#you and stan bonding are my weakness

[badgalsasuke]

Thicker than blood

Let's check some excerpts of this very popular old-school Sasunaru essay posted back in 2006 by cephiedvariable that considered up to chapter 295 from the manga. [LINK FOR FULL ESSAY]

It's funny to me how sns shippers get called misogynistic all the time by sakura stans when most sns shippers are always trying to give Sakura some saving grace.

But I also gotta disagree with the author that Sakura would be a better Kunoichi had she been placed in a different team. Sakura isn't weak because when compared to Naruto and Sasuke she's not on their level, she's seen as weak because her goal from the very first minute we get to know her, is to get Sasuke. That's her only ambition in life

Had she been in a different team I don't see why she would change her ambitions and goals, on the contrary, in some ways I see how being placed in team 7 as she was actually pushed her to attempt to become stronger even if it only was to get Sasuke to notice her the way he notices Naruto (although I don't believe she's the strongest kunoichi in all of the series like others do, I do think she's the strongest kunoichi of her generation).

Yeah you can tell this essay was written when Naruto had just come back to Konoha with Jiraiya because there's no other way you'd think Sakura became emotionally stronger. She didn't, throughout shippuden/part 2 we see her constant emotional regression, while Naruto completely surppasses her in this aspect. And the whole "weak little Sakura has become the strongest of them all" aged terribly, worse than milk actually.

I find it to be a misreading of the manga to claim that Sasuke was ready to kill for Sakura in the forest of the death (after orochimaru gave Sasuke the curse mark ch. 54-55). When the manga is very much clear that Sasuke got triggered by orochimaru via the mark and started thinking of himself as too weak for letting his family die. Once he woke up he had the mark activated by this trigger, he felt powerful enough to be an avenger.

Unlike Naruto and Sasuke's "my body moved on its own" that'd become a reocurring theme throughout the manga, including when Naruto and Sasuke were fighting Orochimaru as it was brilliantly put here (and the author ignores or maybe wasn't able to link together) Sasuke doesn't state or showcase anything that would make us think as readers that just like he wants to protect Naruto, he'd kill for Sakura. The scene of Sasuke pulling that other ninja's arms out of their sockets goes back to Sasuke's quest for power and succumbing to darkness, it's not an allusion to feeling protective over Sakura as the author of the essay implies.

It's also funny how the author brings this specific moment up because even Orochimaru acknowledges that is Naruto, not Sakura or "and Sakura", who has a positive effect on Sasuke's heart and mind (some translations put it as mind and soul).

I find the author of the essay is trying really hard to create a narrative of the love triangle where Sasuke is the prize but he would have a hard time choosing between Naruto and Sakura (almost like she's trying to dodge the misogynistic allegations). While there's a love triangle in the manga where Sasuke is the prize there was never really a moment where we saw Sakura acquire significance to Sasuke's life or heart the way Naruto does.

But is still interesting nonetheless how many sns shippers have always tried to include Sakura into Naruto and Sasuke's bond in some shape or form, it almost feels like pitying her character because Kishimoto wouldn't do more with her.

Girl LMFAOOOOOOJGIFHO I need to know what her reaction was to the finale knowing that Kishimoto could NOT, in fact, pull the relationships off brilliantly, it was ASS straight up shit from the butt.

I find it incredible how there were shippers that were able to clock Kishimoto was writing Naruto and Sasuke as soulmates before he went full face-value with the whole wind-fire, sun-moon, ying-yang, heaven-earth stuff he would do much later in the series.

SNS shippers simply understand Kishimoto's writing perfectly.

Okay so in this essay it becomes clear to me that since forever people have struggled to figure out Sakura's place in Sasuke's life, her role in the manga and what she really represents in the Naruto+Sasuke+Sakura trio and feel frustrated with the writing Kishimoto gave her so naturally they want more for her and from her.

When it comes to Sasunaru, what impresses me is how shippers have been saying the same thing over the years and every single time they would be validated by the next chapters.

[sangre-luz]

In one of your last posts you mentioned Ford and Euclid, I know that their relationship far from god, but how bad is it? Has it ever gotten to the point of torture or physical fights? What is the most dangerous thing Euclid tried to do with Ford’s body, while he controlled it?

What about Dipper? Is he really that cruel and scary? What is relationship between Dipper and Ford like? I know that Ford is Dipper’s apprentice, but is their relationship is a little bit toxic, because of Dipper’s personality and strictness?

Why Euclid doesn’t afraid of being rebellious against Ford, but he wouldn’t dare to do it against Dipper? Is it because he knows that Dipper would tell to Ford something like: “You need to learn to solve your problems yourself, I didn’t choose you for nothing, don’t disappoint me.” Or is it, because he knows that Ford wouldn’t say anything, because Ford doesn’t want to be irresponsible, dependent and weak in Dipper’s eyes?

Is Ford jealous of Stan because of his friendship with Scalene and that’s she’s so submissive and it’s so easy for Stan to make her obey, without even noticing or even some effort?

Euclid possessing Ford for my Dilation Falls AU (Relativity x Reverse Falls)

Lore and rambling under cut

Yes, their relationship is pretty awful. They fight ruthlessly, and though they can’t physically put their hands on each other, Euclid does take it up a notch. I wanted to make him more like Canon!Bill a bit, aggressive and able to torture those when he doesn’t get what he’s been promised.

As I stated in my last posts about Dilation Falls, it does keep Reverse Falls premise where someone is being kept under chains. And those are Euclid and Scalene. In this case, Euclid projects his pure anger from being kept under the chains of the Pines family onto Ford, since he cannot do that with Dipper. They don’t cooperate well, and they make a bigger mess out of any simple task as a consequence. One of the most awful things he’s done while in possession of Ford, however, well…. see that nasty scar on Ford’s cheek? My idea, even in his original character sheet, was that Euclid did something infinitely terrible while in control of Ford’s body, thus resulting in the huge scar-gash on the entire side of his cheek/jawline. Hurt like hell too. I don’t want to say exactly what he did, because I want to possibly draw it out first without spoiling anything ;^) . Anyways it’ll be very difficult to explain such a noticeable feature on his face to the townspeople, his great aunt and uncle, his parents, and especially his twin brother (who he is still on pretty bad terms with— they haven’t really talked about the science project nor had a chance to). It’s also this that makes Ford feel even more like a freak, and he absolutely resents Euclid for it.

Now onto Dipper and Ford’s relationship. First, Dipper himself is not necessarily cruel. Atleast not to his family. But he does and can put pressure on Ford. Can he be scary? Yeah, definitely, this guy has travelled to who knows how many dimensions, I would not want to get on his bad side. Like in Reverse Falls, he instead chooses to uplift Ford. They bond over the fact that they are, indeed different: Dipper with his forehead birthmark and Ford with his six fingers, and both with their needy persistence in knowledge of all sorts including the fascination of the paranormal. Maybe their dynamic would be toxic, considering the fact that Dipper expects a lot from Ford, but right now it’s relatively “you and I are the chosen ones” bs and some manipulation that they don’t really need anyone but family. Because Ford is still only 17/18, an angry teenager whose trust in his twin has just been broken and has been denied his dream school, and Dip knows Ford needs someone to depend on. To maintain his trust. Someone should seriously tell him that being cooped up in a basement or doing nerdy field work all day everyday isn’t necessarily healthy and that he needs to interact with other human beings lol.

