#the real power couples are the codependent manipulators

[m-o-o-n-f-i-r-e]

my favorite type of ship is 100% the ones where they have unending love and devotion and trust for each other. would do anything for the other. would do whatever the other said without question because they know that whatever it is, their partner knows what they are doing and they would trust them with their life. they could move mountains with their love. they would kill for their love. they would do anything for their love. everyone in the room can see that they are connected on the deepest level and will never be separated. nothing can break them apart. they are always on the same level, they know every thought that goes through their lovers head. when they are in a room together they control everything that happens. when they are apart they would tear up the earth to find each other. they would kill god for their love and give gods throne to their love. that kind of love is the best shit

[crooked-wasteland]

Something that always irked me a little was seeing fans say HB/HH have good queer rep. There’s been other adult/children animated shows that done it better. I think the reason fans say that it has good queer rep is it because they get to see the characters have sex, instead of characters having actual chemistry and good interactions.

No one in HB or HH had good chemistry. Charlie and Vaggie are just nonexistent or they should’ve been a slow burn from friends to lovers and blitz and stolas is the worst mlm ship because they don’t have anything they just have sex, they’re just meaning less sex that have to be a couple.

Husk is an asshole to Angel, he just shits on sex work and guilt trips Angel so he doesn’t take drugs but because Cherri is meant to be seen as the negative influence we’re suppose to take husk side and say no to drugs.

I don’t even consider fizz and Ozzie a relationship because they’re just sugaring, but fizz has a unhealthy codependency on Ozzie who kinda goes along because he gets to have sex with fizz and that too to me sounds like the spirit of lust. Doing immoral actions for you’re own selfish wants and desires. If fizz and Ozzie was rewritten and in the hands of a better writer this could’ve been a thrilling toxic story about a powerful prince of lust manipulating his insecure vulnerable lower class imp plaything and hundreds like him, in the spirit of lust

One of my unpopular opinions is that Elemental had the best examples of queer representation in Ember and Wade. And I am aware Ember and Wade are cis gendered and in a heterosexual dynamic. My point being that representation does not always have to be explicit to be profound or accurate. The movie gives Wade an unconventional form of masculinity that validates a nurturing expression that is stereotyped as inherently queer. Additionally, Ember's lack of identity due to the expectations of her family, father, and culture mirrors the existence of many queer individuals who fail to recognize they are bisexual or even gay due to the implicit pressure placed on them to fulfill the typical roles of their society.

Many people take the story in face value, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with seeing it as a story solely based on race, discrimination, the complexities of coexistence, and interracial love.

However, representation does not have to be explicit. There is absolutely plenty to be argued that by having an openly queer relationship moves to normalize the concept socially, but the unfortunate reality exists that (1) queerness is still inherently othering and you will not be able to normalize the existence of queer people just by shoving them front and centre. If anything, it is interpreted as a threat to the dominating social norm that causes people to reject the concept outright compared to subliminally connecting the ideas and experience of queerness to a more universal norm, building on tools and experiences to help others relate to our existence despite them never being able to truly live it.

And (2) movie-making and media is a business. A very expensive one. So risking hundreds of millions of dollars on explicit queerness that is still extremely fringe in most societies is, frankly, bad business.

The issues in representation for HH and HB comes down to what you said here: weak chemistry and toxic dynamics. These aren't good representations, not because they have these problems, but because these problems are overtly ignored or seen as not issues at all. There are a ton of harmful stereotypes that work in our society to keep queerness from being seen as normal or valid.

"Lesbians aren't real because how can two women ever love each other the way a man can love a woman and vice versa."

"Gay men just think about sex all the time. There is no love in their relationships."

"Bi/Pansexual will just have sex with anything."

"Sex is the highest form of romance and so any deviation from the strictly acceptable expressions of sexuality in society is a threat to love and relationships as a whole."

"Queer people are the result of brain damage through drug abuse."

"Queer people are the result of childhood trauma and/or sexual abuse."

"Who's the woman/wears the pants in the relationship?"

All of these statements are real social perceptions and stereotypes of the queer community which Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss directly contribute to. The narrative and characters adhere to every single one of these ideas at some point or another without ever challenging them and oftentimes reinforces them.

I understand and respect people who don't see Elemental as queer representation just because the characters do conform superficially to heteronormative standards. But just making a character gay doesn't make the story or series queer representation, and these shows definitely don't have good representation.

[bardic-tales]

Good morning. For this Thirsty Thursday for the @creators-club, I think today I will dive in a little behind what inspired me to create Sephica. Yes, Sephica is what I call the ship between Bianca Moore and Sephiroth.

This ship was originally created in the winter of 1997 (Febuary if I remember right) and has since seen many updates with every media release or change to the Final Fantasy 7 canon.

What real couples could they be compared to and why? What fictional couples could they be compared to and why?

Trigger Warnings (broadly as they are talking pieces): Abduction, addiction, codependency, cults, dark romance, death, emotional abuse, grief, manipulation, mental health struggles, moral ambiguity, murder, obsession, psychological trauma, self-sacrifice, Stockholm syndrome, supernatural themes, toxic relationships, violence.

Bianca and Sephiroth’s relationship can be compared to several real-life couples who share an intense and all-consuming bond despite challenges through at them. One such couple is Johnny Cash and June Carter, whose love could be described as defying adversity. Cash had a tumultuous past and a troubled mind, which can draw a parallel to Sephiroth’s dark journey. Meanwhile, like Bianca, June provided stability and solace grounding Cash. The relationship was far from perfect, as it had moments of darkness, but they found strength and redemption in each other. I feel like this mirrors how Bianca and Sephiroth’s love is rooted in shared pain and mutual devotion, providing both with a sanctuary even as they pursue their ambitions and are depicted as villains.

Another historical comparison is the relationship between Mary Shelley and Percy Bysshe Shelley, who shared a connection of grief, loss, and the pursuit of transcendence. Like Sephiroth, Percy was a person who was driven by lofty ideals, while like Bianca, Mary endured personal tragedies that influenced her devotion. Their love fueled creativity and madness alike and intertwined themes of death and rebirth. This is similar to Bianca and Sephiroth who are a blend of passion, pain, and a mutual longing for power, elevating them beyond conventional fictional relationships while challenging their sense of self and morality.

As for fictional relationships, when I was expanding on Bianca and Sephiroth’s relationship, I knew I wanted to stay away from one fictional couple: Harley Quinn and Joker, as I knew that most of my readers will draw this comparison sometimes. Given all of Sephiroth's faults, he has never once laid a physical hand on Bianca. He would rather tear apart the universe to prevent her from harm. When describing their relationship, I think about this quote:

After all, the first thing Sephiroth does once he learns he can take control of the clones is to possess SC X and tries to free Bianca from Diana and Hojo's experimentation, which he promptly learns that his angel can take care of herself.

I wanted to create a relationship that told a story of darkness and sacrifice, as well as dark, intense love. For that, I looked at two fictional couples.

Bianca and Sephiroth share similarities with Spike and Drusilla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as they are known for their dark, intense love. Their relationship embodies a balance of obsession, loyalty, and shared darkness, which echoes how Bianca remains devoted to Sephiroth, despite his god-like ambitions, murdering, and manipulations. Just as Drusilla finds solace in Spike, who indulges her madness as Sephiroth tends to do with Bianca, Bianca sees Sephiroth not only as her partner but the one constant in a world filled with chaos and loss, willing to walk the path of darkness beside him as his own devotion towards Bianca shows that she can be loved and cared for.

Finally, the last couple who inspired Bianca and Sephiroth the strongest are Hades and Persephone. Like Persephone, who was exiled from the world above and forced to live in the underworld after being abducted by Hades, Bianca is a fallen angel who is exiled from the Celestial Realm and will never feel the eternal moonlight on her skin, as she defied Divine Law and fell in love with the mortal Sephiroth. Sephiroth who now embodies elements of Hades in Fantasy Worlds Collide. Their connection reflects the themes of love combined with sacrifice and devotion. Sephiroth’s creation of the dreamscape for Bianca symbolizes Hades’ attempt to provide Persephone with a sanctuary, reflecting the notion that love can create a refuge amidst chaos. The pomegranate seeds are symbolized by Sephiroth’s healing of Bianca’s injuries she suffered from Noctemaris, her father’s demonic tachi, and her father. When Sephiroth told her about the state he found her in and how he healed and cared for her while searching for his origins in the Underground Library, it sealed her fate, as no one really cared for Bianca before like that.

Moreover, the complexities in their relationship highlight the depth of their emotional bond, much like Hades and Persephone’s. While Hades initially captures Persephone, his affection transforms their relationship into one defined of mutual love and respect. Similarly, Sephiroth’s internal struggle with his emotions — and the knowledge that he can’t just sever the love and bond he feels for Bianca like he could the other positive emotions he felt — he embraces his feelings for Bianca, creating a powerful dynamic that his love for Bianca can coexist with his ambitions. I believe that this mythological framework allows me to deepen their story, letting my readers free to explore the themes of power, sacrifice, and the duality of love in a nuanced manner.

tagging some fellow mutuals: @themaradwrites @littleshopofchaos @serenofroses @megandaisy9 @watermeezer

@nightingaleflow @prehistoric-creatures @creativechaosqueen @chickensarentcheap

@seastarblue

[agerefandom]

10 Favourite Regression Dynamics

I’ve made lists of some characters I headcanon as regressors, and characters I headcanon as caregivers: and I love a good ‘character and reader’ dynamic, but here are some canon dynamics that I LOVE to add age regression to! 

Important note: these aren’t necessarily romantic ‘ships’ and they might not be healthy age regression dynamics but they’re dynamics I find it rewarding to write about! 

1. regressor!Will and caregiver!Hannibal (NBC Hannibal) 

Starting strong with a regression dynamic that is not healthy but it is such an interesting thing to add to their existing codependence! Will gives me such agere vibes and Hannibal’s existing trauma around his big brother history make this such an interesting dynamic to explore. It definitely tilts the power balance faaaar in the direction of someone who will take the opportunity to do terrible things with it, but that’s basically what you’re signing up for with any story about Hannibal Lecter. 

2. regressor!Jack and caregiver!Bitty (Check Please!) 

No one exudes stronger caregiver vibes than Bitty: I’m definitely a supporter of this as a double-flip pairing (with both regressing and caregiving) but I want the sad hockey man to get cuddles, goshdarnit, and you know that Bitty would just be the sweetest most thoughtful caregiver and I just gah they’re already such a good pairing with such canonically developed communication as a couple and I would love to see that skill applied to something as vulnerable as regression 

 3. regressor!Harry and caregiver!Sirius (Harry Potter) 

If anyone deserves a chance at a second childhood, it’s Harry Potter. And I think that when he connected with Sirius as a young teen, he really saw that possibility. I think it would be so sweet to see Sirius actually able to give Harry that full parenting: both at the age he is now, and all the ages that he missed. I just strongly feel like Harry is a regressor, and as much as I like writing him with peers supporting him, I feel like he deserves a real parent figure who can support him in that role in and out of regression, especially in his teen years. 

