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lliminall · 1 year

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ok but what about yandere giorno who gets jealous super easily to the point where he gets jealous of everything and everyone that has his darling's attention for more than a minute

and when they are meeting up with some of his friends one of them, i don't know, let's say fugo or a random character that you can create, is too touchy for his liking (let's say hugs darling too much or tries to be near them).

how do you think he will react? what will he do?

I live for jealous yans

tags: gn reader, yandere, possessive behavior

You are late coming into the cafe this morning. Or rather, you are a few minutes behind your usual routine, because you haven’t actually agreed to meet Giorno at the little table by the window you love to sit at each morning. It shouldn’t matter. It’s only a few minutes. But this is the only time he’s able to speak with you, and Giorno has already been deprived of your presence for the last week.

It’s a shame that Passione business often keeps him away for such stretches of time, and a greater shame still that you don’t realize just how out of his way he’s gone to align his morning routine with yours. The warm mug of mocha in his hands is adequate at best. The coffee isn’t the reason he comes to this place.

Another glance at his watch, another minute you’ve yet to arrive, and he really doesn’t have much time this morning before he must get back to work. He thumbs at the tube of chapstick in his pocket. Your favorite scent, the label peeling from its time spent in the pockets of your purse. He could imbue it with life, follow it straight to you, find out exactly what’s happened to keep you away-

Ah. There you are.

Meandering distractedly down the street, deep in conversation with an individual he doesn’t recognize. A man who tugs you to the side of the walkway to lean in close and show you something on his phone. You lean in as well, angling to see the screen, and your face is close to his. Too close.

It’s a position Giorno has found himself in once before. Standing in line beside you as you wave him in to look at the newest pictures in your phone’s gallery. He remembers the soft scent of your perfume, the warmth radiating from your skin, his arm nudging yours.

He knows exactly what this man is doing. It’s what Giorno himself does every time he finds a way into your presence. The need to be near you.

You’re laughing at whatever this man has shown you. The energy of it sends you curling into yourself, further into the space of this…intruder. The man doesn’t look away from you for even a second as you straighten and settle down, distracted again by whatever video is playing in front of you. Giorno knows the look in this man’s eyes. He knows, as well, that you’re as oblivious to it on him as you are of it on Giorno.

There is something cold settling into the core of Giorno’s chest. Frigid. Tight. Bitter. You look up at the man to chatter at him animatedly, and he leans against the wall behind him to gaze down at you with something not unlike infatuation. He settles into your space and his thigh touches yours. You don’t seem to notice. You don’t pull away.

Giorno stands and brushes smoothly past the doorway.

“Ah, signorina,” he greets you as he crosses the street. “I was beginning to think you’d slept in again. And here I was thinking you wouldn’t get to enjoy the croissant I saved for you.”

“Oh my god. You did not,” you say, but your face betrays your excitement. For all your insistence against him paying for your morning meals, you’ve never once turned down food from him.

“It was the last one and I thought you might appreciate it,” he says. Giorno looks briefly at the man standing beside you, who straightens and casts Giorno a perturbed look. It’s quickly wiped away as you turn to face him.

“Carlo, this is my friend Giorno. We both come to this cafe a lot,” you say.

Carlo gives Giorno a short smile.

“Good to meet you,” he says. “I’m a high school friend of theirs. (Y/n) and I got into a lot of trouble together, right?”

You roll your eyes at him. “Whatever. You got into trouble, I saved your ass before your parents could find out.”

Carlo gives you a genuine smile, and that tightness in Giorno’s chest returns.

“(Y/n) does seem to have a knack for doing charity work,” Giorno says. “I often have to remind them to pick their battles. Sometimes it isn’t worth the effort.”

His friendly expression belies the barb in his words. Carlo looks at Giorno for a hard second, as if deciding whether or not he’s been insulted, and whether or not he should do something about it. Giorno takes the opportunity to turn to you again.

“Should I finish off your croissant myself?” he says. “I would hate for it to go to waste.”

“What? No!” you say, and pull away from Carlo with a laugh. “It was nice catching up with you,” you tell your friend as you motion for Giorno to follow you. “I’m starving. But we should finish talking another time!”

Carlo nods and waves you goodbye with a look on his face that hasn’t quite processed what just happened. In the span of a few seconds Giorno has snatched you up again, sparing one last glance at your interloper before turning on his heel and offering you his arm to cross the road.

Giorno holds the door open as you slip inside, falling straight into your usual seat at your usual table and digging happily into the food he left for you. He settles in with his mocha again, feeling the bitterness fade into a subtle thrum beneath his skin.

“I know what you were doing back there,” you say in between bites of food. “If I was feeling bold today, I’d say you were acting a little…” you place your finger to your chin in faux contemplation, fixing him with a stare that’s chastising, but playful enough that he knows he gotten away with it. “Jealous?”

Giorno hides his smile behind his mug.

“Can you blame me?” he asks. “It’s been far too long since I had the pleasure of your company. And your food was getting cold.”

You level him with an unimpressed stare as you chew your cold croissant.

“Giorno Giovanna. You’re lucky I let you bribe me with food.”

He watches you, content, as you finish off your breakfast.

“And lucky that I let you run other men off when you haven’t even asked me out yourself,” you add knowingly.

Giorno pauses with his cup midway to his mouth. His pulse skips, and for the first time he feels as if he’s the one under the weight of your analyzing stare. It’s a nice feeling, to be held under the microscope of your undivided attention. He clears his throat.

“Well. In that case, you’ll have to let me buy you dinner next. So you can tell them you have a boyfriend, and run them off yourself.”

You take a long sip of your coffee and smile at him. “I guess I will.”

The bitterness under his skin thrums quietly, but Giorno presses it down to bask fully in the light of your (finally, finally) shared affection.

There’s a phone in his pocket with a number that can take care of your interloping friend in minutes. There are any number of ways he can excise this miserable emotion from himself. A threat, an accident, a well-placed accusation of wrongdoing on your annoying new friend. Giorno supposes it will depend on his mood once he leaves you here.

But for now, he will let you ramble to him about the work day you have coming up, your plans for the weekend, your new favorite show. He’ll let you lean in close to him to show him that funny video, and he’ll lay his hand over yours to steady the phone as you dip into his space.

There’ll be time to figure out how to deal with this blight, after he’s satiated himself with the knowledge that you’re his, his, his.

The video ends and you curl your fingers into his, entwining your hands on the table.

Lucky, indeed.

#giorno x reader #yandere giorno x reader #yandere giorno #giorno giovanna #yandere giorno giovanna #giorno giovanna x reader #jjba x reader #yandere jjba x reader #asks.ll #my works.ll #giorno.ll #jjba.ll

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rayplacement · 4 days

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Rayman / Fakeman selective rp. est 2024, April 27th.

This blog is a selective literate, semi-literate rp blog of the character Rayman from the Netflix series Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix. I will be leaning on CLH Rayman (real version) for some of my take on Fake’s personality and will also heavily lean on HC based interpretations of my own until we see more of him in a hopeful season 2.

I will be writing literate or semi-literate when interacting, but I prefer literate. You can interact however you like to, but just know I will reply in some length and all I ask is please give me something to work with. (If you do " unserious " roleplays, go for it. I can work with that too.)

Bio, portrayal, connections, etc. under cut.

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐨

Being let go from his job after an incident, Rayman was left feeling hurt and betrayed. He knew deep down in his own mind that they wouldn't...no, COULDN'T continue the Rayman Show and news without his likeliness. I mean, how could they? He was the host, the face, the main man of the broadcast which was shown throughout all of EDEN. The main show was named after him after all. Unfortunately, upon viewing the channel to see how they could have continued without him; there it was. A fully cloned lookalike of himself was seen talking directly towards the crowd from the screen of his TV.

Rayman, nicknamed Fakeman, Rayplacement, and sometimes FakeRay by the fan base, is Rayman's cloned counterpart who was evidently made to replace the actual Rayman. He is shown to be acting like the former; and shown as happy-go-lucky, sassy, and civic.

𝐇𝐂𝐬 & 𝐇𝐂 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐝𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐬

Rayman is more snarky, classy, flirtatious, and more dramatic than the previous Rayman.

Despite having a friendly face and friendly demeanor, he is shown to be more short tempered when not being broadcasted live. This Rayman also adores attention and having eyes on him. He practically lives off it.

When talking to someone, he often looks ahead of him and speaks out loud as if he has a crowd cheering him on from being used to the routine.

He tends to bow often and even clap after something good happens or something pleases him.

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

When interacting, feel free to choose a starting connection from below. Keep in mind this is OPTIONAL. It just helps me understand if you want him to act a certain way towards your character first.

𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐒 -

You are a fan of " Rayman." He sees you pop up at times, giving you autographs when asked and gives you one sided yet friendly gestures. He isn't your friend of course, just fulfilling a simple cater to a fan.

𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒 -

He confides in you. He will tell you how his day of work was without sprinkling non hardships. He finds you entertaining and good to be around.

𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒 -

What started off as a simple friendship now is closer. He confides in you and tells you many things. He trusts you and you trust him. He tells you about how his days are or really anything without sprinkling in sugar.

𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐄𝐒 -

Fake will poke fun of, make snarky remarks, and get all hot headed when he is around you. What a brat. He cannot stand the utter thought of being with someone like you for more than five seconds.

𝐍𝐄𝐔𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐋 -

He sees you at diners, clubs, and sometimes at the corner of a shop. He occasionally gives you a smile and sometimes even a wave. You two sometimes talk to one another when you so happen to run into each other. However despite this, nothing special comes to fruition. But that can change.

𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 ~

What a strange feeling. You two have been together for awhile and somehow you're here. He calls you by nicknames such as darling, my beloved, and dearest. He can be a bit of a jerk and perhaps once will put you on display for all to see, but at the end of the day he means well enough. You are his prize possession. Please note that he is bisexual. I am fine with shipping BUT they have to have known each other for awhiiile and should not be forced upon.

Feel free to send in your muses with writing in my inbox for a response or dm me for interactions. I don't mind short responses too! (Just keep in mind again; I like to be a bit lengthy sometimes as I like to write the characters emotions, actions, etc) I will work with anything :) This blog is also cross over friendly so I don't mind other characters interacting, I highly encourage it to be frank. I also do not mind others portraying the same character. I do NOT DO MAINS. I interact freely 💜.

Sorry for the long pinned post, I think I had to get some info out, especially the character.

Penned by - your mom.

Clh / Rayman rp wakey wakey wakey wakey are you awake now?

#{⭐️} 𝐓𝐨𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐚𝐚𝐝 !~ // 𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 #{🎤} 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧. // 𝐨𝐨𝐜 #{💜} 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐦𝐞? 𝐈'𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 ~ // 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 #{☀️} 𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞! // 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 #roleplay #rp #roleplay blog #fakeman #rayman #crossover rp #clh rp #rayman rp

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oceanwithouthermoon · 5 months

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Talking about Saiki and SA here a bit, btw, just a warning~

Thinking about how you said Saiki was a victim of SA and you’re literally so right. I feel like people sometimes just blow right past the fact that Kusuke is like that with his brother, but I think it can add a lot to interpretations of his character. But even if it only goes as far as what is shown in canon — which I almost doubt — it still remains the fact that Kusuke is doing all of that knowing fully well that his brother can hear him. It’s literally sexual harassment.

People point it out more often with Teruhashi and her brother (back to the reasons you said, people think it’s more serious if it happens to women). But the things he does, that’s all sexual harassment. And yet when Kusuke does similar things, it’s often brushed aside. Just,,, a bit crazy to me.

(And that’s not even mentioning when people completely disregard this part of Teruhashi’s story and act like she’s one-dimensional,,, but that’s another story)

But all this to say you’re literally so right. Anyways love you mwah =^•w•^=

THANK YOU SO MUCH. I NEEDD PEOPLE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS MORE.

(heed the sa warning + abuse and incest warning before opening, i talk a LOT here.. im mostly just reiterating what happens directly in the manga though.. ALSO EXTREMELY LONG POST WARNING..)

