#ship manifesto

[queerfables]

I was thinking about Good Omens the book, and what fandom was like back in the day, and it dawned on me that many recent fans probably don't know about Ship Manifesto.

Ship Manifesto was a livejournal community that hosted primers on different ships introducing the characters and the appeal of their dynamic, with background on the canon, fandom, and fanwork recs. It was a lot of fun to read someone else's take on your favourite pairing and it was a great resource for new fans or people hoping to recruit their friends to their fandom.

There was a Crowley/Aziraphale manifesto, of course. And if you're interested in fandom history, or just curious about what being a Good Omens fan was like in 2005, you can read it here.

#good omens meta #good omens #fandom #fandom history #ship manifesto #fable talks good omens

[dyinglikeastar]

Ghostbat: A Bruce Wayne/Minhkhoa Khan Ship Primer (part 1)

"I honestly can't think of anybody else he has that kind of relationship with—" Dick Grayson

Ghostmaker, or Minhkhoa Khan, was introduced in Batman Vol 3, issue 100. He is initially introduced as an antagonist or even possibly a new villain for Batman to go up against. At first he sounds like just another self-involved dude who thinks Batman is failing at protecting Gotham, so obviously he needs to come in and do the job for him. But Bruce gets all weird about it, as you do about exes.

But then Dick shows up and we find out that this guy is definitely Bruce's ex some mystery guy from Bruce's past.

He and B had been chasing some Gotham criminal who fled to Singapore and then Dick found himself watching awkwardly from the batplane while Bruce had some kind of jilted ex-lovers in the rain scene (not the first or only one) with some random guy Dick had never seen before and he was like, god this is awk.

Oh my god, the second hand awkwardness. Poor Dick. And then he ends up playing therapist for Bruce about it, because what else are Robins for, am I right?

So this was a pretty life changing moment because hold on, Bruce Wayne had a FRIEND? That he admitted he misses? That right there would be enough for me to build an entire ship around. But oh wait, there's more.

BUT FIRST, a little bit more about Minhkhoa though because this is not just a ship manifesto, but an ode to Minhkhoa Khan because I just think he's NEAT. That, and we already know more than we ever wanted to know about Bruce Wayne lbr.

Minhkhoa Khan

Minhkhoa Khan was the son of a Singaporean business owner. When he was a young child he witnessed his father being violently threatened into selling their company to the extremely wealthy Midas crime family.

It just so happens that it was around that time that Minkhoa's parents had already seemed to notice something was different about him. Using the terminology used in the comics, Minkhoa is a clinical psychopath.

But, according to him, his motivation for for fighting crime is that he sees it more like an art and that solving and stopping a crime is more of a challenge than being a criminal. However, even though he swears up and down those are his true motives, it appears that his parents being threatened and humiliated was the catalyst for him setting off and searching out training.

And this eventually leads to our meet-cute with Bruce in the mountains of North Korea where they are both training under Master Kirigi.

Awwwwwwwwwwww. Also at first, while they're training with Master Kirigi, they go by fake names. Bruce tells everyone his name is "Jack" and Minhkhoa goes by "Anton."

But damn, did that shit get gay af really quick.

They were BESTIES. But then Bruce is Bruce and gets all mad because Kirigi is teaching some LoA wannabes how to kill people and decides to peace out and Minhkhoa (not the first or only time) begs Bruce to take him with him.

Alas, Bruce is Bruce and is all, "No, how can I be motivated by constant pain and sufferring if I actually communicate and develop somewhat healthy relationships?" and runs away. BUT before he can get too far, he's attacked by those same wannabe assassins and oh look, it's your boyfriend bestie that you totally just bailed on coming to save your ass!

And so begins Bruce and Minhkhoa's (or Jack and Anton's) gay little crimefighters in training adventures. They first find themselves in Moscow looking for an ex-kgb agent to train them, but were caught and tortured for god knows how long. God, look at these idiots competing over who can withstand torture the longest, I'd die for them.

And then look at Bruce get all upset about it when they start torturing his boyf-bestie :)

But it turns out it was just a test and they did find who they were looking for, a woman named Avery Oblonsky. She tries to teach them spy things, like seduction and disguises etc, and I love how it's sort of explained that Minhkhoa would naturally excel at these sort of things, seeing as how mirroring people and creating false empathy is just part of his personality, and I love that Bruce was just massively struggling with that part of it. Teamwork makes the dream work, right?

Which leads us to the GAYEST SHIT I'VE EVER SEEN. Or at least the gayest panel I've ever seen that includes Bruce Wayne.

IS THAT NOT THE GAYEST SHIT YOU'VE EVER SEEN? ARE Y'ALL GONNA KISS OR WHAT, DAMN. Anyway!!! Avery says she's taught them all she can and sends them to Canada to be trained by the greatest marksman, Luka Jungo. Bruce has a whole fit because Luka makes him shoot icky guns and then Luka has a whole fit because when they went hunting, Minkhoa shot the deer in the wrong place and he's like welp, this obviously means you're a psycho serial killer and I have to put you down now AND BRUCE PULLS A FUCKIN' GUN ON THE MAN.

AND THEN HE FUCKIN' SHOOTS HIM!!!

Bruce Fucking Wayne! Known Gun Anti! Shot a motherfucker to save his boyfriiiiiiend omg. And then said boyfriend picked the gun up and k worded the guy and they have a whole lovers spat about it and a super metaphor-y gay breakup scene.

Literally, what in the heterosexual explanation.

So after THAT, they obviously split up, but then Minhkhoa is Minhkhoa and basically just stalks the poor guy across the globe. For instance, when Bruce tracks down the world's greatest knife thrower in Dublin to learn from him, Minhkhoa just randomly shows up and demands that Bruce homoerotically fight him over it and this guy is so valid.

Next they conveniently run into each other in the Gobi desert where Bruce is supposed to be meditating on grains of sand and Minhkhoa tries to demand another homoerotic sword fight, but this time is the anniversary of The Thing and Bruce is simply not in the mood.

But Minhkhoa Khan is nothing if not a king of consent! He doesn't keep nagging him, he just sticks his swords in the sand and cops a squat next to him and flirts in the only way either of them will ever understand and I think that's beautiful.

The next (and last) time they run into each other before current time is in Argentina. Minhkhoa has stalked him there too and he's realized that Bruce is finished with his training and is headed back to Gotham. He tells Bruce that he's not ready, that his emotions are going to get in the way of the mission and probably get him killed within the first six months. Then, he begs Bruce to play house join him in fighting crime.

Bruce says no and we have yet another break-up scene, in the rain, no less.

And that brings us up to current events. Minhkhoa gets wind of the Joker War apparently and shows up to tell Bruce what a shit job he's doing and how he can do it better, ends up tranq'ing Bruce, Harley, and a slightly homicidal teenage vigilante going by the name Clownhunter and locking them all in a room together in order to each Bruce a lesson. He says the kid's a killer and Bruce is irresponsible for letting him live, but uh, somehow everything works out all okay in the end I guess because this happens?

Bro? Introducing him to the FAMILY? Good lord he's down bad. Also I think Bruce might be having a slight mental breakdown, but it's all good because LOOK HOW HAPPY HE IS.

