Love Wins

Today something amazing has happened. I was so happy when I heard the news this morning, I was almost moved to tears.

It's official - there is now equal marriage rights for everyone, in every state of America.  Love wins!

I have always been a strong supporter of the LGBTQ+ community.

Gay rights is equivalent to human rights, and should not be treated as separate concepts.  Gay people are human beings, and they are deserving of equal rights.  I cannot believe it has taken so long for marriage equality to come into place, but I am so happy that day has finally come.

This is such an important day in history, and a huge step forward in the right direction.

I'm going to be honest. I haven't been very vocal about my views on my blog before, aside from a few posts (such as the post expressing how happy I was that Korra and Asami ended up together in The Legend of Korra). I know many bloggers in the community here have different views from mine. This has admittedly made me hesitant to be completely open about my views.

I made a post about my favorite fictional characters a while back, but it only featured heterosexual pairings. I was too afraid to include any gay fictional pairings. I feel that was wrong of me.

I need to stay firm in what I believe in.  I need to take a stand.

I'm going to be open about my views from now on.  Also, I may as well say it now - I'm asexual. Realizing this has been a long journey for me. It feels good to be open about it.

To make up for my first list of fictional pairings, which was not very diverse, I am now going to list some more of my favorite fictional pairings, in no particular order.

1)  Rin and Haru from Free

What I love about Rin and Haru's relationship is how they inspire each other.  Rin sparks a fire in Haru, and affects him in a way no one else can. They are supportive of each other as well.  They have an understanding. Haru has a well developed relationship with many of the characters in Free, but his relationship with Rin, at least to me, is the most remarkable.  Rin's fiery personality goes well with Haru's. They compliment each other.

2)  Haruka and Michiru

Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask aren't the only couple I love in Sailor Moon.  There's also Haruka and Michiru, who are clearly in love.  I watched Sailor Moon when I was very little, so I don't have as much to say about this pairing.  But I will always stand firm in my belief that they are a couple. They clearly care for each other in a romantic way.

3)  Sapphire and Ruby

Recently I've begun to watch Steven Universe, and it is seriously such an amazing show.  It has a lot of great representation and diverse characters.  The scene Sapphire kisses Ruby is one of my favorite moments.

4)  Pearl and Rose

This pairing is also from Steven Universe.  Pearl is head over heels for Rose, and if you think otherwise, all I have to say is you are completely in denial.  What I love most about their relationship is how much Pearl admires and respects Rose.

5)  Marceline and Princess Bubblegum

Marceline and Princess Bubblegum are one of my favorite pairings in Adventure Time.  There are many hints and clues here and there that suggest they were once a couple, so I view them as pretty much canon.  I love how well their personalities compliment each other. You could say they are complete opposites, but perhaps this is why they go together so well.

6)  Jean and Marco

Jean and Marco, or Jeanmarco, is one of my most favorite pairings in the anime Attack on Titan.  Although Marco was a minor character, he had a huge influence on Jean and inspired him to join the Survey Corps.  I wish Marco was given longer to live, because I would have loved to see his relationship with Jean be further developed. 

7)  Korra and Asami

It goes without saying that Korra and Asami have to be on this list.  I remember being so overjoyed that they ended up together.  The creators of The Legend of Korra confirmed that the last scene was intended to be romantic, and that Korra and Asami are bisexual characters.  I love the idea of their friendship growing into something more.  It's really quite beautiful.  Watching them hold hands and gaze at each other lovingly while the music swells in the background makes me emotional every time.

ACWNR Part 2 Trailer

The trailer for the second part of A Choice With No Regrets is out!  I may or may not be freaking out right now.  A Choice With No Regrets tells the story of how Levi joined the Recon Corps (sort of a prequel to Attack on Titan).

The part I love most about the trailer is Levi's smile!  He rarely smiles, in fact I think this might be the only time I've ever seen him smile.

Some of my favorite moments from the trailer... 

Wow, Levi looks really angry here. O__O

I just noticed that some of the blood is in his hair too.