I always viewed kokomi and makoto + kusuo and kusuke as like.. paralleling each other ? not sure if thats the right word, but IMMEDIATELY when i saw both of these dynamics i made the connection.. i guess since it was so clear to me, i assumed that it was so obvious and on purpose that everyone else knew too, but so many people just.. ignore it..

i think most people that read/watch saiki k have recognized the fact that most main characters are meant to parallel or relate to saiki in at least some way, (if anyone who doesnt know what im talking about is reading this, im sure at least someone on here has done a better breakdown on that, i just.. dont know where to find that..) but this particular connection is one i dont see often and i genuinely believe that its almost entirely because of the whole "sexual assault/harassment isnt as serious when it happens to men as when it happens to women" thing.. most of the fandom acknowledge that what makoto does is awful and kokomi is a victim, so why is it different when its kusuke and kusuo ??

its EXACTLY the same.. what we see on screen with the saikis is WORSE, actually.. and what WE see from these two relationships isnt the full extent of what the two victims experience off screen, and i strongly believe that its heavily implied that both kokomi and kusuo have been through much worse with their brothers than whats shown..

we have no idea what kusuke couldve done BEFORE moving away and creating the telepathy canceler (and dont say that he couldnt have done anything cuz they were kids, cocsa [child on child sa] is still a thing and still valid, ESPECIALLY since they were both kid geniuses and kusuke definitely KNEW better.. but yea, kusuo implies that hes been like that for a long time, way before we ever saw them, sooo..) and its highly likely that whatever happened that we didnt see, before or after the move, was WORSE than what he does ON screen (i honestly dont want to think about what a guy with an incestual obsession with his brother does with cameras everywhere in his brothers home..) and what we see him do is already insane..

literally using his brother to get off, manipulating him and forcing him to play the games that give him sexual pleasure.. actually, speaking of, ive seen some people say that what kusuke does isnt really incest because the only reason he uses kusuo is because hes a masochist and kusuo is the only person that can overpower him.. this is a total misfire LOL, his upbringing alongside kusuo and his relationship with him is the REASON that hes a masochist, the ENTIRE REASON why thats what he gets off to.. its not just CONVENIENT that kusuo is there to get him off, he SPECIFICALLY seeks kusuo out and forces him to do things that give him sexual pleasure.. he believes that kusuo is the only person in the world that can ever give him sexual pleasure, what about that doesnt sound incestuous?

and one of the worst parts of it is, kusuo BARELY acknowledges how weird it is.. in fact, he's COMPLACENT in a lot of the games, obedient even, being bribed into them the same way he does with simple things like bringing kuniharu to work.. this is the biggest reason why i believe the off-screen stuff is probably worse, because kusuo is obviously conditioned to think that letting your brother get off to you is just.. fine.. we hardly see him try to get away from this situation beyond simply calling him gross.. theres one moment during the cat tank situation where kusuke tries to get him to grab the limiter off of his crotch specifically so that he can see him in that position and kusuo looks terrified and cant do it, BUT its unclear whether the expression of fear was entirely his concentration because he didnt wanna break the limiter or because he didnt want to let his brother get off to that, and i think its mostly the former ? idk, i dont remember this part that well but im preeeetty sure..

he does acknowledge that MAKOTOS behavior is bad when he sees it, but he never thinks its a big enough deal that he needs to help her or anything, (except for maybe the okinawa situation) which i know is probably just for the sake of not letting the gag manga get too serious, BUT it can also be explained pretty easily by this whole thing.. the way kokomi is treated is literally the same way kusuo lives his life, even down to their incestuous brother being possessive to the point of berating their potential love interests.. (which in this case happened to be each other, kusuo and kokomi..)

so yeah, kusuo just. doesnt really know how bad it actually is ? or maybe he does, but doesnt acknowledge it because he doesnt WANT to.. him barely acknowledging it and being complacent is part of why some people dont really get that its sa and incest, but his complacency obviously plays a big part in how its effected him too, like thats purposeful.. like i said, hes been CONDITIONED not to acknowledge it..

to me, it looks like a classic situation in which kusuo doesn't acknowledge his trauma because he knows that if he did, it would change his outlook on his life, his family, and his childhood FOREVER. he would never be willing to tell anyone or ask for help on his own accord, and accepting that there was anything wrong in the first place means, to him, dealing with that issue by himself for the rest of his life.

why would he ever admit that anything was wrong if nothing would change either way? the only thing that WOULD change is HIM, and why would he want that? isnt it better to be blissfully unaware than to knowingly suffer in silence?

plus, he genuinely does love his brother and knows in the back of his mind that kusukes feelings toward him comes from their unhealthy upbringing and relationship and its more complex than just "hes an evil guy blah blah.." because he isnt really evil and kusuo KNOWS that.. actually, he might be the only person in the world who COULD understand..

so yeahhhh.. kokomi and kusuo are both CANONICALLY victims of sexual harassment.. (and incestual abuse at that..) and, by my interpretation, implied victims of sa as well !! (im not really sure where the line can be when it comes to this sometimes, like when your brother sniffs your bedsheets and rubs himself on them or gets off to you right in front of your face or tries to get you to grab something positioned over his crotch so he can see you in.. THAT position.. but i already said that its pretty likely that both brothers have gone farther than that off-screen..)

anywayyyy.. this is so important to me and i wish people would talk and write about it more instead of pretending it never happened and mischaracterizing every one of these characters, especially for the sake of a ship like i was talking about in my other post.. it sucks that people so often just cast kusuos canon issues aside..

#i really wish this was talked about more..#i referenced a really old draft to write this that i never posted because i couldnt figure out the phrasing #so thank you for giving me the opportunity to finally talk about this in detail lol #saiki k #tdlosk #the disastrous life of saiki k.#saiki kusuo #saiki kusuke #teruhashi kokomi #teruhashi makoto #sa tw #incest tw #abuse tw #meows post #meownalysis

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mauesartetc · 10 months

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Thoughts on Helluva Boss 108 ("Queen Bee")

Yeeeah so we knew pretty much from the jump that this episode wouldn't have much substance to it. Viv Medrano herself said as much. But again, I have to wonder: What's the point of making a full episode of a show if you don't have the story to support it? You know the phrase "This meeting could have been an email"? This episode could have been a music video.

I typically include a list of pros and a list of cons when I write these, but everything was just so bland I can't functionally categorize much of it. I wasn't angry, I wasn't entertained, I didn't feel anything. All my thoughts about this episode are floating around in a soup and I just can't be bothered to sort them into the usual boxes. So this'll be more of a barely-coherent brainspew than anything else. If the writers couldn't put the effort in, why should I?

Fuck it, let's do this.

First, the elephant in the room: Beelzebub's design. That's a lengthy separate rant I'll save for another time, but I'll just say the first time I saw it, I thought it looked like some kid's DeviantArt fursona. But let's be real, I've got a feeling she only looks the way she does so Viv could make an easy reference to her "Die Young" music video.

I get that Kesha is Viv's idol and it must have been huge to land her for this voice-acting gig (though to be clear, she didn't sing the song in the episode. Helped write it; didn't sing it), but man, the self-indulgence is just leaking through the screen. This wouldn't feel so uncomfortable if Viv herself did any of the animation in this episode, but if you check the credits, she didn't. She wrote this plot cul-de-sac of pointless filler just so she could make other people animate the most complex character design to come out of the show and pat herself on the back for all of it. Again: Could have been a music video.

The episode's actual "plot" consists of Loona having a series of awkward conversations, calling Blitzo, and driving him home when he gets too trashed. There is a little development in their relationship? I guess? But of course no one mentions what went down at the beach. Much like what happened between Blitzo and Stolas in "Ozzie's", we can safely assume that event will get swept under the rug, never to be heard from again. I'd like to point out that the musical number takes about three minutes out of the fourteen-and-a-half-minute runtime. They could have cut the rest of this shit and nothing would have been lost; in fact a good amount of time and money would have been saved.

Three minutes. That's all you would have needed.

As far as Bee and Vortex, I never would've guessed they were a couple unless Vortex said so. They act more like good friends than boyfriend and girlfriend. Y'all couldn't have shown us a kiss, a little flirting, or even a hug? The PDA doesn't have to be excessive, but some indication of chemistry might be nice. This would also create more tension and discomfort for Loona, as it'd be hard to watch the guy she has a crush on make out with someone else.

Also, question: In this universe, hellhounds have roughly the same social status as imps, right? Maybe lower? Why, then, is it perfectly okay for one of the Seven Sins, who outranks Stolas, to date a hellhound, but it's not okay for Stolas to date an imp? What the fuck was the main conflict of "Ozzie's", then?! Hello?? With what little worldbuilding y'all give us, could you at least try to keep it consistent?

Speaking of which, the cleanup in this one is just rife with inconsistencies. It's not usually something I comment on as it hasn't been too noticeable in other episodes, but damn. Sometimes the outlines are thick, then they're thin, then they're thick again. The screenshots below came from three consecutive Loona scenes:

And take a look at how often Beelzebub's longest eyelashes change:

I noticed a bit of this in Exes and Oohs as well, with the scratch on Chaz's nose changing thickness from scene to scene. I'll repeat what I said then: Make sure the whole cleanup department sticks to the same brush size.

As for the song "Cotton Candy"... eh. It was alright? Not really my thing, but I'm not a big pop music fan anyway. Would I listen to it in my everyday life? Nah. But it's fine. I will say there's a hiccup in the meter of the lyrics that kinda threw me off:

Hey, I don't know why I'm whatchu want but it's the truth I'm not your lie Let them eat cake let them eat pie Or better yet Let them eat COTTON CANDY!

Feels like there could've been more after "or better yet"; the "cotton candy" seems abrupt there, as if the song were playing on vinyl and the record skipped. Maybe "Or better yet/ The sweetest treat that any one of y'all can get/ COTTON CANDY!" Like I'm not a songwriter by any means and I don't pretend to be anywhere near Kesha or Drew Pearson's level, but perhaps a few more syllables would've made that verse feel more complete.

But the animation for the musical number was really good! (Sounding like a broken record here, but this could have been a music video and it would've been much more tolerable.)

Kesha's voice acting was okay, though in some spots it came off like she's never said the f-word before. Just didn't seem natural. But the rest was alright.

I did like how Beelzebub was actually a decent person, since it would've been way too easy to make anyone Vortex was dating (who wasn't Loona) a total bitch. But Bee is gregarious, generous and actually nice to Loona despite her social awkwardness. And hey, Loona had a somewhat-positive interaction with another female character, so brownie points for that, I guess?

Not sure what Loona actually learned here, though, or how she magically dropped the attitude and became more social after some rando flirted with her (I mean you were literally crying a minute ago but some dude calling you hot is enough to change your mind about leaving?). I don't know, it feels like the episode could've shown her connecting with other introverts and doing something fun in their own little enclave, enjoying the party in their own way, rather than making her extroverted in a matter of seconds. Then maybe her newfound friends would like her for who she really is, not for the arbitrary box she tried to squeeze into. There's more than one way to have fun at a party, y'know? Perhaps a way that doesn't involve drinking, which Loona seems keen to avoid (but has no problem cheering Blitzo on in a chugging contest, apparently-?).

One nitpick about the hellhound in the purple shirt who called Loona a hottie: That was not the voice I expected to come out of him. The delivery just doesn't match at all. Something deep, sure, but maybe smoother, more sultry? (Seriously, if you played the audio of that line for someone who hadn't seen the show and asked them to match it to a male character from this episode, I'd bet anything they wouldn't get it on the first try.)

I know I've said before that Helluva Boss is what happens when you write fanfic of your own IP, but this episode, more than any other, reeaaally felt like fanfic. This felt like a fan asking, "Hey, what if we saw what Loona was up to in the Ozzie's episode?", then creating a bottle story that didn't affect anything else in canon. This whole thing (apart from Cotton Candy) was truly a waste of everyone's time. I'm glad the animators got some good reel fodder out of it, but whatever they were paid, it wasn't enough.

#helluva boss #helluva critical #review #critique #criticism #long post

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tamed-kratts · 1 year

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★ Stargazer ★

Chris Kratt x Reader

Warnings: very tiny angst, miscommunication, putting pollen in the warnings cuz of allergies 😡

Summary: Chris, your current crush, has been ignoring you for a month. You’re about to find out why.

A/N: Never explicitly says reader is female and no pronouns are used but I write my readers to act kinda feminine so beware. Although, this one is pretty neutral. Also Chris would totally just dip the second he has a crush on someone LMAO. One more thing, i low-key diss cats at one point in this fic but don’t be mistaken. I love them.

It had been another warm summer day in North America, a humid breeze flew into the Tourtuga and in your nose as you lay in your reclining chair while staring at your phone screen. There wasn't much going on, the rest of your crew had been looking at some bug they found, you weren’t all that interested, you didn't think anyone would even notice your disappearance. But someone did.

Chris walked into the Tortuga timidly, avoiding eye contact with you as he hurriedly went to his own room, his steps were quick and he made a beeline down a hallway in the large turtle ship. Normally, you wouldn’t fret over one of the kratt brothers acting suspicious, since they were always up to something, but lately you felt as though Chris had been acting especially strange. Around one month ago, he started avoiding you. If you walked in the same room as him, he would make some lame excuse like “I have to go organize the gear.” before running out the room to the garage, leaving you and whoever he was previously talking to. It was pathetic, you had actually grown a small crush on him and it was tearing you apart to have him just pretend you didn’t exist.