God they're such dumb boys. And that almost brings us up to speed, stay tuned for ghostbat ship manifesto part 2: old married husbands shenanigans.

Part 2

#ship manifesto #ghostbat #bruce wayne #minhkhoa khan #dc comics #batman #ghostmaker #bruce wayne has a type #minhkhoa khan stan account

[sinisterexaggerator]

Genuinely curious: How did you get hooked on Banaka?

I have an enabler, that’s why. A few, but none so great as @allsystemsblue and I thank her every day for that. Not only do we have daily discussions about those two, but it makes the ideas run wild in my head. The more and more I think about them, the more ways I see them being good together, so much so I name them my OTP.

At first, like most Bane Stans, I was like, nah, he’d hate him. Hondo would annoy the fuck out of Bane, and while that may be true, that doesn’t account for things such as nuance, or growing to be obsessed with your “enemy” to the point it becomes homoerotic. >D

But I sell myself short. I have thought way too long and hard to give a simple explanation such as this, so let me delve a little more into the idea by explaining a bit of their canon backstories, and then my own takes on how they work well together and why.

Bane grew up on Duro, specifically in New Tayana, and lived in an area called the “Descent Ghetto.” It was not a nice place. Hondo was raised for a time on Sriluur, a not so nice place either, in Hutt Space where his mother taught him how to pick-pocket, among other things. Eventually, he was sold into slavery, but he knew deep down I am sure that it was for the money. He escaped, but we can determine they both have a rough start in life.

At this level we might say there could be an understanding. A mutual respect for a man who is self-made. In this they can relate, and while Hondo has his own set of problems commanding an entire crew, both could possibly confide in one another and discuss life’s ills.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Jango and Bane are an “item” if you will, for a period of time. I have yet to decide all the determining factors or all the things I want to cover in this part of my story, but based on what I know about Jango, he was not an affectionate sort. Gruff, surly, to the point, a man of few words, and with a short temper who has little patience for bullshit. If we take that and add to it a cunning, outspoken, brash, ill-tempered, sassy, aggressive Duros, to me that equates to an unhappy ending, or a clashing of personalities are they are both so similar. In this case, opposites attract.

If Jango and Bane were to part ways, Hondo being in the picture and observing their relationship, seeing the value in Cad, becoming fascinated and absorbed in him, regardless of if Bane knows or acknowledges that fact, should he give the Weequay a chance, all those things he has been denied through Jango easily come into fruition via Hondo Ohnaka.

This man needs love, support, a friend even, healing. He is traumatized in part due to his past (my story), and Jango is not that empathetic or concerned.

Hondo is attentive, charming, a deep thinker despite his clownish façade. If Bane can get past his petty grievances, if they were to share a moment or two alone, if they had a chance to talk, to linger in each other’s presence, if BANE ALLOWED HIM A SHOT, I think Ohnaka could sweep him off his feet. He would see there was more to him than just the flamboyant, foppish pirate.

Granted, Bane is untrusting. He sees the women; men; sentients, that Hondo brings to Florrum. He knows of his sexual escapades. He knows he’s a flirt and a scoundrel, so it is tough going in the beginning for Bane to accept what he is experiencing or receiving from him is genuine.

Perhaps they engage in something together, possibly among others, that is a sexual awakening in Bane. I see Hondo as giving to Bane things he has never felt before or even knew was possible.

He would hate it. It would unnerve him. He wouldn’t know what to think, to do, how to address this feeling inside himself, and it would soon devour him alive.

Maybe he needs more of it, despite wanting to inflict violence or damage against the person (Ohnaka) that made him feel this way. It becomes a need, a thirst so infuriatingly strong in him that it must be quenched.

This could develop in to a tentative, informal, even secretive relationship. It could go on for months, weeks, Hondo one of the few people who can bounce right back after one of Cad’s terrible mood swings. He doesn’t take offense to his words, or rarely if that, something more personal perhaps, but he is able to deal with this terrible, bratty boy and knows just how to placate him, how to soothe him.

Maybe casual sex “digresses," or “upgrades” to feelings being involved, real affection occurring, yet also hidden behind closed doors.  I foresee angst, drama, hurt, comfort, and a whole plethora of other tropes occurring between these two.

One is the concept of “sun” and “moon.” Hondo is the sun to Bane’s moon. He is the sunshine one, the happy one, the one who can get this bounty hunter out of his funk on more than one occasion, despite his jealous, possessive tendencies.

To me they are perfectly complimentary. That’s basically it. Not only that, Hondo knows when he needs his space, when not to crowd him, when to stand down, and even though Bane may raise his hand against him, Hondo would never afford him the same reaction. Not like Jango.

Though Hondo speaks many, many words, actions speak louder to Bane, and Hondo can read him, whereas many cannot.

Pair that with his almost obsessive interest in Bane, and the fact he is without a doubt attracted to him from the moment Fett brings him to Florrum, and we have for a most interesting potential ship, IMO.

#Fanfiction #Banaka #Cad Bane x Hondo Ohnaka #Cad Bane #Hondo Ohnaka #Jango Fett #Clone Wars #headcanons #Ask #Fanfic Ask #My writing #rarepair #my otp #ship manifesto

[seadem-on]

Blondie and Tuco from the Good the Bad and the Ugly (1966) - a ship manifesto

Hello reader. Picking up on the old fashioned habit of essay writing, I will write about my favorite ship, Blondie and Tuco from the seminal western The Good the Bad and the Ugly, and why you should ship them too. Warning: the essay contains spoilers from the film.

First, let’s look at who Tuco and Blondie are in a nutshell.

Tuco - played by Eli Wallach - is a Mexican bandit with a long rap sheet. He is the first character that is introduced in the Good the Bad and the Ugly - freeze frame of him jumping out of a broken window with a chicken leg and a bottle of wine in one hand and a gun in the other, the writing “the ugly” (il brutto in the Italian original dub) appearing on screen. His first appearance shows immediately the main traits of his personality: he is loud, messy, dangerous and can get out of a tough situation thanks to his gunslinger abilities. But he is not your usual bandit. Tuco is very lonely too. He looks for sympathy in his older brother, a priest who instead chastises him for his life choices. Tuco has no family and no one else to turn to. His main traits are also greed and violence. He seems fun and silly but he is quick to anger and when he wants something he is extremely determined and will go to great lengths to obtain it - as for example revenge against Blondie. Wanted in more than fifteen counties, he risks frequently punishment by hanging.

Blondie - played by Clint Eastwood - is the star of the film, a deft gunslinger and Tuco’s work partner. He is introduced shortly after Tuco - he shoots three bounty hunters to save him. They have an agreement where Blondie brings him to the sheriff and shoots the noose as Tuco is about to be hanged - splitting the bounty money between each other. Blondie is dubbed “his golden haired angel” - meaning he is always watching over Tuco. His personality is the exact opposite of Tuco’s: he is calm and collected as Tuco is fiery and emotional, speaks little, and schemes a lot. He is tall, blond and smokes a cigar. The writing “the good” (il buono) appears on screen ironically just after he leaves Tuco stranded in the desert when he starts demanding more money for their agreement.

