the-end-of-bucktommy-came

Early on, fans began story posts online & in zines with a posted disclaimer and notes. Looking back, these show just how much fandom has changed in terms of relationship between

A fanfic writer and

B) her readers

C) her writing community (editors/beta readers/supporters)

D) show canon

E) the showrunner/The Powers That Be.

Take a look at this (fairly typical) header information(writer disclaimer and notes) from a 1997 story by one of my favorites, torch.

As a thought experiment, try to imagine this in 9-1-1 fandom—particularly in Buddie and Tevan fanfiction communities.

Comments, questions, etc… Whatcha think?

[whoishotteranimepolls]

Ok I know there's already anlther DYB ask for Akainu and no one ever votes for it but I have to send my own anyways because the fact that anyone finds this man attractive is baffling to me

So first of all, look, I get why people find villains and stuff hot even despite committing horrible atrocities and I'm not gonna be like "oh but he killed ace!" or whatever even though that was a complete dick move (like insulting the whitebeard pirates was so uncalled for dude chill) but also he Did commit genocide. Like there is a reason the O'Hara incident had only one survivor. Like it wasn't only him but he did order the destruction of that ship

But ignoring that, because, again, I understand characters can be hot in spite of or because of the atrocities they committed, he's just... not attractive? Like I'd get finding him hot despite the stuff he did if he had an entertaining personality or was physically attractive but he really Does not.

Like his personality is basically just Absolute Justice personified which just kinda makes him a dick and not in a particularly fun or entertaining way

And appearance wise? He just has nothing going for him. Like he's better post timeskip with the scar, the facial hair, and the cigar, and I like his hawaiian shirt, but he's still not hot aside from the literal sense. Like, I guess he's an old/older big buff dude but like. One Piece has characters thar fit that description that are actually attractive? Or at the very least more attractive than fucking Fleet Admiral Sakazuki

So he's just very "go girl give us nothing!" a complete asshole with 0 appealing qualities. The only good thing about him is he mentored the best marine in the series but that guy isn't even canon and it doesn't really make Sakazuki any more attractive. And straight up, barring Ryokugyu, all the other admirals, both pre and post-ts, are genuinely hotter than Akainu

Also I don't find this relevant but people seem to bring it up sometimes in DYB so I guess I'll do so too? That man would NOT be good in bed let's not kid ourselves. And that's if you could even get him there since he's way too busy doing paperwork and when he's not doing that he's probably killing pirates

Like idk I think Sakazuki fans just need to take the L here

Defend Your Blurbo #59

Please remember this post is about curiosity and genuine fandom discourse. Be kind with your answers because this is not a debate essay, this is a discussion between fans

Meet Sakazuki, aka Fleet Admiral Akainu from One Piece. He ate the Magu Magu no Mi, a Logia-type Devil Fruit that allows the user to create, control, and transform into magma at will, turning the user into a Magma Human.

This will probably be our most controversial dyb to date. He is perhaps one of the most despised characters in one piece due to his unforgivable sin of killing a beloved character. So this one's going to be interesting, but I do know he has fans who are thirsty for him, including me. So, One Piece fandom defend your blorbo.

[utilitycaster]

Do you think that Laura and Marisha are deliberately making their relationship somewhat toxic and unsustainable or do you think they see the relationship as healthy? It is just so different from all of the other relationships they have been a part of and not really in a good way. Would love to get your perspective on it if you have one

I am honestly unsure. I would like to say it's deliberate. Prior to it becoming canon, in fact, I, and a lot of other people who were less than enthused by Imogen and Laudna's romance and weren't entirely sold from the start, made the case that we expected they would be talking to each other and would put together a compelling story, not the dull fluff so common in fanon. While whether it's compelling is a subjective judgment, we know for a fact they didn't talk to each other. We know for a fact Marisha was surprised by the question of "Can I kiss you," and Laura was surprised by the answer. We know from a 4SD not long after (4SD #16, Kiss and Tell) that several episodes later they still hadn't talked. We know that Marisha perceives Laudna as holding Imogen back (and that Laudna perceives herself as doing so) from the Rose City Q&A. We know that from 4SD #20 (Episode Twenty) that Laura doesn't like conflict in narrative and Marisha does, and that Laura was thrown by Laudna's regression following Ashton's attempt to absorb the shard (4SD #19, Shard Candy).