He was a big factor to why you didn’t bother trying to hang out with the crew today, you didn’t really feel up to hanging out with your crush who obviously hated your guts.

A new pair of foot steps walked in, they were heavier and louder, it was Martin. “Hey, Y/n, ‘sup?” Martin, unlike his brother, did enjoy your company. He often went out of his way to ask how you were and about your well being. He reminded you of a dog, curious of its owner's whereabouts after a long day of work. You guess that made Chris a cat, one that hissed and bit you if you pet it for a second too long and hated you for the rest of its life. "Nothing, how are you?" You said.

“I’m good, me and Chris came inside to get changed. We’re covered in pollen and Koki said if we don’t get into some clean clothes she’ll leave us here, heh.” He laughed, but knowing Koki, she was probably serious. Looking at him, you realized his usually white shirt was now stained yellow and his blue blazer had spots green on them. "But I'm sure Chris told you all about it and probably more."

You sighed, "No, he didn’t. Chris probably wouldn’t even stay in the same room as me if he was suffocating and my skin produced oxygen." You rolled your eyes, annoyed by Chris’ childish behavior.

"What are you talking about?" Martin said, turning his head curiously.

"Chris hasn't spoken a word to me in almost a month, and when I walk into a room, he bolts out before I can even look at him." You said this a lot less confident than the last time you talked, mostly out of fear of how Martin would react. Martin just stared at you as a smile slowly grew on his lips, as if he was plotting something.

"Huh, well, I have NO idea AT ALL why that would be happening, heh…" He scratched the back of his neck before backing up to the main exit of the Tortuga. "If I were you, I'd ask him about flowers."

"Flowers?" You tilted your head as if you were confused if you heard him correctly. Chris had never shown an interest in flowers unless they had something to do with an animal. But just flowers by themselves?

"Yup, flowers. Specifically a Stargazer Lily.” He smirked and ran back outside.

“Martin, wait!” You yelled. “You didn’t change your shirt…” Sighing, you went back on your phone for a few minutes before Chris left his room.

“Chris?” He sped up. “Chris!” You jumped out of your seat and ran towards him, barely catching his arm. Standing next to him with your arm wrapped around his, you realized he didn’t have on his green fleece jacket like usual. It was slung on his shoulder lazily, probably to get out of the Tortuga as quickly as possible.

"Can we talk?" His posture stiffened up and he looked away from you, it kinda put you at ease knowing you weren't lying under his judgmental gaze. But it made you wonder what excuse he was plotting.

You squeezed his arm tighter. "Please." He had looked down, embarrassed and shamefully, before nodding his head. "Yeah. Sure."

Slowly, you let go of his arm; to your own dismay. You both walked over to your desk, he pulled up a chair across from you. Just like he did before he stopped talking to you, you felt bittersweet.

"So…what bug are you checking out?"

Still, he avoided eye contact. "Honey Bees, nothing special."

"What have you learned from them?" You asked; partially curious, mostly to just talk.

"Well, they communicate through scent and dance. They also are a matriarchal led society, so there's only a handful of male bees in a hive."

"That's cool." An awkward pause was held between you both, it was probably the most uncomfortable silence you had ever sat in.

He stood up, his hand supporting himself on the chair as he got back on his feet. "If that's all, you wanted to talk about, the-"

"Why are you ignoring me? Did I offend you or something? If I did, why didn't you tell me?"

He stared at you like you were crazy. “What?”

“You aren’t talking to me and every time I walk in a room you leave, you don’t look at me and you just tried to run outside!” He got tense, but you didn’t notice and continued ranting. “I really miss you, I thought we were friends. That’s why I thought you’d come to me if I did something wrong but you never did and I- ugh! Do you know how much I miss you? I really like you!” Covering your mouth to stop the flow of word vomit, you gasped. Chris wore a shocked expression too and his cheeks began to flush. “I-I mean like, I like your company…”

You were going to try and explain yourself further, but Chris had already begun speaking. “I don’t hate you or anything I just-“ he sighed heavily “…Do you remember a few weeks back, when we snuck out of the tortuga?” You recalled the event, it was the last time you two spoke before Chris went on his silence strike.

You heard of a few constellations being incredibly visible in the sky at the time. So you and him had planned to meet at the top of the tortuga that night to stargaze. You both agreed to not invite anyone else, just you two and your shared interests. You stayed up there for hours, talking about nothing in particular.

“I used to wanna be an astronaut when I was a kid, y’know? My childhood room is covered in space stuff. I even used to have my own telescope.” You reminisced about going out on summer nights and looking at the moon.

He chuckled. “I'm not surprised, you knew a lot about the moon when me and Martin got stuck on it that one time.” He remembered how you couldn’t stop ranting about moon folklore. “You also have a lot of space stickers in that binder you let me borrow. Plus you had a minor in astronomy in college.”

You stared at him, amazed. “You remember all that?” You said, surprised anyone would pay that much attention to you. His cheeks grew a light shade of red.

“Uh yeah, we spend a lot of time together. How could I not.”

“Oh. Yeah…” you said, staring back up at the sky, the Sagitta constellation, amazed at its beauty. Meanwhile, Chris stared at you.

“It's so beautiful.”

“Yeah…stunning…”

The next day, Chris was talking to Martin about the conversation you both had last night. He said he felt strange at the end. And in Martin fashion, he yelled “You’re in love!” Chris brushed it off at first, but everytime he looked at your face that word echoed in his skull.

“Love, love, love…” He couldn’t even look at you without feeling like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. And looking at you now was hard. Your face was flushed and your eyes were awestruck.

“Is that…really why? You aren’t just messing with me, right?” He choked on his own words.

“I- No! I know it's stupid! I just-…you’re really nice and pretty and you always listen when I talk. I couldn’t help but fall for you.” His chocolate brown eyes were completely honest. You leaned forward and cupped one side of his face with your hand.

“I am…so happy you said that.” The kiss was soft and kind, you both melted into each other's grasp as you enjoyed the warmth of one another’s skin. When you pulled away, he smiled kindly and leaned in for another kiss.

“Hold on, lover boy,” You said, covering his mouth with your hand. “I asked Martin about this and he said to mention some flowers called stargazer lilies, what’s that about?” He cringed for a second and held his face in one hand.

“Please don’t make me say it…”

“You haven’t talked to me in a month, you owe me this.” He sighed in defeat.

“I was going to get you these flowers I found because they reminded me of you. I was going to give them to you but I got…nervous and I…”

“…you?”

“I stuffed them into this vent. Martin saw and told on me to Aviva. Then, she asked what I was doing with flowers and Martin told her that I liked you. After that, they’ve been trying to matchmake me with you. I'm pretty sure Jimmy and Koki know also…”

“We do!” Said a voice from outside. Looking in the doorway, you saw your fellow crew members peeking inside to invade you both.

“Smooth, bro!” Martin said, giving his steaming brother a thumbs up before running off while being chased by him. The rest of the crew crowded around you to ask you about your relationship with Chris.

“What can I say? I like looking at stars.”

#wild kratts #martin kratt #chris kratt #aviva corcovado #christopher my beloved #chris kratt x reader #wild kratts x reader #martin fic next perhaps

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celestial-specter · 3 months

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I’ve seen a lot of recent debate across social media about what could possibly happen to Cody, given that he hasn’t been shown in any promotional material for the final season of The Bad Batch.

I will admit, when I first saw Cody in the promotions for season two, I did not feel very positive about his chances of survival, and here’s why.

In the episode of Star Wars Rebels, ‘Twin Suns’, Ezra comes to believe that Obi-Wan is alive, and being hunted down by Maul. When he voices these concerns to the others, they are hesitant to believe him, particularly Rex.

During this scene Rex looks to be rather unsettled, and says ‘Ezra, no one would like to believe General Kenobi’s alive more than I would.’

Looking back at the relationship between Rex and Kenobi during The Clone Wars, it can definitely be said that the pair were good friends, often working together on missions due to their mutual connection with Anakin.

However, it must be noted that Jedi were shown to have very close relationships with their clone commanders - while we did not see as much of Cody and Obi-Wan’s relationship on screen as we did Rex’s and Anakin’s, it can be assumed that they were on the same level, if not closer. Even years after the war, Rex has remained devoted to Anakin, shown by the remarks ‘The general I fought with was among the greatest of the Jedi’ and ‘Yeah, but he’s no Skywalker.’

Given that Rex still cares for Anakin in this way, it would seem he understands the closeness between Jedi and their commanders personally.

Additionally, given that we also know how close Rex and Cody were during the war, and that Rex has been attempting to free as many brothers as possibly from imperial control, I believe that Cody would be one of the first clones Rex searched for after Order 66. So, he would know that Cody was the one to give the order to kill Obi-Wan, and that Obi-Wan likely died there as a direct result of Cody’s actions.

It has been shown in the clone wars and the bad batch how guilty Rex felt about not being able to fight the effects of the inhibitor chip - so he would definitely understand the guilt that Cody carries, but for all they know, Cody’s Jedi actually died.

So, in my opinion, telling Ezra that there is no one who would want to believe in Obi-Wan having survived all this time is strange, unless Cody is actually dead by this point in the narrative.

Previous mentions of Cody during Rebels also tie in with this theory - the first time he is mentioned by Rex is during a mission with Kanan, when they talk about creating emergency codes during the war. At this point, Rex seems in good spirits, as if looking back on fond memories with a good friend.

However, when Rex, Kanan, Ezra, and Zeb are later captured by Separatist droids, Rex experiences a small episode of PTSD. He is clearly panicked, and when he hears Kanan’s voice urgently calling out to him, he assumes it is Cody, and calls out his name. Kanan brings him back to the present, but Rex is clearly shaken up, and says ‘I thought you were someone else,’ pointedly avoiding mentioning Cody’s name again.

With all this considered, and given that Rex has clearly gone through events traumatic enough to take him out of the fight against the empire by the time of Rebels, I personally don’t think we should hold out much hope for Cody’s survival :(((

#star wars the bad batch #star wars rebels #the bad batch season 3 #the bad batch theories #the bad batch spoilers #the bad batch #the bad batch theory #star wars spoilers #star wars #star wars the clone wars #commander cody #captain rex

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kess-in-the-perthchimzone · 7 months

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A love letter to the football plotline

So … I admit I was pretty condescending of the line in the pilot trailer where Kang asks Sailom to help him become a professional football player. I thought it was stupid. I thought I had no interest to see it on my screen.

I was INCORRECT.

The way Dangerous Romance has been setting this up the entire show is brilliant. And the potential payoff is so beautiful.

We’ve been shown over and over that Kang likes football. But he’s never once actually admitted this out loud. It’s very possible he didn’t realize how much he cared about it, he’s been that thoroughly screwed up in the head by his dad. All the hints we’ve seen include—

His precious little usb that he takes everywhere

Him playing FIFA for fun

The gift of the jersey, although none of us are certain if it’s for a team or player he actually likes

The fact that he’ll kick around with his friends after school

Kang is also very good at it. Quite naturally talented for someone who doesn’t seem to have ever participated as part of a formal team. He’s fast and he seems to have an innate sense for where to put the ball.

Episode 5 was in part about Kang panicking because he has to start figuring out what he wants to do in the future. Well, then Episode 6 starts off by forcing him to do something he does not want. Kang is vehemently not interested in cheerleading.

Wanting to avoid Pimfah aside, I don’t think it’s something he would have liked regardless. He gets too concerned with looking cool in public to enjoy something like that. And our boy is not really a “hoo! Rah! Ray!” kind of guy.

When he storms away from cheerleading practice and winds up playing in the pickup football game, he wipes the floor with the seniors — many of whom have been practicing more than him, ostensibly in preparation for Sports Day. And then something amazing happens — one of them acknowledges his talent; and he ASKS Kang if he would want to be on their team.

This actually really gets me. How often has Kang been praised for something he is genuinely good at? And when has he ever — besides with his inner circle of Sailom and now grandma — been encouraged to do something like this? We know Kang has been taught — has been conditioned to never try for anything that would be difficult or taxing.

And look at Kang's face. He has to really think about this. Does he want to play football on a team? This takes him so much more effort to work through than it would someone else.

Here, the flashback (yes, I know) is so revealing!! Kang thinks specifically about telling Sailom in the library that he doesn’t have a life dream. This is one of two instances this episode (the second time being when he tells Sailom he doesn’t have feelings for him) where the flashbacks are being used to show us an instance where Kang isn't truthful (although in this case it’s an interesting flip — we’re now finding out he lied in the past, vs later in the art room when the flashbacks are used to show us he is lying in the present).

At some point, maybe before his mom died, Kang dreamed of being a football player. Then over years and years of his dad’s treatment, he buried it deeply inside. He didn’t try out for teams. He stopped openly talking about how much he likes the sport.