Canon evidence why they work in a pair

Where do I begin? These two are obsessed with each other. They are constantly lying, backstabbing each other or saving each other’s lives. There are no inbetweens. First Blondie leaves Tuco in the desert with no money and no gun, breaking up their partnership - and Tuco starts tracking him down for revenge. Things get pretty heated - literally, as Tuco takes Blondie on a 60-miles-long trek through the desert without water to watch him slowly die. Until they meet with a dying soldier who reveals the location of a Confederate treasure - but he tells the location of the cemetery to Tuco and the name on the grave where the gold is buried to Blondie. Since then Tuco starts panicking to save Blondie’s life which is extremely worthy to him now. He brings Blondie to heal in the monastery where his brother Pablo lives. When Tuco meets Pablo again he understands that his parents are dead, and he has a fight with his brother who does not approve his sinning life choices. Tuco leaves the monastery with Blondie, and makes up a lie about his brother telling Blondie their relationship is wonderful and his brother never wants to let him go and has prepared a lot of food for him. Blondie has actually overheard the fight and is moved by Tuco’s pain, so he just goes along with the lie and offers him a cigar - saying “after a meal there is nothing like a good cigar”. Later they arrive at an Union prison camp where Tuco is tortured by Angel Eyes, a merciless mercenary, for information about the treasure. Meanwhile Blondie is outside with other prisoners, who tell him his friend is probably being beaten, and looks worried. He is offered freedom by Angel Eyes in return for his help with the quest for the gold - and he asks where Tuco is. As soon as they arrive in a war-thorn town being fled by its inhanitants, Blondie heard a gunshot and recognizes it’s Tuco. He leaves the gang of Angel Eyes to reunite with him. After trying to kill Angel Eyes and his henchmen they get back again on the road to look for the treasure. At some point they reveal each other’s half of the secret. When they get to the cemetery, Tuco runs ahead of Blondie and finds the grave. Angel Eyes gets to the cemetery too and Blondie reveals he lied to Tuco: that is not the right grave. Only Blondie knows the true location of the gold. So he establishes to write the name of the grave on a stone and that they will have a three way showdown to decide who will get to look at the said stone. Under the desert sun, in the middle of thousands of graves, the three ruthless men face each other in a battle that entails their lives. Blondie is as always cool and collected. Tuco is nervous, his eyes darting from Angel Eyes to Blondie. Angel Eyes is calculating when to shoot. In the end, with a swift coup de scene Tuco and Blondie both shoot Angel Eyes - but Tuco’s gun is empty, having Blondie taken care of it the night before. Blondie makes Tuco dig on the right grave and find the gold - which he splits in two. To exact his revenge he has Tuco hang himself on a cross. As he leaves, he takes aim and shoots the rope thereby saving Tuco - as he’s done a thousand times before.

Their relationship is that of rivals or frenemies - they are in a constant competition and when they are not they are having bonding moments and helping each other out.

As hardened and cold hearted as they want to seem, both have some degree of fondness for each other. Blondie is often smiling at Tuco or looking worried for him - Tuco trusts Blondie with his life, and seems to recognize him a a friend in the end. One of my favorite moments is when they are at the graveyard and when their enemy shows up and point a gun at Blondie Tuco starts being defensive, and later when Tuco is drawing the gun from his pocket Blondie stops in his tracks, ready to protect him from any danger. Their rivalry has an element of mutual respect and underlying trust that can be ultimately defined as friendship - the best one they can get being criminals. Most importantly, Blondie is properly defined as Tuco’s golden haired angel - meaning he is constantly looking to save him from trouble, and even in the end, when he could have easily killed him for revenge, he chooses not to.

Also they canonically have a lot of homoerotic moments. Here a few of them:

1. Blondie leaves cigar butts at campsites and Tuco sucks on them lovingly to track him down (I’m not kidding). This is parallaled by Blondie hearing a distant gunshot and identifying it immediately as Tuco.

2. There is this extremely sexy scene where Tuco forces Blondie to hang himself, tells him to take off his pistol belt and gives him directions on how to use the rope.

3. Blondie is barely clothed on a bed and Tuco touches lightly his lips.

4. Tuco is naked and Blondie talks to him while stroking a bedpost.

There are moments of bonding throughout the film too:

1. Tuco has a fight with his long lost brother and as he leaves the monastery with Blondie he tells a lie about their relationship being happy and his brother caring about him so much he has made him a lot of food. Blondie - who has been overhearing their fight - pretends he believes him and offers him a cigar “to help his digestion”.

2. They end up in the Union prison camp where Tuco is tortured. All the while Blondie looks emotionally distressed as another prisoner tells him that they are beating his friend.

3. Tuco is about to take on 5 gunslingers by himself when Blondie shows up and tells him “are you gonna die alone?”. Tuco smiles because he realizes Blondie is actually his friend

My interpretation of the pairing

I think Blondie and Tuco are an embodiment of the enemies to lovers trope. They start out as wanting to kill each other but slowly come to unwillingly realize they harbor feelings for each other (maybe their mutual obsession could give it away from the start?!). In my opinion they find it hard to manifest their feelings because 1. They are rivals and a criminal cannot show any sign of weakness in front of their own enemy 2. They are hardened men who are too proud to confess their feelings. Despite this, it’s hard to hide they are extremely attracted to each other.

Although they seem to be holding back their feelings, they do show some signs of affection (see above). They know each other so well they can sense each other presence from a distance. (That would make for a great abo fic btw)

They know each other as intimately as anyone else ever could. Tuco is the only person who almost killed Blondie, made him vulnerable and also the one who put him back together. Blondie is the only person who knows about Tuco’s troubles with his family - and despite that he doesn’t use that to mock him but chooses to stay by his side.

Also I think when it comes to expressing feelings the one who is more comfortable with it is weirdly Blondie. Tuco is more savage and more hostile to the world in general. Blondie makes him open up little by little with small acts of kindness, and shows him what friendship and trust are like. Blondie is extremely fond of him but deep down knows that Tuco is out for himself and would kill for money - so he does his best to make Tuco survive in the end.

I love how Blondie embodies the role of the “guardian angel” and Tuco that of the “sinner”, apparently irredeemable but who is worthy of love (from the one who you least expect to).

The way Blondie seems to actually have admiration for Tuco, and considers him a worthy opponent and partner (although he would never admit to it) is mezmerizing. I love how Tuco seems to open a crack in Blondie’s hard shell and make him smile and feel things he is not used to. I love how Blondie actively wants to make Tuco feel better and take care of him.

So why should people follow this pairing?

Blondie/Tuco are a fun pairing to ship because of their differences and their love/hatred bordering on obsession dynamic. They are complex characters and their story is set in the Far West tackling themes like kindness in a hostile world, survival, friendship and loneliness. Basically you can have lots of fun exploring their relationship and the related themes.

Side note: they have an interesting ropekink/bdsm side which is still imho underexplored.

The fandom is small but the handful of us who are reading and/or creating content are very active and ready to engage with you.

