#Everyone thinks it's a post reveal (like the characters do)

[dayxero]

TL;DR - Because a relationship between two or more people, defined by falsities, isn't what the average person wants.

-Because for most people, the mask they wear, isn't their true self. Its the face they wear, the expressions they show, the impression they put on to hide who they really are underneath and how they really feel. The desire to peel back this layer to reveal what's underneath typically, at least from my experience and from what others have said and said themselves or told me, it comes down to two major reasons.

-1: People who are used to putting up a front because those around them, cannot or choose not to understand them. This situation can make a person feel so utterly and profoundly lonely that it often times draws them into dark or unsettling places within their own minds. Just to be noticed or accepted or to avoid shame or being rejected, the mask remains, but it means that person rarely, if ever, gets to express who they truly are, unabashedly. Sure, anyone with a high sense of self worth or a massive ego would respond to such a notion with something along the lines of "Just be yourself, no matter what happens." But our lives are filled with so many different various different connections, relationships and circumstances that many times, the average person can't afford to be themselves 100% without consequence. The desire to see characters have their masks peeled back to expose who they truly are underneath and be accepted for it, is a primal urge we all seek in one form or another. We want to be loved, seen, valued for both our benefits and our faults. But many times, many people cannot truly express their true selves to even begin to make that connection with someone else and thus, the deep desire to live vicariously through other characters experiencing such a thing is born within those types of people. The desire to tear off their own masks, completely without fear and to be accepted for it, is also what they want from characters they like and can relate to, who are also doing the same thing as them

-2: This is more outwardly in a way and a bit more complicated but ultimately just an inverse of 1. When a person is trying to form a connection with someone they're being open and honest with, be it friendship, partnership, romantic, etc, that person instinctively wants the other to also be willing to share nearly the same level of forwardness, honesty and transparency. Its innate.

-Now of course I need to preface this by saying everyone has a right to withhold aspects of themselves they don't wish to share. If they so choose, maintain as much privacy about yourself as they want. And furthermore, no one is entitled to the same level of trust and affection offered by someone else.

-In spite of that however, attempting to form a bond with someone, one that is genuine and respectful and direct, only to receive lies, falsities and deceit from that other person, isn't exactly a good feeling. People who are trying to connect with others don't enjoy being lied to, pushed away or led down fake paths because they want a real connection, and this also bleeds into what they're reading/watching. When they see a character trying to form a connection with others, create barriers and hide who they really are and their real intentions, all the viewer can see is someone who is a self-prophesied failure in their own desires. A character that truly manifests the concept of genuine victimhood where they desire one thing but actively create the very same problems that causes their own suffering and misfortune, but still crave empathy and sympathy. That level of self-destruction can be very annoying to watch for people who've reached a certain state of self-awareness and maturity for a wide variety of reasons.

-There is a number 3 as well but I think this is too long and too deep as well for a post like this. If could be one for venting, or one seeking a genuine curiosity, don't know. However since the thought was put out into the ether, I responded to it in kind. But anyways, that's at least 2 out of the 3 major reasons I've personally seen as to why people prefer relationships between characters who remove their masks and show who they really are, than characters who base a connection off of falsehoods to hide aspects of themselves from the world and people around them.

personally I do not understand the obsession with revealing whats underneath the mask a character wears all the time. as far as I’m concerned that mask IS their face. do NOT peel them. that’s the same as the beast from beauty and the beast turning into just some guy at the end

[audioroleplayconfessions]

i dont want to reveal my identity (youll see why in a sec lol) so im saying this here rather than my main account cause im relatively well known in redacted tumblr (annnd im a pussy and this is sort of weighing on me a bit).

i dont know how to say it but there are these chats?? like mainly on discord and instagram and i think some other places too (idk i dont have twitter or x or whatever but i think theres one there too) where people have lists of these accounts they dont like and resolve to 'punish them'. im sure im explaining this terribly but i cant really say much without the people in these chats instantly knowing who i am and adding me to their insane hate pile puritan police bullshit.

i got added to one of the discord chats in august by a mutual from a redacted server i was in (not the main one like some fan one from tumblr) and genuinely? it is fucking insane. think genuine csi shit. like sorting people into who supports 'problematic ships' and 'supports problematic characters' or who are 'rape apologists' or even just 'icky' and genuinely allocating certain people to harass and threaten them. and i mean seriously organising. as in scheduling when to spam anons or making hate posts or trying to work out their real identities to 'drill the lesson in' (actual quote).

whats worse is that many bigger accounts in the fandom are in these chats. like people ive been friendly with for months (if not years) who i thought were cool, but then act completely different there. i wont name drop or anything, mainly to respect the rules of this blog and preserve my own identity (cause god knows they dont deserve that after some of the shit theyve said and done), but if youre in redacted tumblr, you defintely know at least some of them. 100% you do.

ive gone out of my way to warn some of these accounts ive seen on there frequently (so if you got an anon warning you about these chats hello!! its me!!) but i cannot understate how fucking crazy they are. not only do these supposed 'progressive accepting people' resort to misogyny, transphobia, homophobia and racism (esp this one, jesus the slurs) towards any account they dont like, they also genuinely view themselves as these insane moral authorities set on 'cleansing the fandom of the filth' (another actual quote from one of the discord chats. i genuinely had to take a lap after reading it bc it was so cringe and insane it physically hurt)

i swear im telling the truth with this btw, i know it sounds so stupid and unbelievable but i just needed to get it out of my system because ive been lurking in this chat and i feel kinda responsible for all the hate these poor people are getting, since im not standing up against them. so to anyone whos received heavy hate for 'problematic opinions' im really fucking sorry man. i shoulda tried to put a stop to it but there were so many big accounts there i was afraid of getting ostracised from the community or targeted myself.

anyway, point is. be careful. watch ur faves. and god, everyone in this moral brigade stop being so fucking demented. youre making this unfun for everyone.

(thank you for giving a space for me to speak about this btw bc i genuinely dont know how i wouldve told people widescale otherwise. i really appreciate the space you provide for us all <33 )

.

[quirkwizard]

What are your thoughts regarding how Hawks views his idol, especially post-war, as he moved on so fast after the truth was revealed by Dabi. Because it seems like a paradox here: how can he be a pragmatic thinker while not questioning Endeavor's actions and following him blindly? Or is it just another one of his optimistic extremes?

I mean, it's not like Hawks has a lot of room to talk. He was exposed in that very same video from Dabi when he killed Twice. Suddenly turning on Enji may just be a tad bit hypocritical.

Joking aside, there's a lot that could be said about Hawks and his reaction to Enji's history. While a lot of fans attribute this to Hori reducing Hawk's character or excusing what Enji did, that is not the case. Because I feel like this is more about Hawks and his character than it is about Endeavor. If you want to go from a purely pragmatic standpoint, Endeavor is one of the best fighters that the heroes have at this point. Keeping him around and keeping his head in the game until after the war is the best option for everyone. Hawks putting aside his feelings is the pragmatic choice. Which kind of plays a part in this, but it has more to do with his actions than his motivation. Because his support has nothing to do with Enji as a person and everything to do with Endeavor as a hero. That means helping him fight and keeping his head in the game. Which could be part of the reason why Hawks doesn't really react or deal with this. He's very much a self-sacrificing, big picture kind of guy. There are way bigger issues to deal with, and he isn't really giving himself time to process.

The big reason why Hawks doesn't have much reaction is explained in the in-between chapters of around Chapters 299 and 303. Hawks believes that Enji has changed from the person he was before, and he wants to support Endeavor for the man he is rather than the man he was. Which, yes, could be rooted in his admiration of Enji, but I think it comes more from his optimism. Hawk's isn't blind to whom Endeavor is, for better and for worse, but instead chooses to help and support Endeavor. Because so much of who Hawks is is defined by him helping others, especially when it comes to other heroes. Hawks isn't defending Enji at any point in this. He just wants to help Enji because Enji is trying to be better, and Hawks wants to support that. To Hawks, yeah, Enji did some bad stuff. That doesn't erase all of the good he's done as Endeavor or invalidate his genuine attempts to reconcile with his past actions. Did we miss out on Hawks really dealing with Enji's reveal? Maybe, but I think the route taken is more true to his character, his place in the story, and the connection he has to Enji.

