#I also believe they will have to have a conversation about her being self rescuing princess and she will set boundaries with him

[winterarmyy]

And You're Mine

How grumpy chubby alpha!bucky finally found his omega

Summary: In which Bucky, the big, scary, 'undesired alpha' was tricked into a blind date where he met his precious little omega.

Navigation: Prequel || Main Story I || Main Story II || Main Story III

Words: 4.7k++

Pairing: chubby alpha!bucky x omega!female!reader

Warnings: implied 18+ content, implied smut, a/b/o dynamics, self-deprication, body shaming, tiny bit of angst, fluffiness, bucky has a size kink (if you squint), horny-ass bucky has lots of dirty thoughts, vivian being a digusting bitch, protective y/n, even more protective bucky and overall wholesome.

P/S: Ahhhhhhhhh!!! My first omega-verse fic; i have no clue what I'm doing. This is mostly self-indulgent but if you come across this and somehow interested to read it then I hope you enjoy!

Read my other works here: Masterlist

"Are you fucking with me right now?" Bucky momentarily shuts his eyes, slightly titled his chin upwards, as if that'll help the boiling blood within his nerves to cool down.

Steve had expected that his best friend would be a little bit annoyed with his decision to trick him into agreeing to this suprise date but he didn't expect him to get this pissed, "Come on now, Buck. I promise you're gonna love this one."

"You said the same shit everytime!" Bucky almost roared in the middle of the crowded carnival, but he held back with a muted growl.

Ever since he lost his left arm on a rescue mission during his time in the Special Forces Unit, the society had deemed him to be "lesser than" despite the alpha title he was born into.

You would've thought that serving your country for about 6 years of your early 20's would be enough of a reason to make up for the so called "lacking", but no.

Apparently, his heroic contributions, his Sargent rank, and his literal blood, sweat and tears meant nothing when he returned home as an amputee.

Even if he came back with the medal of honor, pinned on the fabric of his uniform, right on his prideful chest; they didn't care. A defected alpha is as good as dead, especially in this modern, competitive society where its a lot more difficult to find a mate.

At first Bucky was optimistic, he didn't let them get to him.

He believed that his mate is out there somewhere, waiting for him, as he is for her.

After Stark Technologies offered him to join their research for under the Prosthetics and Orthotics Division, Bucky was lucky to fully revived his left arm in a form a vibranium prosthetic.

Even then, as time passed, the venomous whispers eventually managed to seep through; like any other poison, it is lethal to his mind.

And Bucky stopped trying to be an alpha. His pride was maimed and he let himself wallow in self hatred; letting his insecurity consume him. Eventually quite literally ate his pain away.

They said that he was rubbing salt to his own wound as now he was not just an amputated alpha, he is also a fat one at that.

With his alpha reputation being at its worst, his chances of finding a mate also went down hill.

"This one's gonna be different. Trust me." Steve claimed.

Bucky doesn't know why Steve seemed really convinced. But he wasn't having any of that, he rolled his eyes into a glare, "And how's that?"

Steve's blue eyes sparked as optimism lit on his face, "Well, first of all, she's one of Peggy's closest friends and.."

"Oh great, now you involve your omega into this." Bucky let out an unfiltered scoff before sarcastically exclaimed, "Just fantastic."

Steve growled at the mention of his mate, "Watch it, Bucky." He warned.

Bucky's drilling glare remained the same as Steve's alpha challenged his.

It's not that Bucky is against the idea of Peggy or any other omega helping him in any way. But, Steve had been annoyingly persistent with these set ups and he was sick of it. Perhaps he was a bit petty bringing Peggy into the conversation but he really was just tired of this.

Steve's scowl gradually soften before he continued his reasons, "...And, your date is actually the one requesting for a set up with you."

And that definitely caught Bucky's attention. Steve could see it, especially when Bucky's ears perked up a little and his ever-lasting frown loosen at the tiniest amount.

Steve smirked triumphantly, "Specifically you."

For moment, there was a hesitation on Bucky's side; and there were only the chaotic atmosphere around them. From the screaming of the riders on the roller coater to the giggles of children at the nearby courasell.

Steve really thought he managed to lure Bucky but he was caught by surprise when Bucky replied, "You'd think I'd fall for that crappy excuse of a lie? No. I'm leaving." Bucky turned on his heels.

"I'm not lying." Steve stopped him as he held on his arm, "Hey, you're gonna break her heart."

"Break her heart? How about mine? Just how many more heart breaks do I have to endure? How much more disappointment do I have to go through?"

Bucky gathered his palms into fists as he recalled all the mean, insulting words his past lovers had thrown at him and all those time he wasted on waiting for his dates to show up.

Just before Bucky planning to lash out, a voice interupted his thoughts "Hey, sorry for being late." Peggy came just in time.

Though it was just her; no sign of his so called date around.

An unexpected sting spreads within Bucky's chest. Of course she would stood him up too. Why was he surprised?

Steve pulled his omega into a tight hug, "Hey, baby. Where's y/n?" He asked.

"She's went to the bathroom." Peggy replied before taking a peep towards Bucky, "She got really nervous when she saw you. She might take some time to calm down. She thought its better if you know." Peggy explained.

On one side, Bucky can feel that sliver of hope creeping in. He look down to where he was supposed to see his feet, but unable to see them as now they're blocked by the round of his soft tummy. That's when the dark thoughts clouded his mind.

Was she just feeling nervous or was she regretting her decision?

After a short back and forth explanation, Peggy swept Steve away and had left Bucky on his own. She claimed that the line to the haunted house will double if they wait any longer. But, Bucky knew that they just wanted to leave him and his date alone.

Like every other date before, Bucky was emotions was all over the place; nervous, scared, intrigued, excited but what's different tonight was he also felt angry and annoyed. Which was not a good thing to feel on a date.

So he went to a Whac-A-Mole machine near the spot where he was supposed to wait for his date. He had to hit something. He just had to. He need to let his anger out one way or another.

His gloved hand gripped tightly on the wooden handle as he waited for the next round. Smack after smack, next was harsher than before, he did felt better. But even if the fire was out, the ashes were still burning.

As he was fixated on whacking the shit out of the moles, a particular scent invaded his nostrils. A sweet-smelling scent; something between a mix of cotton candy and butterscotch-caramel nuances.

It should be normal to smell this at a place such as a carnival; but the food stalls were all the way on the other end of the venue and this scent was too strong, too potent, to be that far away from him.

Bucky just had to stop as he relished the pleasant smell; it was truly a sweet and warm gourmand scent that ushered him in and out between nostalgic memories and pure raging lust.

That was when he heard a voice coming from his back, "You must've been really bored waiting that you started without me." She sounded amused when she let out a quiet laugh.

Even before Bucky had the chance to turn around he knew he was fucked; she just had to have the most captivating scent he had ever smell, and the most beautiful-sounded laughter he had ever heard.

What a foul torment to do to an alpha.

When Bucky turned around, he would've missed her if he wasn't paying enough attention on the lower area of his view.

And there she stood, in all her glory of ethereal beauty; small and sweet-looking in an off-shoulder sundress that does nothing but tempt Bucky to leave his mark all over her exposed skin. A simple necklace adorned with a gleaming stone that shines much like her eyes. A shy smile that may have just triggered some dark thoughts in Bucky's mind on corrupting the poor little thing.

"James, right? I'm y/n." she introduced herself but when Bucky's gaze fell on her rosy lips, all he could think was how bad he wanted to bite and suck on them just see if it'll get redder than they already were.

He was too focused entertaining on his inner beast's thoughts that he just stood there in silence, frowning intensely at the sweet little omega in front of him.

Y/N took his unresponsiveness as a sign of anger, so quickly apologised for her tardiness, "Sorry for making you wait so long. When we..i mean I. When I saw you, the nerves started kicking in." At least she tried to, despite stuttering in the between her words.

Fuck, she's such a pretty doll but above all, Bucky just wanted to protect her from the world, provide for her with anything she deserves, treat her like an absolute queen, worship every inch of her being like his own personal goddess and jesus fuck these urges came in stronger than he ever experienced.

With the lights coming from behind, Bucky's face was in the shadows and Y/N misterinterpret his spell-bound, diluted eyes to something else.

Y/N's brows creased in hesitation as she wonders if Bucky was still mad, "Uhh... oh shit" then her eyes widen in a false realization, "Is the something on my face?" She frantically searched for her phone in her bag.

And fuck does that big doe eyes of hers just casually seduce Bucky to think of how she would look when she's taking his cock in her mouth. She'd be so fucking pretty.

She knew she should've used her phone's camera to re-apply her lipstick instead of the cracked mirror at the carnival's bathroom, "The mirror here is f--"

Yes, Bucky would want to breed her so good that she would always be full with his pups.

She's undeniably... "Perfect." Bucky finally spoke after what seemingly feels like forever.

His voice was laced with a hint of territorial grunt that Y/N was not able to catch what he said, "Hmm?" She titled her head to the side, eyes pleading for him to repeat.

It took Bucky all of his mental strength to hold back his alpha urges when he repeats, "You're perfect, doll. Just absolutely perfect." A cheshire smile decorated his handsome face.

Did he meant to say she look perfect? Well, yes but no. He clearly meant she was perfect, her whole being. But Y/N took it as the prior, "Thank you." She smiled sweetly as her cheeks warmed.

Bucky definitely noticed the slight indent of her left dimple. And he wondered how would it felt against his fingers. "Adorable." He thought as his smile grew wider.

Y/N had been waiting for this moment, to finally had a chance to have this man even for a day, especially considering she had the biggest crush on this stranger that helped her a year ago.

One time she might just had met her potential mate was that one time she had to be dosed with shit tons of scent blockers. And that might just be reason why Bucky may not remember her but that's fine. She had one more chance with him tonight.

After that encounter, his scent, his voice, his presence lingered in her mind longer than she anticipated. At least until the moment Peggy showed a photo her alpha that had Bucky in it.

She grew hopeful and had been pestering her to set up somehow set up date with him.

When the time finally comes, she couldn't help but to fell into panic, "Did I introduce myself? I'm y/n" she completely forgot that she already did that.

Bucky let out the most adorable laugh before he reminded her, "You very well did, sugar." His hand move so naturally to tuck the strand of her hair behind her ear as she fell into utter embrassement.

"I'm Bucky." He finally introduced himself.

"Bucky?" Y/N outwardly questioned. She thought his name was James, as Peggy said it was.

He hummed softly as he nodded, "The name's James Bucky Barnes." He explained. "Just call me Bucky, yeah sugar?" He duck his head to peek on her redden face, "...cause I can't guarantee my behaviour around you if you keep calling me James." He quirked his eyebrow as his teasing grin spreads.

Oh, he was definitely and unashamedly insinuated something quite unholy there.

Bucky straighten on his back as he offered his arms, "Shall we, then? I would love to know more about you, sweet 'mega."

No matter how infatuated Bucky was with this lovely little omega clinging to his arm; a part of him was also on a defensive mode.

His insecurities gets the best of him when he believe that all of this was just an act, a cruel prank that fate has set up for him or maybe he was just having a ridiculous dream, knowing how pitiful his reality was.

Despite his gentle smile and longing gaze that's lingering on Y/N who was having the best time of her life as her bright eyes sparked at the vibrant and colorful firework show, deep down, he couldn't help to think that sooner or later, all of this will end like it always does.

Another heart break he needed to endure.

But, she was truly an angel. She was everything he could ever hoped for, everything that he could ever long for.

He can't belive that she would spend even a second of her time with a defected, fat, angry looking alpha such as himself.

Maybe this won't be just another heart break.

Maybe this would be the cause for him to actually break beyond repairable.

And she would be the catalyst.

"Thank you for today, Bucky. I truly enjoy my time with you." She confessed with a sincere appreciation and admiration towards him. She shyly broke their eye contact as her finger fiddled with soft fur of the teddy bear that Bucky won for her.

It reminds her of him so much that she insisted that he need to win it for her.

So he did.

His alpha couldn't help to puff with pride. "Omega's happy because of us." But his lips remain shut with a loving smile curved on it.

The dimple on her cheek appeared again and this time he didn't stop his hand from reaching out. Though they were gloved, he still let himself feeling the pleasure of grazing his fingers along her cheek, through her dimple and stopped underneath her chin.