Fandom guide:

- Bloncos is the first (and only) blog dedicated to them

- Meme-streets meta: in-depth analysis of the film and focus on Blondie and Tuco (look for the good the bad and the ugly tag)

- Fanfiction: ao3 is the main source, my personal recs (pls read tags)

Guarding

Bad Choices

Untold

A good partner is irreplaceable!

On The long-term effects of half smoked cigars

Gold dust in a dirty river

A partnership of sorts (series)

Rated E

Brat

A midnight intervention

Kisses

The ecstasy of c*m

What dreams may come

The Devil You Know

Short fancam:

Here by cirilee

#blonco #the good the bad and the ugly #ship manifesto #clint eastwood #eli wallach #enemies to lovers

[boneparrot]

Franky/Brook Propaganda

I've been hopelessly obsessed with Superbones for half a year now. While I initially shipped them as a joke, as I continued reading One Piece I soon realised they have a lot of untapped potential.

So if you're willing to hear me out, here's why I think Franky and Brook are indisputably gay. Source: trust me.

Franky and Brook are able to understand each other on a level that no other Straw Hat can, as they both know what it's like to be robbed of what made them “human”. They lack flesh and the ability to feel physical touch to some extent.

Additionally, they both have first-hand experience with death and the loneliness that comes with it. Franky spent 4 years in hiding, while Brook was isolated for 50.

Being the resident freaks of the Straw Hats, they know what it's like to have people be unnerved (or amazed) by their looks and abilities. I consider them to be a part of what I like to call the “true monster trio” with Chopper. Monster dads and monster son.

Franky is able to quench Brook's unsavoury desires. Being a proud “pervert”, he willingly shows off his panties and tits 24/7 without even needing to be asked.

Both of them have musical talent and could write sappy love songs to each other.

In an updated SBS question, when Oda was asked where Jinbe would fit if the Straw Hats were a family, Franky's role was changed from “father” to “perverted grandma”, with Brook being the “perverted grandpa”. They're married.

I believe the reason Franky told Brook he would be “cast aside for being different” back in Thriller Bark was to warn him, considering his experience on Water 7. Though his first interactions with Brook may seem harsh, Franky's shown to quickly respect him after hearing his promise with Laboon, and even considers him a bigger man than he is.

Franky spends an unnecessarily long time carrying Brook in Thriller Bark.

During Franky's fight with Señor Pink, they both agree that flings with immature women are sickening. You know who has tons of experience? Brook.

When Franky asks Robin if she wants to take the backseat of his motorbike, Brook assumes this flirting is directed at him. In his own words, “there's nothing wrong with some good male bonding.” And if that isn't gay, I'm neurotypical.

They could both comfortably hug each other despite having hard bodies.

If Brook ever wished to bone Franky, he'd make him a cola-powered dick in his workshop in less than an hour.

Franky could serve as an emergency milk deposit for Brook by storing bottles in his stomach. Of course, that means he'll have to deal with Farmer Franky.

They have the unique aesthetic of modern technology vs. fossil.

I just think their dynamic is funny.

If you're still not convinced, that's perfectly fine! But if you prefer another pairing more, why not consider the joys of multishipping? Alternatively, they could be in a poly relationship.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I'm the only person actively drawing and planning fanfics for them. There aren't really many fanworks of them so it'd be very epic if more people saw my vision. 🥹

Thanks for reading!

#brook #franky #franky x brook #frook #superbones #one piece #cyborg franky #soul king brook #rarepair #one piece rarepair #ship propaganda #ship manifesto #dorito.txt

[liesmyth]

Augustine x harrow explained=

*both simultaneously two of gods most devoted members and two of his biggest traitors. Augustine participating in sperm theft and Harrow in opening the tomb

*in plotting against God they both work with a more flashy and outspoken friend who they are simultaneously married and divorced to

*both lost their father figures (Ressurection John and Harrows parents) to blind devotion. Johns devotion to revenge annd earth and Harrows parents to the tomb

*Augustine founded the more academic 5th House, traditions and debts to the dead, and Harrow from the 9th house has an extreme focus on tradition and obsession with adead body and her debts to it

*both have a fatal flaw of being patient to a point of causing themselves and others suffering. Augustine waited so long to confront God the events of HTN happened and Harrow waited too long to say her feelings to Gideon or to be open about her suspicions of Cytherea

*each has a rivalry with g1deon based on his unwavering devotion to God and how its effected them

*Alfred and Gideon are both Cavaliers who were tricked or forced into killing themselves by women in love with John, thinking it was helping their necromancer, and then are haunted by that woman even in HTN with Cristabels effect on the narrative and Cythereas corpse literally haunting the narrative

Honestly my partner doesnt get it but its like gojoxmiwa or margeryxjaime where its about creating a ton of angst and drama with some lovingness

Ok I am FASCINATED thank you for explaining this! I love learning about people's weird random rarepairs ❤️ people like you are the backbone of fandom fr!!

#Anonymous #ask #elle tlt posting #augustine x harrow #<- for blacklist #ship manifesto

[blackfeatherdragon]

I'll Become Your Sword and the Shield to Protect You!: An Aztecshipping Manifesto

Happy III day! I wrote up an entire meta post explaining Aztecshipping and why it's good!

(Also available on Ao3 here)

The Basics

Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal is one of multiple spinoffs of the Yu-Gi-Oh anime series, produced by Studio Gallop from April 2011 to March 2014. The main character, one Yuma Tsukumo, is a thirteen year old boy who breaks from series tradition by starting the series with very, very little knowledge of how to play the central card game (Yugi, Yami Yugi, Judai, and Yusei all knew how at the start of their respective series), but ends up going through massive character growth to become able to more than hold his own through his interactions with the main cast and his teamwork with the amnesiac alien Astral. Basically, Yuma is a very determined guy who refuses to ever give up or admit defeat, pushes on with his special catchphrase 'kattobingu', but at the same time still misses his missing adventurer parents dearly, to the point of choosing to sleep on a hammock in the attic where the artifacts collected through their adventures are stored. His relationship with his older sister Akari is a bit rocky due to her barring Yuma from playing Duel Monsters at the start of the series, but it's clear they (and their grandmother/guardian Haru) do care about each other.

Once you get past the shock of the Zexal protagonist being a highly energetic but unskilled Duelist of a thirteen year old (especially if you choose to start Zexal right after finishing the previous spinoff Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds), he's actually a really fun protagonist to root for. You want Yuma to succeed and help Astral collect the Number cards needed to unlock Astral's missing memories. You want Yuma to find a way to save everyone in the final stretch, even characters like Vector, who tricked Yuma multiple times.

(That's a great protag right there.)

On the topic of shipping, there are many different pairings involving Yuma in some way. The two most popular by far are Sharkbaitshipping (Yuma/Ryoga 'Shark' Kamishiro) and Keyshipping (Yuma/Astral), with Sharkbaitshipping holding 274 fics on Ao3 and Keyshipping holding 239 fics at the time of writing this. Other ships command varying degrees of popularity too, including Skyshipping (Yuma/Kotori, 45 fics), Seraphshipping (Yuma/Alit, 35 fics), Negativeshipping (Yuma/Vector, 169 fics), and Dokidokishipping (Yuma/Kaito, 144 fics). But there is one that is, in my mind, criminally rare: Aztecshipping, or Yuma/Michael 'III' Arclight. At the time this was written in March 2024, Aztecshipping had a mere 29 fics posted to Ao3. (30 fics if you include this!)