[originalaccountname]

happy new year!!!! when you answered my last ask, you said this:

“Asagiri is always going on about how ~mysterious~ Dazai is when he's not that complicated.”

i was wondering if you've made other posts about this, or if you'd be willing to expand on it… i love reading Dazai analyses & i’ve been doing a deep dive trying get to the core of dazai’s character motivation & inner conflicts/personal struggles, so i love hearing other people’s interpretations & ideas :)

break him down for me please!! (if you wouldn’t mind <3)

I had this plan of collecting all the interviews of Asagiri saying Dazai oh so complicated and talking about it but I ran out of steam and then.... well you saw how this ask started. The most recent Asagiri interview/talk delved into it again though!

What makes Dazai tick "hasn't been revealed" and Asagiri seems to be/think to be in the dark about it too. But to write a character with depth and consistency, you must know how they work! But not every micro detail has to be accounted for, and sometimes they might surprise you by revealing their true colours despite yourself. I get the impression that Asagiri hasn't worked out the fine details of why Dazai is the way he is, but rather how it shows and what can trigger it.

The character of Dazai was based on his namesake's struggles and his namesake's semi-autobiographical story of a character struggling with society, living and (probably) depression. I think on some level there might be a fear of intruding upon such a personal experience by giving our Dazai a definitive reason behind his own struggles, since he's so closely linked to his inspirations. However, I mostly think Asagiri's writing style makes it so leaving that part up to reader interpretation is purposeful and more fulfilling to both Asagiri and us.

Altogether, I think when Asagiri talks about Dazai being unknowable and mysterious, it's both about how he is written to keep an arm's length between himself and everyone else, and because Asagiri, as the one writing him, is keenly aware of how much of Dazai isn't shown. I believe it when they say Dazai is a tricky character to portray. Arguably, Dazai is, this way, the character that's most written like a real person, with a rich inner life that, as an outsider, you can't pretend to fully know, and that's the point.

There's a passage in 55 Minutes about how nobody has managed to understand Dazai's struggle with life. Atsushi outright asked him, and yet he couldn't remember what Dazai had told him. That was the author telling you "it's not that this issue is unaddressed, it's that you're supposed to fill in the blanks yourself".

The scariest monster is the one you can't see, and the most visceral struggle is the one you can project onto.

So Dazai is supposed to be up to reader interpretation, however he has to have some consistency and patterns and quirks to be recognizable as himself to the audience. We may never be able to say with certainty why Dazai is, but we can all come to a semblance of how Dazai is, because we're reading a story about a fictional guy written by a real person. Fan interpretations may vary, but the canon story is static. Dazai might be ~mysterious~ by design, but he's not that complicated.

[elffees]

MK12 Bi Han Analysis

Y’all bringing out the essayist in me so now I gotta make a Bi Han post.

Ahem

So contrary to extremely popular opinion, I actually think Bi Han was given a bit of depth in MK12. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking but I thought this was the most compelling he’s been since Mythologies. At least to me.

“Had we not held back, you would not have survived.” — Bi Han to Kung Lao after the bar fight

I can actually understand his frustrations with Liu Kang. While I think the bar fight between the Lin Kuei vs Raiden & Kung Lao was super fun to watch and interesting from Liu Kang’s POV, it had to be pretty humiliating for someone as prideful as Bi Han.

Liu Kang told them to intentionally make themselves seem weaker just to give actually weaker fighters more of a chance. Not only that, but they had to come off like they were nothing but obnoxious & lowly thugs, instead of the elite, powerhouse of a clan the Lin Kuei actually are.

Not to mention the relationship the Lin Kuei have with Liu Kang irritates him just in general. It’s clear Bi Han doesn’t like having to take orders from someone, and wants to be the boss rather than an underling. But with the Lin Kuei’s goal being Earthrealm’s protection, and Liu Kang being Earthrealm’s protector, that’s always the dynamic they were going to have with him. To operate underneath FG Liu Kang. There’s no way to be equals with a god.

This is only reinforced once it’s revealed to everyone that mere Earthrealm Protector God Liu Kang is actually Titan Liu Kang, manufacturer of their entire timeline and all of their destinies. All of the characters have different opinions and concerns about Liu Kang’s actual status and involvement in their lives. Bi Han included.

“This is what you were meant to do. Defend Earthrealm.”

“I am not allowed to desire a different future?” — Convo between Liu Kang & Bi Han in Khaos Reigns

There’s no way to be equals with a god, but there is zero chance in hell of ever being equal with the Keeper of Time and ultimate creator of your destiny who knew and fabricated your life’s path before your ancestors were ever even conceived.

But circling back to before the reveal, Bi Han already had issues with working underneath Earthrealm Protector God Liu Kang.

I’m not excusing Bi Han’s actions, but I think the game did a decent job of making us understand why he was so frustrated with Liu Kang. The Lin Kuei are powerful, but at the rate they were going, they would always have to bend to Liu Kang. For members like Kuai Liang, Tomas, Cyrax, etc. this was not an issue. But for those like Bi Han and Sektor, it clearly is.

And this all goes into why he accepted Shang Tsung’s offer when he, Kuai Liang, and Tomas infiltrated the hideout. Some people have said it was too sudden, I disagree. Bi Han went there to take them out, then got curious, and only agreed to join after he and Kuai Liang had been taken prisoner. He was hesitant at first and wasn’t interested in Shang Tsung’s proposal, but his frustration with being inferior to Liu Kang was the perfect in for Shang Tsung to persuade him, because anyone could see Bi Han was not satisfied with his current position in life.

I wouldn’t even say Bi Han trusted Shang Tsung, but that it’s just as Shang Tsung himself said:

“I’m sure you’re asking yourself: ‘Can I afford to trust a man I have never met?’ But the true question you must ask is: ‘Can I afford not to?’”

This scene told me it’s not about genuine trust. Bi Han just views “being Liu Kang’s inferior forever” as a worst fate than anything Shang Tsung could do to him. He viewed Shang Tsung as the lesser of two evils. Whether that’s objectively true or not is irrelevant.

Afterwards, Bi Han actually shows remorse about aligning with Shang Tsung. This is evident in his intros.

“Your mother’s death is regrettable.” — To Kitana

“If it is asylum you want, I won’t grant it.” — To Shang Tsung

“You have been cold to my entreaties.” / “Because you proved you can’t be trusted.” — Convo between Shang Tsung & Bi Han

“I was wrong to trust you.” — To General Shao

“I wasn’t aware of Shang Tsung’s experiments.” — To Liu Kang

Alongside his regret with aligning with Shang Tsung, Bi Han does NOT want to kill Kuai Liang. Shocking I know, but it’s true!

This is probably the first game I’ve seen where he actually values Kuai Liang as his brother. PLEASE BARE WITH ME I SWEAR IM NOT INSANE LMAO!

In both the main story and in Khaos Reigns, Bi Han clearly states that his intention is to capture and imprison Kuai Liang.

“And you must be imprisoned alongside my brother.” — To Cyrax in Khaos Reigns

And while hypocritical as hell, I do believe Sektor’s “immense shock” at Kuai Liang willing to leave Bi Han trapped and brainwashed in Havik’s timeline is because she knows, in turn, that Bi Han doesn’t plan to actually kill Kuai Liang, only punish and imprison him. (I am not saying her annoyance was well founded! It was for sure hypocritical. I am simply explaining why she was shocked and what she knows of Bi Han’s intentions.)

Does this mean Bi Han cares about those around Kuai Liang? No. He doesn’t care at all about Harumi and was fine with killing her if she got in the way. She is not Lin Kuei. Even worse, she’s hinted to have ties with the Umgadi and Outworld. A fact Bi Han and Sektor may be aware of since in one of their intros together (with Bi Han as Noob), they say she’s a “formidable problem”.

But, interestingly, it doesn’t seem as though Bi Han wants to kill other Lin Kuei that have turned to Kuai Liang’s side. When opposed, he threatens to punish and capture Tomas and Cyrax, not kill them. Just like he does with Kuai Liang.

Alongside this, in most of his and Kuai Liang’s direct conversations with each other, it’s mostly Bi Han defending his stance and encouraging Kuai Liang to return to his side. Frequently telling him to “heed” and “obey” him as Grandmaster.