4. regressor!Jon and caregiver!avatars (Magnus Archives) 

Okay, this is more of a whump thing than a good dynamic, but I just want to see little!Jon dealing with avatars when they’re being nice to him, and it’s like 90% manipulation but it’s also a bunch of monsters being sweet and you can kind of read it as genuine if you squint. I’ve got a vision and it includes literally any of the not-quite-human characters of the Magnus Archives, ranging from the mostly-sweet (End!Gerry) to the completely-terrifying (Bouchard). 

5. regressor!Tony, caregiver!Pepper (Marvel) 

This is the first pairing that ever made me run to write regression fanfiction, and I do believe that I would not be an agere writer without them. Ironically, I’ve never finished and published any of my fics about them, but they have my whole heart. Taking Tony’s earlier unthinking dependence on Pepper and bringing it back in a healthy way, with limits and negotiation and emotional vulnerability, showing how much they’ve grown as a couple? Yes please!! 

6. regressor!Cullens, caregivers!Carlisle and Esme (Twilight)

I am such! a! sucker! for immortal beings finding a way to reclaim the concept of time and childhood. Carlisle and Esme canonically find a lot of value in being parents, and considering that they’re such a range of ages, I think that regression is a neat way to create that dynamic, and I just like big groups of regressors in a family and it scratches all of those interests in one!! 

7. regressor!Morty, flip!Rick (Rick and Morty) 

It’s the toxicity for me!!! I make no claims that this would be a good thing, but also I enjoy writing about the things that trigger Rick’s ‘oh shit I have feelings’ mode and you can’t tell me that regression would not key into that, both in his own experiences as a flip and then having to face it as part of Morty’s trauma. And Morty simultaneously trying to get away into independence but getting drawn back by Rick’s kindness in this single circumstance ties into all of the terrible themes of the show. 

8. regressor/caregiver flips Dean and Sam (Supernatural) 

Speaking of codependence, I cannot choose which of these boys is more symbolically resonant to have as a regressor, and both of them certainly have enough trauma to make it a viable coping mechanism. I think they have the art of balancing each other down to an art: especially in the early seasons, you can really see that process in the way they take turns being the Angry one. Writing about that balance in the context of regression is an interesting concept, and then the way that Dean relates to caregiving versus needing care, and Sam’s desperation to be the reliable one... it’s just a lot of tasty angst to play with alongside the sweet opportunity for a childhood without the war they were raised to fight. 

9. regressor!Erik, caregiver!Christine (Phantom of the Opera) 

Okay, this one is like ninety percent for the aesthetics, because you do need to do some handwaving over canon to make it fluffy. But Erik needs reparenting, and flipping the relationship from the original dynamic with Erik as a kind of father-figure is a nice way to reclaim the story from the original gothic maiden themes. 

10. regressor!Dave, caregiver!Roxy (Homestuck)

All hail my Ride Or Die regression dynamic!!! It’s basically canon and I stand by that! Dave called her mom and said that it feels nice to think of her as a mom because he had such a mixed experience with his own parental figure. And she’s got her own complicated feelings about parenthood and guardianship, but says that she likes it when Dave calls her mom, and it all just makes me very happy.  

This has been my TEDtalk on my favourite regression dynamics!! Thank you for coming!! 

[sithwitch13]

Okay! Adding annotations for @raguleader :

AEW: All Elite Wrestling, the challenger to WWE's previous monopoly. Most of my current favorite wrestling storylines are here.

BCC: Blackpool Combat Club, essentially a BDSM polycule who like blood and violence. Just murdered former member Bryan Danielson (fka Daniel Bryan) and then double-murdered him with bonus betrayal from the son he adopted with Jon Moxley (fka Dean Ambrose,) who was the last holdout. We are all devastated by both the betrayal and all the murders of the same guy. Mox has declared war on anyone in AEW who... won't be violent to his liking? There was a lot of talk about complacency.

Adam Cole: a little rat man (complimentary) with chronic backstabbing syndrome. Is currently a good guy because he's back from injury. Most recently backstabbed MJF. May or may not be getting back together with his previous polycule, who are currently bad guys.

MJF: Maxwell Jacob Friedman. The most obnoxious man you will ever meet. Also has chronic backstabbing syndrome. Made a single friend and then that friend backstabbed him so he will never love again.

Hangman: "Hangman" Adam Page. Anxious millennial cowboy. Was previously an anime protagonist, but then Swerve Strickland broke into his house and threateningly monologued at his baby so Hangman went off the deep end and burned down Swerve's childhood home and also murdered him a couple of times. Is now lashing out at everyone, but specifically another wet rat man (complimentary). While sabotaging said wet rat man this past week, he reached living cartoon levels of unhinged.

Swerve Strickland: aforementioned Baby Threatener. Is actually a really cool guy who has a personal bard sidekick who dances and sells coffee (and weed to high school students in parking lots, canonically.) But is also very scary and reached horror movie villain levels against Hangman, but is kind of chill now. Was recently accosted by old friends who want him to get rid of his bard. Swerve has declined their offer, to the relief of us all.

Other things to know: Hangman and Swerve hate each other to the point of distraction, Hangman's old friends (The Young Bucks, codependent brother tag team who are tumblr babygirls) are now power hungry fancy boys with a new large blonde man to dote on and are ostensibly running the company. Saw the BCC try to kill like half of their employees in front of them, but don't seem to have a real opinion about it yet.

And while not mentioned above, but it's my favorite current story: a 1920s movie star ("Timeless" Toni Storm,) fell in love with an admirer (Mariah May) who Toni had been dressing up as previous versions of herself for months. Toni and Mariah's ex girlfriend from Japan (Mina Shiralawa) got into a fight over who was Mariah's true love but it ended in a throuple. Then Mariah turned on Toni claiming that it was a manipulation all along, Toni lost the women's belt to Mariah, and is getting over the breakup by wrestling internationally. Just got done tagging with Mina in Japan. Mariah continues to sexually threaten other women in AEW.

The whole of AEW is in chaos right now over the threat of the new BCC, but Adam Cole and MJF are continuing to have their bitchy fight like the mean girl breakup of the high school while nervously glancing over their shoulders to see if they're going to get jumped for being too extra. Meanwhile Hangman is having floor time with heaving tits and eyes going side to side in his best impression of a 1920s Max Fleischer cartoon and Swerve is out here in lace for photoshoots dropping casual bullshit about Hangman in interviews twice weekly those two truly do not give a Fuck about the dysfunctional kink polycule trying to reinstate old school leather guard protocols we can't even get them to agree to RACK standards

[ironmandeficiency]

I saw y'all discussing potential zodiac signs for Pascal's characters, what's your take on the major ones? I personally believe Marcus Pike is a cancer, Catfish's a pisces, Din's a virgo, Whiskey's an aries, Oberyn's either a leo or a libra, Ezra's a gemini or a sag, but I lean towards gemini. Javier's the poster child for Scorpio. Don't know about Maxwell Lord.

pedro character star signs

i’m so sorry it took so long, i was tweaking this so much bc i wanted to make sure i got it right! these are just what i think based on my astrology opinions, i hope you like it! 💕 i added their moon signs for flair bc i can. gonna tag a few friends i think may be interested, hope it’s not an inconvenience

max phillips: aries sun & moon. his ambition and charisma paired with the carefree attitude and optimism are an optimum fire sign duality and despite the fact i shouldn't, i love it so much. he has an inner child that he spoils with the riches of his conquests (good and bad) & gets emotional contentment when he succeeds in achieving his goals. knows what he wants & is quick to make those wants known. you never have to worry about where you stand with him because he will not hesitate to tell you.

javier peña: taurus sun with scorpio moon (the real guy is a taurus & i can see it but w heavy scorpio influence). he has his own structure and routine and will fight to the death to maintain it. very work oriented & does his best to rationalize his emotion-driven scorpio moon with his taurean logic, it's a tossup as to whether it works half the time. has a lot of emotional needs that aren't always met day to day & thats why he smokes and drinks and fucks. but don’t let anything make you doubt his love for you because the only thing stronger than his stubborn streak is his heart and its capacity to love you so damn much.

maxwell lord: libra sun with a sagittarius moon. the charisma? attractive and engaging af. oddly adept at chameleoning himself into whatever social group he's trying to vibe with. will draw eyes no matter what because so many people know him & if they don't already, they sure as hell want to. it takes him a while to learn to balance healthy relationships and his work life but when he does, you can visibly see how much healthier he is because of it. normally tends to his emotions in private but with help, he can start sharing a bit more. more optimistic than he sometimes should be but it could be worse

frankie morales: pisces sun with a cancer moon. his caring and sometimes cautious nature (with a twinge of homicidal tendencies) make him one that you don't just casually fuck with sexually or otherwise. catches feelings very easy & makes a lot of emotionally-driven decisions. these two water signs have a propensity towards codependence & defensiveness when hurt. is at his best when he feels loved and is supported by those he loves. emotions are always fluctuating and there’s some trouble with self-discipline (which is not the same as self-deprecation). because of this, he needs someone who can ground him

jack "whiskey" daniels: his swagger!! his charm!! his generosity!! the protectiveness over people he cares about!! this has the makings of a leo sun. this charismatic sun sign paired with his capricorn moon create a living example of the most balanced "work hard, play hard" you've ever seen. has a tendency to set high standards for himself and others & is a smidge more accepting when people fuck up, wanting to help them be better in the future. his emotions are often repressed in the name of responsibility but when he feels safe, he isn’t shy about them in the slightest. very confident in his skills & one of those that he’s the proudest of is his ability to cheer you up when you’re sad

din djarin: he is the most virgo virgo to ever virgo, a double whammy of it in both his sun & moon placements. very logical, disciplined, and tradition-oriented. knows how to bargain and budget, approaches problems with as little emotional attachment as he can (doesn't always work though), and is selfless af. needs something to keep him from being a worry wart bc otherwise he will spend every waking moment fretting over anything he can find. remarkably well-rounded & somehow the most emotionally stable

ezra: everything about this man radiates aquarius sun + gemini moon and you will never convinve me otherwise. he's just enough of an intellectual elitist (the big words and flowy shakespearian vocabulary) for it to border on unique and fun & annoying as fuck. every aquarian i've met has a quirk that sets them apart from everyone else & ezra's quirk (besides murder) is his vocabulary. it takes him a long time to learn to not talk over people on accident (sometimes he does on purpose just to be a bastard), but you can tell when he’s really trying to be conscious of it.