Bucky pulled her closer as he dipped down to her level. Warmth sparked in Y/N's chest, as if the fireworks show magically transferred within her instead, "Buck--"

"Bucky?" A women's voice interupted their moment. "Bucky is that you?" She called again and her familiarity had caught both Y/N and Bucky's attention.

"Oh my god! It is you!" her ecstatic tone might have fool Y/N for a second there.

Maybe she's a close friend of Bucky, but when she saw the colors from his face drained quite drastically, she might need to hold on to that thought.

"Vivian." Bucky's tone changed into something Y/N couldn't put her finger on. Sorrow? Anger? Regret? She wasn't sure but it was not a positive response.

The claimed omega sauntered closer and peered towards Y/N with a glint of judgment in her eyes, "And I see you managed to trick another one, huh?"

That triggered a scarring spot within Bucky.

He could still remember the way she accused him of luring and tricking omega to be with him. Apparently, she couldn't stand being him during intimate time especially during his ruts.

And one particular moment when his rut was at its peak and she couldn't stop herself to turn into an unforgiving monster.

"I can't believe I fell for your charms. Then now I need to deal with this." Vivian looked away, unable to look at her boyfriend, hot and bothered, bare and in pain.

Bucky pants and groan as Vivian continued to insult him from the corner of him room, "Look at you, Bucky! You look fucking pathetic!" She yelled as she angrily pointed her hands towards him.

He turn to his side facing her, and curled his body to manage the raging pain of wanting to stick his cock into something. Vivian was to busy ranting that she couldn't see the fire in Bucky's grilling frown.

"You can't expect me to touch you now especially with your big fucking belly spilling out like that. God, you're sweating like damn dog and you fucking reek!" Her eyes narrowed and her nose wrinkled in disgust before she continued, "And don't get me started with that wretched arm of yours."

That's it. Bucky was not having any of it anymore. He was seconds away from slamming Vivian's face to the wall as his primal alpha needs to aggress were also heighten in his rut.

"Then, get the fuck out of my house, you useless annoying bitch." Bucky growled through his pain.

Vivian was not able to catch a breath as her mouth hang open in shock. Bucky never been that harsh with her but honestly it was about time he did.

"Don't even think of coming back." He warned as she closed the doors behind her.

Unknowingly leaving Bucky's heart bruised and battered.

That was almost a year ago. Bucky gave her the benefit of a doubt as he thought maybe she would change once she find her the love life but apparently she is as vicious as ever.

The tall blonde continue to linger as she asked, "Did you know? About that arm of his?"

Y/N didn't know what she was talking about but she didn't want to entertain this woman, especially when Bucky was clearly uncomfortable with her presence.

Though her silence only lead Vivian to speculate, "Aww, you poor thing, you don't know, do you?" Her mockery was getting worst, "It's fake, honey. He lost his arm many years ago." She flicked Bucky's left arm with long bird-like nails; or claws, that seemed more accurate.

Bucky caught the way Y/N's eyes briefly glanced at his covered arms then his gloved hand. What was she thinking then? Does she think that he was defected? That he is a damaged goods?

He couldn't help to let his mind wonder to the worst case scenarios and to make the unpleasant situation even worse Vivian slightly tugged Bucky's jacket to the side.

Revealing his round and plushy belly, "And fuck did you get bigger?" She sneered as the ruthless insult continue to spill.

"Shut up." Y/N's broken silence caught them off guard.

Vivian scoffed, "What?"

Y/N piercing gaze landed on Vivian's hand still tugging Bucky's jacket. She harshly grabbed her on the wrist, didn't care whether if her nails would dug into the woman's skin.

"I said..." The air felt heavier, only for Y/N to shove more force to it when her voice dropped a few octaves down, "Shut the fuck up before I tear your throat apart."

How dare she insult her alpha, especially when Y/N was right there with him.

"Are sure you want to do that?" Vivian's alpha suddenly stepped in. Even though he clearly was not interested in the matter a few seconds ago.

Y/N took a step forward, "Try me." She dared him.

"I might as well fuck your balls up while I'm at that, huh? Maybe you'll learn a thing or two about subduing your insolent omega."

Oh, she meant what she said; its especially clear when the growling started to peak a presence through her voice.

The taller was bright red, with embrassment and anger, "You're talking to an alpha. Know your place 'mega!" He forced his alpha command on her.

She fought back as much as she could but of course she was forced to submit. When the alpha tried to reach for her, that's when Bucky blocked his way.

Bucky's demeanour completely changed into something different. His meek presence vanished and now turned into a pure and primal rage. Good thing was he contained it quite well so he won't cause a scene but his gaze degrades the one before him.

Though the alpha was slightly taller but Bucky was certainly bigger and being a veteran, of course he'd be stronger. One wrong move, he might get a chance to meet the grim reaper sooner than he'd expect.

It felt as if Bucky was towering over the alpha, as he challenged him to come a step further, "Touch her and you're dead." Bucky let out a deep, murderous growl as he threatened.

The alpha was about to protest but was forced into a frozen state as he look into Bucky's sapphire eyes; there was something ominous about it, something dark and dangerous.

Being overwhelmed by Bucky's strong scent of rage, Vivian quickly pulled her alpha away, "Let's just go... They're not worth it." She coaxed, and the alpha agreed.

Before they leave, she managed to slip a last comment, as she wishes luck to Bucky, "Goodluck keeping this one." She thought she was being sleek when she whispered so quietly but Y/N heard that just fine.

When Y/N snapped out of the alpha command, she grunted, "I'm gonna kill her." What a menancing look in those coffee-stained eyes of hers.

Bucky only softened to her threatening aggressions, "No, you're not " he rubbed his hand to the sides of her arms, trying to calm her down.

Which failed miserably when she replied, "Watch me." She spun around, eyes searching in the crowd, trying to spot a glimpse of the rude couple.

"Hey hey, omega." Bucky quickly catch her before she could walk further, pulling her back to his chest, both of his arms securing her waist, "Calm down. Shhh shhh." Bucky let out a calming rumble from within his chest, coaxing her softly,  "Killing is not necessary, sugar."

Despite her tensed body were starting to relax, her mind certainly wasn't, "And why the hell not?" Her small hands gripped onto the fabric of Bucky's jacket on his arms.

"No one deserved to be treated like that." She whispered softly as Bucky continued to kiss the top of her head, mumbling quiet 'I know, doll. I know' 

"You don't deserve to be treated like that, Bucky." Her voice shivered despite her efforts to conceal them.

Bucky loosen his grip and turned her to face him. His loving gaze took in every single one of Y/N's sweet features; from her teary eyes to her redden nose and pouty lips.

He wanted to kiss each of them, in hopes of making her feel better. But he doesn't want to take any chances as he had already made a bold move to hug her from behind and kiss her head prior.

Bucky looked down at his dark midnight glove, and Y/N took his lead. Before she could say anything, Bucky started pulling each one off. Revealing his calloused right hand and a shiny black and gold prosthetic on the other.

He can't see her reaction to his vibranium arm, but he imagined the worst. He took in a shaky breath before he spoke, "Alpha is supposed to be perfect. They supposed to be capable. So that they can provide and protect their omega."

He paused as Y/N wrapped took both of his hand in hers but then continued regardless, "And I am far from being perfect or ideal. I lost a limb and gained pounds in return. I can't hide that fact."

"But I swear to god y/n, I never intent on tricking you or using you, in any way." In the end, Vivian's gaslighting effect of Bucky was still stronger as ever.

Why couldn't he see that there was nothing less about him.

"It's pretty." Y/N titled his left hand back and forth, watching the glow on the gold lines reflect the lights of the carnival; each move create random sparkling dots on its smooth surface, it looks like stars.

Bucky didn't understand at first until she looked up at him, with eyes gleaming with mixture of intrigued and infatuation, "It's so pretty, and Bucky..." She reached her hand to his face, gently rubbing her thumb on his stubble jaw, "You're beautiful. All of you." She confessed.

She carefully pulled her hand away from his cheek, and grabbed his left hand with both of hers, allowing it draw near to her lips before she placed a loving kiss on it, "This arm," Then her hands caressed the softness of his tummy, "this body," before they stopped at his chest where his beating heart resides, "this heart. Every single part of you is beyond beauty itself."

Bucky frowned as he find it hard to believe and Y/N knew that, "I mean it, Bucky."

A short chuckle left her lips as a thought run through her mind, "God, you'd be running scared, if you know half of the things I would love to do to you."

Bucky bit back a smile as he let his teeth sink into his bottom lip.

Y/N continued as she held onto his hands, "But, above all Bucky, you are the sweetest man I've met." There was nothing more sincere than her words, "Yeah I know we just met and what not, but if I can see that just in one night, imagine if I get to know more of you tomorrow or the next day and next week?"

Her grip on him grew stronger as she reminded him, "Don't let an impudent omega or anyone even, convice you otherwise."

"Because Bucky, you are as lovable as a person can be." She placed his palm on either side of her cheeks, purring as the sensation on skin felt so right, "And I am absolutely honoured and proud to be standing here with an alpha like you." She smiled like she was the happiest omega on earth.

And Bucky could not control the overwhelming joy within his thundering chest as it bursts with endless fluttering butterflies. He had never felt such comfort, such reassurance in his life, especially after returning home from the army.

Flickers igniting as he leaned in closer and closer until their lips touched, tentively for the first time. The smell of her cotton candy and caramel, so sweet and so soft, it was almost dizzying, but he was more than thrilled to let it consume him. 

Y/N briefly parted her lips to let him in and leaned into the kiss, wanting more of the delicious sensation of his lips, his tongue on hers. Bucky wanted nothing more than devour her, memorizing of every single moan that fell into his mouth.

It felt so right; it was exactly was his soul had been yearning for and more.

Breaking the kiss was the reminder to both of them they need air to breath, and Bucky rested his forehead on hers as he took in everything that just happened.

While Y/N found herself completely drunk to the feeling of love within her body and soul, she whispered dearly as she scatters most tender kisses all over Bucky's face, "You're so pretty. So perfect. So... mine."

And that caught Bucky in another spiral of confusion; she could see it in face especially with his sapphire eyes being as wide as they were.

She giggled amusingly before she proposed, "Will you be mine, James Bucky Barnes?"

God, he was supposed to be the alpha here. But what can he say, his omega is quite a special one.

He breathed a relief sigh, "Yes." Leaned in for a quick taste of her lips before asking his a question of his own, "And you're mine?"

Her nose crunched as she booped its tip on his, "Always." She replied. Bucky could feel her smile against his lips and so does she.

Unbeknownst to the happy couple, a few feet away from them was Peggy who was busy clicking her camera away, trying to get the best shot she could out of the couple while Steve was trying hard to hold back his proud sniffles as he stood guard near his omega.

End.

Read my other works here: Masterlist

A/N: Sooooooo what you think? Feel free to give feedback I love reading your thoughts!

[maximumqueer]

I've recently been thinking a lot about Luffy in the early chapters of Wano, and how he expressed his anger in those chapters. Because while early Wano is probably the angriest we seen Luffy post-ts, it is also (up until his confrontation with Kaido) the quietest we've seen his anger. And I think him forming a sibling-like relationship with Tama, as well as the context in which he met her, plays a big role in that.

The first interaction the two of them have is Tama raising her hands into the air and shouting to him that she surrenders. She in that moment clearly views Luffy as a potential threat, and is trying to mitigate any further harm that could potentially be done to her. Obviously Luffy wouldn't hurt Tama in any way, but I do think that being their first interaction shapes the way Luffy behaves around Tama in terms of anger and violence. Because while Luffy didn't see Tama get kidnapped by the men he beat up, or hear their threats of selling her to the red light district, it is clear that through that further interaction with Tama, his conversation with Hitetsu (the masked man who acted as Tama's sometimes guardian), as well as just his ability to read people well, he realizes that Tama has been on the receiving end of adults (particularly men's) anger and violence. For us the audience, this is further confirmed with our intro to Tama, where in her attempt to stand up for herself, she is kidnapped, threatened, and stuffed into a bag to be sold into slavery.

As such, when Luffy does express his anger when Tama is present, is is always when their is physical distance between them or when Tama cannot hear/see him. This panel

is an example of that. Luffy waited to vocally express his anger and frustration at Tama not being able to get food with any regularity until she is asleep.

And this isn't to say that Luffy is coddling Tama or walking on eggshells around her in a way that would be out of character for him. He is still very blunt in telling her about Ace's death, but when it comes to his anger and violence, he is very mindful of how he shows both when he is around Tama.