I wonder what caused this facial expression.  Levi is rarely this expressive.  Something really bad must have happened in this scene.

I love the first episode and can't wait to see the second.  Levi Ackerman is my favorite character, so I'm really excited about this.

Update

So.

A lot has happened in my life lately.  For one, I am finally done with high school.  I graduated this week, and so did all of my friends.  It was a little depressing, actually, because I know I may never see some of them again.  Of course I'll keep in touch with my closest friends, but I may never see some of them in person again, which saddens me.  I don't know if I should feel happy that I'm no longer a high schooler or horrified that time has gone by so quickly.

Anyway.

The night before my last day of high school was the worst all-nighter of my entire high school experience, no, scratch that, of my life.  I was so stressed out about my exams I had what I think was an anxiety attack or nervous breakdown.  Or both.  I'm not really sure if there's a difference.  But whatever.  After the last day of school it felt like all the stress of high school over the years came toppling down on me and I was completely exhausted.  I was basically like:

So I'm glad that's all over with.  However, I will miss my film class.  Film was the class I enjoyed most, not only in my senior year, but in all four years of high school.  I enjoyed writing every essay we were assigned to write, especially the last one.  For our last essay, we were assigned to write about our favorite film and why we connected to it personally.  I chose to write about Frozen.  Best.  Essay.  Ever.  I thought such essays were only assigned in dreams.  My only complaint was that we were required to write only two to three pages.  I had to restrain myself from blabbering on and on, since I had a lot to say.  Part of me wanted to talk about Kristoff, Anna, and Hans, but I decided to keep it mostly focused on Elsa's character, since I related to her the most.

Another class I enjoyed a lot was Art.  I think this was my favorite project out of all the ones I did, even though I ran out of time to do the background:

Drawn with pastel

In other news, I adopted two cats from a cat shelter.   One is a boy named Pirate.  I decided not to change his name, since it had a nice ring to it and I had gotten so used to attaching that name to him.  He had gotten skin cancer from being a street cat and being exposed to too much sun on a daily basis.  The cancer spread around one of his eyes, so it had to be taken out, as well as one of his ears.  The vet said nothing more could be done, and she wasn't sure how much longer he has to live.  He is bursting with personality, though, and is one of the most loving animals I've ever befriended.  I'm not looking forward to when I'll have to say goodbye, but I think giving him the chance to experience life outside the shelter before he goes is worth it.  He's not too fond of my rough collies, though.  It's kind of funny, my dogs seem eager to befriend my cats, but my cats simply ignore them by turning their back, and act completely indifferent when they're not hissing them.  At least, Pirate's like that.  The other cat I adopted, Esmeralda, is very inexperienced.  She's much shyer than Pirate - Pirate adapted very quickly, in fact he settled in on the first day.  Esmeralda was in the shelter for a long time.  I think this may be why she is so fearful of everything, because she doesn't know what to expect.  She's warming up to me, though.  She also went up to one of my dogs and kind of booped him on the nose.  I named her Esmeralda because of her green eyes (she reminded me of the Disney character from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, since she has green eyes too).  I got a picture of Pirate on his first day out of the shelter, and I would have gotten one of Esmeralda too, but she was pretty camera shy.

Pirate on his first day out of the shelter

Pirate's eyes are huge and golden-colored.  He makes me think of Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.  I mean, his eyes even have a similar shape:

I've been watching a lot of Anime.  It's all my friend's fault.  I think the first Anime I watched may have been Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan, but really, it all started when she suggested I watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (which is now my favorite Anime).  So I guess it's her fault I've developed a crush on Roy Mustang.

Every time I see Roy in an episode...

It might seem weird to crush on a fictional character, but hey, I'm already weird anyways.  My friend even drew a mini Roy for me as a birthday present.

Well, now that I think about it, my interest in Anime really began when I watched the sequel series to Avatar:  The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra.  Now I've seen so many, like Ouran High School Host Club, Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail, Kimi ni Todoke, and others.  I've also been watching more Studio Ghibli movies, like Grave of the Fireflies, which is a very sad film about World War II, and Howl's Moving Castle, which I love to bits.

