#with enough canon material to sustain it and go of

[rist-ix]

The sparxshipping teasing from Iginio got me wondering.... if we ever did get canon sparxshipping explored, whether in a reboot or new adaptation, how would you like it for it to be done?

I'm gonna try to answer both of these in one post cause they overlap a little, but first of all thank you!

Buckle up fellas I'm bringing discourse.

This is gonna be a bit of an unpopular opinion I think, and it’s that I don’t want sparxshipping to be canon at all.

Feel free to get the pitchforks, but until then imma talk. I have villainships that I think not only add something to the overall plot, they kind of define it too. Reylo for examples, with its themes of redemption, masks and compassion, or Darklina and how important their relationship is to the war and Grisha oppression, or Lotor and Allura with its symbolism of breaking the cycle of abuse, making peace, reclaiming a heritage thought lost and so on.

To put it very briskly: an established Sparxshipping relationship adds nothing to the plot. It would have to be a plot of its own, and while there are tons of fascinating plot threads you could weave back into Domino, Bloom's family and the war before the Fall, it is simply, plainly, and rightfully so not the story Winx Club is telling.

Winx Club, at its core, is about the girls and their friendship. That is the show I love, and that is the show I am invested in. Fanfiction is a separate thing, I’ll get into that later. But canon, commercially produced and globally aired Winx Club is what we are talking about now. And the one defining truth of Winx Club is that it’s about the Winx. Their boyfriends are the side note, the Kens to their Barbies, to cement them as the cool popular teenagers younger kids are supposed to see them as. If Bloom and Valtor had a lasting serious relationship, Valtor would inevitably have to be shoved into that category as well, and that would ruin the entire appeal of him.

To boil it down even more: if sparxshipping were canon, either Winx Club would have to shift away from its intrinsic premise and formula, or Valtor would have to be diminished beyond recognition. So my longstanding opinion has always been: don’t make sparxshipping canon. Just don’t.

What I, personally, would do if I were ever to gain access to the mythical and likely overcrowded writing room at Rainbow SpA, is this:

Tease the fuck out of it.

Lean into their fucked up little hate-obsession. Every time they share the screen they have to be radiating unresolved sexual tension. Their chemistry has to be so off-the-charts it sparks a million fanfics before the season even ends. If there aren’t so many crappy amv's set to angsty Taylor swift songs it brings down the YouTube servers by midnight you have failed. Because canon is bound to certain limits, but fanfiction is NOT. The goal of any show should be to create something that will awaken an inescapable need to build on it, to continue where it left off, or to wonder but-what-if? To make people text incoherent keysmashes to their fandom buddies with shaky hands in the middle of the night and be unable to sleep until they’ve confirmed their buddy has seen it too.

I would want to see Bloom go fully I-have-lost-sight-of-everything-but-revenge until her friends manage to pull her back, I would want them to fight so vehemently the structures around them collapse and they don’t even notice. They should be in situations where they are UNDENIABLY going to die if they fight on and they still do it, they literally CANNOT stop, they don’t care to. To the point that everyone around them is seriously concerned and talking about their terrifying obsession with each other, more or less out in the open. And after a season full of epic fight scenes, high stake conflicts and frankly obscene tension between them, I would want Bloom to kill him.

Straight up.

Give her that moment of calm self assurance, at peace and perfectly in control, while Valtor tries to gaslight-gatekeep-girlboss his way out of this, contrasting the way her support network and genuine, unconditional friendships strengthen her while Valtor, who is always sabotaging everyone around him, is forced to confront his own powerlessness in the face of the power that created him. His manipulation attempts have nothing to latch on to. They have one last exchange where Valtor is visibly furious at her denial of him / his own failure — to really drive home that this is Bloom's triumph — but the last words they exchange are cordial. Maybe a comment at her growth, or a warning about his mothers, or another way to foreshadow future threats — if he couldn’t defeat her, no one should. He ends on a high note, but he does end, and it’s at Bloom's hands. She retakes the corrupted spark into the Flame she is guarding, and that is that.

And then, and this is important. He fucking haunts her for the entire next story arc. The next season, the next two seasons maybe, because she has learned a fuck ton of things from him and it is really, really difficult to move on knowing everything she does, knowing everything he implied or hinted at, or simply knowing so many really, really cruel ways to get her way now, which isn’t who she wants to be, but it would be easy, quick and effective for the greater good, right?

Boom, character conflict for the next season established, lots of potential for future flashbacks or visions, Valtor stays on his high horse of forever-the-juiciest-fucking-villain-of-the-franchise and the story can move on.

The End

Cue three decades of mind-blowing fanfiction. We all say Thank you Rainbow and cry ourselves to sleep thinking about what could have been.

#sparxshipping #asks #the ugly truth is that a perfect piece of media that gives everyone what they want is not a piece of media that inspires a lot of fan works #fandom to me is so much more fun there is that gap. that whole of teased-but-unexplored potential #with enough canon material to sustain it and go of #but even more questions and what ifs and theories and fuck it I’ll do it myself #you feel me?

[snippy-tano]

*waves* hello there!! I have this Image in my head of Tech liking to ramble about bugs (mostly because the fandom has decided to draw him fawning over them and it’s freaking adorable!) so the idea of Tech finding the reader and telling them about random bugs he found because they’re the only one who listens, and maybe starting to worry he’s imposing on the reader’s space, but hint hint reader thinks it’s the cutest thing ever and falls a little more in love every time he comes up to her with sparkling eyes and a new bug fact 💜

(Take your time please! THANK YOU FOR WRITING seriously you are sustaining all of us going through Tech withdrawal and ignoring canon together😂)

here it is friends!

this was so much fun writing. i think Tech grabbed me by the shoulders and wouldn't let go until i finished this because i was actually working on another one-shot when i suddenly skipped to this one. so yay! enjoy!

[my google targeted ads are going to be so messed up from looking up all these bug facts but it was worth it!]

masterlist is here!

taglist is here!

tagging: @pro-fangirls-unsocial-life; @marvel-starwars-nerd; @mackstrut; @dissapointingpancake; @quizznag; @ahsokatano-thetogruta; @welcometothepedroverse; @padawancat97; @fractiouskat; @mandaloriandin; @bantha-shit; @badbatch-simp24; @katelynnwrites; @s1st3r; @leotatombs; @torchbearerkyle; @rain-on-kamino; @the-navistar-carol; @bombshe77; @arctrooper69; @social-mockingbird; @littlebluebatbrat; @get-wr3ckered; @flowered-bicycles; @techissuperior; @dangraccoon; @lilyevans1

------------------------------------------------

Little Known Facts

The first time it happened, you weren’t sure why Tech had chosen you. 

You thought maybe it was because he had exhausted all other options and you were the newest member of the team. You also thought it was likely because you were the only one left who had yet to turn him away.

You were deep in the jungles of Kashyyyk when Tech materialized beside you, startling you slightly. 

“My apologies.” He said and you shook your head after you caught yourself on a nearby tree and continued walking beside him. 

“It’s alright Tech. Is everything okay?”

“It is. What do you know about termites?” 

You blinked.

“Leave her alone Tech.” Came Hunter’s exasperated voice from several paces in front of you. 

“Uh. Not much, just that they eat wood among other things.” You replied and you could hear Crosshair scoff in front of you. 

“Your funeral.” He had whispered and you shot him a glare. 

“The queen of a certain termite species can lay 40,000 eggs per day.” Tech stated. “They also use vibrations to communicate with one another.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes.” Tech said, somehow continuing to tap at his datapad without missing a step. “They are also a good form of sustenance as they are rich in iron, calcium, protein, and fatty and amino acids.”

Your nose crinkled. “I think I’d rather not eat termites.”

“As would I, but they would work in a severe survival situation.” Tech concurred and you nodded.

“Thanks Tech. Now I know what I can eat if I have no other options.” “You are most welcome.” “Alright you two. We’re coming up on the camp so it’s time to focus.” Hunter called and Tech gave you a quick nod before jogging to catch up with the Sergeant. 

After that encounter, Tech seemed to take your willingness to converse with you about bugs as an excuse to bring up every single bug fact he knew. The others of the batch would shoot you sympathetic looks (Hunter), make teasing remarks in passing (Crosshair), and slap you on the back forcefully as a way of offering comfort once Tech was out of view (Wrecker). They all assumed that you were just being kind and allowing Tech to talk your ear off about bugs because you felt bad. 

But the thing was, you really didn’t mind. 

You had been around the batch long enough to know that Tech rarely got the opportunity to share “useless” facts. He was usually shut down due to it not being a good time. Which was understandable, he didn’t quite have a filter even if you were in a high pressure situation. 

But every time he would approach you with a new fact rolling off his tongue or a small insect perched on the back of his hand, his eyes would sparkle. 

It had a smile spreading across your face before he even started speaking and a warmth filling your bones. 

*~*~*

“Approximately 2,000 silkworm cocoons are needed to produce one pound of silk.”

“Really? That many?”

“Indeed.”

*~*~*

“About one-third of all insect species are carnivorous, and most hunt for their food rather than eating decaying meat or dung.”

“Good to know. I will make sure to avoid bugs if I am injured.”

*~*~*

“The term ‘honeymoon’ comes from the planet of Alderaan, where it is tradition that a newly married couple is provided with enough honey wine to last for the first month of their married life.”

“That’s actually really sweet. How much honey wine would that be?”

“That would depend on the couple, but an average amount would likely be a crate.”

“Wow. I will have to remember that.”

*~*~*

“Ants can lift and carry more than fifty times their own weight.”

“That’s impressive. Has anyone ever tried to replicate that with technology? I would imagine that it would be useful.”

“I had not considered that. Perhaps I will try.”

“I can’t wait to see it, Tech.”

*~*~*

With each encounter you had with Tech, the swirling in your stomach grew more and more insistent. It was hard not to watch him with a smile as he rattled off fact after fact. And he never told you the same one twice. 

It was an uninterrupted time you were granted with Tech as most of the batch cleared out whenever he started rambling about bugs. You grew to crave these moments. 

And it wasn’t until Crosshair had said something that you figured out why. 

“You know, if you like him, you could just say something. Save yourself the trouble of listening to bug facts all day.” He had teased, startling you as you sorted through the newest crate of supplies you’d picked up off of Kamino. 

“I do not-” You started to protest, but then paused. 

You thought back to every time he approached you with that sparkle in his eyes. How your heart had clenched and you involuntarily began smiling every single time. You started to hope he would come by with a new fact, just for a chance to listen to him talk about something he so clearly loved. You purposefully sought out bugs now, pointing them out in the hopes he would have a fact to share. And every time he did, you felt like you were flying.

Oh kriff you loved him.

“There you go, doll.” Crosshair drawled and you took a step towards him, punching his arm. 

“Not your doll.” You hissed, turning back to the crate to hide your reddening face.

“Maybe not. But you shouldn’t wait too long to tell him.” He said and you stopped stacking ration bars. He took a step closer, fingers playing with the toothpick in his mouth. “A word of advice, Tech is starting to think he’s imposing on you and your space with his facts.”

“He would never bother me!” You cried and Crosshair smirked. 

“Just thought I’d share. Do with this information what you will.” He turned to leave and you let out a laugh. 

“Aww Cross! You do care about Tech’s emotional well-being.” It was your turn to tease and you watched as his jaw clenched. But he didn’t deny it before he stepped out of the room, letting the door slide shut behind him. 

When he left, you sunk down in a nearby chair, mind racing. 

Tech thought he was bothering you? That couldn’t be further from the truth and you had to find a way to tell him. And fast. 

*~*~*

You had your opportunity a few rotations later when you made a brief stop on Naboo. 

You had only really stopped to refuel before heading back out, but you were going to enjoy the sunshine and warm temperatures. While Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair headed into the city you had parked near, you and Tech had opted to stay behind, albeit for different reasons.

Tech wanted to run a few diagnostic tests on the Marauder and you cited organizing some crates, but really you wanted a chance to talk to Tech alone. And judging by the knowing look Crosshair had shot your direction, your flimsy excuse didn’t work on everyone. But no one made any comments and you were left alone with Tech for what was likely going to be a few hours. 

He immediately set to work doing what he had stayed behind to complete and you did take some time to organize a crate or two, but you didn’t do it for long. In fact, you took the time to open up every hatch in the ship with the hopes of helping it air out a bit. 

While you waited for that, you found yourself sitting in the grass outside of the ship, head tilted towards the sunlight. You could hear the breeze moving the nearby trees and the tall grass of the fields surrounding the ship. In the wind, you could smell the blossoms of the blooming flowers. Your eyes were closed as you breathed in fresh air for the first time in a very long time. 

You heard footsteps approaching you from behind and you waited as Tech approached. 

“Is everything alright?”

You hummed in response. “Why do you ask?”

“I thought you were organizing crates and then I turned and you were not there.” He replied and you opened your eyes and turned to look up at him, squinting in the light. Tech shifted and the sun was no longer burning your eyes.

“Sorry, I finished and decided I should enjoy the weather and fresh air while I could.” You said. “You’re welcome to join me.”

