#But when they're together they find their true cores again

[hymnoire]

 Wanted plot :    It is not comprehensible by reason. Abandon my ship to the mercy of the waves.

Looking for a soulmate for Gaya.

"Heartless. Empty of all emotions. Do you feel human anymore? I know I don't. Unless I am with you. Does that count? Or are we just not humans together?""

[yichens]

thinking about how in the past, wen xiao and zhuo yichen helped each other through grief that struck them on the same day, even if they didn't know about it then. how fate brought them together so that they could heal each other, could save each other. zhuo yichen was there to take care of wen xiao when she was sick and felt useless and scared, while wen xiao was there to pull zhuo yichen out of his gray grief to let colors back into his life again.

and i know that in the middle, the show kind of tries to paint them as childhood sweethearts, or as a story of one sided love from zhuo yichen's side. and maybe it has been like that, maybe it still is sometimes, but no matter what, they love each other and that's all that matters.

they rely on each other a lot too when they're suddenly faced with the force that is zhao yuanzhou. when, bc the world is cruel, it is revealed that he is the reason they ever created this bond between them and needed each other so much. zhao yuanzhou killed zhao wan'er, wen xiao's beloved master. he also killed zhuo yichen's father and brother. he is the reason wen xiao has been sickly and fragile for so long and he is the reason why zhuo yichen's world ever turned gray.

zhao yuanzhou is also fortunately the reason why wen xiao becomes strong again, as well as the reason why zhuo yichen is able to let go of his hate and find his true self.

and so, in the end, wen xiao and zhuo yichen are together again. but this time, they share a common grief. this time the other's grief does not feel so distant bc they mourn the same losses. they mourn ying lei, mourn bai jiu. but above all else, they mourn zhao yuanzhou.

they heal each other from the loss of the one that once caused them indescribable pain. they understand what it's like. they know how deep the grief goes, how cold it feels. wen xiao was always powerless to stop zhao yuanzhou from dying and zhuo yichen was always powerless to stop himself from being the one to kill him.

which is why i find it so fascinating how the main trio are tied together by this very closely shared grief and loss. but especially fascinating i find wen xiao and zhuo yichen bc they're placed on different sides of zhao yuanzhou. they've made into these two different paths that zhao yuanzhou walks at the same time as he also shares grief and loss with both of them. his relationship with wen xiao starts from shared grief over zhao wan'er and his relationship with zhuo yichen finally solidifies as they share mutual grief over their loss of control. there is also the horrid experience of zhao yuanzhou wondering if he needs to share his grief over wen xiao with zhuo yichen as they fear she will die (several times), or his grief over zhuo yichen with wen xiao as they fear he will die (once again, several times).

also, as an ending note, it's fun how zhao yuanzhou is able to save both wen xiao and zhuo yichen while the other is powerless to do anything. zhao yuanzhou gives wen xiao the baize token that zhuo yichen has been looking for so long and later takes the poison away from wen xiao while zhuo yichen has only thought about doing it himself. zhao yuanzhou is the one to get zhuo yichen both his inner core and his sword fixed while wen xiao doesn't really even know where to begin with them and is powerless to do anything against ying long. so, yeah, zhao yuanzhou keeps them from grieving each other – so that they can eventually grieve zhao yuanzhou.

[mswyrr]

They presented the possibility of older women--who were repeatedly described as "covenless witches" in a story that also repeatedly told us a witch needs a coven--finding community again and a new reason to live in each other and their own power and then "subverted our expectations" with these women dying to serve a male character's story.

That was the point of their stories. Him.

It isn't common for older women in US pop culture to get depicted as people who are capable of rebirth. Of lives, desires, hopes and dreams that matter beyond solely being a mother. It rarely happens, and it didn't happen here.

It's rare for stories to deal metaphorically with real things - like women who get clean or make positive change in their 40s or 50s. Women who find each other and aren't alone and "forgotten" anymore. These things happen -- yes, sisterhood is sometimes a lie and sometimes "people never change." Sure, those things happen. But sometimes sisterhood isn't a lie; sometimes people make change in their lives.

You don't see these stories when they're women though, especially not older women, especially not gay women.

I'm glad for Jen. She doesn't have a community, though. A witch needs a coven they told us, over and over again. They showed us them getting one small taste of the joy they could share together, in their scene of flight. But that was just for Billy too. And now everyone else is dead. To serve the male character's journey, give him some angst.

Agatha is forever spiritually dead--not experiencing any kind of emotional breakthrough or change--because she's not the lead, so she's static so she can serve as a device within the true lead's journey.

She can't even be allowed the growth I pictured as the worst case scenario - where she dies for *the coven*--so they can live and have community and spiritual rebirth together--and makes enough peace to go with Rio. She doesn't even get that much, to get to have a real death that matters and has a sense of completion to it, where we can imagine her reunited with her child and/or at peace with Rio. She can't have that because she has to be Billy's amusing sidekick, his Jarvis, his moral warning lesson about his powers and the witches he got killed and his angst. Because his story matters and theirs didn't.

I was talking to a friend the other day about how love stories often have a "point of symbolic death, when all hope seems lost" (concept from Pamela Regis's study of romance novel structure) and with mf couples they get to rise again from that, into rebirth, into new life. Ff canon couples in stories often, due to a bunch of reasons, aren't allowed that narrative power. They remain trapped in tragedy and despair. I thought surely Agatha herself though, as the lead character, would get to have some kind of change or rebirth as part of a community of women, given that her core wound is betrayal by community -- but she, as a character, doesn't get to go into the symbolic underworld and change and be reborn, because she was never the lead character to begin with.

Sapphic love remains broken once it breaks, the "point of symbolic death" is literal death or a shattering end, there is no rebirth. We, I guess, lack the symbolic potency to come back, in the eyes of the world? We are not generative. "Which one's the man?" "How do they even have sex?" "Your marriage isn't real because you can't make babies." (Kudos for subverting that one, though, show! Except... a child born of women, without a man, cannot live a full life I guess?) And specifically, as a 30something queer woman, people who call my wife, after I've described her as my wife, my "girlfriend" and are shocked by how long we've been together. That we're grown women and our commitment is right down to the bone, that it has blood in its veins. We are not little girls playing dress up. But that is how a ton of nice people see us; we exist but we are spiritually empty, lacking potency. And the stories reflect that. That energy, that core belief that we are the juvenile, non-generative form of love and relationships. And this woman too, she remains in a kind of eternal spiritual death.

That's why people are mentioning the Hayes Code, they're feeling how that aligns with larger cultural prejudice against us and our humanity and capacity to have the kind of power of living and loving that is ascribed to mf love and that more (though not always, misogyny is a hell of a thing) straight women get in stories.

The idea that it's GOOD for a story to do this, because "sometimes sisterhood is a lie" and "sometimes people don't change" ignores that context of who precisely this narrative "subversion," this spiritual aridity is given to. And who gets to live and grow and be reborn and strive and learn and become in stories, to be allowed to connect with the transformative potential inside themselves and each other.

The show did give us a lot -- I think it's important to recognize that. The canon ff love; I would have never expected that. The canon kiss. They put a lot into that and I honor that. This wasn't a classic "bury your gays" and I'm not mad at them. They did their best. A lot of the issues I have are probably due to the problems of the mcu overall and how static it is. But the deeper themes are also just incredibly disappointing to me, and I wanted to outline why.

It's entirely possible to be disappointed but appreciate context and not be unkind to creatives who did their best within overall industry/cultural limitations, which is where I am at and what I mean with this.

[tsbs-shipfessions]

*CrAshEs out from the tragedy SolarNexus closet; in an absolute mess.*

Salutations folks of all nations, it's me again! And I bring a new proposition!!