marcus moreno: now this man is what you call a pisces. a softie with a heart of gold that is constantly being underestimated, he has more power than most think. his silly and carefree nature detracts from the badassery he's capable of so it sometimes catches you off guard when he goes into Badass In Charge™️ mode but it’s there. his moon is also in pisces, which adds to his gentility and desire to be understood by his partner. this man just needs some love dammit, give it to him already!! his empathy makes him the Cool Dad™️ bc missy and literally any other kid get the vibe of “yeah this adult will actually listen to me and value my opinions”

dave: capricorn sun, aries moon. he thrives with people who can handle their own shit competency kink anyone? and doesn’t have patience with those who should know better. his standards are higher than a stoned giraffe, and is at his best in controlled environments. has a strong sense of self & a short list of people he would risk it all for. not as outwardly expressive but he does have a couple cues that you learn over time. also knows what he wants and is very meticulous in how he goes about getting it; there are very few places where he takes no for an answer. is a very good provider but don’t expect him to be mushy when you thank him for things he does for you.

oberyn martell: gemini sun & leo moon. he’s got more charisma than can fit in the ocean and sometimes it gets him into trouble. this man thrives on validation from loved ones. there is never a worry about not knowing what he’s feeling because oh boy is this man expressive. he’s a protector and a provider (and a gossip but don’t let him hear you say that). can and will cause a scene if there’s ample opportunity, he enjoys watching shit go down. will only interfere if it directly impacts him or someone he really cares about but otherwise will just pop the popcorn and pull up a seat. somehow has all the details of everything that ever happens but you learn to not question it.

pero tovar: scorpio sun (but specifically october scorpio) & aquarius moon. he’s highly rational when it comes to emotions but does have a temper. he’s observant af of his environment & the emotions of everyone around him, and chooses his actions carefully based on those. doesn’t confront his deeper emotions as often as he should bc it’s easier to default to Angy™️ and let the rest of the world come to their own assumptions. has no tolerance for lies and other bs, wants the truth and though it makes him seem power-hungry and manipulative, that’s not his intention. it’s just his way of looking for someone he can trust with the most intimate parts of him

marcus pike: this man? taurus sun, cancer moon. has a fear of abandonment that takes a while to quell but once it’s gone, he’s all in. he’s very empathetic and observant af, will know exactly what you need before you voice said need. will feel guilty for his baggage sometimes and the guilt will make him recluse for a short period until he’s reminded just how appreciated he is. does not play around when it comes to affection & is very eager to give and receive it whenever possible

my friends that i think might be interested: @scribbledghost @autumnleaves1991-blog @dyke--grayson @max--phillips @dindjarindiaries @pikemoreno @ohnopoe @pedropasscals @forever-rogue @engineeredfiction @bitchin-beskar

[fiore-rosewood9]

♫FrUk :D

Thank you for the ask, I will send a few songs that remind me of fruk, a whole playlist if you may, not only one song. I also touch a few of triggering topics as I explain the nations's personalities and relationships with one another so I apologize in advance if I upset/trigger someone and will put my trigger here - Warning - mentions of abuse, alcoholism, s*exual trauma. Under the explanation there is a playlist of songs that make me think of Ukfr/Fruk, so if anyone gets upset you can feel free to skip my general headcanons about fruk/ukfr relationship dynamics. There are too many songs that make me think of different characters or ships but I collected the ones that make me think the most of them.

I know the original song is by Lady gaga but this version is too sweet and cheesy for me so I chose the rock cover by the group Halestorm since I prefer it, it sounds more genuine and rough and kinda makes me think of the dynamic that ukfr/fruk has, that some people present is as just the enemies to lovers trope or them just fighting which is.....simply unhealthy????? Fruk is much more than that and I wish people would stop seeing it as a two dimensional thing, yeah they do argue on a lot of things and it is not the healthiest dynamic however it does work in my mind because they stick through thin and thick and that requires effort and true love since a lot of people nowdays do not take time to know the other person, they just jump into marriage and have a few divorces and just argue over everything and then separate, fruk is an off and on thing where they break and make. This kind of dedication is hard to find in today's couples. I know they're fictional characters and no one really cares but I practice my psychology skills and my knowledge of people around me, and I sometimes see people with similar or almost the same characters as fictional characters, they may not have all of their hobbies but they do act the same way. And certain pairs, no offence, just make me want to gag my self due to history with bad and toxic fans but if I look at it subjectivly and never encountered mean fans from a certain ship, I would say that they ship simply doesn't work. No ship bashing but as far as I know, people with this kind of personality from this ship that I dislike, and get upset when seeing fan art of, simply just do not get along and had a hard time divorcing, it is not only unhealthy and unbalanced, it is downright abusive because both partners seek control and to have the upper hand and this is not...what romance is about???? It is about two people taking care of each other, understanding personal space and boundaries, lifting each other up and yeah, they will argue a lot, sometimes for small things, sometimes for bigger things, but generally the point of romantic relationships is not someone using you, or abusing you financially and generally being better or bigger than you. This breeds insecurity and jealousy in the other partner and makes them feel inadequate. Usually such problems are not talked over and one of the partners acts passive agressive which is what ultimaltly leads to said divorce. So yeah, people can go away with their (BUT IT IS CUTE, IT IS SO FUCKING CUTE) pairing because real life pairings and how humans communicate and develop friendships and relationships isn't based on what your mind conciders and doesn't concider cute and there are lots of factors on whether relationship will ever happen like common interests, type personality, etc and just block me so I will never hear from them and their childish mindset ever again, which is why I blocked certain tumbrl fan art hetalia accounts who produce art of a pairing I (dislike) lowkey hate, for historical reasons, for manga reasons, for toxic fans who bullied me and made me go on 3 hiatuses reason and ultimatly in real life experience and psychology and how humans and the human mind works and what is healthy and unhealthy reason. Why should I support something where certain people have been hateful towards me and these same people that act like these characters and I know in my life are on bad terms in real life? Why shouldn't I just move on to something more realistic and more healthy, that I have seen that works with humans I know first hand? I am not a clinical psychologist and I have no power or saying in this but I had to write thesis and read books by psycholgists and analyze them in high school and my first year of Uni, in order to pass the year and I have also read reccomended books by a psychologist I went to because I wanted an advice on how to deal with my anxiety and talking to people, because my condition is extremely severe but I honestly feel stuck and try to improve but also feel confused, I sometimes feel like I am not doing enough to

self improve as a human. I sometimes come off as too cold or overly bitter and angry without intending to, and it sucks.

Francis is a really manipulative person and Matthew picked up that from him while part of Alfred's agression doesn't only come from confidence in his own abilities but the fact that England him self is an overly agressive person and is very dominant or at least used to be for a very long time, now he is more mild to keep his gentleman persona but he does suffer from severe anger issues which he hides while Alfred is prone to breaking things and screaming, Arthur is more prone to being rude, sarcastic and generally mean before he loses it. Matthew and Francis do not engage in fight if they can avoid it which is why sometimes people call them cowardly I think? And Matthew is a bit prone to being a codependent people pleaser as far as I see and he seems to have severe anxiety issues. Francis albeit charismatic and beautiful, is deep down in his core lonely.

I think that part of his pervertedness, shocking people with his s*xual humour and all of this sex obsession comes from trauma in his childhood and dressing like a girl. I wouldn't explain what the trauma in question was since it is not canon but I do headcanon that he had s*xual trauma and it is partly why Hungary dressed like a guy. I don't know if this is legit, it is bias from reading too much japanese fan comics relating to hetalia or just general history of humans and how they treated consent and what is moral today, wasn't amoral or against the law a few centuries ago, but I have seen artists touch on it. I think both Arthur and Francis suffer from neglect and they weren't particularly good fathers, in fact no country is, the whole FACE family is dysfunctional and while I love all of them, I kinda pity them. I think Rome was a bit discriminatory mostly towards France and never towards his other children while Arthur had to constantly prove him self and was bullied by his brothers. While other nations have suffered from trauma too (I headcanon that Prussia was burnt on stake and people threw rocks at him due to his albinism and being left handed) something similar happened to Arthur, who I headcanon that he was burnt for being a witch and Francis went a few times through the guillotine, or Arthur still having a bullet scar on his arm from the American revolution or Francis having nightmares from that day where Jeanne was burnt and waking up in his own sweat. Arthur also must suffer from workholism and alcoholism, judging by how much he works and goes to pubs to drink. Everyone chooses their own poison and how to cope with life and many use unhealthy coping mechanisms, hell, even I used unhealthy coping mechanisms a lot in the past and I am not proud of them, in fact, I try to improve.

I can talk about their history and how it relates to their mental health and what scars they have for hours but I would bore you. You came for a song and I am probably boring you so I apologize for writting a lot of words, in advance. I basically think that fruk/ukfr is the ultimate ship for many reasons because they click, I do ship spuk/engita/asakiku and many other things but fruk/ukfr is kinda like butter and bread, it is a great combination. I never said it is 100 percent healthy, however their relationship makes psychological sense and their personalities click. I know people like to present arthur as this dumb tsundere man that blushes and says baka, or he is this garbage rat dad that no one likes or francis is presented or at least used to be this perverted sex machine that touched other countries inappropriatly or at least the 2012-2015 fans saw him this way and while he still has the reputation of a pervert, what many young people in the fandom see as disgusting, I just see as an overly lonely man that just happens to have high libido and copes with it by having casual sex and just has a sex humour, the same way some people have fart jokes humour or darker, more cursed humour, I am really glad that fans mostly left off this whole - Francis is a r**ist and will grope you, in the past, because honestly r**e is not joke and as a character he clearly understands consent and boundaries and I don't think someone like him would do such a thing. Also Greece and Turkey have even higher libido than him and sleep around more, yet he is the ''pervert'', I don't get it??????????? but fruk is just so much more than opposites attract, they have a lot in common so I can't say they're full opposites, no one is truly. I have heard people ask why does anyone ship fruk when it is just opposites attract/enemies to lovers trope and I am honestly confused, because that is extremely rough generalization to say the least, it is like saying - All men/women are the same, it is simply wrong/uncorrect. I think they ''married'' five times - The Treaty of Paris (1657) formed an alliance against Spain. The Anglo-French Alliance (1716–31) formed another alliance against Spain. The Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata (1845-1850). The Anglo-French joint invasion of Qing Dynasty (1856–1860). And the last one which is their official marriage The Entente Cordiale (1904) fought together in both World Wars. As far as I remember Francis tried to marry Arthur but he refused and why he refused is up for subjective opinion but I must write a whole thesis on why Fruk/ukfr works so well and people are not here for that, they're here for the music and I will provide. I also always saw Francis as the more gentle and more submissive partner, I just love to see him drawn in frilly beautiful dresses with bows and stuff and Arthur as the more dominant, I mean as a country he was a powerhouse during the 1600s-1800s and used to be a punkrocker, usually rockers are mentally tough and that man is extremely cunning and witty so...people drawing him as this useless baka uwu overly feminine anorexic boy that looks more like a tween rather than a 23 year old guy just assasinated his character in my opinion and it disturbs me but I am just some awkward human on the internet and no one values my opinion anyway because this is the internet and many people nowdays love to have hot takes and try to gain followers through clickbait stuff which sometimes goes out of control and everything just seems more fake and shallow to me, the more old I get.Okay that was my silly rant no one asked about but I feel really passionate about hetalia and Fruk/Ukfr. Anyway, I apologize again for my long rant and going all over the place, please enjoy this playlist