“You could have ruled at my side.” — To Kuai Liang in an intro

“Your rebellion stings.” — To Kuai Liang in an intro

“End this, brother! Embrace the future.” — To Kuai Liang in the main story after he aligns with Shang Tsung

“You would shed your brother’s blood?” / “Because you CHOOSE to stand in my way!” — Convo between Kuai Liang and Bi Han in an intro

“Your brotherS regret losing your fellowship.” / “Then THEY shouldn’t have disobeyed my commands.” — Convo between Liu Kang and Bi Han in an intro

Bi Han is definitely pissed and plans to beat his ass, that’s not debatable, but it’s clear he’d much rather Kuai Liang just come back to the Lin Kuei than them full on fighting each other. And he has no intention of actually killing Kuai Liang. He will punish his “treachery” and imprison him, but never talks about straight up killing him. The one single time he references Kuai Liang’s possible death is when he’s boasting to General Shao in an intro, who he has currently lost all respect for and sees as an enemy (plus Shao is the one who mentions Kuai Liang first in that convo).

He thinks Kuai Liang made the wrong choice when refusing to stand with him, and seems to think their current feud is Kuai Liang’s own fault. That they COULD reconcile, but it’s Kuai Liang who is refusing to “see reason” and support him. Bi Han truly thinks he is “defending” the Lin Kuei from Kuai Liang’s poor vision. He does not actually view himself or his actions as evil, despite what fans seem to think. He even opposes this perspective in-universe whenever a character says he’s turned evil.

“There are many in the Netherrealm just like you.” / “You conflate ambition with evil, Ashrah.” — Convo between Ashrah and Bi Han in an intro

Bi Han’s real malice is reserved mostly towards Liu Kang. He hated having to work underneath the Fire God, and now with the Titan status revealed, he’s even more furious and thinks Liu Kang has always only ever been about control. This is made especially evident in his intros.

“You are content being Liu Kang’s servant?” — To Raiden

“Liu Kang wants to help, Bi Han!” / “No, Tomas. He wants to control.” — Convo between Tomas and Noob!Bi Han

“Earthrealm isn’t yours to rule!” — To Liu Kang

“You’ve turned Kuai Liang against me!” — To Liu Kang

“Come in from the cold Bi Han.” / “And again kneel before you?” — Convo between Liu Kang and Bi Han

I suspect that the sole reason Bi Han prefers being Noob is because it was against Liu Kang’s design for him. In a lot of Noob’s intros, he praises his newfound “chaos”, but in a very easily missed few, he says these:

“Is it best for you to remain this way?” / “It is best for the Lin Kuei.” — Convo between Sektor and Noob!Bi Han

“Weren’t you supposed to be on ice?” / “Liu Kang’s plan has been disrupted.” — Convo between Takeda and Noob!Bi Han

“I’m envious. The things you must have seen…” / “No one should experience such chaos.” — Convo between Shang Tsung and Noob!Bi Han

“Throwing the Lin Kuei into chaos-” / “Is NOT what I am doing!” — Convo between Kenshi and Noob!Bi Han

I don’t think Bi Han enjoys being Noob simply for the “sinister nature” of being Noob Saibot. I think it’s actually because the transition was against Liu Kang’s plans. A sort’ve rebellion even though it was also forced upon him. This is just a theory though.

I want to clarify: BI HAN IS AN ASSHOLE!

I am in no way saying that Bi Han isn’t a douchebag and should be pitied.

This post is solely intended to refute the claims that he’s not a complex character. There is actually a lot of subtlety in how he’s been written so far. There ARE genuine reasons he doesn’t want to keep bowing to Liu Kang (who is a proven liar love my boy tho). He does NOT want to kill his own brother, and would actually prefer Kuai Liang come to his side, rather than them being at odds.

Bi Han is an asshole. He’s arrogant, impulsive, selfish, and overwhelmingly prideful. But he DOES actually care about Kuai Liang as his brother and doesn’t have any interest in killing ex-Lin Kuei members. His goal is to punish their treachery, but then imprison them. Not kill.

And while he heavily dislikes Tomas and doesn’t hold any respect for him, Bi Han slips up and does acknowledge Tomas as his brother when talking with Liu Kang in one of the intros I shared above. A very small part of him does subconsciously view Tomas as his brother. He will never ever admit this though.

Not counting Mythologies, this is probably my favorite rendition of Bi Han to date. I could actually see where he was coming from most of the time, and he didn’t seem just “one dimensionally” angry and evil. He’s a raging dick, but he’s not just “evil to be evil” nor is that his goal.

He regrets some of the events that have come from his actions, has affections for Sektor, refuses to abandon the Lin Kuei after becoming Noob (unlike past Noobs), and still values Kuai Liang as his brother with zero plans to actually kill him only imprison him.

In Khaos Reigns, even Liu Kang states that Bi Han’s desire for a different future isn’t actually an issue, it’s just his methods that are.

Bi Han is a massive problem child, but he’s not a one dimensionally evil thoughtlessly written character. I actually think this is the most compelling iteration Bi Han’s ever been (TO ME) and I find the current nuances in his and Kuai Liang’s dynamic more fascinating than ever.

[deus-ex-mona]

when the slowburn makes the ship extra cute~~~

[underforeversgrace]

after the water

DannyMay2023 Day 30: Post Reveal

title: after the water

words: 1770

Summary: Part 2 of under the river by popular demand

Part 2 of 2

Warnings: None!