V4 Eclipse shipped with EAPS Moon (+EAPS Sun for the double AI shippers).

Reasons?

*Slaps billboard of opportunity.*

(Ramble warning ahead!)

V4 Eclipse has gone through it; lad had learned that the best way to live is to live alone. Antagonism brings him nowhere.. and being some emotional fellow isn't his cup o' joe. Yet we know, we know, that this is not entirely true.

Factually stating, especially with recent episodes (of other characters being ridiculously pushy towards Eclipse, mind you. They need to STOP. That's nOt how you hElp somEoNe.) is that Eclipse's anger has died down to a tired state. He's sickly annoyed on how he is, yet he has no proper reason as to why it stays this way.

Eclipse doesn't understand positive social cues nor how to be a "normal" being. Though instead of actually taking the heartfelt effort to learn anew, he stays stagnant in his gifted role of just: being the one nobody likes. And by my guess: it's because he doesn't see himself to have the ability to be loved.. tis either through fear or anger.. trauma stabbing his core and bitterness in his mind. It's always been like this since day one after all. How could it possibly change for him? This is who he is.... or, who he was that he has to keep up.. right?... there's no way life could ever get better than the consequences he laid out for himself! No matter how many times he died over and over- it's always the same!

Though in some small quiet way, Eclipse wishes to be wanted. All parts. Seeing right through his stubborn, biting behaviour and to be understood. With no harsh criticism and judgment that makes him regret ever being in the conversation.

There's a reason why he mentioned all that he's done to Puppet and such- he tries to make a statement that he is no good. Like it's verbal confirmation for himself that this is how it is and ever will be. That there is no hope for Eclipse.. always the asshole nobody wants... yet in it's own way it is also a cry for help.

One that many characters seem to miss as blatant sarcasm.

Eclipse doesn't wish to be forced, not monitored and tracked like he's some dog meaning to play tricks. Not shunned for "repeating and wallowing his complaints of all his wrongs". No. No, actually seen and allowing him to ease into this frightening change of peace in his own time.

But at the same time Eclipse fears it. He doesn't know how it'll end.. believing he'll be so vulnerable and pathetic.. but.... would it really be that bad?

We do see this with Earth when it comes to recognition, and their friendship has grown so sweet which I deeply appreciate! But she isn't always around for him, so aid is rarely available for his daily struggle now.

But I think EAPS Moon (and at times EAPS Sun) successfully inch towards that comforting direction too. In... their own playful way.

They're talking together, asking the right questions, showing genuine concern when Eclipse is unwell. None of it is fake or selfish, most likely due to EAPS Moon's/Sun's innocence.. but it's needed for Eclipse's sake.

He needs a breather.. and I really do believe EAPS Moon provides that.

Calm, open minded, confused at Eclipse's actions at times yet tries his best to understand. Allows Eclipse to do what he needs to do when it comes to precaution; because he knows there is careful meaning in there somewhere.

Heck, even managed to have Eclipse say and do some rare polite things. And Eclipse doesn't entirely push EAPS Moon away and listens to some small suggestions. That's slow growth and improvement! A healthy way to transition to a more passive life! To find himself with some sweet soul as EAPS Moon. :)

I hope to see this to grow further, perhaps comfort deeply when Eclipse be having another panic from a nightmare. A non-pushing conversation that allows Eclipse to share whatever he wishes. Maybe have the two gain an interest in some fun activity to enjoy life a little better. To prove how there is such thing as a good day. Maybe EAPS Moon can have more updates on his little game for Eclipse to test. :3

It feels like a good opportunity to break harmful habits, you know?

Besides... tis a gay silly nerdy game-dev X grumpy ex-villain ship with a hopeful healing arch. How could I possibly resist? I.. I mean come on! That's adorable!

Quite the long read, eh? Heheh.

Thanks for allowing me to share this confession! As a treat have a song that I've been listenin' on repeat while writing this. Tis fitting for how I see V4 Eclipse's mindset: ' girl in red - i'll die anyway. '

As always: Have a pleasant day/evenin' to everyone who read this! Till we meet again! :)

All of these color-coded essays are so fun to receive.

[thelioncourts]

This might be a silly question but the cast is so beautiful and I enjoy their beauty, so I'm curious, what do you think are Jacob and Sam's most beautiful features or what makes them so attractive? :) Actually, that could be both physical and personality-wise--what are your favorite physical features and favorite aspects of their personalities? :)

Not a silly question! A wonderful question, I love any opportunity to talk about how beautiful Sam and Jacob are.

I'll start with their physical traits and I'm going to limit myself to five things for each because I will end up just saying everything if I don't limit myself (😭), and I'll start with Sam. 1. Smile! Sam has a slight overbite and if he's smiling in profile then we get a really good look at it and it's soooooooooo stunning. I've said this before about the entire cast, but I'm SO glad we have a cast that all have their own teeth and not veneers. Teeth are so unique and wonderful and they're all so beautiful with the teeth that are theirs.

2. JAW. I talk about it often, but the sheer definition and size of his jaw is a gorgeous feature of his. A defined jaw is already really attractive, but his adds, once again, a uniqueness to his face that is unparalleled.

3. Mouth scarrrrr. Realizing I'm spending a lot of time talking about his mouth area, but I can't be blamed for that. Again, his scar is a unique feature that works so beautifully on his face and it adds something to his smile (and works so well for Lestat, this beautiful and -- when chosen -- dangerous quality).

4. Ridiculous broad shoulders to little waist ratio. Superhero build fr. Unnervingly attractive, and insane to see.

5. I can't post pictures of this one, but: VOICE. Quite literally cannot put into words what his voice does to me. Bass you can feel in your core, it's crazy.

NOW JACOB:

SMILE. Jacob has the. most. beautiful. smile. I've. ever. seen. There are times where he smiles and it's so heartstopping that idk what to do. In 1x7 when he smiles at Tom Anderson at the Mardi Gras ball, I get so angry that Tom Anderson got to be on the receiving end of that smile it makes me dizzy.

2. PROFILE. Jacob's profile is the most stunning profile in the entire world. His facial features work so beautifully together, and from the side all of his features are so easily seen and they're just !!!! Stunning.

3. EYES. They're so deep and framed by these beautiful lashes and they crinkle when he smiles and you could truly drown in them, the most beautiful beautiful eyes.

4. Itty bitty waist. Jacob is soooo tiny, even tinier in person, and his waist doesn't get quite as much attention as Sam's because Sam's shoulders are so broad that the difference in shoulders to waist is so apparent. Jacob's isn't quite like that because his shoulders aren't near as broad, but his waist is so itty bitty teeny tiny and it makes me insane.

5. Also voice. I think Jacob's voice is deceitfully deep (he doesn't look like he should have a voice as deep as his is) and, especially in his own accent, is really warm. Like just his state of speaking is very warm. And I think it's the kind of voice, like silk, that you could sink down into.

As for their personalities, it's so hard for me to pinpoint exact things, but I'm in love with how Sam is generally very shy but he does get excited about things and it shows and his smile gets a little crazy (affectionate). I love how earnest Jacob is, how he sometimes catches himself oversharing and you can tell he's slightly self-conscious about it but it's so true and raw and real and vulnerable. I love how Sam is such a nerd, how he's been a theater kid since forever and his passion for books and storytelling shows through in all he does. I love how Jacob is such an unapologetic geek who finds joy in a huge variety of media and genres and lets himself grow with new interests. I love how they both genuinely seem to be so kind, Jacob throwing parties for the whole crew of iwtv and Sam chatting with fans. I love that they are girl-dads, truly, and how they have just taken to their on-screen daughter with such adoration and you can tell they will look out for her and Bailey forever. I love that they both are reserved but do share parts of them with us because that's really hard to do when you're reserved. Idk. There are so so many things about them to love.