Later, when she is once again taken by Kaido's men, and Luffy rescues her from Kamijiro (the man with the lion on his stomach) and he realizes that he hurt Tama, he drops her, creating space between them as he goes to fight Kamijiro out of anger.

Part of this is obviously for Tama's safety. But I truly believe that the other part is him wanting to make sure that Tama knows that his anger in this moment and the acts of violence he is committing, are in no way directed at her, but instead done FOR her, and directed at the man who harmed her.

This is a side of Luffy we almost never see. Because he is not just being protective of Tama in regards to outside forces, but also as it relates to his own behavior. How for a young kid who has known not much else than indifference, anger, and violence at the hands of the adults in her life, Luffy has sworn to only show her kindness (in his own very Luffy way) and support.

And I think nothing else shows his dedication to kindness toward Tama than his promise to make Wano a place where she can eat her fill every day. Because to Luffy, giving food is the ultimate act of kindness, of care that a person can do for another. It's why his philosophy about heroes is so heavily reliant on food and the act of sharing it. Because to Luffy, heroes are the kind and selfless people who give food to others. And even though he does not view himself as selfness, that he stated that he doesn't want to be a hero, he will for Tama. He will give her food so that she will know and understand that he will not be like Kaido's men, or the hundreds of people who walked past her without second glance as she sold her hats in the street. That he will care for her, and that he will help to make Wano a place where she knows far more kindness that hatred.

[oppropro]

Chapter 2 of my fanfic

I am so happy to receive the positive feedback on my story inspired by @jttw-monkeybusiness. I had a hard time writing this chapter as it is from the perspective of different pilgrims. I want their thoughts to be believable and true to their nature, while also being true to @celestialkiri 's vision of these characters in her AU. I got a bit overly ambitious with this chapter and had to cut it short; the rest of the story will continue in a 3rd chapter. This has a better narrative flow.

So without further ado; I present chapter 2 of Monkey Business based on the creations of @jttw-monkeybusiness all credit goes to her.

********

CHAPTER 2- Here's your sign

            Sun Wukong, King of Mount Huaguo, Great Sage equal to heaven, was losing his patience. His master, the monk Tripitaka once again avoided near death thanks to the valiant efforts of his disciple, Sun Wukong. The very same disciple he chose to ignore when he warned the monk of the dangers of the demon hoard that had laid a trap to kill and eat the monk. A trap so obvious even Pigsy should have seen coming. That is, if Pigsy could ever think with his brain and not his stomach.

            And what thanks does Wukong get for saving his master and his pig-headed brother? Another lecture on how violence does not solve every problem. Well, violence certainly solved that problem. Besides, if his master had simply listened to him in the first place, they could have easily avoided the demon’s trap and Wukong wouldn’t have to resort to violence.

            “Hardships we face on our pilgrimage are simply a test of faith, and it is through our faith that we will ultimately persevere.” Monk Tripitaka spoke in a slow and deliberate manner.

            “Well then start showing more faith in me!” Wukong replied.

            “This journey is not just about you.”

            “And yet it is I, once again, coming to everyone’s rescue.”

            “I appreciate that you were able to rescue us, but that does not change the fact that you do not get to dictate the path we must follow, or default to wanton violence as a solution to every obstacle.”

            “Those demons were going to eat you and the pig alive! They weren’t even coy about it! If everyone just listened to me, it wouldn’t have even been an obstacle.”

            “We cannot avoid every danger, or burden, or obstacle we face on our journey.” Tripitaka’s tone conveyed a clear message: this conversation was over. “Even if such a challenge were to fall from the heavens and land directly on us. We will face whatever lies before us head on and accept the fate that has been ordained by Buddha.”

            “Well then, Master, you can find somebody else to save your ass because I am tired of being the only one around here who-” Wukong’s sentence was cut short as, apropos of the monk’s declaration, the heavens had opened up and a strange blonde woman fell upon the angry monkey’s back.

********

            Sandy, Pigsy, and Bai Long stood at the side of a clearing and watched their brother and their master argue back and forth. They had seen this exact same scenario played out before; it was safe for them to assume that it wasn’t going to be the last. The novelty of these fights had worn off and now they simply wished they would get to the point where Wukong would learn his lesson about self-control, humility, and acceptance so they could move on with their journey. For all the talk about other people slowing him down, Wukong sure liked to waste time arguing moot points.

            However, a girl falling from the heavens and landing on their elder brother’s back was new. They and the monk stood agog staring at the unforeseen spectacle before them: the woman had hair the colour of summer sun, and her clothes were foreign. The sack that she carried on her back had fallen off, that too was made of some strange and heavenly material not found on earth.

            Her face had landed in the dirt, her legs tangled amongst the limbs of Sun Wukong, and she moaned as she cradled her temples in her arms, nursing whatever wound she incurred from her less than graceful decent from heaven.

            Tripitaka was the first to break free from his spell. Still unable to process what had just happened, he rushed to the side of the stranger in an attempt to help her sit up an regain her composure. Pigsy followed his master’s lead and the two of them were able to prop the woman up and assess her for any injuries: some bumps and scratches, all superficial. That didn’t rule out the risk of any serious, or even deadly, head wounds.

            “Little sister, are you hurt?” the monk asked. “Do you understand me? Can you open your eyes?”

            The woman replied with a whimper, as she slowly blinked her eyes several times trying to purge her tears. Pigsy watched her blue eyes dilate and constrict in an attempt to regain focus. They had never seen a foreigner before. He knew that humans in other countries looked different, and that they were bound to meet foreigners on their journey to India, but the difference in eye colour was striking. This wasn’t something to dwell on, however; the woman needed help.

            “Good, good, little sister, you’re going to be alright. Let us help you. Just keep breathing nice and slowly.” Pigsy spoke to the woman in a low, slow voice and began to exaggerate his breath in so that the stranger might mimic him.

            “HOW ABOUT THE TWO OF YOU QUIT FAWNING OVER THAT STUPID SKY WOMAN AND HELP YOUR BROTHER OUT!”

            Wukong’s voice hit the stranger like a slap to the face. She gasped as her eyes widened and she finally focused on her surroundings. Pigsy was familiar with the expression on the stranger’s face: shock, confusion, fear; a primal fight or flight reaction that all humans experience when face to face with a demon.

            The stranger’s breath became quick and shallow, Pigsy could sense her heart rate bounding. There may still have been hope that Tripitaka may calm her down, but as she looked down at his elder brother, the demon monkey trapped between her legs, flashing his fangs as he scowled at the woman, he knew what was about to happen.

            He let go of the stranger as she screamed and began kicking wildly at Wukong until they were finally untangled. As the terrified woman struggled on all fours to get up and make a mad dash into the forest, Wukong jumped up with an unwarranted sense of accomplishment. Congratulations you stupid monkey; you successfully scared a woman.

            Tripitaka went to mount Bai Long. “Sandy. Pigsy. Please, help me look for our new companion. Monkey, you stay here and watch over our camp.”

            Whatever pride Wukong felt fled his body as soon as his master spoke. “What? Why are you chasing after her? She means nothing to us.”

            “Where you not paying attention to what our master had said?” Pigsy spat.

            “Yes. Even if such a challenge were to fall from the heavens and land directly on us. Well, I just passed buddha’s test. I overcame that challenge and didn’t even resort to violence. I guess I have learned my lesson now and we can all continue on our way. Oh thank you great and wise buddha! You have made me a better monkey.”

            “You have learned nothing,” Tripitaka snapped. “Now we have to go find this woman lest a fate worse than crashing into you befalls her.”

            The monkey growled. His blood was beginning to boil.

            “Then I will bring this challenge back to you, master.”             Wukong took off in the same direction as the woman before the monk could object. beginning to boil. He raced through the canopy following the stranger’s trail. The path she left was easy enough to follow. Even if it wasn’t glaringly obvious, Wukong could smell her: her scent; her blood; her fear. He could hear her: her ragged breath; her racing heart; her pitiful cries for help. The great monkey king would catch up to this pathetic whelp in no time and return her to his master so he can figure out what he wants to do with her. But before he brought her to his master, Wukong had some questions of his own to ask the woman. At the very least, this stupid woman owed Sun Wukong an apology.

[chron0ph0bia]

im sorry the way ur talking about carini is just giving misogyny… she’s literally apologised for the way she acted, not shaking khelif‘s hand etc. she never said a single thing against khelif, she said she had to end the fight bc it was too much for her. but nothing against khelif & nothing abt her being trans/intersex. be mad abt the way khelif is being treated, but why r u calling carini a bitch and a crybaby for deciding to end a fight she felt unsafe in. she didn’t start the transphobic & misogynistic conversation around khelif.

I'm calling her a bitch cause she singlehandedly started a global witch hunt against a poc? I'm calling her a bitch cause she called the fascist pm who DID say all the transphobic misogynist things (and who RAN on them) her mother? I'm calling her a bitch cause she's a cop? I'm calling her a crybaby not because she got out of the fight which she has every right to do, but because the veiled comments she said and the way it was handled was fuel for the entire shit storm we saw. I'm calling her a bitch for acting in a way far right SALVINI would endorce.

She didn't even apologise for the entire shit storm she caused. She paid lip service, but an apology for the witch hunt you instigated? A personal apology to the actual person she hurt instead of stuff to the media? It isn't enough, she just covered her own ass. She should know better. She should've acted better. It doesn't take a genius to see what effects her actions would cause.

I called her a crybaby cause I was really fucking mad.

I'm calling her a crybaby for using her white woman tears to HURT a poc woman. I don't understand why you felt the need to come to her defense? I'm a nobody on the Internet, if I see her down the street I'll call her a bitch to her face but Italys a big country.

Also.. her safety? Bitch her safety? It's the Olympics, a televised event, a regulated sport. There's regulations, rules.. She got scared and quit, that's alright, but to act as if she was on the floor with a rabid dog (or a Dangerous Man, which is what the words you're using imply) is straight up false, and I want you to analyse your biases the same way you asked me to analyse mine. Why did you feel the need to rescue her, after all the support and media attention she got? Why were you so quick to excuse her, say "ohhh no she didn't mean it, she said sorry, seeee" when she didn't even "properly" apologise at all. Why were you so quick to take the responsibility off of a woman? It's giving infantilisation, when no, she's 25. She's older than me. She's in the public eye. She shakes hands with fascists publically and gives herself deniability by letting the others say the quiet part out loud.

Also I have the right to make fun of an athlete representing my country pulling out in the most pathetic way possible, causing a media shit storm and acting as if she's not a fucking BOXER. Who signed up to get beat up by the best punchers in the world. And. Most Importantly, WHO GOT A HUNDRED THOUSAND FUCKING DOLLARS FROM THE TRANSPHOBIC ORG AFTER THE FACT. She PROFITED. off of this. As if she'd won gold, if this isn't a spit in the face to female boxing I don't know what is.

I would love to have a conversation about internalised misogyny with you but I don't believe it applies here, I may not express myself 1000% coherently all the time on my own blog but I beg you to read the room. I don't have anything against you btw, this is all in good faith. I've done self analysis and I don't think what I've said was misogynistic at all, but a strongly worded answer to the veiled misogyny that was so frustrating to see. Anyway have a good one

[chaztalk]

Yes, yes I know this is hella long, so just scroll to the bottom if necessary

TLDR: I’m a Romione shipper and here’s why I don’t like Hermione

I can understand the criticisms of Hermione’s character, but this is more like “I don’t like what the particular things Hermione did” rather than actually analyzing her character. Also that last sentence in the first paragraph, you could really say about any of the Golden Trio, receiving very few consequences and actually learning from them.

Cuz the actual truth behind JKR’s writing of Hermione is a product of being JKR’s self-insert and even though, she is a main character in the series, the author doesn’t necessarily care about her because we know next to nothing about her life as a muggle, her parents, and her personality outside of magic.

And OP stated that Hermione doesn’t face consequences in the series, but that, however, is not entirely true. She turned into a half-cat after not being cautious enough/making sure that she used a human hair instead of a cat hair. She was given the silent treatment until she apologized about her cat. In OOTP, at the DoM, she was hit by a dangerous curse because she was distracted by doing a celebration mid-battle. And in HBP, she was allegedly sexually assaulted if she didn’t run away from him.

