#katyaps

[bookishlunarkat]

Kolivan in VLD

okay so like……. Do y’all remember the scene in season 4, ep 1, “code of honor” where Kolivan physically drags Keith out of the room from saving the other BoM member (I believe his name was Regris)?

This moment. Right here.

Kolivan KNOWS Regris will die. He’s fully aware Keith will too, if he allows Keith to go back inside for Regris. (Then he’ll be down two soldiers instead of one.)

Obviously the VLD fandom is not the best (lol that’s putting it mildly) but one of the things I especially don’t like is that some people tend to soften Kolivan far too early. He starts out (and for most part, continues to be) as a highly tactical, analytical leader who leaves no room for emotion. He’s literally told Keith (NUMEROUS TIMES!!) things along the lines of “emotions are a luxury we cannot afford.” He is pragmatic and extremely logical, allowing no time for big dramatic *feelings*.

personally I headcanon that it’s because he’s probably been fighting this battle for too long. He shows hints of this too. He’s tired, and probably emotionally broken. He might have even lost friends, family, and who knows how many other Marmoran members to this war. He tells Shiro in the first episode we meet him, “So is the fight against the Galra. And yet that is the battle we face,” or smth along those lines, when Shiro points out Keith’s trials are unfair. He sounds weary and exhausted in this moment. He KNOWS there will be too much bloodshed.

I dig into this in my own fic, so again, part of this is just speculation on my part, but I really wholeheartedly believe that Kolivan is a hardened soldier of war who’s just lost too much and sacrificed too many lives. He has a very, very small, soft, compassionate core that is absolutely drenched and BURIED under war strategies and military leadership. It only very slightly begins to show up in later seasons— the biggest hint we get is when he comes and waits for Keith to wake up in season seven’s finale with Krolia. And that’s after THREE SEASONS of knowing this guy.

idk, this is just smth that hit me while I was rewriting the Kral Zera episode for my fic. Like, Kolivan is a smart leader, but it probably didn’t come without a cost. People aren’t born to be so analytical. We’re taught to value feelings and emotions. Kolivan doesn’t, not because he doesn’t care or because he’s cruel, but because he’s most likely just been through too much.

(which allows for SO MANY angst opportunities lol. But anyway.)

sorry for the rant. This probably made no sense. enjoy your gender <3

[public-amateur]

Baby’s First JTTW Fic

The first two chapters of my very first fic for Xi You Ji, “As Bright As The Sun”, are out on AO3!

“Over the past fourteen years, the Great Monk, Tang Tripitaka, has journeyed westward with his three unruly but goodhearted disciples, Sun Wukong, Zhu Wuneng, and Sha Wujing. They have faced a great many trials on the way to India. The disciples have killed demons and spat in the faces of gods, but Tripitaka wasn't worried. He's a good man. His disciples are good men, under their very rough exteriors. They have a bodhisattva ensuring their success.

So it's fine.

It's fine.

...

It very abruptly was not fine.

Tripitaka and his disciples are thrown out of heaven for their multitude of sins, stripped of their merit, clothes, and even their names. What are they meant to do now? Where can they go from here?”

im brand new here(a matter of weeks on ao3, hours on tumblr) so reblogs, comments, etc are super appreciated. and reading it. please read it

[writingwithkat]

VLD fic updated!!

chapter 11 --fall of the castle of lions-- out on Wattpad, Quotev, & AO3.

so sorry for the late update!! had some health issues + family problems, and we moved locations recently. I'm trying my best to keep up with everything but it's a little difficult.

thanks for y'all's patience. <3

[artwithkat]

VLD: HOTS art dump

I’ve been working on writing so much & so I haven’t updated the fic itself in a while (I think like a month??? Sorrrrrryyy pls don’t come for me) but I had to take a break & go back & do some worldbuilding bc I hit a speed bump/roadblock/whatever the phrase is when I was writing in which I realized I had no clue abt an important part of my lore.

anyway the result of that is THIS. I drew out some important logos/flags/emblems. Normally when I draw traditionally I only use wooden pencils but I’ve been experimenting with using pens to ink things & I don’t hate it too much. That being said, these are def going to be redone digitally bc of just how precise they are (& the fact that some of them are pulled directly from canon anyway). anyway lol ignore the shitty art. :3 I would say there are spoilers for my fanfic Voltron: Heart of the Stars but there’s so little context so I feel like it’s alright. I will place a cut tho just in case.