Still, I also think that while Dip and Mabel do play favorites with the twins, they would still want them to hash out their relationship since they see themselves so much in the Stan twins. But it’s very difficult to accomplish this… because I need angst and misunderstandings XD

If you think Euclid and Ford’s dynamic is bad though, take a look at Dipper and Euclid’s dynamic. It’s understood that Ford and Euclid don’t have a good dynamic at all, but Euclid still has that fighting spirit. With Dip and Euclid, that spirit has been entirely extinguished. For many, many long, dragging years. Euclid sees it as hopeless and as a lost cause, in fact, that he has entirely stopped fighting against Dipper and instead finds it easier to obey his commands, or rather he has no choice but to obey him, because a deals a deal no matter what. Really, Dip-Dop knows about Ford’s predicament, and like you said, he knows Ford will reign Euclid in or die trying. This expectation is what makes Ford so stubborn. He won’t disappoint the man he looks up to, and he definitely won’t fail him. He’ll give Dipper a reason to be proud of him.

You know those tests that a mentor gives to their apprentice in TV shows, and it’s not always glaringly obvious, but it’s something that drives the apprentice crazy in trying to reign in and control? Those tests usually are objects, other people, a mission, task, etc. And it will be the apprentices job to take care of it, no matter how much they get hurt? Maybe the task is just impossible, and the master knows that, but the apprentice is stubborn. And they refuse to let their mentor down.

Here, Euclid wants to break him. He wants to hurt Dipper’s family, Ford just happens to be a source into that. Because there’s no way of making up for those years that his wife, Scalene has been trapped- and their son being dead or trapped or dead or alive or God knows where, and they can’t find him because they’re trapped, have been trapped here with these humans for 30 years. It’s just torture. In Euclid’s eyes, he’s returning the favor.

With Ford and Stan, Ford is not necessarily jealous of Stan’s easy relationship with Scalene, nor do I think he really knows. I think he would rather be peeved if he found out about it, but he might see that because Euclid is more of a challenge, there is a reap for a larger reward: that being Dipper’s respect and confidence in him. WCT was just taken from him. He won’t let this chance slip again. There’s a reason he was chosen for this position. There’s a reason they came to Gravity Falls.

I think it’s in Journal 3 where Ford talks about the paranormal being attracted to him, and him being attracted to the paranormal in return. In my AU this indeed rings true. For now it might be a good thing the both of them are separate for a bit, to cool down from their emotions and anger, as a lot of paranormal shit as in canon still happens to them in this AU. Sooner or later though they will definitely need to properly talk things out.

That’s all I can think of for now. I wrote this at like 2 AM so some parts may be incoherent.. I need sleep.

Thanks for the ask! ^^

[raidark]

Look, i'm not saying that Jacaerys' insecurities are not interesting or that he has legitimate worries (which will be proven right if they stick to the book... though i'm unsure on whether they will blame his behavior with Them for the betrayal).

But i'm still angry at everything they did to him. Especially since Book Jacaerys is my favorite character of Fire and Blood, of the whole Dance.

It makes me furious how many people are saying we the angry Jace stans have 0 media literacy and asking if we rather have Jace still doing nothing as he did for the whole season.

THAT is exactly the problem. That he didn't do anything in the show while in the book he did SO MUCH.

"And now you say you will strip that from me too" could be perfectly something Jacaerys says to the writers of this mess.

They sidelined all of his alliances achievements with the Vale, the Three Sisters, White Harbor and the North (the lack of Pact of Ice and Fire hurts the most). All the time that could have been spent to develop his character had they wanted and show his potential. Instead we only got a little show only scene with the Freys that barely proved anything about him.

I loved Baela's scene with Corlys, but it was Jace who mediated between Rhaenyra and him in the book, it was by his order that he was made Hand of the Queen.

It was also him who had the Dragonseeds idea... and before you say that he was also the one with the idea in the series, take into mind that in the book he called for the Dragonseeds (Valyrian ascent bastards) from the very beginning. The whole thing with nobles only is only in the show. Book Jacaerys didn't have any prejudice or apparent problem with bastards at this point of the story. It's obvious that he had already accepted this fact and it's in fact because he knows his origins that he gave Dragonseeds a chance and his faith. He leaded them for the love of god.

Yes, it's true that due to the nature of the book we don't know exactly what was he thinking. But it's the complete opposite reaction to his show version. Whether Book Jace understood or not the danger this plan posed on long-term, he did so just like Rhaenyra did, because they had no chance at the moment. Not to mention that while in the series all the candidates come from Kings Landing (?¿?), in the book they're taken from Driftmark and Dragonstone (which is populated, not only a castle for Targaryen), so there's a bit more of trust on them as subjects than on completely unknown people from the city taken and ruled by your enemy. (It also weren't so many who tried in the book)

I've seen some people say that Jace was besties with Addam and Nettles... and while we actually don't know their relationship, we do know that they mourned him badly while Ulf and Hugh weren't that affected. I really don't think they would be that affected if they didn't have some kind of bond before, even if it wasn't told to us. And I mean, it was Jace who supported legitimizing Addam and Alyn and make Addam heir to Driftmark ahead of Joffrey. Which, well, doesn't seem likely in the show.

The thing is that Jace DID a lot of things in the book, supporting his mother, basically leading the Blacks on the name of Rhaenyra Targaryen, who couldn't do it since she was RIGHTFULLY grieving during a lot of time after everything that had happened in quick succession, both Luke and Visenya's deaths.

And you know, THAT'S NOT BAD. It gave time to have other characters doing things like Rhaenyra's sons. It explored a side of Rhaenyra and how much her children's death affected her, explicitly showing how much they mattered to her and how brutally it broke her inside (while filling her with pure unadulterated rage after the Gullet). But well, playing devil's advocate, I understand a bit why they didn't go with this since I don't have any faith most watchers would try to emphatize with the grieving mother part of Rhaenyra, and would instead call her a weak queen.

Jace was a supporting and loving son, an extension of Rhaenyra, heart of the Blacks, responsible for the alliances that would bring them to victory by the end of the war. A boy who came to understand and accept his status in the world and used it on a positive note for her mother's cause. A worthy heir to Rhaenyra, one of the few people in this whole period that was worthy of becoming King in the future.

This wasn't about wanting him to do nothing in the show. It was about not butchering his character and be faithful to all the stuff he actually does. But because the writers couldn't (or didn't want to) understand it wasn't Rhaenyra's turn in the characters front lines right now (it would have come later), instead they had to underline him and strip him of everything he did and give it to other characters, while giving him traits and opinions that has made a lot of people despise him.

His fate was meant to be a tragedy that made an apparent victory for the Blacks as hollow and catastrophic as a defeat. And now there's almost no more time and Jace will be remembered by show onlys just for his self-hating identity crisis (which he could have had in the book as well, or before in the show, but not anymore at this point) and his bordering hypocritical classism. Not for everything he actually did and the traits you could imagine of him from what is said in the book.

But hey, apparently a certain part of the fandom thinks that's the only thing that makes a character, a human, complex and interesting.

I don't hate show Rhaenyra. I don't hate show Jacaerys. I will always support Rhaenyra's claim. But I can't just stand after so many decisions that go against them. Especially in the case of Jace who is already receiving such amount of vitriol hate while receiving love just from being victimiced and poor sad boy.

Ah. My boy needs his own sub-team inside Rhaenyra's supporters at this point -- not putting him against Rhaenyra or anyone else. But. Seeing Rhaenyra's stans wishing for his death...

I don't hate the characters. I hate the writers. I hate the changed dynamics, the change in characters' ages, the erasure of Nettles, how Jace was striped from everything his characte is, the stupid decisions....