So now let’s break this analysis down:

PS- they name none of her strengths, only her “flaws”. I don’t understand how being a rule follower is really a flaw. And her. Close-mindedness comes actually later in the series (opinions about centaurs and Divination). She froze under pressure once. Being socially awkward for 11/12 year old isn’t really out of the ordinary and doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a sign of a complex character.

CoS- Hermione’s 12-13 years old. It’s normal to develop a crush on someone, regardless on who the actually person they have a crush on are.

The one positive most people give Hermione is that she’s book smart. So I don’t understand how it’s hard to believe Hermione was able to brew polyjuice potion when you just have to read the steps to make it.

And even though, she figured out the mystery, she didn’t win a thing unlike Harry and Ron.

“Ron’s influence is working”. What? How come they never elaborate on things like this?

PoA- I also don’t understand the claim that most people would side with Hermione in the Crookshanks/Scabbers fiasco. Harmione shippers and Hermione stans are in the minority here.

GoF- Now this is just someone pissed off that someone else was interested in Hermione and Hermione decided to go with him instead of Ron

A character flaw in Krum? He can’t hold a conversation with a girl.

OOTP- Hermione’s “snipy” towards Ron because he’s a terrible prefect that gets easily walked all over by his twin brothers who are the biggest rule breakers (and possibly because she wanted Harry to be prefects with her instead of Ron 😃)

HBP- or how about feeling empathy for both instead of one over the other. Like this: “I understand why Hermione attacked Ron because it was one of the times her emotions controlled her. But that’s no excuse for the attack when Ron is kissing another girl when they aren’t together”. Not hard. And it’s why Ron and Hermione are incompatible imo.

DH- she does 90% of the preparations for the hunt because Mrs Weasley made it hard for the Trio to work together. And Hermione is no doubt the brains of the group.

“She rescues them from the ministry”. And Splinched Ron in the process, no? So, wouldn’t really say she’s perfect under pressure.

The most crucial one is Hermione staying with Harry and Ron leaving. What do you want her to do? Also leave? She’s a muggleborn, and muggles are being murdered left and right by DEs.

In conclusion, Hermione doesn’t have an arc. An arc to me is an obstacle a character has that builds character development in them. No Harry Potter character has that kind of arc.

I’ll be waiting for the “Ron’s a disappointing character” analysis post, with it just being complaints about how the “narrative” hates Ron lol

[incomingalbatross]

"Everyone already perceives Elsa as a scary monster, just let the audience share the general Arundelle perspective instead of giving us the inside scoop on Elsa actually just being Misunderstood."

You'd also have to change Anna's opinion since she always viewed Elsa as simply misunderstood too. Or at least have her come to believe she was wrong somehow.

Okay so this is the part of the Make Frozen Better concept in my head that I completely neglected to articulate and, in fact, may have contradicted in places. :P Hang on...

I think what I'm imagining, here, is that Elsa looks like a monster/Evil Queen to everyone, including the audience, except Anna. And we the audience quite genuinely don't have the information to decide if Anna's right and her journey is saving her sister, or if she's wrong and her journey is about saving her kingdom.

Very, very rough outline:

Elsa is Anna's older sister who she barely knows - remote, reserved, always closing herself off from others but from Anna especially. Anna loves her. Or she wants, rather desperately, to love her. But she barely knows her.

At the opening of the plot, they interact a little and it's unexpectedly friendly. Anna feels a surge of hope that Maybe Her Sister Loves Her Too.

But then everything goes dramatically bad. Hans signs up to rescue Anna from her lonely life via marriage, they tell Elsa, and Elsa freaks and reveals her powers in a dramatic surge that brings down the storm. Then she vanishes.

It honestly looks pretty villainous and the people who are going "Queen Elsa...is a witch? Queen Elsa wants the kingdom to suffer?" actually sound like they have a reasonable case. (Edit the confrontation scene as needed to make Elsa's motives and responses look more villainous.)

But Anna is the only one saying NO, that's her SISTER, she's not treating her like a monster, she's gonna go and talk to her! She's not writing her off!!

She sets off. Other people point out - first at court and then on her journey, where she meets a married couple - that she's not being really rational about this. She's staking the kingdom, her kingdom and her people, on her faith in a sister she admits she barely knows. She clings to her love of her sister.

(The married couple also questions her engagement, which here can maybe play into "Anna's a hopeless romantic" instead of writerly self-sabotage? Also a good segue into a speech about Love in general.)

She meets with Elsa. They have, like, half a productive conversation maybe? But Elsa is afraid to try and be a Queen or a sister when she's already failed and, to the audience, this comes across as selfishness. She ends up cursing Anna.

Anna's faith in her breaks. She looks like a confirmed villain now, even if she wasn't before. The only hope is to go back to Hans - and Hans doesn't let her down. Not exactly. The kiss doesn't work but he says her sources must have been wrong, and the only way to end Elsa's curses is going to be to kill her.

Anna, shaken and disillusioned and beginning to doubt any type of love is as true as she thought it was, doesn't stop him.

They're lined up to kill Elsa, who is overpowered really surprisingly easily.

At the last minute, Anna remembers or is helped by the couple from earlier and the things they discussed about love. Love is an act of faith, but it's also a choice and a willingness to extend something to another person whether they deserve it or not. She realizes again, for good, that she loves her sister even if she is a villain, and she's not willing to kill her even for the "greater good."

She gets in front of the ax. Else tells her to get out of the way. They argue, and Elsa reveals that she just wants the curses gone and if dying is what it takes, she wants to die. She let herself be captured so they could put an end to her. Anna yells at her. They both cry.

Some climactic moment where they're both trying to shield each other, either from the execution (Hans's true priorities are revealed as he tried to go through with it anyway) or in some more abstract way.

Burst of light.

The light clears, they're clinging to each other, Anna's curse is gone, and winter has made way for spring.

(My OWN take would also have Elsa's hair going from white to blonde, with the reveal that her powers were a curse and needed an act of fearless love to break them. Or at least to unleash the uncursed, unfrozen, controllable version of her native powers. I realize this would be hard to fit in with Frozen's whole empowerment thing, but if we're centering this story on Anna learning how to love people properly and Elsa participating in her journey, I'm not sure magic as self-acceptance really fits in here anyway. So I'm parking that bit here, under probation.)

Anyway this is now a story about Disney Princess Anna looking like she has to learn lessons about Responsibility and Discernment and Judging People Rightly, but then reveals that while it is about those things (see: Hans), it's also about validating her pure heart and steadfast love for her sister, and showing how she learns to add wisdom to that childlike faith instead of rejecting one for the other. That's the goal anyway.

[adhdtsukasa]

because nene's full yoru ni kakeru alt releases in LESS THAN A WEEK!!!! and i'm sooo so sane about this cover (a lie!), i just can't go on with my life without RAMBLING!!! and i'm rather surprised that it hasn't been done before (or maybe i just can't search properly. also very possible. anyways), so here it is — an analysis? of how yoru ni kakeru's lyrics correspond to ruinene's relationship so much that it HURTS (and why nene got this cover instead of rui, even though it's about suicide).

quick disclaimer: i will be using the lyrics from vocaloid lyrics wiki, because i'm uh. not a fan of the official english ver. and because it had to be somewhat changed so the english translation could fit the rhythm, it's also just not the same as original. hope you understand.

also this is not neccesarily a ship post. feel free to view it as such, but i'm interpreting everything here as fully platonic and how it is in canon.

starting with basically one of the first lines, it immediately connects with rui and nene losing contact during middle school — even moreso, to their unfamous scramble crossing conversation, where rui tells nene that he's now doing shows alone. they talked just like normal (did they, though?) and rui was still polite and kind towards nene, yet his goodbye was carrying something else with it: they're not best friends anymore. hell, it's not even clear if they're still friends, or did they simply become complete strangers to each other.

a throwback to their first meeting, so i'll also say it now: i see the whole song as kind of a messy retrospection, actually. the lyrics basically escalate in a present (as of main story) -> middle school -> childhood -> middle school -> present (still as of in main story) way, but i think it's rather easy to spot on? so i'm not gonna talk about it too much.

whatever, let's get back to the topic: it's important to remember that nene was rui's first friend, the first person (outside of his parents, obviously) that accepted him for who he is. obviously rui had a lonely gaze when they first met — because he was lonely. he was alone.

the first two verses can be referencing how rui's peers treated him: they were scared of him, they called him a weirdo. for a child like him, these words surely were enough to make him cry, as he only wanted to have friends — that's why nene is here for the rescue! they're together, so he doesn't have to be scared anymore. as long as they're together, everything will be just fine.

the happiness they want to find is ordinary, but that's because rui wants to be treated as an ordinary human being, too.

nene wanted to be rui's friend, sincerely. he was and still is such an important person to her, her very best friend. she wishes for him to finally be happy, to finally have friends, to finally give her the sincerest of all of his smiles. and she wants to be a part of his happiness.

as long as they have each other, the sun will surely rise for them. but...

...as the years pass by, everything starts to fall apart. rui is getting more and more stigmatized and him being in middle school now is definitely not helping him in any way. in this moment, we're back to their conversation mentioned at the very beginning: rui tells nene everything, and nene tries to believe it. she really does! if rui didn't beg for her to get closer to him again, then he surely must be fine being alone, surely.

but there is doubt in her heart, and it's sickening. it cannot be true. this is in no way what rui wanted.

she still hopes that they can go back to what they used to be. one day, rui will surely trust her again. and maybe one day, she'll finally understand his struggles. she wishes for that out of the kindness of her heart — but rui's middle school self is just unable to fulfill this wish.

but the days are still passing by, and nothing is going for the better — everything is actually deteriorating. everytime nene tries to approach rui, his answer is always the same. he doesn't want her close. and soon, rui isolating himself from her is not her only problem (or you can even say, her only trauma). her stage incident happens and she's left with nothing, as well as with no one to turn to. rui is already tired of everything, and nene is slowly becoming tired too. the days are getting duller and more gray for both of them.

their hands are just like parallel lines. somehow, they also can never meet.

so now, nene is just like rui. traumatized. alone. scared. she's just like that until she starts her first year of high school, because then she suddenly sees rui again. oh, god, she sees rui again. he offers her to join wxs, and he's actually smiling. his smile is just like a cure for all of her problems. it's a smile she has always wanted to see... a smile that he has offered her when he finally reached out to her.

so, nene joins wxs. and it's not the end of their problems, but also surely a new beginning for their relationship. the damage has been already done and they both suffered because of it, so they're still racing into the night, but at least they're together—

there's one thing that differs them from the yoru ni kakeru story, though (and i'm talking about the lyrics exclusively here. and, well, the end of the mv. but nothing else, none of the references that the song used) — yoru ni kakeru is about suicide, after all. the mv ends with the main character committing, that's a dead end. but it's nothing like that for rui and nene; ever since they joined wxs, their lives slowly started to get better. they managed to achieve their happy ending, despite the circumstances.

they're friends again.

so, why is not rui covering this song? after all, his middle school self just screams depression, suicidal thoughts, stuff like that, he'd be such an obvious pick. but... from the perspective of the lyrics, there's something more to the song than just the theme of suicide. the lyrics are going in the direction of being unable to help the person you love, of being forced to only look at how they're becoming worse and worse each day, of finally getting overwhelmed by it as well. that's precisely what middle school nene was. suicide is not enough to give it to rui. he wouldn't fit the lyrics at all, since his relationship with nene didn't look like that from his side.

was nene actually suicidal during middle school as well? i believe that's a question that should be left to one's own interpretation. but i think it's worth considering, especially since proseka's line distribution usually implies some things.

oh, obviously, they could've just picked her because she was the most accurate vocal to sing this song. but you cannot say that it doesn't fit her. it does. a lot.

middle school rui kamishiro and nene kusanagi, i hope you explode.

[i-heart-hxh]

Whenever you can I'd really like to hear your thoughts about this and if you think it's accurate! ❤️ I absolutely adore your hxh meta and can't wait to hear more!!!

Hello! Thank you so much for the kind words, it means a lot to me! ❤️ These are fantastic observations and questions, as these traits are an important part of the basis of Gon's issues, and this tendency of his to rush into danger leads him into a lot of dark situations throughout the series. It's one of the most concerning aspects of his character.

His self-esteem issues are definitely at the root of this. Gon seems to have a fundamental belief that his life isn't worth much--hence why he tells Killua he's allowed to talk about dying, but Killua isn't. I think a big piece of this comes from the abandonment issues, as well as his issues with guilt (which I still need to write a post about). If even his own father won't stick around for him, what is he worth? And notice he frames Ging's choice in such a way where he doesn't assign blame to Ging--he believes that in a choice between him and being a Hunter, he must just be the inferior choice. Not a great basis for self-worth.

