#“kids don't know nuance and don't experience that nah”

[crystal-clear-crystalline]

G3's handling of the original "embrace your freaky flaws" is really weird and contradictory, especially in it's world building so far. Despite that, it could've went in an interesting direction with the theme. The best parallel I can easily describe it is how marginalized groups also have the issue of discriminating other marginalized groups. For example, I'm southeast Asian and there is an issue of racism, homophobia and ableism I see with my family and friends. Unfortunately for me I am at least one of those, maybe two.

This can explain all of the monsters panicking and going on the defense when Clawdeen initially finds out about Monster High. She's a human, a human probably connected to them going into hiding. It's only when they found out she's part monster when they welcome her into the school. They also wrote in interesting details like how gorgons weren't allowed on the casketball team until Medusa came along. This could lead to her and the ghouls to think more thoroughly about what it really means to "embrace your freaky flaws" along with some more material specifically for Clawdeen as her being half (and the fact that that's emphasized to hell and back).

It's probably not gonna go like this because a lot of this is pulling from my understanding of the first Monster High movie (and also I'm not 100% remembering the g3 episodes) and the weird detail in Abbey's episode. I thought it was super weird for Clawdeen to not question everyone going "oooooo yetis are scary 😱". That interaction reminded me of human characters (who assumably knew her) bullying her and thus leading her to basically have no friends aside from her dad and Crescent. She doesn't really have that context everyone else does so I was honestly surprised she didn't go "What do you mean? Aren't all monsters scary?" in the episode.

[wafflesex]

Spoilers for Floyd's Stitch Event SSR

I wrote this all down in a hurry so certain nuances aren't 100% accurate, but this is the gist of Floyd's Stitch vignettes! It starts with Floyd surfing. Azul and Jack tell him it's time to head back to the cottage but Floyd complains about wanting to do an activity that can only be done at nighttime. This is when he gets the idea to make fireworks! He goes to Stitch's spaceship and asks him to turn any excess scrap metal into a fine powder. Floyd: A'ight, time for Dr. Floyd to experiment! This will be yellow and this will be red... Aha~ I did it! I'm a genius~ Stitch: ? Floyd: Are you interested in what I'm making? This is called a "flying jellyfish." Oh wait... what's it called on land again? Ah! That's right. Fireworks, fireworks! D'you know about 'em? (seems to be a reference to Part of Your World: "... What's that word again? ... Streeet~") Stitch helps Floyd make a ton of fireworks. As they build, he tells Stitch about Jade.

Floyd: You know, a long time ago, Jade and I went to the beach to watch the fireworks. Jade's my brother. Stitch: Ohana! Floyd: Hm? Jade's not a flower. He's the same moray mer as me. ("hana" means "flower" in Japanese, so whenever Stitch says "ohana," everyone thinks he's saying "flower") Floyd: Didn't I tell you? I'm a merman. I used to live in the sea before I went on land. Back in elementary school, I secretly went up to the beach to see the fireworks. Dad and mama always used to say "It's dangerous for kids to go alone, so don't go anywhere near the coast." Stitch: GRRR! Floyd: Nah, it's been a long time since merfolk and humans have been afraid of each other. After the sea princess and the land prince got married, merfolk come and go as they like. But little merfolk shouldn't wander close to shore alone because they could be swept away or beached. Floyd: Adults can survive that alone, but not a kid. Anyway, there's lots of shops for merfolk along the coast now. They're like the cottage we built where they stick out into the sea. They sell things like hoodies and accessories. ... My parents have several shops like that. Floyd: Those are for the grownups to go near though, not children. ... But Jade and I used to go to the beach a lot anyway and not tell our parents. I mean, when someone tells you not to do it, you want to do it anyway, don't you~? Stitch: WEHEHEH Floyd: There's tons of rare stuff by the coast. Flying jellyfish are our favorite though. Watching 'em from the sea is the best! They light up like stars on the black water, the reflections are so sparkly... It's like swimming through the nighttime sky! Floyd: Stitch, you came from space, right? You should try swimming in the starry sky then! Even going from sea to land was exciting for me. I'd always be like "What's this?" or "Is that guy really like that?" It would be cooler if I could go to space. I'd get to see even more! Floyd: Are there other aliens in space like Stitch and Gantu? Ahhh, if I say I met an alien on a deserted island, there's no way Jade would believe me. "It seems as if Floyd had a very unique dream," he'd say.

Floyd: So since I'm going back to school soon, make sure you come and play, Stitch, ok? And bring a really weird alien with you! Liiike... an evil genius scientist who created you or a guy with one eye or spies who like to disguise themselves! Something like that. (very obviously a nod to Jumba, Pleakly, and Cobra Bubbles in Lilo and Stitch)

Azul shows up and asks how the firework arrangement is going. He's surprised to see A LOT of fireworks. Floyd: This is the sparkler type Azul taught me how to make and this one is a disc that rotates. But THIS square one is a design of my own!

Azul: Floyd's original fireworks arrangement...? I hope it doesn't spontaneously explode. Floyd: Don't worry, don't worry~ It's made properly with magic.