[elainsgirl]

I find it really weird how some Gwyn stans hate the IC and want Nesta, Gwyn, Emerie, and Azriel to make their own court and get away from the IC. However, while bashing the IC and claiming that Gwyn deserves so much better, they continue to make headcanons inserting Gwyn into the inner circle.

According to them, Gwyn will despise Feyre and make that completely obvious by openly disrespecting her and criticizing her for being a bad high lady, a bad sister, and a bad mother. Gwyn will have to step up and show Feyre how to a be a mother, sister, and leader. In fact, gwyn will raise Nyx and Nyx will go to her for comfort rather than his own parents - and apparently everyone will be completely alright with this because gwyn is just so nurturing.

And while some gwyn stans think Rhys is the scum of the earth, they still want him to befriend Gwyn. Rhys is apparently going to trust and confide in Gwyn more than everyone else (including his own wife). He’s going to allow gwyn to snap at feyre - in fact, he’s going to admire gwyn for her motherly instincts and bash Feyre for her inability to calm Nyx down.

Gwyn is going to snap at Elain and snatch Nyx out of her hands because “she isn’t holding him right.” And like with Feyre, gwyn is going to lecture her on her behavior towards Nesta and Lucien. And from their headcanons, everyone is going to applaud gwyn for putting elain in her place and showing her how spoiled and stuck up she is.

Gwyn is going to yell at Mor for how she treated Azriel and scold Amren how she treated Nesta.

They want gwyn to leave the IC, but continue to make up headcanons that center around the IC. They hate Feyre and Rhys, but want gwyn to raise their baby as if she isn’t in her twenties and doesn’t have her own life to live. They hate Elain, and use gwyn as a tool to bash elain. It’s funny how some gwyn stans write headcanons and fics about her coming into the IC befriending all the guys and criticizing all the women. They have to make it clear that while Gwyn deserves better than the IC, she will be accepted with open arms by the men and she will be more caring, compassionate, and just better than every single women in the IC.

Hey anon 🫶

This ask took me back to when I came across a gwynriel HC? A part from a fic? idk and let’s just say….Gwyn definitely takes centre stage lmfao. I’m sorry, why on earth would Gwyn of all people criticise Feyre? I had no idea she was an expert in ruling and politics, it must’ve been mentioned in the gwynriel version of acosf. “Openly disrespect her” im sorry, what? Do they honestly think Mr. Be careful how you speak about my HL will sit there and let gwyn be unnecessarily rude to Feyre? The characters you’re mentioning aren’t the canon characters I know off but are we suprised? Gwynriels and canon don’t mix unless they can twist it. Thing is: I wish I could say you’re exaggerating but from the HC I came across a few weeks ago made by a gwynriel…yh some gwyn/gwynriel stans actually do believe and write about this stuff.

As much as antis want their “house of wind” gang they also know Sjm will always have feysand and the IC as main characters. So even if they hate the IC, antis can’t deny how important those members are to the series. Hence why they make lots of HCs w gwyn interacting and becoming an integral part to the night court club whilst removing Elain from them. The whole Rhys x Gwyn agenda started bcs elriels pointed out how each sister became besties with a bat bro. Feyre/Cass. Nesta/Az. Logically you’d think it would be Elain/Rhys to fit the pattern but when have antis ever cared about that? Rhysand isn’t confiding in Gwyn anytime soon. Especially not about his deepest struggles bcs for 1) that isn’t how these friendships play out and 2) it makes feysand’s bond look weak which isn’t the dynamic Mass is going for.

All im saying - the gwynriel version of Gwyn isn’t a girls girl like the canon version, dare I say she’s potrayed as a pick me? The self insert is real.

Acting like Gwyn is going to fight Elain for Az. Idk what kind of Gwyn they’re stanning but the one I liked in acosf would rather pull her own hair out then fight another woman for a man.

at the end of the day, their HCs will remain HCs. If gwyn was to be *that* important,

She 👏 would’ve 👏 been 👏 introduced 👏 earlier 👏

Not in a standalone spinoff. She definitely would have had more interactions with the IC members if she were to become such an important part of their team.

[starry-eyer]

Sunfyre obeying commands said in the common tongue implies absolutely nothing about Aegon’s bond with his dragon.

Dragons are very intelligent magical animals, but they are still animals, and the language they are trained in is the language they’ll understand and respond to.

However, Aegon training Sunfyre in the common tongue does convey something about Aegon. Above all, it shows how disconnected he is from his Valyrian heritage, and due to his disinterest in becoming fluent in High Valyrian, it also suggests that he is simply uninterested in learning more about that side of his identity. This also exemplifies the ongoing assimilation of the Targaryens into Westerosi culture and foreshadows their increasing conformity with Westerosi traditions and values.

Again, Aegon commanding Sunfyre in the common tongue does not say anything about how strong or weak their bond is. It simply shows that Aegon is more or less uninterested in his Valyrian heritage and has assimilated into Westerosi culture more than any other Targaryen at the time (that we’ve seen so far).

Now, I have a lot of gripes with the HOTD writers and the additions and changes that they’ve made, but I see no problem with this one. This isn’t something the HOTD writers wrote in on a whim nor is it more proof of the writers being anti-Aegon (a prominent belief that Aegon stans hold). It is actually very consistent with both Aegon’s previous characterization and the green factions ideology.

So my confusion with team greens outrage lies here with this question: For the team that is so anti-Targaryen, why are you guys angry that Aegon is detached from his Valyrian heritage?

[mythorhuman]

why don't you and most Bonnie stans like her relationship with Enzo?

I don't speak for everyone but that ship was never of interest to me for several reasons. Most of these reasons revolve around Enzo himself. When people do like Enzo, their reasonings have absolutely nothing to do with canon. His accent and appearance hold too much weight because his character is severely lacking. It's kinda like we're watching completely different shows which is the fault of the writers. Enzo was created to be a bad boy for Caroline, but plans changed partially due to Candice's pregnancy. With the shift in plans, comes a lot of revisionist history when it comes to Enzo and his character.

I saw someone say he was a caring person and gave Sarah Salvatore as an example. He literally sought out to destroy her life and then did a random 180. He was the one who put Sarah in danger in the first palace just to mess with Stefan. The flip-flopping pretty much embodies Enzo as a character. He was pissed Stefan killed Maggie and that suddenly went away when he discovered it was Damon. Out of nowhere, he decides he didn't really love Maggie in the first place. Way to treat her as the disposable black girlfriend, Enzo. He was beefing with Stefan obsessively for nothing?! Every other character has a motivation (something to fuel their behavior) and he just doesn't have one. Why the hell did he even stay in Mystic Falls? We don't know! Between his inconsistencies, lack of legitimate motivations and pointlessness, he's exhausting as a character to deal with.

The BE relationship is romanticized to the point of making Enzo an angel. It's honestly a bit preposterous that he is the man they claim deserves Bonnie. How is he any different from the rest of them? People act like he didn't kill innocent people (e.g. Tom Avery). Maybe it's because they don't pay his character any attention. They just ignore that he is a murderous vampire who has also been physically aggressive towards Bonnie. He has no moral high ground in comparison to the rest of vampires. While most of my criticism may seem like an attack on their shippers, it's actually a criticism of how Bonenzo is written.