As much as he looks up to Kite, I don't think his encounter with Kite when he was younger helped--he was blamed directly for the mama foxbear's death and Kon becoming an orphan. And while I don't doubt at all that Mito loves him, I think Gon may see himself as a burden on her to a certain degree, and he tries to be as self-sufficient as possible as a result. (That's more of a headcanon of mine, but I do think the complex way their relationship is framed and Gon's behavior in the series supports this to a degree.)

Because he doesn't see his life as being worth much, he tries to take on everything alone, and he sees strength and power as a method to prove that he does have worth after all. If he can prove he's strong, maybe he isn't worthless after all! If he's strong, maybe he won't be a burden to others or unintentionally cause them harm (think about the mama foxbear, and ultimately Kite himself)! If he can become a Hunter and find Ging, maybe he can understand why Ging didn't stay with him, and he won't have to wonder why he left him behind any more!

I definitely think dangerous situations and escaping death give him a a sense that he is capable and worthy, plus it's a rush to him--a form of excitement and stimulation that he craves. Also, keep in mind that Gon grew up among nature, including many wild animals. While "survival of the fittest" is an oversimplification of how nature works, certainly at the same time, a weak animal is more likely to fall prey to a predator. So of course being strong is the more advantageous position to be in, and especially as a person who isn't sure of his worth or his place in the world.

I think he believes the stronger he becomes, the more dangerous situations he can escape, and the more strong enemies he can defeat, the more capable and worthy he'll feel. Because of how much his self-esteem then hinges on whether he's strong or not, things like Hisoka punching him and giving him his badge make Gon struggle to feel like he has value. The times we see Gon cry, like in his conversation with Kurapika in the airship about that moment with Hisoka, or in the scene after he couldn't win against Knuckle and couldn't go to NGL to rescue Kite, often relate directly to him not feeling strong enough.

Also yet again (back to my usual refrain), this is in fact another subversion of shounen expectations. Shounen protagonists tend to be energetic and feisty teen boys who throw themselves into dangerous situations easily, and in most shounen series this is a trait that's not treated with much weight--they can handle it, nothing truly bad generally happens to them as a result, this trait of theirs is treated as something brave and admirable and "cool."

But with Gon, Togashi does give it weight--others worry about him and comment on this trait of his, his recklessness has real costs for him that escalate over time (think about the results of Gon tailing Hisoka in the Hunter Exam, Gon vs Gido, the end of Greed Island, and of course CAA), and ultimately his disregard for his own worth and safety essentially leads him to throw away his own life. In Gon, it's not an admirable trait, but a concerning and tragic one, with deep roots in his psyche.

It's brilliant to me how many of Gon's traits all link together--his low self-esteem comes from his abandonment issues and leads to his recklessness, he has a selfish streak because he's young and still somewhat immature and grew up isolated, and his short-sightedness as a result of that manifests in his sense of morality not being fully developed. And yet even with all of that, he's still a sweet, cheerful, kind, smart, and encouraging boy. I absolutely love the complexity of his character and how, if you carefully analyze him, the way he is makes so much sense.

Thank you for asking!

[majjiktricks]

Can you explain why you think Ocelot likes Kaz? I was always under the impression that they fought like cat and dog (sorry I couldn't resist).

this took a while to answer because i wanted to go back through some of the mgsv tapes with ocelot and kaz but. mainly, what you thought is entirely untrue. whatever antagonism exists in their relationship, it feels like the fandom has blown WAYYY out of proportion.

the ONLY point of contention i can think of off the top of my head is kaz being jealous of ocelot for knowing bb longer. in the tape where kaz is talking to zero about where bb is during his coma, zero mentions an agent who has known bb 10 years longer than kaz has, and kaz SCOFFS, like he cant believe someone would know bb better than him. but also, this tape is set almost immediately after ground zeroes, so who knows how his feelings might have changed over the years.

the only time ocelot seems to get genuinely angry at kaz is when hes accusing quiet of. well. anything he accuses her of. kaz tends to do so without any evidence, and he doesnt trust her (for justified reasons), but he also blames her for a lot of things. ocelot is the only person on mother base willing to defend her. and he never yells, he just logically rebukes and kaz is the one who fights back.

any time ocelot speaks about kaz without him present, he really only praises him. he obviously is impressed at what he and bb accomplished in founding MSF.

thats just what i can remember. going for evidence now, grabbed some of the tapes that have ocelot AND kaz in them:

Bionic arm tape Ocelot: "I couldn't get [a bionic arm] for you at the time, but y'know, now…" ocelot offers to get bionics for kaz, he wants to make kaz's life easier. kaz refuses i think out of a self-punishing sentiment, not out of resentment or denial of ocelot's help. that because all of his men died, hes not allowed to have it. and he gets heated and angry about it, nearly yelling. but then he apologizes, realizing he wasnt actually angry at ocelot, just venting.

Yellow cake and the Shinkolobe Mine tapes ocelot and kaz theorizing about why the shinkolobwe mine was reopened/being mined for uranium. the conversation honestly sounds like they could be on a lunch break just chilling.

The Children Escape tapes in [2] they disagree over who should interrogate eli. ocelot doesnt think kaz can responsibly question the kids, so he steps up to do it instead. kaz dismisses him and his expertise at interrogation because he thinks ocelot will enjoy it too much. ocelot is definitely offended, and they do argue here, but i think this is because of the topic at hand and not indicative of their other conversations.

Huey's Interrogation Tapes i think their good(ish) cop bad cop routine with huey is very funny. theyre working together to get as much information out of him as possible. and it works.

overall i think they actually work really well together. after all, they spent the time bb and v were unconscious recreating MSF from scratch. also, i think kaz trusts ocelot to some extent, going as far as to put his life on the line to distract from the hospital attack. he depended upon ocelot to get bb (venom. but. you know.) out of the hospital and to afghanistan in time to rescue him.

at the very least, they are working toward the same goals (during mgsv) and have no ideological reason to hate one another. when they DO work together, it gets results.

i cant imagine you can work with someone for years doing all that and still not have any positive association with them. kaz definitely is the type to hold a grudge, but if anything, i think thats a personal one. and im not even certain on whether or not he does hold anything against ocelot once they start working together (during mgsv at least. after the game. well. anything goes.)

was sent some additional thoughts that cover the cutscenes as well as the tapes: all good stuff here

[needle-noggins]

I wanted to point out this page alone because I just really love the idea of Meryl and Luida as foils. Also I just really want to bang a bunch of pots together like, LOOK AT THESE WOMEN THEY ARE WRITTEN SO WELL AND I LOVE THEM SO DEEPLY!

Luida is a character archetype I really adore (one of my dnd NPCS/basically an OC at this point is just. Wizard Luida). Love an older woman in charge who has some internal struggles but exercises empathy and careful judgement. Meryl is... a baby in comparison. The kind of girl, adventurous and a bit headstrong, who may be changed into someone more like Luida with hard lessons and deep self-reflection. I don't know. Maybe I'm just talking out of my ass at this point.

This conversation is... difficult. Luida is considering having Vash use his angel arm to destroy Knives, to have another July (to which, poor Meryl is like "god the horrors are endless. I saw how that went"). She hates that she even considers it, hates the idea of Vash being a weapon of mass destruction just to take down Knives (ethics of using atomic bombs, anyone?). It is especially hard for her to consider because "this battle with undoubtedly push his limits". Vash is still a friend (and if we want to get Stampy with it, like a son to her), and she knows this could kill him.

Luida scolds herself for being a coward, and I'm not sure in what way - is it cowardly that she won't sacrifice people for the "greater good", or that she's having this internal struggle in the first place? That she won't make Vash pull the trigger?

I forgot to screenshot the panels about it but there's also a very important topic in the conversation preceeding this page about how Vash has been fighting alone, trying to save everyone, but perhaps he needs people to fight for him too. Vash is obviously well-known around Ship 3 as an incredibly powerful plant, so I can understand if they believed him when he said he could take Knives alone, but Luida is now having doubts about Vash's independence - is he too afraid to ask for help? (this is a secret tool that will help us later! Remember that Meryl is here to hear this!)

Using this thread of thought, Luida and her forces attack the ark, which allows Wolfwood to rescue Vash (and then we get the SUPER COOL bit of Vash reversing his angel arm to allow them to escape! and the fall out of the sky! OUGH). It's about the teamwork, it's about helping each other. No one can fight alone. (and then idiot Wolfwood leaves Vash to let him fight Knives alone) (we can already tell this is a bad idea)

[smallnico]

oooh a good wyll analysis we are eating good today. thank you so much I am chomping and gnawing and chewing. Wyll is such a great character and he had sooo much potential, but unfortunately -gestures at games- thank you for putting things down into words it was a delight to read ^^

i've got more in the tank probably! any one of the people i talk to normally will tell you that i can go on and on and on with very little prompting.

speaking of wyll's confidence issues (apropos of the ask that sparked this), you get some interesting dialogue options as him that drive them home in a way. a lot of the wyll-exclusive dialogue options you have in the grove during a wyll origin run can be summarized as like, "bluster and self-hype for the sake of projecting confidence" (very Yes It Is Me, Spiderman, Have No Fear, You Can Be A Hero Like Me) that really makes you understand why lae'zel tends to get on his ass for self-centredness or hypocrisy, as well as the option of dialogue that seems, conversely, uncharacteristically self-effacing, like "oh i have no idea what you're talking about, how did you know who i am, i have no idea what to say".

i like to interpret alternative dialogue options for origin characters (including durge at times) as like, things that genuinely occur to the character to say, things that they are tempted to think or speak into being. a part of wyll exists that is so willing to fake it til he makes it for the love and confidence of the people of the sword coast that he's willing to accuse that one tiefling (the one with the bugbear assassin and the soul coin) of like, daring to presume that one as noble as the blade of frontiers would Ever consort with devils, like full defensive gaslighting style. the man believes himself fundamentally incapable of both working with devils and being worthy of love or trust or acclaim. the other converse response in that exchange is "what? how did you know about that?" which, smooth one there, mr. of frontiers. but it catches him so off guard, that dialogue option really belies the fear that exists of being discovered as a 'fraud', the fear that also would prompt the aforementioned bluster and lying. (shoutout also to auntie ethel's vicious mockery calling him the "fraud of frontiers", as well as "daddy's regret". ouch.)

and why shouldn't it make him afraid? man was driven out of the only home he's ever known, away from the father he Still idolizes and looks up to, unable to explain his own actions. i also would start to feel like the truth wasn't enough, that maybe i didn't deserve grace, that there was no excuse for being what i am. it can cause real psychological harm to someone, not being able to explain themselves or their experiences to another person -- it takes away from a person's ability to process their memories, because the memories are just... trapped in your brain's own echo chamber of fear and regret and self-doubt. like maybe it Didn't need to happen that way. maybe i Was jawing at the mouth to make a devil deal. maybe there really Is no excuse for what i did. maybe tiamat Wasn't rising. maybe the whole thing didn't happen at all. like. being able to have someone else listen to the story and go "wyll, truly, it sounds like you could not have had a more noble reason to sell your soul to the hells. i wish you hadn't had to sell your limited time on toril to the hells, too" was probably a Moment In Time for him. like hey i'm not sure that i believe that yet but it does feel good to be able to talk about it and to hear those words. maybe i Am just a good man because i'm trying. maybe i Don't have to punish myself forever to prove it.

there's also something to be said and dissected about how florrick, when you rescue her from the inn, says something like "i know you probably hold little love for your father now but" and wyll has no option to rebut that point, even though the internal narration and essentially all evidence is like "of course you love your father. he cast you out but you know how important he is to the people of baldur's gate, and to you. he's a hero. he's the hero you may never truly be". and it's just so fucked up how so many of the voices that influence wyll's moral compass are the same ones that end up making him think like he somehow isn't worthy or able to do something like care about his dad. like. this is in no way a florrick hate account bc i love her. but for real the way she interacts with wyll just. oof. oof. hey florrick? you are proving his negative internal narrative correct by externalizing it. what the hell. stop it. but like it doesn't even occur to him to correct her -- i'm not over this. she said "i'm sure you hate your dad. but please save him anyway" and he has no option to say "i don't hate my father, but i'm sure he hates me and i'm worried he's right to". he's just like "yeah, that's fair" or "would he be happy to see me if i did?" like augh wyll ravengard the man that you are.