All until this key moment — when someone besides Sailom looked at him and believed in him. In this moment, asked directly, Kang has to decide to for himself. He has to be the one to make up his mind to say yes. And he says I’M IN.

And here’s why I love this:

1. To be a fully realized person, Kang needed an interest that’s fully his; that exists almost entirely outside of Sailom; that he CHOSE for himself (Sailom is still welcome to come to his games and be the Troy to his Gabriella -- even if/when Kang achieves success on his own merits and through hard work, he'll still perform better knowing that Sailom is there to support his dreams!).

2. However naturally good he is, he has a long way to go. He has to learn to be part of a team; how to pass; how to share; that sometimes giving is better than taking. And all of these are lessons he’s going to need to carry with him more broadly in life. As much as wanting to be a professional soccer player is kind of an elite goal, it’s also humbling.

3. This goal is going to be HARD. It’s going to mean practices in terrible weather. It’s going to be injuries. He’s going to have to work harder than he ever has in his life. And he’s going to have to learn how to fight for something he wants, despite all obstacles

I’m sorry I doubted you, Kang playing football plotline. You’re perfect, in every single way.

#dangerous romance #dangerous romance the series #kanghan kirttin sukprasert #kess babbles about dangerous romance #kanghan krittin #meta meta meta

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billfarrah · 2 years

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So I finished my first Young Royals rewatch in a long time and I have thoughts - Part 2: Simon

- I love that Omar gave Simon so many noticeable little mannerisms and idiosyncrasies. We talk a lot about Wilhelm’s mannerisms, which added so much to his character - the chest rubbing, gum chewing, deep breathing, running his hand through his hair, chewing on his thumb - but not enough about Simon’s. I love his little nervous tics. The way he tugs on his sleeves and pulls them over his hands, the way he clasps his fingers together or taps them on his knees when he’s anxious, the cute way he runs his fingers down his face and rubs his nose. It’s such detailed character work and it’s even more fantastic when you remember that this was Omar’s FIRST ROLE. I’ll never not be blown away by it.

- I love how grounded Simon feels as a character. He just feels like a normal kid, in the best way. I love how more than once we see him studying and doing his homework. I love that he cares about his grades and that we aren’t just told he does but we’re shown. I love that he plays video games. I love that he and his father clearly used to bond over music. The show is short and therefore doesn’t have a lot of time to explore these details, but the fact that we’re shown them briefly shows so much care and attention to detail. These details are not necessary to drive the story forward but they add to the lived-in environment the series creates.

- Simon falls for Wille really quickly. He’s also a lot more nervous around Wille than Wille is around him. Simon is definitely forward and bold, but we often see him acting quite shy. Wille is awkward around Simon at first, yes, but he’s not shy; he puts himself out there. Even if he’s a bit clumsy in his execution, and he clearly gets anxiety, he goes for it every single time. Simon, meanwhile, is actually really nervous around him after their first conversation, and it’s so damn cute. He shyly meets Wille’s gaze as he enters the party meanwhile Wille basically undresses him with his eyes right there; Wille initiates a conversation and Simon runs away. Wille gives him rowing advice and Simon just kinda sits in the boat smiling shyly, He invites Wille to the football game in a flirtatious way but is clearly nervous as he waits outside the gas station for him, taking deep breaths. He goes in for the first kiss bravely, but you can hear how heavily he’s breathing, how hard his heart is undoubtedly beating in his chest, and he only chances a quick little peck at first. The fish scene speaks for himself. Wille gives Simon butterflies and it’s the sweetest thing.

- Omar has said that Simon is drawn to Wilhelm because he feels like he is the only one who really sees him, and I noticed that especially this time around. Simon seems quite surprised and taken aback by Wilhelm’s interest in him; check out his curious looks during their first conversation and his surprised expression when Wille chases after him at the party. At this point, Simon is used to being ignored by his peers, and brushed off by his sister and his father when he tries to help them. What really draws Simon to Wille is the way Wille makes hi feel special and wanted.

- I love that Simon never asks Wille what his sexuality is. It’s always so interesting to me that the two of them never discuss this onscreen. Their connection grows solely through vibes and instincts. I love it so much. You can say maybe the conversation happened off-screen, but I don’t think so. I think they just felt the connection and trusted their instincts. Their eyes don’t lie; they saw the way they were looking at each other. I’ve seen so many shows where one character is out and the other is in the closet and all they talk about is when they closeted character is gonna come out, and there’s usually pressure from the out character for the other to do so. Simon is so patient and respectful with Wille; he lets Wille control the pace because he knows Wille is struggling a bitand he doesn’t want to rush him or force him into anything. When Wille breaks things off, Simon is sad but he respects Wille’s choice, and he doesn’t sit around pining after him.

- Simon is very emotionally mature, undoubtedly a result of growing up too fast as a result of childhood trauma, but he’s also naive. He’s guarded, but also hopeful. He’s not a cynic. I find characters like him are often portrayed as reluctant to fall in love and trust people as a result of their trauma, but Simon allows himself to do those things. It gets him hurt, but they’re not portrayed as signs of weakness and are actually part of his strength. Simon falls in love, hard, and he gets his heart broken, and yet he comes out of it strong, and with his dignity and self-respect intact. He does not allow his loving and compassionate nature to become his downfall; even with a broken heart, it remains his strength.

- It’s so brutal to see how much Simon still clearly cares about his dad. It’s devastating. Sara seems utterly done with him, but you can see how badly Simon wishes he was still in his life. Watching the scene where Micke confronts Simon for stealing from him is so heartbreaking. All Simon wanted was to be important enough to be a reason for his dad to stop using. I think a part of Simon maybe hoped that him coming around again would give his dad motivation to get sober/clean, and you can see how much it hurts him when Micke is clearly drunk during that encounter, so he lashes out in anger - something we see him do sometimes when someone he loves disappoints him; we see him do it with Wilhelm in the music room scene.

- Micke pulling open Simon’s eyes to see if he’s high and running his fingers across his face makes me tear up every time. He’s terrified his son will end up like him. Micke is a controversial character, but as someone with a lot of addiction in my family, I see Micke as someone who loves his children and desperately wants to be part of their lives again, but he just can��t break out of his habits. Addiction is hard and debilitating; it’s a disease. You can’t watch Micke holding his son’s face and tell me he doesn’t love or care about him. I love that they included this aspect of Simon’s character, because they didn’t have to; all he needed to be was a love interest, a perfect boy to steal the prince’s heart, but this show went above and beyond giving Simon his own conflicts and struggles.

- The fish scene has been discussed to death, but I want to focus on Simon’s behaviour in this scene because I’m obsessed. He is so impatient to get Wille to his room, but then freezes up as soon as they’re in there because he’s so nervous. Wilhelm comes in and Linda asks them if they want anything to drink, but Simon doesn’t even let Wilhelm answer; he just tells her no and then immediately grabs Wilhelm’s scarf and coat. He looks almost breathless as he leads Wilhelm to his room and keeps looking back at him. His anticipation is palpable, meanwhile Wilhelm seems cool as a cucumber. When they enter the laundry room/Simon’s room area, Wilhelm stops by the door and Simon turns around and holds his hands behind his back, impatiently waiting for him to close it so they can get down to business. He is so eager and it is absolutely precious.

- Wilhelm is Simon’s first everything; I believe that 100%. Yes, he was very brave in kissing him, but that doesn’t mean he’s done it before. Simon is only 16 and he’s quite an introvert; he doesn’t party and he only has a handful of friends, so I don’t believe he had much opportunity to date/hook up before. He seems like the kind of guy who was well-liked at his old school but just hung out with his two friends, his sister and his mom. I don’t get the vibe he had any experience.

- Simon loves and admires Sara so much. I have no doubt she loves her brother, but she doesn’t often show her emotions and is quite dismissive of his care for her. I feel like he thinks Sara is just the coolest and it makes me emo because she doesn’t think of herself that way so she kind of ignores him. I find their argument in episode 6 particularly striking; Simon rarely backs down from a fight or argument, but when arguing with Sara, he deflates. She tells him he lets people piss all over him and he just slumps in the chair in defeat; I get the sense he really, really values her opinion on him more than anyone. Even though she pisses all over him in that scene (ironic how she does so in the process of calling him out for letting people do that to him), he still seeks her approval; “I like you when you’re yourself... I need you.” He is so vulnerable around her.

#young royals #i could probably say more but im tired lol #these are just my observations from watching - i didnt want to get into what i want to see in s2

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lady-elora · 3 months

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I've finally finished it! It turned out to be a terrible longread, but I hope it was worth it. Sorry for possible mistakes: English is not my native language. And don't forget that everything below is just my personal opinion and nothing more.

The status: "it's complicated", or a word in defense of Sylvie

So, the season 2 of the Marvel Studios sensational and popular series "Loki" has died down. It’s powerful finale probably didn’t leave anyone indifferent, even those people who aren’t an ardent Marvel fan. That's just, alas, not all viewers were satisfied with it, and it frankly disappointed representatives of a separate category of fans.

Yes, now I'm talking about sylki shipers who expected a beautiful happy ending in old Disney classic style with a kiss / wedding / going to the sunset, holding hands (underline needed) in the season finale but in the end got something completely different. Even, I might say, the something exact opposite.

And now we have as a result a disappointed "howl in the swamps" from the aforementioned shipers in almost all major social networks. Not from all of them surely (I personally know quite a few of them who were quite satisfied after the season finale although they remained some emotionally traumatized as well). However, the "howl" is nevertheless massive enough to draw my attention to it and to make me interested in it as a social phenomenon.

So I naturally wonder: what’s the reason for such diametrically opposite reactions of the same category of viewers? After all, in theory, both satisfied and dissatisfied viewers watched the same series with the same events, characters, actions and dialogues.

The answer, if you just think about it, is pretty obvious: it's about perception. Actually it’s about the emotional, mental and cultural "baggage" with which each of us, the audience, approaches the viewing. And also it’s certainly about the life experience that is absolutely unique for every person, completely different from one another and therefore often going against what the creators are trying to show us on the screen.

A simple familiar example: a person whose relationship with his/her "other half" has always been quite neat and smooth, without any significant difficulties and shocks will never understand a couple that literally has difficulties all the time, that comes together and breaks up for hundred times, that has two people who being ardently and sincerely in love stil can’t agree or even just understand each other. That classical proverbial "Full will never understand the hungry".

Returning to our sheep (very secretive, stubborn and impossibly similar sheep, I must say), the relationship between Loki and Sylvie in the series is a psychologically complicated as hell and unimaginably confusing thing which is directly influenced by both their early life psychotrauma and the impending Multiverse catastrophe.

Unfortunately not all the viewers are able or want to dig a little deeper than what lies on the surface and perceive the events of the series (in general) and season 2 (in particular) the way its creators intended.

Most of all claims are made by both "ordinary" fans and sylki-shipers against Sylvie and how she is shown in season 2. The most common of them are:

* she dared to live a calm and quiet life in the devil-knows-where-place instead of realizing her guilt and rushing headlong to search for Loki;

* she met Loki coldly and behaved the whole season like absolutely nothing had happened between them in the previous one;

* she doesn't seem to regret or suffer at all;

* she doesn’t look broken, lost or unhappy (and then they often put Mobius as an antipode example).

Maybe it's not the whole list of claims, but, again, I've shown here only the most common ones.

And do you know what's the saddest and yet the funniest thing? If we look at the purely series "picture", without any trying to look deeper, read the context, understand the psychological background of the words and actions of the characters, then all the above-mentioned claims even seem quite justified.

But let's not pick the easy way. Let's try to understand Sylvie's nature and motives to figure out what's really happening between Loki and Sylvie in season 2 and why the creators and actors of the series are so strongly bending the line of Loki and Sylvie’s "deep emotions for each other".

Let's go!

"Difficult childhood, paper toys"

I'm certainly sneering now a little, but let's take a moment away from Loki's heroic sacrifice in the season finale and the universal crying for him and go back to the past, to the distant past of Sylvie and Loki, to their very childhood.

What do we know about Loki? Firstly, his childhood was quite happy and relatively calm (the constant "background" envy of his brother and from-time-to-time-confrontation with him don't count though we all remember his turning into a snake and back and stabbing Thor with a dagger, isn't it?) He had a father, a mother, a brother... a family. In general, he had a normal childhood.

And what had Sylvie at the same time? N-o-t-h-i-n-g! Her world was cut. Her loved ones died when she was just a child about 11-23 years old by Midgard standards.

And now imagine that strange people in military uniforms come to a kind and sweet girl who dreams of becoming a hero (which is perfectly shown in the series from her games), roughly drag her out of her usual life to no one knows where and finaly destroy her entire world. Can you imagine how stressful it is even for an adult, not to mention a child?