“I should finish my calibrations-”

“-come on Tech.” You patted the grass next to you. “Join me. Your calibrations can wait a few minutes.”

Tech hesitated for a second before speaking. “Very well then.”

You smiled as he sat down cross-legged next to you. He continued to tap lightly at his datapad, but you didn’t mind it. You leaned back against your arms and again tilted your face towards the sky, eyes closing. 

The two of you sat in silence, but it was far from awkward. You were enjoying the weather and you were enjoying it even more knowing Tech was here with you. 

“Did you know-” Tech began only to stop talking. 

You opened your eyes and turned to him. “Why’d you stop?”

He stopped tapping at his datapad and you watched as he shifted uncomfortably. “I did not want to bore you with facts you do not care to know. I will leave you to enjoy the weather and return to my calibrations.”

Tech started to move, but stopped when you hand closed over his. You watched as his eyes darted down to your joined hands and then back up at your face.

“I wouldn’t have asked you to stay if I didn’t enjoy your company.” You started. “And I love hearing about bug facts. It’s clearly something you enjoy, so that means I enjoy it too.” 

“But - that seems illogical.”

You laughed, giving his hand a squeeze. “Maybe it is, but it’s true. So please, never stop telling me bug facts.”

Tech regarded you with a strange look on his face. “Fascinating.”

You blinked at him. “What?”

He hummed. “Nothing. I will have to experiment with this further.”

You definitely wanted to know what he meant by that, but you didn’t want to push him. So you removed your hand from his and nudged his arm as you shifted to lay down in the cool grass. You moved around, trying to find a comfortable place to lay, but so far weren’t successful. When you noticed Tech watching you, you waved him on.

“Go ahead. Tell me what you were going to say earlier.” 

“Your head looks uncomfortable. I will go get you a blanket to lay on.” Tech said and began to move. 

“No! It’s okay! It’s not uncomfortable.” You said quickly and he paused, half standing. 

“You should still rest against something more comfortable.” He replied and your mind was racing. “Alright alright, I will. But please sit back down.” You said and he looked like he was going to protest, but you gave his arm a tug and he sat down, legs stretched out in front of him. 

Before you could talk yourself out of it, you shifted on the ground before leaning back, your head coming into contact with his thigh. You felt Tech tense and you looked up at him, hand blocking the sun. 

“This okay?”

He didn’t answer you right away, but after a moment, nodded once. “Yes. It is alright.”

You smiled up at him before dropping your hand to your stomach and closing your eyes. 

“Alright Tech. What facts have you got for me today?”

“Houseflies find sugar with their feet, which are 10 million times more sensitive than human tongues.”

You huffed. “Knowing that makes me wonder why they love our ration bars so much. They’re pretty bland to us, but maybe we’re missing something.”

“It is possible.” Tech noted. “Did you know that true flies have only one pair of wings, and sometimes, none at all. A hind pair of ‘wings’ is reduced to balancing organs called halteres.”

“I did not know that. But I do have a question.” 

“What is your question?”

“Do you know why flies rub their feet together? I see them do it all the time and have always wondered.” You asked and surprisingly, Tech fell silent. 

You allowed a moment or two to pass, thinking maybe he was waiting for you to say more. But he still didn’t speak. You held up a hand, squinting one eye open to see Tech staring down at you with a puzzled look on his face.

“You okay? Did I ask a hard question?” 

He continued to stare at you like he was studying you. It was equally slightly unnerving and exciting. “Curious.”

Your heart thudded loudly in your chest as Tech continued to stare at you. Even though it was comfortable outside, you could feel your cheeks starting to warm. “Uh, Tech?”

“Right, apologies. Flies rub their limbs together to clean them. It may seem illogical given their appetite for dirt, but this cleaning behavior is actually one of their primary activities as they rid themselves of physical and chemical residues and anything that can affect the sensors on their feet.” Tech said and you gave him another look before letting your hand fall and your eyes close again. 

Tech began to rattle off more facts and you did your best to come up with resulting questions. It was peaceful, and there was a part of you that wanted this to never end.

Abruptly, Tech stopped speaking and you squinted up at him. “Everything okay?” 

“Over there. It’s a brown marmorated stink bug. They are rare in this region.” He said and you sat up as quietly as you could. You reached for your glass jar that held the remains of your water, dumping it out on the grass. Very slowly, you climbed to your feet. “What are you doing?”

“You said they’re rare right? Let’s catch this one!” You whispered as you began moving quietly towards where the bug was perched on a nearby tree. 

“We should not harm it.” 

“Of course not. We’ll catch it in this jar to get a closer look and then let it go.” 

Tech slowly stood as well, quietly moving behind you as you approached. Just before you reached the bug, it took off. Both of you shared a look before following. It was hard for you to spot, but Tech seemed to know exactly where it was at all times, so he kept you both on the right path. The trees grew slightly thicker and you made probably too much noise crashing through the woods. 

The bug stopped high on a nearby tree. You didn’t even hesitate before clamoring onto a large nearby rock. 

“Please be careful.” Tech whispered, hands raised like he was concerned you would fall.

“Don’t worry Tech. I’ve got this.” You said, reaching slowly for the small stinky bug. Your foot slipped and you wobbled for a second before righting yourself. You felt the ghost of Tech’s hand appear at your back before disappearing again and you fought the warmth creeping up your neck. 

“Almost, got it.” You said more to yourself as you approached the unsuspecting bug. 

Two things then happened simultaneously. 

One. The rock shifted beneath you ever so slightly, but it was enough to set you off balance. 

Two. Now off balance, your foot slipped on the same spot as before and you began to pitch helplessly backwards. 

The jar slipped out of your hand and hit the forest floor with a soft thud. You looked at the tree and caught a glance of the bug hopping away as you fell backwards. 

You let out a yell of surprise before colliding with something hard. You tried to turn to catch your fall, but weren’t completely successful. Which meant the moment you hit solid ground, the air was thrust out of your lungs in one fell swoop. 

You gasped for air, desperate to breathe again. You coughed once, trying to get your breathing back to normal. Your back was killing you and your shoulder was aching from impact. 

It wasn’t until you felt the ground beneath you start moving that your current situation hit you. 

Your eyes snapped open and you were surprised to see Tech sprawled beneath you. 

“Kriff, are you okay??” You gasped. “I’m so sorry Tech!”

“It is alright. Are you unharmed?” He asked, voice a little scratchy. 

“Uh yeah. Are you sure you’re okay?” 

“Yes. I am fine.” 

You let out a breath of relief before tensing. Your face burned as you realized just how compromising of a situation this was. And suddenly all you could think about was getting out of it as fast as you could. 

You made a move to get up but were stopped by Tech’s hands gripping your waist. You didn’t move any further, instead raising your eyes to meet Tech’s that were already watching you. 

He had the same look as before. One you could only describe as fascination. 

It had your stomach fluttering in response.

“Remarkable.” Was all he said and you found yourself unable to respond. 

You again tried to move, but Tech’s hands held firm. 

“I have been conducting small experiments and I believe I have almost arrived at my conclusion. All I need to do is complete one final test.” He said and you narrowed your eyes at him.

“Okay?” 

“I would like you to kiss me.”

Your heart thudded in your chest as your face burned. “Wha - what? Why?”

“I told you before, I need to conduct one last test before I reach my conclusion.” He said, as if it was indisputable science fact. 

You blinked at him. “And to do that I have to kiss you?”

“You do not have to. Although I would prefer it.” 

You looked away from him briefly, trying to process his words. 

Was he serious?

He had to be. Tech never said anything he didn’t mean. 

But why you?

Why now?

“You’re serious?” Was what you finally settled on as you looked at him. 

He gave you a firm nod. “I am rarely unserious.” 

He’s got you there. 

“Alright, but stop me if you need to.” You stated, trying desperately to hype yourself up. 

“I will not need to, but thank you.”

Karking hells.

Before you could say anything else to delay it any longer or completely talk yourself out of it, you leaned down and kissed him. 

You didn’t want to overwhelm or push him so you kept it short and sweet, despite never wanting it to end once you started. He didn’t seem all that responsive, but you tried not to think too hard about that. 

You pulled back, eyes opening to gauge his reaction. 

He tilted his head slightly before opening his eyes and meeting yours. “Once more please.”

Maker, this man was going to be the death of you. 

But far be it from you to say no. 

This time when you leaned down and pressed your lips against his, he reacted by tightening his grip around you. You slumped further against him without realizing it and felt the rumble in his chest as he hummed. 

It was easy to get swept up in the feeling of kissing Tech and before you knew it, you were pulling away because you couldn’t breathe. Your forehead rested against his as you looked down at him, trying to gauge his reaction.

“Well? Did you reach your conclusion?” You asked breathlessly.

Tech nodded once. “I have. I have determined that my feelings towards you are more than platonic.”

You couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across your face at his words. 

“Good because lucky for you, I feel the same way.” You replied and he met your gaze. 

“Excellent.” He said before raising his hand from its spot on your back to grip the side of your face, pulling you back down towards him. You smiled against him, more than happy to oblige in his request. 

The sun had climbed higher in the sky when you finally forced the two of you apart. The rest of the batch would be returning soon and it was important both of you were back and presentable before that happened. 

The short walk back to the Marauder was full of lingering glances and shy smiles. When you entered the clearing the ship was parked in, to your horror, you saw the rest of the batch was already back. 

Hunter shot you a knowing smile before heading into the ship and calling out to Wrecker instead. Crosshair opened his mouth, likely to make a snide comment, but you cut him off.

“We chased after a bug and it won.” You blurted and Crosshair rolled his eyes.

“Might want to pull the leaves out of your hair if you want that story to be believable doll.” He said before ditching his toothpick and heading into the ship.

“Not your doll!” You called after him, running a hand through your hair and catching several leaves. 

You turned when you felt another hand in your hair and you watched as Tech also removed a small leaf. You gave him a smile which he returned. You reached out, giving his hand a squeeze before turning and heading into the ship. 

You heard Tech follow behind you as you thought back to your moment shared in the woods. 

Who knew hearing bug facts could have such a wonderful outcome? 

#seriously this was so fun #special s/o to my bestie caitlin who read this before i posted it to help me figure out the ending #you da best #asks #askBri #tech x reader #the bad batch #tbb #the bad batch tech #clone x reader

[the-really-lonely-mountain]

Along for The Ride - Part 3

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4

Summary: Transported to Middle Earth, you must Join Thorin Oakenshield's Company as they travel to reclaim Erebor! OR: My take on the classic 'modern girl in Middle Earth' troupe. With this first installment, we are following the first movie of The Hobbit trilogy, and falling in love with Kili on the way! The final installment for the first movie.

Tags: Kili / Reader, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, Modern Character in Middle Earth, During The Hobbit, How Do I Tag, Canon-Typical Violence, Kíli Is a Little Shit (Tolkien), wrote this while I had covid, in like 4 days lol, implied soulmates, Dwarf Culture & Customs, Freeform, Holding Hands, Cuddling & Snuggling, Sleepy Cuddles, Protective Thorin Oakenshield Company Members, Dwalin & Thorin Oakenshield Friendship, Fluff and Humor, Domestic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Where In Middle-Earth Is Gandalf?, Hair Braiding, Dwarf Courting, My First Tumblr Fic, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fíli & Kíli & Thorin Live, Thorin Oakenshield Lives, Fíli Lives (Tolkien), Kíli Lives (Tolkien)

Word Count: 3,717

A/N: I was utterly appalled by the lack of Kili writers on here and Ao3. Y'all who write for Kili, I've been eating your crumbs like it's the shit (cause it is) for weeks, but one can't be sustained on crumbs alone so I've prepared a feast!! This is the first fic I've ever wanted to post, please be gentle. Comments, Likes, and Reblogs are loved and treasured!!

Image credit: @skyfullofsong123

Divider credit: @cafekitsune

“Go wake the love birds will ya,” Bofur said to Nori while packing his things.

“Kili, Y/N, Time to wake up.” Nori gently shook your shoulder where Kili’s hand held you.

You suddenly woke with a startled, “Gaah!” Head butting Kili awake in the process.

“Aahgg” Kili held his lip where you’d hit him in your daze, “Y/N!?”

“Sorry, Kee!” You quickly apologized, resisting the urge to shoo his hand away so you could examine the wound yourself. Nori laughed lightly at your pain.

“Feeling better, Y/N?” Bofur asked from across the cave, “Had us worried.” Kili pushed your legs off him so he could start packing.

“Awe you guys” You smiled “I’m feeling much better thanks to my space heater” You thanked Kili in a roundabout way.

“Always happy to help.” He replied smiling despite his slightly swollen lower lip. He handed you your coat in exchange for his bedding. You put on your now dry coat (elvish material must dry fast) and packed your bedding. You donned your bag and joined the others as they discussed the upcoming anticipated terrain for the day. Bilbo seemed particularly out of it beside you while Thorin talked about the expected route of travel.

“What’s that Bilbo?” You asked pointing with your eyes to the blue glow around this sword. He had enough time to look at it then you in panic before the floor gave way beneath you.

