#I saw a post say that all her friends were just so insane in comparison

[sleepiestwizard]

okay im gonna put all my thoughts about the hotguy zinethology on here based on the incoherent ramblings my friends received while i was reading it

(obviously spoilers below the cut)

okay so first of all the first part was SO fucking funny i cried laughing multiple times

the first time i saw cute guy i SCREAMED

HOTGUY TRYING TO GET CUTEGUY TO JOIN HIS UNION AND GRIAN JUST GOING. NAH. WAS SO FUNNY

@cornpapers draws scar SO pretty

mumblr is SUCH a funny name 10/10

the "dont you think cuteguy and hotguy having matching names and outfits is queerbaiting" post is SO FUNNY

THE GRIANVERSE

SHE'S HERE !!!!!!! ARIANA GRIANDE !!!!!!!!!!

THIS IS SO FUCKING FUNNY. GRIAN LOOKS LIKE THE SAD HAMSTER

REALLY GOOD PANEL

this whole comic was so funny i loved it loved the cub

THE EMAILS PART WAS ALSO SO FUNNY

this is such an interesting and fun way to tell a story i loved the email part

in general the posts and stuff were SO funny and very realistic for the internet 😭

yeah

grian desperately trying to not let scar reveal his identity 😭😭 girl (this also hits so different now after reading the whole thing btw.)

the comparison to a wild horse in this first fic also killed me

i can't really put a lot of images but there were some really classic superhero comic looking panel that i thoroughly enjoyed

scar tangled in his own grappling hook. classic. very funny

I LOVED THIS FIC SO MUCH. scar voice this is gonna ruin the tour. grian voice what tour. scar voice the world tour.

scar saying he's playing volleyball. haikyuu reference!?!?!?

just putting this here

LOVEDDDD THIS GEM DESIGN

moon mask i immediately called pearl yes pf course

GRIAN REFUSING TO SHOW EACHOTHER THEIR IDENTITIES AGRHRGRHRVH

"you and your cuteguy" arggrgrhsggrgrhgr

murder camel REAL !!

I DIDN'T TRUST THIS FOR A SECOND. PEARL AND HER SOUP I DONT BUY IT

"i cant believe you guys fucking killed jimmy solidarity" <- actual message i sent to mochi

SCOUR KNOWING SCARS NAME. AGRHSGRHRGRHV

i literally had to Go Take A Walk after this fic

i really like how the pearl thing was resolved in this it felt like such a good act 2 reoccurring villain exit. very superhero comic/movie like or even dnd like

'vincent berger' made me laugh

ZEDDIT

MOCHI FIC !!!!

first off every single fic has SUCH a cool cover i love them all

poor grian has ptsd :((

i LOVEEE how mochi writes angst always they're so good at it

the fact that he never found jimmys body immediately made me call the fact that he wasn't really dead and would come back btw

gem would lovee to drive grian slowly crazy tbh

"IVE COME TO PICK UP MY BIRD" AGRHRGRHGRHRVRBTBJRG

JUST LOOK AT THAT GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL TOMORROW !!!!!!!

i was going insane at this point

this whole zine had me feeling like that meme thats like first i laughed.. then i serioused (the first part was SO funny and then golden era was psychic damage /pos)

IMPULSE :D

GEMPEARL <33 they are so everything to me

SCAR WHY WOULD YOU LEAVE SUSPICIOUS POSSIBLY EVIL FOREIGN TECHNOLOGY ON YOUR BODY. SIR.

NOT THE DESTIEL MEME

they look SO fucking cute

both scar and grian look sooooo scrumptious in this comic argh

THE MIND CONTROL. THE. RHE MIND CONFNTOL.

THESE 2 FULL PAGES ARE ABSOLUTELY SO INSANE. I WAS AND STILL AM FOAMING AT THE MOUTH

THIS IS SO. GOD THIS

THE WAY GRIAN JUMPED AND SCAR JUMPED AFTER HIM. THEYRE CRAZY !!!!!!!

THE WIPING THE BLOODY NOSE AND THEN SMILING LITERALLY WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!

HE TOOK THE MASK OFF

mumbo <3

THE HUG. ☹️☹️☹️

great big beautiful tomorrow :((( the parallels :((

GRIAN BEING TOO FLUSTERED BY SCAR KINDA FLIRTING THAT HE DIDN'T REALISE HE WAS DROPPING HINTS ABT HIS IDENTITY WAS SO FUNNY

cutiebird..

scar playing w his hair when cuteguy was hurt :(( so cute

REALLY FUNNY

THEY'RE HOLDING HANDS ☹️☹️

the tcg voice: theyre holding hands.. i want them dead

SKIZZ !!!!

ETHO !!!!!!!!!!

awhh skizzly :((((

THIS IS SO UPSETTING

"It's our Impulse, Gem" IM SO UPSET SHUT UP

god the way she puts on the mask and immediately is emotionless im gonna throw up

OBSESSED. THEY'RE EVERYTHING TO ME

im so obsessed w this cuteguy i love him

grian voice omg im the only bitch serving cunt in this place im so embarasseddddd

they are serving SO much in this comic

ETHO EYHO ETHO ETHEO

SCAR APPOINTING GRIAN AS LEADER. EARURGRHVRH THEY'RE EVERYTHING

READING THIS WAS SO CRAZY IT LITERALLY FELT LIKE WATCHING ENDGAME

JIMMY SOLIDARITY !!!

MUMBO JUMBO !!!!!

impulse thinking about skizz as he's dying :(((((

HE DID IT ALL FOR SKIZZ :(((((((((

i was so upset this made me sob like a baby

SOUP GROUP :(((

SKIZZLY!!! :(((

warden :/

SCAR PEARL INTERVIEW :( HOTGUY RETIRING :( I LOVE THEM

THE CHEMICAL MUTATING PEOPLE IS JUST ESTROGEN BEING A GIRL JUST DOES THAT TO YOU

grian and scar playing volleyball is that a haikyuu reference....

OH THIS PEARL IN THIS COMIC IS REALLY GOOD

cuteguy is so spiderman coded

GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL TOMORROW !!!!!! WE'VE COME FULL CIRCLE !!! SOBBING !!!!

god all in all this was so crazy. it was such an obvious labour of love and everyone who was involved with it did such a good job and obviously put so much love into it AND IT WAS WORTH IT !!!! insanely good work thank you to everyone for doing this and sharing it for free?? @hotguycomiczine y'all are crazy. incredible work <333

[velvetvexations]

I just saw a ask post where an anon said they were joking that their cis man friend was like a trans woman for what seemed to be like months until the friend snapped and told them they're not trans and they don't think the jokes are funny and the anon's framing of that response was so fucking bizarre.

Saying that it's like he thought associating transfemininity with his experience was an insult.

Holy crap, do these people hear themselves? I'm transmasc, if a "friend" joked that my hobbies and interests were like women and therefore I'm similar to women for months I would go insane?

why do TRFs act like desperately horny chasers that have a pathological obsession with pressuring AMAB people into identifying as trans women and erasing every other kinna feminine-presenting AMAB person until all that remains are futas dickgirls sisters in the transfeminine struggle to keep our memes safe from transmasc teenagers

wildly inappropriate comparisons

Recently I saw a TRF insist that China's concentration camps are just internment camps for people vulnerable to radicalization and everyone is having a great time learning Mandarin.

Check my trans radical feminism tag.

I didn't know that about her but LOL CALLED IT WHAT I'M I ALWAYS SAYING TRFS ARE PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE ANY CONCERNS MORE PRESSING THAN THE PETTIEST SHIT THEY CAN TWIST INTO BEING A PROBLEM

I'm sorry, anon. I love you and I hope you can find help soon. <3

[shanethvarosa]

Void Post

I was a kid under the Clinton administration and all I can really know or recall is that my family personally was doing very well during same. I recall the culture of the 90s being more stable and normal and I think that’s why people romanticize them so much today.

But I also recall the 2000 presidential election. I was only 9, but kids my age were talking about it and saying what their parents told them about Al Gore, one girl told me he was going to start killing babies when he was in office. Even at 9 years old, I knew bitch was crazy.

Of course we all know Bush won that election and now, looking back on it, it seems banal in comparison to what we’re dealing with. We had 9/11, which was an absolute national tragedy, don’t get it twisted; but people saw this happen and made it their whole personality.

So we end up in wars based on nothing but racism and xenophobia and there was no real goal of protecting the world from a threat, but there was financial motive for many, many people in the American government. And what did the American people do in 2004, re-elect the same old.

When Obama came around, it was the first time in 8 years I as a young man or any of my friends and immediate family felt hope again. Obama was/is an intelligent, likable guy who was another career politician who knew what he was doing for the Democratic Party and for the people. Of course, I’m not delusional. He was far from perfect. Just like any American president.

Unfortunately, though, I do think that the larger American populace is genuinely far too racist to just accept our first black president and we see the results now 16 years later. His good and decent presidency gave rise to literal evil. The hatred in the hearts of these people who couldn’t handle him as president gave voice to Trump and people like him. Trump being an insane wealthy person can just run for the same office and see what happens and take really no L either way.

Then of course the DNC dropping all their balls. Left and right between not letting Sanders have the ticket, then Hillary Clinton being cold, unlikable, and having no real policies of her own - it really isn’t surprising Trump won that election. Not to mention, the everyone thought there was no way he was going to win, but that made more people comfortable testing their right to a third party vote, taking away votes from Clinton.

If we had just voted right in 2016, I would bet Trump would have just gone away. He tried, he failed; just like so many of his businesses, he’d just walk away from it. But then he had to fucking win and people somehow liked the presidency he had? Even though he ultimately mishandled the pandemic and the daily death tolls were like having a 9/11 every day for six months.

So we see this happen and finally get the god damn vote out in order to oust the man thinking we’d not have to hear from him again, but again the DNC fucks us over entirely. Instead of allowing a fresher face with good ideas to be the democratic nominee, they give it to Biden. A polarizing figure due to his general goofiness and association with the first black president.