I don't know if it's deliberate or not; I don't have any extra insight that isn't public knowledge any fan can easily access. But man, it doesn't feel like these are two actors on the same page about what's going on.

I've touched on this before but mostly in tags or whisper posts but I've always felt ill at ease with a number of for lack of a better term "fandom-approved opinions" and one of the ones that has baffled me the most is this idea that Marisha and Laura have exceptional chemistry. I watched Campaign 1 knowing the endgame ships but deliberately avoiding the fandom, and Vex and Keyleth did not even once occur to me as a thing. I watched the first year of Campaign 2 without a ton of fandom interaction because I was avoiding additional C1 spoilers and it seemed crystal clear that the obvious ship was Beau and Yasha; it felt like Beau and Jester only even had enough potential for me to multiship it as my general "whomever Jester picks" for like, 30 episodes. And yet people - people who didn't even ship either of the above ships and in some cases disliked them- would just say "oh man I can't wait until we get to a campaign where we can finally explore Marisha and Laura's incredible chemistry!" and it's like. I feel like I'm the kid in the Emperor's New Clothes on this! I understand that chemistry is to an extent a matter of taste and subjectivity, but it just increasingly feels like people looked at two campaigns of tables where Ashley was frequently absent and said "well, if I want an F/F ship that's between two of the women in the cast, I guess this is what I have to work with" and repeated to themselves that a flat pamplemousse La Croix was a Piña Colada until they started to believe it. I mean if someone wants to explain it to me in good faith I suppose be my guest and I will try to take it in, but it feels like people just treat this as incontrovertible fact and if you doubt it they're like "don't you have eyes" and it's like, well, pretend I don't. Explain like I'm eyeless and five because I have never understood this. They both have more chemistry with every single other cast member; it's not all romantic but man, I didn't even buy Laudna and Imogen as platonic best friends of two years. I have never had this problem with any other pre-existing character relationships Marisha and Laura have played, platonic or otherwise. It's literally just them. I just never feel like they're quite on the same page.

Back to the relationship between Imogen and Laudna onscreen, this was easily the best conversation since the start of the gnarlrock fight, and it is my hope it doesn't fizzle out the way that did. You can't keep kissing Laudna whenever she fears she's lost forever to Delilah, Imogen. Or you can, but that won't fix the problem. Again: are you disgusted? Do you feel betrayed? If you're not, why did you say that? If you are, how will you move past it? Do you want to be with someone who never feels like they're good enough for you? Laudna, do you want to be with someone who, no matter what they say, you feel you're holding back?

Early in the campaign, my feeling was that of our current situation, switched - Imogen felt her powers were a burden and a curse and Laudna kept referring to them and to her glowingly. It's just...ships passing in the night, no pun intended here. I hope it's on purpose and whatever comes from it is a good story - and either a tragedy or a happy story could be a good one. But I have a nagging sensation that Laudna wants out but is afraid to say no, and Imogen is afraid to let go, and I honestly don't know if the actors have realized this impasse and how the characters might resolve it, one way or another, besides the insufficient bandaid of a kiss whenever the conversation gets too uncomfortable.

[aristaspark]

Idk if someone has asked you this yet but whatever. You’re probably the biggest Kenlynn shipper I’ve met, so I wanted to ask what your opinions on other ships are? Like Darilynn or Benji? What if one or both becomes canon in season 3?