You explained who Yuma is, who is III?

I mean, if you're here you probably know who III is, buuut he's my special little blorbo and I'm posting this for III Day so I get to talk about him.

III (birth name: Michael Arclight) is the fifteen year old youngest son of the Arclight family, a group of four people who acted as one of the antagonist groups of the first half of the series. (The other three members being his older brothers IV and V, and his father Tron.) III is the nicest of the family and is seen to defuse arguments between his brothers, but at the same time has his own problems stemming from his broken family situation.

III is shown to be intensely and unwaveringly loyal to his family, displaying a willingness to both kill for the sake of those he cares about and die for their sake. In fact, during his Duel against Yuma, he deliberately goes out of his way to mentally break Yuma and kill Astral out of jealousy towards Yuma's healthier family and desperation to protect his own, only backing down from his desperate rage when a card he played (Final Prophecy) tried to punch a hole in reality to open a portal to the Barian World.

Tying into this, III puts up little resistance to his father's scheme to get revenge against Dr. Faker, often going along with all but the worst of his family's actions. He delivers a dangerous Number card to Shark at Tron's request, knowing that the card would try to control Shark, but later expresses discomfort when Tron performs a ritual to steal Haruto's power, due to the ritual causing pain to Haruto.

(Remember III's loyalty, it's a surprise tool that will help us later.)

Finally, III has a strong interest in ancient civilizations (with a dash of Ancient Aliens style conspiracies about out of place artifacts coming from other dimensions mixed in), much like how his father was once invested in researching interdimensional portals. This is also a surprise tool that will help us later.

The Ship Summary

To explain Aztecshipping, we have to go back to Yuma and III's fathers: Kazuma Tsukumo and Byron Arclight.

Byron was working with Dr. Faker and the explorer Kazuma on interdimensional portal research, and the three eventually went on a trip to uncover one of these portals. Unfortunately, Dr. Faker ended up betraying both Kazuma and Byron, sacrificing them to open the portal.

While Kazuma ended up trapped in the Astral World after this, Byron ended up stuck in the Barian World, and ultimately struck a deal with the Barians where he was granted power to get revenge against Dr. Faker in exchange for gathering Number cards for the Barians, and eventually returned to Earth as Tron.

As for their families that were left behind on Earth, the Tsukumos were able to stay relatively healthy, with Haru taking over as guardian to Yuma and Akari in the absence of Kazuma and his wife, the severely plot neglected Mirai. Yuma still missed his parents dearly, but his family remained functional.

The Arclights were not so lucky.

With no parents in the picture and oldest son Christopher too young to act as a guardian to his brothers/busy investigating what happened to his father while working for Dr. Faker as an assistant, both Michael and his second brother Thomas were left to an orphanage, only returning to their family when Tron came back and Christopher realized the truth. Tron reduced his sons to mere pawns in his revenge scheme, forcibly renaming Christopher, Thomas, and Michael as V, IV, and III respectively and granting them special crests to give them power, and subsequently allowed his family to fall to dysfunction as he obsessed over revenge.

In this way, Yuma and III are mirrors of each other, both losing their fathers in the same incident but reacting in opposite ways. Yuma is connected to the Astral World from the start with his friendship with Astral and his father's fate, while III is connected with the opposing Barian World due to Tron's deal and the fallout of it.

To that end, Yuma and III initially opposed each other, their first significant interaction being a Tag Duel where Yuma (working with Kaito) Dueled III (working with IV) in a bid to rescue Kaito's younger brother Haruto after his kidnapping at the hands of the Arclights. However, it really wasn't long before III became curious about Yuma and his determination, going out of his way to break into the Tsukumo household to investigate (and was subsequently distracted by the artifacts in the attic/started infodumping about them to Yuma. Nerd.)

(This is actually likely where the ship name Aztecshipping comes from, between Yuma's idolization of his absent father and III's love for ancient civilizations/his favourite card being Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem.)

Desperate to protect his family from being potentially opposed by Yuma and jealous of the actually functional Tsukumos after meeting them, III challenged Yuma to a Duel, in which he tormented Yuma and killed Astral, before attempting to sacrifice himself in a forced tie just to stop Yuma. The turning point came when one of III's cards, Final Prophecy, started trying to forcibly open a portal to the Barian World at the cost of ending the world, forcing III to share his crest power with Yuma to try to revive Astral and stop Final Prophecy's effect.

The plan was a long shot; there was no guarantee that Yuma would be able to take that amount of power. Yuma withstood it though, and with Astral back, managed to work together to defeat III and stop Final Prophecy. This was the true turning point of their relationship, as III recognized Yuma as his first and only friend and trusted him to be able to save his broken family.

Remember III's intense loyalty? Good, we're coming back to that now.

After this, III vanished from the plot for a while, eventually returning to protect Yuma from being menaced by the Barians Mr. Heartland and Semimaru by way of throwing a sword at Mr. Heartland and outright declaring that he would act as Yuma's 'sword and shield' before teaming up with Yuma to Duel Semimaru. In turn, Yuma trusted III to have his Number cards back, after III willingly gave them up to Yuma after their Duel some time earlier.

It seems that by now III's undying loyalty fully extended to Yuma, as he went out of his way to redirect an attack that would have hit Yuma and his monster to strike him instead, once again showcasing his willingness to sacrifice himself for those he cares about. After the Duel, which ended with III and Yuma working together to combine Yuma's 'Number 39: Utopia' and III's 'Number 6: Chronomaly Atlandis' to beat Semimaru, Yuma let III have the new Number card won off Semimaru: 'Number 3: Cicada King'.

III continued to stay with and protect Yuma after this, temporarily living in the Tsukumo household and sticking alongside Yuma at all times to fulfil this. To that end, III calls to mind a knight, someone willing to fight and die for the one he protects without thought for himself. III is also seen to become concerned for Yuma's mental state due to Astral seemingly dying at the hands of Black Mist several episodes prior, and after Yuma returns from a trip to the Astral World to find and bring back Astral, is relieved to see him again.

III sacrificing for Yuma came to a head when he and V went out of their way to stall several Barians to protect Yuma, Astral, and Kaito during the big Barian invasion. III knew going in that he would die doing this, but he didn't care, willingly sacrificing himself to save Yuma one more time.

Initially, III claimed to Yuma that he and V were going to confront the Barians to get revenge for IV's death earlier, saying that he'd grown sick of Yuma's optimism, but this was a lie meant to stop Yuma from following him. When it became clear that the brothers were fighting a losing match against the Barian Mizael, V opened a video link to Yuma to deliver a final message. III took the opportunity to apologize for lying, saying that Yuma was a true friend and say goodbye, before declaring that he'd be with Yuma in spirit as Mizael launched his final attack, killing both III and V.

This sacrifice caused Yuma to break down sobbing at being unable to stop it from happening due to traveling to track down the Barian leader Don Thousand.