speaking of (gestures at game), i Think they're fixing this in patch 7, but it's so fucked up how if ulder ravengard dies you never get the final point wyll gets from him in his quest where his dad tells him like. you don't need a dragon. you were powerful enough to seek out and defeat the dragon. the city will be safe in your hands. like it doesn't occur to wyll to think that on his own without his father's approval, and that's so fucked up and sad to me. like wyll you don't need that man's approval! you don't need it! he sucks! wyll's dad is both a politician AND a cop and that's why wyll is the way he is (half-joking. nuance exists, obviously). ulder ravengard cast out his 17 year old son moments after he noticed that wyll had fucked up without hearing an explanation or trusting that there was a good one. wyll doesn't have nightmares about all the monsters he's fought or the scars he's acquired (and he has more visible ones quantity- and diversity-wise than i think anyone in the party, save maybe lae'zel), he has nightmares about his father casting him out. that's fucked up. the first thing wyll's dad does when you rescue his ass from the iron throne is yell at wyll for his devil appearance. i don't know if that's going to change (patch 7 notes say it will), but right now he reacts the same as if you renewed the pact with mizora to save him, basically just chastising his son Yet Again for the devil pact before learning any context. the vibe is like none of the shit that's happened between then and now matters. you know, the way wyll acts. like how nothing good he's done for anyone really matters or makes him a good person. like how none of the effort he's put in makes him innately worthy of love and trust and respect if he doesn't adopt a pretense of perfect heroism. grand duke ulder ravengard when i get my hands on you

anyway all this to say i wish more than anything there were a way to communicate to wyll that his father kind of sucks and that his approval is not the objective marker of good or worthiness. the way the game is now kind of implies that it is. wyll deserves to cultivate his own self-worth independent of his father's approval AND he deserves a sincere apology from that man. because duke ravengard WAS in the wrong, and it somehow takes more than selling wyll's soul to the hells forever or bending over backwards to violate his pact to save the duke for him to finally acknowledge that he disowned and exiled his own son for no good reason. wyll, your dad can be What This City Needs and also be dead fucking wrong about you. your father does not determine whether you are a good person -- you do.

[dragynkeep]

Why do you think it would've made sense for freezerburn to become canon?

i think they've just had more of an interesting dynamic together, complete with moments where they actually seem to have these in depth talks that we're begging for from the show itself.

weiss is a major part of yang's healing journey when they finally reunite, weiss is also the only one that yang doesn't blame for leaving her because that's not what weiss did & she can acknowledge that. when we finally get their reunification in v5, it's chock full of romantic tropes including "rescuing the princess", "meeting the family", "hand touch to calm your lover down" & the entire scene of raven & yang has weiss as a consistent there to keep her grounded.

even when ruby, yang's own sister, doesn't know how to handle yang's trauma & upset surrounding beacon & blake: weiss does. weiss allows her a space to vent out her feelings before reminding yang that she is there for her.

& it doesn't go just one way, yang is also the only person weiss opens up to about her family history before they go to atlas. yang was also pretty much the only one willing to go toe to toe with weiss on her behaviours that weren't acceptable without having to put her own identity on the line: yang stood up to weiss's overbearing nature in the earlier volumes because she could.

the communication between these two has always been top notch, especially since they were chosen as the doubles for the beacon tournament & even after the vytal festival when blake, yang's supposed love interest, doubts yang & believes that she would be capable of brutally maiming someone: weiss doesn't. weiss immediately gets on blake for even entertaining the idea & that loyalty never wavers in the show, as well as vice versa.

there have been other things like their romantic coded playful bickering in regards to the dance, yang & weiss always seeming to gravitate towards one another whenever they're in a scene together & other things in their designs as well as yellow / blue / white just being the perfect colour scheme. yang's original colour scheme also featured blue instead of purple.

even when you contrast the songs of this ship vs the "canon" ship: looking at "home" vs "all that matters" or even "worthy" in the most recent volume, the tones are completely different.

home plays when yang & weiss reunite & weiss's knight, the protector in a time of great stress, practically floats away because she knows that she's safe with yang. the song itself talks about feeling safety in the other person, finding that feeling of home & security, of not having to wonder or worry about what will happen next.

conversely: all that matters is a song of a traumatized person abandoning their boundaries so the person they cared for won't further harm them emotionally. it's laying down all her self respect & care just so she can try & cling onto them. even the follow up of "worthy" only seems to double down on this in now both of them, that have been so conversely toxic with each other in this relationship versus with other people, are now "worthy" of this love which is such a damaging viewpoint to take.

so yeah, all in all i think freezerburn thrives because it's not written consciously as a canon relationship with romantic undertones, but they are there nonetheless & they're more convincing than whatever we got for the main ship. which only seems to echo what miles has said in a recent cameo where they find writing romance "hard" which. sounds like a skill issue to me lmao.

[satohqbanana]

Anyway I created a Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken story based on the expectations I had off the trailers. (So definitely non-canon.)

--

Here's Ruby, a teenage seagirl, specifically a teenage kraken. She thinks she has the worst time of her life ever because she doesn't know how to share herself with others - she thinks she doesn't “fit in” (which actually translates to “not popular enough”) and can't find a cool thing to say (in her POV anyway). Her mom always reminds her about being secretive on the kraken thing which also contributes to her inferiority complex.

One day, after her friends try to give her a pep talk (which fails because of her insecurities), Ruby falls into the sea. Of course she survives the ordeal, but now she's entered kraken form and can't calm down to return to her more humanoid self. Enter Grandmamah; she helps Ruby calm down and boost her confidence by telling her the cool stuff about being a kraken - especially that she's THE Kraken Princess! As Grandmamah is the Kraken Queen, she is an advocate for sea living and doesn't fully understand why her own daughter, Ruby's mom, would like to stay on land. Ruby promises Grandmamah she'll hang out in the afternoons if she can.

Ruby gets back to her family - they're all worried because she hadn't gotten home then and her friends weren't with her. She wants to ask her parents esp her mom about the kraken thing, but her insecurity gets in the way - what if she reacts strongly to it?

The morning after, Ruby wonders if it was all a dream. Her friends tell her she made them worry for nothing so they dare her to ask Connor out for prom. Before Ruby can do anything, the new girl in town appears.

Enter Chelsea, also a teenage seagirl, specifically a teenage mermaid. Everybody loves her even if she's just arrived, so Ruby thinks she wins in life. The Connor plan flies out the window. In the hurry to meet Chelsea, the crowd accidentally pushes Connor to the sea. Chelsea immediately leaps to the rescue and paints a heroic version of herself. (Also, every other paragraph she mentions her mom - she must've had a cooler mom than Ruby does.) Watch Ruby's already shattered confidence go even lower.

Chelsea attempts to befriend Ruby as she does with everyone else, but Ruby always avoids her. One day while Ruby comes home from an afternoon with Grandmamah, she spots Chelsea sporting a mermaid's tail - both of them scream and hide in shock. Ruby thinks her life is now over.

Finally on land, Chelsea corners Ruby in the comfort room and Ruby manages to blurt out how uncool she thinks she is. Chelsea, sympathizing with her, pulls her out of school to have a seagirl ditch day. They get to freely talk about their insecurities and just have fun.

Ruby mentions how she thinks she'll fail her mom's expectation for her to live life as a normal human would, and how she's unsure of how to accept her Grandmamah's words. Chelsea shares that she too has very big expectations to fulfill, thanks to her own mother. She personally wants to go for her mother's wishes; Ruby is yet unsure what to do for herself because she believes she can't live without being apart from her kraken self. Chelsea encourages her to try being more like a kraken sometimes; maybe it'll help her find out what to do.

Over time, while spending time with Grandmamah on some days and with Chelsea on the others, Ruby's confidence goes up. She begins to have better conversations with her friends and Connor. She begins to plan about prom and not cringe at her daydreams.

Little by little, Ruby begins to hold a conversation about being a kraken with her mom. She finds out that Mom had left the sea because everyone was so afraid of mermaids, which made living on land better for her. Ruby wants to ask Grandmamah, but she doesn’t want to lose Chelsea as a friend, because Chelsea is cool and makes her feel cool.

(Chelsea herself has a little secret: she communicates with her mother via shellphone. She thinks she's close to finding the trident, and her mother tells her not to mess up or else she'll lose her place in the kingdom. Chelsea feels guilt over what she may have to do to Ruby.)

One afternoon with Grandmamah, Ruby learns about the Kraken vs Mermaid war thing, the deal with the trident, and that mermaids are not to be trusted. Ruby doesn't 100% believe this because Chelsea is a mermaid but she's so kind. Their conversation turns into an argument, and Ruby angrily swims away with the trident to prove that Chelsea is not a bad person. Grandmamah gives chase.

Ruby shows Chelsea the trident and rants about the Kraken vs Mermaid war thing. Ruby wants Chelsea to take the trident, hold it for a couple of minutes, and give it back to prove to her and her Grandmamah that Chelsea wasn't a bad person. Chelsea is hesitant, but she takes the trident nonetheless.

However, upon seeing a furious Grandmamah, Chelsea is alarmed and doesn't give the trident back. Instead, she uses the powers of the trident to push both Grandmamah and Ruby away. She holds the town hostage until the krakens agree to a ceasefire AND to her taking the trident. Ruby, heartbroken at the betrayal, uses her powers to fight Chelsea. The town is half-destroyed before Grandmamah AND Mom convinces Ruby to stop and let the matter go.

For a moment, Mom and Grandmamah get into an argument about the way they teach/raise Ruby. Ruby now feels like a complete failure. She looks uncool, she couldn't ask her crush out to prom, she's responsible for the destruction, she's lost a friend, and now Mom and Grandmamah are fighting over the matter. The two women agree to disagree and decide that Ruby, as a teenager, has the right to decide for herself what she wants to do, so they encourage Ruby to speak what she thinks about the situation.

Ruby doesn't blame them for the situation; she thinks this was all her fault. She felt so uncool being a kraken and failing at being more human. She couldn't muster the courage to ask her crush out to prom. She wanted to prove to Grandmamah that Chelsea was a friend, but when Chelsea betrayed her, Ruby couldn't think of her as a friend anymore. Because of this conflict, she ended up destroying the town and probably even scaring off her friends.

Mom and Grandmamah are both heartbroken at Ruby's statements and feelings. The two women apologize to each other and to Ruby. Ruby asks what she should do, if she should just hide at sea and never show up on land ever again. To this, Mom says that despite having to hide, she still wants to be more human because of the fun things the world of man offers, while Grandmamah says that despite the destructive potentials, she still likes being a kraken because of the fun things a kraken can do. Both options are okay and not bad - as long as Ruby wants it and can stand up for her choice.

But what are they going to do about the trident now? Ruby doesn't know yet, but there's something she wants to do regarding Chelsea: she chooses to believe in her friend, because they're both teenage seagirls.

Meanwhile, Chelsea retreats back to sea, back to the kingdom of the mermaids. Her mother is revealed as the Queen Mermaid and once Chelsea presents her the trident, the Queen Mermaid is no longer interested in her and wishes to use the trident to ruin the krakens. Chelsea begs her not to do it, but the Queen Mermaid has her imprisoned.

It is revealed that Chelsea had always been trying to live up to the her mother's words and standards so the Queen Mermaid can smile at her even just once. Chelsea has been using her peppy, cheerful, energetic facade to hide her own insecurities. She has turned into a people-pleaser because being praised by others helps her temporarily cover up the pain she feels from not being acknowledged by her own mother as a person of her own. Now that the Queen Mermaid has abandoned her and Chelsea's betrayed her only real friend outside the mermaid kingdom, she feels alone and abandoned. Everything she'd done had been for nought.

Before the Queen Mermaid can do anything, the soldiers of the kingdom blow their alarms and in come the krakens. Grandmamah wants to have a talk and wants the trident. The Queen Mermaid refuses; a kraken has freely given her daughter Chelsea the trident and as Chelsea's mother she took the trident for "safekeeping".

The war ensues - and among the krakens is Ruby begging everyone not to hurt Chelsea. From Chelsea's prison, she watches everything and she is consumed by guilt at how Ruby still cares about her despite her betrayal. Chelsea struggles and manages to free herself.