[lime-bloods]

i would LOVE a post on that. i have been thinking extensively about pitch romance and how deeply, cruelly toxic it is and how quadrants are in general. a lot of stuff is based in karkat's pov on it (and karkat is like. sooo biased love the guy to death but he is SO BIASED!!!) but sometimes it's in the narration and the existence of auspisticism & the fact that quadrants potentially existed on beforus trips me up as well...

this is a great question! and I suppose "the beginning" is probably the best place to start for a post about this, after all.

it's important to be aware that when we think of Beforus as a planet that is "good", this is not necessarily because it is wholly good by our own standards or even by the author's standards, but because it is good within Homestuck's philosophy, that the "good" is that which is "true" or "real", rather than what is "true" necessarily being good. to put this in another way - which I've only just recently begun to fully understand myself - Beforus being free of Lord English's corruption doesn't mean it's free of problems, just that it's problems are "real" problems, as opposed to fictional problems; they're reflective of problems we have on Earth.

pivotally, Beforus still has systems of gendered oppression, and in that sense it's clear how the intrinsically gendered violence of Alternia's quadrants would find their own place in Beforan society. it's just that in this context, these dynamics arise as part of complex sociological phenomena over thousands of years and aren't put in place solely for a specific purpose by an omnipotent time god, and as such won't necessarily manifest themselves in the exact same ways, or necessarily be "as bad". as with so many things in Homestuck, it's the idea at the core of the concept that's most important; kismesissitude and matespritship on Beforus should be recognisably the same idea as the quadrants on Alternia, just as they are recognisably the same "quadrants" practised by cherubs and humans, despite all of these arising from vastly different and largely disconnected cultural contexts.

the tendency for the same ideas to reliably bubble up to the surface again and again in different contexts is a central law of Homestuck's metaphysics: in the words of the reliable Doc Scratch, "there is essentially nothing new in paradox space." and it's relevant that Scratch is the one to relate this truism, because therein lies a crucial different in connotation between "storyteller" and "narrator"; it is not a narrator's job to invent new ideas, but rather to spin their own interpretation of what has already happened. this is why Scratch's ancestor stories are "troll fanfction"; he's writing an AU of characters who already lived on Beforus. we can only assume that, in the same vein, in "creating" Alternia's quadrants Scratch merely took those parts of Beforus that were convenient to his vision and amplified them to be all-important. (alchemy, as described by 9th century author Jabir ibn Hayyan, was the transmutation of one material into another by manipulating qualities that already existed within all matter, pushing some into the background and pulling others into the fore.)

it's easy to think of auspisticism, meanwhile, as unique among the quadrants in that it superficially seems to provide a service that is beneficial to all involved, and certainly towards Act 6 a lot of the children seem very interested in interpreting it this way. but in the narrative context in which it's introduced to us, I think it's clearly much more about control. as far as the ashen quadrant is concerned, what happens to the participants themselves is inconsequential; a successful ashen quadrant merely upholds the social idea of monogamy by stemming "widespread black infidelity." which is on its own a patently absurd idea: fidelity enforced by the race who practice punishable-by-death polygamy in order to mix all of their genes together in a single pool?! yes, it makes sense within the context of a nonsensically complicated alien reproductive process, but the nonsensical complicatedness of it all is entirely the point; the quadrants are designed to intersect in ways that not even the trolls themselves could ever fully understand. just as it's often impossible for a troll to distinguish between feelings that are platonic, pale or red, when Eridan attempts to "spark a rivalry wit)( [Sollux] to get [Feferi] to auspisticize [...] and pull us out of our quadrant" it's "t)(e oldest and lamest trick in t)(e book" precisely because it's the quadrant working exactly as intended! all of the quadrants serve to make relationships messier under the guise of making them more structured because messy relationships make for a great story, which is Alternia's fundamental purpose.

I think the Karkat point is worthy of another post deconstructing all the quadrants more broadly, because a lot of different things have been said about it already and it's worth getting into, but straightforwardly I think it must be understood that Karkat and "the narration" have fundamentally the same bias; the narrative wants us to take Alternia seriously because Alternia as a machine is a construction of the narrative for the purposes of the narrative, and Karkat wants us to take Alternia seriously because he's a massive stooge who has made his whole life's purpose out of buying into that narrative.

[goddessofmischief]

Hey, thanks for tagging :) I am 34, so the "old men" are not so old to me and quite frankly, watching Shanks, Buggy and Mihawk in OPLA is feeling like coming home to old friends back from 20 years ago. (I was crushing on Shanks and Buggy so much...😅) So I thought, maybe you could write something where fem!reader already knows them and has a soft spot for each of them, since back when they were flirting and making fun when they were young. Now as adults they meet again and the chemistry is still there.

I remember one of my stories from back then. I was jealous of mermaids, because all the pirates got stupid once they're around, and a drunk Shanks said: "nah, you wouldn't like to be one; You'd be missing slamming doors and Buggy would drown on daily basis just to say hi-." Both Buggy and Reader: "shut up! So not true!". Just like young stupids are... :)

Anyways, thanks for your writing and I can't wait to read more about the "get-shit-done"-squad Mihawk, Shanks and Buggy

     — MERMAIDS (YOUNG SHANKS X READER, YOUNG BUGGY X READER)

A/N: Hope this is alright: since your formal request was so in line with what the theme of the series will be anyway, I used the excerpt of your line as basis for this particular fic. All credit of course goes to you for coming up with the lines and the idea. On a personal note, I just want to say how much I respect that you were an OG fic writer and still have interest in and love for these characters. Welcome home.

...

You would have believed that you had been at sea for years, until Buggy reminded you that it had only been weeks.

Granted, this is how he reminded you:

"It's been wee-eks," Buggy whined, stretching out on his hammock. Shanks was collapsed against the wall, fingers knotted together, eyes not really focused on any particular place.

And you? You were lying on the floor, gazing up at the wooden ceiling, wondering if it would be a good idea to leave the cabin and see the stars.

Being on the ship for weeks was highly irregular for your crew. Great captain he was, Roger knew he could only keep this ragtag group sane if they stepped onto shore and ate an orange every once in awhile. This concern was triply inflated by the fact that he had three young adults onboard who became very antsy if they had to stay in one place for too long. Your patience certainly rivaled Buggy's or even Shanks', but even you had your limit, and you had met it long ago.

The ship would have planned to make port nearly a week before, but the World Government was closer to finding you than ever. It was simply too dangerous.

You soon learned how your friends reacted to a situation such as this. Shanks had retreated mostly into silence, with exception of the odd joke or attempt at conversation, and Buggy had decided he blamed you both somehow for this situation and that any words exchanged with either of you would only be of the complaining nature.

"I know, Bugs," said Shanks, and you were surprised to hear him answer Buggy's complaint. You exchanged glances with him, then turned back to Buggy.

"Let's go outside, yeah?" you suggested. "Do something fun."

"Everyone's outside," Buggy complained. "They've been yelling over something for hours."

"And you didn't think that was important to mention, Bugs?" Shanks asked, irritably. Buggy shrugged.

...

The thing that had sparked such interest in the crew was simply that, as your ship had sailed very far into the deepest waters, much farther than usual, you had sailed into a home of mermaids. Extremely dangerous, and the crew knew it.

It did not negate their interest whatsoever, though.