Azul: Honestly... when he has a "I want to do this" attitude, Floyd's focus is incredible. I hope it can always be like this, especially at work. Floyd: Enthusiasm got me hungry. Can you guys help me carry the fireworks? We'll hide them on the beach and surprise the others~

Back at the cottage, everyone sees all the lights are off. Floyd and Stitch have also given them buckets (I'm assuming to extinguish the sparklers afterward.) They're then led to the beach. Jack: You're not planning on surfing at night, are you?

Floyd: Buuu buuu~ (buzzer sound) The correct answer iiis... this! A large orange firework shoots up into the sky and explodes. Lilia: What a marvelous fireworks display! Floyd, how did you prepare all this? Floyd: Stitch turned the junk parts into a powder~ Everyone: YOU MADE THEM? Floyd: Stitch, bring me the rest of them, ok? Jack: Uwa-! You mean the big pack Stitch was carrying was full of fireworks?! Floyd: Yup~ I wanted to do this at night so I made 'em in my downtime earlier. Grim: Whoa! With this many, we could play all night long! Lilia: These long and narrow ones are handheld fireworks... But what's this square one? Floyd: That's my original one~ You do this and then you put this away-- Goldfishie, gimme some fire! Riddle: Don't go using people like matches. Honestly... There~! Floyd's firework explodes and it's a gentle rain of blue and white sparks and stars.

Everyone: Woooow~!! Floyd: Right? Aren't the reflections of it on the nighttime water pretty? Ace: Floyd-senpai is really freaking incredible~! You're a genius! Can I light one up too? Floyd: Go for it~ Do as many of them as you want. Lilia: Ohh! This sparkler lets off a green color like Diasomnia! Jack: And this one is yellow... Amazing. How did you change the colors? Riddle: This is my first time doing fireworks. So, I just light the tip of this stick on fire? Azul: Inside Mostro Lounge, it's common for us to set up fireworks on cakes and for celebrations. ... So it's refreshing to do it outside like this instead. He then walks over to Floyd who is quietly watching everyone else play.

Azul: Even though you were so enthusiastic about making them earlier, you're not doing a firework yourself. Floyd: Mm, now I feel like watching instead of doing. Azul: I didn't think you were the type to get all sentimental while watching fireworks. Could it be... that if Jade was here, you would do them then? (he has a mischievous smile here, so he's probably trying to embarrass Floyd) Floyd: Why're you talking about Jade? He's probably running the Lounge alone right now so I'm gonna hear a lot of complaints when I get back. I'll hear that instead of "I wish I could have been there~" Anyway, isn't it more fun if he and I do our fun things separately and then come back with souvenirs and stories? If you like those stories, then you'll wanna visit those places. If you don't like 'em, then you won't go. Floyd: Jade is the same as me. With mountain climbing, one day he got hooked on it and started doing it alone. It's always more interesting if we do different things separately from each other. Besides... if we were together 24/7, I think things would be pretty bad between us.

Floyd: In the past, it was common for us to get into big fights and beat each other up. Azul: The way you brothers quarrel truly is ferocious. I was terrified the first time I witnessed it. Floyd: It's been a long time since it's been like that. When we get serious with each other, I know my life's in danger~ Well~ If I have to fight, then I'll do it~ Riddle: HEY, STITCH! GRIM! Don't go fighting with fireworks!

Floyd: Oh, looks like Stitch is having a good time! I'll join in too! Azul: Fu~ Doing something like this at night on this island certainly is refreshing. A fun game that sparks and pops at the tip of your fingers... huh... Are you satisfied, Floyd? Floyd: Ehh~? You think I'd be satisfied with only this much? Azul: Yes, that was a stupid question, wasn't it... By tomorrow you'll be looking for another stimulus.

Floyd: Hmm what should I do tomorrow~? Doing this on a deserted island is really rare, you know. So I wanna do something that'll make Jade say "Please take me with you next time~" Play, rampage, do whatever I want! Gotta enjoy myself so much that I don't have time to be bored!

And that's it! Very happy to have more crumbs of tweel lore......

[toujokaname]

Mischief / Episode 7

Characters: Kohaku, HiMERU, Niki  

"At what point did we lose this kind of 'earnestness'?"

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[ Read on my site for a better viewing experience using Ois~su ♪ ]

Season: Spring

Location: Department Store's Furniture Area

Kohaku: "I'm tellin' ya, we don't need such a gargantuan fridge."

HiMERU: "Are you unfamiliar with the aphorism, 'better too big than too small'?"

Kohaku: "That may be true, but it ain't like we're gonna be livin' together forever; a small fridge just big enough to chill drinks should do the trick—"

Location: Café Cinnamon

Kohaku: Snore... Snooore...♪

HiMERU: Oukawa fell asleep, possibly due to the program being so uninteresting.

Niki: His sleeping face's sooo cute~♪

HiMERU: Agreed. Moreover, since JoyLife requires absolutely no effort, Oukawa seems to have an abundance of energy to spare.