PLAYLIST WITH SONGS THAT REMIND ME OF FRUK/UKFR

1 - Halestorm - Bad romance - rock cover https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll4NJs3NBIU

2 - Queen - Somebody to love - lyrics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj69iA_goIk

3 - ABBA - Voulez vous - (I know everyone chooses Waterloo and while waterloo is a fruk theme, I think Voulez vous works too) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwcgMVXuBJc

4 - London beat - I've been thinking about you - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixBryyQSrD8

5 - Santana - Smooth - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Whgn_iE5uc

6 - George Michael - Careless whisper - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izGwDsrQ1eQ

7 - Robbie Williams - Feel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy4mXZN1Zzk

8 - Michael Buble - Feeling good - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Edwsf-8F3sI

9 - Edith Piaf - La vie en rose - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFzViYkZAz4

10 - Chopin - Marriage d'amour (Spring waltz) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFJ7kDva7JE

11 - Vanessa Carlton - A thousand miles - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERw2LuU6Jj8

[therealsehinton]

do you hc emotional boundaries for jally? we're so like "dal'd do anything for johnnycakes uwu" but im sure they (esp johnny) don't cross certain lines so they don't manipulate the other. i know real couples can have blurred lines, but they can still be valid. i think stevepop, twodarry are good at finding theirs, but jally is hcd as really codependent. so: healthy relationship boundaries? is this making sense??? or do you think you've covered this?? idk puppy love got me really thinking of this

JALLY JALLY JALLY THANK YOU

okay so I literally reread puppy love to get an idea of what exactly inspired you to ask this so I know what mental track to get on. and I think I see where you're coming from. in that fic like quehebebs there was this moment where Dallas was making it pretty apparent that he didn't want a dog but Johnny said eunuwjiquwhw imma just quote it

okay so like that ties back to the whole "Dallas does anything for Johnny." and then I also have a line that says:

and theeennnn there's these sections

(quoting and analyzing my own fic is really weird and idk how I feel about it/lh)

so because you said that THIS is the fic that got you to ask you the question about boundaries, and you mentioned manipulation, I think I see where you're coming from.

I think it's pretty evident that Johnny, like, manipulated Dallas into keeping the dog. and when I say that like bwywheghe there's no need to blow up, this doesn't make anyone a bad person. people manipulate people everyday, and in the end manipulation can be harmless or good intentioned, essentially it's only bad if the other person is at risk of something: risk of being hurt--physically or emotionally, risk of being uncomfortable, ect

I think those are the rules Johnny functions by?? I think it's obvious to both Johnny and Dally in this moment that Johnny is being manipulative, like he's not hiding it--he's being overly affectionate, and using the big l words, and acting like a lil shit, ya dig??? and I think Johnny knows that Dallas wouldn't actually mind having a dog. it's a personal hc of mine that Dally actually likes pets and animals but pretends that he doesn't lol and of course only Johnny knows this about him

all in all, that fic is more like a harmless joke between them??? is the only way I can describe it. Dallas isn't seriously refusing Johnny's offer, Johnny isn't seriously forcing him to keep that dog, in the end if it would an actual, real topic they would be less lighthearted about it. and I think those are their boundaries

both of them are reserved and don't talk about their actual feelings or emotions often except to each other. i feel like they would think of their triggers and trauma as bothersome, so they never explicitly lay out any boundaries out of fear that might push each other away. but they're both very sensitive and receptive. i think they would piece together the kind of topics better to avoid after spending enough time together, if that makes sense???

like they know each other extremely well, they're very close, and they're well enough acquainted to know they're limits. neither of them would push each other's boundaries, it's a very tentative and hesitant relationship. they don't wanna force each other to do anything because the both of them have experienced toxic power dynamics in their life

but, I guess as shown in my fic, they can still joke around, you know??? like they understand their boundaries but they enjoy teasing each other and, I guess, they like to PRETEND that they push limits, if that makes sense??? idk how else to describe it

Dallas would do anything for Johnny, and Johnny knows that so he tries his best not to expect too much of him. they both understand how emotionally drained they may feel, with such similar backgrounds and trauma, and the fact that they both have crippling mental illness, so they make an effort to reach out to their friends often and build better relationships outside of their own

hmmmm that's all I got for now, sorry if it wasn't that good and yes I know it wasn't very articulate whwhhwhrf

[movedthechangingman]

everyone knows how i Feel about johnzee but i do think their relationship/break up is essential for their current n52/rebirth characterizations. this is all my opinion and you dont have to agree w me so dont jump up my ass but wow these two are so fucked up

... like im fascinated by how terrible things became and a lot of my unfinished writing is abt the Complicated emotions n all and i do have a playlist about why and how they need to be in therapy and far away from eachother until they can work their shit out

i make jokes about how they would have become the alpha couple if they stayed together/got married but lmao its not totally untrue... i listen to anything from tallahassee or the previous alpha couple songs and its. Oh Huh. i never have and never will doubt that john and zee love/loved eachother but it did canonically turn rotten and i dont think its just because of her dads death its just...

zee is not a good person neither is john and i 100% believe they bring out the worst in eachother, i know JLD52 is very questionable for characterization but the absolute nightmare of codependent love/hate they have for eachother. john states flat out that hes cruel to her on purpose so he doesnt have to admit that he cant get over her... we know as of jld18 that zatanna mindwiping other people is still canon and its a trick she pulls on john in his first new 52 solo. she uses her power to warp his moral compass (and it was confusing for me? but seemingly she made him forget she did it in the first place). she mentions again in JLD that she intends to wipe his knowledge of backwards magic.

zatanna is just.. naive when it comes to john. she gives him endless chances to do better by her and their allies. and he fails her... again and again and again. she says she’ll never trust him again... and immediately does. that weird alternate wish fulfillment reality where she grows old with him and then goes apeshit because “she cant live without him” while also knowing its never going to be the real john. she wants a love from him he can never give her. john cant be happy

and now in rebirth.. god to know hes (unwillingly) been manipulating her the whole time... and like. since we havent gotten a follow up zatanna is just left with questions. did zatara force him to seduce her? how much of their relationship was a lie? her dad who was everything to her but controlled every aspect of her life without her knowing it. not necessarily on topic but zatara sucks so much but also i think its worth noting circe + zataras team up as two like master manipulators in rebirth (circe w diana and zatara w john/zee)... hoping that gets some follow up eventually. zees crying of “tell me you planned it. tell me you and my dad had a trick up your sleeve” kiiiiiilled me. she cant trust anyone at this point. however also fucked up but zatara using magic to make sure john cant speak about/tell zatanna what he made him do is so fucked up also

anyway this is probably illegible but wow you two are so fucked up! go to therapy! also worth nothing john and zee are two my favourite characters of all time but wow they really do make eachother worse anytime romantic shit gets brought up and i think tynions general writing style of making everyone clinically depressed makes sense for them considering the entire thing

[dogbearinggifts]

compare and contrast: pre show allison is addicted to the convenience and control she has from using her powers all the time, pre vietnam klaus does everything he can to dull his powers including the developement of a life destroying narcotic addiction; by the end of the season one of them has lost their powers and the other has uncovered a whole new ability. they didnt have many interactions so what do you think they are like with each other?

Allison is probably very wary of Klaus. In their first scene together, she finds him going through Reginald’s study, looking for valuables or cash; when she calls attention to his rehab bracelet, he brushes her off and asks for her autograph. He plays it as a cutesy moment, but Allison’s apprehension makes it clear she doesn’t believe his request is entirely innocent. She’s apparently an A-lister, so her autograph would definitely fetch a high price, were Klaus to sell it—which would provide him with drugs for however long it takes him to breeze through that supply, or however long it takes him to overdose. Point is, she clearly knows about his drug problem, and she’s not interested in funding it. She’s not as blunt as Five or as ruthless as Diego in her refusal—she actually doesn’t refuse at all but just declines to answer his request—but she still wants no part in it. 

There are a couple possibilities regarding their history here. As an apparently wealthy film star, Allison probably would have been a prime target for Klaus to mooch off of. While we don’t know exactly where this unnamed city is located, we do know that it’s in a region that gets a fair bit of snow in the winter. Since Gerard Way is from New Jersey, I headcanon that the city is in New Jersey, or at least somewhere on the East Coast. That’s not the only region of the US that gets snow, not by far; but all of those regions are a fair distance away from Los Angeles. So maybe Klaus has asked to crash at her place for a while, and she’s brought up distance as a reason why that wouldn’t work. Or maybe she’s paid for a plane ticket before, watched him steal from her and bring shady characters into her home, and then paid to send him right back. Maybe she just sent him money at some point and fumed for weeks after he spent it all on drugs. Whatever the case, I think she knows Klaus will burn her if she gets too close, and so she keeps her distance. 

As for how Klaus is with Allison, I think he knows she’s not easy to manipulate. That could be why, instead of asking for money directly, he tries to charm her into giving him her autograph. Maybe he resents her for not helping him more; maybe he thinks in the back of his mind that he’s earned her scorn. Either way, he doesn’t push harder than he apparently thinks he can, turning on the charm rather than attempting to play to her pity. 

When it comes to powers, they really are opposites in more ways than one. Allison’s powers allow her to bend people to her whim with just a few words, which apparently leaves them with no memory of the incident. At the beginning of the season, Klaus’ seemingly only power makes him a magnet for the deceased who beg for or demand his help, crowding him and forcing him to listen to tale after grisly tale. Allison’s ability gives her power over people; Klaus’ initial ability gives (dead) people power over him. It makes sense, then, that Allison would exploit her ability to its fullest extent, while Klaus would do everything in his power to turn his off. Both want control over their lives; neither wants to be a victim. 

But as you pointed out, there’s a price—and that price, in both cases, is addiction. Allison probably doesn’t see her dependence on her power as an addiction; after all, she’s seen what addiction looks like in her brother, and what she has definitely isn’t that. Klaus’ addiction takes his money and his health, puts him at odds with law enforcement, and makes him a leech. Allison’s addiction brings her more money than she knows what to do with, allows her to take breaks whenever she needs them (“I heard a rumor I did it in one take”) has probably gotten her out of speeding tickets, and grants her independence. Klaus’ addiction is recognized by society as a serious problem, and while he’s not interested in seeking help at the beginning of the series, he has many options should he choose to take them. Workaholism and codependency might be the closest real-world analogues to Allison’s power abuse (she goes on making movies even in the midst of the scandal, and Rumors people into complying with her whims or liking her) and the former at least isn’t typically seen as an addiction. Codependency is seen as a problem, but not necessarily an addiction; and depending on who you talk to, workaholism might even be treated as something admirable. At best, substance addictions are increasingly seen as an illness that can be treated. At worst, workaholism and codependency are seen as deep personality flaws. I’m not saying that one addiction is worse or better than the other; I’m just pointing out that society has very different opinions regarding them and their treatment. 