In the battle, Ruby helps Grandmamah fight against Queen Mermaid, but in the process gets hurt. Chelsea sees this and rushes to her friend. The battle goes to a stand still as kraken and mermaid alike hold their breaths at the scene.

Both the Queen Mermaid and Grandmamah tell Chelsea to go away, but Chelsea is adamant on protecting Ruby. Chelsea recognizes the grave mistake she’s done against the krakens and against Ruby, but she won't let Ruby suffer the consequences for it. They are from different peoples, but the short time Chelsea spent with Ruby taught her that not all the stories are true, that while different they are still seagirls and they can be friends, that there is room for love and care between mermaids and krakens. Ruby agrees to this; once, Chelsea betrayed her but Ruby still believed in their friendship, and now Chelsea has truly proven herself. Grandmamah is moved, but the Queen Mermaid is not.

Humiliated, the Queen Mermaid uses the power of the trident to hurt Chelsea. Ruby uses her powers (and the power of friendship) to fight the Queen Mermaid - even if only to take the trident. She manages to do so and with that, the tides of battle turn.

Ruby hands the trident to Grandmamah. Without power and having lost face in front of her people, the Queen Mermaid is forced to concede. Chelsea calls Ruby cool, and Ruby says that they're cool now.

Grandmamah seals the Queen Mermaid's powers and removes her authority, thus making Chelsea the new queen. As the new mermaid queen, Chelsea gives the mermaid kingdom a choice - and they vote to unite with the krakens. Grandmamah and the kraken kingdom accept this. Because Grandmamah has no idea what to do with the mermaids, though, she puts Ruby in charge of the "kraken-mermaid friendship program".

At the end, Ruby's narration reveals she decided to do a half-human, half-kraken life. She'd go to school, have fun with her human friends, help them rebuild the town piece by piece, then go to sea and help Chelsea put the new united sea kingdom in order. Ruby failed to invite Connor to prom, but it didn't matter because her friends still have her back and he invites her to dance while they're at prom anyway. Mom didn't feel too bad about Ruby wanting to reconnect with her krakenhood, and Grandmamah didn't feel too bad about Ruby wanting to stay on land.

Ruby also thinks about how she may have been unfair about the way she viewed life - that despite the way she feels jealous about how others have what she doesn't have, sometimes they don't have what she has, that instead of mourning what she doesn't have, she could celebrate the good things in life that she has. The screen then reveals Chelsea also attended prom and whispers to her about their "after-prom sea party", to which Ruby agrees to. People around them ask them what they're up to, and both of them put a finger over their mouths and say, "Shh, it's a seagirl secret!"

[fayesdiary]

Rhea for the "send me a character" w/ the "first impression, impression now, etc." ask game!

Cringefail pope my beloved💚

First impression

The days of 3H pre-release are long gone, but from what I remember I didn't think much of her beside her being another Mikoto archetype which I didn't have any interest in. (especially because this was back when I was still on Reddit and by extension the Fates Bad™ circlejerk)

Then I think I remember seeing a screenshot of an official tweet that went something like "fight/destroy the Church of Seiros in Fire Emblem Three Houses" (nevermind it happens in only one of the four routes and the most villainous one at that) so I was something like "welp. guess she's the villain of another Evil Religion™, whatever."

Impression now

fgdgdfgdfgdfgsdfgshfgifuhg

She's my favorite Fodlan character, something I never saw coming.

While I have my issues with how she's treated as a character (mainly being relegated to the red herring for Edelgard in Part 1 and the late Nabatean infodump only to then die in Part 2. You know, when she's not completely absent or treated as the scapedragon. In general she's treated with the "tell don't show" approach Fodlan writing loves) they are definitely mitigated by all the small details that make her so interesting. And while I find her lack of spotlight and moments where she shines at her best incredibly frustrating, I'll admit that digging beneath the surface and starting to see who she actually is as a person is quite fun in its own right.

She's a truly kindhearted, deeply flawed and quite cringe woman. Of course I love her.

Favorite moment

Funnily enough, her weed quest. Not just because the sheer concept of the pope indirectly giving weed to her students is hilarious, but because if you look closer you'll notice that every herb she gives seems to fit the specific students a bit too well to be a coincidence (for example Bernadetta's herb is said to give her the courage to strike a conversation, Marianne's gives her a more positive outlook on life and Ignatz's boosts his self-confidence).

This shows that while she feels unable to get close to the students on a deeper level, she's clearly paying enough attention to them to know the general things they struggle with and tries to secretly help them, and it's really sweet!

Idea for a story

I've been entertaining the idea of a Silver Snow rewrite (AKA a scenario where getting an A support with her changes the entire route instead of just the ending) where Rhea is rescued early and becomes the de-facto lord. Featuring character development where she finally starts to actually talk to the students and her loved ones, Dimitri in a secondary role because I think the dynamic between her and early-timeskip Dimitri, not to metion in a context where Edie's already dead, has some insane potential (also makes for a nice foil to CF).

Also changing from her requirement to survive from being A Rank with Byleth to being A rank with all of her support partners. AKA overcoming her fatal flaw allows her to not only survive, but live.

Basically her learning to stop compulsively keeping secrets, openly talk and get close to others again and rely on other people on a deeper level. You know, the good stuff!

Don't count on it ever actually getting written beyond a few posts though. I know my limits :(

Favorite relationship

Romantically with Catherine, platonically with Cyril!

Unpopular opinion

I mean, this is Rhea we're talking about.

Liking her to begin with and not treating her like she's responsible for everything wrong in Fodlan is already unpopular to begin with.

Also people severely overestimate the political power she actually has.

Favorite headcanon

As a joke headcanon: Rhea has been every single archbishop in the past as well, so to keep humanity from finding out she's a dragon she faked her death every few decades... in increasingly ridiculous ways.

It got to the point where the Seiros faithful believe the position of Archbishop is cursed, and whenever people act concerned about her because of it Rhea is grateful for it but at the same time is internally laughing her ass off.

[veryace-ficrecs]

Ted Lasso fic recs

This list will include all ratings and tags, so read at your own discretion! :)

Wings Wouldn't Help You Down by ViolentlyRed - Rated G

He thought the most awkward thing he'd have to endure was a rigid Roy Kent embrace in the Man City locker room months ago. He was wrong. And he’s getting better at admitting when he’s wrong, so. Turning up on Coach's doorstep at two thirty in the morning was infinitely, infinitely more awkward. Or, Jamie's hurt and not about to say much about it, and Ted's a good coach.

Reset With the Sunset by fandomfrolics - Rated G

Sam tries to figure out how to navigate his first Ramadan in the English Premier League. Set in S1.

Mull River Shuffle by bibliothekara - Rated G

Ted falls in the Thames; Beard, Rebecca, and Sam to the rescue.

The First Rule of Fight Club is No Fight Club by Lolapola - Rated T

A few days after relegation, an angry investor pays a visit to the Richmond AFC locker room, and he has his sights set on Ted Lasso. Fortunately, Roy Kent has been well and truly won over by now, and - yeah. He's not about to stand for this.

Diary by TwoAces - Rated G

It’s not a diary, really. At least, not in the traditional sense. It’s supposed to be an appointment book—a gift from Keeley, so she’s not having to text him reminders all the time. He’s promised to use it, and is surprised that it’s actually mad convenient to help remember events, so he starts using it for other things, too.

that mask will never look the same by tensecond_memory - Rated T

“Right. Okay. Is that… it?” “No, actually,” she says after a beat in which she fights back another wave of that mysterious Guilty Face, “there’s one more discussion on the agenda courtesy of one Coach Ted Lasso,” her voice is quieter now, and suddenly something shifts in the air and it feels like she’s the one who’s turned back into a scolded child. Jamie stares at her. “There are some… specifics regarding the… premature termination of your loan last season that Ted, rightfully, believes you deserve to be informed of, now that we’re all more aware of how the decision impacted your well-being,” OR Jamie isn't the only one who owes some apologies.

Little Kitmen Have Big Ears by andrealyn - Rated T

Most people don't really notice when Will's in the room, which leads to him hearing some very unique conversations. Every now and again, though, he's seen and it makes all the difference.

we're not in kansas anymore (we're now in missouri) by ceterum - Rated G

Shortly after the devastating loss on final matchday, the West London’s Finest are back in action. After a compilation of their… innovative plays goes viral, they are invited to play a friendly against Ted Lasso’s home state’s MLS club. AFC Richmond’s pre-season one(-and-a-half)-stop American tour, as observed by Trent Crimm, The Independent.

Adding Steel To The Team by BrittaTheBest - Rated T

“I feel… really weird, Roy.” “Yeah, I’m not surprised. Listen, I think you should lie down, yeah?” - Quick little fic. Ted is stabbed outside Richmond the night before a match. Mostly Roy-centric, but also feat. the rest of the club

Journalism Continues To Be The Villain That Moves The Plot Forward For This Show by MagpieWords - Rated T

When the press finds out Ted uses an unknown intramuscular substance, speculation runs wild while our favorite coach avoids dealing with his feelings. alternate titles lovingly include : "lost in the sauce" and "a saucy misunderstanding"

The Official AFC Richmond TikTok by mariip - Rated T

Keeley isn't there to manage their socials anymore, so when Jamie and Sam ask to make a TikTok for the club, everyone decides it will be a good idea. (Or, completely self-indulgent AFC Richmond silliness)

Make them Gold by mariip - Rated T

Roy realizes he has no idea when Jamie's birthday is, and when he realizes it's only a week away, the only solution is obviously cake in the dressing room after training. Or, the himbos manage to pull off a surprise party.

every boy wants to be like his father by themightyduck - Rated G

"It turned out all right in the end, though," Jamie says quietly, ears burning red. "Oh yeah?" Ted asks. "How's that?" Jamie gestures at the pizza and the beer and the TV. "Watching a game with me old man, ain't I?"

did i really say that? by believeinbelieve - Rated G

For the first time in history - AFC Richmond have won the premier league trophy. It was a tie game until Colin scored a historic goal in injury time. Everything was going perfect for him — until the press conference. The game went to his head and next thing he knew everyone was telling him about how brave and inspiring he was — but he had no clue why. or ~~~ Colin accidentally comes out after a major victory.

stand a little stronger as I walk a little taller all the time by inlovewithnight - Not Rated

Post season 2, Jamie does a PSA for the National Council on Domestic Violence. He does not expect anyone to notice this. He is not aware that he's surrounded by people who notice everything.

The Art of Seduction by jumpfall - Rated G

"Is Coach cheating on us with another football team?" Sam asks. "Worse," Roy says. "An American football team."

[elliemarchetti]

The Queen of the Quills - Jily Edition (part 4)

Posting on Tumblr too because this fic's sister is already there.

Reading The Queen of the Quills - Blackinnon Edition will not be mandatory to understand the developments of James and Lily's story, but some details could be shared, therefore, for anyone wishing to fully enjoy the experience, I will leave a small index.

Blackinnon Edition - Chapter 1

Blackinnon Edition - Chapter 2

Jily Edition - Chapter 1

Blackinnon Edition - Chapter 3

Jily Edition - Chapter 2

Jily Edition - Chapter 3

This was @athenasparrow's gift for @jilymicrofics ' Exchange 2024, but if you like it and are willingly to reblog, it would be super appreciated since stories like this require quite some time and effort🥰

Taglist (if anyone wants to be added, please DM me or comment and I'll gladly add you!): @thaisthedreamer

Plot: James Potter, London's most evasive bachelor, an impertinent libertine, has decided to get married. He has also already chosen his wife, the debutante Lily Evans, a self-confident young woman who has not the slightest intention of being seduced by such a man. A Bridgerton inspired Regency AU.

By the evening, it had become apparent that Lily hadn’t come through her, albeit brief, bath in the Serpentine unscathed: her nose turned red, her eyes began to water and it was apparent to anyone who glimpsed her puffy face for even a second that, while not seriously ill, she’d caught a bad cold. But even while she was tucked in bed with a hot water bottle between her feet and a therapeutic potion brewed up by the cook in a mug on her bedside table, Petunia was determined to have a conversation with her.

“What did he say to you on the ride home?” she demanded, perching on the edge of her sister’s bed.

“Who?” Lily replied, sniffing fearfully at the remedy.

“Mr. Potter,” Petunia ground out. “Who else would have spoken to you on the ride home when he was the one who rescued you and asked a stranger for their curricle?”