You slid into a tunnel that rolled and slid you further into the mountain. The company yelled and grunted as they were thrown this way and that by the smooth curves and drops. As quick as it started you were dropped into a basket of sorts with little cushioning. Everyone groaned at the bruises that would surely appear.

“LOOK OUT!” Someone yelled making the company scramble in panic as a hoard of goblins sculked toward you.

“OH MY GOD!” You exclaimed in horror at their appearance. The company tried to fight them off but were quickly overrun. The goblins snarled as they mobbed you, dragging everyone to their feet by pulling on clothes, limbs, anything. The sniveling creatures pushed you forward through a corridor of other nasty dirty goblins creating a river of utter dreadfulness.

Time it suddenly slowed. A moth fluttered in front of you and in a voice that sounded like the wizard was saying: “…or. Gandalf. Stall. For. Gandalf. Stall. For. Gandalf. Stall. For. Gan...” Time resumed its normal pace when the moth was out of your earshot. You turned to try to follow it, having to fight against the grabby hands that held you back.

“Oof!” you ran into Kili almost tripping on him.

“Y/N, what are you looking at?” He tried to follow your gaze but didn’t see the moth.

“The wizard is coming we need to stall—” You were cut off by the creatures pushing you forward again grumbling to keep moving. “Tell the others!” You had to shout to him.

While the rest of the company shouted helpful things like ‘Get back!’, ‘You’ll pay for this!’ and ‘Unhand me!’ you opted for something more ‘HOLY SHIT THESE FUCKERS ARE UGLY!’. These concerns you vocalized quite loudly hoping to get a rise out of them.

“Ew ew ew!” You shoved at your captors “This is so gross!” Your shrill scream was rising in pitch but so much was happening that you didn’t notice its effect on the goblins near you. They kept pushing you forward, chittering at you as you passed.

You were funneled into a large open space that looked like a beehive with how the disgusting things were lining the walls and strung about in the air. You were stopped on a round platform in front of a huge goblin. Your weapons were dropped a few feet in front of the group.

“That is the ugliest thing I have ever seen,” you said looking at the corpulent mass of flesh and borderline decay before you. “That is truly a face only a mother could love.” The company chuckled, trying to be serious but failing.

“Who dares enter my kingdom armed?” The moving sack of meat said, looking at you all.

“Holy shit! It can talk!” You exclaimed, truly surprised by this turn of events.

“It?! I am the king of these parts!” He said, making his subjects loud and rowdy.

“I assume the role is inherited cause no one would willingly elect you, Jesus!” You had to look away before your eyes burned. “Sorry, my brain is just having a hard time coping with how ugly you all are” You closed your eyes and rubbed your temples.

“They are dwarves, your malevolence,” An underling said to his king.

“Don’t just stand there! Search them!” He commanded his hoard.

Clammy fingers groped everywhere on your person making you scream at the sudden defilement. The goblins covered their ears at your high pitch, releasing you and the company from their search.

“Now you listen here you ugly piece of shit” You marched right up to the edge of your group to properly address the king “That was completely uncalled for! Ordering your subjects to violate us when we’d already been searched on the way here!” You pointed to the weapons on the floor in front of him.

“Well excuse me for wanting to be thorough, she-dwarf” the king threw what he thought was an insult of his own at you. “And what business do you have in my kingdom?” He asked.

Before anyone else could respond you crossed your arms and said: “Non ya”

“Non ya? What’s non ya?” The king was utterly confused, and so were the dwarves behind you if their murmuring was anything to go by.

“Non ya business” You simply replied with a smirk. The dwarves erupted in a choir of ‘Ooohh’s, even patting you on the shoulder and laughing at your wordplay. The king looked scandalized, huffing and puffing in anger.

“If you will not talk, we’ll make you squawk!” The large goblin said with far too much joy, “Bring up the bone-breaking mangler! We’ll start with the impertinent she-dwarf” He pointed at you making panic race down your spine.

“Wait!” Thorin yelled stepping forward to pull you by the collar of your shirt back into the safety of the group.

“Well, if it isn’t Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror! King under the mountain!” The ugly creature bowed in mock respect, “Oh, but you don’t have a mountain, which makes you no one really.”

You weren’t the only one seething in anger from the disrespect.

“I know someone who would pay a very pretty price for your head,” the disgusting veiny king said.

“Awe you guys” Dwalin suddenly piped up, “He thinks Thorin’s pretty!” making the group laugh.

“ERG! Insolent dwarves! The pale orc doesn’t need anything attached to your head for payment” The king under this mountain suddenly turned smug, “Perhaps you know of whom I speak, He sits astride a white Warg, an old enemy of yours.”

“Azog the defiler is dead,” Thorin said slightly defensively. “He died in battle long ago.”

“So, you think his defiling days are over, do you?” The king turned to his scribe who hung off the edge of the platform. “Tell Azog I have his prize” The subordinate goblin chittered and swung away.

Fili pulled you to him and Bifur, “I thought you said Gandalf was coming,” he loudly whispered.

“He is, we need to stall for longer” You tried your best to keep the worried waver from your voice.

A rhythmic thumping started rattling the suspended platform. Everyone looked over to see a large torture device being rolled towards you. The king started singing an honestly catchy tune if it hadn’t been about how your bones would be shattered and from racks you’d be hung. The devices kept rolling closer, and the goblins jumped and jostled against you all.

A goblin off to the side shrieked and threw Thorin’s blade down.

“Tha-that’s the goblin cleaver!” The king scampered to his thrown, away from the discarded blade, “Kill them! Beat them! Break them!”

The underlings wailed against the company. Dwalin and Kili covered you, so they’d take the brunt of your attacks.

Suddenly a pure white light burst from the center of the platform, throwing everyone and everything back.

“We must take up arms!” Gandalf stepped forward “FIGHT!” His battle cry brought the company out of their stunned daze. Kili grabbed your hand as you both stood.

“Stay with the group!” He told you. The look in his eyes promised to protect you. He caught his sword at the hilt, swinging it to cut an attacking goblin down.

“I’ll keep up” You replied confident in your abilities. Weapons were thrown and exchanged in a wonderous display of practiced coordination, wiping out most of the creatures that detained you.

“Follow me.” Gandalf called the company to him, “Quickly! RUN!” He yelled, leading the dwarves across a bridge as mobs of goblins pursued you. It was all a bit of a blur. You ran and ran while the dwarves fought off attackers, chopping their heads off in one swift blow and pushing their bodies from the path.

“POST!” Dwalin yelled reaching down to pick up a pole, you helped pick it up alongside a few of the other dwarves. You all pushed and pulled it, knocking handfuls of goblins out of the way. The post was dropped so the warriors could use their weapons. Everyone was fighting so well…everyone except you. When the group started running again you did too.

‘That’s one thing I’m good at I guess’ you thought.

You stopped beside Gandalf as the others caught up. Kili ran across a ladder and jumped off in front of you with an odd smile.

“What’s a girl like you doin’ in a cavern like this!” He grinned at you as you all started running.

“Is—” You couldn’t help but laugh a little “Was that a pick-up line? In the middle of battle?!” You yelled at him with a smile.

He jumped over a recently deceased goblin, looked back at you, and winked. You scoffed in disbelief despite your blush. You all followed the wizard to the end of a walkway when the rope was severed, sending it swinging through the air toward the other side of the crevasse. Several dwarves jumped off at the first pass, but you were stuck on the swinging pendulum. It swung back to the goblin-filled walkway you just left, picking some up on the way. On the return swing, you jumped off. Kili caught you; you were ready for your comeback.

“Fancy seeing you here” You smirked at him as the company scrambled from the now-falling swing. He laughed a little as he ran, cutting down goblins with every swipe of his mighty blade.

The ground changed from creaky wood boards to jagged rock. Gandalf stabbed an overhang with his staff, dislodging a boulder that rolled down the slope. You and several others pushed it to help it gain speed, following behind it as it mowed down every revolting creature in its path till it fell from a cliff into the depths. The company kept running and fighting off the hoards. A goblin-less part of the wooden scaffolding was quickly filled in as you approached it.

The goblin king erupted from below the wood boards, just in front of the line of dwarves.

“HOLY SHIT!” You yelled startled. You were now trapped on all sides.

“You can’t escape me!” He sneered down at Gandalf, “What are you going to do now Wizard?” the large goblin looked down at him.

Gandalf thrust his staff into his large bleary eye causing him to reel back and howl in pain, exposing his round belly. The Wizard took the opportunity and slashed him across the stomach, bringing the filthy creature to his knees.

“That’ll do it,” The king said grimly just before Gandalf slit his throat. The dead weight lurched forward causing the wood boards beneath the company to shake. The scaffolding gave way beneath you all. Everyone screamed as the structure slid down the bumpy rock. It was wedged between the narrowing rockfaces which slowed its descent before it crashed down and collapsed. You and the wizard stood, thankfully not held down by the rubble. Everyone groaned under the weight of the boards.

“That coulda been worse,” Bofur said. In a twist of fate, it got much worse for those still stuck because the enormous weight of the goblin king crashed onto them. Groans and curses were muttered by all as they removed themselves from the planks.

“GANDALF!” Kili yelled upon seeing the ocean of angry goblins running at full speed toward them. You were helping the others to their feet.

“We can’t fight them all,” Dwalin said helping his bother.

“Daylight is the only thing that can save us,” The wizard said, desperate to get out of the caves, “Come on!” You all started running again as you followed the wizard to safety.

“I see it!” Ori exclaimed pointing to the pinprick of sunlight beaming from the other side of the corridor. You were running as hard as you could but were slowing just the slightest. The company burst from the cave as the sun was painting the sky with its last rays.

You slowed as you made your way down the mountainside. Gandalf took a head count while everyone caught their breath.

“Where’s Bilbo?” He asked the group “Where’s our Hobbit?”

“I think I saw him slip away when they first captured us,” Nori said.

“Slip away?!” Gandalf said exasperated, “What do you mean? Explain yourself!”

“I’ll tell you what happened,” Thorin said sounding agitated, “Master Baggins saw his chance and took it. He’s thought of nothing but his warm bed and hearth since he first stepped out of his hobbit hole. He is long gone by now.” Everyone looked around not knowing how to feel.

You felt sad, he was good company and a welcomed change from the sometimes coarse mannerisms of the dwarfs.

“No, he isn’t,” Bilbo appeared from behind a tree.

“I have never been so happy to see anyone in my entire life” Gandalf approached him with a glad smile.

“We’d given you up!” Kili said in disbelief.

“How’d you get past the goblins?” Fili asked with admiration and curiosity.

“How indeed” Dwalin repeated.

“Well, what does it matter” Gandalf tried to turn the conversation elsewhere, “He’s back.”

“It does matter” Thorin overruled Gandalf's words, “Why did you come back?”

“I know you’ve always doubted me,” Bilbo said to him “And you’re right, I miss my books and my armchair and my garden. That’s where I belong, I have a home to go back to, and that’s why I came back, cause you don’t have one…a home. It was taken from you. And I want to help you take it back if I can.”

Meanwhile, you are off to the side panting your little heart out from all that running.

Wargs howled in the distance.

“RUN!” Gandalf yelled. You could barely move, exhausted from the previous run.

“Oh lass,” Dori, ever the mother hen, trotted beside you as you made your best attempt at running, “Hop on” He leaned over so you could jump on his back. You hesitated.

“Are…you…sure” You panted. You were picked up by Oin and Gloin and placed onto Dori’s back. He immediately picked up speed catching up with the rest of the group. You could hear the Wargs snarling as they drew closer. The group slowed as they reached the edge of the cliff.

“Up into the trees!” Gandalf yelled, “Climb!”

Dori, this absolute unit, climbed the tree with you on his back. He passed you to a branch as Wargs circled the tree below. They began jumping up into the lower branches, chomping them down and shaking the tree.

“You alright Y/N?” Kili asked from a branch above yours.

“Peachy!” You replied sarcastically. Your tree began leaning. The Wargs jumped against it knocking it into the tree beside it. You all jumped into the still-standing tree, but it was no sooner knocked over into the next. You all jumped again making the tree slowly lean over the side of the cliff. Gandalf began passing flaming pinecones to everyone to throw at the attacking Wargs, catching their muzzles and the underbrush on fire. The Wargs retreated but a new problem arose. The tree everyone was in began to fall over. Those on the wrong side hung above a large drop. Thorin ran from the tree to challenge Azog. He was swiftly brought down. Before the Warg could make the final chomp on the company leader, Thorin slashed it across the nose making it drop him. An orc was ordered to behead him. As he lined up his blade to make the final blow, Bilbo tackled him. He stabbed the offending orc in the chest and stomach multiple times. You pulled yourself into a more secure position, so you were lying on your stomach against the tree.

“Y/N” Kili called to you reaching for your hand. You helped pull him onto the tree trunk, then helped Fili up too. The three of you pulled some of the other dwarves up together. Kili grabbed your waist to shift you so he could get around you on the narrow tree. You didn’t have time to dwell on the blush it created as the dwarves ran into battle to protect Thorin and Bilbo. You watched from the relative safety of the tree.

Watching Kili with the heat of battle rage in his eyes was extremely arousing to your surprise. He looked natural with a sword which made you wonder why Fili would say he wasn’t.