He did some good work, but the American culture remains horrible and misguided because we didn’t have any progress in the last four years and so more people than not didn’t want a repeat of Biden’s administration. But I also can’t believe that the RNC actually put Trump up again. Make it make sense.

The absolute and blatant hypocrisy of it all - don’t vote for the 80 year old dementia patient, vote for the 78 year old dementia patient. Well the 80 year old stepped aside and we have a woman running for the presidency again and now we’re seeing that yes, the American populace would rather shoot themselves in the foot than have a woman as president. Why? Again, make it make sense.

I don’t even necessarily feel hopeless right now or that I want to give up. I don’t know that I believe in Project 2025 necessarily but I wouldn’t be surprised if some or all of it gets worked into law. As of right now it’s just a theory, a manifest. I believe Trump only wanted this to stay out of jail and won’t do any actual work in any way but that doesn’t mean the now-republican-run senate won’t. That doesn’t mean that this freaky little shithead Vance won’t do something horrible if Trump dies in office.

Ultimately, life and the world goes on, but the United States of America is finished.

[bonesandthebees]

Omg I went to watch The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes with some co-workers and we absolutely loved it! What are your thoughts on it?

-🌻

ooooo I have so many thoughts though I also wanna say I have not read the book yet (I was originally planning on waiting to read the book before I saw the movie but then my mom wanted to watch it and I wasn't gonna just say no-) but I am aware that there are differences between the two. so my thoughts are all mostly based off the movie but will likely change after I get around to reading the book

first and foremost I loved the production aspects of the film itself. the sets and costumes being vaguely 40s/50s inspired was so cool and such a fun way to show how much the Capitol has changed since then and the main series. in the main series movies we see the aesthetic of the Capitol as something incredibly ostentatious and over the top. we see that a little bit in tbosas (mostly with Tigris and Dr. Gaul, whose costumes felt the most 'Capitol-like' in terms of the Capitol aesthetic of the og trilogy) but for the most part while the outfits are a bit strange, there's nothing too out there. you can see the roots for how Panem got to what it is in the main trilogy, but you can see that at this point in time Panem really is a recovering war-ravaged city. it's just such fun silent worldbuilding that I really appreciated

(will cut this off here for spoiler talk from here on out)

now with the story, I was definitely thrown off a bit by the pacing at first. everything felt very fast and almost jarring for the first quarter of the movie. but I understand why they had to rush it given time constraints, and it wasn't bad enough to make the movie unenjoyable. outside of film talk though, I really did enjoy all the characters and mainly how they contrast to Snow despite how close they are with him

Tigris and Sejanus are the most obvious examples of this. Sejanus, of course, is from the districts first and foremost and empathizes with the other district citizens because he's one of them. With Tigris, although they're cousins, Tigris and Snow were far closer to siblings and you can see how deeply Tigris loves him. I saw one post saying that in a way, Snow was to Tigris what Prim was to Katniss and that comparison is making me insane because of how true it is. And despite their hardships, she feels so much compassion for other people, especially the tributes. She's the one who empathizes with Lucy Gray and points out how if she was in her situation, she'd just want to know someone cared about her. Despite most of the Capitol treating district citizens like they're another species, Tigris can put herself in their shoes and by all means Snow should be able to do the same given they both had the same rough upbringing.

And the worst part is, at least in the movie it seems that Snow is able to empathize with the people from the districts. He can understand what they've gone through. He and Lucy Gray commiserate over going hungry as children. He relates to them in a way few other Capitol citizens can.

The part I like the most about the story is that yes, Snow can understand the district citizens better than most Capitol people. He just chooses not to care. He chooses to be cruel time and time again. He chooses to step on everyone else to get what he wants. His descent is done so well, showing how despite having all the opportunity in the world to be a better person, despite everyone who cared about him believing he was good and could be a good man (Tigris, Sejanus, Lucy Gray) he simply chose not to be. And it just makes him so chilling.

I think one of my favorite bits with Snow was when Sejanus gets hanged. Snow flinches, he looks regretful knowing this was his doing. That he got his friend killed. He's not standing there smiling like this was his master plan all along. He's 18 years old and he just indirectly murdered his only friend, and for a brief moment, he feels sick. But then it's done. The sin has been committed. The only way now is forward.

again I'm just basing this all off the movie so maybe his thought process in the books was different I just really really liked how Snow's character was done. also I loved Lucy Gray of course and I think the worldbuilding with the Covey is so fascinating. but yeah this is already long enough so here are my rambles

[frenchgremlim1808]

Stop justifying Billy attitude.

 Introduction

This is a follow up post to my harringr**ve has much more follower than lumax lucas and max. You can find it here

Okay i made a promise, so today i’m gonna fulfill it. So i’m gonna say somethings that i didn’t think was controversial. Billy hargrove actions are inexcusable and irredeemable, he would have never have a redemption if he lived, he would have stayed an horrible asshole whatever would have happened. The only point in time where he could have become better is nonexistent, because he’s dead. So stop acting like he is a good person.

Now i am forced to explain cause it seems some idiot actually thinks that this character whose whole purpose was to pose a human threat to the cast and represent the bigoted views of the 80′s is in a fact sad boy who just needed a redemption.

Before i start just wanna clarify, liking billy has a character, liking how his purpose in the story was fulfilled or his complexity doesn’t make you a bad person. Not at all. I personally think that billy is a very well written character well fitted into the story and honestly very interesting way to show the effect of abuse and how abuse can change a person at a young age.

I’m gonna take every argument i saw and break it down for you.

1. Billy action are excusable he was a victim of abuse, so he continue the cycle of abuse, it’s not his fault !

Okay first do you think the same things to serial killer who also got abused by their parents. Is the fact that they were abused change anythings to the fact that they killed innocent people out of pure psychopathy and own twisted pleasure. Of course you don’t because that’ absolutely insane and if you actually think that go see a psychiatrist. 

“But op you can’t compare serial killers with billy all billy did was being mean to his sister’s friends” First of if you think he was just being mean to lucas/max, you’re either blind, or absolutely in denial. Billy tried to roll over lucas and co, burned a cat alive abused mentally max, menaced to kill lucas a child and steve, and even after his death still torment her so much that it pushing her toward suicadal thoughts. Second, okay you doesn’t like my comparisons then let’s make another. Do you think that my grandma who neglected and abused my mother out of pure hate for her simple existence in this world excusable in anyway because her childhood was bad. Because her childhood was kinda bad she now has the pass to abuse her kids and put permanent marks in their life of  self hatred and emotional disability. No she will never get that pass, never because her actions may come from past abuse, but it doesn’t change the fact that her actions ruined her children's self worth and view on the world. She continued the cycle of abuse while could have stopped it, she could have stopped it and given the chance to her kids that she didn’t get. But no she continued what her own parent’s did to her to her children’s. But my mom stopped it she stopped the cycle of abuse, by loving and taking care of me just like any mother should. She made mistake along the way but in the end she did the best she could for me.

My grandma actions are not excusable, but in a way understandable. She wasn’t strong enough to stop the cycle of abuse. Billy is the exact same. Billy actions are not excusable, in any way, but understandable.

2. “But if he had a good circle like Jonathan had, he wouldn’t turned like that”

Of course the Jonathan/ billy comparison. It’s true they have a lot in common. Physically abusive dad and an abused siblings. But i’m gonna express something real quick. What circle ? Like actually what circle. His anxiety driven mom ? His abused brother? Oh no his nonexistent friends who totally helped him not be an asshole. Jonathan didn’t have a circle he was alone against his dad. But still he didn’t decide to abuse Will, out of pure hatred towards the world. Having a circle doesn't mean your gonna be a good person, and not having one doesn’t automatically means you are gonna be an asshole. A good circle can help but in the end it’s all about inner strength. We really never talk about that but  Jonathan in my eyes is an extremely strong character. He was capable of not only surviving his father abuse and fly over it, but also becoming even more full of love for his brother and mother. He could have been just like billy, fallen into the deep end where no forgiveness is acceptable but no he fought against all of his father influence and learned from his abuse that he will never ever forgive him nor become like him. He will never forgive the abuser. 

And also if you wanna do comparisons let’s make a simple one. El has been abused her almost her whole life. Papa manipulated her. Even when he wasn’t with her he always had a certain control over her. In episode 8, Eleven has a choice forgiving the man who abused her or not doing that. She didn’t choose to forgive him, no she knew that in the end even with his kind words there was foul poison inside. A man who loved her wouldn’t have hurted her the way he did. A man who loved her wouldn’t have still tried to manipulate her. She knew deep down that whatever her heart could feel, he didn’t love her and he didn’t deserve forgiveness. She will never forgive the abuser. Pretty much everyone agreed with eleven choice. So why with billy is it different when he too abused max. Oh yes i forget he an conventionally attractive guy so you absolutely forget every action he did just because you simp for dacre. You know what, simp whenever you want for dacre, he’s a conventionally attractive white dude. But for the love of god stop confusing the actor with his character. Just because you think dacre is cute or whatever doesn't mean you have to act like his character did nothing wrong. HE’S A RACIST PIECE OF SHIT STOP PRETENDING LIKE HE ISN’T.

3.”Stop saying he’s a horrible person, that’s literally victim blaming him for his action”

Ooh, so saying that billy hargrove is an horrible person because he abused, threatened to death a child and burned a cat alive is victim blaming? I am currently blaming a victim ? You know what’s victim blaming, getting mad at Max for admitting that she hated billy and wished he died while he made her life a living hell. Victim blaming is also getting mad at Joyce for not being able to stand against loonie. It can also be blaming Jonathan for wanting to keep his job because his family is poor. That’s victim blaming. Billy is a victim of abuse true but like i said does it change any action he did ? In the situation i told was he a victim ? No he’s an abuser. Billy is an abuser. He may have been a victim but now he’s an abuser. He became an abuser the moment he decided to hurt max out of pure hate. When billy was young, he wasn’t an abuser, he was just a kid whose mother disappeared. He was just a victim; but when he became older he became an abuser. You can fell pity for the young abused kid who lost his mother, but you can’t feel pity for a freaking adult man who hurt 13 years old kids out of pure hate. Now all can fell for him is the pure feeling that he is a pathetic man who felt better by bullying thirteens years old.