[bookishlunarkat]

y'all ever think about the fact that the MFE pilots are like 18/19 years old when the Galra invade.

like. it's same thing w/ the voltron paladins too. Pidge, actually, is like 15 when they first find the Blue Lion. like. yes ofc they're anxious and nervous and panicked and want to play video games. I would too.

man these poor kids are so traumatized

(ahem. not me continuing to INCREASE that angst in my own fic. not me. whatsoever. i would never do that.)

[bookishlunarkat]

Happy Pangender Pride Day!

remember that you are valid my friends. <3 stay kind, be brave, & have hope!!!

[bookishlunarkat]

Broadway musicals <3

so there’s a moment in the musical “Come From Away” where Hannah, the mother of the kid who’s a firefighter, she says, “I’m telling you, listen, my son, he takes risks. He’s not missing; he’s helping or hurt.” I believe it’s in the song “I Am Here”.

which like… kinda hit me?? Like this woman has watched him grow up, has RAISED him, has probably SEEN him take risks, has potentially stayed beside him in a hospital room or helped heal his burns or scrapes from accidents or falls or other dangerous sitches. I know CFA is based on real people, so the fact that this is real somehow makes it even more painful to think about. She KNOWS her son. She KNOWS that he’s out there helping people. And she can’t do a damn thing.

it’s just… idk. It’s one of those like, moments, that really make me appreciate come from away because it’s so raw emotionally. Not only is the music an absolute bop (“I am an islander, I’m an islander”) but the sheer emotion behind the lyrics and dialogue really reminds you of the tragedy of this day.

I was born after 9/11 but some days I feel like I’ve vicariously seen it bc of stories like these. Naturally nothing will compare to sheer horror that these people went thru, and I am so deeply sorry for all those lives. Reminds me how to precious life is. (“So many stories, just gone.”)

sorry for rant. In the midst of my scramble to wrap up my school year & finally publish my VLD fanfic, I’ve been having a quiet obsession with Come From Away and its beauty. Love musicals. <3

[public-amateur]

I LOVE YOUR FIC "Bright As The Sun" I AM, I am so normal about them. Eughhh it makes me so sad but they still have each other and my feelings are in turmoil everytime I reread it

if this doesn't warrant any spoilers, what inspired you to write this take when the Pilgrims retrieved the scriptures?

okay first of all this is so sweet, and all of you are also super sweet for liking the post and kudos-ing the work and saying nice things to me.

secondly, and i have no idea if any of this is going to be coherent, it’s sort of the opposite of tuima’s works in a sense. that wasn’t on purpose at all but in the ffim tripi and wukong get to be enlightened bc they overcame themselves. here they dont, because they didnt live up to the standard of what a buddha is Supposed To Be(like. how they rise above emotions, kind of.). im a christian, and i love Jesus very very much, but as a neurodivergent hyperactive mythology nerd, i dont always vibe with the church. as someone who relates to tripitaka on nearly every level(sans the tired dad bit) and cares about him more than i do any other character and even some people, i wanted to explore that with him some.

this au came a very very long way through a lot of stages of development. its most likely full of wild mischaracterizations and insane reaches and im not sure if it makes sense. however this au is for the person who found jttw in the midst of bad depression two years ago and picked up tripitaka and cried for the first time in a while. it may be an abomination to what wu chengen was trying to convey but it’s important to me. hope yall like it too