Pirates get stupid when mermaids are around. It is a core trait of pirates and no less than a sacred tenet of piracy itself. More than a few decent men have been seduced to the sea by the very concept of mermaids, and to that end, the idea of finding one.

Shanks and Buggy were no exception.

You had never really taken the care to notice how they behaved with girls. Their flirting was of no interest to you, and so you didn't bother to surveil it. But it came to your attention now that they had terribly different styles: namely, that Buggy was mostly content to sit and watch from the edge of the deck, and Shanks was more interested in yelling, waving, and nearly falling off the boat.

Granted, by this time, alcohol had become involved, and all bets were off.

Despite all the excitement, the first in weeks, Shanks had begun to notice how quiet you'd become. He approached you, somewhat cautiously, hoping you wouldn't react with a retort or a threat.

"You okay?"

You nodded, staring at the drink you held.

"You sure?"

You shrugged, whispering something under your breath that Shanks struggled to hear.

"What's that?"

You spoke again, slightly more than a whisper, but Shanks heard it all the same.

"...I wish I was a mermaid."

"You wish you were a mermaid?" He repeated loudly, almost outraged. You shushed him, and he just laughed.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's just... nah, you wouldn't like to be one. You'd be missing... slamming doors, and Buggy would drown himself on a daily basis just to say hi-"

"Shut up!" you giggled. "So not true!"

"And then, of course, there'd be all the pirates. I wouldn't like sharing you with them."

"I'm a pirate. You're a pirate."

"I'm a different sort of pirate. And you're barely a pirate at all."

You shrank back, inexplicably hurt by Shanks' drunken offhand insult.

"I'm as much of a pirate as you."

"Of course you are. I didn't mean that. Not like that. I mean, you're just... you're very careful, you're much too good for us. You're not messy or mean like the rest of us are."

"What do you think I am, then?"

"A princess," he blurted out, and you tried not to laugh. "I've always thought so."

"Always?"

"Mhm. The whole time."

You studied Shanks' face, seeing him in a new light that you'd never glimpsed anyone in before. Had he always been this cute, or charming, or kind?

Well, it didn't matter if he always had been, because he was now, and before you had given much thought to it at all you were pushing his straw hat back and he was meeting your lips in a kiss, your first, his first.

"You're a terribly nice pirate," you mumbled.

"You're a terribly beautiful princess," he replied.

You both parted awkwardly, staring at each other with confused half-smiles and resigning to focusing your attentions back on the ocean. For now, it was merely a strange evening, a shooting star, but later on, you would remember that night as the precise moment you began to love Red-Haired Shanks.

And Buggy, watching from across the ship, would remember that night as the second time a deep knot of resentment grew in his chest, one that would only become larger with time. The first time had been as a child, when Shanks had done something exceptionally well where Buggy had failed, and Roger placed his famous straw hat onto his head.

The second time was tonight, because of you.

taglist: @sawendel @twinklesnake

[twistedastrology]

- The most painful Chiron placements -

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

in my opinion-

to preface, all chiron placements are inherently painful, but these to me are the ones i have the most respect for in a way??

everyone knows chiron as the wounded healer, it represents our soul level wound that, once healed, is our greatest superpower.

so here are a handful of the chiron placements that to me are the most intense.

- Chiron in Aries/1st -

chiron in aries is absolutely terrifying to me and i have the utmost respect for people with this placement because this is a core wound of the self.

they go through life forever trying to find who they are and feeling like the world holds no space for them- ive said like a billion times that my biggest fear is losing myself, and that's the wound that chiron in aries has to deal with.

they might struggle with finding what they're willed to do and might feel like a mosaic of everything else around them instead of a real person and that is so scary to me.

once they manage to heal that wound though, they are fucking unstoppable and inspire others to find themselves just as they did.

- Chiron in Sagittarius -

this one is intense to me because it often has a lot of potential to remain unhealed- this is a wound that relates to spirituality entirely-

i dont know many ppl with this placement at all but i imagine they're scared or intimidated by spirituality as a whole to some degree-

these people don't know what the purpose of life is, they don't know what they believe in or If they believe in anything- the subject of belief and purpose in life is very sore for them.

when healed, this chiron placement bestows an intense sense of belonging and meaning in life, and it has a lot of potential to remain unhealed because spirituality at the very least helps you to find a true meaning in life, without adhering to a strict religion that makes one up.

- Chiron in Aquarius/11th -

im a little biased for this one because i have this placement but i can 100% speak from experience because of that.

this placement is easily the most agonizing one in my entire chart- for the longest time i felt like i would never find true friends, and sometimes that feeling will creep up again and it makes me absolutely crumble.

chiron in aries and chiron in aquarius are very similar to some extent because they both feel like the world won't give them somewhere to feel at home, just for different reasons.

chiron in aquarius makes you feel like you will never have anyone who truly understands you and that even if you do, they won't stick around like you want them to.

for some people, this can make them try to conform to somewhere they don't belong. thankfully i don't have that aspect, but it has crossed my mind multiple times in life.

this placement, when it's triggered by something, makes me immediately consider every possibility upon meeting someone new and forces me to give up my hopes until im proven otherwise.

im pretty sure it's the reason i have an avoidant attachment style as well as trust issues 😮‍💨

when healed though, these people have the ability to bring people together without snuffing anyone's individuality. they always respect people for who they are and the friends they do manage to find respect them for who they are.

much shorter post this time but ive been super tired all day and ofc had a chiron trigger so ive been a little cranky to say the least- but i wanted to write something for some reason so i figured what better than what i struggled with today 😮‍💨

if you have any of these chiron placements or just generally know your chiron fucking hurts really bad when it's triggered, i get it- but it won't be like that forever. the more we manage to heal, the more that wound is transformed into the most stable part of our charts.

if in general you're not doing well rn, again, i get it, but it will never be like that forever. that's not how life works. you won't be happy forever either, but if you were, there would be no value to it.

like the song i named this blog after says, "a lonely life where no one understands you, but don't give up because the music do"

- 🖤 -

[thgfanfictionlibrary]

hello! can you please suggest any post-war everlark fics where their friendship is explored and is the core of the narrative? fics where their friendship gradually turn into something much deeper? sort of the same vibe of cf everlark when peeta was taking care of katniss and they were working on the plant book and katniss was inner-monologue-ing about peeta's lashes and they're friends but katniss was slowly falling deep in love and peeta was there at the bottom of the pit, ready to catch her. you know. something like that. multi-chaps are preferred, but i'll take any one-shots as well! tysm, your blog is a blessing!

Hello Anon!

I know I have a ton more than just these ones but I'll add this to future masterlist topics but for now I think these would be a good start! Happy Reading!

A Girl, A Boy, and Everything Else-CassandraO (ao3) Summary: It's been a year since the war ended. Peeta and Katniss are in the process of growing together. Peeta is learning about setting boundaries and taking better care of himself and Katniss is drowning in depression. How they grow together as friends and eventually, something else, all the while facing new challenges. A Painter, a Baker, and a Boy who Never Took Sugar in his Tea-katiac (ao3) Summary: Peeta’s months in the Capitol under Dr. Aurelius’ care as he struggles to sort real memories from false, come to terms with the horrors inflicted on him and those he loved during the war, and understand the true nature of his connection with Katniss Everdeen. Good Again-titania522 (ao3) Summary: "The sun was rising, fingers of glorious orange, red and yellow crawling across the sky. The window appeared as a frame around a picture, dawn’s ascent bursting from the folds of a delicate skirt the color of burnt copper. I sighed and turned back to Peeta, holding his hand against my cheek." After all they have experienced, Katniss and Peeta realize that things can be good again. The Missing Book - The Early Years-Hey_You (ao3) Summary: Katniss and Peeta grow back together after Peeta's return to District 12. After Katniss realizes her true feelings for Peeta, she is faced with the very real possibility that he no longer cares for her in the way she had hoped. Post "Mockingjay" but pre-Epilogue. Canon compliant. Us Among the Living-aspiringpandabear (ao3) Summary: When the air smells of spring and Peeta returns to District 12, Katniss finds a reason to live again. Classic Everlark growing together fic heavily focused on Peeta and Katniss' journeys processing their grief and trauma in the months following the rebellion. And, of course, the story of how they fall back in love while helping each other pick up the broken pieces of their lives.