Omg you've mentionned the two ships I can't stand 😂😂

I've kind of already explained my stance on Dinostar/Darilynn: I was open to the idea of them happening after season 1 aired, but season 2 made me really dislike them, but I think that was intentional on the writers' part. Darius confession was as horrifying to watch as a car crash for both Brooklynn and the audience, and to me it's obvious Brooklynn only ever loved Darius as a best friend. And I think even Darius at the end of the first season realized that his "feelings" for Brooklynn weren't what he thought they were. To me, he simply liked having someone with him so much that he confused that with love, but really he was simply lonely. Also think it would be fifty shades of messed up considering that he's Kenji's adopted brother and witnessed every step of their relationship unfold, like, to me they're brothers (even Kenji reaffirmed that fact) and it will never not be weird to date your brother's ex, especially when your relationship with her was as impactful and lasting as Kenji's relationship with Brooklynn. The only way I can be okay with them becoming canon is if the writers actually commit to it and don't get cold feet. Meaning Kenji better say f*ck you two, it was nice being friends while it lasted but don't ever speak to me again 🤷‍♀️, because there's no way either of their relationships would survive this, and how Kenji feels about Brooklynn doesn't change that. (Also worth mentionning that them managing to make a relationship work with all the guilt Darius carries and his link to Brooklynn's biggest trauma is extremely unrealistic on it's own).

Benji (I'm going to be brutally honest, sorry 😅): Oh boy, oh boy, don't get me started on what is, to me, the biggest mistery of shipping to have ever seen the light of day 😭. I truly don't get why so many people ship them and I never will. One of the storyboarders recently came out and more or less confirmed that the crew was as baffled as I was that the fandom shipped them and I felt so relieved because it was truly baffling to me to see so many people claim that they were set up. To me it was clear that the thought of Benji had never even crossed the writer's minds. I made a post a long time ago, it was at the time of season 4, or 5, on why I *hated* that ship and unfortunately still do, especially with how the fandom reacted to Kenlynn. But since it's been a long time, I can summarize it here, but I'll still post the link because it was much more detailed and my opinion hasn't changed. The fandom went as far as to harrass the creators of the show, invoking a moral issue with the age gap btw Kenji and Brooklynn while most of them shipped Kenji and Ben, which just proves to me that they literally didn't care and only looked for any reason to hate on a ship they disliked. Because while we were given the ages of the campers (not even their birthdays, meaning that we don't know the exact age gaps btw the characters, so for example Ben could be a month older than Brook for all we know), not knowing that info and looking at the first seasons of the show, everyone would guess that Ben is the youngest. He behaves like a kid, especially in the first season, and it's clear that that was what the writers had in mind when they wrote him. He had his mom give Dave and Roxy a list of things that made him unconfortable, he was scared of everything, he drew with colored crayons right as Kenji called it an activity made for children (the way he drew himself tells you everything you need to know about how he perceives himself, aka a little boy), he's the most emotionally immature, and I could go on. His entire story arc was about growing up. And the worst part is that, to me, his immaturity is the most apparent when he's with Kenji. The way he clings onto Kenji everytime he's scared like a kid would cling to one of his parents will never be romantic to me and I find it horrifying when people edit it in a romantic light. Even worse, Kenji is the ONLY camper to make fun of Ben for behaving like a kid, and he does it countless times, almost coming off as a bully at times. The fact is that Kenji viewed Ben as a kid, which made them (as a ship) truly disgusting to me, like, I could never get past it, even with the time jump, sorry if this is harsh 😭. Just imagining Kenji being attracted to Ben in season 1, which is the season where the fandom decided to make them a thing with the infamous gyrosphere pairs, will never not give me the creeps. About them being canon, there's no chance of that happening so I don't really have thoughts on that. There was nothing btw them back in jwcc (as the crew confirmed) and there's still nothing in jwct. They're friends, and I think that's a beautiful thing.

(the link of my initial post 😅)

I'm going to speak about the ships I do like because here I just sound like the biggest hater 😂

Yasammy: While I wasn't the biggest fan of how Sammy didn't respect Yasmina's bondaries, especially in season 1 (my personnality is very similar to Yasmina's and I know I would have despised Sammy for forcing me out of my comfort zone without trying to understand me 😭), their evolution was sweet and the way they care about each other is adorable so I ended up liking them and was happy when they became canon. I especially like them in jwct because I like how...real they are? If that makes sense?

Benrius: I'm not shipping them per say but I really like them, in both shows. I think their personnalities compliment each other and Darius always had that soft spot for Ben, which I think is adorable. Season 3 Benrius is really peak (Darius being the only one to sense that something is wrong with Ben, him going back to look for Ben when he left, their fight...). And of course, jwct season 1.