AU: Trans Danny Fenton

Beta by: @probably-dead

~~~~~~

Silence stretched like a chasm between the two hunters and the ghost of their son, neither sure how to respond.

“Yeah,” Jack finally said. “It’s us, kiddo.”

Jack grimaced as Danny glanced to the weapons on his and Maddie’s belts before coming closer and accepting his father’s outstretched hand. Jack tried to give a comforting smile as he pulled the specter close to him in a gentle hug, the ache in his chest having nothing to do with the recent near-drowning experience he had suffered.

“We need to talk, don’t we?” Phantom mumbled, setting his feet on the ground but not releasing Jack’s hand, which was a small comfort.

“I think so, sweetie.” Maddie said, stepping closer and reaching for him as well. He flinched some but recovered quickly, giving her a tentative smile, which she took as permission, gently laying a hand on his shoulder.

Phantom glanced at the water behind him, where Jazz’s car now rested. Ah, they were going to have to buy her a new car, weren’t they? Well, it wasn’t Jack’s fault Jazz’s normal car hadn’t been able to handle that curve at a hundred twenty miles per hour! The GAV would’ve been able to! And Jazz was the one who insisted on having a normal car and not letting her parents build her one when they’d offered!

Oh, she was going to be so mad.

“I think I need to give us all a lift home, if… if you trust me?” Danny said with a wry grin. Maddie and Jack shot a quick glance at each other before simultaneously nodding. Ghost of their son or not, this was still their son. He still had done everything he could to save his father. Did this mean they had three children now? Jazz, Danny, and Danny’s ghost?

Did Phantom already live there? He had just called it home. Or was he just remembering his life?

“Uh, prepare for liftoff?” He said as he grabbed both his parents’ hands firmly. A chill sunk deep into Jack, spreading from his hand to his entire body as Phantom passed his abilities to them, lifting the two of them effortlessly. “Might feel weird, by the way. I’m going to make us all intangible. Apparently the wind is a little much for humans.”

Another, deeper cold settled into Jack and the sudden sensation of not being able to feel swept across him as they flew. The sun, the temperature, the wind, Danny’s hand in his own - Jack could feel none of it. And then - after several minutes of silence, none able to hear over the roar of the wind as the flew the many, many miles home - when Danny phased them in through the top of the building, Jack felt suffocated as his entire body went through solid concrete and steel, a sudden instinctual fear gripping his stomach as he wondered what would happen to him if Phantom decided to return them back to the tangible plane while they were encased like this.

But his fear was entirely unfounded as Phantom simply guided them to the kitchen and set them on the floor, releasing his grip on them immediately and floating back several feet away from them, keeping an eye on the ghost shield button across the kitchen from where he’d set them.

Realization - again - slapped Jack across the face. Danny had put them as far away from the button as possible so if either of them made for it, he could escape before the shield came down.

“So. Talking?” Danny asked, crossing his legs and floating in midair.

“Are you okay?” was the first thing out of Jack’s mouth. He had a million other questions but first he needed to know if his son was okay.

“Well, I haven’t been shot today!” Danny said with a grin before a face of embarrassment settled as both parents looked at him in horror. “Ah. Not a good joke. Sorry. Are you okay, Dad? You’re the one who nearly drowned.”

Jack waved the question away. “I’m fine, son. You saved me, after all.”

A green blush rose into his face. “No problem.” he mumbled.

“Can I ask what happened?” Maddie asked cautiously. “I understand if not!”

“Oh, uh, yeah I can talk about it. Any ghost can, actually, some just don’t want to. It is typically something traumatizing, y’know?” he answered with a shrug. Jack took a deep breath, bracing for whatever his son was about to say. Ghosts didn’t form from peaceful deaths and Jack only knew of one incident Danny had been in that could have hurt him that bad. “I may have lied about how bad the portal was?”

Jack ran a hand through his hair, gripping and pulling at some strands. “You died.” he whispered, a statement, not a question.

“I got better!” Danny quickly insisted, suddenly standing (floating?) back up, shaking his hands at them to calm down.

“And you’ve been hiding this from us?” Maddie spoke up.

Phantom’s eyes dropped to the floor. “Can you blame me?” he asked softly.

“You really thought we wouldn’t accept you?” Maddie asked, the hurt in her voice mirroring the pain in Jack’s heart. “We’ve always accepted you!”

Danny snorted. “Are you really trying to equate me transitioning to this situation?”

“We told you then - you will always be our child, our son. That’s still true. We will always accept you.” Jack said gently.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t see the similarities in buying me a binder and getting me scheduled with a doctor equated to becoming a ghost!” Danny snapped at them. He continued, quieter. “You don’t hate men. You don’t hate trans people. You loathe a ghost’s simple existence. Even before the portal opened, I knew what you wanted to do to a ghost. What do you want me to say?”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Jack began. “We do. Only us. You should have never had to doubt us. We were so happy when you came out to us, Danny, that you trusted us, that you knew we loved you and always would. We messed up somewhere to make you doubt that.”

“Jack’s right. You never should have felt the need to hide this and that is our fault. Not yours.” Maddie agreed, heavily sitting into one of the kitchen chairs, dropping her head into her hands for a moment before looking back up, a sudden fierceness in her face. “Danny, look at me. I love you. You are my child first and foremost. I love you and your sister more than anything. There is nothing in this entire world I will ever hate more than I love you. Do you understand me?”

“I…” Phantom started, slowly floating back down to the ground until his feet rested on the floor, glancing at Jack.

“I will never feel anything for you other than love and acceptance.” Jack answered his unasked question.

“You guys are okay with this? You’re sure?”

“Are we okay with the fact our invention killed you? No. Are we okay we’ve shot you and made you afraid of us? Also no. Are we okay with everything else? Of course. It just may take some getting used to, having three kids.” Maddie answered.

“Three?!” Phantom exclaimed, his face immediately morphing from cautious hope to extreme shock. “Are you pregnant? And this is how you’re telling me?!”

“Do you and human Danny still count yourselves as one person?” Jack asked. That would be… confusing.

“Yes?” Phantom answered, more as a question than an answer.

“Okay, so still two kids, but one of them occupies two separate bodies. I can work with that. We can work that.” Maddie said, though Jack could practically see the gears turning in her head. “Do you want your own room? Or have you been living here and sharing with… other Danny? What’s the appropriate terminology?”

Bafflement settled onto Phantom’s tan face and then a bright flash of white light seemed to burn Jack’s retinas.

A half hour ago, Jack had determined that waking up feeling like he was drowning without water, Phantom clung to him and crying, was the strangest thing he’d ever experienced in his life, the biggest shock he would ever experience as he realized Phantom was the ghost of his youngest child.

“What the hell are you two talking about?” A very clearly human Danny Fenton answered and Jack suddenly had a new biggest shock of his life.

Maddie made a sound of vague confusion and Jack felt his brain trying to reboot.

“You’re… dead?” Maddie finally managed.

“We’ve already established I’m half ghost, mom,” Danny said, looking at his parents like they were the crazy ones.

“We have established no such thing, young man.” Maddie said, slipping into her mom voice.

“Maybe we should restart? Start from the beginning?” Jack offered up, though he finally slipped into a chair as well.

“What did you two think was going on?” Danny asked, apparently realizing there had been some sort of miscommunication somewhere.

“You went into the portal, got very hurt and… and died, long enough to form a ghost, before somehow recovering.” Maddie answered.

“Oh. Uh. You’re half right?” Danny responded, awkwardly shrugging. “But it isn’t a human Danny and a ghost Danny. One Danny with two forms. I’m half and half.”

“Half… ghost.” Jack managed. “How?”

“You two are the scientists. Our best guess is ‘ghost biology is weird.’”

“‘Our?’” Maddie asked.

“Uh, Sam and Tuck were there for my accident?”

The two adults remained silent, their minds trying to process the absolute upheaval of everything they had ever known. Danny began to fidget nervously. “Is this still okay?”

“Yes.” Maddie said immediately. “We just… you just negated decades of research, both that we’ve done and others in the field have done. We’re reevaluating our life choices, not you.”

“Well… now you can study better! You can meet some of the other ghosts! So, uh, noninvasive studies only.” Danny said, grinning. “Family field trip to the Ghost Zone! You can meet my doctor and my mentor and my ghost dad who controls time and this queen who I helped overthrow her brother and-“ He continued to excitedly babble about all the things they could do in Zone, all the various ghosts he knew.

Looking at Maddie though, at her messy hair and the hand still half buried in her hair, the look on her face so clearly ‘I am listening but my brain short circuited fifteen minutes ago,’ Jack had to bite down a giggle.

And then - “Wait, did you just say a ghost dad who controls time?”

[taraxacum-vulpes]

why is everyone pretending like cyberpunk edgerunners is good. the writing is so bad i hate it

[phuljari]

a think piece on how arnav singh raizada realised his feelings for khushi

of course, it would have been discussed numerous times before, we all know what happened and when it happened. i'm thinking more along the lines of why it happened this way. why did it take him so long to realise that these visceral reactions he has over her did not really stem from a place of hate, that hate was just a byproduct, a reaction, because he didn't realise what his emotions meant.