I’ll be adding this to future masterlist topics! If anyone knows of any, please let me know!

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please feel free to shoot me an ask!

[infinialtairs]

~ Rayman and Casper in each different scenarios ~ (and...art styles I suppose)

I honestly took it overboard with amount effort I put into this even though it was suppose to be small...the pattern I swear.

But I do like how these turned out pretty much so task successfully failed?

[ ☀️ More below If you're interested in my rambles and separate images 🦊]

So...onto my rambles 2.0:

Rayman (pre-Ramon) and Casper (Non Canon Compliant)

They're sort of THE ONES I focus on a lot...even if it would never HAPPEN in any sorts of way, not even possible for them to interact, left alone...dating. But ey! more fun huh? If they DO happen to interact, it is mostly one sided hatered (from Casper's at least), Rayman only really starts dislike Casper when Casper ""tries"" flirting with him as mock and joke, finding itself annoying and stupid. But eventually liking each other and understanding each perspective's...even if Casper doesn't get Rayman's much still.

2. Ramon and Casper ( Neutral )

This is probably follows the flow of Captain Laserhawk series the most? or at least, it does. I actually been hyperfixate on that concept of them - both in lowest points in their lives but Casper letting Ramon (along with Bullfrog and Dolph) to crash over in small shitty apartment because despite hating Ramon (Rayman before) for his whole life essentially. Casper does sees Ramon in.. new light because Ramon opened his eyes and saw the real true colors of Eden. Now, I don't think they would necessary date? not saying it's impossible but considering their both positions...Ramon NEEDS TIME and HELP and THERAPY badly. (same goes to Dolph, Bullfrog and even Casper even if he will deny.)

3. Rayman? (Fakeman) and Casper ( Toxic )

This also follows mostly the canon of Captain Laserhawk series but INSTEAD of meeting Ramon by mere accident...Fakeman and Casper both meeting up in bar, Fakeman might know something of Casper MORE than he leads onto.. (I won't go in depth of what just yet but it is working in progress...) SO Fakeman purposely tries to flirt with Casper, even when Casper pushes off Fakeman with some jokes, it did get the best of him... They ARE NOT in healthy "relationship" (it's toxic for a reason). Fakeman is only USING Casper for his gains...

4. Rayman and Casper ( Eden's Cutie Restaurant AU )

in other words, completely very fluff and soft core of them where Rayman as waitress having BIG BIG crush on Casper and Casper as more of poet and writer in general, KNOWS Rayman likes him...in some way. the "Will they get together or not?" question lurks over them... I actually don't have a lot to say about this. They just exist if they didn't had traumas.

Separate images without texts:

RAMBLED ONCE AGAIN ABOUT CASPER AND RAYMAN CUZ THEY'RE KEEP BEING IN MY HEAD ARRGHH!!!!

if you have read this far or just wanted see the pics, thank you for your time, solider /pos 🫡💜

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Idk if this is going to make any sense, but I always feel like there's something missing when I read thoughts about sskk and it really is the impact Kyouka has on them.

Like, a lot of it is "look at the impact Atsushi and Akutagawa have on each other" and "they are so similar at their cores" which is true! And essential for any bsd partner dynamic! But Kyouka also has commonalities - she has Atsushi's general wonder, simple wants and joys, and desire to be helpful and kind, but also Akutagawa's laser focused objectivity, initial lack of questioning orders, and straightforward ruthlessness when required.

But a lot of the external influence on sskk I see mentioned is Dazai and Chuuya's... which I get, because they're the previous double black, but also Chuuya is very minorly involved by proxy only, and while Dazai undeniably is at the heart of sskk conflict (and it's good to analyze in depth!!!), I feel it's understated how much it was actually Kyouka who kickstarted the development between them - Atsushi was brand-new to the Agency, but saving Kyouka cemented his mindset of proving his worth and also gave him someone to look out for - his position became less fragile from that point on and more permanent. Her mix of kindness and darkness also forces Atsushi in the Guild arc to reassess the idea that people are either "good" or "bad". (He's working on this still, but his judgements are becoming much more nuanced than at the beginning.) And as for Akutagawa... I have a lot of thoughts on their dynamic and how I really don't think there's a whole lot of bad blood there anymore after my all-time favourite scene where they fight in Cannibalism arc - but all I will say is that he legitimately thought what he was doing would make her strong enough to survive, and both Kyouka and Atsushi telling him this is wrong, that people can't live being beaten down like that forces him to reassess his own situation in the Hawthorne and Mitchell fight. (He still has a ways to go, but I seriously hope he eventually realizes that his treatment by Dazai was horribly unnecessary and cruel.)

But what's great is that Atsushi and Akutagawa influence her development too! I don't even need to get into Atsushi's: he believes in her potential and sees her as the young girl she is - not a weapon but a person. She starts off pretty much attached to him and only him, but as time goes on, she starts to adopt a more positive mindset and becomes more confident making decisions as a result of his faith in her. With Akutagawa, she is, like Atsushi, forced to reassess others, especially after he tells her he's glad for her having found that will to live. Kyouka is unable to continue fighting him after that, and I get the sense she saw him as a person there, instead of only the man who harmed her. I also find it really interesting that she has no shame or concern about her mindset aligning much more closely with his, to the point where she'll work with him if necessary.

This is a bit of a mess but really it's one long-winded ramble on how I loved these three working together in Dead Apple and would love to see them working and fighting alongside each other again. I know, I know, this is probably not going to happen because it's supposed to be about sskk as a duo but consider:

They are a trio in my heart.

[archer3-13]

oh wow a fire emblem post after a lot of not posting about fire emblem. its been slow and i dont care too much about heroes, sue me.

i've come to the conclusion that people get too hung up on the idea of whether felix was right or wrong about dimitri when it comes to discussions on their character dynamics [it all tends to be very felix focused anyways]. I would say that at the end of the day, the story needs felix to be wrong in order to work as it does and theres no getting around that.

as a result however, dimitris side of that dynamic often gets overlooked i think and its a shame, cause i would say its the most important factor in how that dynamic works. cause well felix hurls all manner of verbal abuse at him, dimitri never disabuses felix of those notions even when he's trying his hardest to pretend everything is fine. he just takes the abuse, and i would argue thats far more important to the dynamic and speaks a lot more to dimitris core characteristics.

what dimitri is, is sad, traumatized, and possessed of an intense self loathing that blends together into a self destructive cocktail. its not just that the dead are haunting him, its that the dead are haunting him by calling him a pussy ass bitch in the most violent way possible, all the while everything falls apart around him. and his response to this is to try and repress that sorrow and trauma as deep as he possibly can, because he has too much to do, not enough time, and everyones counting on him.

what dimitri isn't, is possessed of a hidden darkness that can only be expressed in violent rage and general monsterousness/assholery. certainly he can express those things, but they're always symptoms of whats happening around him and in the story. the inevitable reaction of all that misery hes so deeply repressed exploding in violent reaction to the cruelty of the world around him. And it is importantly cruelty and injustice that he's reacting to, remire village, the holy tomb, the entire god damn war phase etc. its why dimitris story is always importantly intertwined with the idea of having others to support you and your burdens.