Luckily, after the defeat of the Barians, everyone who died in the final invasion came back to life, III included. The final episode reveals that III enrolled in Yuma's middle school, somehow ending up in the same year as Yuma despite being two years older than him. III's literal final scene in the series has him declaring that he'll fight alongside Yuma anywhere, which again. Knight motifs.

Ship Dynamics

Yuma and III start off as enemies, facing off against each other as their goals and family situations clashed. However, it really isn't long before III starts viewing Yuma as a friend due to Yuma's unending determination and aid in preventing the end of the world via Final Prophecy, eventually even extending the loyalty once reserved for family out to Yuma. Once this shift happens, the dynamic changes to that of a knight protecting his charge with the power of his sword and his own life on the line, willing to die to see that charge safe.

In turn, Yuma seems rather okay with III protecting him despite their notable rough start. He allows III to live in his house for a time and even gives III's Number cards back and temporarily shares his school uniform with him just so that III isn't wearing the same clothes the whole time (this is before III joins Yuma's school, by the way). He's distraught when III (and V) sacrifices himself to hold off the Barians, breaking down in tears after watching the final blow.

It's not all III protecting and sacrificing for Yuma, either. They work together very well when Dueling Semimaru, coming up with a plan to join their monsters together via Chronomaly Atlandis's effect to stop Semimaru. Yuma also promises to help save III's family where III could not, seemingly genuinely forgiving III for his actions during their Duel against each other.

They also have a connection via their interests; Yuma idolizes his missing explorer father and has a number of ancient artifacts in his house, while III has a strong interest in ancient civilizations. It's not hard to imagine them working together on explorations and archaeology digs as they get older, helping and protecting each other as needed.

Tldr: Aztecshipping is a very cute ship with protector/protectee themes and two young nerds. They should be together.

References

-Yugipedia (Crossreferencing canon events and characters) -zexual-shippings (Various ship names) -Ao3 (Fic counts for various ships)

Specific episodes:

-Episodes 41-43: III and IV vs Yuma and Kaito. III starts to become curious about Yuma and his determination at the end of episode 43. -Episodes 46-49: III vs Yuma. III spends most of the Duel proper (47 to 49) tormenting Yuma and Astral, only coming out of his desperation and rage when he realizes what Final Prophecy is doing. III and Yuma work together to stop the effect of Final Prophecy in episode 49, followed by III admitting that Yuma is his first friend and asking him to save his family/giving up his Number cards to Yuma. Episode 46 also contains III nerding out over the artifacts in Yuma's attic. -Episodes 112-113: III and Yuma vs Semimaru. 112 has III throw a sword at Mr. Heartland to defend Yuma and state that he'll be Yuma's 'sword and shield'. Yuma also trusts III to have his Number cards back in 112, followed by trusting III to have the new Number card 'Number 3: Cicada King' in 113. -Episodes 114-116: III continues to stay with Yuma to protect and help him in Astral's absence, including staying over at Yuma's house and borrowing a school uniform from Yuma. III also becomes concerned for Yuma's mental state in the wake of Astral seemingly dying again. -Episodes 126-128: III and V vs Mizael. III claims he's sick of Yuma's optimism to stop Yuma from following him to the Duel, knowing that Yuma needed to go on while he and V stalled for time. III gets the chance to apologize for lying and say goodbye/that he'll be with Yuma in spirit right before dying to Mizael. -Episode 146: III is shown to have enrolled in Yuma's school and is in the same year as him despite being two years older. III later states that he'll fight alongside Yuma anywhere towards the end of the episode.

#yugioh #ygo #yugioh zexal #aztecshipping #michael arclight #iii arclight #yuma tsukumo #ship manifesto #meta #happy iii day everyone have my ship thoughts-

[tantive404]

Let’s talk about Tarkin x Leia! The problematic rarepair which has tightened its grip on my heart 😍😍

Iconic villain x heroine stuff… A pairing which deserves so much more attention.

The way he grabs her face… even watching the scene as a kid, I think it awakened something in me. “Wait… why is Tarkin touching Leia like that?” “Is he into her?”

It’s something so distinctly twisted and intimate between two complete enemies. From there, wasn’t too hard to imagine the Grand Moff having a villainous crush on his prisoner…

Then there’s the little bow he gives her here… He can torture and threaten her but at the same time still knows how to treat her like a princess.

Such a gentleman… 😍

As evidenced by the facetiously complimentary way he talks to her, and the Bow, his treatment of her is almost courtly. Yet it is still with that distinctive Creepy Old Man behavior… He uses his physical proximity to his prisoner to establish dominance.

For instance here, where it LITERALLY LOOKS LIKE HE IS SNIFFING HER HAIR. Wookieepedia even captioned the image as “sexual harassment”. 💀

And here, where he backs her against Vader, leaving the Princess trapped between her two most hated enemies… 👀

Creepy physical chemistry notwithstanding, perhaps most compelling about this pairing is the way they are representatives of two complete opposing ideals— quite literally at war with one another.

Leia Organa is princess of Alderaan, a pacifistic planet. But in spite of that, she is very much willing to take up weapons and fight to overthrow the Empire.

It is during her time as Imperial Senator that she becomes a secret leader in the Rebel Alliance… running covert operations to ferry supplies to the Rebellion and steal information from the Empire, all under the guise of “mercy missions”— and inspiring hope among those who would dare to oppose the tyrannical regime.

Wilhuff Tarkin, meanwhile, is an equally important military leader in the Empire. While Leia fights for the lofty ideals of peace and freedom, it is the Governor’s belief that the most effective way to lead is through fear. This is the founding basis of his Tarkin Doctrine— a policy which is utilized thoroughly within the Imperial military.

A policy which Leia thoroughly opposes, up to the very point of her capture…

Moreover, the establishment of Leia and Tarkin as “opposite representations of good and evil” within the film is something completely intentional— so much so that to highlight this, actor Peter Cushing made the choice to stand in the shadows so that the light shown on Carrie Fisher’s/Leia’s face.

We love a pairing of light/darkness…

Their scene together on the Death Star bridge has always been fascinating to me, as a dramatic confrontation between a powerful man of the evil Empire and his captive Princess— a figurehead of the Rebellion determined to overthrow him. The utter disdain they hold for one another, the seething hatred hidden behind sharply placed words…

“Governor Tarkin, I should have expected to find you holding Vader’s leash. I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board.”

“Charming, to the last. You don’t know how hard i found it, signing the order to terminate your life.”

Obviously they’ve met before, and now, it is all coming to a head here. Leia is right where Tarkin wants her— as his prisoner. 👀He truly believes he— and by extension, the Empire— has won over Leia, this figurehead of Rebellion. And to assert his dominance, he uses gloating words and taunting physical closeness to intimidate her…

Leia resists him, but it is here with Tarkin that she is at her most vulnerable, presenting a rather interesting power dynamic.

He is a reprehensible villain and her captor; she is his defiant rebel prisoner and the fierce heroine. Not to mention their age difference and the way both he and Vader tower over her…

It’s a delicious push and pull dynamic with tons of tension, a relationship which would be absolutely so toxic and horrible, and it’s genuinely so fun to think about.