Their arcs, too, foil each other. Allison begins with deep remorse for her power abuse, and has sworn off using it at the beginning of the series. She continues to abstain from it, although she still uses its source (her voice) to try and atone for what she did. It culminates in a confession that Vanya twists and throws back in her face; and Allison is finally robbed of her power when she attempts to use it in self-defense. Klaus, on the other hand, begins with no remorse for his drug habit, which he continues to indulge despite being thrust into a situation where the power he’s tried to shut off is actually useful and his addiction is used as a means to control him. He only changes his ways when he’s reminded that his power can help him see Dave again, and finally discovers a new ability that saves not only his life, but the lives of all his siblings. Allison’s attempted recovery from her power abuse ends in a “no good deed goes unpunished” situation; while Klaus’ first steps toward recovery are rewarded handsomely. 

You could argue that this is because Allison’s addiction hurt people and Klaus’ did not, but substance abuse does harm people close to the addict. I have an uncle who’s addicted, and while I won’t go into the details, the things this addiction has driven him to would be considered by any reasonable person to be abuse. Maybe Klaus didn’t set out to hurt people, but I don’t think Allison did either. They both looked out for themselves and their own interests first, and that led them each down a path that hurt those they loved. 

[mittensmorgul]

9.01, I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here.

Way to try and convince us through the title alone, Carver!

Poor Cas, rendered completely human, and yet still deceiving himself, only thinking of how he can help (and atone for his guilt over all of this, freshly intensified by his own ignorant complicity in Metatron's trials...). He fails to understand anything that's happening to him, and granted, it's gotta be disorienting being dropped on Earth as a human where his only remaining "angel" power is being able to hear angel radio (like Anna back in s4). He can't heal, or defend himself with his mojo, and he doesn't understand that he now needs to take care of himself human-style-- eating, drinking, sleeping, etc. But he does have a vague idea of how to go about those things, unlike the first angel he meets, who has only lost her wings and still retains the rest of her powers...

Dean warned him to take care of himself and trust no one (he's already had a run-in with another angel who informed him that every angel in Heaven blames Cas for the fall and are out for vengeance), and only to get himself to safety at the bunker despite his compulsive need to "help" and his trust in Hael that she really only needed to find her own way on Earth. Nope, he has that notion beat out of him with a stick (literally, Hael clocks him on the noggin with a plank of wood). He's then forced to kill her before she follows through on her threat to put Cas's location out on angel radio (which would spell his doom), or else she wanted Cas to say yes to possession by her as her vessel was already beginning to fail. She literally just wanted him for his meatsuit... and ick...

Which brings us to the second major deception in this episode-- everything that happens inside Sam's head. That's... not Dean or Bobby he's talking to in there. Sam only doubts the plan he literally completely makes up that he believes Dean is orchestrating in an attempt to save his life BECAUSE SAM HIMSELF HAS NO REAL KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT DEAN IS REALLY DOING. Think that through a couple of times. Everything that happens inside Sam's head is just... pieces of himself talking to each other, completely disconnected from reality, just as he was after having his soul reintegrated in 6.22, just as he was when he was detoxing from demon blood in 4.21. Even DEATH, we're not certain that was actually real, or just another manifestation of Sam's own mind. Regardless of if he's real or not, EVERYTHING we see happening in Sam's head is like witnessing him talk himself into giving up and choosing death. Which... because he's literally still filled with the magic left over from the trials that he was unable to actually let go in 8.23, we KNOW that has to be influencing his thought process, too... because the results of doing the trials was always going to be death, this is him giving into that evil spell...

which bring us to the thrid major deception in this episode: Gadreel. Gadreel interrupts Dean on his way to ask for Crowley's help in healing Sam, saving Dean from another angel intent on killing him for Cas's location. Dean now owes this guy at least that much, but Gadreel lies about his true identity THREE TIMES-- deflecting twice before finally giving a false name. But of course Dean only has Gadreel's current actions to judge his intentions by, and decides it's worth giving him a chance to heal Sam. Dean HAS NO IDEA how much Gadreel is actually manipulating him here, in everything but the strategic glimpse he gives Dean of what Sam's thinking, to the fact he literally uses Dean's face to manipulate Sam into saying yes... using Dean's own mind and thoughts to trick Sam into thinking he was talking to Dean and pressuring him into saying yes. The "there ain't no me if there ain't no you," WAS NOT DEAN TALKING TO SAM. IT WAS GADREEL LITERALLY USING DEAN'S FACE TO SAY THIS AND TRICK SAM INTO SAYING YES.

This is how horrific their codependency has become.

Meanwhile, Dean's now on the guilt train-- for failing to stop Cas from running off to Heaven, for failing to stop Sam from doing the trials before it got to that point, for letting Sam down, and for having been manipulated into letting an angel possess Sam in hopes of saving him now that said angel will only do so as long as Sam doesn't know the truth, putting Dean in The Worst Possible Spot... Once again, Dean feels the weight of everything on his shoulders alone, and he's forced to keep terrible secrets that will fester and cause so many more problems (including amping up his self-worlessness and self-hatred to epic levels)... aah, season 9, the year of burning it all down...

[blurhawaii]

Yuletide 2019

dear yuletide writer,

hello and happy yuletide! this is my fifth year taking part and my longest letter yet so i’m just going to jump right in. the suggestions are guidelines. if you’ve got a great idea, go for it. i only ask that you steer clear of my dislikes.

feel free to go through my tumblr for each of these fandoms. i should have tags for them, tho your mileage may vary. i might even have more stuff on my side blog: here. likes:

dysfunctional relationships eg. codependency, messed up father/son dynamics, enemies to lovers, power imbalances.

found family

big loyalty kink. love it when trust is earned and kept.

praise kink

vulnerability in men

open and honest communication between partners

i love ot3s. it’s the journey of them getting together and making it work that interests me the most. or how an established pair goes about bringing in a third person.

stories set in canon. or a divergence of canon.

dark/bleak fics. don’t be afraid to drag characters through the mud. happy endings are welcome but i like the struggle.

i’m fine with anything from gen to porn but would be happiest with something in the middle. i love first times.

canon typical violence is fine and to be expected from some of my choices of fandoms.

detective stories/film noir

magical realism/cosmic horror. weird hints of it in an otherwise normal universe

redemption arcs

characters and relationships are more important than plot for me

dislikes:

AUs that are completely disconnected from canon e.g. coffee shop AUs.

established relationships

crossovers

genderbending

feminisation of male characters

fics that are entirely fluff

A/B/O fics

PWP

mpreg 

scat/watersports

first person fics (i have no problem with second person fics tho if you think that could work. they really wow me when done well.)

The Departed (2006) *Billy Costigan             *Sean Dignam

one of my favourite films ever. i request it every year so you can't really go wrong with this as i am thirsty for anything. most of my love is for dignam and his tough love attitude towards his job and the undercovers he's responsible for. it's obvious he cares, i don't think you could do a job like that and not care, but those rare and few moments when he softens around billy --we need you, pal-- that's what i would like to see more of. i have written a couple of departed fics myself, centred around costigan/dignam, but in all honesty, i would be happy with anything involving them both. shipping is preferred but whatever you are comfortable with is fine. due to the nature of the film, i am perfectly comfortable with violence and the screwed up relationship they are bound to have. the friction born of the situation vs the fact that they need each other to get through this is what i am all about.

codependency, power imbalances and enemies to lovers tropes are abound here.

fics where billy lives are my usual go-to. the survivability of being shot in the head, that kind of stuff can be hand waved away in fic, and i'd love something that explores the angst of billy's ‘where the hell were you when i needed you’ reaction towards dignam following that ending.

or a canon divergence fic with their totally antagonistic relationship being front and centre. i just ask that there be an underlying level of affection, no matter how buried. when billy is undercover, there’s a special kind of relationship that comes with dignam and queenan being the only people he can talk to.

something i’ve never seen for this but would actually love: a time loop/groundhog day fic

Jurassic Park Original Trilogy (Movies)

*Sarah Harding                  *Ian Malcolm                  *Nick Van Owen

i originally wasn’t going to ask for this again this year (i was lucky enough to get treated with a fic a couple of years ago) but then someone other than myself nominated nick van owen which surprised and delighted me and i figured why the hell not.

my passion here is the ot3 potential. i view these three in the same way i view the trio in the first film, meaning i see them as three people who have bonded over a traumatic experience and come out of it forever linked in some way. they spend the entire film looking out for each other and keeping each other safe, and they all separately take care of ian’s daughter at one point and i am fascinated by this and how that could continue in the future. (in fact, i love stories where adults treat kids like adults, not talking down to them–see any shane black film.) i’m looking for an actual relationship between them but would be happy with anything that showcased a connection with every side of this triangle.

anything post-film with them dealing or not dealing with what happened would be amazing. there are quite a few fics based around this idea for the first film’s trio, i’d love to see something like that for these three. (i’ve always been kind of bitter about the way nick just disappears for the last act but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ that’s what fics are for, i guess.)

i don’t like the jurassic world films but i’m fine with fics that take that future into account. a lot of the trauma for these characters comes from the idea that the parks still exist and continue to fuck people up.

Godless (TV 2017)

*Roy Goode                 *Bill McNue                 *Alice Fletcher

i’m a massive fan of westerns. the harsh way of life, the violence, the isolation, drawn out revenge plots, the murkiness of good vs evil or sheriff vs anti-hero, the importance of honour and heroism and how that differs for men and women, especially in this universe with its town full of widows. having said all that, i’m still very much a sucker for cool cowboys in a shallow female way.

as you’ve probably already gathered my favourite thing is turning every love triangle into an ot3. so i’d love a fic post canon where roy comes back after realising found family is just as important as real family despite frank’s influence. i imagine bill would try to do the gentlemanly/self depreciating thing of bowing out and letting roy and alice be together but i’d love for alice to actually get a say in this where she wasn’t allowed in the show. however you jigsaw them together my main thing is that bill doesn’t get left out.

i feel the roy/bill aspect in particular could be explored a lot more. i love that they don’t hate each on sight. they learn mutual respect and then smoothly move around each other during the gunfight at the end. (bill’s deteriorating eyesight side plot also fascinates me, how it goes with his loss of purpose -”losing his shadow”- and comes back when teaming up with roy to defend the town. maybe there’s a fic possibility where it flares up again due to his insecurity of roy coming between him and alice. either way, the hints of magical realism here and with frank’s repeated insistence that he’s seen his death and this ain’t it are great and i wouldn’t mind seeing more of that.)

the usual ideas of western masculinity get all twisted around when roy and bill are in the presence of alice and they both seem kind of subby towards her, which yes please. the way alice kisses the scar she gave roy and the fact that he simply lets her is *chef kiss* because i also love the parallel that bill got shot in the hip trying to get revenge for alice. they all have scars that tie them together.

i’m actually very okay with letting them be soft with each other after all of their tragedy.

honest communication between partners could work wonders here.