that it was altogether a new feeling, to be so consumed with thoughts of someone (whom you supposedly dislike). he tried so hard to run from those feelings, misdirecting them to hatred, disgust, apathy and what not. it was new— an unknown feeling that made him uncomfortable. i think in a way this echoes what i said earlier too, that arnav never really believed in love. which is why it took him ages to figure out why the hell he was so obsessed with someone who shouldn't even matter to him. i think what he hates the most about feeling attracted to khushi (aside from the fact that he never imagined himself with a girl like her? ie. see how he berates her: status, class, money, god-fearing etc) is the way she makes him feel— weak. and that's the feeling this man has rarely, if ever, felt for anyone outside his family.

also, elaborating on the statement that arnav didn't believe in love (even though no one asked for it lol), it is imperative to add that he has seen love exist, only barely, with nana-nani or whatever stories he heard about them and between mama and mamiji. but what else did he also see? that his dad cheated on his mom. that anjali's first wedding got broken off. and even though anjali was relatively happy with shyam— it wasn't a relationship he had experienced in his childhood, which is generally the time when your experiences shape you the most. so maybe he believed that love exists, to some degree, but not the whole unfiltered ~i would die for you~ love. remember how he convinced mamiji to accept payal? with the 'raizada' reputation? so he hadn't really experienced the best examples of love either.

unlike popular belief that arnav never felt deserving of love, i think that he never completely believed in it. especially not for a man like him who has to be careful around every turn because everyone around him is expecting to benefit from him. remember, this man is hella confident, and believes completely in himself (almost to the point of narcissism, esp in the early ipk days) and his ego is justified, afterall he did do a lot by himself and he's not bluffing about any of it. this man doesn't doubt himself, he could have anything he wanted. even love— that lavanya was willing to give him. but he doesn't believe in his ability to love, not after what he had seen with his parents.

which is exactly why this new confusing feeling, these obsessive thoughts about khushi, the way he felt weak and defeated in front of her was so absurd for him that he couldn't even realise that he was attracted to her. (with her, he has realised his ability to love, to want someone so desperately.) but instead he kept challenging her in order to make her feel weak and defeated. projecting much, sir?

and to be fair, arnav has mostly been a man of his words— truthful. if he said he didn't believe in love before he experienced it with khushi, it means he genuinely didn't. anyway, that's my take.

i have so much more to talk about this man!! for example how his diabetes is literally a metaphor because he can't have 'sweet' things in life?? 'sweet' here literally meaning happiness! happiness translation: khushi. and having diabetes compliments his character so well too? like he was cruel, cold-hearted and bitter (esp about his past, that he never could overcome) and so it aligned pretty well with khushi's 'meetha khaiye meetha boliye' kyuki arnav ko toh meetha bolna hi nahi aata! usse toh meetha mana hai na!

if you're still reading, thanks for sticking around lol

[fictional-men-enthusiast]

Sometimes I think about if the CH reboot took the late 2010s cartoon route of doing episodic shit for the first few seasons and then slowly introducing serialized elements instead of pretending it was still a parody when they clearly took their characters and storylines seriously too much for it to actually be one.

[allpiesforourown]

Superstar Luo Binghe au. All the directors beg him to be in their movies because his fame will immediately assure success for anything they make. He’s handsome, charming, dedicated, and most of all, extremely talented. He even does his own stunts!! Women love him, and men who say they hate him will still watch his movies so they can figure out how to be more like him. 

The only weird thing about Binghe as an actor is that he refuses to star in romantic films. He won’t kiss anyone, won’t pretend to date someone on screen, won’t even let another actor take over his role for the scenes he doesn’t want to do. His reason? He’s completely loyal to his husband.

Everyone thinks it’s stupid, obviously. You aren’t “cheating” by pretending to love someone else, it’s literally your job! Luo Binghe still refuses and says even he’s not good enough an actor to make anyone believe he could ever love someone other than Yuan-ge.

His fans hate this mysterious Yuan-ge. Because of his (probably insecure and jealous) spouse, all of Binghe’s fangirls cant see him sweep some y/n character off their feet. It’s even worse because they don’t know anything about this guy. Whenever someone asks to see or learn about Binghe’s husband, the star says he’ll never reveal Yuan-ge to the public, because he’s too beautiful and he doesn’t want everyone falling in love with him. 

People kind of run with the idea that obviously this guy must be a total weirdo who Binghe is embarrassed to be seen with. That has to be the explanation, because no matter how perfect someone is, how can they have such a chokehold on THE LUO BINGHE??

Then, one day, years after Luo Binghe’s initial rise to fame…. He goes on a talkshow. With his husband Shen Yuan. 

Obviously EVERYONE tunes in. No one uses TVs anymore bc of the internet, but just for this show, viewer ratings are the highest theyve ever been. Everyone wants to know what the fuss is all about with this guy to have Luo Binghe so down horrible. 

And Shen Yuan isn’t a weirdo. He’s also not some pretty yesman. He makes jokes that make the audience burst into laughter. He’s opinionated, which is really refreshing when every other celebrity stays neutral on every topic to avoid losing fans. He’s polite, but he’s not a pushover. He’s likeable, but he’s not a try-hard about it. Referencing memes makes him an instant hit with the younger generations, and the calm gentle way he talks makes him a hit with the older ones. All of a sudden everyone is going, okay we see why Luo Binghe is obsessed with him. 

Except… while shen yuan was making jokes and charming everyone, Luo Binghe was at his side, pathetically pawing at his husband for attention. The actor keeps whining every two minutes to be reassured yuan-ge still likes him. Whenever Shen Yuan compliments the host, Binghe looks like he’s about to cry. Whenever Luo Binghe jealously wraps his arms around shen Yuan everyone watching just rolls their eyes. Seeing them together people realize… shen yuan is the one that’s out of Luo Binghe’s league.

In just one hour public opinion goes from ‘no one can be worth binghe acting like that for’ to ‘luo binghe is so annoying, let shen yuan talk!!’ 

The next day someone finds shen yuan’s twitter and it blows up. He has his own fan pages now. There’s no pictures of him online other than the footage from the talkshow, so the fan accounts just post that over and over again. Shen yuan retweets a post about him with the caption “i never realized she was holding a plate of corn in this scene” and everyone loses their mind. Everything he says immediately goes viral bc that’s luo binghe’s attic wife.

People start nagging Binghe to post about Shen Yuan bc theyre so attached after his one and only publicized appearance. Binghe is super possessive, but yuan-ge tells him not to worry, so he relents and posts pictures of him and shen yuan on vacation. They’re together, holding hands… but shen yuan’s face and body are blurred out. It’s HORRIFYING. He looks like an eldritch monster bc luo binghe refuses to let anyone look at his yuan-ge in a swim suit, go away you perverts!! His instragram is now just full of pics of shen yuan where his eyes are blacked out so noone else can see how pretty they are. It’s nightmare fuel

Shen Yuan is unfortunately too unbothered to post pictures of himself. Everyone’s tired of Luo Binghe for “hogging shen yuan all to himself” when Shen Yuan is practically an internet celebrity now. 

People go to watch movies and their theatre conversations sound like this:

“Oh, Luo Binghe’s in this one!”

“Who?”

“You know Shen Yuan’s annoying husband?”

“OH THAT GUY..”

[moongothic]

@texas-gothic (Was gonna reply in the comments but it got too long and honestly too interesting so here we are)

Unironically was thinking about this again today because I think I realized the answer to my original question.

But yeah, you're absolutely right. Crocodile, as we know him, is completely incapable of doing what Luffy or even Buggy can do. He does not have it in him to inspire anyone to follow him with any kind of loyalty (Daz aside).

And it's quite simple, really. Like aside from just treating others with basic human decency, Crocodile can't inspire others because he refuses to have any emotional vunerability (from his mystery trauma, as showing trust etc is a sign of weakness to him) and his goals as far as we understand them are hollow and soulless (Like he wants military power, enough to "oppose the Government", but what for? Considdering he lost interest in Alabasta, and has as far as we know kept low for the past two whole years without doing much anything until the Reverie Incident recently, he doesn't seem to care about actually ruling anything, a country or otherwise. And he even says it himself when introducing himself to the BW Agents, that he doesn't care about fame or money. Just combat power. Like it just seems to me there might be something else he actually wants, and everything else is just means to an end, a way to achieve that true goal.)

Another thing is that Crocodile is very much a secretive bastard if not downright a lying one. (But also weirdly honest at times, especially if it's about his trust issues.) It would not surprise me if his lies and half-truths had layers to them, if there was something else behind what he lets on.

Regardless, for Crocodile to actually be able to inspire loyalty, he really would need to just. Be vunerable, share his true goals and be honest for once. Something Luffy and Buggy can do.

But the Crocodile we know can't. He can't do any of that.

He can't stand being humiliated or not be taken seriously (explains the violence). Being weak, or being seen as weak is something he can not stand. And being honest, trusting others, is weakness to him. So he can't.

So really, the question is, is there anything in the whole world that could break Crocodile and the protective walls he's built around himself to a point where he'd tell the whole truth for once