anyways, guess what end of the stick felix latches onto during the academy phase!!

its grimly funny in a way, but what felix is essentially playing with dimitri is purity politics. people often overlook that canonically he was a very sweet and gentle child before the tragedy, and that his aloof prickly i studied the blade demenour is just a crude imitation of glenns personality [but yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that hes dealing with glenns death better then rodrigue]. and he practically grew up alongside dimitri, who he only ever knew as a kind and gentle boy as well. then the tragedy happens and uproots everything in his life, so he tries to find that stability again by going with dimitri in their first battle.

and that's where he sees that violent reaction dimitri sorrow can elect. and like a true gamer, felix rejects the idea that his [pure, sweet, gentle] dimitri could ever do or be like that. it must be a monster in a humans skin, a boar prince.

and like the tsundere idiot he is, felix takes it as his own duty [consciously or not] to act as the jailkeeper for that wild animal that's taken his friends place. possibly its executioner even. because felix is too caught up in his own grief to see beyond that rage, a rage he rejects the "true" dimitri of being capable of.

and, wadda ya know. dimitri being caught in a violent spiral of self hatred and anger at the injustices of the world, does nothing to disabuse felix of these notions. because he feels like he deserves to be abused by felix, and also because its easier to brush things off that way and pretend everything is normal.

and i find that a lot more interesting to view the relation between the two in and how it develops over the games story.

[stupidiocy-somewhere-else]

Hong Lu: The Vessel Theory

(disclaimer; true to form, long as shit)

Yep. I’m back. This is happening.

I just wanna say first and foremost, I have to give the MOTHER of all shoutouts to Netz (@beanie0bird) for both helping with the theory as a whole and hearing me out throughout its gradual development. He's my Hong Lu expert and I absolutely would not have gotten here without him. ily bestie 🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂 /p

I should also probably shout out one @lu-is-not-ok, their own Hong Lu theories were a pretty big inspiration for this one and I encourage y’all to check out their posts, they go way more in-depth than I think I’ll ever be capable of lol

OK, theory time. The Vessel Theory at its core is that Hong Lu is, in actuality, some kind of body double or clone of either his original Jia Baoyu 1.0 body, but with 1.0's trademark Jade incorporated into his eye. The idea was essentially brought around so the Jia family could keep their Most Specialest Lil Boy™️ around for forever, and every time a Baoyu 1.0 dies, they make another vessel for his Jade, take the Jade out, put it back in the new vessel, and act like nothing ever happened because they're rich and rich people can just get away with shit like that. My guess as to what Xichun and Wei are doing out and about is that the method used to bring Hong Lu into the world is faulty in some way, which would explain why it goes dim in C7, that's probably a hardware bug of sorts. Either that, or maybe Baoyu 1.0 is starting to deteriorate himself after so many body replacements. It also explains why Hermann roped Jia Huan into her endeavors; the Human Dough from Canto 6 definitely shows Hermann's interest in tampering with the boundaries of mortality in some sense.

The catch is, though, Baoyu 1.0 – his consciousness trapped in the Jade, at least – is still aware of all of this, even though he can't control the bodies he gets inserted into; though I can imagine his vessels can at least feel his presence or thoughts in some quantifiable shape or form. Explains that little "am I the dreamer" monologue from Hong Lu, and why the name of his Canto in other languages can be translated as "All I can do is watch it"; that's all Baoyu 1.0 can do while his consciousness is stuck in the Jade.

Speaking of which, Hong Lu, when he's starting out as the new Baoyu 1.0 vessel, isn't really adjusting super well to the expectations of being the new prodigal son, not to mention the abusive siblings, but Granny's a little nicer to him and reckons "Ah he probably needs to get to know his surroundings a little bit first, tell ya what sonny, you go out and see the world then come back and we'll see how you fare then" and sends the lad on his way. He bumps into Faust at some point. The rest is history. At least, I *think* it's his grandma who gives him the whole sightseeing mission; could be wrong.

Now then, as for what I think this all means for Hong Lu is going, Netz and I had some hiccups piecing this together, I don't think either of us have a concrete grip on the overarching theme of the book ourselves. My prevailing theory is that because the book itself ends with Jia Baoyu 1.0 becoming a monk and isolating himself, and OUR Baoyu 1.0 is already doing that to some degree in the Jade, Hong Lu's arc will be coming more out of his shell and opening up to the Sinners more about his emotions and opinions. He stops living in a dream world where he doesn't have to worry about anything, and can now utilize his experiences in The City to live life beyond the boundaries of what his family wants for him. I also really hope he pushes back against his abusers some, just to bring it all home. Maybe we get the actual Baoyu 1.0 out of his Jade and he takes over for Hong Lu? Maybe Hong Lu has to move on without Baoyu 1.0? Guess we'll just have to find out.

Again, I can't say I have a whole lot of evidence from, say, in-game dialogue or cross-referencing DOTRC to back me up, but then again, I have a Hong Lu expert on speed dial, it's not like I *can't* find anything.

What I *DO* have, however, is EGOs.

Starting with the big one; Land Of Illusion. My hypothesis is that the EGO art is a hyperbolic depiction of Baoyu 1.0 languishing in the Jade, with the rest of the world lying just outside with him now unable to affect it in any way. It also doesn't help that the walls of the room pictured are red; he's literally trapped in a Red Chamber. That's his dream world in the book supposedly; Baoyu 1.0's retreating to his happy place to escape the pressure of always having to be the Most Specialest Jia Ever:tm:. Five Gloom for wallowing in his melancholic solitude, and a Sloth on the side for willfully ignoring his forced responsibilities.

Either that, or it could be depicting Baoyu 1.0 at some point during his FIRST life, before all the body double shenanigans.

The rest of these will be shorter, I promise.

I've seen analyses for Ambling Pearl that describe the Abno as representing "a place made by you and for you," so there's a dead-on hint right there. Can't say I have much else, but at the very least I like how a common theme with the Abno is that it often just gets bored and walks away if you don't directly do anything to it. More on that in a second.

Netz helped me out with Soda; it's escapism for one, and apparently in LobCorp, Wellcheers rewards you for getting good research results on it. That definitely lines up with having to maintain the prodigal son image, at least to me.

Dimension Shredder represents a lot of things, but chief among them to me is a feeling of being lost. It's a little vague, sure, but I can definitely see Baoyu 1.0 not knowing what to do with his life given how he's not in control of it anymore. That, and Hong Lu was *literally* sent to wander around The City to get more used to it. Netz also tells me it represents not being able to keep up a facade, which DEFINITELY scans, although I couldn't tell you how the Abno represents that lol.

Roseate Desire — Rosie, as Netz and I call it — represents Baoyu 1.0's repressed and locked-away emotions, especially given that his mouth is tied up in the EGO art.

Lasso is… fairly loose, all things considered, though I do think there are some ties specifically to the apple from Rose Hunter's encounter. I'm sure we all know what it's implied that apple will become later, and Rose Hunter is actively enforcing that prophecy. An aspect of the EGO is being willing to let bad things happen so long as you feel it's what is best. Granted, in Baoyu 1.0's case, him letting the siblings treat his vessels like shit is beyond his volition, but a clue's a clue. Plus, if nothing else, we can always tie it back to Hong Lu and how nonchalant he seems to be regarding his family and the abuse they put him through in the past.

Lastly there's my personal favorite, Frog Lu (AKA Cavernous Wailing). There's… a lot, lmao.