Barry (TV 2018)

*Barry Berkman                     *Monroe Fuches

i expected to like this show. dark comedy, depressed hitman, henry winkler, it’s a perfect combination of things. i didn’t expect to get obsessed with barry’s obvious fucked up father-figure hangups. but hey ho, i was pleasantly surprised.

pretty much every one of barry’s relationships in this show has an element of fucked-upness but the barry/fuches one is by far the worst. it’s codependent, it’s manipulative, it’s a little abusive, the power is constantly flip-flopping and most importantly there’s the father/son dynamic that could so easily tip over into something sexual. it’s everything i love. any time fuches calls barry “his boy” it kills me. and i am fascinated by the way barry can go from needy and touch starved to a rampaging killer hunting fuches down by the end and still have that dynamic going strong.

the parallels between them and the barry/gene cousineau relationship, which is fucked up too just in a very different way, are great. love the jealousy it brings and i would even be into a fic set post the season 2 ending, if you could find a way to swing that. though, while i like a little darkness, i would still rather see them fall back into old unhealthy habits than kill each other.

any kind of prequel fic would be amazing too.

and just to be clear i’m more than okay with a sexual relationship between these two but if you don’t want to write it that’s fine. I’d just like all the other aspects of their shitty relationship delved into.

L.A. Confidential (1997)

*Bud White                         *Ed Exley

pretty much all of my bullet pointed likes come into play here. i’ve nominated two characters but i’d be happy with almost any combination of the characters available in the tagset as long as exley is involved in some way.

ships i like: bud/exley,  exley/vincennes,  bud/exley/lynn

but if we matched purely on both bud and exley then:

i love the opposites attract partnership bud and exley have and i like that they both seem angry at their attraction to each other. hate-sex with reluctant feelings? always good. i'd love anything that deals with their perceived difference in intellect and/or education. bud being turned-on by exley's smarts, exley realizing how much he's underestimated bud, them being mutually impressed by each other.

if you choose to go down the ot3 route then:

i love fics where exley shows up in arizona and they fall into weird domesticity. i love seeing how three people--especially three people who aren't used to the idea of poly relationships--work their way towards realizing and accepting what they want.

and while i’m not sure what you could do with this knowledge, i’d just like to add that i’ve read the book and i’m somewhat obsessed with the existence of dream-a-dreamland in general. if you could incorporate that in any way i’d be hugely impressed.

POKEMON Detective Pikachu (2019)

*Harry Goodman                        *Hide Yoshida

this is totally a last minute request that i’ve edited in but is by no means less wanted than the others. i watched this film back when it came out and was honestly surprised by how much i enjoyed it. i’m a massive pokemon fan and have been since i got my pokemon red when i was seven years old and, let me tell you, getting to see all those growlithes waddling about the real world was like a childhood dream come true.

i had a good time and i moved on.

a few days ago i stumbled on a piece of art : here : and it was like the little goblin that is my brain just sat up straight. the very concept of these characters together had never crossed my mind before that but then suddenly the desire for this just casually strolled through my entire headspace, turning on every light as it went.

i love detective stories, i love cop partnerships, i love hot single dads who happen to be cops with cute little pokemon cop partners. i love that harry is kind of a shitty father but he’s now trying his best. i love that hide had nothing but praise and respect for harry when he meets with tim and that he knew things like tim wanting to be a pokemon trainer when he was younger (meaning he and harry had talked about stuff like this.) i love that hide inexplicably has a spare key to harry’s apartment in his desk drawer. i love how absolutely certain hide was in saying harry loved his son more than anything in the world.

there’s history there is what i’m saying, and i’d love to know more about it.

anything set pre-film would be cool. loose cannon harry throwing his whole being into his job to deal with the loss of his wife and his fractured relationship with his son. hide the tired lieutenant trying to rein him in, quietly talking about tim together, keeping him grounded and safe. all up until he can’t, that is. (great angst potential with hide genuinely believing harry is dead.)

anything set post-film would be even better. harry struggling to find balance between being a father and a cop. probably doing a shitty job at it in the beginning. hide trying to help. would love for tim to be an actual presence (outsider POV could be amazing here.)

may sound strange but my favourite thing that used to happen in digimon a lot is when characters would interact with each other digimon partner. i would be massively into a fic about the two of them growing closer through each other’s pokemon partner.

thank you writer and best of luck.

[aliceslantern]

Beyond this Existence, Counterpoint, chapter 11

Summary:  After being recompleted, Ienzo vows to do everything in his power to atone for the atrocities he committed in the past. But this life hasn't been easy, and he's plagued with memories and nightmares. When Demyx suddenly reappears, the two discover that they have more in common than they thought, though the secrets in their past might tear them apart. Zemyx (Demyx/Ienzo), post kh3

Read it on FF.net/on AO3

---

It seemed to grow piercingly cold all at once. The next day they ended up having to go to the market for warmer clothing. Four days had passed, between sleep and trauma. Ienzo found himself dreading to return to the research, which was unusual. He wanted to help Sora, desperately, but at the same time, he’d been experiencing so much--good and bad--lately that he wasn’t sure he could have a clear head.

He would just have to try his best, and, if need be, ask for help. He’d finally started to make some progress, after all.

The day passed quickly and relatively peacefully. Ienzo did feel a lot better, no longer plagued by the headaches and dizziness that had no doubt been a result of sleep deprivation. His anxiety, too, was much more manageable, though he guessed this might be because he was spending so much time with Demyx.

Ienzo was in love.

As a teenage Nobody, he’d read some romance novels, mostly to try and gain some insight as to what this all meant in the world, especially for the Somebodies he’d been put in charge of observing or manipulating. He’d always found such descriptions of love melodramatic and overblown, lacking grounding in reality. Of course, the fact that most of these novels were written for heterosexual couples might change things too.

He felt the precise opposite of that dissociative, codependent infatuation. He’d hardly ever felt more awake, and more himself. Maybe that was why he was so afraid to leave the safety of this week. This stability and peace was so very tenuous.

Demyx helped him make dinner. He tried to take the instructions Ienzo gave him, he really did, but his knife cuts were not very clean or uniform. Ienzo couldn’t help but wonder how Demyx had been raised. With some things he was so practical and capable, but yet he couldn’t dice onions.

“Why’d you learn to cook?” Demyx asked him.

Ienzo checked the recipe. They were making a sort of bouillabaisse. He measured out a few different spices. “Perhaps you’ve noticed, but we apprentices tend to view our bodies more as vessels for the mind more than anything else. The meals I were raised on were nutritious, but bland. It frustrated me when I was younger, so I did research.” He shrugged. “It’s something I enjoy doing. Objective. Harmless.” It was the closest to artistry he could get.

Demyx pointed to the still-fading scar on his hand.

“ Largely harmless,” he corrected. “More so than my other research. Are those carrots ready?” That brought him, inevitably, to spiraling about Sora. He had to be careful. But wasn’t time of the essence? The more time Ienzo spent away from his work, the farther Sora was drifting from all of them. Ienzo reached over and corrected Demyx’s cuts before mixing them into the pot.

“Are you beating yourself up again?” Demyx asked. “We’ve talked about this.”

“You always ask questions about me. That doesn’t seem fair. Tell me more about you.”

He started slicing down the potatoes in front of him. “There’s not a whole lot to know,” he said. “You know about as much about me as I do.”

“...So you haven’t remembered anything else?” Demyx’s heart should be complete by now. This amnesia was concerning. Was it all trauma and repression? Or had Xehanort’s heart done more damage to him than they’d originally thought? But then Even’s memories should be scattered too, and by all accounts they weren’t. Worry tightened in his throat.

He sighed. “There is one thing,” he said. “Um, it’s kind of a doozy though.”

Ienzo looked up. Really it had only been a month or so since Demyx’s return. Did he just need time? “Pray tell.”

Demyx set down the knife.  “Well. Don’t freak out. But--”

Ansem’s voice broke the moment. “Oh, boys, that smells absolutely incredible.”

“Ienzo did all the work,” Demyx said without making eye contact. “I’m just moral support.”

“That’s not true. He’s trying,” Ienzo said. “It’ll be ready in about an hour. I hope you’ll be joining us?”

“I shall.” He paused slightly. “You look much improved. Perhaps I shall take a page out of Demyx’s book.”

“I am… feeling rather better.” This was the first time Ienzo had spoken to Ansem since he’d found out about the relationship. He couldn’t pretend it wasn’t awkward. It had been all too easy to avoid him, lest he feel the need to give his two cents, or worse, try to feign parenting. When it came to something this personal, he did not need unsolicited advice.

“And you were both able to find good things for winter?”

“Yeah. Thanks again,” Demyx said.

Ansem smiled. “Like I said, I wish for you to be comfortable here. Winters in Radiant Garden can be… bracing, if one is not used to it. I can feel it even now. Perhaps, Demyx, if you wouldn’t mind, you can help Aeleus light the boilers sometime in the next coming days?”

Demyx blinked. “I don’t know why I’d be the right one for the job.”

“He needs assistance. I’m afraid with all of us tied up in our work, and Dilan still acting as guard, we’re one pair of hands short.”

“I’m happy to help,” Demyx mumbled. He turned back to his potatoes.

Awkwardness aside, Ienzo wanted to ask about the state of the research. No doubt Ansem had been investigating as well. It took a great deal of restraint not to ask. The model's face, so alive, so like the real thing, flashed behind his eyes. He felt recovered, but that didn’t mean he was. Still, his hands trembled.

“I shall see you in an hour,” Ansem said.

“I’ll hold you to it,” Ienzo said. He added some thyme to the soup. “Well. What is it you wanted to tell me?”

“...Nothing. It can wait.” He smiled.

“So you’re happy to help,” Ienzo said. Flirting was new to him, but he liked it. A new and unexplored use of wit. “I can’t tell if you’re trying to talk up Master Ansem, or if I’ve been a good influence on you.”

He seemed to hesitate, but really only for a fraction of a second. “Neither. It really is cold as fuck in here!”

“I’m afraid even with the heating it doesn’t get much better. This place is very old, poorly insulated. You’d better brace yourself. Though admittedly… it occurs to to me there is one way to keep warm.” Before he could lose his nerve, Ienzo kissed him. Part of him wondered, briefly, if he was only doing this to distract himself; warmth and want chased off the anxiety. Humanity was so manipulable. He'd always wondered why.

“Ienzo!” Demyx gasped in surprise.

He felt his face warm. “When this week ends, we won’t have that much time together,” Ienzo said.

He brushed a finger against Ienzo's lip.  “I’m not going to let you overwork yourself like that again. You can’t get rid of me.”

“Is that a promise?”

Demyx kissed him back equally as deeply, pulling his fingers through his hair and trailing down to his throat. The only thing that interrupted them was the loud sloshing as the pot boiled over. Ienzo swore and dropped the burner’s heat to “low.” “Later?” Demyx asked.

Another surge of anticipation, stronger this time. “Later.”

After all that, dinner was a bit of a fiasco. The food came out alright, despite the cream overheating. The apprentices��� old hierarchy was still very much in place; thinking nothing of it, Demyx had sat next to Ienzo, not realizing it was Even’s place. Nobody really outwardly commented, though Dilan did smirk. He’d always been a glutton for drama. Seeing them all here, gathered together, Ienzo felt something akin to embarrassment. The truth of their relationship had already been revealed, but to have it acknowledged added a strange layer of tension to the air. This sort of thing had never happened before.