Or is he just too far gone

Crocodile's inability to truly get people to follow him is so interesting though, because in that way he's like the polar opposite of Luffy, who has the ability to draw people in and get them to follow him instead

And like it's not surprising Crocodile can't get anyone to be truly loyal to him (Daz Bones aside), since his primary method to get people to do as they're told is through (threats of) violence and money (if he has any). Like yes, that will get people to do as they're told, but you can't buy loyalty, you can't beat people into trusting you. And so, when shit hits the fan, who the fuck would stay for you, when you're like that

Of course, Crocodile is like that due to his trust issues, and god only knows what caused those trust issues. It's possible he was always like that, or past trauma caused him to become like that-- if it's the latter though, even if he was like more trusting of others once in the past, people still didn't stick with him in the end. The trust was one-sided

I think this also reflects in a really interesting way in Cross Guild actually, 'cause like. Despite being scared shitless, not even Buggy is willing to keep on taking Crocodile's shit. Even that clown has his limits before he starts a mutiny against Crocodile

And while Buggy hasn't really done anything to "earn" his current position in the world (like he hasn't Proven Himself in Combat, he's just Faked It Until He Made It), because he has treaten his underlings with basic kindness and respect, even if he's been lying through his teeth the whole time, that has been enough for Buggy to gain his followers' trust. And that's why Buggy's able to rile up people to follow him. While Crocodile can't.

Unironically makes me wonder what Daz sees in Crocodile that makes him want to follow Croc to literal hell and back

And I wonder what it really would take for Croc to be able to inspire people to follow him and be loyal to him, if it's even possible

[inbarfink]

So one of the cool and interesting ways ‘Steven Universe’ used to try and balance being both a series of 11-minutes episodes that each have their own satisfying emotional resolution and being an overarching story with complicated character arcs that take multiple seasons to resolve is the… I’m going to call it the ‘Not Quite Right Lesson’ episodes. Episodes where a character kinda learns a Very Important Lesson… but a more careful and retrospective look at the situation shows that what they learned is not Quite the Right Thing for them. They internalized something in that adventure which just ended up causing more Emotional Troubles for themselves farther down the line.

‘The Test’ is the most classic example. 

As a standalone thing, it’s just a sweet episode about Steven learning to accept that his caretakers are also flawed and confused and figuring this shit up as they’re going along just like he is, and then doing a nice thing for their sake.

But looking back at this episode, it is quite obviously the nadir of Steven appointing himself as the Family Therapist and repressing all of his problems so he could better help the Gems’ with theirs. Like, there have been some early warning signs for this Complex, but this episode is the one that really cemented that idea in his mind and probably the reason it took him like the Entire Rest of the Show Including a Post-Finale Season to really untangle it.

But… also, I’ve been thinking a lot about the episode right after that, ‘Future Vision’. I think it’s also a very important ‘Not Quite Right Lesson Episode’ for the character of Garnet, and to some extent, the Crystal Gems as a whole. In many ways, it is to the CGs' character arcs' what 'the Test' is to Steven's.

So in this episode, Garnet reveals to Steven the fact that she has Future Vision. She hoped that telling Steven a little bit more about herself and being honest with him will lead to a greater understanding and a greater bond between them… but it backfired. It just led Steven to become a total paranoid, terrified wreck stuck in a total existential crisis.

And it seems like the lesson Garnet learned is that… she should’ve never taken that risk at all. That it would’ve been better for everyone if she just kept Steven ignorant of the truth forever.

Extremely reinforced with the ending of the episode, where Garnet chooses to once again hide an uncomfortable truth (that he just came very close to dying again) from Steven, for the sake of his own ‘peace of mind’.

So, like, the Gems were already hiding uncomfortable truths from Steven since day one. “If you could only know what we really are” and all of that. But I think… With the actual truth of Homeworld encroaching on them more and more at this point of the story arc, this would’ve been a great time for the Gems to reconsider their attitude and actually Explain to Steven What the Hell is Going On. 

But instead, I think Garnet saw the events of ‘Future Vision’ as a reinforcement of the idea that there’s just some things Steven is Better Off Not Knowing. Actually being frank with him about Homeworld and the Diamonds and the War right there and then, that would have just overwhelmed Steven with fears and worries and would’ve ended up doing nothing but hurting him. And Garnet can’t accept that possibility, not again.

And so, Garnet, alongside Amethyst and Pearl, keep all these truths from Steven as long as possible. Only revealing bits of information when they have to. For Amethyst it’s about her emotionally-evasive attitude (also, she legit doesn’t know all of that stuff herself). For Pearl it’s about how she learned to romanticize Rose’s own fucked-up obsession with secrets. For Garnet, with her usually very direct attitude and preference for the most straightforward solutions, I think it’s very much the events of ‘Future Vision’ that were still playing in her head every time she had the choice to actually Explain something to Steven and decided not to. 

But that, indeed, was Not Quite the Right Lesson. While being bluntly and directly told by Garnet all about the Many Ways He Could Die caused Steven to go into an anxiety spiral and an existential crisis for an episode - the way the Gems have been consistently secretive and evasive with Steven ended up causing him so much more emotional grief to him in the long run. As all of these secrets ended up revealed to him in the most surprising, dramatic and traumatizing way possible.

And the secretive attitudes ended up driving a wedge between Steven and the Gems. 

Even after they promised to be more honest with him. Because the sight of Steven crying on the roof that day is one that Garnet can easily move away from. Because Garnet’s Not Quite Right Lesson was almost as difficult for her to unlearn as Steven’s own. 

But after the big confrontation at the start of the Zoo Arc, Garnet ended up being the most upfront about the Crystal Gems’ history. Almost overeager to share what she knows about the past.

I mean also, again, Amethyst just has less to tell and Pearl is hiding secrets for reasons beyond her control - but I think it’s also important to consider from the perspective of Garnet’s arc.

Because the fallout of the Pink Diamond Reveal is very much centered around Garnet (or, well, Ruby and Sapphire). That was the Truth that was hidden from her 'for her own good'. And at the end of the day, despite all the grief that unveiling that truth has caused

It has also brought them, all of them, a lot closer.

There's a reason why 'the Truth' is Garnet's Final Missing Piece in the movie. It is as central to her character arc in the series as Lesbian AngstTM grief over lost love is to Pearl.

And still, some remnants of the Trauma of 'Future Vision' remained...

After all, even the very last episode of 'Future' was centered around the Gems once again trying to hide things from Steven (at that case, their turmoil about him leaving) for his own sake

Even though it once again just caused Steven a whole lot of grief.

It's maybe notable that at the end of this episode, Garnet, once again, tells Steven what's waiting for him in his Future...

[darkpoisonouslove]

This scene is emotionally touching but narratively it's absolutely atrocious.

[cashmoneyyysstuff]

hiii i love ur fics idk if ur requests are on rn but can u do a short drabble of the tiktok trend where the guy hasn't ask his gf to be his valentines day so she "put him on sale" as a joke ofc but she's like

BF FOR SALE ($3.50)

- amazing cook

-crusty feet

- will buy anything u want

any character is fine but i would love katsuki or shoto!!

LMFAOOOO this is for sure the funniest ask ive gotten yet😭😭😭 this is so cute !! and very long overdue I apologize writer block devil was rlly kickin my ass😞 valentines been over but yk i had to write this ! i was rlly hesitating between writing for shoto or katsuki and then i realized i could write for BOTH OF THEM!! and so i did ! i tried honoring your request as best i could, hope you like it <3 !

no pronouns mentioned, pure tooth rotting nasty fluff, use of petnames (my love for shoto and sweets, babe and idiot (lol) for katsuki), katsuki is an asshat but when isn’t he, shy katsuki, shoto is a bit of an airhead, kissing, biting, reader is petty asl lol, lemme know if i missed something else !

todoroki shoto ♥︎

“yn, my love.”

“yes, shoto ?”

the corners of shoto’s mouth pull into a tiny frown at the usage of his first name. no baby, no hun, not even sho. just shoto.

“did i do something to upset you ?” he asks carefully from his spot at the foot of your dorm bed he seems to be stuck at, he can’t bring himself to move until he knows if you’re actually mad at him, and he has an inkling you are.

you look up at him for no longer than a second then look back down at your phone screen “what makes you think that ?” you question back nonchalantly.

“you posted something on your tiktok account..” shoto doesn’t have a clue how to have this conversation with you and it makes him a little nervous, he regrets not going to izuku for advice after all.

“mhmmmm~” you hum, urging him to continue knowing damn well you know what he’s going to say. you wanted to hear him say it himself.

you know shoto’s had no previous relationships before you so these type of things probably don’t mean as much to him as they do to you, but doesn’t everyone want their boyfriends to ask them to be their valentine ? you sure do, and your boyfriend hadn’t asked you to be his yet, so as petty as you know you were being at the time you posted the tiktok he’s no doubt here for right now.