All their banter and tension and hate, possible chance meetings prior to A New Hope… Secret rendezvous and interrogations in her Death Star cell… The sheer potential for dark AUs…

In conclusion I hope you will consider Willeia 😌💖

“Perhaps she would respond to an… alternative form of persuasion.” 😏😏

#villain x heroine #ship manifesto #willeia #tarkin x leia #leia organa #wilhuff tarkin #star wars a new hope #tarkin #princess leia #problematic ships #rarepair

[erinptah]

Your thoughts on jakemark? I started to like it quite recently and I find them extremely underrated

All the headmate shipping combinations are A+ good in my book 👍

And, uh, my hand slipped and I wrote an essay, here...

I think the Steven sides of the triangle are easier to make happen, because Steven wears his heart on his sleeve (see: gushing over Layla after knowing her for 5 minutes), and is willing to put in the effort to drag the emotions out of somebody more closed-off (see: the entire Duat). So he can take the emotional initiative with both Marc and Jake.

Marc is more closed-off and withdrawn, with this persistent underlying feeling of "I don't deserve nice things, I don't get to ask for things I want, I shouldn't even think about wanting things." (Layla definitely also took a lot of emotional initiative, or they wouldn't have ended up together in the first place.)

And Jake -- okay, his MCU scenes are tiny and his comicverse characterization is wildly inconsistent, but here's the version I write, based on "cherry-picking only the character notes I like and mashing them all together."

Jake is willing to be open and sociable about surface-level things, but his underlying hang-up is "I can't talk about things that are really important to me, those are vulnerabilities, and if I'm too obvious about them, they'll be used against me."

So Marc's first instinct when he finds out about Jake is "oh no, this must be someone scary and dangerous and monstrous, because I know how bad I am, and if I couldn't handle knowing about him before, how much worse must he be?"

Which just reinforces Jake's existing approach of "showing any weakness or soft spots is a bad idea, and Marc in particular doesn't like or trust me at all, so why would I risk being vulnerable in front of him?"

I figure they would soften up toward each other once the whole system spends some time adventuring together...but then they get caught in a standoff where both of them think "okay, that guy's not so bad, maybe I even care about him...but he's obviously still got his walls up against me, so I'm gonna be cool and keep my distance and not make this weird."

So to make the good ship actually sail, you need some outside force to break the standoff! Or else they'll keep spinning around in that infinite loop forever.

Personal favorite approach is for Steven to break the loop. He did the feelings-wrangling for each of these idiots individually -- he can bloody well roll up his sleeves and tackle both at the same time, if that's what it takes!

(...This is the approach I'm taking in the Cover of Knight universe, and, well, we're 100K+ words in, and Jake+Marc are still only at the point of "we can let ourselves show affection toward each other IF Steven's in the middle to act as a buffer." It's totally possible they're headed towards "okay, sure, technically we're having full-on hot headspace sex with each other -- but only because Steven thinks it's hot to watch, and we think it's hot to indulge him -- it's not like we like each other or anything.")

#Moon Knight #Ptah's inbox #Marc Spector #Jake Lockley #Steven Grant #Layla El-Faouly #ship manifesto #FullMoon #Cover of Knight

[benbamboozled]

*bangs pots and pans* CONSIDER CLOWNHUNTER/TIM DRAKE(/RED ROBIN/WHATEVER HE’S CALLING HIMSELF THESE DAYS)!

For example…

Consider…CLOWNHUNTER dosed on SUPER FEAR GAS during the FEAR STATE event!

“WHO IS HE TALKING TO,” you may wonder!

CONSIDER…TIM DRAKE saving CLOWNHUNTER on a SPLASH PAGE!

CONSIDER CLOWNHUNTER’S adorable “RED ROBIN you’re my HERO” face.

CONSIDER hands clasped!

CONSIDER CLOWNHUNTER waking up to see TIM DRAKE AT HIS COMPUTER and immediately being ON BOARD with whatever he’s doing!

(Ignore that Tim Drake has no fixed appearance! Also how old is he even these days?! IGNORE IT!)

And, finally…

CONSIDER CLOWNHUNTER’S concern over TIM when he comes back all beat up after trying to do WHATEVER IT IS HE’S TRYING TO DO! (I forgot what this subplot was about I’m sorry.)

CONSIDER the fact that I just like the way that TIM is framed like a shining beacon of light and experience and also that he uses CLOWNHUNTER’S name!

IN CONCLUSION…CONSIDER CLOWNHUNTER/TIM DRAKE!

Pages are from:

-Batman #113

-Batman #114

-Batman: Urban Legends #9

#clownhunter #bao pham #Tim Drake #Red Robin #batfamily #ship manifesto #rarepair #like pretty much as rare as you can get #ALSO CLOWNHUNTER IS GOOD ACTUALLY #AND I WILL FIRMLY STAND BY THIS #HE’S WORKING TO DECLOWNIFY GOTHAM #AND HE IS RIGHT TO DO SO!

[missanthropicprinciple]

#Richie Rich #Richie Rich 1994 #kiss #my gifs #my writing #ship manifesto #Cadbury x Diane

[dyinglikeastar]

Ghostbat: A Bruce Wayne/Minhkhoa Khan Ship Primer (part 2)

"I need your help." — Bruce Wayne

Part 1

So, part one covered most of their backstory and the events leading up to Ghostmaker's introduction in Batman #100. I gave a brief summary at the end of part one about what happened when Ghostmaker came to town, I want to dive into that a little deeper just to give the full picture of just how unhinged Bruce is at the moment. If part one was an ode to Minhkhoa, part two is going to focus on Bruce because there are some pretty juicy bits that, in my opinion, just make the ship that much more interesting. Spoilers ahead, if anyone is wanting to avoid them.

Bruce Wayne

So the thing is, Bruce is kind of going through it. Well, Bruce is always going through it, but this time Alfred is dead and thanks to the Joker stealing all his money during Joker war and the government being on his ass about it, Bruce is literally a millionaire instead of a billionaire broke. So, in order to save money/be more efficient/be more connected to the people of Gotham, he leaves Wayne Manor and the batcave behind to live in a brownstone in the city. That means now he has to depend on mini caves and caches throughout the city, Oracle, and actually reaching out to The Family (tm) when it comes to fighting crime. He also can't just blow shit up anytime he wants and have it replaced anymore. <sad face>

Oh yeah, he also has neighbors now. The Batman has neighbors. My dude is truly going through it. No Alfred, no Batcave, no endless supplies of money, no Selina. Just a guy and his closer-than-appears-in-mirror impending mental breakdown. (If this ship primer turns into a Why I Think Bruce Wayne Is Having a Mid-Life Crisis essay, no it doesn't.)

But seriously. Ghostmaker comes to town, tranq's him, locks him in a room to kill or be killed, thinks, "Hey, what Bruce really needs is to be traumatized more, specifically regarding the deaths of young teenage boys..."

Kills a whooooole bunch of people, which, you know, Batman is usually kind of...opposed to?