So, during his free time, he has apparently taken on various individual jobs.

And these are more proper, "idol-like" activities—dramas, magazine photoshoots, handshake events, autograph signings, and even some promotional appearances...

Niki: Kohaku-chan may be tiny, but he's full of energy, huh?

HiMERU: He likely only has the stamina suitable for his age and build. Yet, he pushes himself beyond his limits, which is why he ends up dozing off like this.

Niki: He's like a kid who plays 'til his energy levels drop to zero!

HiMERU: Hehe, indeed. It's rather enviable, and stunningly bright.

At what point did we lose this kind of "earnestness"?

Niki: I'm still the same way, though! Go, go, go, until I've got nothin' left in the tank! I'm always an elementary schooler at heart~!

HiMERU: ...That's more likely to be a result of your physical constitution.

Fufu. HiMERU is already an adult, so he tends to prioritize efficiency.

As it stands, there's no real need to stray beyond JoyLife. Its immense success alone brings both the fame and the wealth required.

In fact, some are even suggesting that we avoid additional activities and focus exclusively on JoyLife.

Niki: Man, the people who eat are pretty selfish, huh? We put all this thought into the nutritional balance when we cook, but then they're like, "I want curry rice every day!"

But if we actually give them curry every day, they start whining that they're sick of it.

HiMERU: That's an unusually nuanced remark.

Niki: It's pretty much how Rinne-kun was. He's basically just a tall kid, that guy.

HiMERU: Fufu. Parenting is no easy feat for either of us, is it?

Niki: Huh? I thought Kohaku-chan was the one taking care of you, though~?

HiMERU: Despite HiMERU being the one constantly supporting everyone from an adult's standpoint? Even this current project was brought in by HiMERU, was it not?

Niki: Nah, I meant emotionally.

Kohaku: Nn... Ah, shoot~ I nodded off.

HiMERU: Good morning, Oukawa ♪

Kohaku: Mm. I'd like to make an excuse, but I know it ain't proper for the actors to go criticizin' their own show. Still—this JoyLife's just plain too dull.

HiMERU: We are the performers, after all. Since we already know what's coming, it's bound to feel more monotonous to us than to the audience.

Kohaku: That's true, too. And I get that it's supposed to be the show's gimmick, but it's so uninspired it just makes me sleepier and sleepier...

I'm not askin' for car chases or nothin', but a gunfight or two wouldn't hurt.

HiMERU: ...That would be difficult to pull off in peaceful Japan.

Kohaku: It's precisely because we live in peace that folks start cravin' a bit of danger and excitement, ain't it?

...Or somethin'. Haha, funny, I used to be the one wishin' for a peaceful, uneventful life.

Niki: Well, having curry every day would get boring ♪

Kohaku: ? What're you talkin' 'bout?

HiMERU: Fufu. Just a little adult conversation. Right? Shiina ♪

Niki: Huh. Hmm...?

HiMERU: ...What's wrong?

Niki: Nah, it's just... for a sec, I thought I saw something creepy flash on the screen.

Huh? I don't remember seeing anything like that last time I watched...? But I wasn't really paying attention, so maybe I'm wrong?

Kohaku: What d'ya mean by somethin' "creepy"?

Niki: Well, it's like... something that looked like Rinne-kun—

[ ☆ ]

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[barbatos-sama]

there was a weird ass poll on my for you page a couple weeks ago that still haunts me. it was something along the lines of "if you saw people having sex in public would it bother you", and basically im pretty sure it was from a person who thinks ppl should be able to fuck whenever and wherever they want and it's the pearl clutching catholics who have a problem with it. and like 75% of people said no, it wouldn't bother them, and i was like bruv i garauntee you a lot of those ppl are just saying that to sound quirky and radically woke and if it actually happened they would realize just how uncomfortable they'd be. also it would dawn on them that it basically counts as a sex crime bc they're suddenly a part of these ppls sexual experience without giving consent. like idk why it bothered me so much it's just the fact that i Know a lot of these ppl were lying / didn't think abt it hard enough ajdjf. cause im like okay but whomst are you imagining having sex, is it an attractive couple of your own sexuality? if you'd be okay with that, whatever, but Would you be okay with it if it was two people you found really unattractive? maybe two middle aged dudes you think are ugly? what abt a guy you think looks creepy, and hes masturbating? if you can acknowledge That's a sexual crime why is the other thing not? and are we just not gonna factor in children in this scenario. ppl in the progressive scene rn are trying to call out 'think of the children' as an exclusively right wing dog whistle rn and it's starting to bother me because yes overwhelmingly a lot of ppl use that to try to outlaw shit like queers and drag queens but they're starting to suck nuance out of it and make it seem like Any instance of it makes you a puritan. like nah i don't think we should be having sex out in public where kids could see, i don't think that should be a minority vote opinion. it was just such a weird peek into a separate world from mine i guess AJDHDHF it didn't occur to me that That many people think we should be able to just have sex on a park bench and it should be socially acceptable and not a potential sex crime

[queerical]

I posted 4,206 times in 2022

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Blogs I reblogged the most:

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I tagged 4,206 of my posts in 2022

#one piece - 415 posts

#video - 413 posts

#me - 251 posts

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#roronoa zoro - 122 posts

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Longest Tag: 124 characters

#you're just sitting on your high horse smug in having one up on them becuz you have more life experience and ''know better''

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

honestly kind of in love with the fact that zoro is Just Some Guy

like. luffy is the son of monkey d. dragon. usopp is the son of a member of shanks' crew. nami had her history with arlong. chopper is a fucking reindeer doctor. robin was the most wanted woman as an 8 yr old. sanji is a prince from a family of assassins. franky is a fucking cyborg. jinbe is a merman. vivi is a princess. brooke is a goddamn skeleton

and then. you have zoro. who's just there with all these ppl with notable backstories like "yea i was obsessed with sword fighting as a kid, and then my best friend died so i decided to become the world's greatest swordsman" and by god that is what he is doing

man is off the wall batshit insane for literally no reason that's just Who He Is. he became a renowned pirate hunter by complete fucking accident. ppl were always mistaking him for the captain and he was just like nah. he's the only one in the worst generation that doesnt have a devil fruit power, he's Just That Fucking Good At Swords

fuck. i love him

141 notes - Posted February 5, 2022

#4

i love luffy and robin's relationship so much 🥺

149 notes - Posted February 27, 2022

#3

Sanji: Aww, marimo, you had a crush on me? That's so embarrassing.

Zoro: We're married.

Sanji: Still.

176 notes - Posted March 18, 2022

#2

i can't fucking breathe usopp really looked zolo in the eye and told him he was going to hell

217 notes - Posted February 27, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

i haven't seen any criticisms about this, so idk if it's an unpopular opinion or not, but i actually like that oda draws yamato like he draws his cis female characters. i mean, yamato deserves muscles, but that's true of pretty much every female character as well so. we'll set that aside for now

kiku passes pretty well. oda basically draws her like he draws cis women, and it is refreshing as hell to see a transfem character who /isn't/ a transmisogynist caricature

but in yamato's case, i like that he's curvy with big tits because.. everyone still recognizes him as man. he doesn't have to pass, he doesn't have to look like the cis male characters. his body is unaltered, he seems pretty comfortable with it, and he's a man and everyone knows it. he's welcomed in the men's bath. even his shitty ass father uses his correct pronouns

this is a nuanced subject ofc and trans people's experiences are many and varied and our representation should reflect that. but in line with that, there are trans people who don't pass, or who can't pass, or who don't care about passing. there are trans people who don't really feel compelled to change their bodies

and it's nice to see a trans character like that, personally. yamato has a body that most people consider female but he is unapologetically male and no one questions his manhood. he is how he is and he is a man

678 notes - Posted September 14, 2022

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[olderthannetfic]

You have way more wisdom and experience than I do and also approach topics with a lot of nuance (which I really appreciate) so I was hoping you could offer some help. If this ask is too heavy or it's too weird feel free to ignore.

I've been Poor my whole life and I've also been severely mentally ill most of my life. Mental health care isn't covered by my country's government and therapy is really expensive so I pushed on using mostly online tips and tricks to manage my depression. But that's not working anymore. I do everything I see online but it's not helping any longer. I've journaled in old school notebooks, I've worked out at home so much I'd be buff if I wasn't too underweight to gain muscle, the little food I can afford is so meticulously chosen as to be healthy that I put health food bloggers to shame and a host of other stuff people tell you will cure depression.

I recently realized that a lot of the things that happened to me as a kid were actually extremely traumatic and abusive which only added to it.

I'm desperate for any support but I can't afford therapy and I also can't just say to my friends "I need you to help me with complex trauma." that would be overstepping boundaries and also very entitled of me, so I'm definitely not doing that.

I worry that eventually it will be too much and I'll fully have a mental breakdown, which would be disastrous for me as I pay for my college myself and a mental breakdown wouldn't exactly be good for my barely above minimum wage job.

How do I prevent that? Are there any sources that can assist you when you know that realistically you can't afford therapy? Or are there books or online services that can help? Is there way to work through this right now until I save enough for a therapist. I'm at my wits end and it's starting to become obvious to those around me that I'm struggling a lot mentally. Just going through the day is soul crushing and my only motivation is the money I pay for my degree not being wasted.

This is a lot to ask from anyone, especially an online stranger, so please don't feel obligated to answer. if you can't answer that's fine and I'll probably ask Reddit again. Also if any part of this is trauma dumping please let me know as I struggle with knowing when I'm just telling people stuff and when I'm trauma dumping

--

Nah, this isn't trauma dumping. That usually involves more details of what happened to you and is often in a derailing context in an existing conversation.

Unfortunately, if there were easy answers, you'd already have found them.

The first thing is not to beat yourself up. Mental illness and poverty do a number on anybody.

All that "go jogging to feel better" shit is for people who have mild situational depression. You don't. No matter how hard you work, none of that crap is going to fix it. I mean, eating healthy couldn't hurt, but it's not your fault it didn't work. It was never going to work.