A sudden shriek of an eagle from above startled you. Talons plucked you and Gandalf from the tree and then dropped you onto the back of a huge eagle. The rest of the company joined on the backs of eagles as well. Thorin was knocked out in the talons of one.

In the sky of the setting sun, you were beside the wizard as you flew.

“Now that we have a moment,” Gandalf said, “We have much to discuss, my dear.”

On the back of the enormous eagle, Gandalf explained what he had learned. If someone from each world experiences an equal amount of loneliness and yearning at the same time, and the universe deems them a favorable couple, the person from your world would be allowed transport to Middle Earth. When they touch the staff, they appear next to the wizard who is closest to their counterpart. Fate brings the two together every time. He wasn't told of a way to return to your world because none had ever wanted to do so, but if you wished him to, he could find a way.

“I think I just need some time to process all this if you don’t mind,” you said not wanting to offend him. You wanted to be alone with your thoughts for a while.

“Not at all my dear,” He smiled, admiring your strength in the face of new developments.

The eagles flew the company over beautiful mountains in a sky painted by the rising sun. It was stunning. You didn’t know how long you were flying, so caught up in your thoughts.

The birds began circling a rock that stood above the forest below. Thorin was gingerly placed by the eagle. You and Gandalf landed on the rock next. Both of you ran over to the company leader to see how bad his injuries were. The other members began trickling onto the rock. They watched as the wizard said some foreign words over Thorin, making him wake. He asked if Bilbo was alright. He stood and went on about how he doubted him, but you rushed over to Kili after he’d landed toward the back of the group.

“Are you ok? You’re not hurt, are you?” You looked him over, moving his thick coat to make sure he wasn’t hiding a wound.

“I’m ok! I promise!” he smiled and took your hand in his, “How bout you, are you ok?” You’d never know how much he wanted to put his hand on your cheek in that moment and kiss you.

“Of course, I’m fine” you squeezed his hands a little, “I’m not the one who went running into battle,” you said in worried scrutiny. The memories of him fighting the orcs flashed vividly through your suddenly aroused mind. He must have noticed the way you subtly bit your lip and looked at him through your lashes.

“Oh, just admit it” He smirked mischievously at you looking into your eyes, “You liked it” he whispered in that deep gruff tone that you were beginning to like very much.

Everyone cheered and you turned to see Thorin hugging Bilbo. You were happy they were getting along. After Thorin pulled back, his eyes locked onto something in the distance. Everyone followed his gaze as he walked up the rock face.

“Is that what I think it is?” Bilbo said in disbelief. You all followed Thorin to get a better look.

A solitary break in the line of the horizon was a stark contrast against the vibrant colors of the rising sun. A lonely mountain sat apart from the rest, so very far away.

“Erebor,” Gandalf introduced you all to your destination, “The last of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle Earth.”

“Our home,” Thorin said with pride and a little relief. A bird flew past, chirping delightfully.

“The birds are returning to the mountain,” Oin said pointing to it. You grazed your hand against Kili’s and let it linger there while you watched the bird flutter away.

“That, my dear Oin, is a Thrush” Gandalf stated. Kili turned his hand so his pinkie could reach to find yours.

“But we’ll take it as a sign,” Thorin looked at Bilbo, “A good omen.” Everyone took in the view and prepared themselves for the next push to the mountain.

You wrapped your pinkie around Kili’s. You couldn’t keep your happy smile from your lips. You knew you were acting like a silly little schoolgirl; he brought it out in you in the best ways.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4

#Reader-Insert #Slow Burn #Modern Character in Middle Earth #During The Hobbit #How Do I Tag #Canon-Typical Violence #Kíli Is a Little Shit (Tolkien) #wrote this while I had covid #in like 4 days lol #implied soulmates #Dwarf Culture & Customs #Freeform #Holding Hands #Cuddling & Snuggling #Sleepy Cuddles #Protective Thorin Oakenshield Company Members #Dwalin & Thorin Oakenshield Friendship #Fluff and Humor #Domestic Fluff #Tooth-Rotting Fluff #Where In Middle-Earth Is Gandalf? #Hair Braiding #Dwarf Courting #My First Tumblr Fic #Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies #Fíli & Kíli & Thorin Live #Thorin Oakenshield Lives #Fíli Lives (Tolkien) #Kíli Lives (Tolkien) #kili x reader

[salvagesmha]

Some Vain Attempt At Giving Every Member of Class 1-A (plus one more) a 'Nemesis' Pt. 1 of 3 - Jailbreakers...and Slidn' Go.

Now this is something that's been on my mind since like, what, a year now? Back before this blog existed a comment from @stillness-in-green asked why I thought Tsu should have been Spinner's 'Nemesis' instead of Shoji...

However, due to a combination of shyness, scattered thoughts and business, not only did I pretty much hold off on giving my thoughts, I also got hit with an idea that I'm both loving...and deeply regretting!!!

"Say, instead of just doing why I think Spinner and Shoji aren't a good match-up...why not give legit everyone in Class A (and a certain someone else), a Nemesis. Because what I'm doing isn't hard enough to explain as is!"

So I did, and have practically everyone else mapped out. What you see below are basically, most of the tertiary squad of Class A get their due facing against a Villain that I feel would be roughly on par with them and still be a meaningful clash (though not as important to those that got the League/upper MLA executives).

In addition, I added pretty much how I would write their 'arcs' so to speak concerning their clashes with these Villains. Nothing full blown, but just a bit of concepts had in mind that I feel would make their last battle meaningful.

Now, concerning these pairs I did have some rules going in place (because I can't make it easy in myself, why...) First rule is that the Villains chose have to be members of the League of Villains or its alliances. For example, Paranormal Liberation Front or whatever the Hell the Final War villains are called, are game. That said, I can't use Villains from spin-off or movie material, and Nomu's aren't allowed either (the former due to just wanting to contain things to the manga as much as possible, and the latter is more for balancing reaons).

Also, on that note, concerning the likes of Dabi/Shoto, Toga/Ochaco, and Deku/Shigaraki, they aren't going to be listed since...well, they're pretty much established enemies in canon! No real need to re-state them here. Also, AFO is hard locked to All Might if you were wondering, so he's not making an appearance here either. Neither is Gigantomachia or the Advisors (except one), due to balance and just being way too easy to fill up the roster with.

So with that stated, here we go!

Slidin’ Go - Sato

It’s speed vs power with this one, a match between the traitorous Hero who can, ideally, weave himself away from heavy blows against someone who can be stronger to take him down, but has to find a way to get that solid hit in.

Character wise, I want to imagine this being a storyline where Sato becomes insecure over his Quirk’s weaknesses and how unreliable he feels it might be. In a class where people can harness the elements, shoot intense soundwaves, and warp gravity - having a Quirk with a cognitive drawback and intense fatigue + being yet another strength Quirk would actually be a good way to explore the inner doubts of feeling redundant or unneeded.

As a foil to Sato, Slidin Go could be a Villain with heroic intentions at one point. However, Slidin Go was eventually overshadowed by speed/mobility Quirks that were functionally better (like Ingenium) and his popularity dropped to the point he became borderline poor given how low he was in the Hero rankings. S.G. joined the MLA as their man on the inside, in exchange for promoting him to rise higher in the rankings. Because, at his lowest point, all he cared about was just being able to sustain himself. The price to pay for being seen as redundant and how he sympathizes with Sato.

Assuming this takes place in a timeline where S.G. is participating in the Final War, Sato thinks outside the box to best S.G. With the last of his cognitive strength, he shatters the ground to trip SG up before taking him out in one strike. Sure, his Quirk might be ‘redundant’ in the face of others, but what matters in the moment is not caring about one’s status but doing the right thing, in spite of it. A lesson that Slidin’ Go forgot long ago...though maybe, in time, after his arrest he can regain that spark?

Kunieda - Aoyama

Now this is one that, really, already played out in the manga, but will restate it here briefly since there is an interesting dynamic here, if brief. Aoyama and Kunieda offer a unique spin on the ‘loyal ally versus the traitor’ plot. Aoyama is the Traitor, a double agent for the Villains that goes against them for the bonds he made undercover and to make up for his wrongs. In contrast, Kunieda is someone actually loyal and grateful to All For One - his liberator (heck, one of the few that seems to genuinely be loyal to AFO in the Second War) and hates Aoyama for switching sides. It’s to the point Kunieda personally wants to kill Aoyama just to keep up AFO’s streak (which, to me, gives credence to Kunieda being a former associate to AFO and not just a random Jailbreaker).

In media, I always found it interesting when the heroes are people who betrayed their former allegiance for someone else, and their rival end up being someone fanatically loyal to their old group. I think its because, if alignments were reversed, it’d be easy to portray the Traitor as being self-serving and cowardly, compared to those who remain whose loyalty to their boss who would be seen as virtuous. Given both of their personalities, with Aoyama actually struggling with cowardice and Kunieda being fiercely behind AFO, its not an unreasonable thing to consider at all.

Here? It’s pretty much saying that not only is it okay to betray someone who you work for, if they’re as toxic and awful as AFO, but the virtuous thing in this instance is to go against them to save others, with loyalty to the ‘boss’ being a vice that’ll just bring you down. If I were to make their fight stronger storywise, perhaps Kunieda could have been someone that got the better end of AFO giving out Quirks. Perhaps, he was also Quirkless or had a weakish Plant Quirk before running across AFO one day. In exchange for the Quirk he currently had, he swore loyalty to AFO to be a supplier of corpses for him, before being arrested by Endeavor.

Gashly - Sero

At the time of this writing, Gashly is likely slated to be Sero’s opponent. Can’t really get into too much specifics since I don’t know how that’ll play. So I’ll just give brief thoughts on why I think they’ll work, how I’d write Sero to make it evern more appropriate, and what Gashly deal might be.

Sero is the laidback, witty guy of the Class A who provides support and levity to his allies. In contrast, I imagine Gashly to be the type that only wants levity for himself in the form of his crimes: making twisted stories that involve brutal deaths of kids. If I were to write Sero’s arc, I’d probably make his jokey side both his reason to be a Hero and a bit of a front for insecurities of people taking ‘the guy who shoots tape’ seriously (especially after Shoto beats him in the Sports Festival). His victory against Gashly is him proving to the Villain and himself that it’s far more of a threat than people give it credit for.

For the Top Ten that beat Gashly before, I want to imagine Ryukyu did the deed. A fantasy creature Hero beating a storyteller is just fitting.

"Fang"/2nd Hired Gun - Ojiro

Yep, its Ojiro against the second Tartarus Jailbreaker AFO sent after Deku…who got his ass beat so very quickly. Name and power? Nope - just a reminder that Deku is so OP now not many can compare, because that certainly helps brings out the threat of even escaped criminals. Distaste aside, Fang (for lack of a better name) was chosen because, design wise, I feel a gangster type contrasts well against Ojiro being a disciplined martial artist.

Ojiro always had to face people criticizing for fighting ‘plainly’  with his Tail Quirk, and his own arc here could be accepting that, yeah, while not as flashy, as his peers, his Tail is more versatile in its simplicity and incredibly effective. Fang, as a dark reflection, could be what could have happened if Ojiro had a ‘flashier’ Quirk and let the fame of it go to his head. Since he’s a Tartarus Jailbreaker, and had quite a bit of jewelry on him, I’m going to give him something like a Metal Absorption Quirk. Something that, in theory, could pose a problem to Deku (if Fang didn’t get his ass beat so quickly). Whatever metallic substance he touches, his skin reflects it. In this case, befitting his chain around his neck, he skin becomes gold. I like to imagine Fang was originally overconfident and based too much of his pride in his Quirk. So much so that he was a bully that turned to a life of crime as head of his own crime gang. A gang that I imagined was stopped by one of the Top Ten heroes like Edgeshot.

Fang’s downfall, assumign he made it to the Final War, could be that arrogance biting him in the ass. He’s so cocky he fails to realize that, while Ojiro can’t necessarily hurt physically due to his Quirk, he can still use his tail to take him out by other means. Such as restraining Fang and knocking him out by suffocating him with his tail. Is Ojiro’s Quirk flashy as the others? No way, but he doesn’t need for it to be flashy to be effective. He just needs a chance to make that ‘plainess’ work extremely well for him. Leading for Fang to once again be defeated by someone both more humble and creative than him.

Dictator - Hagakure

It’s everyones least favorite clown villain - Dictator! But now he gets to face off against our perky spy!

So what would Hagakure’s storyline be for this? Before Sato and Ojiro's dealt with issues of the world such as feeling of being Outclassed or Plainness. So I figured an interesting contrast for Hagakure is to deal with personality and powers not really mixing. Her arc could be struggling to be an efficient espionage Hero when she longed to be in the spotlight, getting praises and such from the crowd like her friends If I were to rewrite the story, Hagakure's personality would be tweaked to be more of a cocky type, inspired by her bout of overconfidence during her 1B battle.