And what about her future life? It's a natural hell! A nightmare lasting ror centuries, where you have no rest at any point in time / space, where you are constantly being chased, where you are forced to jump through the apocalypses just to hide and survive. And by the way you can easily die not even from hunters hands but banally from the consequences of on those apocalypses...

Has all of this left a giant imprint on Sylvie's personality? Absolutely yes! Something like that would have put that imprint on any of us.

In general, Sylvie should have a monument erected for the very fact that living in this nightmare she managed not to go insane and even (more or less) saved her humanity.

But during those dreadful centuries she had completely forgotten how to trust somebody… or she had even consciously cultivated her distrust to everyone in the world. And given her constant running and life in the apocalypses where people often show their worst qualities in the face of death, this distrust is more than justified.

So let's keep in mind her first psychological feature – Sylvie has had great trust problems for many centuries.

About emotional maturity and some parallels

And then Loki bursts into her "gray days", almost literally turning everything upside down.

Sylvie experiences a real affection, maybe for the first time in her bitter life. For the first time and more than ever she is acutely aware of her loneliness and she wonders: is it really necessary to be alone? Perhaps one person, a special one, can be trusted?

She lived in the apocalypses. She has never had and couldn’t have had a long-term relationships. Therefore she simply doesn’t know how to build them or, moreover, adequately maintain them.

In this regard, Loki is much more emotionally mature than her. Not even at times, but dozens of times. She is insanely afraid of relationships, trust, because trust is also about opening up to a person. And "opening up" for her is equivalent to "becoming vulnerable" that she had never been able to afford herself since her childhood.

And here I personally see a clear parallel with Sherlock and Molly from my favorite BBC show (which, by the way, also made a big noise 5 years ago). Sylvie is Sherlock: emotionally traumatized in childhood, denying feelings, considering them to be "weakness" and in many ways emotionally immature person. And Loki is Molly, who entirely understands and accepts her feelings, who doesn't run away from them and can live with them.

So let's also keep in mind her second psychological feature – due to her troubled past Sylvie isn’t yet emotionally mature enough. She still has to go this way and hopefully we’ll even see it in the future.

"Just turn around now. You're not welcome anymore"

After all at some moment Sylvie decided to trust Loki. But then (almost right after that) there comes their great confrontation in the Citadel. Loki's opinion is so diametrically opposed to her own that it amounts to the very certain betrayal in her emotionally immature perception.

Really! While half of the fandom is damning her for "betraying Loki," it seems like only a few people think about the fact that he betrayed her as well.

The whole tragedy of the situation is that both of them are right, and they are equally right, but each of them is right in their own way. Both Loki's words "But what's good in free will if everyone's dead?" and Sylvie's words "You'll just replace one nightmare with another" are the pure truth.

And since both of them are right, then there're two ways to assess the consequences of their duel from the outside: none of them betrayed each other or they both betrayed each other.

However, judging by their further behavior they both prefer considering the situation as a betrayal, and each of them judges who really betrayed the other speaking from their own tower. Anyway being more emotionally mature, Loki has understood and forgiven Sylvie almost immediately. But Sylvie hasn’t. And analyzing the things shown in 2x2, all these months she weren't even trying to understand his motives and forget her offense, but she also were rubbing salt in her wounds in every possible way.

By the way Kevin Wright (EP of the series) also confirms this:

"Everything that happens in the season, I think, is still a ripple effect from Sylvie feeling deeply wounded and saing like "why aren’t we seeing this the same way?"

So there's a clear Sylvie's resentment at Loki's behavior in the Citadel and disappointment at the total discrepancy between their viewpoints.

As for the feelings for him... that feelings haven't got away. They became just even more acute and painful 'cause of her resentment (and btw that's also perfectly shown in the series). And that’s why he’s really not welcome to her in 2x2.

"I've been chasing you for three days just to tell you how much I don't care!"*

There's quite a funny thing that begins right from the moment of our complicated couple reunion.

Almost right after meeting Loki Sylvie, who lived a quiet life, worked at the MD and didn't even think about hunting numerous Kang's variants, begins to literally follow him on the heels, appearing from time to time right where he appears.

What's the reason? Imao, it's quite obvious. More precisely, there are two of.

The reason 1: she has to make sure that her beloved idiot is OK.

Despite the fact that during the months of her "quiet life" Sylvie had been trying to convince herself in every possible way that this relationship was over, that after the Citadel a "rollback" to their former connection was no longer possible, she still didn't forget Loki. And the fact that his new reappearance in her life only opened up old wounds and destroyed all the walls she had so carefully erected, is very clearly read in her behavior at this meeting.

As a smart girl (for a stupid one just wouldn't survive in her conditions), she immediately realizes that, holly shit, she's still loving him so hard! – this, again, is perfectly shown on her face at the moment of their first meeting, when she hadn't yet had time to gather herself, to fence off resentment and to put on a "sharp mask". But, as a girl who's not only smart, but also too proud and mortally offended, she wants his apology for what happened in the Citadel. That resentment is read in all her behaviour, almost in every phrase when communicating with Loki in 2x2.

Well, what happens next only outlines that desire more clearly.

First, she goes after Loki and Mobius to fight those hunters going to cut timelines. Then she follows them through the time-door to TVA (although she could just return to her time-branch and get it all out of her mind).

Yes, according to Sophia Di Martino, at first she does all of that only to "make sure that her new friends and new home weren’t damaged and didn’t disappear". But the motives for her further constant being next to Loki can be tied to this explanation with a very big stretch.

Even at the first time, she leaves only after she's finally convinced of Loki's desire to protect the "totally rotten TVA", after her new surge of anger and splashing it out on Loki (who at that moment isn't up to her resentments at all).

Is she being somewhat selfish? Surely. But, as a deeply offended and emotionally immature person, she simply can't do otherwise. She doesn' know how. This is by no means an excuse! This is a statement of fact.

So Sylvie leaves practically "slamming" the time-door. And really why would she come back if her timeline with her new home and friends are safe and sound? She could just live her quiet life and be happy. But paradoxically she does exactly the opposite! She comes back anyway, over and over again (!), first using the hunt for the Kang variant as a kind of reason, and then – just like that, without any clear reasons at all. The reason offered by Loki firstly doesn't hold any water (well, OK, she couldn't kill Timely – so what?) and secondly isn't confirmed by Sylvie herself loud and clear (she just admits that yes, she couldn't kill Timely, and explains why she couldn't do that but not why she came back).

No, the reason is clearly not in Victor Timely but in the underlying caring for Loki, which is confirmed by Sophia's words btw:

"She doesn’t care about the TVA. I think she does care about Mobius and about Loki".

Now reason 2: a direct consequence of her continued resentment.

Sylvie literally craves Loki's apology for the Citadel events. In 3x3, she flung her demands almost right at his face.

And that’s where the main problem of this couple lies (a very typical problem for a relationship in general btw): she's waiting for an apology, while he's completely misunderstanding: a) the importance of it to her and b) for what, in fact, he has to apologize if they are both right?

But it's really vital for Sylvie to get his apology in order to close this protracted gestalt, to forgive Loki and to forget her offense. And he completely ignores this moment over and over again… which is also very typical for a man involved in an important case btw.

Maybe if Loki had instantly understood what she needed they could be able to avoid a lot of mistakes and we, the fans, would get a completely different, much warmer and more romantic story. But... Now we have what we have. Moreover, this storyline is more than psychologically true.

And there can be the one clear conclusion from all said above: Sylvie feels anything but indifference towards Loki.

PTSD as it is

And here’s another point directly related to Sylvie's childhood. I’ve already spoke about it a little above, but now let’s look at it in more detail.

Have you noticed how painfully Sylvie still reacts to the death of timelines – especially when it’s caused by TVA?

It would seem that she and Loki are in the same conditions in the season 2: both have their homeworld cut, both, in fact, have nowhere to return. But unlike Sylvie, Loki accepted it, got over it and now is ready to move on without destructive anger.

Does he care about the demise of timelines? Surelly! Do gloomy thoughts and emotions prevent him from thinking clear? NO!

Why? Because, unlike Sylvie, he got over his trauma, he worked it out, but she was completely stuck in her PTSD, which her massive crisis of trust made only stronger.

Sylvie from the beginning of season 2 is Loki from the first "Thor": a deeply emotionally traumatized person who needs a lot more rethinking before he can work through this trauma.

She still fears and hates TVA and doesn’t trust any of its people. And when Loki suggests her to protect TVA, she naturally takes it almost as a personal insult.

And this is absolutely real, authentic and normal!

Just walk for a minute in her shoes. Imagine how you would react if you were asked to defend what you fear and hate? So, well?.. That’s better!

Time DOES matter

Also, let’s not forget about one more important detail. Since Loki and Sylvie were separated after the Citadel events, there has been a great time de-synchronization between them. I think only a few days (if not hours) passed for Loki between the events of 1x6 and 2x2. And Sylvie lived in her chosen timeline for 8 (!!!) months.

During that time she managed to organize a simple as 5 cents, but still a quiet life. A life without the eternal chasing. A life without destruction and death around. A life where she could have a very limited maybe though still a constant circle of communication.

Did she miss Loki after the Citadel events? Of course! Why? Just watch carefully the final 2x2 scene and most importantly – listen to the song playing in the background (Janis Joplin – Kozmic Blues). And all the doubts will disappear immediately.

And one another thing. Judging by the fact that she’s a frequent customer of the record store who chooses (by herself or with the help of a seller) music records of a certain genre and style, her longing for Loki didn’t appear right after a new meeting with him but long before that. Probably right after the Citadel.

Yes, she was offended, angry, convinced herself that she didn't want to see him anymore, but... she missed him anyway. And the time passed, gradually creating a habit.

In those 8 months Sylvie managed to get attached to her calm and simple life and began to appreciate it. And when Loki reappears on the horizon again, one of the many reasons for her unwarm welcome is just the desire to protect her cozy little world, not to let her quiet, peaceful life be taken away.

If Loki had coming a little earlier, before her habit forming, perhaps their meeting would be very different.

"I wanna be your number one"

And now we’re coming to almost the most important thing about their relationships in season 2 – to the thing that I personally suspected from the very beginning of their meeting after the Citadel events, but that was actually confirmed only in 2x5.

It turns out that all these long 8 months of her quiet life Sylvie had been sincerely believing that she was only on the second place on Loki's personal priorities list(!) and on the first place he had the TVA. And this is another reason why she gets angry, snaps, draws an invisible line between them by her whole appearance and behavior right from the very beginning of their reunion in 2x2.

She wants only two things from Loki – an apology for the Citadel fight and a confession that he came here for her. Just for her alone. But in the end, she gets something completely different – we might even say the diametrically opposite. And this only stings her pride more, only inflames her resentment more, generates even greater distrust... that causes many subsequent events in the future.

What's interesting is that Loki tells her the truth every time. (Quite a paradox for the God of Mischief, isn't it?) But at this very moment of her life, Sylvie doesn't need this kind of truth. She needs something completely different, which she doesn't get over and over again. And finally being tired of waiting she even hints about it quite openly in 2x3 and 2x4.

That's why their evening meeting at McDonald's in 2x5 is so significant. And btw that meeting is – a drum roll! – an alternative version of their reunion after the Citadel events, according to Sophia.

First and important: unlike the 2x2 reunion, this one is much more peaceful. Sylvie perceives Loki's appearance much more friendly. She practically doesn’t get angry, doesn’t "show her claws", but listens patiently and even takes him for a drink.

What’s the reason of such a dramatic change in behavior? I think that’s because of Loki’s coming on time and alone. Therefore there was a chance for them to explain the things for each other properly.

This time, Sylvie’s not at work and she has some free hours. This time there’re no others next to Loki (some annoying others like that guy in the TVA prison uniform, and we remember: everything about the TVA still angers and scares Sylvie). This time they can talk in private without attracting unnecessary curious glances.

And they really talk, at first quite calmly and peacefully, but then again (!) the conversation turns completely away from where Sylvie expects.

The whole bar dialogue from her side is built in such a way as to find out clearly and ultimately: what Loki is fighting for. Rather, in her interpretation, the question sounds like this: Who is at the top of his personal chart?

And if Loki had said at that moment that first of all he wanted to save the world for her – that would be enough! The ice between them would have cracked completely and absolutely. If he had admitted directly and openly that Sylvie was, is and always will be the first for him, then lots of things would have turned out very differently.

However, though Loki is speaking honestly at that moment, but he's telling not what she wants to hear at all. She asks him what does he want and in his response he puts not her, but his friends – i.e. TVA – on the first place again. In such a case there’s no even matter that Sylvie is still hates the TVA. She wants to be his number one. This is of huge importance to her.