One: Disobedience. I mean, I reckon getting sent off by your gramgram might go against the family grain some if they had no idea about it. That, and as we've established, Baoyu 1.0 is getting a little tired of the pressure to be perfect all the time.

Two: Obeying the wishes of family after said disobedience. This one I'm a tiny bit fuzzier on, but you could say that Baoyu 1.0 still does feel love for his family, or at least his elders, despite all he's been through, the hangup is he wants to express it in his own way without being forced into it.

Three: Wanting space to tackle your emotions yourself. This is where I was going with that thing about Ambling Pearl wandering off. Leave it alone, it leaves you alone. Let the toad cry, and you get an EGO gift. Baoyu 1.0 stays in the Jade and is thus the only person who can actually grapple with his feelings. Hell, he gets sent out into The City *alone* in an attempt to better his understanding. This man just wants a safe space to cry, goddamn it.

I’ll definitely be developing this further along as we go through the next two Intervallos.

[merrydelusions]

Gojo's never been rejected by a girl.

Sure he made them cry,but they all kept coming back at the end of the day just to get their hearts broken all over again.

So when he turned you down and you weren't around for a while,he didn't think too much about it.

Until he stumbled upon you talking with your best friend.He was passing by the girl's bathroom and stopped when he heard his name being mentioned.

'So what about Gojo?' Your friend was saying.

He was never against eavesdropping,as he could hear all kinds of juicy tidbits.His ears perked up.Now was the time you would sing his praises.They always do,but never hurt his ego to hear flattering words.

'Nah,already got over him,' You laughed.

His eyes widened in shock.

Excuse me? How dare you get over him? The Gojo Satoru?

Blissfully unaware of his presence you continued,'He is pretty good looking,just my type.....'

Aha! Obviously you made a mistake with your words before! There's no way you could get over him-

'But he always goes too far with his pranks,not to mention he's a total fuckboy,you know how I hate that kind of man. I didn't know he was like this before....Damn,I totally made a fool of myself that day,'You went on, completely stunning him.

No way....Impossible.....

'Yeah,I didn't get the time to tell you about him,' your friend laughed. 'But you got over it pretty quickly,even for you.'

'You got me there....I already have a teeny tiny bit of interest in someone,' You giggled.

'Oh my gosh! Spill the beans girl!'

'Actually it's Geto.'

If his jaw hadn't hit the floor before at the fact that you had moved on and already crushing on someone else,it most certainly was now.

'Switching to the friend,huh?'

Yes,that had to be it,Suguru was by no means bad,but you literally had the best choice,the cream of the crop...and you'd leave him for his friend?! You must be trying to reach him by going out with his best friend!

'It wasn't like that,'You protested,to his dismay.'Geto and I have been assigned seats next to each other for English classes for the last couple of weeks. To be honest,after finding out Gojo was like that,I wasn't too keen on Geto either,I mean,birds of a feather flock together,right? But they're nothing alike. He's actually pretty nice.Sure he pranks me sometimes,but I can trust him to not take it too far.And he knows how to treat a girl right.'

Your friend whistled.'So what's your plan?'

'Well,he hasn't mentioned having a girlfriend,so I think there's a chance.But I'll probably hold off on confessing for some time. I literally confessed to someone else and not to mention to his bff just a few days ago, it's gonna be weird.'

'True,better take things slow,but of course,your streak of bad luck is something else! Remember how you got in trouble yesterday during Sociology class?'

'Don't mention it!' You groaned.'That professor totally hates me-'

Gojo was still standing there,shaken to his core,his brain not registering the fact immediately that the two of you came out of the bathroom, talking and laughing,until you came to a halt at the sight of him.

When he finally noticed you,he raised his eyebrows,a mocking smile on his lips.

'So you hate my kind,huh?'

[ashtheketchum]

Asahi Azumane X GN. METALHEAD Reader

Warnings: GN. Reader, Hdc!, mention of smut, mention of self-harm, mention of drugs, sub.Asahi, dom.Reader

A/N: I have Haikyu!! started again and I have a little crush on Asahi. While I'm not really a metalhead, I find the idea of Asahi dating a metalhead funny.

____________________

You are a real power couple

None of your friends really thought you would get together

Those who don't know you think you're a really good match, but that's only because they're all afraid of you two

Asahi was afraid of you at first too, but after you showed your soft side, he couldn't keep his eyes off you

If Asahi is in trouble, you take care of the problem

No one really wants to mess with you because they're afraid of Asahi

You think it's really cool, but it hurts Asahi inside, even though he knows you'll be left alone

Asahi keeps trying to listen to your favorite bands (always stops immediately after the first song)

He gives you band shirts for your birthday or buys you black roses (He thinks red roses are prettier, but he loves your face when you see black roses)

Sometimes, when he really wants to make you happy, he makes you a playlist with a few songs that you like to listen to

Partner bracelets and necklaces!

You're always there when he has a volleyball game

You once suggested to him that you cheer in your own way

You were thrown out when you did it and Asahi had to sneak you back in somehow

Sometimes you annoy him for being so anxious

Sugawara and you = 🤝

You once asked Asahi if he wanted to get a partner tattoo or piercing with you and he fainted just at the thought

You sometimes train together

After a game you always give his shoulders a massage and you listen to a playlist that you both like

You made him a playlist with songs that you like and that are a good start

Asahi is a switch

He likes to let you have control sometimes, but he also likes to take control

He still sometimes makes sure that he doesn't hurt you

Praise kink!

Sometimes you have music playing in the background that fits the mood

Even though Asahi would rather hear you, he is very loud

Whimpers, moans and pants loudly. Sometimes a growl escapes him, but only rarely

He loves your legs, especially when they're wrapped around him

He loves to see your face blushing or scrunching up with excitement

Only squirts his seeds into a condom! He wouldn't even want to imagine himself cumming inside you

When you first saw each other, you thought that the other person definitely had a soft core

You hate the rumors about Asahi, but somehow you also find them really funny

Asahi found out that there are rumors about you too, which makes him a little relieved

However, after hearing the rumors, he is angry and he keeps trying to convince a few people that these rumors are not true

He started with his team, but they never believed these rumors anyway

You initially thought that Asahi also liked metal and rock, but he's the complete opposite

Asahi has a lot of respect for you, even if it sometimes looks a lot like fear

He thinks your style is really cool and would try it out, but he hasn't dared to ask you for help yet

After he heard the rumor that you were hurting yourself, he kept looking at your arms or legs

Once when he saw a scratch there, he completely freaked out, but you calmed him down and explained to him that a cat had scratched you

You help Kiyoko out sometimes

His team loves you

They all agree that Asahi needed someone like you because otherwise he would always be so soft

You also like his team, they are almost like a second family to you

Share almost the same taste in music with Noya and Tanaka

Kageyama finds it interesting that you don't have to follow the strict uniform

Hinata keeps asking you how you like volleyball and whether you ever play with Asahi

Sex jokes from Tanaka and Noya

Sugawara and Daichi are like your parents, they make sure you don't do anything wrong

Tsukishima likes your headphones

[cboffshore]

Call me the timepiece section at IKEA the way I've just been clocked. Anyway, counter confession notes and associated mad rambling under the cut - and to those of you expecting this to be Zane-heavy, it's not, but he is certainly there. TLDR this is mostly a drawn out Nadakhan analysis, but Zane's the case study. Specifically, the chess scene.

It's going to get messy, but it'll be fun, I think. (And you know I love flexing the analysis rebuttal muscles.)