Early on she'd be extremely boastul & playful concerning her invisibility, blinding her enemies and taunting them throughout her fights...up until people eventually wisened up either by paying close attention to her voice, laying traps to trip up Hagakure or just using AOE moves if they had it. I could see another change could be that she might volunteer to go after Mustard in the Training Camp attack but ended up losing because she overestimated her own ability and her cockiness gave him an opening to knock out her out. Following that, her training under Yoroi Musha could be to grant herself more discipline and find different ways to channel her mischeviousness into being a better spy - one that can get a victory worth celebrating for and cheers at that!

So how would this relate to Dictator? Well, given his Despot Quirk and clown theming, I’d expand on this short guy as him being a ringmaster that wanted to put on the best show in Japan…problem is that he forcibly recruited/enslaved those he saw potential in his ‘circus’ via his Quirk. He’d trained them to Hell and back under very dangerous performances, up until an investigation was enacted. Something that lead to him taking over everyone, cops who came to arrest him and panicking audience, until Crust defeated him. In short he’s a tiny fella that wants to be in absolute full control from start to finish.

A control freak to the core against someone whose a master of surprise, it works out surprisingly well. For their fight, and to show how Hagakure’s grown, she’d silently wallop Dictator who’d be in utter panic over getting hit by seemingly no one. Enough that he loses his grip on Despot and release his prisoners by accident. Thus, giving Hagakure enough time to blind him before knocking him out with an uppercut…and celebrating with an appreciative audience for good measure.

"Neptune"/Hired Gun No# 3 - Shoji

Finally, Shoji would have Neptune, for lack of a better name, as his Rival for the War fight. Now, why? Especially given that Shoji was meant to reflect Spinner. Now, on this end, I have said I disliked their pairing and I think that reason has to do with importance at the end of the day. Storywise, meaning. On Spinner's end, on the Villains side, he's had load of character development from his beginning as our lovable Stain cosplayer, to reluctant leader just trying to help out the one who cares about most. It's actually a remarkably clear and steady growth that leads up to his role in the Final War...

Yet, his Rival in this instance is Shoji. While Shoji's whole arc did have a few crumbs (such as his Pony fight), let's be honest he hasn't had any near enough importance or build-up in the story that really feels earned to be Spinner's Rival, nor do I feel that, given both of their roles in their respective groups, do I think they made even a natural match. Neptune here is meant to be a substitute for him that gives him a climatic finish and Spinner someone different to butt heads with (and will it be Tsu still?! Who knows!!!!)

Neptune here would be a mutant rights activist, though was dubbed a Villain after his protests involved taking a violent stance against those that harmed him and his shipping crew. In his case, I imagine Gang Orca was the one to defeat him, and given Gang Orca’s whole deal with being considered one of the scariest Heroes, Neptune might consider this a betrayal from someone in the same boat.

His role in the Final War arc would be assisting in the freedom of Kurogiri, and intercepting Shoji. Neptune would be the stance of physical rebellion - that change can not occur unless those affected fight back physically and showing their discontentment. Shoji would represent emotional rebellion - that change can not occur unless you show others by your character that you are different. Both aren’t really wrong  in their ideals or their feelings on the matter, but it's Shoji that recognizes that working under All For One, someone who has no one but his own interests in heart, is not going to give the Heteromorphs the better treatment that they yearn for.

For Shoji's character arc in particular, I would change things so that the Heteromorph discrimination would be more out in the open in UA, likely in a history class that covers the great Jeda purge or 6/6 incident, and him being a bit more vocal concerning the reputation of mutants. Have it be a case where the class, naturally, is disgusted by such genocide, but seemingly think that its just a case of evil in a bygone era…up until its Shoji who ends up doing a report on just how many Heteromorphs make up the majority of the arrests in Japan kind and victim reports out in the slums, boonies and even the case of the cities they thought were safe from such prejudice. He isn’t condemning them for not knowing, but it is his words that get them to consider how they’ve been acting towards those who were like Shoji so far (like Shoto and how he treated the police chief). Just something to help boost the plotline a bit more.

I also think Neptune just fits with Shoji given their sea animal/monster theme, too. As for their fight, I imagine it’d go similar to Spinner fighting against Shoji, although in this case, I imagine Neptune’s need for water might eventually make him lose a battle of attrition against Shoji in the end. Though compared to Dictator or Fang, he’d be a Nemesis that Shoji does actually succeed in getting him to stand down and possibly even get rehabilitated for the future.

-

But, yeah, this has been the first part of the series, so far. Hope its been at least an interesting read through, and these match-ups make sense from your views.

I was very conflicted when it came to giving these guys Nemesis since they didn't really fit/other people in the Class were more fitting to get the likes of the League or MLA guys. I originally was going to pair the likes of Sato, Ojiro, Hagakure and Shoji with the High End Nomu, but a combo of the realism concerning them facing one, and just feeling iffy on them had me scrap the idea and put up the Nomu rule in effect. I wanted the Villain they face to not really be a monster like a Nomu.

I also did toy around with the movie stuff, namely the Heroes Rising Villains coming into play, though it would have been just Shoji, Hagakure, and Ojiro going against Chimera, Mummy and Slice, but figured it'd be best to stick to just the manga.

If you're wondering about Slidin Go', he's like the only exception to the Advisors showing up here due to being a thing before the group. He also was supposed to be who remained of Sato, Ojiro or even Sero as like a filler choice if I couldn't find a suitable villain. Sato happened to get the short end of the stick. SG is also here because still writing about the MLA guys, who are next, and had his completed first.

I actually had Hagakure locked into facing Mustard, but once it hit me to use the Jailbreakers, thought it'd be best for Mustard to face someone with more story importance and who could be a better contrast too. Aoyama was considered to but it felt awkward for me.

Here's hoping the next part comes out soon...or at least this year!

#my hero academia #mha #mha villains #league of villains #paranormal liberation front #meta liberation army #slidin' go #mha kunieda #mha gashly #mha jailbreakers #mha dictator #lov #plf advisers #mezo shoji #rikido sato #ojiro mashirao #toru hagakure #sero hanta #yuga aoyama #class 1a

[russenoire]

i just finished fullmetal alchemist 2003...

and i have words about this.

while both series have lovely scores, courtesy of michiru ooshima here and akira senju for FMAB, FMAB's OPs and EPs are almost all far too good to skip, ever. (if i have to hear pornograffiti's 'melissa' one more time, i will scream.) both series rely pretty heavily on slapstick humor to leaven the surrounding darkness, and the massive chip on edward's shoulder about his height, grating in brotherhood, also wears on my patience here.

i liked this story's approach to alchemy and how it works. but the creators' vision of homunculi here, where each homunculus arises as a result of a single alchemist's hubris and becomes their sin to answer for? i prefer it a little more than the admittedly more cohesive explanation of a single being splitting off aspects of himself.

we get to spend more time with scar and maes hughes (my favorite character; i adore his hazel eyes in this adaptation and hearing the late keiji fujiwara's silky pipes voice him twice is a joy). i still can't decide which kimblee i like best.

both fullmetals are examples of satisfyingly meaty storytelling and full of awesome animation. i suspect a dislike of canon divergence behind a lot of the hate for the first series, and a preference for deeper character study and pathos behind hate for the second.

i'm usually wary of adaptations continuing after creators run out of source material myself, but the story shō aikawa and seiji mizushima constructed out of whole cloth offers up a feast of philosophy, character study, mindfuckery and intricate military-political intrigue. and for the most part, it holds up under its own weight.

here scieszka, winry and rose are more instrumental to the story's plot. dante the cursed shapeshifting genius alchemist is a brilliant addition to the story, as is archer (more on him below). lust becomes an almost sympathetic character, what with having loved and lost multiple times as she manipulates mankind into seeking knowledge while being only a tool herself. alphonse is a formidable alchemist and a prodigy in his own right. here that's not just hinted at; both boys could have passed the state alchemist exam with ease. i loved seeing the elric brothers use alchemy to squabble with each other, not just fists and limbs. and edward... he's a double amputee, but his prosthetic limbs work well enough to rid him of any real functional impairment (bless winry's fantastic engineering!). i'm not going to get into the fucked-up implications of that in this post, but i will say that FMA '03 makes his disability much clearer. we see how painful attaching his automail limbs is, repeatedly. a character pries them off of him at one point and he's almost helpless until he can get them back. it's now obvious why he wears gloves most of the time.

the brutality and pervasive racism of the military dictatorship running amestris is given far more focus here. (edward himself gets checked on his own racist assumptions quite a few times.) we see more of the armed forces in the act of genocide, not just flashbacks in haunted soldier memories. officers openly call people savages; kimblee is sent in as an exterminator because of his amorality and solipsism; shou tucker's sick research is allowed to continue, even though the military already has a more efficient method to make chimerae. while making the situation the elric brothers left behind in liore worse, the shady lt col archer sustains what would have been fatal wounds. he gets rebuilt into some sort of robocop hybrid sentient killing machine with no qualms about gunning down his own men. rose is traumatized to mutism raped by the military for having led a rebellion and still leads her people.

whether this feels heavy-handed to you may depend on your tolerance for darkness and cognitive dissonance; i'm still processing how i feel about it. both takes on arakawa-sensei's story present their main and supporting cast as capable of cruelty and kindness, but FMA '03 foregrounds that evil a bit more alongside the good. it made the kindness less palatable for me, in a good way.

also i spoiled myself a bit by watching the conqueror of shamballa before finishing this series. when i learned that mizushima-san is a huge fan of hideaki anno's work, FMA '03's 'inconclusive' ending made even more sense.

#fullmetal alchemist #musings #fma 03 #anime #fma 03 spoilers #always good to form your own opinions #i'm not sure which kimblee i like more tbh #two fine takes on an already good story #i really should read the manga at some point #fma meta

[luna-rainbow]

Thanks for the answer to my previous ask about Dr Raynor in TFaTWS. Its sad that the writers didn't seem to know what they were doing and wrote so badly about that subject. Honestly, I am coming to hate the way that series treats Bucky full stop. Its like every single character is using him as a punchbag and taking out their problems or emotional issues on him in some way. Also at the same time they're doing nothing to challenge his horrible internal guilt monologue. Like, Bucky already clearly thinks he's an evil monster (In the series not in other materials per se) and can't be redeemed or change, and then literally *everyone* including Sam to an extent is telling him that too.

Just because S turns around at the last minute and says "you have to stop letting others tell you what you are" doesn't mean he wasn't perpetuating Bucky's guilt the rest of the series. One minute later he also says "you have to put in the work" to "make others feel better" as though Bucky was not already self-flagellating enough. Sorry if that's a long ramble.

Thanks for the ask!

Yeah, I think a lot of Bucky fans went into the series with open minds and the first two episodes were…well, they weren’t fantastic but they showed a man struggling with his mental health, and that made sense at least. It just never got better from that.

To be fair, Bucky also behaved poorly in much of the series, in moments when he was allowed to emote and choose. But a lot of his bad choices didn’t match his motivations, and the series frequently contradicted itself in logic and world-building, which is why I’ve completely erased it from works I take as canon. It’s also an overall unpleasant series? Like, no one was kind to each other. It was as though the writer had no idea what that looks like and how human relationships are sustained by that.

I am not sure there are specific incidences of Sam actively perpetuating Bucky’s guilt, though. There were a few (honestly OOC) puerile jokes, and he never objected when Bucky spoke self-deprecatingly. It was more a consistent inaction rather than any malicious action.

I am…not a fan of that “do the work” speech. Bucky was doing the work. In Sam’s words, he was going to Yori and making his life better. He just approached it entirely wrong. And honestly? My stance is always that Bucky should never have been encouraged, by Sam or by Raynor, to approach any of the victims on his own. It was multiple layers of inappropriate.

But yeah, it was very clear that the writers didn’t know how to handle Bucky’s story and he became more of a narrative tool than his own character. Which is a rightful shame when you have someone with such a complex back story.

#bucky barnes #tfatws critical #asks

[indignantlemur]

Hey :) watching the Canada nationals today and it struck me: andorians would probably love figure skating?? Thoughts?

I've had some thoughts about this myself, actually! Thanks for the ask!

When I look at Andorians as I've written them and consider how they would view various activities, ideas, etc, I go through three questions which I feel would have informed their historical mindset:

(1) Does it contribute to the safety and prosperity of the Clan or the Empire?

Historically, Andorians couldn't afford to waste much in the way of time, energy, or resources. This had a huge impact on their attitudes towards anything deemed frivolous or reckless or wasteful, which is much more severe than the average Human might expect; if it doesn't serve the Clan or the Emperor, then it's not important enough to waste resources on. That sort of ingrained thinking is slow to change. In fact, it's really only been in recent centuries, starting just after the Unification of Andoria, that their cultivation of the arts and leisurely pursuits has really taken off. They experienced a wild renaissance period shortly after the Unification, during which resource-intensive but culturally vital accomplishments were made and traditional artforms were refined and popularized on a much wider scale than ever before.

This new peace brought about by the formation of the Federation has set the stage for a second renaissance, though what this new era will bring to Andoria and its people is yet unknown.

(2) Does it burn more resources than it earns?