“Just the usual sort of things,” she responded, vague as always. “You know what I mean. Polite conversation and all that.”

“He made polite conversation while you were both dripping wet?” Petunia insisted, doubtful.

“He asked for my welfare, of course, which was only reasonable, considering I had just been dunked in the Serpentine, which, I might add, was perfectly wretched. Aside from being cold, the water was most certainly not clean,” Lily shrugged, clearly not as interested in the conversation as her sister.

Petunia cleared her throat and sat back down, preparing to ask a most scandalous question, but one which, in her opinion, simply had to be asked.

“Did he make any untoward advances?” she inquired, trying to keep her voice devoid of the complete and total fascination that was coursing through her veins.

Lily lurched back, her eyes growing round with shock.

“Of course not!” she exclaimed. “He was a perfect gentleman. Really, I don’t see what has you so excited. It wasn’t a very interesting conversation; I can’t even remember half of what was said.”

This, Petunia knew, was a complete lie, like all the veiled compliments she was paying to the wizard who until a few hours earlier she hated with all her heart. Why she behaved this way, however, was beyond her. Had she perhaps changed her mind about him? Hard to believe, when her sister was so stubborn. So, something must’ve happened, something if not scandalous at least romantic, that type of interaction fate seemed to have decided to forbid to Petunia. So, after a few moments of peaceful silence, she decided to investigate to find out if Mr. Potter had said anything about her, but Lily shook her head.

“He had a lot to say about his dog, though,” she added, as if it might make her feel better, but Petunia’s lips parted with dismay. It was never flattering to be passed over for a dog.

“I assured him I bear no ill will toward Padfoot, and that I wasn’t at all angry with him, but he was rather charmingly upset on my behalf. You, on the other hand, are rather interested in him,” Lily pointed out before grabbing a handkerchief and blowing her nose unceremoniously.

“I had the pleasure of spending a while conversing with him,” Petunia replied, as if that ought to explain everything.

“Good, then you’ve had the chance to see how utterly unremarkable he is,” sniffled Lily, fumbling around for a fresh handkerchief. “I’m afraid London’s society had been blinded by his wealth and gave him a position he’s not really deserving of. Sure, he’s rich, but I don’t think one can choose a husband based entirely on finances.”

“Well…” Petunia hedged, knowing her sister was absolutely correct but not wanting to say anything that might be construed as disapproval for Mr. Potter. “I still think we should add him to our list.”

“Our list?” Lily echoed, her voice strangled.

“Of possible matches,” explained Petunia, trying to ignore the expression on her sister’s face.

She knew what Lily thought of her: since she wasn’t a witch, she would never find a husband who was part of the wizarding society, and since she had never been invited to any of their parties – but Petunia told herself this was only dictated by a respect for the law and not from the disinterest of the magical community in her regards – she had no chance of getting the attention of even the least gifted of them. It hurt her to know that her sister had so little consideration of her, but even more so that she didn’t actively apply herself to not be separated again by those abilities Petunia hadn’t been granted. When they were little, and that cursed letter from Hogwarts hadn’t driven a wedge between them, they were inseparable: the minimal age difference, the same interests and their complementary characters had created an unforgettable dynamic duo, for which everyone showered their mother with compliments, even though she had failed to produce a male heir before her husband’s death. Then an owl had arrived, a not so strange occurrence in their country house, but instead of waiting for the night it had flown onto the windowsill of one of their living room windows in broad daylight and started pecking so hard at the glass that Petunia feared it might break. As soon as it saw the butler approaching, he left the letter he was holding with his talons and came back to where it came from, taking with him the bond between her and Lily. Petunia knew she had been wrong for indulging in the jealous outbursts she’d made early on, but then she’d tried to make amends, to ignore the bitter taste of bile that rose in her throat every time her parents praised her sister on a school result or some oddity she managed to achieve to simplify life at home in a way not even a crowd of maids would’ve been able to. Once she came of age, she had accepted that, although she was the eldest, she was second to Lily in everything else, but she didn’t care, her only goal that to get back the affection of the one who had always been her best, and probably only, friend. But despite her commitment, despite the interest she showed in a world that considered her rubbish, Lily had now built a wall Petunia didn’t know how to get around, and it did nothing but make her furious.

“I though you wanted a scholar,” the younger pointed out.

“I did,” confirmed the oldest. “I still do, but since the likelihood of finding a true scholar here are minimal, I think I can settle on Mr. Potter. He seems intelligent enough, so you’ll just have to devise a way to discover if he likes to read.”

“I’d be surprised if he could,” Lily muttered, making her laugh, the cheerful sound coming to a halt when a low rumble of distant thunder reverberated in the night and her sister flinched. She usually was all right when the storm was far away, but when it was closer, she looked like she was about to burst from her skin.

“Petunia,” she said, apparently needing to have this discussion with her but also to say something that would take her mind off the approaching tempest. “You must put him from your mind. He’s absolutely not the sort of husband who would make you happy, and aside from the fact he is the worst sort of rake and would probably flaunt a dozen mistresses in your face, haven’t you read The Queen of the Quills? Or listened to anything any of the other young ladies’ mothers have to say? The ones who have been on the social circuit for several years and know what’s what, all say his only saving grace is how nicely he treats his mother.”

“Well, that would be a mark in his favour,” Petunia asserted. “Since a mother is family and a wife is too.”

“A wife isn’t the same as a blood relative,” groaned Lily. “Men who would never dream of uttering a cross word in front of their mothers trample all over other women’s feelings every day.”

“And how would you know this?” Petunia demanded, causing a shocked reaction in Lily. In truth, she couldn’t remember the last time she had questioned her judgment on an important matter, and unfortunately for her sister, the only answer she could think of on such short notice was an unsatisfactory “I just do” that didn’t pass the muster.

“Aside from all that,” she resumed, in a placating voice, deciding to steer the topic in a different direction. “I don’t think you would even like Mr. Potter if you got to know him.”

“He seemed pleasant enough when I met him,” she maintained.

“But he was on his best behaviour!” Lily persisted. “Of course he’d seem nice, he wants my family to like him but it was all an act! Between last night and this afternoon, I spent several hours in his company, and I can assure you, he wasn’t on his best behaviour with me.”

Petunia gasped with horror and maybe a little titillation.

“Did he kiss you?” she breathed.

“Of course not!” Lily howled. “Where on earth would you get that idea?”

“You said he wasn’t on his best behaviour,” rejoined, innocently, Petunia.

“What I meant,” Lily ground out, “what that he wasn’t polite, nor very nice. In fact, he was insufferably arrogant and dreadfully rude and insulting.”

“That’s interesting,” Petunia murmured. “Very odd indeed. One would think he’d go out of his way to be nice to you first, since he’s you he wants to marry. Why behave the churl?”

“He said he couldn’t help himself,” she retorted, her face coloured a dull red, not so noticeable in the candlelight and mixed with the redness already present because of her cold, but still a different, embarrassed shade.

Petunia’s mouth fell open, and for one second she sat utterly frozen, as if suspended in time. Then, she dropped onto a pillow, hooting with laughter.

“That’s splendid!” she gasped. “It might be the funniest thing I’ve heard all month, maybe all year!”

“There’s no need to dwell on it,” Lily grumbled,

“He might be the very first gentleman you haven’t been able to manage,” Petunia went on, ignoring her sister’s pleas. “And although you say he’s rather unremarkable, I bet my best dress you’ll be married by the end of the year!”

_____________________________

Early the following week, after he and Sirius had amicably sparred, made peace over a glass of Firewhisky, and the bruises had faded into faint greenish marks, Mrs. Potter announced her intent to host a musicale. The organization of these events was not as tiring and expensive as that of a ball, and the space required was undoubtedly smaller, but it was still necessary to take care of sending the invitations, carefully selecting the audience, and distributing the seats adequately, so that no stupid arguments would break out between families who didn't see eye to eye. Of course, the front row would be occupied by the homeowners, their esteemed guest, and the McKinnon family, but the seats behind them were yet to be filled.

“I think Mrs. Evans would appreciate our invitation,” Euphemia said, not even looking up from the list she was making in her elegant handwriting.

“You should invite her eldest too, maybe together the sisters will be less uncomfortable among us Londoners,” Sirius added, trying to hide the sadistic smile spreading across his face. James glared at him, but made no comment, determined not to let his mother know how much his courtship of Lily was proving to be a fiasco.

“What a wonderful idea!” Euphemia exclaimed, adding a + 2 next to Mrs. Evan’s name. “I just hope the youngest has overcome the nasty cold she got last week. Gossip says she slipped in the Serpentine while trying to escape from a crazed beast. Do you think it was a Blast-Ended Skrewt? I heard some have been sighted near Rotten Row…”

“Probably,” James replied, feigning disinterest, while Sirius barely managed to hid a chuckle with a cough. He was the cause of Miss Evans’ fall into the Serpentine, and he claimed he did it for James’ sake, who had looked like a true romantic hero as he took off his jacket to jump into the water and help her back to shore. How The Queen of the Quills wasn’t aware of the matter, and hadn’t mentioned it in her damned columns, was a mystery for which James found himself immeasurably grateful.

“We should send her some flowers,” his mother went on, scanning the room as if hoping to find a bouquet there.

“I’m afraid they wouldn’t make a welcome gift,” James found himself saying, before he could bite his tongue. Receiving a grim look from his parent, he was forced to add that she was allergic, a detail he wouldn’t have been aware of if he hadn’t been at their house.

“We talked about it when we danced together last week,” he concluded, when the silence stretched long enough for him to understand that the day’s occupation wouldn’t continue until he provided an explanation to his knowledge.

“I’m sure she’d appreciate a thought from you, though,” Sirius interjected. “Maybe a book. I know she loves to read.”

And so, James found himself practically forced to retrace the road to the Evans residence, this time without any flowers but equipped with three invitations to his mother's musicale and a novel he knew was very popular among young witches of his future wife's age. Because despite the embarrassment, despite having acted like a fool and almost let the temptation to kiss her take over while he was fixing her bonnet, he still intended to marry her. After all, even while drenched and dirty, her skin possessed a flickering glow that make his muscle tighten at his inability to touch it freely, and although she might be too bossy and too quick to jump to conclusions, her eyes reminded him of the walks he used to take with his father, and her mouth, which vexed him to no end with its endless stream of insults and opinions, delivered the most perfect laugh.

James shuddered when he reached the front door, already familiar. He had dreamed about this moment, but in his sleep he was furious with her for whatever reason, and it wasn’t the butler who opened the door, but Lily herself, and there was no need to make polite conversation with her mother, to get out mindless words that tipped from his tongue as if by rote, because she was the one standing in front of him, a blessing indeed, since his mind was most definitely set on kissing her out of her mind. Oh, if she had known what he did to her with his imagination, she would’ve never agreed to marry him, but the Lily of his dreams was much more even-tempered than the real her, and although she still made his blood rush, and they spent enjoyable time together, he was able to not fall in love with her. The fake Lily he constructed in his head was exactly what he needed, but he was sure the one sitting on her bed in the company of her sister, hair let down and cheeks flush, would make him sweat and slide into mindless temptation given the chance.

“Why are you here?” she asked, trying to appear much tougher than she actually was.

“To apologize again for what happened,” he muttered, triggering a fit of giggles from Petunia. “And to bring this to you, to cheer your healing process.”

Guarded, Lily reached across the bed to take the book handed to her, giving him a glimpse of what she usually hid with her chaste dresses. Whatever thanks he had received, whatever words had been said in the room, never reached his ears, which began to ring dully with lust.

“And the envelopes you’re holding in you hand?” Petunia asked, her voice too high-pitched to ignore after a few moments.

“They’re your tickets for the musicale my mother is hosting on Friday night,” he replied, and although Lily didn’t seem the least bit interested, her nose already buried in the book she’d just received, Petunia’s eyes lit up.

“Don’t pay attention to my sister, giving her a book is the only way to shut her up,” the eldest joked. “But we are both grateful for the invitations, and you can already tell your mother we will be honoured to be present.”

“See you on Friday, then,” said James, as a farewell, with a little bow.

“Thank you, Mr. Potter,” he thought he heard Lily murmur once the door was closed behind him, but it could only be a figment of his imagination, so he tried not to put too much weight on the softness in her tone. Their next meeting would be the decisive one, the one that would allow him to court her in style and marry her by the end of the year, but for now, he had to settle for crumbs and cold courtesies.