They don't have much history nor do the actors have chemistry. And the little history that they do have (Enzo attacking Bonnie, Bonnie cutting off his limb) goes completely unaddressed. This is because their relationship isn't built from a connection or shared history. It's built off co-dependency. Their weak bond is further exemplified when Damon returns. Their entire relationship revolves around Damon. Damon shouldn't be able to insert himself so easily into their relationship, if their love was so strong. People shouldn't have to make things up to find things redeemable about Enzo as a character or like BE as a ship. I think part of my issue with Enzo is that the devil (Julie Plec) claimed Bonnie would never be with a murderous vampire. Enzo isn't a saint, despite his last name. He's given a pass for his evil deeds so that the devil can justify keeping Bonnie away from leading male characters. Bonnie isn't seen as a romantic competition for the other female characters. Hell, Enzo even says she isn't used to men fighting over her. In this instance, Enzo is being used by the writers to further belittle Bonnie. To put it simply, Enzo sucked.

[not-goldy]

"Ps: The free jk from jikookers hashtags are cute. I hope they recruit more people to hate on jikook bond till jm is free from you and your cousins Jjk/tkkrs."

Real PJM's would spit in your face, you fake ass stan. You aren't fooling anyone with this ask. PJM's might not like JK, but they would never say this and beg for hate to be thrown on Jimin more then it already is, cause hating on Jikook is hating on Jimin since Jimin chooses to still be around Jk on his own free will and there is not a damn thing you people can do about it. Either support him fully or move the hell on. As for you, just say you hate Jimin and go and stop pretending to be in his corner. As for Real PJM's, not fake ass wannabe's like you, the truth is if they did put their hate aside for JK and supported Jikook's bond more, the hate would not be no where as bad as it is for Jimin cause right now there is only one fanbase defending Jikook. The only ones who actually defend Jimin's choice to be around JK, someone he is clearly close too, and that is Jikookers. PJM's are a powerful fanbase who rivals KTH's and JJK's. And its a shame they are too selfish to take a stand against them cause they don't like JK or Tae and Jimin being around them. It's not just Jk. They don't like Tae either or Vmin. So now what? They don't like none of the members really, but again, they aren't gonna actively hope for more hate on Jimin, no matter who its with. Nice try tho.

BTW not defending PJM's, but I can't stand lying trolls who come in Jikook spaces just to hate on Jikook and find any excuse too.

I'll throw you out the window if you defend those toxic goofy breed and when you say real PJMs won't shit on Jimin out of hatred for Jungkook..... you'd be wrong.

You'd be very wrong. But I digress.

I'll make no exceptions for any of them.

An ableist bunch of people who would turn on Jimin should he show any sign of weakness like they are doing to Jk making fun of his mental health.

When you pay attention to the things they say about Jungkook and his mental health you just can tell they hate Jimin when he expresses similar vulnerabilities.

The only version of Jimin they actually prefer and tolerate is the buffed up "manly" version in military. they be the ones to call him "submissive looking twink" and hate on anyone who accepts that nontraditional masculine version of him.

I recall expressing concerns over jimin being pressured to buff up again and they flocked to my Ask box with comments about me preferring him looking like a submissive twink to feed my JM gay agenda.

If you ever heard bout me having a mental breakdown over Jms body this is the background to it.

Pjms are ableist as fuck never defend them

[yourhighness6]

A Yue Stan's Thoughts on Yue's Character in NATLA

As much as I appreciated what NATLA was trying to do and think it is worth a rewatch, can I just say as an unapolagetic Yue stan that they completely ruined her, and Yukka by extension.

And say whatever you want about her scenes leading up to the sacrifice (which did make me cry, I'll admit, her speech about living was actually a nice addition), but it was actually this line that left me absolutely seething and in my opinion proves that the writers completely misunderstood what made the sacrifice so powerful:

I actually had to pause the television and collect myself after this one because holy fuck is this the stupidest thing I've ever heard. The entire point in the animated show was that she didn't get to make her own choices before this point. She didn't get to choose who to marry, she didn't get to choose her role in society, she didn't get to choose basically anything about her life besides maybe how to style her hair or something. Yue was a character who was extremely dutiful, but also extremely boxed in by her duty. It was both her greatest strength and her greatest weakness, a parody of itself, just as her mere existence was a parody: while she was saved by the moon spirit as a child and allowed to live on, it was that very reason that she eventually gave up her life. And the very fact that she was given these choices in the first place in the LA seriously undermined the idea of her sacrifice. Yue was told her entire life what to do, and although she did manage to find a bit of freedom through her brief romance with Sokka, ultimately, she still didn't get to publicly be with him or reject Hahn or anything similar. Her sacrifice was what she saw as her duty, yes, but her sacrifice for her people was also a way of standing up for herself and finally resolving to make her own choices. In that moment, she not only saved her people, but she finally made a decision for herself instead of doing something someone else told her to, even going against Sokka's wishes to do what she thought was necessary. So in the LA, with her having a place of influence in her community, with her being able to call off her engagement, with her being told that she could one day be chief, to that stupid fucking line implying that she was in no way ever repressed and free to make her own decisions the entire time, removing all of her character growth and any character significance to her actions, it was all basically pointless. It made Yue into a plot device for Sokka to bond with and to move the Aang-and-Kuruk plotline forward. In the animated series, Yue was not a plot device, and she was extremely well written, whereas in NATLA, her character fell completely flat. She talks about responsibility and pressure in her first scene with Sokka, but other than that, she has no depth. In other words, she has no depth besides her relationship to him.

Anyway, I hope we can all agree that her characterization and a lot of the decisions made in the last two episodes of NATLA were nothing but a pile of bulshit. From Iroh killing Zhao to Yukka having zero chemistry to Katara just magically becoming a master to Zuko being shelved to the plotline about Aang not feeling like he belonged having absolutely no buildup beyond a throwaway line in the second episode to everything about Yue I spelled out above, I would go as far to call it just plain bad. Again, I'm glad it got renewed, and I'll be the first to say a lot of other episodes get unnecessary hate, as well as that we are working with slightly different characters (especially Azula) in this version than the first, but I was really disappointed with seeing Yue in LA for a second time.

[dontmixpaintinyourcoffee]

I like rewriting things for fun because this is just what my brain is like, and on my rewatch of Gravity Falls I was struck once again by how out of place "Roadside Attraction" is. Honestly I don't even dislike it that much, it just feels misplaced? Like, it's a season 1 episode thrown in right before we start gearing up the final arc. I'm hardly the only person who thinks this, but I thought it would be fun to throw my hat in the ring and come up with my own alternate version. Thinking about making a comic about it maybe??

So I've given it some thought, and here's how I would write "Roadside Attraction" (with the benefit of 10 years of hindsight, no deadlines, no supervisors breathing down my neck, and access to pieces of storylines that have only all come together completely after the show ended): It got long so it's under the cut.

I really like the idea of the road trip itself, and I really really like the idea of Dipper and Stan getting this bonding episode. Especially with Stan trying to be a role model for Dipper in a way that Ford has no experience with, playing into both of their insecurities of not being good enough. I just think the focus was too messy. There's a lot of different messages that could be fit in to the whole flirting thing, and I think the episode kind of confuses itself. I'm also of the opinion that the show is at its weakest when romance is the focus. It's just infinitely less interesting than the familial and platonic bonds that have been so lovingly set up.

So instead of the focus being on flirting, we're going to one of Stans favorite skills- lying!

The original episode centers Dippers conflict on not knowing how to deal with an unrequited crush and then acting on some bad advice from Stan. But the episode doesn't really succeed in clearly painting what was actually bad about his advice and why it was bad that Dipper followed it, it gets all muddled up (he wasn't cheating, he was literally just talking to people. It's messed up that ultimately he was objectifying them as subjects for "practice", but he also thought these were going to be one-off interactions. It's all too shaky to actually take a lesson away from in the way the episode wants you to.)