Well, we remember: Sylvie is only at the very beginning of her emotional maturity journey. And since she’s also a Loki, she has typical movie-Loki flaws which are some kind of selfishness and morbid vanity.

Sylvie doesn't want to be the second fiddle. She wants to be the first or the nobody for him.

Here, by the way, Sophia’s quote about the bar scene:

"Well, I think because she had to meet up with Loki and tell him to go and find himself and figure out his purpose, that whole bar scene is about her trying to help him figure out what he wants. And I think it’s just big seeing someone again – that brings up so many emotions, doesn’t it? – after such a long time. So she’s probably had a s**t day because of that".

Indeed, when you’re forced to meet your ex, it often causes a lot of emotions. But in most cases they’re anger, sadness and regret. Does Sylvie express anger during the bar talking to Loki? Absolutely not. Does she express sadness and regret? Oh, yes!

Why? Because despite everything she's convinced herself of, Sylvie still loves Loki and has hope for them. But again she was forced to say and hear something completely different from what she wanted. If she had really enchanted him and looked into his heart in 2x2, she would have seen the truth at once. But she just doesn't want it in 2x2, and he no longer offers it to her in 2x5.

As a result, she remains in the dark. And that’s why, at the end of their difficult bar conversation, Sylvie, being deeply offended and disappointed (once again!), with the eyes full of tears, tells Loki that they need "to write their own (i.e. separate from each other) stories" and then she leaves... to that record store where she completely drowns in melancholy.

Here I should put another Sophia’s quote about Sylvie's feelings at that moment:

"...it’s that feeling when you listen to a beautiful song and you just cry, but it sort of feels nice".

Now think about how often do you cry when listening to even a very beautiful, lyrical and soul-touching son? And in general, will you cry when you’re in a glad, joyful and/or peaceful state?

I think a lot of people will agree that a song or music makes us cry only when it’s in tune with our current mood, when it touches certain painful strings of our soul, when it reminds us of something from our bitter experience.

Yeah, there are, of course, deeply sentimental people who can be touched by any little thing. But Sylvie is definitely not one of them. Otherwise, she would have behaved and talked to Loki in a completely different way.

And here we come back to the issue of Sylvie's indifference. Think about it: if she really didn't care about Loki, would she "heal her mental wounds" this way? And would they even be – these wounds?

But nothing ever real

Actually Loki and Sylvie have two main problems in the season 2: 1st) an acute lack of time and 2nd) a total misunderstanding of each other. And the main reason for their misunderstanding is the lack of experience of real relationships for both.

Yes, as we know from their train conversation in 1x3, they both had some love affairs before. But the true feeling of love and care came over them only for each other. With all the consequences.

At the time of season 2, they’re both still learning how to build relationships and work on them. And if they had more time, they would certainly have learnt this.

But unfortunately a cruel fate in the face of the show creators decided otherwise.

Breaking the ice

So Sylvie comes to season 2 with all these inner mess. And it’s manifested by sharpness, coldness, anger.

However being next to Loki, she seems to slowly thaw and becomes softer. And at the moment of their final "farewell", where Loki reviels her the price they have to pay to save the Multiverse, she’s no longer angry, she’s not trying to stop him. Instead she demonstrates full acceptance of the situation and the pain that Loki got such a hard lot.

We can see the tears in her eyes. Her pride, resentment, stubbornness – that all disappears before the coming catastrophe. She finally realizes it’s inevitability and (please, mind it now!) she doesn’t even try to stop or dissuade Loki in any way. She only says that she’ll not bless him to kill her.

Once again: she’s not resisting at that moment! Sylvie – is – not – resisting! Not at all! Surely, deep inside she knows, she feels that Loki won't do it, he’ll be able to find another way. Btw, Sophia also talks about it in the interview I shared a link above, about their hidden unspoken rule – not to kill each other.

However, the very fact that Loki was faced with such a choice causes Sylvie great pain.

"I need to get out there!"

And then comes the epic finale. The moment of truth. Loki makes his difficult choice and goes down the stairs to the door leading to the Temporary Loom.

At the same moment – mind it too, please! – the others are just staying and it seems like they aren’t even noticing what’s going on. It’s only Sylvie who Immediately realizes what Loki is up to, and who first rushes for him with an expression of not just concern, but almost panic on her face. And only then Mobius goes as well.

Sylvie tries to break through the door (with a very expressive exclaim btw: "No! No, Loki!"), but she just can’t open it. And then she rushes upstairs, turning to O.B.: "I need to get out there!" Unfortunately even such a technical genius as O.B. can’t open that damned door. I guess Loki, who had become a great tech-savy during those centuries, blocked it really good.

"I need to get out there!" That one phrase shatters down all the claims of some viewers to Sylvie's feelings and behavior at that moment.

She didn’t just "stay and stare" as Loki actually sacrificed himself. She was ready and she wanted to follow him. It was him who didn’t allow that.

"Soft gets you killed"

And so the die is cast. The sacrifice has been made. The Multiverse has been saved, and all the show characters have to find their place in it again.

And then we got a lot of viewers (especially among the sylki-shipers) who ‘came really outraged by Sylvie's "too happy" smile in the end of her final conversation with Mobius. Like while he stands being completely broken and lost, she squints in the sun and smiles "carelessly".

And for unknown reason, no one... well, almost no one comes to mind that this scene is mirroring the dialogue between Loki and Mobius from 1x4, when Loki is informed that Sylvie has been cut.

Remember: what does he do after hearing that? A few seconds of a complete embarrassment and then he leans back in his chair and smiles, trying his best to hide the pain. But his eyes and the crack in his voice are instantly catching him red-handed.

It's exactly the same story with Sylvie in the finale. She smiles and "flippantly" shrugs her shoulders after Mobius' question of where she's going to go now. But just a minute earlier, she says: "It's weird without Loki here, isn't it?" with exactly the same voice crack, and tears are shining in her eyes exactly the same way.

Sylvie has been used to hiding pain since her childhood. Softness is a weakness for her. And she can only show her weakness and vulnerability to one being in the Multiverse. And it's definitely not Mobius.

P.S. A few words about Sophia

In conclusion, I want to add a few thoughts not just about Sylvie, but about the series as a whole, and a little about the fandom.

If you've read the full Sophia's interview I put the links above you must have noticed how carefully and as if with constant caution she speaks about her character's relationship with Loki. Unlike the screenwriter and EP, who openly talk about deep feelings Loki and Sylvie are having to each other, she prefers to call what's happening between them not "love", but "quite strong trust" (which btw significantly contradicts the behavior of Sylvie herself in the series). And although sometimes the idea that Sylvie "definitely won't let things just go" breaks through in her interviews it's like she always tries to soften her answers to the overwhelming number of questions about Sylvie and Loki relationship.

Many fans of the couple may be upset by this, but if you think about the root cause of such caution, there'll be no reason for such an offence.

And the root cause is just the fans themselves, the fandom, the violently negative reaction of a certain fandom part to the character and to her romantic line with Loki.

Remember the storm made by the fans of that fandom part (we all know what is that part, isn't it?) at the end of season 1. Remember those tons of negativity poured out not only on the character itself, but also on the actress who played this character! Because of this negativity, Sophia was eventually forced to close comments on her Instagram profile. And since then, she has become much more careful about speaking out something about the series in the interviews.

However, despite all of that, she still allows herself to be a little frank on Instagram sometimes. As a huge fan of Sophia, Sylvie and the series in general, I strongly advise not to ignore that fact.

If you doubt that Sylvie's feelings for Loki are true, just go to Sophia's Instagram profile and look at some of her stories and posts. Her playlist "Sylvie Mix Tape" on Spotify alone says ten times more than all her interviews.

P.P.S. UST and fans' interest

In the end of this huge meta, I want to add a few words about the good old UST (Unsolved Sexual Tension).

There's a wonderful phrase in one of my favorite sci-fi writers novels: "Always happy character isn't interesting." Indeed, the hero, whose life is a continuous Carnival and who literally reaches everything easily, ceases to seem real very soon, causes readers' boredom and even begins to annoy at some point.

It's really interesting and exciting to follow the hero who's overcoming difficulties – physical, psychological, romantic – no matter. And the more difficult the task, the higher the stakes and the more desperate the struggle, the stronger the reader's or viewer's interest is.

The same goes for romantic relationships between characters in a book or movie. I.e., paraphrasing my favorite sci-fi writer's quote: "Always happy relationships aren't interesting."

Yes, our fan hearts are certainly warmed by "happily ever after" for the beloved characters. But let's be honest with ourselves: how long will our interest and empathy for our beloved couple last, if everything settles down and everything goes well, if there're no more difficulties and struggles in their lives and relationships, if that notorious UST (the sexual tension that hasn't found a way out) disappears (you know, that thing when between the characters everything literally sparks and blazes, but at the same time they stubbornly don't admit their feelings either to themselves or to each other)?

Something tells me it won't be for long.

And as a quite vivid (even, I might say, a classic) example of UST, I can cite the relationship between Mulder and Scully from another sensational series – "The X-Files". The twists and turns of their relationships, shown by hints and semitones, were incredibly interesting and even hot to watch ... exactly until season 7, where their UST was finally resolved – clearly and unambiguously.

Another classic example of UST is the relationships between Sherlock and Molly from the BBC series "Sherlock". But in the case of this couple, the show creators acted more competently. The sexual tension between them remained unresolved in the finale. The audience was given only a hint, thereby leaving both interest and space for imagination.

Exactly the same (and maybe fortunately) happens to Loki and Sylvie. Their story is not over yet, as both the show EP, the screenwriter and the actors say in one voice. Here and there, insides pop up that Marvel still has plans for these characters.

Would it be interesting to follow the new adventures of Loki and Sylvie if they were an established couple? Maybe. But something tells me that it's not nearly as interesting as it is now, when they are apart again, and their "sexual tension" hasn't been solved.

This is what the Marvel leadership has been playing, is playing and will continue playing on. And UST has always been, is and will be, perhaps not the main, but a very significant thing to drive the plot.

Well, that's all for now. Thanks for your attention! And if all written above hasn't shed at least a drop of balm on your soul wounds made by season 2, remember: there's no such a finale that couldn't be fixed by a good fanfiction. ;)

* My favorite quote from "An Ordinary Miracle" by Eugeny Shwartz.

#loki series #loki meta #loki #sylvie #loki x sylvie #sylki #pro sylki #lovie #lovedaggers

16 notes · View notes

cancerian-woman · 8 months

Note

oooh so i feel like i can guess the answer, BUT how would you rank all of bonnie’s ships *solely* from what we got in canon vs how would you rank them based on fanon/general potential!

Oooh okay, I’ll start with canon ones then go to fanon.

Beremy: It was cute, puppy love at first but in the end Bonnie was doing all the work & his unassigned but assigned babysitter. 3/10

Bonenzo: in theory he did make Bonnie happy she deserved that. Enzo is very much “one size fits all” type of character if yk. They did get together under Stockholm Syndrome purposes and it was just done lazily? I think they would’ve been more well perceived if they started building them up in s5 or something. Killing him last minute to “trigger” Bonnie’s psychic powers or magic again was just another way to aid in her suffering. 5/10

Bamon: chemistry is great. Damon abandoning Bonnie after she needed him after bonding in the prison world’s was a good moment for Bonnie’s feelings to be shown. Knowing she has issues with abandonment. But, Bamon falls into the same category as Delena. Woman is complicit to all of Damon’s bs and a lot of that happened with Bamon. The writers said ok Elena is gone Bonnie can now agree or side with him the most. There’s Anti-Bamons, then there’s people who genuinely like Bamon and then people who ship Bamon just to free Elena of that burden of Damon lol. I do think they work best if Elena isn’t around. 7.5/10

Stefonnie: you can’t pry Stefan’s protectiveness and kindness to Bonnie in 1-2 out of my hands. He actually tried to make friends with Baroline unlike Damon. Stefan’s history with Bennett’s was another good push there too. And it’s sooo underrated that Stefan was the first vampire Bonnie ever trusted. Plus she had a lil crush on him before Elena got him. I do think they could’ve been something really good in those later seasons. Both tend to play a “hero” role to someone else. Stefan promised he would’ve fixed what he did to Bonnie and idk we needed to see that. It would’ve been nice if we could’ve gotten Damon/Stefan discussing that Bonnie’s forgiveness isn’t so easy to earn. 8/10

Bonora: good chemistry but extremely underrated. They remind me a bit of the wlw Bonkai. Would’ve been a perfect time to introduce bi!Bonnie. I liked that Bonnie encouraged Nora to do something outside of Mary. We never really got those “Bonnie’s beautiful!” By other characters but the way Nora said it continously and wanted to engage with Bonnie. It was so good. Long term and fanon-wise I think they both could’ve learned to grow out of those toxic ties to people with each other. We didn’t get Bonnie with other witches a lot and it was nice to see her with one. 8/10

Bonkai: Chris was Kat’s best on-screen partner imo. Kai brings out a darker side to Bonnie that she tries ignore often. While I think Bonnie brings out emotions Kai hasn’t felt in ages. He’s so fascinated with her in an obsessive but good for tvdu type of way. She’s the only way he sees. Bonnie isn’t a pushover either with Kai. She fights him back, she calls him out and tbh she’s even goofier with him. He pushed her more into her agency than Damon ever did. Bonkai would’ve been great for seasons 6-8. Idk if i would “redeem” him per se bc redemptions aren’t real in tvd but being good to Bonnie and Bonnie only is enough for me. Canon-fanon-9/10.