4. “Leave us  to relate to a character who’s a queer coded abuse victim, we can just relate to his struggles”

I have some words, Look one minute at the cast, right here. 

So you wanna relate to an abuse victim who is queer coded and not racist nor abusive, will is there. You wanna relate to morally grey character who start of as a bad person but become better with time , Steve exist. Literally you have so many options; An abuse victim ( half of the stranger things cast), start of not that  great (Steve/ Eddie/ hopper), Queer/queer coded ( will,mike,robin,jonathan etc). You can pick anyone, literally anyone but you choose billy hargrove, Billy out of all them. Stop making a plea to yourself.

5.”The reasons we like billy is the fact that he could have had a redemption, we just want the best for him”

Stop it, like stop it right now. What redemption ? Billy dead. He’s fucking dead. So if i understand you like this character only for the non-existant version that you made up in your mind. You solely like a character because of a fanon version babygirlfied version of the character. Well that explain everything now. The reason why billy hargrove fan love him is only fueled by their own little fantasy world which doesn’t exist. Billy is dead he was never made to have a redemption. the writers decided to kill him for a reason. He was more of a plot point than an actual good person in season 3. And like do you actually think that if he lived he would have been a good person. Even if i don’t know got like therapy or something and by magic it worked would it have stopped him of being racist. No it wouldn’t.                                                          Do you want a little definition of racism 

“Racism is the belief that groups of humans posses different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be dived on the superiority of one race over another” Source Wikipedia

Racism is inherently the sentiment that some skin colors are superior than other. Racism is also putting stereotype on a certain ethnicity . It can manifest in a fear toward that ethnicity based on stereotypes.

Feeling superior. Billy hargrove feels superior to lucas because of skin color. He feel like his skin color is superior to poc skin color. I’m gonna ask a question, did you ever see in your life an extreme racist suddenly change and realized the error of his ways. Maybe it has already happened but it doesn’t change the fact that is rare. “But op billy isn’t an extreme racism it was just mild” No Billy racism isn’t mild. He tried to run over kids, and threatened of death a child. And even if his racism was mild it doesn’t change anything, He a racist in the 80 s. You think that him going to like therapy would change his racism especially in the 80 s.“But he wouldn’t have killed Lucas, he was just threatening him” Oh he JUST threatened of child of death, nothings wrong there. And euh... If Steve didn’t protect Lucas what would have happened you think. He would have JUST beaten the crap of him. I’m personally a poc, to know that some white ass 13 years old excuse the racism of billy just like we are the one overacting in this situation. Your a poc and your a billy fan, i literally don’t give a shit. That doesn’t change that he’s an abuser. Billy issues as a person doesn’t just come from his blatant racism. 

6. But the show clearly want us to understand he wasn't  bad, look at max grief.

Max grief billy, in a way she feels responsible for his death. Sometimes she may wish that she died in his place. But in no way is it cause she realized she liked him or something. Max is grieving because of regret. She never loved billy, she hated him. He made her life a living hell. But she feels like it’s her fault he died. She grieving a human being who died a horrible death in front of her. In her monologue she said it she wished he died. Grieving a bad person who has hurt you doesn’t mean you loved them. It’s a normal human reaction. Their relationship was complicated. Max never wanted the two of them to be this. All she would have wanted is to gain just some peace she got that peace but in her head that this newfound peace killed her step brother. Max is a nuanced character, she make bad decisions and sometime think things that aren’t true, grief and depression swallow her whole. Compared what billy fans think many of the stranger thing cast is extremely nuanced.The show isn’t trying to to make us understand he wasn’t bad, their showing that their relationship was extremely complicated. 

And anyway they wouldn’t make max forgive Billy when one of the core moral of stranger things is against that.

                            “Never forgive the abuser”

Will and Jonathan will never forgive their father, Joyce will never forgive loonie,Eleven will never forgive pap and max won’t forgive Billy. Just like billy shouldn’t forgive Neil max will not forgive billy. And that’s why billy would have never been redeemed. 

Just before i reach my conclusion i’m just gonna state some things:

-The Billy and Karen affair is still one of the most uncomfortable things that happened in the show, and Billy clearly isn’t at fault, Karen shouldn’t flirt with a young boy like him, she could literally be his mom. And technically its wasn’t illegal since billy was 18 at the moment ( if in america; in Indiana at that time the legal age of maturity is even 18, if it’s not, and in fact 21.... My opinion of Karen will decline... a lot.) but still weird as heck.

- I will admit that i too saw some queer coding in billy character, i could completely see the queer coding but i’m pretty sure it’s just dacre having good chemistry with joe. And even if he was queer wouldn’t change that he was a racist and and abuser so....

-While i do think that we should take in count actors views of their characters, Dacre saying that billy wasn’t racist was awfully wrong ,even Caleb said it billy is racist. But really it’s not a reason to cancel dacre or caleb or anyone. Actually don’t cancel anyone please.Cancel culture is one of the most idiotic things we have on the internet right now, and it would be amazing to just stop with that.

-I would say that the only reason most of the billy hate community can act sometimes hysterical is mainly because the billy stans can sometime be so ridiculous and the delusional ones in the conversation. Instead of accepting the fact that they clearly just wanna fuck dacre which is i guess understandable, they use Steve as a scapegoat. Just like back in time in the undertale fandom     ( bad memories....) people shipped sans and frisk while using frisk, a child, as a self insert for them self.

Conclusion:

Just like the Wheelers, Papa, troy,Angela, Jason, the town of hawking in general billy is an indicator of the time period. The mentality of small town and the discrimination that minorities could face there. Stranger is all about following outcast of societies, freaks. Billy doesn’t follow that definition, and that’s why he’s not a main character. Billy is an incredible character who clearly is complex and has multiple layers. While he is a great character for his purpose as an antagonist, he should have never been idolized by so many people. Billy is not a good person, nor a character who as made to be loved. Billy was made for you to wish him to hate him, then gain pity, then realize he is a very grey character, who a complex deconstruct of toxic masculinity and the 80 s mentality. 

And i will conclude by the fact that while this post was made to get some thought out of my head and kinda clear my absolute desperation at the billy stans naivety. It is also to i hope help some  young peeps understand that billy hargrove isn’t a character who you should stan, and maybe wake them up a little. Anyone can be misguided, so that’s why i hope that if a billy stans  is reading this you understand why most of the fandom dislike him a lot. 

Also if your an ex billy stan say to me in comments what made you change ways.

Anyway spend 4 days on this shit, peace out love you all.

[lokbobpop]

Back to basis

After today’s recording where joe explains his moment of change and i reflected on my moments of change how subtle but life changing they are how you just cant go back to them, like the point i walked with my other half, i had blame and lots of it, when i walked it and moved on, i just cant go back to the way i was, it would take so much energy to be like that to live that way now, and its hard to believe i was even like that now, and yes blame has gone its lifted, it was real time change many years ago now that turned my head round 180 as it were. All that energy it took to be like that was so much when i see my self then, to be bothered with being frustrated with my bundle of blame, and how i look at the points Im living right now and why am i not just dropping them why is it hard ti just saw ok I’m I’ve that now I’m living this now lol

So what i see today is that how import i have to be here in every moment for these changes to happen i have to be with myself full on standing, when i feel energy stop look at it. But what I’m dealing with right now is comparison I’m so over having to be like this I’ve got to the point that this point has been lingering for decades and I’ve been walking it for at least 3 years id say !!!! Holy crap 3 years how can i do that to myself for all those years ?? Lol Ive now come to the point of stand stand stand self love the chosen word for myself to deal with this.

Im thinking my thyroid problem has to do with my comparison keeping me from functioning properly because my desire to be better than all others runs so deep I’m dysfunctional so my like my thyroid not working properly doing the best i can do. All because just cant see the best in myself without comparing it to another, no seeing me as whole as one. So how can i further help myself with this insane desire to be better than other by going into self doubt to self ego in the matter of a split second how can i turn these thoughts into functions that will support me to live myself without this want need and desire?

Step off the merry go round step off this so called wheel of life clean up with scrappy bits left over that I’ve decided to keep around just in case i need them, yes that what Ive been doing, so i can look at something different to overcome a change of scenery lol as it were I’ve out lived this one its fucking annoying lol i saw a post of a school friend today and i was jealous that she might be happier than myself with her life and all her photos this thing is so wide spread I’m going to have to be very vigilant and question a good proportion of my daily thoughts i see to really get on tops of this but at the end of the day thats all they are just thoughts they are not really me no i just created them made them real and so believe them to be me. Such a shame i took it so far and ingrained it within myself.

Plan to see realize and un stand to move this point i have to be persistent i have to be stable calm and stop in every moment for real time change, i have to see what they are really showing me about myself i have to live my self love embrace them about me. I have to be real because my dislike for all when it comes to my comparison for me to see myself as better has to end i have to move on let go embrace this about me and see realize and understand that I’m changing and this is an important part of the whole of my change. It has many angles and comes in many angles as thoughts i see it not just one thing compare theres a story of wanting people to see me as amazing so i can to believe that I’m am so i can bring the thoughts of this why i can think the way i do because i am, i also need to live the words humble i see so this is my word for today humble.

Humble hum able bumblebee to be humble

To love myself

To stand as self with pride and stability

[rottentiger-art]

I see you out here posting Sparrabeth content 👀 what do you think about the comparisons of L to Jack and Misa to Elizabeth?

No but, I saw you liking them and was about to dm you to see if you wanted to talk about this lol

Where to start? There's so much to say. When comparing them I realize, hell maybe I do gave a type!