Rapid metabolism, life in high energy-cost environments, and resource scarcity do not do the Andorians any favours. Historically, the Clans had to be very choosy about where they invested time, food, materials, and people. Anything that didn't help to provide for the Clan was dismissed as fanciful at best, and a dangerous waste of resources at worst. Life.in recent centuries has been much less harsh, allowing for a great deal of leeway where none existed before, but old attitudes linger nonetheless.

(3) Does it fulfill some cultural or religious need which might make it exempt from the previous two requirements?

Historically, calculated expenditures of valuable resources were made to boost morale, to strengthen bonds between families, and to create a sense of community. Festivals, rites, fêtes, you name it. If it could keep the populace happy, the Clans would find a way to make it happen. For the longest time, these events were the sole exceptions to the first two points - and for good reason. Even the most wretched of peoples need more than the bare minimum to thrive. Andorians are no different than anyone else in that regard.

So: figure skating. Let's take a look at it.

On the one hand, I feel like Andorians would be excellent at figure skating between their inherent strength and balance (their antennae being integral to their sense of balance, our course), and Andorians are certainly well known in canon lore for being big on the arts. Post-Unification Andorians place a huge emphasis on art and culture, which bodes well for the adoption of figure skating as an art form.

On the other hand, however, figure skating is a huge energy sink in a culture that has a significant stigma against wasting precious resources. Andorians are most suited for short, brutal bursts of activity as a result of their average metabolic rate. Developing in a resource scarce environment as they did, this shaped the Andorian view on acceptable activities and pastimes. Sustained activity, such as marathons, would be done when necessary (and certainly Imperial Guardsmen would have to meet a bare minimum endurance requirement to qualify for field assignments) but otherwise not pursued recreationally on a large scale.

Consider also that a number of Andorian-origin sports developed as a replacement for their ancient raids and battles. Post-Unification, sports and displays of martial prowess were an outlet for a people with a great deal of natural aggression and nowhere to direct it. Eventually, as time passed and the old ways of constant warfare lost their hold on Andorians as a whole, competitions of skill became as much about prestige and honour as cooperation and unity.

Looking at the question from that perspective, I could see a number of winter sports being popular with Andorians - cross-country skiing, sledding, ice climbing, even speed skating. I suppose it would come down to a question of whether or not figure skating would be considered a sport in their eyes versus an artform based on dancing.

Based on how I've written Andorians, I think they'd initially dismiss figure skating as Human nonsense based on their own cultural mores, but perhaps would gradually warm up to the idea over the decades until younger generations embraced it. It might start as a novelty for rebellious teens, or maybe as a niche hobby for a select few that would eventually gain traction with the wider populace. Certainly, by the time we hit the TNG-era, it might be fully adopted and embraced as a pastime amongst Andorians.

...I think that was all mostly coherent and sensible. Feel free to ask follow up questions! ❄️🇨🇦⛸️

#star trek #emigre by indignantlemur #andorian #andorians #headcanon #Andorians and figure skating

[thegreatzombieartisan]

Galadriel being "tempted by power and domination." Fair enough. Sauron did tempt her. But can a character be truly tempted by what isn’t expressly coveted?

Galadriel’s canon desire to rule is (peculiarly) absent in RoP. Or perhaps, replaced. Her sole expressed ambition is vanquishing Sauron.

She expresses no other goals or vision in the present nor a post-Sauron future. Her vengeance is solely about her relieving her pain. It’s what makes her quest as tragic as it is repellent.

As it’s written, without Galadriel's desire to rule, her temptation of “power and domination” then literally means Sauron himself. Damn straight. But it’s not what the show runners are trying to sell us.

Canon references can enhance an adaption while sustaining its integrity. But canon can’t be used to explain a character’s arc and motives. Both have to be evidenced within the adaptation.

FYI it’s the first rule of book adaptations: assume the audience has no familiarity with source material.

Been listening to RoP show runners interviews. In episode 8 of the official RoP podcast, they insist Galadriel and Halbron are drawn to each other's power. It’s a confusing statement.

Halbron’s words at the hearing sway Miriel to form an expedition. But we see Galadriel does most of the work including empowering him. He is absolutely drawn to her personal power of tenacity and light. He says so.

But is there evidence that she is drawn to his personal power of persuasion?

Moreover, Galadriel is a Noldor princess and former Commander of the Northern Armies. What positional power does a king-in-exile to a fallen kingdom have to draw her in?

Shared understanding about mutual unique experiences; feeling like their higher selves when together — that’s what draws Galadriel and Halbron to each other.

Connection is a powerful antidote to the prolonged grief and shame both express feeling. (Yes, Halbron feels grief because he also experiences profound loss.)

Without Galadriel’s desire to rule in RoP, Sauron's offer of power as a primary selling point makes less sense.

Therefore, his proposal only makes sense if it's also partially motivated by non-platonic feelings.

It’s not the way show runners say is their intent with the proposal scene. But it is what’s left given how the narrative logic.

Thank you for reading! Reblogs and likes are appreciated. Got feedback? Do share’

Did you enjoy it or learn something or?

Disagree? Go on. I love good faith verbal sparring.

Found a possible inaccuracy? Tolkien lore is complex! Please drop it on the comments.

#rings of power #trop meta #rings power meta #meta

[the-s1lly-corner]

Random creepypasta character hcs VOL. 3(?)

Lost count on these but yeah I wanna drop more headcannons!!!

Nina is genderfluid and uses any pronouns! They also wear binders every now and then + they wear pride jewelry

Also they dye their hair like. A few shades lighter because he likes how the roots look when they grow out!! Same note they dye their own hair!!

I'm sorry for really focusing on nina but I've been flashing my design for her; but she also wears fake fangs

Before eyeless jack became eyeless, he has heterochromia! One eye was brown and the other was more gold!

Obligatory "I hc that ej and nina would be friends" but they do each others nails and would help each other put together outfits

A majority of eyeless Jack's shirts are band shirts

The neighborhood, TV girl, hollywood undead, mother mother, ICP, ect ect are a few of his favorites! Granted I think his wardrobe would become more limited since he lives in the woods alone in my au...

Still focusing on EJ, in my au before he got all.. monsterified... I feel like he was studying to be a doctor

Ironic and kinda messed up considering now he's forced to dissect people to sustain his own body but yeah

I'm pretty sure I said this before but I'll say it again since I love the concept; but Ben 99% of the time is bound to electronic devices. Basically meaning you'll rarely, if ever, see him drag himself out. Even when he does it takes a lot out of him, and he can only wander for so long until he has to go back

More au stuff but to help give jill her own unique vibe and stuff, I designed her to look like those old dolls you'd see way back then. You know the ones, with the porcelain faces and ragdoll-like bodies!! She still has her black and white clown look but yeah!! Due to this she also has visible tears and stitches on her; mainly on the limbs!! I also kinda wanna give her a sort of lolita dress look, if I ever draw her again! Give her loads of frills and stuff

Tying this all off since shes made to resemble a doll shes short 😔☝️ a moment of silence for lady

She can still stretch her limbs like jack, though

Though tbh idk if jill could do that or not <\3 but shh it's my au

Jane is much more... well idk the right wording, but I guess shes more masc presenting in my hc/au? She doesnt wear a dress or pair of heels like her canon look

I adore her canon look dont get me wrong, but I feel like considering that shes gunning for Jeff, that isnt too practical; esp considering jeff is.... something else

Basically wears stuff that's easier to run in, add some protection to her if she falls, swap the heels out with running shoes, no dangly accessories, ties her hair back. If not she'd definitely cut it down short

She still has her mask, though, but its a prosthetic she made/received herself since I dont think she'd want to touch the one jeff gave her

So yeah!!

Also I feel like, out of most the creepypastas, she has the best chance of living her own life in society; she only has intention to end game jeff, but asides that shes just. Mostly normal. Shes in therapy for her trauma, she has a job, she lives in her own place, ect

Oh that also reminds me! I keep rattling in about "my au" this, "my au" that, but I havent actually... released anything about it outside of headcannons

Idk if it'll be out in written fanfics, or as comics, or just one shot half au-accurate drawings or WHAT but

Basic run down of the au; time skip has taken place, havent decided a set amount of years, but it's been long enough that characters (that age) like jeff or jane are in their 20s (so like anywhere between 7-13ish years)

Slender still has his mansion, but it's hardly like anything the old fandom had,, it's no where near as huge or extravagant; its about as good as an abandoned mansion can be with little to no access to materials to upkeep it, and hardly anyone lives in it

Also same area ej lives, but they don't interact much and have a tense dynamic; both refuse to change locations

Still fleshing out the mansion idea!! So this is subject to change!!

Anywaus

Obviously characters who dont age/are ghosts/undead dont change ages; so like ben and sally are still the same, and the same applies to others like

Uuuuuh

Puppeteer, laughing jack and jill, slender and his brothers (this au does not include THAT one, fuck that one, we only have splendor and trender here), zalgo

Oh speaking of zalgo! He exists!! They don't really have a physical/tangible form though, hes more so a concept/untouchable entity that corrupts whatever it touches and causes chaos

Anyways

Also eyeless Jack's aging is... slowed; not by much but yeah!! Side effect of his curse and the whole "his body is changing into something horrific", and the slow age thing is a whole thing about the curse trying to extend his life span in order to cause more damage to himself and others

Real goofy stuff

Anyways

Laughing jack lives in his lil box and mostly transfers from person to person via the box being passed around

Be it garage sales or being sold in a goodwill, he eventually finds a new family to torment

No one suspects the old ass jack in the box!!!!

Ysah that's about it

Sits

Anyways yall should totally send me In requests (please read my pinned first!!)

#creepypasta headcanon #creepypasta #creepypasta au #au #slenderman #creepypasta nina the killer #eyeless jack #laughing jack #laughing jill #ben drowned #zalgo #jane the killer

[triviareads]

i saw your asks about penelope and Eloise being a dom and I do think Eloise is more likely just because she refuses to roll over for a man. But who do you think would be the most likely?

I think this fandom has a really skewed idea of what it actually means if a character is a dom(me).

First, I've said this before and I'll say it again: neither Eloise nor Penelope have what it takes to be a domme. This means having mindset that what you're giving/taking is for your pleasure, and that other person is there to fulfill your needs. And the right sub will get off on this; it goes both ways. I've seen enough fanfiction in this fandom to notice that a lot of authors think slapping a gal in some latex, or giving a guy a bunch of gags/whips/restraits to play with makes them a dom. Which also feels inaccurate; it's less about the implements and more about the attitude. Anyway, there is absolutely nothing in book or show canon that suggests that El or Pen have any domme-like attitudes, and neither Phillip nor Colin seem like the type to cede control at all because they both seem to have suuuuper gendered ideas of what it means to be a man and I think they'd feel like it's unmasculine to let this happen.

To say that Eloise "refusing to roll over for a man" means she's a domme is such a misguided take. It basically means you're conflating "strong independent" women with being dommes and the ones who do "roll over for a man" are automatically subs, which is not accurate at all. Same for men; the sweet ones aren't automatically subs and the aggressive ones aren't necessarily doms. You can't conflate one's external personality with their sexual preferences.

Second, people also need to understand there is a difference between topping someone for a hot minute (see: what happens in When He Was Wicked between Francesca and Michael in that cottage) and actually domming them. One of them is just a fun variation to experiment with in bed, and the other is a more sustained thing that colors the couple's overall sexual dynamic.

It's also really tough to make kink-related assumptions based on JQ's source material, and even the show to a lesser degree, but to answer your question, I think the closest we get to a domme is actually Kate, and that too, I think she and Anthony are more switches than anything (@jeanvanjer and I have discussed this at length). Is my opinion partially influenced by some excellent fanfiction out there (see: the mob boss Anthony one, and that one written by an anonymous author where Kate is a governess for Anthony's kids)? Partially. But also, I think both Anthony and Kate are both so take-charge in every day life (particularly in show canon) that they'd probably enjoy letting go and ceding control in the bedroom. We also think Kate would be something of a bratty sub lol. It just fits.

#bridgerton #eloise bridgerton #penelope featherington #kate sharma #anthony bridgerton #ask

[dimdiamond]

I wanted to make a post about Chester but all his info is just on this page (keep only the information that his first name is George- I still can't believe it) and in canon, he literally appears in only a few pages in Shooting Star and he's mentioned three times later on, one in The Secret of the Unicorn, another in Seven Crystal Balls and another in Castafiore's Emerald. Unfortunately in no media he ever appears (yeah, not even in the 90s cartoon series- THE AUDACITY TO CUT HIS SCENES- and let's leave the Belvision show, just keep in mind neither there he appears), as far as I know at least (if you find him elsewhere send me the link immediately, it's an order).

So you must be wondering (no you don't but let's pretend you do) why all this fuss about a less-than-secondary character? Well, that's because, first, I'm not well, and second, HE'S NOT LESS THAN A SECONDARY CHARACTER! Just because you can kick him away from the plot doesn't make his importance less, and at least for Haddock he's NOT! They're shipmates for 20 years (20 YEARS! DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW LONG ARE 20 YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP?!), Chester risks his career for him, Haddock asks for his help, they try to meet up but fail and they keep in contact, regularly enough for Chester to send his congratulations for his "engagement" with Bianca. Chester is the only connection to Haddock's past and the only true and loyal stability of Haddock's almost whole life! So how can someone deem him less worthy of attention and importance when the mains (yes, even Tintin) count on him despite the distance between them?!