Yours is presumably a brain that needs meds, and until you can afford to pump some different chemicals into it, it's going to keep making the wrong ones and ruining your day. Health is a nice goal... Under the current circumstances, however, I think a more useful goal is just to survive. Every day above ground is a win.

As long as you're still kicking, there's always time for things to improve. You don't need to be a superhero and fix yourself right now. You just need to make it through school till you can at least focus on just the shitty job instead of the shitty job plus school. (And hopefully, a better job, eventually.) Whatever keeps you upright and heading for that goal is what you should do.

In terms of specific resources, you could try looking up the DBT resources other people have been talking about. DBT seems to be used on otherwise intractable depression, suicidal tendencies, etc. and often on people with a hot mess of a childhood.

Unstructured journaling and general "try to be healthy" stuff has not helped, so I would focus on more structured practices that involve specific homework. Meditation and mindfulness exercises may help (and are a part of DBT).

[multitrackdrifting]

My one and only discourse post and why I refuse to engage with how stupid 99.9999% of it is

I'll comment very little on discourse in general, but it's straight up hilarious how a lot of adults don't understand why cartoons like ATLA heavily emphasise on themes of redemption, growth and forgiveness. They're not written for adults even if they're beloved by a bunch of adults, they're trying to teach different important messages to children and I think "you should go kill these bad guys" and "if you get cancelled you should just accept that shit" are some completely ass writing ideas that would make for terrible stories. Imagine thinking that children learning to grow from their mistakes is bad, and they know the shit is not real, so they're not going out into the world and doing abhorrent things and then trying to redeem themselves. Adults don't give children enough credit for understanding that games, movies, and shows are not real, and for this reason argue about the craziest shit. Like you are literally consuming it wrong, while the average kid gets it right like "oh, so if I hurt my friends feelings, I can talk to them, and come to a reconciliation and avoid doing it in the future" meanwhile the avg. fandom person is like "nah this guy needs to be tried for war crimes or st" like eh????

"Critical" analysis of a lot of media at least on socmed is straight up misinformed for this very reason. Bad analysis fundamentally misunderstands the format, who the target audience is, and why the story intentionally unfolds in those ways.

Oh an irredeemable villain got a minor redemption? Yeah it's cause they want to tell kids it's okay to make mistakes and move on from them, not that if they kill people they will be forgiven. This kind of notion actually going over people's heads is hilarious. Like how do you miss that?

They are not for us to make sense of our worlds as adults, but to help children develop an understanding of empathy for other people as they develop and grow in their own lives.

Writing a story around righteous violence for children would a) not be rated for children at all, and b) be really hard to make sense of in context and in a nuanced way because idk the viewer is a kid LOL

Like not every cartoon is operating "literally" like real life, and not suspending your disbelief and colouring your impressions based on that can skew your perception of something that is otherwise a pretty solid experience for viewers.

It's not limited to children's cartoons, but people arguing about children's cartoons gotta be TOP ZERO ways people show their fundamental misunderstanding of things like genres, tropes, and why things are written the way that they are.

I'm just saying if I try to make sense of a cartoon's world logic without considering how things actually operate within it, and what kind of narrative is being told, and just apply my politics to it and get annoyed when tehy don't stick the landing I want then I'm kind of stupid for doing that because it's placing extremely unrealistic expectations on something that was never going to meet them.

That said I consume a lot of garbage media that is mid, but seeing people arguing about it unironically is on a different caliber.

That said, of course, if the writing is just shit go ahead, tear into it, but god.

Children's cartoons fandoms = warzone

I like Star Wars so there was never a chance I would ever engage with all the wild ass takes people got about it

[lefthanded-sans]

You said: "I think that Sans telling Frisk he believes they can do the right thing [...] convince Frisk to pursue a Pacifist Route[...] I feel Sans [is being pragmatic]." While true: it is pragmatic, it also discounts the one major influence in Sans' life: Papyrus, whom he thinks the world of. I think Sans is probably trying to mirror the mindset of the person who affected him the most. "ST... STILL! I BELIEVE IN YOU! YOU CAN DO A LITTLE BIT BETTER, EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK SO. I... I PROMISE"

Continuing from this conversation.

Sans definitely loves Papyrus, and Papyrus certainly affects his life. There is also some parallel between what Papyrus says about believing in the human and what Sans says about believing in the human. You’ve already provided the Papyrus quote from the Genocide Route. Earlier in the conversation, you’ve also brought up a mirror parallel quote from Sans:

so long as you do what’s in your heart… i believe you can do the right thing.

I wouldn’t mind adding to this other times where Sans says he is rooting for Frisk. Rooting for the human is fairly akin to supporting the human and believing they will do the right thing.

So, at the MTT Resort, Sans says:

take care of yourself, kid. ’cause someone really cares about you.

And when Frisk rescues him as a Lost Soul, he says:

nah, i’m rootin for ya, kid.