And they fight for about a minute, then Bruce gives him the old It's Too Easy To Kill speech and pouts at him and the big bad simp Ghostmaker folds like a cheap suit lmao

Ya'll are embarrassing fr. Not five minutes after he escaped the room where Ghostmaker locked him, Harley, and Clownhunter in until one of them killed the other, Bruce is like baby wait pls don't go lmao EMBARRASSING.

Anyway, you could call Bruce's general attitude and personality in this new arc character growth and maturity and learning or you could take my route and be like healthy behavior? From Bruce Wayne? It's a red flag for me. Asking for help? MY Bruce Wayne? Just doesn't add up.

No but seriously, I am literally loving Tynion's Bruce. He is so vulnerable and yet still very Batman. It's weird to see him reaching out and asking for help tbqh, but due to current circumstances it makes complete sense and good for him for not being a complete idiot about it. Still, this is a ship primer and it does seem to be one specific character he prefers to reach out to and it makes me lose my miiiiiiind.

These panels in particular make me want to chew my own face off. Bruce isn't able to use his comms to tell Oracle where he needs a pickup, so he just starts blowing shit up, of course. And of course, he does it in morse code and of course Minhkhoa picks up on it.

AND THEN.

This bitch just jumps out of the damn building assuming Minhkhoa will catch his ass.

Which he does, obviously, because that's his baby girl he's an awesome, very skilled crime fighting super hero.

Now, I don't know what Minhkhoa's voice sounds like, but what I do know is that, "Oh would you have?" was spoken at least three octaves higher than his usual voice like a hysterical wife. I just love that scene SO MUCH. Bruce just flinging himself out of a building, knowing Minhkhoa is going to catch him. Chef kiss. 10/10. Fuckin perfection.

Also, Babs doesn't seem to like or trust Ghostmaker, which is totally fair, but listen, Bruce ain't having it.

I literally feel like I'm overdosing on Bruce Wayne ADMITTING HE NEEDS OTHER PEOPLE. Whew. What's that, though? You want more examples of Bruce being vulnerable and trusting and needing his Khoa more than anyone else? I got u, I got u. During the Fear State arc they're dealing with Scarecrow and all his minfucky bullshit and who does he want? Khoa.

YEEEEEAHHHHHHHH THAT'S THE GOOD SHIT. Bruce Wayne saying I need your help. Holy shit. Yes. Good.

And who, you ask, does Bruce literally trust with his mind? Like, who does he trust to literally look inside and walk around his own goddamn mind and help him unscramble his compromised brain?

Just the clinical psychopath who's tried to kill him on more than one occasion <333

And who is it that helps figure out what kind of fuckery was going on and brings Bruce back to the land of sanity?

Yeeeeeeeah. :)

And if I could just scooch in here with a little bonus Khoa love, look at him. Wanting to learn empathy, wanting to understand Bruce better. And Bruce teasing him! God I hate them when will they kiss

So yeah, for those playing along, that makes three or four times that Bruce Wayne has uttered the words "I need help," without having some kind of emotionally repressed brain explosion over it. Let's see. He:

Asks Minhkhoa not to leave Gotham, to stay and help him with the city.

Doesn't explicity ask for help, but does jump out of a building, trusting that Minhkhoa will catch him.

Straight up asks Minhkhoa for help when he realizes his mind has been compromised by Scarecrow.

And in issue #121 we see this:

Which leads to Bruce asking Minhkhoa (again, yes he's asked him more than once) to take over leadership of Batman Incorporated. Dick told us that he asked once, years ago, and it didn't go well, but this time Minhkhoa acceps and becomes the new leader and also starts training Clownhunter (instead of killing him! Character growth!) which brings us up to date.

And with that, I shall leave you with a couple of screenshots of Minhkhoa and Bruce being both 8 year old boys and old marrieds:

Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope someone at least can share in the level of unhinged I am over this ship right now and please feel free to share and spread the gospel of ghostbat. ♥

#ship primer #ship manifesto #ghostbat #bruce wayne #minhkhoa khan #ghostmaker #old marrieds #minhkhoa khan stan account #minhkhoa khan is a simp and it's embarrassing #he wants to kiss bruce so bad it makes him look stupid #but bruce always looks stupid so that's okay #friends to lovers to enemies to stalkers to lovers #bruce is always so fucking smiley and goofy around him what the fuck

[simi75]

A collection of pictures of Kimi and Seb among the years, during the pressers, the podiums, the drivers parades or other events, along with some representative quotes.

#simi #kimi raikkonen #sebastian vettel #ship manifesto #thursday press conferences #podiums #drivers parade #compilation #pictures #quotes #my stuff

[birbiebi]

well that's ironic

#johnten #ship manifesto #i guess

[grapecaseschoices]

uhm. stores this. cause reasons.

#quote hunting reasons #kai x nat #n sewell #nat x detective #twc book 3 #kai x nat pt #oc: malakai baines #gonna make sure i find this later wqsa lmao #twc detective #twc book 3 spoilers #so many quotes #ship manifesto #idk what a tag would be for it? #ship definition

[maigo-san]

what got you into tanren? you could've shipped tanjirou with ginyu or inosuke yet you chose rengoku, the same for rengoku, you could've shipped him with akaza or uzui, im very curious! I also love your paper kimono story <3

oof buckle up cuz this is gonna have a lot of spoilers

What got me into tanren is kinda a build-up. Yes, I think I'm first touched by the last scene of Mugen Train, where Tanjirou screams at Akaza's retrieving back and the way Kyoujurou's stunt eyes turned mellow and his voice softened in endearment as if he's surprised that a new, younger,low-ranked demon slayer like Tanjirou still tries to defend him when this is literally his job (or what he keeps telling himself that).

Then, when Tanjirou defends him from Shinjurou, then during ssv when he cradles the tsuba that is now part of his new katana and got teary-eyed when he heard from Kotetsu that it protected him from a shot through the heart, then peaked during hashira training where he had a talk with Giyuu.

this panel is so powerful to me because this is literally from Tanjirou's POV. This is how he sees Kyoujurou. Even in the previous panels he also thought about how losing someone important feels like his flesh is being gouged out or that his skin is being ripped apart (depending on which translation you get). Honestly, Tanjirou can be dramatic but he's not hyperbolic. If Kyoujurou really did give him such a strong impression, he meant it.

There's also the "you ass" scene in his last fight with Akaza which is cute lol. Kyoujurou definitely deserves a feral overprotective boyfriend.

I also like other tan or kyou ships, I already answered a question related to it here but to answer why I particularly prefer tanren compared to them, I guess it's because they hit the hardest to me. I feel like I see these two as people who had missed their chances. A "right person wrong time" type of way and it devastated me to the point where I wish I can give them a second chance, a closure. (it's a good thing gtg did by making 🐥🍑)

As for other ships, I can see potentials, but I guess I'm not the right person to give them closure. I would in casual fanworks if I have the chance and I would still be down to read or see other people's works on these ships but so far I don't really get the same rush of dopamine as from tanren or rentan.

ALSO THANK YOU FOR READING!! 🫶🫶🫶🫶 I'm glad you enjoyed it!!! 🥺🥺🥺

#zig replied #rentan #tanren #ship manifesto #kny spoilers