shoto feels like a criminal on trial desperately trying to plead his case with you being the judge. tentatively, he asks “ you said you were..putting me up for sale ?”

immediately it’s like a switch had been flipped. you place your phone down onto your bed next to you, shoto wishes he could take your phone’s place. you cross your leg over the other and bring your hands together like a super villain revealing their master plan “yes. yes i did.”

“oh.”

silence. nothing.

shoto tried—he’s trying. he’s trying so insanely hard to make sense of everything that is you but he simply can’t. he breaks eye contact to think of more to ask but his attention is quickly pulled back to you when he hears you whine.

“uuuuughhh shotoooo~” you moan, throwing your head back against the headboard. “you’re not supposed to say ‘oh’ !” you’re face changes from grumpy to deadpan as you lower your voice slightly to try and mimic him. on any other day this would’ve made him laugh but he’s beyond lost at this point. he clears his throat before speaking again.

“ i don’t know what i’m supposed to say—or what i did for you to want to sell me.” he thinks “and for 3 dollars at that.”

you let out a laugh when you process his words and shoto’s shoulders magically feel lighter at the sound. carefully, he slides a little closer to the side of your bed so he can stand at your bedside. little by little. you pretend you don't notice.

"it's what you deserve for not askin' me to be your valentine."

the secret’s finally out and you get to see how the cog wheels in his head are starting to turn in real time, it has you holding back a giggle when he looks up at you like a deer in headlights.

“is that..why you were mad ?” you nod, humming out a playful mhmm

“ya really hurt my feelings you know ? to think my own boyfriend wouldn’t ask me” you clench your fist over your heart and fake sob dramatically.

shoto huffs out a laugh, relieved to see you’re not actually mad, and goes to sit down on your bed. he tentatively reaches for your hand and squeezes it twice when you let him hold it. before bringing it up to his lips and placing a sweet little kiss to it. it feels as if pop rocks are going off inside of you.

“ i’m sorry for not asking you to be my valentine.” he apologizes, his thumb absentmindedly rubbing your hand “ i was thinking i should’ve, but i didn’t want you to think it was weird since we’re already dating.” his thumb goes to run over your fingers “ i was worried me being too intense would scare you off.” he mumbles.

your eyebrows furrow, you lean towards him to make him look at you “ you wouldn’t scare me off, who told you that ?”

“kaminari. he said ‘coming on too strong scares away the babes.’ ” shoto quotes

you sigh. of course it was that bigmouth portable charger filling his head with this stuff.

you pull your hand out of his grasp and he looks up to protest but you grab his face in your hands before he can say anything, you can practically see him start melting at the contact as he blinks at you slowly, he reminds you of a cat.

“sho” you purr, rubbing his cheeks “ rule number one is never ever listening to kaminari’s dating advice. most of the time it is very wrong.” you explain.

shoto presses his mouth to the palm of your hand “yeah, i’m starting to regret that now.” he speaks into it, you snort. he leans in closer to press a sweet kiss to your lips and you reciprocate, pressing a few more kisses on his lips for good measure “ i’m really sorry for not asking you.” he says in between pecks. you hum in response to him placing even more kisses all around your face. “s’okay. i’m also kinda sorry for putting you up for sale.” you say, running your fingers through his hair while he places kisses on your shoulder.

he lifts his head up to look at you then, an eyebrow raised with an amused expression on his face “kinda sorry ?” he asks.

you nod “mhm. kinda sorry.”

he chuckles to himself, then gets up so he can climb into bed next to you. when he’s positioned how he likes it, with his head in your lap while you comb through his hair with your fingers, he sighs peacefully “well, it wasn’t all bad. i’m glad you think i’m a good cook.”

“what about the crusty feet ?”

“i’m choosing to ignore that part.” shoto smirks lightly to himself when he hears you laugh at his joke, clearly proud of himself for it. “and i will buy you anything you want, to make it up to you.”

“i don’t need you to buy me anything, sho” you roll your eyes with a lovesick smile “ all you gotta do is ask.”

he blinks up at you, looks off the the side as if he’s deep in thought, and suddenly gets off your lap to sit right in front of you. you never think you’ll get over how pretty your boyfriend is and being reminded of it with how close he is to you makes you flustered. he leans in to kiss you passionately and you don’t know if it’s the love he pours into it or the lack of air that has you so dizzy, you don’t dwell on it.

when he pulls away he’s looking at you like you hung up the stars in the sky and he simply, almost shyly smiles at you and asks.

“ will you be my valentine ?”

bakugou katsuki ♥︎

you did not expect katsuki to come barging into your dorm room five minutes after you’d posted your tiktok. the loud sound of someone banging on your door and proceeding to let themselves in seconds later causes you to let out a squeak.

in comes katsuki, phone tightly clutched in his hand and the moment his eyes zeroed on you he’s like a bull charging at a red flag. he stands right in front of you, angry frown on display before he shoves his phone in your face.

“explain this. now.” he growls, you have to hold back a laugh, keeping your face as calm as possible you look between him, his screen then back at your phone.

“what’s confusing about it ? i thought i was being pretty straight forward.”

his eye twitches. “why the hell did you put me up for sale ?! and for three dollars and fifty fuckin’ cents ?!” he exclaims, you can’t help the snort that bursts out of you, though katsuki doesn’t look as amused as you are.

“explain.” he deadpans.

“i think you can figure it out.” you shrug back.

he mutters insults to himself that you can’t catch “well obviously fuckin’ not, cus I wouldn’t be askin’ you if i did.” you simply shrug and look back at your phone. “i wrote it in the caption.”

it takes him a second to process then he’s tapping his password and opening the clock app at super sonic speed. his eyebrows furrow and you see him tapping away at his phone. his eyes widen when he reads your caption and he looks down at you with a mix of desperation and disbelief.

“you’re mad cus I didn’t ask you to be my valentine ?” your bratty huff and turn to the side as you shrug again is all the answer he needs. he looks at you for about 5 seconds longer then sighs.

he sits down on your bed and keeps staring. katsuki bakugou hates a lot of things and one of those things is you ignoring him. a warm hand on your ankle startles you and you can’t even ask him what he’s doing before your being yanked towards him. you squeal, almost missing the smirk on his face or the huff of laughter at your reaction. almost though, so you glare at him. katsuki looms over you until your noses almost touch, then you turn away with a huff. he chuckles, pressing his lips to your neck.

“ yer such a baby, y’know that ?” he mumbles, smirking against you neck. you huff but make no effort to shrug him off “ no i’m not, jerk. is it so wrong for me to want my boyfriend to ask me to be his valentine’s ?” you grumble, trying to ignore the feel of his warm lips against your skin, it’s not working so well for you.

“s’not what i’m sayin, sweets” he nips at your earlobe “‘m sayin’ ya coulda just told me ‘stead of bein’ a baby about it.” you can’t tell if this is his way of trying to apologize. either way, you don’t want to give in just yet.

“i’m not supposed to tell you to ask me to be your valentine’s katsuki, that’s not the point~ !” you huff petulantly. you feel a but childish but, c’mon ! it’s a given to have your boyfriend as your valentine and it wouldn’t hurt your demon spawn of a boyfriend to be a little but romantic once in a while.

he playfully rolls his eyes at you “see, what’d i tell you? big baby.” leaning forward he nips at your nose making you groan and trying to push him away with your palm. katsuki being the powerhouse that he is, doesn’t budge. “ i didn’t think to ask ya cus you’re already mine. so why should i need to ask something that’s a given ?”

your heart beats faster at his words and katsuki takes his chance when he feels you loosing up more and more. suddenly he’s got your wrists in his grip, holding them above you and looking down at you with that sickeningly handsome smirk. you’re almost there, he can practically feel it.

“i—i’m..still mad at you” you stutter out weakly, your defenses are down.

“yeah ?” he taunts.

“yeah. apologize.”

he scoffs, rolling his eyes lightheartedly “why should i apologize ? you said my fuckin’ feet stink.”

“ ah, ah, ah.” you tut “don’t put words in my mouth, i said your feet were crusty.”

“yeah, thanks babe. that makes it so much better.” he sasses, you laugh “and i complimented you ! i said you were an amazing cook !”

“yeah but that ain’t a compliment, ‘ts a fact.” he says matter of factly, you’re eyes threaten to get stuck at the back of your skull with how hard you roll them and he snickers.

he dives in and steals a kiss, and then another one when you don’t stop him. when he pulls away to catch his breath, ready to steal another kiss you stop him by placing your hand on his chest. he looks down at you questioningly and you give him a raised brow in response. he groans.

“fine. m’sorry” he concedes quietly

“foooorrr ?” you urge.

he narrows his eyes at you as if saying “don’t push it” but swallows his words down “ for not askin’ you to be my valentine’s or whatever the fuck” he shoves his now hot face into your neck and mumbles “now quit bein’ all pissed at me.”

you’re happy enough with that, so you wrap your arms around his neck, one of your hands creeping up his nape and into his hair. he sighs contentedly, clearly enjoying the attention you’re giving him.

“thank you. i’m also sorry for saying you have crusty feet.” hearing him scoff at the accusation makes you giggle “and for putting you up for sale.” he hums, happy with your apology.

“..kinda.”

“oi.” he warns. you giggle in response continuing your ministrations in his hair.

“you still haven’t asked me so..” you trail off. he lifts his head up to look at you with a blond eyebrow raised.

“ does this valentine shit really matter that much to you ?” he asks.

you respond immediately “yes.” nodding aggressively to make your point.