And now that we made clear how Chester is a very undermined character with unfair treatment from even official releases, I'll proceed with my personal takes and headcanons of him under the cut so you can ignore them if you don't care or whatever :)

Ohhh boy where do I begin??!!!

Ok so from the little canon material we can see that Chester is calmer than Haddock but ready to fight anytime and also uses the same style of sea shanties as him so we can conclude that they developed it together and, considering how sillies and childish they can get with their greeting, it doesn't surprise me that they have lots of imagination. This shared childish joy makes me wonder if they could know each other as kids so I usually end up headcanoning them as childhood friends, growing up in the same village and sharing many interests and dreams and secrets. They're for each other the most trustworthy person and the truest friend, and their friendship has such a strong foundation that it is sustained after so many years and despite following different paths in their lives. They won't need more than a moment to go back to their old ways and be kids again together, only more aged as the years pass by.

Chester also shows to be more moderate and quieter than Haddock and in general, a guy that reads the room much better than his friend. The way he treats Tintin, immediately trusting him and taking him seriously, is because he sees how he and Haddock are close and understands that there is a big level of trust and respect between them. That could be maybe because Chester reads characters well or because Tintin wins you over immediately but probably it's because of both of these and the fact that Haddock only speaks well of his young friend, who seems genuinely interested in the friendship of the two captains. Also, Chester's attitude towards Tintin is very interesting, he immediately shows trust and goes along with the plan (these two are seriously the real masterminds and Haddock is super lucky to have them work for his benefit), meaning that for him what matters is the person and not the appearances.

I find it so funny and cool how Chester just goes along with every plan and idea that most people would be more cautious to agree with?! Like fooling the fuel company to give in secret to someone the company refused to?! And doing it with such ease?! Like "Of course I will mess with the millionaire corporation" despite the huge risk of ruining his career?! You can't tell me that he wouldn't be the first to go to protests and support strikes and help anyone being mistreated by rich and powerful people! This man hates capitalism and authorities and would straight-face mock cops and royals (he and Haddock are proud anti-monarchy Scottish men) and the only rich he respects is Haddock because he doesn't have the attitude of a rich person!

I can't but mention how easily he gave Haddock Sirius for finding Red Rackham's Treasure and there was no mention of giving him a merit of the treasure (actually none on the ship asked for a merit and that's amazing). Most people would ask for something in return, especially giving something as essential as a transportation mean, but he just offers it?! How generous is that?! Maybe Chester isn't the kind of person to care for riches or he considers himself financially well enough to not worry about it? And probably he is since he never seems to ask that kind of help from Haddock later on and he always works so it's not like he has difficulty in securing a good contract.

Speaking of Chester always depicting traveling and never stopping being a Captain, it makes me think that he doesn't want to stop. Not only because he loves the sea and ships and his profession in general and not only because he has no life elsewhere and the sea is his whole life, but also because he wants to run away. Think of it! Chester, after his first and only appearance, is only mentioned in the comics and never shown, even when the main duo tried to meet him it was too late, he was already gone. He depicts freedom as a concept and the ideal of a well-traveled captain but also someone you can't catch because he doesn't want to. He gives the impression of someone running away from whatever life on land can be and while Haddock found his peace away from the sea Chester can't and doesn't seem eager to do so.

The reluctance of Chester to retire or just live on land might be because of his lack of family back on land and when all your friends and acquaintances are at sea why leave? He undeniably loves his job but I think he also hesitates to do something different from what he knows and lacks the confidence in fields he has no idea of.

As a captain he is excellent, his social skills are very good and he's very friendly but he knows how to keep his crew in check and they all respect him. I find it funny not being good with languages but insisting on learning them. He might look like not the academic type and not intelligent but that's because he believes himself to not be so, especially since he hasn't finished school- a learning disorder that was never diagnosed- and he can't concentrate long on reading books. However, he is really smart and intelligent of different kinds, like how he can adapt to new situations and people easily and even emotional intelligence.

Chester needs socialising but he's not as open as he looks. An extrovert that looks for interactions and outgoings, relaxed and comfortable in the middle of a big group of people but not the loudest, and in the end you realize he barely talked about himself, or if he did he only said what he wanted you to know. In reality, he has many insecurities and he reveals them and a more unpleasant side of himself only to his closest people. He prefers straightforward discussions and clear words but his hesitation to open up more or react strongly to anything can lead to the misunderstanding of being apathetic and uncaring.

About his family, I usually picture him being an only son with a very doting mother and a very strict and closed-minded father who raised him with traditional values and ethos. I don't know what job his father might have had but they wouldn't be wealthy for sure, learning to save money and not do unnecessary expenses. Chester was trying his best to not disappoint his father but he realized soon that this was inevitable as he couldn't change who he was (he could never be like his father as he was what his father hated) and leaving far away was the only way to safely be himself, satisfy his thirst for adventures and get away from a "proper" life, restricted in the same place with a wife and kids. His mother didn't stop him but his father abandoning his family for the sea was the last drop and they were separated on bad terms. (Depending on the concept I guess the details change in my mind but I stick to the gay with daddy issues).

Chester has a sufficient amount of money on his name but he lives a modest life and can't stand sitting down and not doing anything, even in his relaxing time he cleans like a maniac or knits (a habit he has adopted by his mother). He is a listening person so he listens to radio or vinyl if he hasn't got a company to listen to. He would like to have a cute pet but he doesn't have much free time nor can't take it with him on his long trips. He takes care of his appearance but that doesn't mean he follows all the new trends and prefers a more classic style.

He is a merciless teaser and with the right victim, he can go hours messing up with them. Haddock is a usual and fun victim but Chester would never go that far to actually hurt him. He is cheerful and usually positive, without letting it get over his head, and if he's not in a good mood he prefers to hide than be seen like that or be pitied.

In conclusion, despite being raised with very closed-minded values, Chester managed to be a very open-minded person, without letting prejudices affect him, be fair with his treatment to anyone, choose positivity and goodness and kindness, and be determined to live his life the way he wants to, free from restrictions, free for any possibility.

I think I have written more or less most of the things in my head about Chester but I do believe there are many things someone can do with his character (I didn't even touch the topic of early adventures with Haddock as I'm sure fans have many great stories for them in their minds and I doubt I can reach this level of creativity).

If you want to ask something more about my headcanons of him or/and his relationships with other characters and such feel free to do so :)

#i am sorry for not making any sense of my writing they were just my bare thoughts #i feel i have forgotten things but I guess I will add them here if I remember #again these are just my headcanons and I would love to hear what kind of ideas you may have for him #i just wish his one and only appearance was properly shown in some form of media #captain chester #the adventures of tintin

[autumnslance]

Hey, just got a writing question when it comes to fanfic. How do you balance "leave most of the setting out since everyone knows what it is" vs "explain it anyways for reasons like making it known to non-fan readers"?

This got long again, and I’m hoping I answered the question, or at least gave some ideas on where to begin and what to consider when trying to balance narrative and descriptions in fic writing (or any other kind). Coming from someone who used to terribly overwrite my descriptions, no less; I like to think I’ve gotten better that over the years!

When writing fanfic, I tend to assume my audience will be primarily of that fandom, so if writing a FFXIV fic, I shouldn't have to go into too much detail on what a moogle of that setting looks like...unless it's my point of view character's first time ever seeing one, and their perception of that creature will be revealing of not only the moogle, but also how they see people, how they describe them, what they pay attention to.

So some of it is going to be up to the point of view character; what do they focus on, in terms of sights, sounds, smells, but also random facts, trivia, history, knowledge they have?

Like in original fiction, how much is too much to get the point across to the readers without bogging down the narrative in too many setting details Victor Hugo-style? A lot of times, writing fanfic setting and character info can be done just like in original fiction, with a lean on slightly lesser, as there is canon material the reader can reference if confused, or simply curious.

Can also depend on how close to canon one is hewing, or if one’s doing completely alternate universe set ups, where you’re going to have to delve deeply into those changes to environment and people anyway.

When it comes to fandom, we do have room to play around, particularly in an MMO setting; the game world is a small representation of the places the characters inhabit, a condensed view of important points, it’s all a visual shorthand. There are places beyond the walkable map, certainly, but also in the maps themselves; those villages, farms, fortresses, houses...none of it's actually sustainable by itself, and many places we know have rooms or spaces we never access. It's only showing us what's needed for story (and developer ease, as well as time; you don’t actually want realistic travel of days or weeks, after all).

The rest is headcanon; so in those cases, I may take some time to describe how I see for example the set up of the Rising Stones outside of the public areas we get in game; how are the Scions' personal chambers handled? How would I describe it for each character? Thancred's room isn't going to look like Y'shtola's, after all; they will reflect the characters' personalities (and again filtered through characters’ POVs, even if the POV is that NPC). How much do I need to describe to get across Thancred's current mood, depending on expansion?

I've spent a lot of time going over game maps, screenshots, and descriptions of Eorzea as it was in 1.0 for some of my stories set pre-Calamity; in those cases, things are similar, but just "off" enough to require descriptions (like the shifting of the aetheryte location in Limsa). But I don’t have to get it 100% accurate either; I can headcanon a lot, and really, who’s going to check up on it as “wrong” more than a decade later?

I'm also currently struggling in a story I'm writing for a fanzine with how much of the NPC's backstory do I reiterate in the intro. I have only 2500 words to get my story across, and have already sacrificed quite a bit. But there are elements I'm working on in the main story where reiterating his history, even in short, makes some sense. Again, I know given the nature of this zine, most people picking it up will likely be familiar with the NPC's background, but my spin on that for this particular tale has an impact. A few other writers for the same fanzine are having to make similar choices, for their own takes on the character, their own stories, to meet both deadline and word count.

Some things can be skimmed over, if trying to keep things short, and trusting the audience to either pick up context clues, look it up, or already be familiar. Sometimes one might pepper in things like mentioning Snowlight is a chocobo in the first paragraph, the next time I mention Snowlight a couple paragraphs down I might include short description of bird-like features or sounds, as a way to break up the info but also give context and reminders. I do the same when writing Miqo’te; I may mention their race or clan, but as they talk to other characters, their ears and tails are mentioned as part of their reactions and pointing out their mood and how they say things. My POV characters after all usually know what a Seeker is, so I don’t have to say “X’rhun’s a person with cat ears and a tail” and try to describe his eyes and the marks on his face. The POV will just note his expression (maybe his craggy brow furrowing deeper in thought), how his ears flatten when annoyed, how his tail twitches, woven through the conversation.

This works even in original fiction; a lot of times, a writer might offhand mention specifics of the setting mixed in with the mundane/familiar, expecting the reader to get context clues. I don’t have to describe every detail of Limsa’s docks; a few descriptive words of the city (perhaps the white stones, the boardwalks between islands, the sight/sounds of the crowd, the taste of the salty air, the warmth of the sun, the smell of fish and wet wood and some rot, mixed across a couple paragraphs as my characters act and talk), a few mentions of common things in any port, and the idea gets through even if it’s set in a magical world.

Somewhere there's a Rule of Threes*; you don't want to have much more than 3 descriptors for a specific thing, usually meant to limit over-describing things like a character's appearance (especially trying to avoid long-winded descriptions of eyes, hair, figure, and so on). It can also be applied to other elements where you don't want to bog yourself down, or need to parcel out information over the course of the scene or story, not all in one lump at the start, and encourages finding strong words/phrasing to remain concise instead of rambling.

So it kind of becomes a blend of 1. PoV character; their perceptions and personality, how and what they describe and why. 2. Headcanons for expanding the world we see in game, adding in logical information that should exist but doesn't due to engine limits. 3. How do I describe my own spin on a known element? 4. How much is it bogging down the narrative? Can I space out my descs? Use stronger wording and phrases? Cut some and trust my readers? 5. If this is for a challenge/zine/etc, do I have a word count requirement and deadline?

If you feel you want to include screenshots or art to break up the text and give visuals that can work too (but then you may have to include alt text to describe the pic for those using screenreaders...). But overall, find a balance, parcel it out, and trust the readers to fill in what they don’t know with their own imaginations. Cuz they will anyway.

---

*Like every creative writing "rule" (they’re more whatcha’d call guidelines), this can be bent or broken as needed, once one has an understanding of why it's there to begin with.

#Lyn Prompts #Writing #Fanfiction #Description #Setting #Characters #Narrative

[l-e-g-i-o-n-losh]

I posted 16,880 times in 2022

That's 2,135 more posts than 2021!