Bonlena & Baroline: I’ll just do these together. Bonlena had the stronger chemisty 1-2 era of them perfect. You can feel how close they are and need each other. Despite the negative tones with Petrova & Bennett lines repeating you can say they could be drawn to each other naturally. But, Elena does end up ignoring Bonnie so…7/10. Baroline is all about fun but they do support each other and can be protective. Caroline does try to get Bonnie out of doing magic all the time. 7/10

Bonlijah: interesting because Elijah like Stefan and Damon have harmed or betrayed Bonnie. Elijah’s done it twice. We don’t get a lot of them. Bonnie would’ve made him work for her forgiveness. Elijah likes acting on his own needs first but needs to be forced to see his wrongings in a situation and Bonnie certainly wouldn’t let up and make him focus on their errors before continuing. He did have to thing positively of her to face his brother alone. 7/10

Klonnie: based on canon I’d say season 3-4 are would be their best moments. Klaus does like witches. Bonnie had more onscreen time with Tyler!Klaus than his actual body. But Tyler!Klaus did sort of hint he admired she defied the spirits. There’s the power dynamics that comes into play here. Bonnie isn’t afraid of Klaus no matter how much power he wants to enforce over her. I can see them fanon wise strategizing together and Bonnie agreeing to help him if it means her friends are good. Canon wise though if nothing comes between them from 2-4 then they’d have to remeet afterwards. Same applies for all the Mikaelson’s. 9/10

Kennett: they could’ve bonded over magic and they do have more scenes than most BennettxMikaelson ships. Kol called out Bonnie’s death too. He saw potential in her and wanted to work with her….that being said they caused that lady to go crazy on Twitter over a 10 second scene LMAO so despite how i feel about that 10 10 10 across the board. Fanon wise i do think other fandoms taking over Kennett has deterred my liking for them. Dollar general Kennett has nothing on them. But Bonnie unlike Davina would want to see Kol for who he is. No rose tinted glasses.

Monnie/Tonnie: we don’t have a lot of Tonnie but they’re always watching each other / protective gazes when they are allowed to share a scene. This is a ship I can see working through college or when they both left Mystic Falls. For the both of them that isn’t their home longterm. 8/10. Now, onto Matt absolutely not. 5/10. Not just because Matt’s useless, but he doesn’t like the supernatural world for himself. He’s accepting of his friends and for others but it’s not something he’s really into. Bonnie already had to deal with this from Rudy. No need in dating a human or anything longterm who doesn’t like that side of her.

Honorable mention: Batherine could’ve played a frenemies with benefits role. Idk if it was the intention to “fix” Elena’s relationships but placing Katherine in these random moments but it was interesting when it did happen.

This was long and it took me a minute but i hope i answered it the way you thought of!! Thank you for the ask!

#occulthours #however i dont want to hear yall argue abt ships so this is not getting tagged 💀#dria responds

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themelodicenigma · 10 months

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***Long post, oh boy.

It is interesting that I've gotten some Asks about Fang and Vanille circulating on Twitter because of FFXVI. Lol I have seen the posts, and also the resistance of it from those who feel like it's looking down on Dion/Terrance (which I kind of agree with, let them have their spotlight).

Overall, we really just shouldn't care too much about that.

A lot of the fandom drama is just bleh at this point (really always was), and when you've seen SO much for years, it's easy to tell what is what. I mean, I'm now seeing people fighting over Jill/Clive of whether they're romantic or not, or if they align more with Clerith or Cloti. Lol Just why.

However, as for what some of ya'll requested from me about Fang and Vanille, to talk about how they're different from Jill/Clive or Vaan/Penelo—I mean, that's easy.

Jill/Clive? It's a random line in her young profile at the beginning that mentions Clive and Joshua "love her as a sister"—the same beginning that immediately has an NPC say Jill/Clive make a "handsome pair", show hardly any typical sibling action, dialogue, or contextual connotation between Jill/Clive in any scene (where they barely really interact until the Moon screen), and the interactions they do have don't really naturally fit into the box of "these two love each other as siblings or Clive views her as a younger sister". Apparently, it's also BOTH the ENG and JPN that mention a sibling relationship. Either way, the game also straight-forwardly writes them as romantic, so it doesn't matter even if it was true or not—unless you're trying to argue he thinks of her as both, there's no doubt they're romantic. Like, seriously, if you haven't finished the game well....trust, you'll find out they're romantic.

Vaan/Penelo? Well first, as far as I'm concerned, the BradyGames guide from years past is the one that carries the assumption that they're "brother and sister". Otherwise, the game, Ultimania, and even the Archive Ultimania only mention they're "like family"—in which case, this is obviously in reference to their orphan past where they were already childhood friends. Reks (Vaan's brother) went to war and Vaan's parents died, Vaan stays with Penelo's family as a result, and then soon after Penelo's parents ALSO died, and then now they BOTH were orphaned along with a bunch of other kids and grew up together working for Migelo as a group of orphans. It's not written for no reason or something that is not true—they're like family. And of course, you know that's a descriptor of a bond, of closeness—YOU can assume it defaults and is limited to a sibling relationship, but technically that's not true, and very often isn't. So, it doesn't even contrast their romanticism (which is hinted at in the 1st game, not just the 2nd), not to mention, it's not even a focus between their characters in the story. The friendship is really the focus, while the family aspect is more expressed for Vaan through dealing with his actual brother's death. The family in relation to their past and part of their bond is definitely a thing, don't get me wrong, but it's hardly emphasized within the game and a center for what they express about and to each other. That'd be the friendship, you just also happen to have romanticism applied eventually as well.

Fang and Vanille, though? It's the major focus of their characters, the family concept flows through them intentionally, consistently, and is also specific to being as sisters. Not to mention, it then is applicable to ALL things shown between them and EXPLAINS their behavior towards each other. In the Games, FFXIII and FFXIII World Previews, Ultimanias + Other credible guides like Piggyback, VA interviews, novelizations—this never stops being true for them and something implemented more than you'd EVER see between Clive/Jill or Vaan/Penelo. And it all "coincidentally" flows together as a whole for the family/sister application.

FFXIII World Preview - their introduction on the relationship chart is "same family surname". Even before the game's release, the family connotation is applied to them. While we learn the REASON in-world is because of them being from the same village, this more than obviously is for the purpose of serving the continuous family connotation THROUGH Fang and Vanille specifically to emphasis this, as supported by all other points below. Also, just a small thought, why choose this to introduce the characters mysteriously, and then later have a plethora of familial confirmations, if it's something that isn't representative of exactly what it foretells?

FFXIII Ultimania Chart - "relationship like sisters", enough said. Unlike Vaan/Penelo, it specifies WHAT family relationship they have. They didn't pull back from "same family surname", they took it steps further. The relationship chart is informative of something about the characters, and obviously the content can show something more than just the chosen moniker (e.g. Aqua/Terra/Ven aren't just "fellow pupils"), but it also isn't something that is FALSE information unless the content TELLS you it's false. It normally doesn't, and certainly didn't for Fang and Vanille, as per below.

FFXIII Scenario Ultimania, Archive Ultimania, LR Complete Guide - literally, everywhere, ESPECIALLY in writings relative to Fang, who is the older sister, protector, and most concerned over the other—this also correlates to why Fang's character centers around Vanille's more than the other way around (more on that later). Her descriptions really capture WHY she is the way she is towards Vanille and why the center of her character is protecting Vanille and keeping her from turning into a Cie'th. The FFXIII Scenario Ultimania even directly says in Fang's profile "Vanille is not just a childhood friend from the same hometown" and guess what works alongside this description: "To Fang, Vanille is an irreplaceable family member", "grew up like sisters", "they have a bond beyond family", “Since the original Final Fantasy XIII, Fang has always strived to protect Vanille, considering her as her own family", etc. etc. etc. Family, family, family. Being friends is absolutely a thing, don't get it twisted, but the family aspect not only in retrospect to growing up together, but in HOW they see each other, is consistent, ESPECIALLY for Fang. The Lightning Returns Complete Guide is from Piggyback, who is known for having the developers involved in the conception of their guides as well, and Toriyama himself is quoted in the book saying Fang considers Vanille as family.

FFXII Scenario Ultimania Stories - As a bonus, in Benny Matsuyama's short stories for all the characters, including separately in both Fang and Vanille's stories—in both stories, he doubles down on the same things as above, describing how Fang has this strong conviction and vow of protecting Vanille, who is like her younger sister, and wants to stop her from becoming a Cie'th. While Matsuyama's canonicity through BentStuff is a complete other conversation, there is the consideration of the fact he's reiterating something that has already been applied as opposed to making it up, not to mention, his novella and the character he created in the FFXIII Ultimania Omega were made canon, and he's in the staff credits for Lightning Returns.

FFXIII Ultimania Omega Interview - even Fang's VA mentions how "To Fang, Vanille is like a younger sister", and relates that to why she relates to Fang since she has a younger sister too, and thus understands the strong conviction Fang has in protecting Vanille.

The FFXIII Game - now I don't think the game itself specifically mentions them being "like sister" (at least in the dialogue, as I've gone through the script of the cutscenes), but the family aspect is something they carry pretty heavily, especially for the group. Vanille's narration talking about family and the regrets of not keeping them as close as you should, Vanille introducing the idea of "On Gran Pulse, everyone is family", Fang and Vanille emphasizing that their village is a close-knit family when arriving to Oerba, Fang assuring Vanille "we have a new family now" and the Ulti Omega doubling down by saying that this line clearly shows how Fang sees the group as her family, and of course, Fang trying to sacrifice herself to fulfill her promise to "protect her family" when the group faces Orphan. Fang's worry and conviction to protect Vanille, and extending this to her expanded family, is shown greatly.

-Zero Promise- Novelization - the novelization is the treasure trove for Fang and Vanille's context as character, their family/sister relationship (along with friendship, of course), and their past. It even features two direct parallels between Lightning and Fang for the sake of showing how Fang views Vanille like a little sister. Even Vanille, in the moment they became L'Cie at their village, tells Fang about how despite being orphans, they were raised together, and were family. There's also the additional context of Fang being like the "woman/adult" while Vanille is like "the child", emphasizing the child-like personality of Vanille by how she always slept next to Fang (also with other kids in the village, before they became L'Cie) from her fears of loneliness, and Fang recounting this of her looking after her being a "crybaby". Naturally, all of this does naturally fit within a context where there's an older sibling and a younger sibling. There usually isn't, but if there are concerns over canonicity—Jun Eishima, the author of this novel (and the FFXIII-2 novels), was hired directly by SE to write her novelizations and to have them published through SE individually, had them featured in the World Previews of both FFXIII and XIII-2, had another short story called -Episode i- featured with the Xbox 360 release of FFXIII, AND was the Story Advisor for the actual FFXIII-2 game. So, it's safe to say she's an authentic additional party to the series as an author, even more than Matsuyama.

-Episode i- Novelization - this short story features the group slightly post-the ending of FFXIII. The story shows the groups conviction for saving Fang and Vanille from the crystal stasis, which sets up this same conviction expressed from all of them (especially Snow and Hope) in FFXIII-2. More importantly, how this conviction is shaped by the familial bond they created with Fang and Vanille, and they remark how this meaning came from Vanille's famous line: "On Gran Pulse, everyone is family".

FFXIII-2 World Preview Book - continuing the trend, Fang and Vanille are described as "like family" once again in the relationship chart. And at this point, we already know HOW they're like family: sisters.

FFXIII-2 Game/Novelization - This first point is really kind of a bonus that is congruent to the comparison of Lightning and Fang, but in FFXIII-2 when Serah meets Fang for the first time, she talks about how Fang reminded her of Lightning. There's also the "Daughters of Etro" moniker they gain through prophecy and the "Legend of Cocoon" Noel speaks on—this is obviously congruent with the concept of them being family/sisters to one another, it just throws in the context of a connection to Etro. Interestingly enough, the ENG localization also recounts the legend through Noel as them being called "the sisters", as well, though this line of dialogue in JPN from Noel is still "the daughters". This meaning is also talked about within the novelizations Fragments Before and Fragments After.