he sighs, shaking his head. he looks at you, then looks off to the side in embarrassment, he can be so cute when he wants to be. steeling his nerves he looks you straight in the eyes. fearless with fierce red cheeks and all.

“b-be my valentine, idiot..”

[artist-issues]

“At least it's not ferociously attacking God quite as directly as Steven Universe did…”

Not that I’m surprised by this statement, but can you elaborate on this? Kinda intrigued by your thoughts on Steven Universe.

Okie dokie, you’re not the only one who has asked me about this, so I suppose I’ll poke the hornet’s nest. 😅 I haven’t talked about this before because I assumed that everyone who wanted to hear my kinds of opinions on stories wasn’t watching or interested in Steven Universe.

It’s like asking vegetarian if they enjoyed a turkey dinner. The turkey dinner was so obviously not made for vegetarians to enjoy, so why would the vegetarian even bother analyzing the turkey?

But I think if some people are asking me why I think Steven Universe is anti-God (of the Bible) its because maybe they don’t know what the turkey is. Not completely. (Maybe not you, because like you said, you’re not surprised by my comment.) So I’ll explain my thoughts on Steven Universe.

If you’re just following me because you liked some stuff I posted, but didn’t realize that I’m a Bible-believing Christian and don’t want to hear about it, unfollow me now. Because I’m going to talk about some hot button issues here and the trolls will come out.

Steven Universe is really well-done. The jokes are funny, the writing is believable, the characters have great chemistry, great design, the concept is fascinating, the slow build-up and reveal of the plot elements is great. But when you watch the throne room scene in the last episode of Season 5 “Change Your Mind,” it’s alarmingly clear how much the whole show is not just settling for defending and championing the LGBTQ+ worldview—it goes all the way to attacking what Christians believe, on the other side.

Anything that’s pro-LGBTQ+ is doing that by default, but this show goes out of its way to do that.

You have to understand: God created and designed us. Deeper than that; He created and designed romantic relationships, and invented marriage. He didn’t just create love—He is love. So when humans come along and do what we’ve always done since the fall, and say, “I’d rather define what Your thing is and how it works for myself, God,” it’s not only an incredible slap in the face, it’s an attack on God’s actual identity—and it’s destructive for us and the people around us. Like a fish insisting it can breathe oxygen.

But Steven Universe goes beyond that. It knows that the Christian worldview is it’s biggest opposition. It digs right down to the heart of the worldview-battle. LGBTQ+ worldview says, “I should get to love what I want and be who I am, because I’m me. Love is love. (By which I mean, any action or relationship I choose to call love is love, because I’m the one calling it that.)”

Biblical worldview says “No, wait, you shouldn’t base your decisions on you alone; what you want changes day to day, and you’re broken, so you can’t ever be satisfied based on what you want—the Bible says God made you for something, and you rejected that, and it broke you. You’re not how you’re meant to be: even what you want and what you think love is is twisted up and can hurt you and others. But if you submit to God He’ll help you, He’ll fix what’s broken and give you new life by making you how you were supposed to be: He’ll live in you and through you.”

Are we beginning to get the picture?

See, the whole thing with the opposing views between LGBTQ+ and Christian people is as old as time. It’s not a new debate. It’s Satan and Eve in the garden. She says, “This is not how God said things should be,” and Satan says, “Are you sure that’s what He said? He knows if you do this thing, you’ll be like Him. You’ll be god: you’ll get to decide ‘how things should be’ for yourself.”

He lied and said that disobedience would satisfy her. That she knew what her own heart needed better than the God that made it did. That the very act of being imperfect would make her godlike.

And then Steven Universe comes along and says “if every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn’t have hotdogs.”

And has a cast of created being characters who’s imperfections (Garnet’s forbidden “love,” Pearl’s obsession, Amethyst’s insecurity) are supposedly “the best thing about them; what makes them who they are.”

And has a main character who used to be a part of the god-like creator relationship, but used her power to come down to earth and completely change who she is into a fully different person.

And has a godlike Creator character who claims she “doesn’t need” her created beings (just like the God of the Bible) but they all have a little part of their creator in them so she has to repress their imperfections; she holds them all to a standard that’s impossible to reach called “perfection” and punishes them when they don’t meet it even though it hurts them to try; she expects them all to do what they were created by her for; she fixes them when they can’t meet her standard by shining her light through them and making them extensions of their Creator.

And has a main character who argues, fights back, tries to stop her, and is answered with lines that sound surprisingly like what LGBTQ+ people hear when Christians argue with them: “you’re only making things worse; you’re just deceiving yourself; even while you resist it your actual light can’t help shining through,” etc.

White Diamond just wants everything to be perfect. Like her. She just wants her created beings to “be themselves.” But what she means is, be how she created them to be.

And she’s the bad guy. She’s playing God in this show, and Rebecca Sugar is saying, “If God is telling us that can only be happy by being perfect, as He is perfect, and doing what He created us to do, then He’s wrong. Our imperfections are what make us special—unique—individuals—free—and there is nobody who has the right to take that freedom away from us, not even out creator!”

And you know what?

If God were like White Diamond, like Rebecca Sugar believes Him to be, Steven Universe would be right.

But He is NOT.

God is not a dictator who forces us to conform to a standard of perfection and then smashes us when we don’t meet it. He is a King who made us perfect to begin with, and we rejected him, because He allowed us to do that. He knew that true love was love that had to be chosen, and He wanted us to love Him by choice, so he gave us the option. But Rebecca Sugar doesn’t understand—there was never “Choose God or Choose Yourself.” There was only, “Choose God or Choose Nothing.” There was nothing except God. Then He created everything. There is no version of reality where you have something better than God, or even slightly less good but different, to pick. You’re not jumping from one ship into a smaller one, but at least it’s yours—you’re jumping from one ship into a void, and then complaining that there’s no other ship. That’s humans. That’s not God. / White Diamond didn’t make her creations perfect (Amethyst) and she didn’t make them for love. She made them for power. That’s not the God of the Bible.

Even when we did choose to try and love ourselves instead of God, and therefore warped our ability to perfectly love at all, He didn’t smash us. True, everything fell and was cursed, which is exactly what He warned us would happen if we chose it, but it was a natural consequence of breaking ourselves. And then He didn’t leave us that way. He didn’t give up on us. And He certainly didn’t just zap us, snap His fingers, quick-fix it and turn us all into robots who are extensions of Him, who say they love Him but only because it’s His voice puppeting us to say it.

No. He came to us, chose to give up His life at the exact point on the timeline when Romans, masters in the art of slow, humiliating, torturous death, would be the ones to carry out His crucifixion, and saved us Himself. Through the sacrifice of His own life. And even then, we still have a choice. We get to choose to accept that incredible self-sacrifice when we don’t deserve it, and be given new life and a relationship with the Creator who knows us and loves us better than we can love ourselves or receive love from others—OR we can just keep stubbornly insisting that our slavery to the opposite of what God wants is somehow freedom, and our twisted versions of love are genuine, and we’re not broken, and die like that. Die broken creatures who lived their whole lives stomping their feet and screaming “I’m not a creature, I’m a god!”

White Diamond sacrifices nothing, because Rebecca Sugar doesn’t know the God of the Bible. She just knows her idea of Him. She’s never actually gotten to know Him. If she had, she’d learn how silly and twisted her idea is.

Because you know what, yeah, if every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn’t have hot dogs. But people aren’t pork chops. And hot dogs have flavor (not better than pork chops) but they are awful for you.

Christians aren’t perfect cuts of meat with no individuality or flavor. Just because we all know and love the same God doesn’t mean we have no personalities. It just means we don’t think so freaking much about what we are, or who we get to be, or what we like and want. Jeez, what a self-centered, narcissistic, self-obsessed way to live. She plays Steven like he’s this wonder-child, innocent and full of heart, who encourages his friends to love and keep trying. But honestly?

This is very pretty animation but it’s not real. Steven looks happy hugging Steven but self-love doesn’t ultimately get you that.

That’s all based on the premise that what he’s encouraging them to do is actually good, and will make them happy, and will help them love better. And it just won’t. Not in real life. That’s not how any of this works. Self-love is just self-obsession. And that is a sure-fire way to hurt you, and everyone around you.

You’ll never be free by choosing to run to a worse master. You’ll never be satisfied with your crappy attempts at loving yourself, because you were made to be loved flawlessly and forever by someone who is Love Himself.

And choosing to identify with your imperfections doesn’t make you uniquely you. It just makes you exactly like every other human being marching in the same line since the Fall.

White Diamond’s not relational. She’s up high and distant. That’s not God. He made you to be in relationship with Him. He loves you, totally and perfectly, and He proved it by sacrificing for You.

So yeah. That’s the problem with Steven Universe. Come get me, SU fans.