The obvious first, they're both ships with wasted potential. They also give me the vibes of het ship for queer people (the counterpairs being het ships for straight people) if that make sense.

Physically, they're very pretty much the same, taller dark-haired man, shorter blonde woman + they both have a big age gap, one significantly bigger than the other (lawmane 7 years and sparrabeth 22 years if I remember correctly).

When speaking to each other, they almost always seem to be so unnecessarily close, specially Jack and L, that have no problem getting into Lizzy and Misa's face and invade their personal space.

Both L and Jack are seen by other characters as eccentric and weird and their sometimes cold and questionable actions provokes either admiration or contempt, while Misa and Elizabeth are judged first by their beauty and most characters seem to think of them as innocent naive girls, not aware of their dark side. L and Jack seem to be the ones that really see through them and can see the darkness behind those beautiful eyes. I really don't think Light and Will (their canon love interests) truly knew them, Light just knew enough to manipulate her and not let her become a threat, and Will for example always seemed surprised by Elizabeth's actions.

What the four of them have in common is that they're willing to do morally questionable stuff to get what they want/need.

Sparrabeth have an insane amount of sexual tension, eyefucking all around, Lawmane tho it's more subtle, as it's been pointed out (shout out to @gigantomachy1916 analysis of L, Misa and Sex in Death Note) L has only had shown sexual interest in Misa, in some scenes were faked, but others is undeniable.

Their dynamics are pretty alike as well, but their fanon dynamic are near identical. In fact, being the obsessive weirdo I am, having reading the majority of the fics on each ship's AO3 tag, I took notice of every similarity. Funny how two ships of completely different fandoms with completely different plots have so much in common.

They're both given the same tropes in most fics: Enemies to Lovers (for Lawmane it may go Enemies to Friends to Lovers, for Sparrabeth Friends to Enemies to Lovers), Unrequited Love, Infidelity/Cheating, First Time/Loss of Virginity, Not Your Damsel In Distress, Birds of a Feather, Deflecting for Love or Dating Catwoman (depends on the fic, Jack is not really the villian on most fics,but the world around Elizabeth sees it this way), I'm sure there's more that I'm forgetting, but you get my point.

Another thing both fandoms have in common as seen through fic as well as posts, is that we both believe Misa and Elizabeth deserved better, and these ships allows us to give them that, it's also very clear we care more about giving our girls what they deserve rather than the romanticism (tho of course, that is a big part of it too). I've not seen a Sparrabeth fic where Elizabeth is treated as just a housewife-child bearer (like canon) or a Lawmane fic where Misa becomes L's unwanted useless sidekick (basically replacing Light's role in her life), most fics take the time to explore why these girls are so great and likeable, why they should have been allowed more power and autonomy, why they had the potential to be more. I mean, Misa not only had the eyes of a Shinigami, she also had a Shinigami completely devoted to her, yet they decided to make her a sillu girl too in love with a guy to take advantage of it (I think Misa is smarter than she lets on) and Elizabeth was made Pirate King, you mean to tell me she's gonna drop that title to live the life she never wanted? And for a man she's only going to see once every 10 years? And they wonder why we run for these ships instead.

I'm making a post about how I think Sparrabeth's relationship would have gone and how I don't believe they'd be a conventional couple, but that doesn't mean they'd be unhappy, quite the contrary, same thing could be said about Lawmane.

And this one only aplies to me, but they're also the kind of ships where I can't ship the canon pair but I ship the male character with their love rival lol a.k.a Lawlight and Wil x Jack (do they have a ship name??)

+Bonus comparisons:

"I'm totally kidding,,, unless?"

Sure it's really normal to talk this close to someone you don't want to kiss

Sorry if I rambled a lot lol TL;DR, Lawmane and Sparrabeth are more similiar than one could think, should have been endgame and deserve more recognition than they get

I would like to know what you think too!

[dimonds456]

*sees your tags about being salty about suf spinel*

YOU CAN'T JUST SAY THAT AND NOT SHARE YOUR SALT /LH

Okay, but I'm warning you, you asked for it.

LONG POST WARNING.

LIKE A REALLY, REALLY LONG POST WARNING.

Dimonds456 Presents: How They Did My Baby Dirty: An SUTM and SUF Analysis on Steven and Spinel (Told by a Progressively More and More Angry Narrator)

THE CONTEXT: There was a post talking about how you think a character will fix everything, but then they wind up making it works. My tags were "#*looks at suf spinel* #I am still salty about that like the bitch I am fghdjskgfa"

Grab some water, guys.

Let's start by talking about Steven for a moment. In the original show, when we were following him as a 12-14-year-old, we watched as he built up trauma and then learned how to hide it expertly well, to the point that most of the audience didn't even realize he was struggling.

You can actually pinpoint the seconds he makes those decisions, too. The best example is in "The Test," when he's storming up to the gems. He's pissed. His fists are clenched, he's got that anime eye shadow overlay on his face, he's frowning, all that. the Crystal Gems are clapping for him and lying to his face, and he KNOWS they are because he overheard them talking about how it was "impossible for him to fail" that test (- Garnet).

And yet... he also overheard them saying that they're just trying their best. They don't know what he needs. They never really have. No one is sure. So, Steven realizes that by picking a fight, he would just be making it worse for them because they would know they messed up, and nothing gets solved, and everyone gets more depressed and Amethyst and Pearl go back to fighting each other and- well, you get the picture. He doesn't have a full understanding of what's going on, so his kid brain went "so I can either be angry at them and cause problems, or I can tell them I did a good job to make them happy."

"I can lie to make them happy."

He storms down there angry, still mulling this decision over. He drops to the floor, frowning and pissed, and says "I can't believe you guys." He is so close to yelling at them, and yet, when he looks up at them...

"That was so... INSANE!"

You never would have been able to tell. It was right there. That moment. And then he never stops. For the ENTIRE REST of the series, he NEVER STOPS. He puts the Crystal Gems above himself every time. Think Rose's Scabbard, The Message, The Return/Jailbreak. The Cluster. Peridot. Dealing with Jasper. The zoo arc (ESPECIALLY the zoo arc). Aquamarine. Then pretty much the entirety of Season 5.

(NOTE: I went back and rewatched that scene for the screenshot. There is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it lip tremble in there too! D,: )

He lives for the people around him, and not for himself. Almost never for himself.

Put a pin in that.

Now, let's look at his maturity. People thought that was just him being mature, right? That he grew up. No. That was not it at all. He was learning from his own behaviors as well as the people around him, and building up this idea that he had to "fight to be everything that everyone wants [him] to be when [he's] grown" (- Steven, the extended intro).

Yes, he matured, but not because of that. He started making various decisions to benefit the group that oftentimes he wasn't fully comfortable with, but something he believed would be better for everyone.

Put a pin in that.

Then, later in Future, we see it all manifest. He is selfless to a fault, to the point that he can't think of himself in a positive light in the sense that he's good. We see it a couple of times, but especially in "Prickly Pair," when he vents to Cactus Steven about everything that happened. He feels useless, which is taking a toll on his mental health.

"Why do I need to be needed?" He needs to be needed because that's everything he was as a kid. His entire IDENTITY rests on his ability to help other people, no matter what happens to him. He literally sacrificed himself for them countless times (the big one of course being the Aquamarine incident), and now as a teenager, his whole sense of self is wrapped up in this need to get up and do something to make the world better.

And when he can't make the world better, his world falls apart.

Put a pin in that.

Now, let's talk about Spinel, the moment we've all been waiting for.

Spinel, as a gem, was made specifically to be a friend. That is her niche, and her purpose. Her reason for existing. At first, she and Pink Diamond got along very well, as shown in the flashbacks right before Drift Away plays (I headcanon she has illusion powers and was literally projecting her trauma, but that's a completely different post).

She and Pink vibed together for who knows how long, until one day, Pink started to not like being around Spinel anymore, finding her annoying and childish. We don't know what really caused the switch, just that it did happen (but of course, I have headcanons for that, too). Spinel never realized until it was FAR too late.

Steven actually describes his younger self as annoying at one point during the Diamond Days arc, when he decides to throw the ball, so I'm legally allowed to make this comparison.

Steven and Spinel were the SAME. They were both young and dumb, and something that at least a few people found annoying. People put up with their BS though, since they cared about them. But, while Steven realized this and matured because of it (or bottled up his emotions, to each their own), Spinel never did. She never matured. She was never given a chance.

In the movie, we saw her as a child, and watched as she played with Pink and never tried to be or do anything else, to the point that Pink Diamond thought to realize she might be struggling (and maybe Spinel didn't, either!).

She lives for the people around him, and not for herself. Almost never for herself.

And when she can't be friends with this one person, her world falls apart.

Sound familiar? It should. I literally pulled from things I said earlier lol.

Spinel and Steven are mirror reflections of each other. Reset!Spinel is 14-year-old Steven, completely devoting her entire self to one idea. Steven's was helping others no matter what, Spinel's was serving Pink no matter what. Spinel is like a combination of 14 and 12-year-old Steven in this sense, honestly. Goofy, without a care in the world, except one thing: the people around her. She would do anything for Pink, just as Steven would do anything for his family.

Now, Pink Diamond left Spinel. We all know this story. She left Spins there in the garden for 6,000 years because she grew more mature and started a rebellion, effectively forgetting about this one gem she kinda stopped caring about standing there.

Personally, I don't think Pink had any malicious or even intentional intent in that, but this ain't about her. This is about how Spinel continued to sacrifice herself for Pink, even when Pink didn't need her to anymore. She wanted to please Pink 24/7, all day every day, to the point she self-sacrificed and stood perfectly still for her for millenia.

Now, back to Steven. The gems don't need him anymore in Future, right? They've all grown up and matured and headed off towards their own futures, effectively stranding him alone in terms of self-identity and self-worth. But he stays there, ready to assist at the drop of a hat, or- in Future's case- the call of a phone.