So we're shifting the focus from "confidence with girls" to "confidence" in general. Dipper expresses his insecurities with not being a very confident person, he doesn't think he's brave or cool or tough and he's scared of other people seeing him as weak. So Stan tells him to get some practice talking to people the only way he knows how-by making stuff up! It's very easy to be confident if you just pretend you're someone else! Sure, maybe Stan Pines isn't much of a winner, but Hal Forrester is doing great! And who's to know that he's not Hal Forrester? Stan is a showman and a con artist, if there's one thing he knows how to do it's perform. And that's kind of... All... He knows how to do. It's the thing that's kept him alive for 40-odd years. But it originated in a deep-set belief that Stan Pines is a bad person to be. He has to be someone else in order to be someone worth being around.

Most of the episode can play out as it did but with this framework. We can even keep Darlene! (Stan chatted with her under a false name and acted like he was some kinda unattached drifter lone wolfing it on the road. She heard that and thought "oh good, no one to come looking when he goes missing!" Then gets thrown off when a bunch of kids come and save his ass.) And a different side story for Mabel and the girls. Spitballing here- uhhh Candy and Grenda try to distract Mabel from her feelings about her Summer Romances because she's clearly upset but is trying to hide it. Wacky shenanigans abound. By the end the theme about authenticity comes full circle and Mabel feels better by earnestly talking through her feelings with her friends. It gives Candy and Grenda a bit more time to have some real emotion and follows up on Mabels lesson in "Society of the Blind Eye". She already learned that it's better to live with the bad stuff and learn, but now she also knows that you don't have to carry the bad stuff alone, and that a good friend won't stop being your friend because you aren't performing happiness. That theme can then be picked back up and really hammered home during "Escape From Reality" when she starts facing how shallow Mabelland is.

Anyways back to the primary A plot:

Instead of the crowd of girls it's just a crowd of kids who are all calling him by a different name and claiming to have bonded over a bunch of different interests he doesn't actually have, so he panics and runs out of there. (Basically a Kidz Bop version of what would happen if some of Stan's old "buddies" caught up with him)

Now on the drive home, they have a different conversation. Stan admits that his way of doing things isn't a very stable one, and it always ends with him being alone, but since it was his only option for so long he doesn't really know how else to be. And then Dipper can reassure him that, he, at least, thinks his Grunkle Stanley is pretty great. (Emphasis on the Stanley). Maybe they can both figure out how to be actually confident, together.

ALSO THE B PLOT IS FORD BEING LEFT HOME ALONE WITH WENDY AND IT'S REALLY AWKWARD UNTIL MONSTER STUFF HAPPENS AND THEY GAIN A MUTUAL RESPECT FOR EACH OTHER AS BADASSES!

The monster stuff could be anything tbh, maybe the science magic bullshit from the portal reactivating aggravated a long sleeping cryptid and now it's out for revenge on whoever interrupted its nap. That way we can reinforce that the space between dimensions is weak for a plot sprinkle while primarily focusing on emotional development for the main characters before we get into "Dipper and Mabel vs. The Future". I called it a B plot but it's honestly probably more of a glorified cutaway gag, I don't know how feasible it is to fit all of this into one episode.

I have a really specific scene that I would want to happen at the climax of their side story where Wendy saves Ford's ass at the last minute when he wasn't expecting it and he's like

"How on earth did you manage that?!"

"Dude, my dad is Dan Corduroy. I've been training for stuff like this since I could walk."

"Boyish Dan???????"

And then Wendy suddenly has tons of new ammo to tease her dad with because no one has dared use that name since the 80s

[oristian]

Our favorite Azriel stan 🦇🖤💙 !!

1.  Why is Azriel one of your favorite characters?

2.  Is there a specific scene that made you like them?

3.  What theories/headcanons do you have for Azriel?

4.  Feel free to share anything else about Azriel that the questions didn’t cover!

my man, my man, my man

1. Why is Azriel one of your favorite characters? Azriel wormed his way to being top of my list, right up there with Nesta—literally two sides of the same coin. His potential for growth is so overwhelming. Already, he is such a misguided character, loyal to a fault, and someone who has yet to experience what love truly is. His story is so heartbreaking, but I just know that his book is going to be so emotional and raw that it will both break me and build me up again.

2. Is there a specific scene that made you like him? The scene that stuck with me the hardest is HOFAS where he calmed down Nesta from the power of the Mask and held her in his arms. It is so touching and such a raw display of how he is as a friend and I cannot wait to see more moments like that in his book! As for liking his prior, he had always been a character that I kept an eye on—seeing how deeply he cares for his mother was another reason I fell for him.

3. What theories/headcanons do you have for Azriel? Azriel suffering from chronic pain in his hands from the burns, yet attempting to hide the pain to appear normal in front of everyone else. I think he has a reluctancy to ask for help and he would find himself to be weak in a moment of need. One theory I absolutely adore will be coming next month during Azriel Week!

4. Feel free to share anything else about Azriel that the questions didn’t cover! I want to see him happy. Yes, we have moments in the books where he is enjoying himself, making jokes, et cetera., but he is not fully happy. I want Azriel to be able to look at himself and not feel ashamed of what his hands have done. I also want him to find his own mate, as he is the character most deserving of a mating bond.

[harukapologist]

hi milgramblr... before i go to sleep... i have a thought about Haruka and Mahiru in t3 (with a little doodle i made a while ago)

Is it just me who is seeing a big possibility that haruka & muu's codependency breaks in t3, but another codependency forms between haruka and mahiru... not romantic, just like haruka and muu, but still an unhealthy friendship

Haruka will probably be severely injured in t3, so he'll probably be spending most of his time with shidou, mahiru and fuuta. Mahiru is so desperate to give love, and Haruka has already always been so desperate to receive love, but after being voted guilty & (probably) getting neglected by yet another mother figure, he will be in dire need of any comfort, any love... and I'm afraid he'll latch onto mahiru for that reason. and she'll try to cheer him up, mahiru being mahiru, but they'll also bond over their pain... Mahiru might get better in t3 especially with the innocent verdict, but i imagine she's still going to be in considerable pain

also i dont know if it means anything or if it was on purpose but in the teddyloid jailbreak megamix, harrow transitions to weakness, and weakness transitions to tihtbilwy, and later on, bring it on transitions to magic. We've already seen Kotoko interacting with Haruka (the birthday tl that got all of us haruka stans in shambles ueueue) and we're already seeing that Fuuta and Amane are getting closer and there's a possibility for indoctrination, so was the transition from Haruka to Mahiru also foreshadowing something?

I still hope Haruka & Futa or Haruka & Mikoto get closer as well because there is so much potential for interesting developments (Haruka & fuuta in particular; come on fuuta going out of his way just to check up on haruka, and them being water & fire, it must mean something, i want their bond to grow aaa) but I really really think this is where t3 is headed, for the most part, when it comes to haruka and mahiru. I wonder what will mahiru's birthday tl be like.

I know mahiru is already spending most time with shidou and yuno that's why I'm saying it's just a possibility, and that Fuuta is likely to be another person Haruka spends most of time with too, but idk man, I really have a feeling Haruka and Mahiru will get attached to each other. My boy will you stop falling into codependencies. At least mahiru would probably somewhat care about Haruka as a person rather than a tool. Not to say muu didn't care about him at all, or that she's evil for it, but her idea of caring about someone is very shallow.