I'm not going to put anon on blast here. Those days are behind me, mostly; I just never get to discuss these points and that confession reminded me of the topic. What I will say is that the general criticism of that ask - that is, the sentiments of "Skybound only works because everyone is OOC and stupid the whole time" and "Nadakhan is not actually as smart as he's made out to be" - are takes I've seen for years, most often deployed as This Is Why Skybound Is The Pits proof. If I had a nickel for every time I've seen it, I could buy a time machine and travel back to the Skybound production period to fund a full seasonal soundtrack.

What's interesting is that they're both, to some extent, true - but in a way that makes them both something of a narrative strength, imo.

See, Nadakhan's entire schtick is destabilization. When you look at all his actions, it becomes clear that they all have the same core: undermining what already exists and using it to his advantage, collateral damage be damned. There's the very literal destabilization of Ninjago, the tearing the infrastructure down to remix into something a lot flimsier, held together by bubblegum and many, many wishes; there's the meta angle, where he becomes the first villain in the show to thoroughly buck the seasonal rhythm and actually make it to his finish line for longer than usual. There's his upbringing, where for whatever reason he couldn't - or wouldn't - hack it at home, and so left (or was exiled? Jury's still out) to pursue a career based on - say it with me now - taking advantage of others for his own gain.

In that same vein, it's no surprise that destabilization is how he approaches most of his attacks... which brings us to Zane, and a little more anon nitpicking, and the chess scene.

So, first up: I don't think fact that it's chess that matters that much. I'll agree that that's a very easy way to inject an air of Smart Shit Is Going On Here for the audience of children, even though it's a completely wackadoodle game as per this excellent Reddit post I just linked. Obviously it builds on the chess motif that carries Zane through the season, plus gives Nadakhan an easy way to add insult to injury at the end there. If you want to get fancy shmancy with it, you could make up some bullshit about losing queens, but I digress. Honestly, you could swap it out for poker, or UNO, or a pancake flipping contest, or anything Zane is ever shown to be familiar with, and it would work fine.

Because it's not the chess that's important at the end of the day. It's what it represents: familiar intellectual territory for Zane that Nadakhan is able to destabilize.

Ordinarily I'd want to see more of Chess Freak Zane before making a claim like that, but the nice thing about Skybound is it's a sandbox; the chess thing is limited to that space. In "Infamous" we see him ending a streak of over 100 games against Jay, which for Skybound means: Chess Freak Zane, Google en passant, holy hell, you get the picture. Point is, chess is painted (in VERY rough strokes, to be fair) as Zane's Thing. So when he goes belowdecks and that's the centerpiece of the challenge, he should be fine, right?

Nope. Obviously he's not. That's not helped by it not being about the chess for Nadakhan, either - obviously he just wants Zane's soul, and is able to read him well enough to find a weak spot. Which means it's time for destabilization! Again! We see that in the discussion and wish exchange, where Nadakhan seemingly ignores Zane's initial loophole safeguard wish (more on that later!!!) and then immediately kills Pixal after "granting" the tenfold-harm one. I'm open to arguing that killing Pixal does safely circumvent the harm-to-Zane principle in that he suffers no physical damage, but as for emotional damage... yeah, this one is weird, but I'll get to that too!

Anyway, the way Nadakhan conducts the exchange scrambles the already limited information Zane has on him and how he operates, which opens up an avenue for Nadakhan to manipulate and keep Zane from having the time to adjust to it. For instance, Zane's expecting to get three wishes total; he doesn't. He only actually gets two - the tenfold-harm one is not phrased as a wish, so Nadakhan's under no obligation to grant it as such.

For whatever reason - high on confidence, maybe - Zane doesn't catch that mistake and just moves on to his "third" wish. Nadakhan does catch it, though, and praises Zane's originality - just to make it seem like it went through - before he jumps into the discussion of wish one. This throws Zane off and frustrates him. He starts to panic, is unable to defend his original wish, and then Nadakhan slaps down the Kill Pixal card... and we all know what that does.

So: it's not that Nadakhan is as blisteringly intelligent as the show wants us to believe. He doesn't really need to be. He just needs to be smart enough to take advantage of whatever openings he can get - in this case, Zane's complacency and confidence in familiar territory. I'd argue that counts as intelligence - more of a street smarts compared to the book smarts he's up against with Zane, but smarts all the same. Still, though: Nadakhan's not stupid. Zane's not, either. He's just not great at adjusting to this new challenge, because that's how Nadakhan wants him.

Back to the original sentiments I'm writing this rebuttal to so I can wrap this up:

Skybound only works because everyone is stupid and OOC the whole time: I wouldn't say the whole time, but I won't deny some characters keep taking the Idiot Ball and holding it close. This is not a flaw on their part; this is Nadakhan's method. Find the weakness, exploit it, profit. His plans only work, and Skybound only continues as written, because he can pull it off and nudge people to be stupid and OOC as needed.

Nadakhan isn't actually as smart as the show makes him out to be: he doesn't have to be, at least not all the time. See above - he's just got to be smart enough, or in a way his enemies don't expect him to be, such as the way he reads and attacks Zane.

That's about all the notes I have on that specific issue, but I do want to make a few final statements regarding that tenfold-harm one - which is fascinating in a couple of different ways.

I think something people forget about this scene is that Nadakhan doesn't actually get a chance to interpret Zane's wishes as the first wish instructs. Remember, Zane never actually makes a second one that isn't wishing it all away. See above - the tenfold-harm one isn't worded like a wish, so it wouldn't apply. Technically, Nadakhan switching the topic to the logic of the first wish to ask Zane if it would apply to Pixal isn't twisting his words. At best, it's trying to understand those parameters. (Which, in a fun twisted way, would honor that original request to understand Zane fully - how can Nadakhan grant any following wish accurately if he doesn't know the terms and conditions?) At worst, it's distraction. That's why Nadakhan suddenly pivots to that - to distract Zane from realizing he's actually got two wishes left, because just like Zane, he doesn't have the time to adapt to a new formula. They're both expecting three wishes to happen and they're not going to exceed that limit, dammit! Trapped by societal conventions or whatever!

But, just for fun: let's pretend that second "wish" went through.

Let's say Zane did word it properly, W-word and all, which I've noticed has been the working assumption since the episode came out. Zane fell for it, and so did the audience, so let's take a look at it through that lens.

It would obviously be very, very bad for Nadakhan to experience the equivalent of ten Pixals dying at that moment - he'd be incapacitated. I'm not even sure what would count as that under his circumstances in that episode, which is fine, because obviously that doesn't happen. Nadakhan always grants (or, at least, tries to grant) wishes in a way that benefits him, so it makes sense that he'd throw in some fine print for this one. Even under the taking-Zane-literally wish, this works out just fine. Zane didn't specify a timeline for when the tenfold harm has to happen to Nadakhan; as the wish interpreter and granter, Nadakhan would get to set those parameters.

I imagine he wouldn't want that much harm happening until after he's equipped to deal with it somehow - say, using infinite wishes to just negate it. So: let's say Nadakhan pushes the activation period off til after the wedding. No matter what happens, he's insured: if he can't pull off the wedding, the harm never kicks in.

But, as we all know - the wedding does happen. And what happens right around the same time? Nadakhan gets high on confidence. He fully loses his entire crew, either to eroded trust or banishment. He loses his rebuilt realm and his new powers before he can remember to negate that tenfold-harm wish in this hypothetical (which he canonically hasn't forgotten about, if using the same language against Flintlocke in "Wishmasters" says anything). Delara is resurrected and quickly ripped away; he is humiliated, forced to delete his own golden era timeline, and then thrown straight back into the teapot, all his work unraveled - and, if you believe in the Hageman Brothers tweet fun fact canon, left to stew about it for eternity.

The numbers are a little nebulous, but that all seems like it would suck enough to be worth about ten dead Pixals.