Episode 6 anyone? The one everyone says shouldn't be in Future? That it should have been cut to allow more focus on Steven himself? The fusion episode? YEAH. THAT. He is running himself RAGGED to try and help others, to give himself a purpose. He is self-sacrificing. (He's a professional, don't worry. /j)

Steven metaphorically planted his feet down and decided that he was going to devote himself to the people around him.

Spinel's feet were literally tied down soon after she made that very same decision.

Okay, enough with the backstory. Time for the salt.

In Future, Steven is at his lowest low. He is running to the Diamonds for help, to see if there is SOMETHING they can do to help him. And we first see Spinel.

Spinel has been through the ringer on a lot of the same mental problems Steven himself is facing. She self-isolated, watched as everyone grew up and left her, and then began to lash out because of it. She understands what he's going through. We even see her concerned as Steven starts to tell her why he's there.

Spinel takes him from Diamond to Diamond, until he's running out of White's room in a blind panic. Spinel is able to catch up with him, and Steven realizes the same. SHE GETS IT. He turns around and says "Hey, you used to have vengeful thoughts!"

Spinel replies "Ohhhhh yeah, but I don't have 'em anymore."

"How did you make them stop?"

She then goes on to sing Change to him, effectively cutting that conversation short.

On paper, that sounds very in-character for her. She's goofy! And that is what worked for her! But the problem is that they had to dumb her down in order to make that character decision work. In the movie, she was shown to be observant and able to put two and two together, even if she often jumps to conclusions (see her being the one to figure out that the gems needed to remember their "pieces," as she remembers the Garden, her re-realizing what Pink did, and her meltdown later when she reactivates the injector).

Spinel is smart. It should have been in character for her to realize that Steven was panicking just as she had been, and needed to be talked to gently. But no. Instead, she starts belting out Change, which given Steven's situation, would not work for him.

At the very least, she would have started doing little tricks or started trying to get him to join a game, which would have taken his mind off of it (to her anyways, that wouldn't have worked either), which then could have prompted further discussion.

Then, once they finally start talking, Spinel could have been able to share some legitimate advise. She was hurt and lashed out. What worked for her was opening up to others and letting them in, learning to trust again (which Steven also has problems with- he can't trust that the Gems won't break down the second he turns his back. Trust does NOT equal love, there is no doubt he loves them to no end), and allowing other people in.

That is what Steven needed, too. He needed to let his guard down and just talk to someone. Sure, Spinel was not going to be a fix-all, but she could have at least offered some insight on what to do.

She UNDERSTANDS him. They are a reflection of each other.

But instead of offering help, Spinel made it worse. She was dumbed down to allow the rest of Future to happen, to make Steven feel even worse. Because- and here's the kicker- because the one person who MIGHT understand him doesn't, that means there's no hope for him.

At least, that's how he sees it. And so, the denial- and "Everything's Fine"- begins.

Here's the thing, though; they DIDN'T NEED to make that decision. If the Crew wanted to have Spinel not understand Steven, then draw the line of her being a Gem from Era 1, used to the Diamonds shattering people.

Steven has killed Jasper and revived her at this point, so maybe Spinel offers that at least he's trying to get better, just like the other Diamonds! See, they're doing so great now! And then that makes him feel worse since he IS trying to do better, but is only failing, while the Diamonds- who were MADE to be nasty dictators- are doing better than him.

The Diamonds shattered a lot of people, and they're doing better than Steven, who has only shattered one person, and not even on purpose. How horrible is that?

Then boom. THERE'S your angst, with a much smarter, more helpful Spinel.

Look, I knew going in that Spinel wasn't going to be able to help. The finale had to happen somehow, and we hadn't seen Wormy Boi yet. I have always been a storng believer of the corrupted Steven theory, so I knew it was bound to happen. But I was hoping that Spinel would at least try. But she really didn't. She just brushed him off, offering really loose advise that didn't even fit his situation and thinking that would be enough.

No. It's not.

I can see where the Crew was coming from. I still love that episode, and I love seeing Spins in it (until that exact moment). This is probably the only thing in SU that genuinely gets me mad. Or, well, maybe not mad, but definitely annoyed and- you guessed it- salty.

I have an unfinished fic where I kinda delve into Spinel's head for that episode called "A New Start". If you really want my thoughts on where Spinel's head was at, there's a bit in there that really explains it. In the fic, Steven decides to rejuvenate himself and brings Spinel along with him, and that's all the context you need for this.

I cannot explain that moment in the climax of the episode, though. Maybe she thought it would make him feel better, or that maybe he really did just need to open his eyes and see the error of his ways (which doesn't make sense, he KNOWS what he did). Maybe she thought that being silly would help somehow.

But you'd think she'd learn from her time with Pink as she grew more annoyed with her, but apparently not. Or maybe she would realize for a second that being loud and annoying was bad. Or maybe she doesn't learn.

Either way, it- and she- was dumb. And they did my baby dirty.

*drops mic and walks away*

[amaryllisblackthorn]

a lot of people have this idea that Annabeth's been like, a Luke apologist and in denial since the very beginning but it's not really true?. Annabeth was angry at Luke for his betrayal in the end of Lightning Thief and during Sea of Monsters. It's only until the end of The Titan's Curse that she starts the 'Luke really isn't that bad' kind of thing.

the end of Lightning Thief:

"I can't believe that Luke..." Annabeth's voice faltered. Her expression turned  angry and sad. "Yes. Yes, I can believe it. May the gods curse him...He was never the same after his quest."

"When I get back next summer," she said, "we'll hunt down Luke. We'll ask for a quest, but if we don't get approval, we'll sneak off and do it anyway. Agreed?"

 She was really angry at him during Sea of Monsters. Her vision from the Sirens does indicate that deep down she may believe she's able to save him, or at least wants to, but it doesn't diminish the hurt and anger she does feel.

"How could you?" Annabeth sounded so angry I thought she'd explode. "Thalia saved your life! Our lives! How could you dishonor her--"

"Liar!"

"I understand you want to destroy the camp!" she yelled. "You're a monster!"

"Because you have none of your own [intelligence]!"

"That's disgusting!" Annabeth said.

"You're insane," Annabeth said.

"Go to Tartarus," she said.

All those above are on the Princess Andromeda with Luke. Then later, to Percy:

She shook her head. "We made a dozen safe houses like this. I doubt Luke even remembers where they are. Or cares."

Even in the beginning-ish of Titan's Curse, she doesn't trust him. When he's struggling under the sky and asking for her help, she's hesitant. It's only when the sky begins to fall  that she goes to help hold it.

Annabeth had tears in her eyes. She reached down like she wanted to touch Luke's face, but at the last second she hesitated. "What happened?" she asked.

"Why should I trust you?" Annabeth asked. Her voice was filled with hurt.

Then the darkness above Luke began to crumble, like a cavern roof in an earthquake. Huge chunks of black rock began falling. Annabeth rushed in just as a crack appeared, and the whole ceiling dropped. She held it somehow--tons of rock. She kept it from collapsing on her and Luke with her own strength.

However!! There's a shift in her feelings by the time Percy and Thalia rescue her and I personally think it's because she's aware that Luke 'saved' her life for the time being after Atlas ordered him to kill her after Artemis took the sky -- even though he was super complicit in her being in that situation in the first place. Compare:

Luke hesitated. "She--she may yet be useful, sir. Further bait."

and

"We'll bring Luke back," Annabeth pleaded. "To Olympus. He...he'll be useful."

I don't think it's a conscious parallel on Annabeth's part per se, but Rick Riordan using the parallel to indicate the connection. I think that's when Annabeth discovers that Luke does still care deep down, and that deep down the person that she knows is there. which is fair, because before this point he hadn’t given her any indication seeing as he literally directed  Oreius to eat her. that’s a whole ‘nother write-up, though, i think. i digress.

Once she knows this, she starts to view him as someone being manipulated and taken advantage of by Kronos, someone who was able to manipulate Ares, a god, in the first book, -- she's not wrong! He is being manipulated. That doesn't absolve him from his horrible behavior especially towards her, but she understands that Luke is a troubled, traumatized young man being taken advantage of by the evil King Titan, and she's also aware that literally no one else cares enough to try to save him.

like, the language Annabeth uses to describe Luke in the end of Titan’s Curse is the same that Percy uses to describe the demigods on the  Titans’ side in Last Olympian. 

"You don't believe me about Luke," Annabeth said, "but we'll see him again. He's in trouble, Percy. He's under Kronos's spell."

vs

I tried to wound his men, not kill. That slowed me down, but these weren’t monsters. They were demigods who’d fallen under Kronos’s spell. I couldn’t see faces under their battle helmets, but some of them had probably been my friends.

there’s another callback with the language Percy uses to describe the opposing demigods in Last Olympian. this time, to what Percy says to Luke at the end of Lightning Thief.

“He’s brainwashing you, Luke.”

“You’re being used, Luke. You and Ares both. Don’t listen to Kronos.”

vs

This kid was getting brainwashed—trained to hate the gods and lash out because he’d been born half Olympian. Kronos was using him, and yet the kid thought I was his enemy.

Poseidon put his hand on my shoulder. “Percy, there were only a few demigod warriors aboard that ship, and they all chose to battle for Kronos. Perhaps some heeded your warning and escaped. If they did not . . . they chose their path.”

“They were brainwashed!” I said. “Now they’re dead and Kronos is still alive. That’s supposed to make me feel better?