I have so many predictions for t3 im going insane. Its going to be disastrous and im EXCITED

[itselriel]

you know what's so wild and so disappointing to me about elucien stans? they don't even like elain! the amount of elucien stans i've seen that are constantly saying things like "elain is boring, she's one of my least favorite characters, she's weak, etc etc etc" or "the elucien book is going to make me like elain" like!! what do you mean you love this ship so much when you don't even like half of that ship!! it's so disgusting to me honestly because it shows how so many of them only like elucien because they think lucien "deserves" her as some kind of compensation for whatever he's been through. elain is literally one of my favorite characters and that's one of the biggest reasons why i ship elriel so hard

THIS !!!!!!

It’s no surprise that I hate Lucien. But his stans make it worse for sure. I’m going to put this in the most simple way I can so maybe people could understand it better.

Elain is uncomfortable around Lucien. Lucien is uncomfortable around Elain. Elain is a shell of herself when Lucien is around. Lucien said he cannot stand to be in the same room as Elain. Elain doesn’t want Lucien. Lucien doesn’t want Elain. Lucien would make Elain miserable. Elucien is like Feyre and Tamlin 2.0. Elucien is a toxic ship.

Elain has done more in three books than Lucien has done in the entire series.

Lucien deserves NOTHING from Elain. Absolutely NOTHING. The only thing Elain should do regarding Lucien other than breaking their bond is slap him across the face for being a bystander in her sisters abuse and being a part of the reason her and Nesta were put in the cauldron against their will.

[sixersigned]

lil wishlist cause i see everybody throwing their own on the dash (which i am grabby at them all):

I am always offering baby ford. Like give me time travel shenanigans, or if your muse was around in his era, have them meet! ALSO JUST MORE GLASS SHARD BEACH THREADS.

TIMESTUCK AUS. Give younger ford his future niblings, or i can hand you a baby ford in the far future not knowing all the fucked up things his future self is going to do!

Accepting reverse falls stuff, always. :3 Lemme' yeet my grumpy old warlock at your muse! Man locks himself up in his study all day so you gotta drag him out... or convince him ur important.

mind electric mind electric mind--

MYSTERY TRIO, MYSTERY TRIO. I need Stan and Fidds content; just the whole premise of Stan being there pre-portal really throws in some interesting (and painful) dynamics!

also the... it could've been different au. like ford actually LISTENS to F or something like that one dimension. (and stan is there. :/ we need stan there)

what if the axolotl stayed.

i have a weakness for fiddauthor and billford. this is not new to me. I crave angst for those platonic or not.

honestly... who is going to talk to ford about the triangle in the room. i NEED someone to talk to ford abt the triangle in the room. leading up to b/ob he dealt with all that shit himself.

I NEED MABEL AND FORD BONDING... ALWAYS

au where everything is the same but ford was there since tourist trapped, like weirdly meshed with nwhs. I JUST THINK FORD NEEDED MORE SCREENTIME, HERES A WHOLE AU

2012 baby with the high school and university aus. where they at

ford dealing with his hubris & coming to terms with his hurtful actions in the past. my man is smart but hes so. stupid

literally any crossover verses, especially dbd bc that is constantly in the back of mind (i couldnt escape that franchise if i tried LMAO).

the blackout club is a solo multiplayer game where the adults are under a supernatural hivemind & the kids have to save the town before they reach hosting age and conform to the evil masters. yes im putting forth indie obscure game propaganda anyway tbc aus where are they

me claiming to care abt ford plenty but i think he should have his family used against him as a treat. never forget he would've let weirdmageddon go global for those kids :')

au where stan never remembered there u can kill me now

uhhh tba i'll add more when i remember them

[felikatze]

yall know i take heroes for a grain of salt unless it suits my agenda,,, but man brave robin's forging bonds is all over the place

namely in how the whole grima thing is handled

it swings HEAVILY in favor of the "grima is possessing robin" angle yet it ALSO ties grima's awakening explicitly to robin's emotions, which, why would that matter if he's possessed?

the phrase "blood of the fell dragon" comes up a lot. also iirc first time a grima calls robin a vessel? grima sure doesn't in awakening itself (fp notwithstanding), and also only female grima does it??? either by intent or happenstance it seems that f grima is gunning for the possession angle where as m grima is more on the emotions angle

like there's dissonance going on about the plain text of the conversation ("grima will take control of robin") and the themes of the conversation ("this can be averted if robin maintains hope, and even the grimas could become robin again if they find it")

ok let me just. compile.

obligatory disclaimer: i am in HUGE favor of the reincarnation angle and vocal disliker of the vessel angle but only my fellow grima stans know that and i cant expect everyone to have in depth knowledge of my grima takes. i am gonna Try to be a lil objective here

tldr intsys needs to stop being apolitical and just PICK A SIDE within the grima trenches already. add to this the timeline confusion of depths of despair, yeah, Grima in heroes is very muddy.

ok so i took a whole BUNCH of screenshots and they're all in german because (points at map of where i live) but that tends to follow english closely. expect minor translation differences ofc

C Support

This one is pretty plain in just the grimas waltzing up to robin going "hey grima is gonna possess you one day lmao. get scared"

Choice quotes from this one:

1. Robin: W-who are you? No, oh no... Could you be what becomes of me under the fell dragon's influence?

2. F Grima: Know your place, mortal. You are nothing more than Grima's vessel.

Yah. I can argue abt the validity of heroes lore all I like but within the convo itself this is just plain text.

B Support

So this is where the first doubts creep in. F Grima continues her spiel about Robin saying that "Grima's blood flows in those veins without a doubt." I wont reiterate every single time someone does this bcuz Image Limit, but it is primarily F Grima and Brave Robin.

1. M Grima: The knowledge of what you really are will haunt you forever.

2. F Grima: That is all we had to say to you. Take our words to heart... other Robin.

Here we get into my preferred angle. Not only is M Grima saying that being Grima is Robin's true nature, but F Grima directly acknowledges that she and M Grima are both also Robin, which is an odd choice if it's just Grima possessing Robin speaking. Cuz then the person speaking would not, in fact, be Robin.

Then, when the two Grimas are alone and giggling at their rehearsed performance, F Grima says this:

1. F Grima: Maybe the created discomfort will be enough to awaken the Fell Dragon.

2. F Grima: Maybe soon, monstrous flowers of ruin will bloom from the sown doubt.

So this is getting into the logistics of how Grima will awaken (inevitably, of course /s). In Awakening itself, a read of Robin as the vessel would have you believe only the rite at the Dragon's Table is necessary to do so. Here, however, F Grima says it's Robin's despair that will cause Grima's return, which she has already sown the seeds for.

In fact, causing Robin to doubt himself to sooner awaken Grima is explicitly what the two Grimas approached him for. This is their goal! But why would that even be necessary if all that was needed was for Validar to brainwash Robin and drag them to the Table? No despair needed! Robin's emotional state is irrelevant in that scenario.

You can argue of course that emotional weakness would make it easier for Grima to take control of Robin,,, but that never comes up. It's always Robin loses hope = Grima awakens.

A Support

Here, Brave Robin mentions being of Grima's blood a whopping three times in a row before Chrom can cut in. The Grimas words weigh on his mind and he's looking for reassurance from his boyfriend.

Brave Robin: The blood of the Fell Dragon could awaken within me one day... Doesn't that scare you?

Chrom's response here is notable. (Images cut for the damn 10 image limit on mobile)

Chrom: The day could come, where I, too, fall prey to my own despair. But even then I'm sure that I wouldn't stray from the right path with you by my side.