892 posts created (5%)

15,988 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@a-star-that-fell

@daxdraggon

@sicklizardmeme

@schrodingersking

@yuriinadress

I tagged 2,466 of my posts in 2022

#songs that the hyades shall sing - 632 posts

#danny shush - 204 posts

#nananana bat tag - 87 posts

#my art - 38 posts

#clark.txt - 20 posts

#oc: tome - 17 posts

#oc: kaboom - 14 posts

#danny chase - 9 posts

#what - 9 posts

#bat tag - 9 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#i dont have a choice about my lazy meals dad doesn't buy snack food only ingredience™️ for a month of meals and if i snack i cant feed him

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Sorry, I'm still thinking about What Remains. It also feels significant to me that both Milton and Lewis are specifically monarchs of the lands of imagination, but the differences in their stories reflect the differences in how they harness and channel that creativity. Milton made material art, and The Unfinished Swan implies that he made that art material. Lewis was unable to externalize his dreams and instead removed himself from the physical world to inhabit them completely.

77 notes - Posted October 1, 2022

#4

I don't think the Gotham fandom has done enough to address how immensely funny it is that rogues literally just have an evil home depot they can shop at. Oooh i have to go to Dark Lowe's to get some Dastardly 2x4s to renovate my Mancave of Malevolence <- that's canonically enough Gothamites to sustain a big box business that cant even rely on keeping the same location and has to move around all the time. You can just go get a big shopping cart full of old timey dynamite sticks like Wile E. Coyote at the ACME store my dude you don't need credentials or anything.

83 notes - Posted July 18, 2022

#3

Im not gonna post about batman forever again but Edward Nygma is the most transgender man whos ever lived on this earth and it literally doesnt matter that he didnt

84 notes - Posted November 17, 2022

#2

I already posted this Erik but look at him again he looks so polite. Feast your eyes on his accursed adorableness.

92 notes - Posted April 21, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

do i honestly have to caption this

98 notes - Posted July 13, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #false #lmao ive been primary fronter like a year now

[hyperfashionist]

A Spoiltastic Journey

through the Entire Space: 1999 Canon

up to “Odysseus Wept”

Story 1: Eternity Unleashed

Chapter 3 of 12

It's time for some spoily commentary on Chapter 3 of Eternity Unleashed!

Spoilers under the cut. You have been warned.

Back to Chapter 2 of this story

Forth to Chapter 4 of this story

Back to original post on this story

Return to Series Preface

Forth to Story 2: The Touch of Venus

Chapter Three of Eternity Unleashed: A Spoiler-Filled Commentary

Balor seems to be becoming the demagogue his society is supposed to fear, as he presents his breakthrough to a large audience.

(In passing, we learn this society is quite keen on eugenics.)

His elevator pitch is 10 aphids (they’re not called that, but they’re aphids) in a jar who are neither breeding nor dying, and have learned to only eat crops at a sustainable rate. They’ve stopped ageing.

This breakthrough won’t help Milsa, because she’s suffered systemic damage from the symptoms of her illness. Balor’s got to find a cure for that if he wants to help her.

One of Balor’s mum’s friends turns up, having promised to get in touch once Balor had become a success. He talks cryptically for a bit and then leaves.

There’s some business with an enzyme that gathers power from ambient energy and emits an unclassified form of radiation:

“The ezir Nottat had in ages past theorized that a light wave brought life to Progron, and that same light wave kept living things alive beyond physiology.”

In a nutshell, the enzyme (D117) seems to be the life force, or soul or whatever, in question.

Balor decides to pursue the line of inquiry that he thinks will save Milsa, who he just got word is on her deathbed. Death is by euthanasia, and is a ceremonial occasion. Balor busts in on it in the manner of a wedding guest objecting to the union.

Balor tries to heal Milsa by, from the reader’s point of view, holding her hand. It doesn’t work. 

Then he realizes the process requires more oomph, and he gives it another go, in a scene that is uncomfortably sexually coded. This works. Milsa’s cured.

Well, temporarily. Balor goes back to the lab and experiments on himself in pursuit of a proper cure. He’s basically a superhero now. Besides being immortal, he doesn’t need to eat, can store and project electrical power, and can melt materials. 

But amidst all his success, Balor is bored and fed up with pulling all nighters at work. He has the hots for Milsa and fancies a change of lifestyle. He pictures how cosy his family life will be, married to Milsa and sharing a household with her and Talian.

His mum’s friend turns up and warns him that all this newfangled immortality will upset the balance of nature. His name is Moriand, appropriately enough, since he’s old and sickly beyond repair and doesn’t want to be immortal in this condition (which is why people with incurable conditions generally opt out). Balor tells Moriand to stop talking crap, and Moriand leaves.

Gender Balance

Not Specified

"The Assembly" of ezariat and some ezir, a "savage lot" to whom Balor presents his findings re: immortality

Balor's research team

other research teams

the ezir Nottat

early physicians who tried to detect Nottat's light wave

ritualists administering Milsa's dying ceremony

NB running total = 8

Female

No new characters.

F running total = 8

Male

Moriand 

a young ezariat

M running total = 14

Back to Chapter 2 of this story

Forth to Chapter 4 of this story

Back to original post on this story

Return to Series Preface

Forth to Story 2: The Touch of Venus

#Space: 1999 #william latham #Eternity Unleashed #Powys Media #Space: 1999 Y1 #meta #Space: 1999 meta #original novel

[regenderate]

15 and 31 for the fic asks :)

15. What’s your favorite AU that you’ve written?

ohhh my god unfortunately my favorite aus are all still wips. like i love tattoo au but like. well i think as far as concept goes my favorite au is the 90 day fiance au where jack, rose, and thirteen are stuck in england and the tardis is stuck in the us and instead of like. doing anything that makes logical sense they're like "okay well we're immortal anyway so we might as well take our good sweet time" and they do a series of green card marriages (jack poses as a us citizen, he marries rose, rose gets her citizenship and divorces him and then marries thirteen) and they go on 90 day fiance. the story is told through episode transcripts and news articles and such and i haven't figured out how to execute it yet but i want to show the audience like. slowly figuring out that these guys are weird. (i also want to set it like. just after covid lockdowns start to ease up so i can have an exchange in one of the episodes like "how were we supposed to know there was going to be a pandemic? it's not like we're time travelers" because of course they are time travelers and they just didn't remember)

my other favorite au (also a wip) is this like. thirteenyazrose thing that started as a fake dating au where rose is like. being hit on at work and thirteen is a new hire who comes up and is like "hey get away from my girlfriend" but like she does her threatening little growl But Also rose and yaz have been dating for years and so when rose tells this to yaz yaz is like "okay well if she's pretending to date one of us she's got to pretend to date both of us" and everything snowballs from there. this one also involves the pandemic because i was thinking about how canon yaz and rose both spend a lot of time away from the doctor and i think it would be interesting to adapt that to a human au by having the doctor be doing some kind of study abroad and not be able to come back on time. but this one has like a ton of prequel material of yaz and rose getting together but all of it is like. really rough around the edges and self-indulgent and not really like. in good shape yet to publish. and i'm having to rewrite the single chapter i had of the main fic because i remembered about making rose a mechanic. so now it's going to be where rose and human thirteen are mechanics and yaz is an emt. but like this au is my favorite because it's like. a comfort fic at this point it just is like a little home to me so i don't know when i'll ever post it but i do love it

31. What’s your ideal fic length to write?

ough this has actually changed in the last year! i used to mostly write shorter stuff, but lately i've had a ton of trouble keeping anything short, everything i've written has expanded a ton. which i think is a good thing, i've been adding a lot more depth and detail to my works. like at one point i looked at like. a first kiss that i wrote when i was fourteen and compared it to a more recent one and literally the more recent one was like. whole paragraphs longer. which might also tell you how many people i'd kissed at fourteen but anyway. i've been enjoying the really long fics, my current long wip (tattoo au, aka when i run away (you're who i run to)) is at 75k and counting. but those fics do require a lot of commitment-- i love writing that length but i can only sustain one at a time and there's always a risk that i'll lose interest in it or ability to write it partway through. i've been trying to finish stuff or at least write super far ahead before i post too. so anyway i think my ideal length for like. regular posting is somewhere in the... 7-20k range? long enough that it feels meaty but not so long that it takes a huge commitment to write.

huh these were long but in my defense if you've read my authors notes you should expect me to be Like This

#lifeblogs #ask game #thank you for asking <3

[itservicesprovider]

Operational Effectiveness Is Not A Strategy In SEO

The title is a play on Michael Porter's famous argument in his Harvard Business Review essay "What Is Strategy?" published in 1996.

"Operational Effectiveness is not a strategy," wrote Porter.

Operational effectiveness (OE) refers to completing similar operations better than competitors. Efficiency is one aspect of operational effectiveness, but it is not the only one."

Operational effectiveness is required, but it is not sufficient. After all, the ultimate purpose of every organisation is to achieve exceptional performance, which requires both operational effectiveness and strategy.

Consider the journey of an automobile from point A to point B. Every time we go, we make certain that the car's gas, gasoline, air, dashboards, and other components are in good functioning order. These processes contribute to operational effectiveness. We begin executing our approach when we begin entering the location into our navigation app, pumping the gas, and driving forward. The strategy consists of determining where to travel and which route to follow, as well as when to use throttle and brakes and when to turn left and right.

The strategies are our contingency plans in the event that a construction project or other hindrance occurs along the path we've chosen. The shortest path does not always lead to the most meaningful or productive journey; this is why deciding "where not to go," "what to avoid," or, in Porter's words, "what not to do" may be a strategy.

We examine the state of our vehicle as it goes forward on a regular basis to verify that resources are functioning and sustainable. We must ensure that we are moving at a decent speed and that we have enough petrol, water, and crew to keep going.

To get started and go forward, we need operational effectiveness, as well as strategy to figure out where we're headed and what to do when things go wrong. These two are crucial in terms of optimising our resources and boosting our capacity to participate and compete in the business game for a long time.

Optimization of the following factors can improve operational efficacy in SEO:

Content. This is the gasoline for your automobile. Check that you have adequate petrol to get started. Match your material to the user's purpose at all times.

Meta Description / title tags Many SEO practitioners do not include this in their practise because they believe Google will write or rewrite them. Include these parameters on separate pages if you want additional control over your title and meta description tags. Hope is not an effective tactic.

Alt-text values for images The search engine has tremendous strength in detecting items in photographs, but chances are you have an audience that requires unique accommodations. If you want to provide them a better reading experience, don't overlook this.

Tags that are canonical. The vast volume of duplicate pages on the internet is one of the most serious difficulties in search engines nowadays. Implementing this will assist search engines in determining which of them is unique.

Sitemap / Robots.txt This will help search engines determine which pages you want or don't want in their database.

Implementation of a schema. Will your website still display in search engine results if you don't do this? Technically, yes, but if you want to play a lengthy game with Google's ever-changing algorithm, you must help them better comprehend your website. One method is to incorporate structured markup language into your pages.

Page Speed / Mobile Friendly Layout How do you want to greet your mobile users? You don't want them to be kept waiting for more than 5 seconds, do you?

View of link sharing What do you want your page to look like when it's shared on other social media platforms?

Analytics configuration. This is your vehicle's dashboard. This can help you determine whether you are giving value to your audience and aligning it with your company goals.

Strategy

Strategy fills the spaces between issue, opportunity, and threat. A strategy is not the same as a plan. It entails venturing beyond an organization's comfort zone. There is a distinction between planning and strategy.

In strategy, the actual customers are the consumers, but in planning, you picture yourself as the audience or customer. There is no way of knowing how people will react to our activities.

We are constrained by the knowledge we have and sometimes assume a favourable result in planning, however in strategy, we explore a world of options and possibilities. Our acts might either benefit or harm us.

We perceive favourable results as a result of our own work in planning, but we credit other external influences that complement our efforts in strategy.

We focus on our strengths in planning, but we disclose our vulnerabilities in strategy and then seek an advantageous position. A plan answers the question, "What will you do with your strengths to compensate for your weaknesses?"

We focus on possibilities in planning, but in strategy, we respond to risks and then seek competitive positions. Strategy responds to the inquiry, "What will you do differently or better than others?"

Why do SEO experts spend so much time planning? because preparation is reassuring Working on what we know and can control is a reassuring activity.

We can't control everything in strategy, and we can't guarantee the outcome, but we can make judgments based on numerous ideas, mention the work of other SEO experts, and use data. We must clearly describe our SEO strategy's rationale, establish our own facts, and demonstrate its efficacy. "What must be true about our present process, the industry, rivals, and customers for this approach to work?" we must ask. We will be able to firmly state, "This is what we want to happen, what we believe will happen, and what will provide us a competitive edge," by that time.

Strategy is more than just ranking first in SERPs for random keywords; it is also about ranking for the keywords that bring traffic to your websites.

Strategy is about attracting targeted visitors that can provide value to our website content, not merely increasing or gaining traffic from random users.

Strategy is more than just getting snippets or appearing good on SERPs; it is about satisfying the visitor's intents with SERP snippets.

Strategy is more than simply providing content to entice visitors' time and money; it is also about creating content that satisfies their present and future demands. It ultimately comes down to building relationships with both new and existing audiences.

Read about our Professional SEO Services.

A plan can never be finished. It is a time-consuming process of monitoring and modifying. It's a process of repetition and improvement. The terms strategy and operational effectiveness are linked but not synonymous. One cannot exist in the absence of the other. It is vital to improve operational effectiveness, but this is not a plan.