“I see you’re feeling well, Ienzo,” Even said sweetly. “What is it you’ve both done to keep yourselves busy?”

The impudence of this made the blood rise in his face, but Ienzo replied pleasantly, paring the truth down to something palatable and non-incriminating.

“I am sure we’re all glad to see you back in good health,” Even said to him. “I just hope that this new development does not cloud your judgement going forward. To be young and… caught up in such matters, can no doubt impede your critical thinking. However natural it is.”

Demyx’s eyes flashed, but he said nothing.

Ienzo set down the cup of tea he was drinking. “Clearly you have thought on the subject, and I appreciate your concern. But I feel as though I am just as able to take on my research as I ever were. Not that I have asked for your advice. Should you have more to say on the matter, please let us discuss it in private.”

Even turned faintly pink.

“You needn’t worry about me anymore,” Ienzo said, a bit more gently. “I… I’m not the little boy I was.”

Even shook his head. “I will always worry about you,” he said. “After all, I’ve so much time to make up for.”

After a rather pregnant silence, Demyx cleared his throat. “Anyone want seconds?”

They both did the dishes. Ienzo was extra cautious to make sure that no knives were lying around. They returned to his room, though the mood from before had been spoiled. Demyx sat on the bed.  Ienzo turned towards the window, looking out at the town wreathed in fading light. “I must apologize for Even. It was incredibly rude for him to be so suggestive.”

Demyx joined him. “Why? Everyone knows.”

“They used to be… quite protective of me,” he said, with a shake of his head.

“I think it’s nice they care so much about you.”

“They don’t… dislike you,” he said. He flinched at the double negative.

“They think I'm not good enough for you. And they're right."

Ienzo took his hand and sat down next to him. “I don’t think you understand the impact you’ve had on me,” he said quietly. “If it were not for you, I’d still be there, miserable and working myself to death, unable to find any value in myself aside from needing to atone. I… I know the mistakes I made cannot be undone, but I… I’m better. Destroying myself isn’t going to fix what I did. You’ve… brought me back to reality. And if they don’t realize that, then they’re worse off. I wish they could see what I see in you. Your kindness, your patience, your emotional intelligence.”

Demyx shook his head.

“Healing is a slow, tedious, constant process. You can’t allow yourself to get caught up in moments like these. They don’t matter.” He touched Demyx’s face. “You do. We do.”

Demyx blushed. “I didn’t realize you were such a romantic,” he said.

“I… still have a few things to learn.” He kissed him gently.

Intimacy was still new and shocking to him, though at least he had somewhat of an idea of what to expect. Ienzo didn’t want to be so passive this time. He pulled his legs around Demyx’s waist and kissed him along the throat, along the soft spot that always made he himself feel weak. Demyx responded by pulling him down on top of him.

"I admit," Ienzo whispered. "All of this is... very new to me still. But I think I'm starting to understand."

Ienzo wondered if he should tell him, if he should say it out loud. But he had to know already. Everything he’d just said meant ten times more. He felt Demyx reach for the buttons of his pants and figured maybe now was not the time for talking. Clothing having been dealt with, Ienzo touched him, rivers of veins and muscle and bone, and scars. He kissed them and found that he’d been right about it also being pleasurable for Demyx, if the reaction he felt meant anything. He could feel it too, heavy and delicious and impermanent. To a degree, what Even said about this muddying thought was completely accurate. But was it such a sin to try and stop thinking for a few moments? The hand he'd been propping himself up with tightened against the sheets. "I want to..." Ienzo's voice sounded strange, a little like someone else's. "I want to do this for you. I--" His experience with such frustration was minimal, but he couldn't imagine it was easy.

He bit his lip a little and brushed Ienzo's hair out of his eyes. "If you're not ready--"

His face burned feverishly. He could only imagine how ridiculous he must look. "I am ready. And I want to. I just... I'm not, technically speaking, sure how?" He should probably try it on himself one of these days, if only to know the difference in sensation, but the thought was so jarring he pushed it away.

Demyx laughed a little. "Do you remember what I did to you?"

He nodded. The memory of it almost made him gasp out loud.

"Something like that."

He smiled shakily. "This isn't really something you read about in books."

"I guess it wouldn't be."

This shouldn't be difficult. He wanted to do it, to make him feel good as well. Yet finding the nerve took some time. Ienzo kissed him. He tried to will the trembling in his hands to stop. His hand brushed against Demyx's waist and hip and thigh. The scarred skin was warm. Demyx kissed him harder, his hand tangling in Ienzo's hair. This distraction was enough for him to touch his (what was it called in such moments? Wasn't "penis" too medical?) dick. The skin there was softer than he though, more natural. At least it was somewhat familiar in terms of structure. He stroked it gently and heard a small sound catch in Demyx's throat.

Ienzo pulled away from the kiss. "Was that alright?"

He nodded, unable to catch his breath. "Just a little bit more towards the--"

He tried to oblige. There was a sort of pleasure in doing this. He felt Demyx start to touch him too and tried to copy that. The awkward self-consciousness began to fade, replaced with the same lovely thoughtlessness as before. It was amazing that the body was capable of such pure joy. Little waves of it broke over him, heightening the tension within. He wove the trust and love into his touch and felt the same in return. The vulnerability did not feel so much like a weakness as a strength. It was okay. The rising, tightening feeling in him was recognizable now. He tried briefly to hold it back, but the need for release was just too tempting. He heard Demyx gasp as he came against him.

“I see,” Ienzo said softly, pressing a kiss into his sweaty brow. “It really is simpler than I thought.” The stress had been for naught.

Demyx lay back. “I swear this is not indicative of how long I usually last.”

Ienzo laughed. He shifted off of him, onto his side. “So do you feel better?”

“ So much better.”

He did too. The utter lack of anxiety was intoxicating. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He leaned against him. “You’ve been so patient with me.”

“It wasn’t all for you. Everything feels so different than it normally does. Plus I… I’m not used to the emotional part of it.”

“The sense of connection is… certainly unique. If I’ve learned anything, emotions are always capable of becoming more overwhelming. No matter their strength.”

Demyx hummed in response. For few minutes, or however long they remained knotted up together, he felt perfectly at peace. If there was anything to worry about, there was a later in which to do it.

“What the hell is that?” Demyx asked.

“My gummiphone. Though I have no idea who would be calling.” He got up and pulled on a robe, then reached into his lab coat pocket for the phone. “I’m sorry. I have to see who it is. Hello?”

“Ienzo? Are you busy?” Roxas’s voice, garbled.

“No, I’m not. What is it?”

It was hard to tell exactly what he was saying. Something about “worldlines.” Anxiety, or panic, made Roxas speak quickly.

“Slow down. The signal is not very good.”

“Are there universes other than this one? Like parallel universes? Xehanort mentioned something about worldlines but when I tried to ask Ansem about it he didn’t answer.”

That was so like Ansem. He probably hadn’t even heard the phone ring. “Well I do suppose it’s possible but I’ve had no insight this past week as to what he’s been up to, I fell ill and was resting--” He only knew about the Worldlines Theory vaporously--because it was just that, theory.

“Are you sick?”

“No, I’m alright now. And yourself? You sound distressed.”

“I mean I think I am? And then Riku went over to Yen Sid to ask more about it, and well, he said it’s possible, especially with the power of waking. They said Sora broke the rules of the power and walked between worlds. So they think that, if he’s done that, he’s in another worldline. Ienzo, do you know anything?”

Yes. Yes, it was all making sense. How had he not even taking the power of waking into account? He’d assumed it had all to do with hearts. He’d been wrong. “I understand,” he said woodenly. “I’m afraid if that’s the situation then… I’ll try my best, but you must realize the prognosis is not good.”

“Can you check in your research? See if anyone knows anything?”

“Yes, I’ll let you know. Try and take care.” He hung up. His mind was spinning but no good thoughts came from it. He sat down on the bed.

“What happened?” Demyx asked. “Who was that?”

“It was Roxas. They think Riku’s got a lock on Sora’s location.”

“But isn’t that… good? Then why are you both upset?”

Ienzo was wringing his hands. “Because he’s not in this reality. We’ve no way to get him back. Wherever he is… he’s there, alone. And there’s nothing we can do about it.”

[xtattlecrimex-blog]

Why Bryan Fuller’s Tweets are NOT Canon

Canon vs Fanon is a big debate these days. Now, I’m going to point out some things. I’m in my 30s and for most of my life I’ve wanted to be a writer. For most of my life the definition of canon was very universal and solid. The definition being the written word of the finalized draft of something. Either a movie script or a manuscript. Something that’s set in stone because it’s in a final draft and there’s a hard copy of it. This is essentially the bible and the work of the author that states what is factual to their universe and what isn’t. Then one day, some idiot named JK Rowling decided that she didn’t like this and made one of her characters gay out of nowhere. That’s when it all changed. Now, despite my opinions on the actual Harry Potter books, I really, actually hate JK Rowling and what she’s turned the series into. The problem is that she’s a rich, white, billionaire so now she’s allowed to make the rules, even if she literally is only making them to earn virtue points from idiot SJWs. The thing here is, that canon was nothing like this before she came along and many people, millions, entirely disagree with what she did or is trying to do.

Then Bryan Fuller did it with Hannigram. He failed to show any type of romance or love between Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham in his show. The show he created and had completely control over. What he actually showed on screen and what was in the scripts, is that, well Hannibal was abusing Will. Manipulating him into a codependent relationship via gaslighting until Will felt that he couldn’t live without Hannibal anymore. This isn’t romance or love, this is abuse, plain and simple. I’m not really complaining about that because it makes for a good story and a good plot. What I’m complaining about is that Bryan Fuller will also try to say that Hannigram, as the romantic pairing, is canon. The fannibals will point to a couple tweets he made saying that it’s canon, trying to set it in stone. It doesn’t work that way though. It never should and it never will.

If that aspect of their relationship was that important to set in stone, the one man who had all the power in the world to do it, was Bryan Fuller. The one man who didn’t do that at all, was Bryan Fuller. If you need to be able to understand a show by also following the creator on Twitter, then it’s not a good show. So on and so forth. If what Bryan Fuller actually wanted to do was show a romantic love between Will and Hannibal he had every chance to do so but he didn’t. That’s not what happened, no amount of tweeting can change it. End of the story. Period. Though there are weird lines in the show that the fannibals will twist into having their own meanings to “prove” Will loved Hannibal (or Hannibal loved Will) it certainly wasn’t something that was shown on screen or stated in dialogue.