Percy has sympathy for the demigods manipulated by Kronos to be on the Titan’s sides; he sees them as victims. the reason he doesn’t for Luke, I feel, is because Luke’s betrayal made it personal. I think this is where Percy’s fatal flaw comes into play, honestly, with the personal loyalty. both in regards to the personal betrayal to Percy, as well as Percy’s loyalty to Annabeth (and thus Luke’s betrayal of Annabeth, too). and i feel this also applies, to a lesser extent, to Ethan. but that’s a whole ‘nother write-up, too (one day!)

there is, admittedly, the factor of Luke’s age in comparison to Percy, Annabeth, and most of the other campers. there’s definitely a power imbalance -- especially with Annabeth, which isn’t okay, obviously.  so even though he’s a victim and young himself, that power imbalance in regards to his actions, manipulations, etc is messed up and not okay. 

even so, Luke is still pretty young himself -- not as young as the others, but still young. like, i got into this series when i was younger than Percy and Annabeth were, so Luke, like most early 20 year olds, seemed very old to me in that regard; it’s only as i got older and closer to his are that i started to really realize that heck he was really young. so while Luke is definitely an adult in regards to the relationship he has with Percy, Annabeth, and other younger demigods -- which he should have been mindful of and makes his manipulation etc very messed up and not okay -- he’s also young himself which is something to keep in mind. like, Luke is only around 19-22? in the series. That puts him at a power imbalance in regards to Annabeth and Percy, in which he's very much an adult in the relationship, but outside of that he's still pretty young! he’s a college kid, which when you’re younger seems pretty old but then you are one and realize differently -- his brain hasn't even fully developed yet. but i’m like, seriously digressing. 

my intended point was that i disagree with the interpretation that Annabeth was blinded by emotions and a toxic relationship which led her to make excuses for Luke and unable to see him for what he really was etc,--  because Annabeth was angry at him after his betrayal and had even thought he was different, that he didn’t care anymore. The ‘Luke apologist’ behavior only starts at the end of Titan’s Curse, the third book in the five book series. I just feel like her ... feelings? perspective? position? idk the right word.... is often misrepresented? 

she becomes very defensive over Luke’s ‘inner goodness’ and stuff because she’s literally the only one who wants to save him and knows it. she knows what he’s done isn’t okay, but she keeps driving it home that he’s being manipulated because he is! it doesn’t excuse his actions but it doesn’t have to. by the end of titan’s curse, annabeth sees luke as someone terribly lost and no one trying, willing, or caring enough to save him. and like, she’s right when she sees luke as someone who isn’t beyond saving, who’s extremely lost and being manipulated through his trauma and anger -- it doesn’t excuse what he’s doing but that doesn’t make him someone not worthy of saving. despite what he’s done, luke is still her family and she will fight for him. she sees luke the same way percy sees the other opposing demigods in the last olympian and she’s right. she’s not making excuses for him, she doesn’t think he’s done nothing wrong, she’s just not willing to give up on him and she was right. as the child in the relationship/dynamic, it wasn’t her responsibility to be the one to save him and shouldn’t have been, but she wasn’t wrong in how she saw Luke.

 like, their was definitely a power imbalance in their relationship and it’s definitely important to acknowledge that, but i feel like people tend to like, erase annabeth’s agency, for lack of a better word, and attribute her desire to save Luke as being tragically misplaced? like, Luke has totally wronged Annabeth and mistreated her terribly, but like...I find her not giving up on him mostly admirable and not pitiable, though like I said as the child in their dynamic it wasn’t her responsibility.  i’m rambling though.

mostly this post was made to remind people that Annabeth was angry towards Luke, and rightfully so, until near the end of Titan’s Curse, which is where her defending Luke and insisting he could be saved really started, likely with Luke indicating he actually still cared deep down for the first time being the catalyst.  especially since it seems a lot of people give like the impression they think she’s done it from the very beginning? idk ive definitely rambled a lot and lost my main point sometime ago or something. enjoy this anyway.

[astaroth1357]

The Obey Me Cast on a Camping Trip (Part Two: The Undateables)

This post is split in two due to length (I had too much fun again…) For the Brothers, please click HERE!

Intro:

Another day, another team building activity between the demons and the exchange students. It was Diavolo’s idea to go on a camping trip to the human world (because of course it was), and there were very… mixed responses. That sentiment wasn’t helped when he refused Lucifer’s insistent pleas to just purchase cabins for everyone to stay in. Oh no, the Demon Lord wanted to rough it out in the wilderness, and now everyone else was getting dragged along with him…

Wonder how that turned out?

Diavolo

He was soooo excited to get to experience camping! He had been asking the MC about human camping trips for about a week before making the announcement and he was pumped!!

Barbatos chauffeured him to the campsite in his own car (of course) but he insisted on taking every roadside, touristy stop they came across which doubled the drive time considerably…

He wanted to help everybody set up the camp but Barbatos and Lucifer were having none of it… So he took pictures and offered moral support instead! Good work everyone! 😁

He had his own tent about the size of a small house (ngl it took Barbs and Lucifer about a half hour to set the whole thing up). Barbs even somehow managed to pack a collapsible desk in there for him so he could still work… greeeat…. 🙄

Diavolo wanted to try everything. Literally everything. The man even traded his uniform out for full on outdoors gear, right down to one of those floppy fishing hats with the tackle stuck to it.

Politely insistently asks that Lucifer does things with him. The MC could come along as well (and in many cases Luci begs them to do so) but he wants to get some bonding time in with his best friend!

Unfortunately for Lucifer, Diavolo would get sidetracked quite a lot… Which is how he ended up having to physically steer his Lord out of harm's way more than once…

At one point while hiking, Diavolo was so distracted by taking pictures that he nearly walked right into the path of a passing bear and her cubs. Lucifer had to tackle him down into some bushes until they went away... His brothers teased him mercilessly when they heard about...

Dia also loved the camping food quite a bit. He's never gotten the chance to cook his own food before, even if it's just marshmallows over a fire, so it was all a brand new experience for him! S'mores are now declared a human world delicacy.

Man had the time of his life! He'd love to do it again, hell, maybe even make it a yearly event! (Few of the brothers share his sentiment, but hey, it pays to be King 😏)

Barbatos

If his Lord orders it, then he follows. He'll just have to double check that everyone is prepared for the occasion…

Drove Diavolo there with the patience of a saint (while also, like, being the exact opposite of that). Had it been anyone else in the car, they might have told him, "No, we can't stop for pictures of every moose you see," but Barbs is as accommodating as he is loyal.

It was pretty much all on his shoulders to direct the others when setting up camp. Lucifer would claim it was his, but let’s be completely honest here, Lucifer can't order Barbs to do shit. 

Naturally, he had his own tent close to his Lord, more modest in comparison, but big enough to hold a majority of the belongings and gear Diavolo had requested.

He also managed to bring a almost fully functioning kitchen setup for him using magic, minus a working oven by Diavolo's instruction. If he wanted a heat source, he had to use the campfire and he found the challenge intriguing…

For once in his extended life, Barbs had to do some trial and error in the kitchen. As it would turn out, fireside cooking can be a little difficult to master, but by the end of the trip he could still somehow dish out four course meals without so much as a sweat (according to the MC the secret was tinfoil and cast-iron cookware… who knew?)

When he isn’t prepping their next meal (which let’s be honest, with Beel on the trip that’s a constant activity) he’s guarding the food from Beel and Solomon…

The sorcerer wanted to help, but Barbs has already learned the hard way that if he so much as pokes a dish its flavor is ruined… It’s enough to make him wonder if it was a curse laid on him at some point…

Watching Barbatos deny Solomon becomes a pretty funny routine in and of itself. He’s not above just smacking the man’s hand away with a wooden spoon if it gets too close. Barbs doesn’t play in his kitchen. Back off. 😠

Barbatos is happy with the trip so long as the young Lord enjoyed himself. If that’s the case, and it was, then he’d happily do it again if asked… not that he’d have much of a choice anyway.

Simeon

Simeon was familiar with the concept of camping, he’d written about it in his stories, but he’d never actually done it himself… He had hoped it'd be an interesting experience! And uh… it was that from the very start… 

Purgatory Hall got its own car and Solomon was put in charge of driving… But no one mentioned that he drives like a complete maniac. Speed limits, stoplights, even the ROAD ITSELF be damned. Solomon drives in a straight line from point A to point B and if there’s anything in the way he’ll just use magic to get around it…

It’s safe to say that by the time he and the others got to the campsite (which was significantly quicker than the rest) the angels weren’t in the emotional state to pitch tents… He and Luke just waited for the others to catch up while praying and praising the solid ground beneath their feet…

He shared his tent with Luke and didn’t mind at all. It was probably for the best anyway because the little angel was scared of human world predators like bears and wolves coming for him in the night… Poor boy…

Simeon took to hiking quite a bit. Going out and exploring the area around the campsite made him feel invigorated! The forests were beautiful and it gave him ideas for a bit of a guilty pleasure he's been debating on writing, "The Tale of the Lonely Prince." 🤭

It was on one of those trips that Simeon discovered human world creatures love him. Pretty much all of the wildlife gravitates towards him like he's a Disney Princess.

At one point he came back to camp riding on a moose with birds chirping on his new friend's antlers. He offered to take the MC out for a ride, but the brothers threw a fit about it…

He WAS able to get a couple more wrangled for Diavolo, who naturally dragged Lucifer along (though he clearly didn't want to touch the thing). 

The three ended up getting into a mooseback race because Diavolo wouldn't let Lucifer take the lead. He was glad to see Luci enjoy himself for a change! (It helped a lot that he won of course 🙄😏)

All and all, Simeon had a great time. Maybe he should ask the MC to show him more human places… But he's never getting in a car again. Pardon his language, but fuck those things!!!

Luke

He doesn't know what's worse… being out in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of demons or the absolute insanity that was the "drive" down… 😣

He spent the entirety of Solomon's Magical Ride of Nightmares clinging to Simeon or the armrests for dear life. He swore his entire life flashed before his eyes, can angels even have heart attacks???

Stayed right next to Simeon when they finally pulled themselves together enough to leave the car. He was so happy that Michael didn't see any of that… Who knew human transportation was so horrifying…???

His saving grace (literally) was getting to share his tent with Simeon… After Solomon told him that bears sometimes get curious and ransacked campsites, he clung onto the older angel like a protective charm.