These moments could show a parallel in mentality between Sans and Papyrus. I see what you mean, and I think it’s a wonderful and sentimental connection for the Skelebros. I always did love the beauty of their brotherhood. As for me, I personally still don’t feel as though Sans imitating Papyrus’ mindset is his main motivation handling the human.

Looking further at the context of the first Sans quote, it doesn’t appear as though Sans’ commentary is about believing in the human akin to how Papyrus believes in the human. I’m going to pull out the quote again, but this time, add some of the text that comes before and after it:

well, if i were you, i would have thrown in the towel by now. but you didn’t get this far by giving up, did you? that’s right. you have something called “determination.” so as long as you hold on… so as long as you do what’s in your heart… i believe you can do the right thing. alright. we’re all counting on you, kid. good luck.

The context of this quote brings up both Determination and everyone in the underground counting on the human child. We’re not sure how much other monsters in the underground understand Determination, but it does appear to be a recent discovery. Alphys is the one who gives Determination its name during her experiments in the True Lab. We know Alphys told Undyne about Determination, but Undyne’s comments about determination during her Encounter with Frisk suggest this monster doesn’t have a deep, scientific understanding of what Determination can do. The Captain of the Royal Guard doesn’t know all of Determination’s nuances. All she really sees is that Frisk is hard to kill and has diligent spirit. But since Determination is a recent scientific discovery, and I doubt that Alphys would have published her findings about Determination, I think it’s safe to assume that not every monster in the underground understands what it can do.

Sans talking about reports of an anomalous timespace continuum, however, hit the center of why Determination is so powerful. Determination is what allows the human to SAVE and return to previous points in time. Determination is what gives Frisk the ability to time travel. Sans mentioning here that the human has “something called ‘determination’” shows that he has the deeper understanding of what this power can do. And because the human has this power, Sans understands that “we’re all counting on you” - that the fate of every monster in the underground relies on Frisk. Sans is suggesting the human follow their heart and do the right thing based upon a larger existential concern.

That’s far more of a broad existential concern than how we see Papyrus interacting with Frisk. At least from what we can tell, Papyrus believes in Frisk based upon grounds of his natural goodwill and desire to be friends with the human. His speech in the Genocide Route about helping the human become a better person seems to be based upon his concern about the human themselves, rather than something broad about the entire underground:

IT FEELS… LIKE YOUR LIFE IS GOING DOWN A DANGEROUS PATH. HOWEVER! I, PAPYRUS, SEE GREAT POTENTIAL WITHIN YOU! EVERYONE CAN BE A GREAT PERSON IF THEY TRY! 

And then again:

HUMAN! I THINK YOU ARE IN NEED OF GUIDANCE! SOMEONE NEEDS TO KEEP YOU ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW! BUT WORRY NOT! I, PAPYRUS… WILL GLADLY BE YOUR FRIEND AND TUTOR! I WILL TURN YOUR LIFE RIGHT AROUND!!!

Papyrus believes in the human and wants to help the human for more narrow, personal reasons. Papyrus has problems fighting the human in his Pacifist/Neutral Encounter because the lonely skeleton desiring popularity doesn’t want a friend to slip by him. Papyrus wants to be in the Royal Guard to receive attention, friendship, and fulfillment, rather than necessarily doing this huge service to the entire underground. It’s a little bit of a different motivation for Papyrus saying he believes in the human than when Sans, as a “judge”, says he believes the human can follow their heart and do the right thing.

Yes, there are similarities in that both of the skeletons believe that inside the human is the potential to do good. And I do believe that Sans legitimately cares about the human, just like Papyrus does. But I also believe that it’s Frisk’s presence that helps Sans build up a sense of hope. The human, by going determinedly through the underground, gives Sans more reason to hope, and thus he finds himself rooting for them. I would say that Sans saying he believes in Frisk to do the right thing is because of the influence the human has had on the skeleton. In the True Pacifist Ending, the human touches every monster’s life when they meet in the underground and gives them something special. Frisk gives Alphys confidence, Frisk gives Papyrus friendship, and Frisk gives Sans motivation and hope and belief in the future. Sans rooting for the human is a result of Frisk’s positive impact on his life.

I also don’t feel as though, throughout the rest of the game, we don’t see Sans’ mental mindset or personal actions influenced by Papyrus’ own traits. Sans definitely loves Papyrus and thinks his brother is awesome, but we don’t see Sans actively trying to mimic his brother anywhere else. I suppose that is not surprising given that I usually don’t see older siblings trying to model themselves after their younger siblings, but even if we didn’t know that, there is not much evidence of Sans modeling himself after Papyrus. In fact, Papyrus is constantly berating Sans for not upholding his values… Papyrus harangues Sans for being lazy, turning their house into a mess, spending too much time at that door in the woods, not recalibrating his puzzles, sleeping on the job, and on and on and on. The two brothers live very different lives. Sans doesn’t appear to be trying to conform to Papyrus’ ideals. Sans isn’t doing anything obvious to be like Papyrus. He thinks his brother is awesome, but it doesn’t seem like Papyrus’ influence is changing Sans there.