Again, Grima is not framed as a possessive force, but as Robin's own despair and hopelessness. Chrom would have no ground to compare the two if the former was the case. How would you even compare your own depression with your friend being taken over by a hostile spirit?

This is the dissonance I was talking about.

S Support

Robin, emboldened by Chrom's support, confronts the two Grimas.

F Grima: As long as you live, the Fell Dragon can take possession of you at any moment.

Robin says he has the blood of the demon dragon with the weird as hell "those veins" line. Who says that??? Did yall forget possessive pronouns exist. Just say "my veins" dear boy

anyway.

Robin: It's true that the blood of the Fell Dragon runs through these veins. But that circumstance only calls for more discipline on my part.

Robin: The knowledge of my nature only makes me more determined to never betray my allies' trust.

Here we have both in the same speech! Here, whether he succumbs to Grima is entirely put on Robin and Robin's determination. As well, he says that it's "his nature." Like yeah, this could mean "his nature as Grima's vessel", but that would be a weird use of the word nature (in the meaning of personality and disposition).

Like, again, the focus is on Grima as a result of Robin's emotional state. The two are directly tied and correlating.

To end of, shrortly beforr the Grimas leave, Robin says to them

"Maybe you can escape the Fell Dragon's fangs and walk your own path one day."

Like yeah the literal meaning is again "maybe the robins can be saved from grima" but it can also be taken in a metaphorical sense of "maybe the robins can free themselves from the role of grima."

i'm just generally befuddled. i do like the thematic thread of "robin will never become grima if he keeps hope." but the possession stuff is so entirely literal. but then why - god i already said this.

Grima loving hours incoming! Feel free to skip i just love them.

The one upside for this, for my terminal Grima brainrot - Grima's motivations in this are so tasty to chew on. I mentioned before, the Grimas approach Robin with the intent of making him despair in the face of his inevitable destiny. But Robin doesn't, refutes them - he says that if he changed, so could they.

This is fascinating, cuz I think brave Robin terrifies them for this exact reason. He's just oblivious, he's the one who'll change, just see - yet he doesn't. He is the living proof destiny can change. Here we see again, Grima as hopelessness. They need destiny to be inevitable. Because then it's not a choice to be hopeless anymore. Things couldn't have gone better. What if Robin's bonds weren't meaningless trifles, though? It's a challenge to everything the Grimas had to accept.

But look around. This is Askr. People meet other versions of themselves by the dozen - with different fates and circumstances.

Grimas' reason to speak to Robin really just seems scared of change. The final take away from the S support for Robin is that maybe they can change too, after all. Grima is terrified of change! Of hope! Of becoming Robin again! Because then what was it all for? Why did they have to suffer so much? Isn't it unfair? Isn't the thought that you could've gotten luckier unbearable? Grima is my sopping wet meow meow, if you couldn't tell.

Grima fan hours over, back to complaining.

another layer of confusion for the setting of this is is... when is this robin from, exactly?

so brave robin is said to be the tactician of the "newly crowned" exalt, matching legendary chrom's time period. This gives us precisely two options, each with their own issues:

This Robin is from the two year timeskip after chapter 12, where Chrom assumes the throne after Emmeryn's death.

This Robin is from a post canon ending wherein Chrom becomes exalt for realsies (likely only viable for a Chrom ending).

The issue with the first one is: Robin wouldn't know that he's fellblood at this point? He starts suspecting it in chapter 13, obviously because the grimleal hierophant has his exact name and face, as well as Validar's attempt at telepathy. He'd have to be from after the timeskip if that is the case.

Of course, he could be hearing this for the first time from the Grimas. In that case, his reaction is extraordinarily mild. And his first words to them are "Could you be what becomes of me under the fell dragon's influence?" If he's hearing this for the first time, what a wild conclusion that is to make. Again, he'd have no clue he's fellblood, that this is even a scenario that could happen at all.

The issue with the second option is that Robin... would have nothing to be afraid of? He would have already confronted the self that became Grima and defeated it. At which point this whole forging bonds becomes an entirely redundant character arc that really would just be inferior to the equivalent moment in Awakening itself. Robin cites himself as proof that the Grimas could change, indicating a post-canon mindset, but then, why do their words initially get to him so much?

I don't think he'd just be second act Robin either - Chrom would've already been Exalt for two years at that point, which makes the "newly-crowned" comment odd.

All around I'm.. mildy disappointed with this one. As stated just now, it's a redundant arc that doesn't show us anything new about Robin.

Looking at Soren's - that one really took advantage of the Heroes setting to display Soren's growth as a character. The interactions between him and Ranulf were great and funny, and the way he opens up to his younger self shows that Ike's kindness affected him.

Corrin also got great moments with Gullveig. It was amazing to see a post-revelations Corrin who succeeded in ending a war through communication, and how she carries it forward into solving conflicts now, no matter how dire, by extending compassion to the summoned Gullveig. I haven't finished her own storyline yet, but I already liked seeing her interact with Azura and Lilith.

By comparison, this is a scenario that literally already happens in the game itself. It elaborates more on Grima as a metaphor for hopelessness, yet muddles the logistics of it by not committing to either option to what Grima is in relation to Robin.

All around. Love Brave Robin! Great outfit! He's very cute! Another win for gay marriage! His forging bonds? Mehhhh.

Despite the ongoing discussion of "What timeline even IS this??", at least Depths of Despair gave us something new in a bad timeline chrobin dynamic. this is heroes goddammit. get crazy with it.

i would literally kill for robin-idunn interaction you would not believe. could you imagine brave robin and spring idunn interacting,,,, i am crying just thinking about it.

FEH has done a great deal to really uplift Grima as a character and add more depth to what the game gave us, both in backstory crumbs and the motivation department, so seeing them fumble the bag here is just disappointing. Can they get their own lore together already?

[i-swear-its-only-ironical]

So, I did Latin for 7 years. WAIT, STOP HEAR ME OUT!

I did my final school exam on Ovid's "Metamorphoses" and the one thing that significantly shaped my view on media was Ovid's understanding of love.

When we think about romance and romantic love today, we tend to think of it as a saving grace, something that completes you. Falling in love in fiction implies a positive bond, something that will eventually help you. There are whole subgenres on the idea that "Love can save you"; "The Power of Love" is a pretty famous trope, right?

Now, Ovid also saw falling in love as a strong but, alas not always one that saves you. In almost every myth he reinterpreted in his "Metamorphoses" love creates - but only through destruction. Here, love is a force of nature, something even the gods aren't immune against. Love is rapturous and terrifying, more an uncontrollable forest fire than a tender candle flame. Love is complicated, the very act of falling so big that no one can even measure the effects it will have on the individual, the community, the world.

One of my favourite scenes in the poetic cycle tells the story about Apollo arguing with Cupido (son of Venus, basically her right hand). It goes like this:

Young Apollo just slew a beast. Standing on it, bloody bow in hand, he spots Cupido and brags: "Look at my skill, my power. I am the element tipping scales in wars, only one hit with my arrow is enough to kill the most gigantic monsters. What can you do with your weak bow, your mediocre arrows? Love, this feeble thing? Forever I will be the better archer between the both of us."

And Cupido, angry, just smiles: "My arrow may not kill any beast in one strike, but it'll strike you. And it'll destroy.

And it does. Apollo gets hit by an arrow and immediately falls in love with the nymph Daphne. Cupido also hits her with an arrow, not one for love but for eternal hate.

Long story short: Apollo runs after her, she begs her father, a river, to help her. He transforms her into a laurel tree, causing Apollo's heart to break. This is why he gets portrayed with a laurel crown in mythological pictures. He wears it to never forget his first love.