I'm really thankful to my friend for showing me the world of Anime, because now I know more about Japanese culture, which I hadn't known very much about before.  She's also been teaching me some Japanese - she even taught me how to pronounce the first few lines of my favorite opening theme song from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, which is a really beautiful song.  It's called "Again", by Yui.

And then here's an English cover of Again that I like:

I made another one of my friends watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood after I finished watching it, because it was so good.  Now we both ship Edwin (Ed x Winry) and Royai (Roy x Riza).

One of my favorite Edwin moments:  "It's your hands, they
weren't meant to kill.  They're meant to give life.  That's why."

One of my favorite Royai moments:  "I've done it again, I've hurt you."

Well, that's what's been going on with me.  I plan to post much more consistently now that school's over.  I haven't been writing much in general, which worries me.  I hope to catch up this summer by spending much more time updating my stories and as I said, posting more on my blog.

My Favorite Fictional Couples

I am really sorry for not posting in such a long time.  The last time I posted anything was in December, and now it's February.  It bothers me that this blog has been left abandoned for so long.  From now on, I will try to post more frequently.

Anyway, since it was Valentine's Day yesterday, I made a list of my favorite fictional couples (they are not listed in any particular order).  Since there are so many, I tried to narrow it down.  Even so, it's still really long.  I have left out any couples from Period Dramas, to help shorten the list.  I am going to make a separate list on my Period Drama blog for all of my favorite Period couples.

Feel free to agree or disagree with any of my choices and express why in the comments.  I am very interested in other people's opinions, so you're more than welcome to share your thoughts.  I listed every couple by their ship name, or the pairing if there isn't a ship name for them (or I was just not aware of one).

- Everlark (Katniss and Peeta)

I read The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins a few years ago.  I remember from the very first instance Katniss and Peeta interacted, I shipped them.  I thought the romance between them was done pretty well in the books, but not quite as well in the movies (however I think it improved in Catching Fire).  I still like the movies a lot too, though.  I thought the first movie was pretty good, but Catching Fire was a major improvement in many areas.

I really love the relationship that develops between these two.  They balance each other out - Katniss is strong in some ways, and Peeta is strong in others.  They build a strong emotional bond and trust each other.  They help each other heal from the damage they experience.  I think Katniss needs Peeta.  One of my favorite quotes from Mockingjay expresses this perfectly:  "That what I need to survive is not Gale's fire, kindled with rage and hatred.  I have plenty of fire myself.  What I need is the dandelion in the spring.  The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction.  The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses.  That it can be good again.  And only Peeta can give me that."

- Captain Swan (Hook and Emma)

I didn't ship Captain Swan right away, in fact I don't remember when I started shipping them.  It was a gradual process.  I don't recall exactly which episode, but early on in season three, I realized I had shipped them all along and it was too late to turn back.  Whether I liked it or not I had become a hardcore CS shipper.  I never thought Captain Swan would actually happen, but so far, in season three, things are definitely looking up.  The fact this ship is developing so well makes me so happy.  It's like a dream come true, especially considering I never thought this ship would have a chance.

I could write a whole essay on why this pairing is so great, but I'll leave all that for another day.  Instead, have this video showing all the awesome parallels between Captain Swan and Snowing (Snow and Charming):

Knowing two of my OTPs parallel each other this well makes me very very very happy. :D

- Eleven and River Song

I don't know why, but there's just something about River Song and the eleventh Doctor's relationship that I absolutely love.  River seems to love the Doctor so much, it breaks my heart to think about it sometimes.  I don't even know what to say about Eleven and River, I just really love them together.

- Rogue and Gambit

Gambit (left) and Rogue (right) from X-Men (1992 - 1997).

Rogue (left) and Gambit (right) from X-Men:  Evolution.

Rogue and Gambit are my favorite couple from The X-Men.  My favorite version of these characters are from the T.V. series X-Men (1992 - 1997).  Although I also love Gambit and Rogue in X-Men:  Evolution, one of my favorite animated T.V. shows, they never got a chance to develop their relationship very much, since the show never continued after season four.  X-Men:  Evolution had so much potential for a fifth season.  I am very disappointed they didn't continue.