The closest instance of this weird word bending they will do is when Will asks Bedelia if Hannibal loves him. This isn’t Will saying he loves Hannibal, at all this is asking a question. If you believe, in real life, that someone has a crush on you, and you ask “is such and such person in love with me” that doesn’t denote your own feelings about them either way. It was also established through out the show that Will felt trapped and burdened by Hannibal. He certainly didn’t love the guy enough to not get married and try to move on with his life. He avoided even seeing Hannibal for YEARS after he was put in prison. How much was Will actually in love with a guy he so easily gave up after his incarceration (and never wanted to go back to see until he was forced?). None of the behavior in the show denotes love or romance between the two men. Bryan Fuller did not put it in the show despite having the control to do so.

Bryan Fuller does not have the power to change canon through tweets. Fannibals do not have the power to change canon through fan fiction they write or willfully misinterpreting quotes from the show. At the end of the fay, Hannigram is fanon, not canon. The little annoying Hannigram shippers need to learn to accept that and move on with their lives.

[shadehunters]

hi! Thanks for answering the Sh/atter M/e question! Definitely agree with you on the Wa/rner/Juli/ette thing. My mind was amazed at the end of Re/store M/e, and I'm kind of hoping for War/ner and Jul/iette to not be a couple because I just don't see it happening. I get it its a dystopia, but a dude who has killed a bunch of people and kept Juli/ette prisoner? yeah, ill pass on the romance in this one.

Also remember how he made her think she was hurting a baby as she had to weave through that training maze in book 1? And then later when she was furious over him for it he was like “oh the baby wasn’t real i just made you think that”? That was fucked up.

I mean close to the end of the book Warner had become more interesting to me as a morally gray character, but as a love interest I don’t think he’s a good or healthy match. He emotionally and psychologically manipulated Juliette for a good chunk of the first book and I think that the way he views her is super unhealthy. He’s like kinda dependent on her and the sheer amount of times he said something along the lines of “i’ll die without you” definitely rubbed me the wrong way. 

Like I get what Tahereh Mafi was going for with W/arnette and like #respect but you cant make a morally gray power couple if their beginning is so toxic and codependent-y. 

That being said thanks for taking the time to message anon!

[thezodiaczone]

June Forecast for Leo

Get out and connect, Leo. The Sun is soaring through Gemini and your eleventh house of group action until June 21, putting you in social and collective spirits. As collaborations heat up, look for synergies in your circle and ask mutual friends to make helpful introductions. Lions are communal creatures, so make like your astrological animal and band together so everyone thrives. While last month had a more serious, goal-focused energy, this one is more about letting possibilities unfold. Keep your eye on your big-picture mission, but don’t lead every conversation with an agenda. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on valuable input from friends, colleagues and even perfect strangers. Hold a curious, open mind—and see what that attracts!

The June 13 Gemini new moon is an especially strong day to network and join your superpowers with an eclectic crew. Group endeavors will develop between now and the corresponding November 23 Gemini full moon. Don’t limit yourself to in-person alliances, Leo. The eleventh house rules technology, making this lunar launch pad a great day to make an online debut or to start the digital component of a project. Anything with a humanitarian or socially aware mission gets bonus points from this #woke new moon.

Father’s Day is June 17, and the Leo moon will inspire a spirit of novelty. If you’re celebrating favorite father figures, do something different than the usual barbecue or obligatory Hallmark-card-and-wallet gift. (A handwritten letter expressing genuine love and gratitude, on the other hand, gets the green light!) Take the reins and organize a fun experience, like going to a live show, a sports game or a movie. But watch out for a frisson of friction from a Venus-Mars opposition that’s building steam that day. With combative Mars in your interpersonal zone, some people may have their own strong opinions on how to spend the holiday. Compromise, but push back if needed. With the moon in your assertive first house, you’re the best person to steer this ship.

The rest of the month takes a different tone as Neptune and Mars turn retrograde, bringing the total retrograde planet count to five. (Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto are already in their slowed-down cycles.) This time is better used for reflection and behind-the-scenes planning than forcing things to move ahead at your usual warp speed.

You’ll be glad to ease into a gentler vibe starting June 21, when the Sun downshifts into Cancer and your restful twelfth house until July 22. This is a time for closure, healing and some extra shuteye as you process the previous 12 months and prepare for a fresh start with Leo season (and your birthday!). Take those vacation days, escape to the beach or get lost in a creative project—your flowy and receptive side is dialed up to its highest setting. Reach out for support if you’re going through a tough time or struggling to finish a difficult project. All month long, really, teamwork and a “one for all, all for one” attitude is your saving grace. ‘Tis NOT nobler to suffer and sacrifice, Leo.

Now, back to this month’s retrogrades. As hazy Neptune and combative Mars both make U-turns, the cosmos could call for some relationship repair work. Both planets will do an about-face in the committed partnership parts of your chart, Neptune from June 18 to November 24, and Mars from June 26 to August 27. You could spend a good part of the summer hashing out differences, working through interpersonal conflicts or negotiating the terms of detailed contracts. Everything from shared money to sex to business partnerships may be up for review. An old love interest could resurface (tempting you mightily), or you might have to deal with past relationship issues that you thought you’d resolved.

Neptune’s five-month backspin through Pisces will emphasize on your eighth house of merging, intimacy and shared resources. The nebulous planet makes this U-turn at approximately the same dates each year, and for the eighth summer in a row, you may have to sort through emotional confusion or “it’s complicated”-style entanglements. Guilt and passive-aggressive manipulation may figure in—for example, maybe you’ve lent a partner a significant chunk of money, but YOU “feel bad” asking for repayment.

Be careful with real estate purchases; foggy Neptune retrograde in your property sector can cloud your judgment. Neptune is related to waterworks and plumbing, so if you’re house hunting, check the pipes as well as ANY area that could have mold or water damage. If you’re selling, try some of vibe-y Neptune’s spiritual and artistic techniques, like Feng Shui and home staging to shift the energy. And if you’re moving or renting, screen potential roommates (and nearby neighbors), as your energy might not mesh as well as you initially think. The key to surviving Neptune retrograde is clarity. Spell out all terms before agreeing to anything…and don’t second-guess yourself or apologize when you do.

On June 26, brazen Mars will join the retrograde brigade, downshifting until August 27. Mars will spend most of this cycle in your opposite sign of Aquarius, ratcheting up tension in your seventh house of relationships. A bond that’s been developing since mid-May could hit a stumbling block. Contentious Mars can put you at loggerheads with a close tie, and the retrograde only makes it harder to sort through conflict. If you’re parting ways, either romantically or professionally, try to retract those claws, Lion—otherwise, fur could fly!

The drama gets put in check over the next couple days as more practical matters take precedence. On June 27, the annual Sun-Saturn opposition touches down in your health and healing sectors. Allowing someone to push your buttons only hurts YOU in the end. If you stoop to their level, it makes you no better. While it’s hard to take the high ground, boundaries may be in order with a person who’s constantly triggering you. Stern Saturn reminds you that “adulting” means being responsible for your own actions and letting others deal with the consequences of theirs. Cut those codependent cords and stop making excuses for people’s bad behavior.

Your wellness is also in the spotlight, especially on June 28, when the year’s only Capricorn full moon illuminates your sixth house of health, organization and service. If you’ve had a nagging condition, this day could bring some answers (and hopefully a remedy). Stress you’ve been tamping down could reach a boiling point.

Do you need to delegate? The sixth house rules helpful people, so look at what you can outsource instead if doing it all yourself. With structured Saturn hovering nearby, it’s time to prioritize and plan instead of biting off more than you (yes, even you) can humanly handle. Remember that “No” is a complete sentence and employ it liberally as June comes to a close. That way, you can say yes to the things that resonate with your soul. Sometimes, Leo, less really is more.

Love & Romance

With vivacious Venus hunkered down in Cancer and your fantasy-fueled twelfth house until June 13, you might not be seeing a person or a situation through a clear lens. But while your imagination is this active, use it to spin a little enchantment back into your love life. This is a fruitful cycle for doing creative visualizations about an ideal partner or more passionate relationship. Note: You may have to repeatedly remind yourself of the difference between a sweet dream and reality. If someone promises one thing but doesn’t come through, resist the temptation to make excuses for them.

Meanwhile, the other love planet, Mars, is turning up the heat in Aquarius and your partnership realm from May 16 to August 12. If you’re single, this can give you the wherewithal to get back up on the horse that threw you—or check out a new stable. Couples may decide to join a sports league or do more outdoorsy things together. But when Mars turns retrograde for two months on June 26 (until August 27), you might need to rein in a wild stallion, or reconsider a connection that’s not turning out the way you’d hoped. Of course, if it’s just a momentary hiccup, waste no time reconciling—and enjoying some torrid makeup sex.

On June 13, Venus will blaze into your sign until July 9, sparking your mojo but also making you crave a little more independence. After three weeks in moody Cancer, the moon in larger-than-life Leo can help you disengage from someone’s life and refocus on your own.

Watch for a few “course corrections” in the second half of the month as Venus butts heads with some planetary bigshots. On June 14, she squares Uranus in steadfast Taurus, which could set off an epic battle of the wills. On June 21, the cosmic lovebirds oppose each other, which may ignite some ego or control issues. Finally, on June 25, Venus clashes with expansive Jupiter in your home zone. You may have to clip your own wings and pay more attention to your mate or others who’ve missed you—and are making no bones about letting you know!

Key Dates

June 5: Venus-Pluto Opposition You could experience some confusion about a love interest’s trustworthiness today. Are they behaving badly, or are you imagining it? You don’t want to get burned, but neither do you want to risk projecting your own issues onto someone who’s innocent. Stop blaming others for your own risky choices. Owning your mistakes—or misjudgments—gives you power.

Money & Career

Network like a boss, Leo! The Sun is in Gemini and your vivacious eleventh house of teamwork and technology until June 21. Chatty Mercury is there, too, until June 12, lending you charm and wit in any meeting or social setting. Take advantage of this period to up your social media game and pitch your best ideas, especially at the June 13 Gemini new moon. Online projects get a special boost now.

Partnerships could heat up fast, so don’t be surprised if you go from cocktails to contracts in short order! Someone you meet at an industry event might turn out to be the missing link—or so it seems. But because impatient Mars gives the tendency to rush, explore thoroughly before signing on the dotted line. The red planet will turn retrograde from June 26 to August 27, which could bring delays or reveal a few dodgy details you overlooked in your enthusiasm.

With five planets retrograde by the end of the month (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune AND Pluto), the summer slowdown will be legitimately on. Press pause and correct course on any areas that are off-kilter or moving too fast. Better to retrace your steps now than have to fix a big mess later. The June 28 full moon in your administrative sixth house can help you make a detailed master plan. You could hire or fire people on Team Leo, implement a new scheduling system or do a major decluttering. Clear away the old and watch the energy start flowing again.

Key Dates

June 27: Sun-Saturn Opposition You can’t build a house on a shaky foundation, and this cosmic face-off will reveal the cracks in your structure. Wishful thinking won’t cut it—you may have to rebuild from the ground up. Saturn helps you slow down and take the reality check you missed before. Even if this day brings a humbling moment, keep your chin up and carry on with grace.

Love Days: 26, 4 Money Days: 11, 19 Luck Days: 8, 17 Off Days: 15, 29, 6