This, btw, is one of a gazillion stories where Apollo falls in love with someone and that person dies, gets transformed into flora or eternally hates him. Just because he messed with Cupido once (1)! Cupido and his mother Venus are incredibly petty and power hungry. Ovid's message is rather clear: do not fuck with love! Do not underestimate it! Don't try controlling the forest fire, you will burn yourself.

Love and the loss of it, in Ovids works, is more often than not associated with pain, sometimes implied to be worse than death, sometimes implied to be better than heaven. It creates, it destroys, it lets you learn and fall and stand up again. Love isn't something positive (or negative) - it just is. And you have to deal with that, whether you like it or not.

And I love the implications with this conceptualisation, because love hurts although it may be right, it may be cute, it may be essential. "Uwu such a cute romance sto-" NO. Cute? Love isn't cute, love is bigger than your tiny, short, pathetic life. Love is uncontrollable. Love is chaos.

Sooo, this is a fandom post after all, so I'll get to Stolitz now. If you're just here for me fangirling about Ovid (love that guy, we stan someone that knows his metrics), you can check out now. Hope you had fun reading!

If you think about love like Ovid things about it, isn't it oh-so-understandable why Blitzø fears it so much? It ties you to someone, you float in an ocean and everywhere you look, you see only horizon and waves. And for someone that only has experience with how love destroys (flashback with Fizz birthday, also whatever the fuck happened with his twin sister Barbie) falling of course feels like fucking drowning. You try to act normal, as if there would be normal ground under your feet. You don't try to swim (why bother? Never worked out anyway) and because you don't even try, you start sinking, choking on your own infatuation, with no safe haven, no anchor, no land in sight. You're alone, lungs filling with water, slowly losing consciousness while the sounds of the earth above you are getting quieter, the world desaturated of its colour.

"Are you afraid to love people, Blitzy?" - Of course he is? Why wouldn't he? Are you afraid of forest fires?

And to add on that: he feels completely alone in his own conscious, his emotions for Stolas. Because like hell he'd be vulnerable in front of his friends or crush. He's way to deep anyway, everything is dark blue. No one will hear you and even if: you would not want them to listen. Blitzø wants to drown in silence, not having a say in if he drowns at all because, like I said, love is way too big for you to control.

Similar with Stolas, although his view on the fire isn't that pessimistic. He knows how powerful emotions are and doesn't even try to contain them. At first, he almost revels in the waves. Did you ever swim at night, the stars above you multiplied by the water below you? There is nothing but the waves and the stars and the sky. There is nothing, there is everything. Stolas likes loving, he sees beauty and contempt in it. But eventually he sees that there isn't land in sight, that you alone cannot survive this vastness of nature also.

You cannot control the Ocean, cannot control the forest fire, but you can try to coordinate. This is the only way to survive this terrifying ordeal called love.

So he swims, tries to swim at least and he looks for Blitzø, realising they'll both go down with this relationship if they won't find the other between the waves. And he swims and swims, screaming, while Blitzø drowns him out. He cannot hear him, because he cannot accept that pretending there is land under your feet won't magically make the ocean disappear. He'd need to swim, but what good did that ever cause him?

Ok that's all. Thank you. :)

[bloogers-boogers]

Ok so since I can't be anonymous anymore it's time I reveal myself so hello, ur literally my fav artist! Here is the image

Firstly I want to say that it still baffles me that I'm ur fav artist, I'm super flattered but also very grateful, thank you!! That makes me emotional 😭💖💖

Also, in regard of your ask, these are the three main ships I like! 💕

I have hc of each one of them, but I feel it would be a long ass text, but I will try to sum them up for you in the shortest way possible!

Kyman: a bickering hate/friendemies/friends/love romance that pretty much begins with the two disliking each other from the start of their friendship bc of their very different opinions and the way to handle things. They are equal! Mentally and physically; they have different reasons to put their skill and intelligence for, which is why they fight a lot. Kyle would use these qualities for good or right while Cartman refuses to use his abilities for the right and rather go for the wrongs. Their strength is basically based on what they find necessary to do. Cartman is seen as weak when it comes to confrontation (mostly with Kyle) but if Kyle were put himself in trouble all that weakness is vanish, he is strong af, he's just lazy and has no need to put it to use unless it's Kyle in danger. When it comes to Kyle however he uses it to correct Cartman or save him, but normally he doesn't feel the need to waste his energy on punching Cartman when he's his usual neutral dumb self (just one punch and he knocks him out).

Also they're very similar in the way they act; Kyle is just more easy to shrug off while being around an actual menace with no shame. The perfect example of the same coin.

A odd pair that throughout the years developed a bond and trust like no other duo to how obsessed they are with each other. Very obsessed. And yeah, conflict feelings, they fall in love and are even more obsessed with the other but more relaxed. Obnoxious but relaxed nonetheless.

Stendy: Their first and childhood love/highschool sweethearts! It's starts as innocent and cute, then the type of careless and "toxic" you'd expect from literal kids; which is why it's hard to expect much seriousness from it. They care for each other a lot! But unfortunately they have lots of breakups until they finally just had enough (I hc Stan ending it for good in six grade!) But the pair falls again throughout middle school but refuse to make any advances besides just enjoying being friends. They find comfort in their company. Highschool changes that after a long period of being good friends, secret pinning and nervous outbursts. Stan confesses again but this time they're both sure of what they want and starts taking their relationship seriously. They decide to put their relationship on hold while going to college and agreed that if the other no longer had any feelings for the other after reuniting again they would just end things peacefully. Ofcourse, theirs some dating here and there but they find their way, again, to each other. They can't help it, they just have that chemistry, the type that's hard to let go. Nostalgic, maybe? Warm and at home feeling. They get together, have a couple of dates and get married immediately. Cartman thinks it's gay tho.

Kenrietta: their relationship is based on rituals and curses! Mostly Kenny's curse~ Henrietta actually starts getting along with Karen after the little girl couldn't stopped looking for her in advice of her new goth phase and ofc looks up to her. So Henrietta just accepted her around, eventually however, Karen would reveal to her about her "guardian angel" which she would eventually just talk endlessly about him. She then told Henrietta it was mysterion and that's were Henrietta would blurt out "the poor kid?" (I hc that the goths know who mysterion is) but yeah, ofc Karen laughs it off guessing Henrietta was just assuming and let's it go. She meets Kenny when the bastard literally crashes inside her window (firework incident, typical main 4 shit) during a ritual with her friends and Karen. He greeted them causally as he walks dizzily to the center of the ritual unaware of whatever thing they were doing. Kenny gets sacrifice during that! And the next day it was like nothing happened until Henrietta and the goths start feeling some weird connection towards Kenny and they assumed it had something to do with the ritual 'that Kenny messed it up for them and ran off from'. After all that, they drag Kenny's ass into their mess (mostly Karen had to convince him) and eventually start hanging out with them thinking their dark stuff was cool. Eventually getting closer to Henrietta, falling in love first and telling her also about his curse. She believed him oddly enough for his surprise! But he was very grateful unlike with his friends who didn't believe him at all. And yeah that's how their thing started. They have their own thing going on outside the other so they're not together most of the time, but their closest friends and family know they're a "thing". They're not possessive or the slightest clingey type, they understand if the other is in need of space and will give it if necessary. They're pacient, very pacient with the other if they're acting "dumb" and will never back off to point out their bullshit if they're being dismissive about it. They have a lot of dark humor too.

Sorry if it's long! But if there's another ship you're interested in me doing just ask! Those are just personally my main ones Cx