- Sherlolly  (Sherlock and Molly)

Molly and Sherlock talking in The Empty Hearse.

Although I also ship Adlock (Sherlock and Irene Adler), I ship Sherlolly the most.  It is my favorite pairing in Sherlock.  I can't really explain why, they just feel right together.  Molly humanizes Sherlock and keeps him in check.  I don't think she will ever get over him, no matter how hard she tries.  Both characters have grown so much in series three.  After watching His Last Vow, I ship them even more than before.

- Iris and Gilbert

Iris and Gilbert are from my favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie, The Lady Vanishes.  They had great chemistry and their bantering back and forth was hilarious.  I watched The Lady Vanishes (it was one of my first Alfred Hitchcock movies, along with The 39 Steps) when I was little, and I'm pretty sure I shipped them without even knowing it.

- Belle and the Beast

I love a lot of Disney characters, but I've realized that when I was little, the only Disney characters I loved together, that made me care whether they ended up together or not, were Belle and Adam/the Beast.  For example, I love Aladdin, but I never really cared if he and Jasmine got together (although A Whole New World was a great song).  Belle and Adam are definitely my favorite Disney couple, and were the only ones I truly shipped, at least before Tangled and Frozen came along...

- Amy Pond and Rory Williams

The boy and girl who waited...they waited a lot.

Amy and Rory are my favorite companions in Doctor Who.  I loved their relationship, and shipped them from the very start.  There seemed to be some sort of attraction on Amy's part towards the Doctor , but I never bought it.  Rory was always the one for her.  Honestly I hated the idea of Amy and Eleven being romantically involved, and found it rather strange and unnecessary.  Thankfully that whole thing didn't last for too long.  Rory loved Amy no matter what.  I mean, he waited two thousand years for her.  They loved each other no matter how long they had to wait.

- Snowing (Snow and Charming)

Snowing was my OTP when I first started watching Once Upon a Time, and it still is.  No matter what happens, they will always find each other.  I don't have much else to say.  This couple is simply perfection.

- Goliath and Elisa

Gargoyles (1994 - 1996) is one of my favorite animated shows.  One thing about it that makes it so great is the relationship between Goliath and Elisa.  Both characters have a deep respect for the other and seem to have an understanding of one another.  Their relationship grows beautifully throughout the show.

- Rumbelle (Rumplestiltskin and Belle)

Rumbelle, like Snowing, is another one of my OTPs from Once Upon a Time.  I loved their relationship from the start, and loved watching them grow together and learn from each other.  Belle brings out the best in Rumpel, and loves him despite his dark side, something Rumpel has not found in anyone before.

- Chihiro and Haku

Spirited Away was my second Studio Ghibli film (Kiki's Delivery Service was my first).  The first time I watched it I was pretty young.  My grandma had bought it for me, unaware of the frightening scenes in it and not knowing it would scare me.  I made it up to the scene that the parents turned into pigs.  When I saw that, I turned the T.V. off.  For that whole day I was too afraid to eat anything, because I thought it would turn me into a pig.  When I was older, I tried watching it again, this time making it to the end.  I loved it.  Spirited Away has been one of my favorite movies ever since.  I have always loved Chihiro and Haku, and the bond they have.  They definitely deserve a spot on this list.

- Rapunzel and Eugene

Words cannot express the extent to which I love Tangled.  This film is perfect in every way, and so is the romance between Rapunzel and Eugene.  In my opinion, it is the most romantic romance Disney has ever done.  Well, along with a certain other Disney couple from a movie that starts with F...

- Kristanna (Kristoff and Anna)

AAAAAHHHHH.  I.  Love.  Frozen.  So.  So.  So.  Soooo much.  Everything about it is refreshing, including the romance.  I love that they crushed the idea of falling in love at first sight with the perfect prince, and took a more realistic and refreshing route.