The most we can say, beyond generically rooting for the human (as all the main cast does) is that both brothers like puns. But even in that area, Sans uses his puns to grate against Papyrus rather than be like Papyrus. And if Sans uses puns because he’s influenced by someone, I would put my bets on Toriel being that influence. Their entire friendship was started by telling bad, punny knock-knock jokes to one another!

Last, it’s to note that Sans meets the human before Papyrus meets the human. While Sans might predict Papyrus would be friendly toward the human, given as Papyrus is a friendly skeleton… Sans is the person who meets Frisk first. And even at his first meeting with Frisk, Sans makes it clear he’s uninterested in harming the human. Papyrus, however, is introduced as a human-hunting fanatic, someone who might not be dangerous, but who is still willing to engage in an Encounter with the underground’s latest arrival. Sans knows that Papyrus is going to want the human to go through puzzles and maybe fight and capture the human.... and that’s a little different than what ends up happening in the relationship between Papyrus and Frisk. Sans doesn’t seem to predict Papyrus will befriend the human rather than capture them to gain popularity. Papyrus believing in Frisk being a good person happens only later, notably after Sans makes it clear he’s not going to harm the human in the underground. 

Sans couldn’t have predicted Papyrus would act toward the human as a friend, meaning that Sans is the first of the two brothers to demonstrate a non-violent interaction with Frisk. Sans might have always known that Papyrus wouldn’t be dangerous even if he did fight the human, but it still means Sans might not have been modeling his brother. Presumably, a pacifistic model would not be prevalent in a world before the human... given as there would not have been much danger in the underground before this point. This means I don’t think Sans was following in his brother’s moral footsteps.

I’m never going to disagree that Papyrus is critical and extraordinarily important to Sans, that Sans loves his brother very much, and that Papyrus has hugely influenced Sans’ life. The relationship between the brothers is one of the purest things in an already pure and beautiful game. You and I just have different interpretations of why Sans isn’t going to touch a hair on the human’s head when they come to the underground! For me, it seems as though Sans isn’t being influenced by Papyrus here for how he treats the human.

[hiraethstill]

okay so I just thought of this and I don't know if you like it, but imagine Kuroo in Slytherin (because he definitely would be one) meeting with Kenma somehow and then becoming best friends and Kuroo convincing Kenma to play quidditch and I don't know what was my original point with this but could you write something with it? because these two is one of my several brotps in haikyuu

Can’t Say No

Kuroo had always been the type to gravitate to the loud, bright kids, sure, but there was something alluring about the shadows as well, an isolated sort of solace he found in being independent, solitary. It served him well, growing up in pureblood family with four younger siblings; he knew his boundaries, when he just didn’t want to deal with anyone. Maybe that was why he was looking for an empty compartment on the train, for a quiet place for introspection as he headed for Hogwarts for his second year.

Kuroo had been wandering through train cars until he reached the very last one, which seemed quieter, more still. Perfect. He peeked into a few compartments - a leering group of sixth years in this one, a couple of fifth years snogging in that one - and finally came to the very last one.

There was a lone boy in it, an incoming  first year, given that he had no house insignia on his uniform, no colors. He didn’t even look up as Kuroo slid the door open.

“May I sit here?” he asked.

Two amber eyes peeked up at him through a fringe of dyed hair, and the boy gave a barely perceptible nod.

Grinning slightly, Kuroo dragged his suitcases in and situated himself right across from him. The boy didn’t seem to want to talk, as engrossed in a Muggle handheld device as he was, and Kuroo was here for the quiet anyway, so he propped his chin up with his elbow on the windowsill.

It was about an hour of companionable silence later that he found himself glancing at the device every so often. It fascinated him - something that didn’t run on magic but could sustain itself for hours? Amazing. He noticed the letters PSP on the back of it, between the slender fingers holding it up.

“You’re not very subtle.”

Kuroo glanced up. The boy’s eyes hadn’t strayed from the screen, but a small smile curled the edges of his lips.

Of course, Kuroo had to play it cool. He had a pureblood reputation to uphold, after all, drilled into him by his stickler parents. “I dunno what you’re talking about.”

The boy just sighed slightly, a small puff of air more than anything else. “I’ll let you play if you really want to. Just let me save my progress.”

All pretense left Kuroo. “I don’t know how to play, though.”

The boy hit a few buttons and finally put the PSP device down. “It’s not that hard. Come to this side and I’ll show you.”

Eagerly, he scrambled over the table between them and sat down next to him, peering over. “Uh, okay, so how does it work?”

The blonde slid it over. “You should probably pick it up first.”

“Right.” He hoped his hands weren’t sweating. He didn’t want to ruin this kid’s obviously beloved game. “Then what?”

The other pointed at different buttons, quietly explaining their functions and guiding Kuroo’s hands until he had it right. Then he pressed something to start on a basic level and Kuroo nearly panicked.

“The screen is moving?”

The boy blinked at him. “It’s supposed to do that.”

Kuroo shook his head in awe. “Non-magic things are so cool.”

He was rewarded with another small smile. “Never had much experience with magical things, so.”