...Whiiiich he wasn't too off about actually after he saw Simeon playing (yes PLAYING) with the human wildlife… Simeon had to introduce him to some of the nicer animals for him to eventually get over his fear and venture out past the campsite.

Luke loved to swim in the lake or river with MC and the others. The MC found a sturdy branch where they set up a rope swing and the little guy amused himself for hours!

Sometimes he'd watch Barbatos prep and cook using the campfire… He didn't even know you could make lasagna in a Dutch oven…

At one point the MC convinced him to go with them and the twins on a particularly long hike…

He got tired halfway through and Beel offered him a piggyback ride, but of course he'd NEVER let himself be that close to a demon!! (Just kidding, poor boy was so tired he climbed onto Beel's back and held on the a kola until they got back. Then he jumped off to save face)

He had a better time than he thought he would, but still doesn't want to go camping with demons ever again. (He and Simeon also begged Lucifer to drive them back instead of Solomon so the brothers' van was pretty much a clown car on the return trip).

Solomon

Solomon hasn't been camping (for enjoyment) in quite a while, so when the prospect came up to do it with the MC and the other students he was intrigued...

When Simeon asked he knew how to drive, he said yes. He knows how to start a car, put it into motion, steer, and then come to a stop. That's all driving is really. 🤷‍♀️ You can't blame him for not memorizing all the rules, he's been traveling by portal for decades!

Was pretty confused why his angel friends fled the car so quickly... He got them there in one piece, after all. 😕🤷‍♀️ He put up their tents himself since they were too busy thanking their father then made a magic barrier around the site for protection purposes.

He and the MC both have their own tents, of course his is enchanted to be a lot bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, but he's only let the MC in on that little secret in case they want to visit… 😏

When everyone else finally arrived, Solomon was happy to help the MC introduce the wonders of the human wilderness to their companions! Including the breathtaking vistas, beautiful flora, bitter temperatures, man-eating predators, waters filled with disease… Hm? Oh, Luke won't leave the tent now…? Whoopsie.

Solomon kept himself occupied on the trip the best way he knew how… relentless trolling (particularly of Asmo and Barbs because they're used to his shit).

He'd alternate between poking fun at Asmo for the almost ritual length routines he was going through to try and save his looks to genuinely trying to encourage him and downplay the severity of the downgrade...

Meanwhile he was bound and determined to serve at least one of his own dishes during the trip (but Barbatos had banned him from the "kitchen," the food tent, and even the spoons...)

Diavolo, nice guy that he is, eventually made Barbs relent and let Solomon cook for ONE night… It went as well as to be expected. (They sent Solomon to grab more supplies then everybody took turns washing their mouths out with lake water... Diavolo apologized profusely, he had no idea...).

Solomon was confused why the angels would rather squeeze themselves in with the brothers than ride with him back but he wasn’t upset about it. That meant he could make a few extra stops without anyone complaining! He knows a guy in New Orleans he’s been meaning to see again… Luke and Simeon can wait a little for their stuff, right?

Click HERE for Part One. Check out my Masterlist for more!

[phantom-curve]

mads!!! congrats on the follower milestone 🥰

could i please request juke with the following:

ansare - to hardly breathe, to be out of breath

thank you & good luck:)

ahh thank you!💕 I thought this was gonna be fluffy and then it got...kinda angsty😬 set post season one in a mostly canon world where Julie can touch the boys but they're still ghosts, ft. yet another Juke moment on the studio couch (sad & soft edition)

ansare - to hardly breathe, to be out of breath

Breathing was a privilege Luke had never properly understood until he was dead. When he had been alive, it was just another everyday thing that he never once stopped to think twice about. His heart beat, his blood pumped, his lungs expanded and collapsed in time to the rhythm of all other bodily functions. When he went swimming, he plugged his nose and dove deep until he felt the crushing pressure of depth against his chest only to return to the ocean’s surface and inhale once more, everything righted within his system with that single burst of oxygen. It was so simple there were countless idioms derived from the action, and every single one seemed to emphasize the life that existed within the movement. Breathing was as instinctual as living, and Luke never really thought about either one of those things until he was no longer doing them.

Ghosts didn’t need to breathe. Dead boys didn’t have hearts that beat, blood that pumped, lungs that filled and emptied in the same way that the tide pushed against the shore, relentless and unending. Everything that had once made him feel alive now existed as a reminder of the fact that he never would be again.

Except that wasn’t really true. Because Luke couldn’t deny the way he reacted to Julie.

Julie made his heart race and his blood sing and his lungs trip over themselves in an attempt to catch up to the breath that she always seemed to steal from him. Julie was wickedly beautiful, an insane wrecking ball of musical talent, and also probably the most amazing person he had ever met in his life period. She made him want to be better in all the best kind of ways. Smarter, funnier, nicer, happier. She made him want to be the type of guy that could look her in the eye and promise her a lifetime together.

Except he didn’t have a life anymore. He just had more time than he knew what to do with and no way to promise anything.

The thought ate him alive up inside.

Especially at night. In the dark and the quiet and the oppressive stillness of it all he would sit and think about all of the things he had missed out on, all of the things he was still missing out on. Stuck in limbo, neither here nor there, just...existing but not. Living but not. Breathing but...not. Death had changed everything. Julie had changed it again. She was his sole reason for being anymore. He loved the boys, loved the band, loved everything about whatever existence he had been given. But all of it paled in comparison to Julie.

“Luke?”

The sound of his name on her lips made his breath hitch every time he heard it.

It was late, well after the time she normally went to bed. The studio had been dark and quiet for hours. Alex was off with Willie, Reggie had swiped Carlos’ laptop and disappeared into the loft with an old pair of headphones, and Luke was hunched over his notebook on the couch, trying and failing not to write about Julie. And now here she was, wearing mismatched pjs and oversized slippers, standing in the doorway to his kind-of home, taking his breath away once more.

“Hey, Jules.”

Her lips curved into the sweetest smile he’d ever seen, and he felt himself mirroring the expression. It was new, the nickname thing, but it felt right. Their interesting little relationship had shifted recently, they both knew it. He sat up straighter, sliding over to the side of the couch in a clear invitation. Julie didn’t hesitate. Her steps were silent as she closed the distance between them, settling herself onto the worn-out leather next to him, legs tucked up as she angled herself towards him, close but not quite touching.

“What are you working on?”

Normally, Luke wouldn’t think twice about passing the notebook over to her. He would lean in close, listen to her hum the melody, watch her mouth the lyrics, and then, when she would turn to him with suggestions, he would watch that same spark that lived within his soul flare to life in hers as well. The rest of the world would cease to exist, everything shrinking down to just the two of them, Julie and Luke, alone in their own little musical bubble.

But this song? The one he’d been writing while thinking about her and all the things he wished he could give her? He wasn’t sure he was ready to share that part of himself yet. Wasn’t sure he was ready to shift their relationship anymore when he knew it was basically doomed no matter what.

Julie inched closer, like she could feel his reluctance. Her leg brushed his lightly, the sensation still so new and unfamiliar that it made him gasp quietly. He had waited so long to touch her, had wanted to reach out for that kind of physical comfort so badly, so many times and every single one of them had been a lesson in rejection. Dead boys didn’t get to touch girls who were alive.

Except that had changed, too. And he could touch her, now. But he was still a dead boy. And she was still alive.

Something about the way his breath caught in his throat seemed to capture her attention. Her brows softened, shoulders slumping ever so slightly. She seemed to get it then, she always saw through him so easily, but she didn’t pull away.

“I wish it didn’t have to be like this.”

Her words ripped through him. Luke’s arm was moving to pull her close before he could stop himself. She fell against his chest, head coming to rest over his silent heart.

“I know.”

His whisper was just as pained as hers had been. His chest burned, but it wasn’t from lack of oxygen. It was his soul, desperately reaching out for hers, seeking any way to keep them together, forever. He was already touching her, already holding his breath so he could stretch this moment into infinity, already crossing another line that moved them farther away from being just friends, so he didn’t stop himself from reaching up to run his fingers through her hair softly. The curls were wild, and he had to be careful not to snag his rings. Julie softened against him, soothed by his touch, forbidden as it was. If his heart had been working, he was sure it would be skipping all over the place by now.

“I’m sorry, Julie.”

He wasn’t entirely sure what he was apologizing for, exactly. Being dead? Being a ghost? Being here but not here? He sure as hell wasn’t apologizing for loving her. He couldn’t, wouldn’t apologize for something like that. It was the one constant in his life now. It was as undeniable as his breath had been when he had been alive, linked intrinsically to his very existence in this world.

“I’m not.”

Her tone was genuine. Something hard in Luke’s throat melted, his breath whooshing back in like he was being given permission to breathe again even if it wasn’t necessary. He felt the rise and fall of his chest, felt the echoes of where a heartbeat would have lived. There was no more pulse to his bloodline, just a melody running pure and true throughout his veins, Julie Julie Julie.

He pulled her closer, settled her more securely against his side, tucked up next to the heart that no longer worked but belonged to her just the same. Without shifting any farther than necessary, he reached out to snag his notebook off of the table. He left it open to the page he had been working on, laying it across his lap. Julie didn’t move except tuck her chin down a bit so she was looking at the pages, eyes squinting as she strained to read his chicken scratch in the dim light left by the hanging string lights. He watched, mesmerized, barely breathing, as her eyes traced over the paper. A low vibration reverberated against his chest as she hummed, her brow crinkling as she took in the words that had been written and the ones that had been slightly marred by scratches. All different versions of the same sentiment.

“Luke...” her voice was breathy, eyes shining as she shifted her gaze to meet his. “This is beautiful.”

He gave her a soft smile. He didn’t have to tell her that it was about her. She knew. Just like she knew every other piece of him. Just like she had always known him, it seemed.