FFXIII: Lightning Returns Game - And of course, Fangs conviction to protect Vanille is STILL the center of her character, to the point she leaves Vanille in order to accomplish this. Lightning will remark this, wondering what made Fang leave since they have "a bond beyond/stronger than family". At this point, it's obvious why family is the foundation of this descriptor, but also how it works as a nice descriptor that comments on the strength of this bond, and how it is stronger than the already strong bond of family bonds.

And the most important thing as demonstrated above? They don't stray from this—they build upon it. There's no deviation, there's no making it false, there's no "this is a lie and it's actually romantic". This IS the characters and their relationship—perhaps the most important difference between them and Clive/Jill or Vaan/Penelo. Within all this, there is no "coded/subtext" of romance, when all things expressed in the game fits within ALL that is provided above and is congruent to one another for the same conclusion: Fang and Vanille are family, are sisters, and very much so care a lot about each other. As you can see, it was given in a multitude of ways throughout the existence of all 3 games and corresponding material relative to them. This especially for Fang—a character who is older, has grown up taking care of a younger character in a family setting, and whose main priority is protecting them and looking after them: this doesn't just fit in the sibling/parental [hogosha] box, it is THE box itself. Are there stories that deviate, that subvert this and make it romantic? Absolutely, I've seen them myself. But, it's a deviation for a reason, it's "different than what it appears as" for a reason—because it's not what is natural for a romantic relationship to develop. There's a reason Fang is consistently compared and paired with Lightning, who is also not only just a sibling to Serah, but also a hogosha [parental figure]. I would make the same argument for Fang too.

One thing I've seen actively in the way is the very typical urge to use our personal interpretations more than the content to understand something. The bar for romanticism is REALLY low in how people perceive things, and that's a wider conversation on how media itself was the influence on this, kind of negatively if you ask me. Glorification of romanticism and sex is a thing. Like really, it's what part of me understands HOW people can see Fang and Vanille as romantic, but also, WHY I know they also should be able to see it as platonic, too. I believe this is an important aspect of talking about perception and media. However, we can't be blinded by it—logically or emotionally. There's not a single thing they've done that can't be understood through the lens of what the material has given you to understand it. Use the lens of the information, not your own personal interpretation if you want to KNOW Fang and Vanille. If you want to ship the hek out of them despite this, fine—I don't care about that specifically, but it would be nice if people recognized and also talked about who the characters actually are outside of their headcanon. That way, when things that are just misconceptions are said, people who know better can say something.

Fang originally being a man? Actually, they both were in a sense. And, not only is it a "coincidence" that the construction of Fang's character is centered on her "wanting to save Vanille", but also that one of the reasons Fang was turned into a female was to AVOID the feeling of romance between Fang and Vanille. Interesting how that little detail is left out by those mentioning this (one could even argue it's slightly homophobic, but that's a whole other convo). Either way, it makes sense as to why the center of Fang's character is her conviction to protect Vanille—it's what she was created for, and we see HOW they chose to execute that: to protect Vanille, her younger sister, her family.

Fang and Vanille being like the Ragnarok legend? It's pretty easy to understand what was/wasn't used with the Lif and Lifthrasir comparison. They're a duo, seemingly the last of the Pulse civilization, and associated with Ragnarok—that's where the similarity ends and how far it was utilized, obviously as based on the above. Something done in media all the time is the utilization of concepts, but not ALL details are 1:1. Happens all the time, and when the storytelling is directly referencing the concept itself (like True Love's Kiss or an Act of Pure Love), it's actually a specific point to SUBVERT from romance and apply it differently.

Vanille talking about never sleeping alone? This is literally linked to the "child-like" aspect of her character—of her fears and sadness of loneliness, and quite frankly the trauma of being orphaned. She's never slept alone, and Vanille recounts this in lieu of herself and ALL the orphans (before they're L'Cie)—it wasn't just Fang in her recollection, but Fang is the one she is closest to and relied on the most. Sleeping alone = fear of loneliness. Fang recounts the same idea in lieu of Vanille's "crybaby" personality—"Vanille would always cry, waking up from a bad dream, holding on to Fang and begging her not to leave her alone. She had always been like that, since they were children."—and naturally, this coincides with Fang's role of taking care of her since they were kids. Surely we're not confused on how that fits with a sibling dynamic more naturally than a romantic one? Then lastly, what is probably even the inspiration of this from the -Zero- Promise novel, is the wholesome/sad scene in the FFXIII game when Vanille, after making a deal about Sazh not invading her sleeping space, sneaks over to sleep next to him, crying, and Sazh allows it, calling her a kid. I mean, it's literally outlined three separate times. Nothing to do with romance, it's about Vanille's character. Unless, you really think Vanille was coming onto Sazh as opposed to dealing with trauma. Knowing the internet, I'm sure that's a ship somewhere, but it ain't it.

Fang lifting up Vanille's skirt to see her brand on her upper thigh? That is, to see if she is close to death, being a Cie'th? The very thing she's been stressing about the entire game up to that point? In this, we can also include the ability of Fang and Vanille hugging or holding each other's hands when they're sacrificing themselves. Basically, physical intimacy.

Boy, this one is a rant for me, and it's hard to be nice about it.

The L'Cie brand is practically almost like a wound, and they're constantly in s state of worry of it getting worse, with it being their ticking time clock towards losing themselves to becoming Cie'th. This is one of Fang's biggest concerns for Vanille along with protecting her.

Now, take their outward personalities that reinforce they're not one to make a big deal about seeing skin, their close-knit familial upbringing + being sisters within this environment—supplemented by the info that supports Fang being the older sister whose main concern is Vanille's safety and turning into a Cie'th + Vanille, who is the younger sister and like a "child", them both being females, and how Fang wordlessly moves Vanille to do this while Vanille has no protest, which can be reminiscent of a mother/child, which "coincidentally" flows with the above, etc. If you seriously can't understand in any way how this interaction fits within the information of the above, platonically, and doesn't showcase anything relative to "this can only happen if they're fucking"—then there's not much else to be said other than, maybe expand your understanding of human interaction and personalities in media (not even just JPN, either)? That's the nicest and most understanding way I can put it. Take in anything, where a sibling dynamic and their capability of interaction isn't just bickering and tussling with one another. Please. It's super easy, and has been done before or even further in so much other content, all across JPN media. There's SO many characters with strong sibling relationships. For SE games, also look at FFXIII itself—Lightning and Hope, Hope and Vanille (the beginning), Sarah and Vanille even share a moment when they meet, Lightning and Serah's interaction at the end of XIII-2, etc. It's everywhere. Yuna and Rikku's hug scene in FFX, Aqua's general intimacy towards Ventus in the KH series, etc. There's not a single thing Fang and Vanille has done that isn't covered under what has been given about their characters, and it's not even like, that much. I mean, Elsa and Anna between Frozen 1 and 2 show more I'd say. "B-but, but, hugs in Japanese media are always—". Nope, go read, watch, anything, please. Now, there can be a certain conversation of expectations between say, a female and male (and even this isn't absolute), but between females? Showing physical intimacy and closeness, not only in real-time of the story but also in key art? Super common. Easy.

There's even a conversation for the sake of how Fang and Vanille specifically are the way they are because of this upbringing, so Fang not making a big deal about even checking Lightning's brand despite being a stranger, Vanille and Serah sharing a moment while being strangers, and even how quickly Vanille physically came to comforting Hope at the beginning of the game—it's more about their personalities and familial/close-knit characterization.

Like, c'mon man. There's "I can see this happening between a couple but also know it can happen without it", and then there's "there's no 'heterosexual' explanation for this". One shows understanding and wisdom, the other, either just uninformed or purposely ignorant of the fact that, yes, they give you an explanation. Over, and over, and over again, in multiple sources, in multiple ways, as shown above. Realize the whole "I would never do that with my sister" is not evidential of what CAN and HAS been done for other sisters or sibling characters. I mean, if you're sincerely not use to seeing all types of physical or descriptive expressions that can happen between this configuration of characterization, I'm not sure how you'd make it through most JPN content to be honest and not tell the difference between what's sexual or platonic, or even American content like Four Brothers, The Outsiders, Frozen, etc., without believing all the siblings (blood related or not) are all having sex with each other. Also, I think it's interesting to note that most physical interactions are initiated by Fang, the older sister, who's main priority is protecting and looking after her younger sister—it certainly matches the same energy you'll see from older sisters in JPN media who show love and comfort to their younger sisters.

Fang would "be everyone's enemy/tear the sky down" just to save Vanille and this is like "Snow's language" towards Serah? I mean, have you seen Supernatural? XD Also like, again, ANY JPN content with an older and younger sibling, whose sole motivation and characterization is protecting their younger sibling? It's called conviction (as we covered, Fang was created specifically to have for Vanille), and considering Serah and her happiness is Lighting's "reason for living and her greatest reward", who Lighting has "the same beloved feeling" for that is the same depth as Snow, is what, "coincidentally", Fang herself uses to motivate Lightning to keep going when she contemplates giving up, who Lightning does turn against Cocoon for in order to save, and who is THE most important component to Lightning's agency in the 3rd game and is the key to her character arc—I'm sure Lightning isn't far off from what Fang is. Again, there's the novella equating them, and also, Serah being reminded of Lightning when she finally meets Fang—this conviction to protect and save your loved ones is something, really, all the characters show. It isn't just Snow, nor is it just Fang. And, Fang just so happens to have this conviction in a way that has been repeatedly linked to "protecting Vanille, her younger sister".

Fang and Vanille having a "bond beyond family"? First, notice how family is still the basis of this bond, the conventional relationship type that is the most versatile AND the top signifier of closeness. So "bond" here isn't relationship type, it's in the same vein of the "reason for existing", "irreplaceable", "unbreakable", "most important thing", etc. descriptors that you get to show how a relationship goes beyond just a type, which all the above is beyond simply being family. The logic of romance being "beyond family" also doesn't make any sense because it literally is it's own sector in family—I mean, the conventional point of a romantic relationship is TO become family. Also for this specific phrase, funny enough, I've only ever seen it used platonically or specifically with no romanticism application, e.g. in Boruto, Sakura tells her daughter that her and Naruto became "more than family". It's like literally the same Kanji phrasing too (家族以上 - kazoku ijou). I haven't even seen it used in a romantic context, but I'm sure it very well could be. It's also funny that, Lightning says this about Fang and Vanille, of how Fang would "never just leave Vanille all alone", but "coincidentally" (this is getting fun, huh), Hope says Sazh had mentioned practically THE SAME THING about why they wanted to believe Lightning wasn't in the crystal, that Lightning wouldn't "just up and leave Serah like that".

Vanille's VA says she hopes the games will show how Fang and Vanille "have a bond more powerful than friendship"—I mean, yeah? They're family, something stronger than friendship. Bond-wise? Absolutely. They have a bond BEYOND even that. See the above, how is this specifically and only romantic? Keep in mind, this is also the same interview where Fang's VA directly says "To Fang, Vanille is like a younger sister", seeing herself in Fang because she has her own younger sister, and relates of the feeling of "protecting small children" that comes with this. Like you know, "coincidentally", like how Vanille as a younger sister is also "childlike" in disposition and a "cute, crybaby" to Fang. Neither this phrase or "bond beyond family" are inherently romantic, and they're very applicable to other multiple relationship types because it's for the sake of describing the strength of a bond.

Fang and Vanille still live with each other at the end of LR? You mean, two people who have lived together since they were children as a close-knit family, have a whole arc involving them separating and reuniting in BOTH games, and are thrust into a new world with the two still being each other's closest family? A world of which is also still very different than the one they came from? You mean two people like THAT would still live together? I am shocked and dismayed. I feel a little sassy here because, c'mon. I'd also like to point out that the idea of "never being apart/leaving each other's side" is congruent with their history, but also is something expressed in the storytelling of Vanille's fear of loneliness, in which even WAY back in the FFXIII novelization Zero Promise, she expresses to Fang “We might be orphans, but we were raised together. We’re family. We can protect everyone together. We’ll be together forever… no matter what happens, we’ll never be apart.” when being turned into L'Cie. So, it's very fitting, but also still within the context that is repeatedly there.

Let the material speak for itself. Which it does. A lot. And you don't have to do much other than just finding it and absorbing it. I feel like, there's STILL more that I could say, but this is the brunt gist of understanding Fang and Vanille.

#oerba yun fang #oerba dia vanille #final fantasy xiii #ffxiii #ffxvi #ffxii zodiac age #kingdom hearts #long post #lightning farron #serah farron #clive rosfield #jill warrick

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