Kuroo blinked, trying not to lose his concentration by staring at his face instead. “Maybe I should give you Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans to get you started.”

“What?”

He tried to finish the level but failed halfway through and set it down on the table. “Hold,” he said, and pulled his bag over to take out a pack, opening it and holding it out. “Now close your eyes and take one.”

Frowning slightly, the other boy did as told, squeezing his eyes shut. Kuroo briefly noted how much younger his face looked without the piercing gaze.

“Now eat it!”

The kid opened his eyes and looked at the bean. “Are you sure…?”

He nodded enthusiastically. “Positive.”

Hesitantly, he put the bean in his mouth, and he rolled it around before swallowing consideringly. “Tastes like apple pie.”

“You’re lucky,” Kuroo observed. “I usually get the bad ones, like earwax or cat fur.” He shuddered, but chuckled when the others’ eyes went wide.

“There’s actual earwax in it…?”

He laughed harder. “Nah, nah, it’s just a flavor. Just magic.”

They spent the better part of an hour trying more beans and moving on to the other snacks Kuroo had brought with him, and comparing different games and such in the Muggle and magic worlds. Kuroo learned about volleyball and basketball and soccer, while the other learned about Quidditch.

“You should join the Quidditch team!” Kuroo enthused. “I’m totally gonna be the captain one day.”

The boy sighed slightly. “It sounds like too much work. Also, I’m not… well, not good with people, really.”

“Aw man, don’t say that!” Kuroo felt immediately protective of him. “I can be your friend! And if you get into Slytherin like me, you’ll join the Quidditch team, okay?”

The amber eyes regarded him for a moment, then looked away. “Alright,” he said softly.

Kuroo considered it a victory.

The two of them didn’t even realize at first that they’d reached their destination until they heard the loud whistle and the clamor of trunks and chatter drifting toward them through the hallway. Kuroo stood up, and after packing his PSP away neatly, the other kid did as well. As they were lugging their things outside the train and the first years were being called over to the boat, Kuroo realized they hadn’t even exchanged names.

“Wait,” he said. “I’m Tetsurou Kuroo.”

The boy gave that small, mysterious smile again. “Kenma Kozume.”

“I’ll be seeing you, right?” he asked before Kenma got pulled away.

Kenma gave a small nod before disappearing into the crowd.

The next time Kuroo saw Kenma was at the Sorting ceremony. The hat slid over his ears partway, and sat there for a while, ruminating, as Kenma looked increasingly uncomfortable.

Please be Slytherin. Please be Slytherin. Please be Slytherin.

As if on cue, the hat shrieked, “SLYTHERIN!”

The table around him erupted into applause and cheers, and Kenma trudged over, slightly weary as he was slapped on the back, and sat next to Kuroo. Clearly, he didn’t enjoy the attention.

“Hey,” Kuroo said, grinning and sliding a bit closer. “Welcome to the house.”

Kenma gave a noncommittal grunt. “Not sure if I’m cut out for it.”

He tried for an encouraging smile. “The hat put you here for a reason.”

“It was conflicted between Ravenclaw and here.”

He shrugged. “Either way, you’re gonna be great. Also, you gotta try Quidditch now!”

Kenma gave him a cautious look, as if Kuroo was a puzzle he was trying to solve. “I’ll try, I suppose.”

Kenma turned out to be just right for a Seeker, small and swift when he needed to be. It was a relief since they hadn’t been able to find anyone else to do the job, and Kuroo had managed to persuade him to stay. He grew finely attuned to the nuances of the game in almost no time, even if he did complain about it being too much work every so often. And if Kuroo, who played Keeper, stayed late after practice perfecting diving techniques and such until he nearly fell off his broom from exhaustion, he often stayed as well, his large, observant eyes observing and absorbing from the sidelines, sometimes joining in if he could fill a position and felt up to it.

It was one such night in Kenma’s third year and Kuroo’s fourth year, when everyone else was gone and Kuroo was leaning over the edge of his broom, wheezing, that Kenma finally put his foot down.

“Kuro,” he said, drifting closer on his own broom. “Stop it.”

“One more,” the now vice captain managed. “I’ll get it perfectly, and then we can go back, promise.”

Kenma shook his head and took hold of Kuroo’s hand, willing his own broom downward toward the exit and dragging him along. “You’re not going to keep going and hurt yourself.”

“But the match tomorrow–”

“Will be fine,” Kenma interrupted. “You’re good, the team’s good, and you’re a solid defense. It won’t help you to overwork yourself now and be tired and worn out tomorrow.”

Kuroo didn’t have anything to say to that, so he let Kenma lead him through the halls and back to his dormitory, even let him force him into bed and pull up the covers around him.

“Sleep, okay?” Kenma asked, softer than usual this time. His tone seemed to say, I worry.

So Kuroo nodded thickly and smiled weakly at him, silently conveying his thanks.

Hopefully it’s not glaringly romantic or anything - how you interpret it is up to you. This was also another idea I unknowingly ran away with. :) Also, why do I keep making poor Kuroo overwork himself? The child needs to be happy.