- Sean Thornton and Mary Kate

This couple is from one of my favorite Irish movies, The Quiet Man.  John Wayne had great chemistry with Maureen O'Hara, and they made an unforgettable pair as Thornton and Mary Kate.  What I love most about their relationship is how they are completely equal with one another (which is why they remind me of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice).  Equality between romantic partners is a quality I especially appreciate, since this movie was made in the 1950's, a time that was not very equal in all sorts of socio-economic areas. 

- Kataang (Katara and Aang)

Kataang is my favorite ship from Avatar:  The Last Airbender.  Both Katara and Aang understand each other deeply and share an unbreakable connection.  From the very beginning, it was meant to be.  Katara brought Aang back to life when she found him in the iceberg, and from then on, Aang grew to love her more and more.  I think it took Katara longer to become fully aware of her love for Aang in return, but it was always there.

- Irohsami (Iroh II and Asami Sato)

Yeah, I know Irohsami isn't canon.  I shall cry internally for all time because of this.  The potential the Legend of Korra writers are missing by not making this ship canon just hurts me to think about.  However, I still hold onto hope that some day, perhaps in book three or four, Irohsami's ship will sail.  And it will sail beautifully.

I know I sound really over-dramatic right now but it honestly hurts that this ship is not canon.  They would be the most classy couple to ever walk the earth.  Trust me.

- Tonraq and Senna

I have always liked the relationship between Korra's parents in The Legend of Korra.  They seem to love each other a lot.  It makes me so happy that they were featured more in book two. 


- Fiolee  (Fionna and Marshall Lee)

I was very wary of watching Adventure Time, since it seemed like such a weird and crazy show.  But over time, it has definitely grown on me.  My favorite pairing from this show is Fionna and Marshall Lee.  They feel very natural together and I can't help but love them to bits. 

- Jelsa (Jack Frost and Elsa)

I rarely ship crossover couples, but Jelsa is definitely one of my OTPs.  The reason I ship Elsa (from Frozen by Disney) and Jack Frost (from Rise of the Guardians by Dreamworks) is not because they share similar powers, although that is a bonus.  I can easily see them getting along and their personalities just really seem to compliment each other.  I can easily imagine them interacting in my head.  My headcanon is that Jack would encourage Elsa's powers.  Even if she wasn't romantically interested in him, she would definitely find a friend in him.

- Linzin (Tenzin and Lin Beifong)

I've always shipped Tenzin with Lin, from The Legend of Korra.  Despite their claims of having moved on, I think they still have feelings for one another.  They seem to fit each other perfectly.

- Armin and Annie

"Do I look like such a good person to you?" 

The only thing I don't like about Attack on Titan, something which frustrates me a lot, is how some pairings are hinted at or start being established, then are completely ignored afterwards, for example Mikasa and Jean.  In my opinion, the only relationship that gets some thorough development is the one between Eren and Mikasa, and their friend, Armin.  Eren and Mikasa have a really well developed brother and sister relationship, although some fans ship them romantically.  Out of the romantic pairings I like (Mikasa and Jean, Levi and Hanji, and Armin and Annie), Armin and Annie seem to have the most development.  Annie seems concerned with how Armin thinks of her, and in one scene asks what being a good person meant to him.  Their relationship interests me a lot, and I hope it continues to develop in the future, although the ending of season one left a lot of questions and I am unsure of what will happen next. 

- Amorra (Amon and Korra)

Amorra is one of my top OTPs.  Although it never had a chance of becoming canon, I will ship it till the end of time (and then keep on shipping it after that).  Other than being enemies, Korra and Amon have a very intriguing relationship, that leads to a lot of potential.  Both have different political views, but underneath their differences, they are actually similar in many ways.  Although Korra at first fears Amon, she later grows stronger and finds her bravery.  Both have their strengths and meet each other on an equal playing field.  They test each other to see what the other will do.  In addition to all of this, Amon and Korra seem to have a subtle attraction towards each other and a chemistry that can't be denied, whether you interpret it romantically or not.  There were more Amorra shippers during book 1 of The Legend of Korra, but some have hung on and continued to ship it, including me.