He didn’t have to say the words to her. She didn’t have to say them back. It was enough for them to know just between themselves. He loved her. She loved him. Nothing had ever been so simple and yet so complicated. But loving Julie wasn’t something he would ever be able to stop doing. Just like breathing, it had become a part of his everyday world. Something that was completely necessary to his survival.

Julie returned her gaze to the notebook; reached for the pen he kept hooked over the pages for easy access. Her curving script put his messy scrawl to shame, her words intertwining with his as she added her own parts to the song. No longer just a song for her, but a song for them. He watched her work, kept his fingers nestled in her curls, twirling the strands absentmindedly just because he could.

She fell asleep like that, pressed up against him, fingertips smudged with ink. He knew whatever they had couldn’t be forever. Not the kind of forever she deserved, stuck with someone on the cusp of disappearance, neither of this world or gone from it. But he could have this. These quiet moments, just the two of them, without the rest of the impossibilities bogging them down. And one day, when reality caught up with them and he inevitably lost her, he would know that a piece of him lived on with her. Caught in her memories, written on the pages of his notebook, tattooed on her heart the same way she would be on his.

[sparklycardigan]

https://sparklycardigan.tumblr.com/post/659918108803383296/httpssparklycardigantumblrcompost65979051922

Same anon from before! "You know what, Anon? At least we know that we were in this together now." Oh yes! I certainly feel less like a psycho for doing that now that I know that I wasn't the only one lmao.

I would absolutely love to hear (or, well, read) any connections that u made with the book and dair.

"also I found this cool alfred parker illustration that reminds me of harry and evelyn" Oh I totally see it! When I saw your new profile picture for the first time, I immediately thought it was a Harry and Evelyn fanart.

Happy to hear from you again <3 *inserts the perks of being a wallflower quote* but seriously, this is our energy anon:

Here's my icon in full:

(the painting illustrated a story in the Ladies Home Journal magazine in May 1942 - the text that came up with it, I still need to do more research so I'll fill you up aka I will probably reblog this post with additions, but I'm positively in love with the eternity of this, Harry and Evelyn make me go insane in the worst & best way, platonic soulmates trope my dearest <3)

Now, for the Dair connections (YAY!!!!!!). Before I actually start talking about them I just want to highlight that these pairings are not the same, it's only about the essence of each relationship that I made these parallels (yes, I'm highlighting this because the Taylor Swift/Evelyn Hugo comparisons are getting out of hand).

The thing is, I had a lot of quotes from The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo in my Dair inspo documents way before I got my hands on the book. Crazily, I only listed the author which resulted in me going through multiple heart attacks while reading the book, as in I continuously stumbled upon sentences already known and dear to me. All of that resulted in me inevitably making this post sooner or later, because of you Anon, it's sooner that I do this so thank you for that! Let's go through some of those sentences then (I picked three because I don't want this post to get too long):

“She looked at me. And the way she did it made me feel as if no one had ever really looked at me before.”

@mezzoklutz wrote this wonderful essay earlier (I hope it's alright to tag you) which kind of relates to what I want to say about Dair and the way their relationship connects to this quote. I analysed the quote in relation to Evelyn and Celia in my tags here and I feel like a lot of it can apply to Dair too (having Dan as Celia and Blair as Evelyn in this case scenario). Blair, like Evelyn, not only acts in a way complementary to the perception different individual have of her, but believes those perceptions to be sort of like a truth about who she is, maybe not consciously, but she still does it. They tell her she's dark and twisted, she schemes. They tell her she's not good enough at something, she feels so. It's not even in a pitiful manner that she does this, she doesn't pity herself (just like I mentioned about Evelyn), she uses these observations of others seemingly (that's how she views it I believe) to her advantage aka she tries to fit into them as perfectly as she can in order to keep the people expressing those opinions in her orbit. If she fits into their image of her, they won't leave her, that's her logic. But this is where the quote fits and where we get to Dan. Dan, like Celia for Evelyn, doesn't fit into the perception, this time Blair, has of the world. He just doesn't. He's an anomaly to what she expects of her surroundings, when he looks at her (both literally and metaphorically) he doesn't see anyone but Blair. And that is a revelation to Blair too. Suddenly she's not Queen B Blair or Dark and Twisted Blair or Serena's Best Friend Blair or Good Girl Girlfriend Blair. She doesn't have to choose which version of herself to be around Dan and she doesn't have to reduce herself to only one of those versions which are all essentially her to a point. Not to mention how she gets to see more of herself while spending time with Dan. Parts of herself she never thought existent. I really love that. How Dair is about Dan and Blair together and Dan and Blair individually (separate entities!!!!!) and lastly about the correlation of those two aspects (how their relationship helps them in discovering who they are as people).

"She always made sure the bad was outweighed by so much good. I...well, I didn't do that for her."

This is what Evelyn says in regards to Celia and I think it's complimentary to Dair, having Blair as Evelyn again. It's funny cause I feel like if we got to read this from Celia's point of view she might have said the exact same thing which is both fascinating and sad, how people can be connected and kept apart because of those same connections and similarities in feelings or thought. I love that the quote points out that Evelyn was fully aware of Celia's faults (and vice versa I believe) which is also characteristic to Dair. And people involved in both pairings mentioned never try to erase or overlook those parts of their partners, what's that quote, "I love you and I am conscious of you all the time"? That explains it for me but the point is: love and full consciousness of another being don't exclude one another neither for Dair or for Evelyn & Celia. About "I didn't do that for her" part... It rings through for Blair but I can't talk about it because I'm going to get emotional, but it stands as its own explanation.

"if you are intolerable, let me be the one to tolerate you…"

I saw someone reblog this quote with d&b tag way before I picked up the book and it's so true for Dair, this time we are casting Dan as Evelyn because this is again an Evelyn quote. It's one of those things that end up sounding way more meaningful than you intended them to be before you said them (and this one's shared during Celia's preparation for the Oscars) which is so Dan (his stupid caring aching heart <3). I don't think necessary to analyse the quote, I will only ruin it, but it's clearly 💫so very Dair💫 ("It's you, it couldn't be awful."💝💌💗💞💓💕💘💝💌💖).

Sorry it took me this long to answer!

(had to put this gif here because it looks so so otherworldly, like it belongs to another time which works for our timeline ship mix up, *plays ivy aka the most period piece ts song + ivy makes sense for each ship we discussed in this little post💕).

[akampana]

Continuation of this ask

Bedivere x Arturia - Ship it

What made you ship it?

TBH I was one of those few people who shipped it based on that like 2 second scene at the end of FSN. The Camelot Singularity just reinforced it. A lot came from the original Arthurian legend as well. Bedivere is similarly insanely loyal as he is in the game, and like in Fate lore, he’s been with Arthur longer than most.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

He journeyed so far for so long just to see her smile OH MY GOD BRB IM SOBBING HOLY CRAP CAN YOU JUST IMAGINE—

I’m a sucker for intensely loyal knights and I will always be. ALWAYS.

THE ANGST POTENTIALLLLLL but also THE FLUFF POTENTIALLLL

This man loved his king so bloody intensely. So strongly that his desire to see her survived the test of time. To be loved so much, so unconditionally for a thousand and a half years? Gods, that’s just too much, man. ;-;

And I absolutely adore how much it means to him to remain her knight, even if he tends to be insecure about the limb that he lacks, and how he believes he is nothing special in comparison with everyone else. I love that Arturia recognizes his strength and his worth, even if he himself can’t see it.

THE ENTIRE CONFRONTATION IN THE THRONE ROOM LET ME TELL YOU I WAS CRYING SOOOOO HARD THROUGHOUT THAT IK NIT EVEN KIDDING

THIS, the MINDBREAK Arturia goes through when she tries to remember

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I think that THIS SHIP NEEDS MORE LOVE AND I REALLY OUGHT TO CONTRIBUTE

All the other answers below cut!

Irisviel x Arturia - Ship It

What made you ship it?

I think I was bound to the moment I watched Fate Zero. When I was younger it was overshadowed by the feels Diarturia brought and not to mention Kiritsugu and Iri but this ship is damn good on its own.

What sold it though, is the argument she and Kiritsugu have in Episode 16, right after the last Saber and Lancer fight. Irisviel, who we all know loves her husband so much, forced Kiritsugu to answer Saber. That’s just how important Arturia was to her.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

I think they both found in each other something they themselves lack. It’s actually kind of funny. Arturia is human, and yet she’s so heavily consumed by her ideals that she doesn’t act like one. Irisviel, on the other hand, is not human, and yet everything that she does and wants to do is exactly that.

Throughout the anime, Being with Iri puts Saber into such mundane, ordinary situations that it teaches her to live. The suits, the escorting, being a passenger instead of a driver, appreciating the water by the seashore, etc. It's like the woman wants to leave her with some appreciation for the world, especially when she herself doesn’t have all that much time left.

On Irisviel’s part, I think she found in Saber the companionship she would have wanted from Kiritsugu during the last few days she remained on the Earth. Arturia had been the perfect knight in shining armor, taking Irisviel around to see the world as much as they could amidst a war. If they’d just had more time, I have no doubt Arturia would have taken Irisviel even more places, you know?

It makes me sad :( but in a good way.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I’m pretty sure Irisviel would wear the pants in this relationship ya know what I mean? Hahaha

Much as I love this ship, I think that it becomes all the more valuable because of how it ended. To each other, they were this brief, fleeting feeling of happiness. A love that was so short and yet so strong.

Shirou x Arturia - Don't Ship it

Hooooooo boi. Hear me out, mkay ? But this is just my personal opinion so pls no hate

Why don't you ship it?

I’m gonna start out by saying I don’t think I need to, tbh. Hahaha there’s enough content for this ship being fed to us, so my liking it or not is immaterial. But the reason is well...I watched FSN and Shirou x Saber was...not the best thing about it (the best thing about it was the soundtrack omg iconic) Shirou comes off as a bit of a misogynist, and kind of immature, and the whole time it’s like he doesn’t really listen to Arturia at all. Plus, it’s kind of like he just likes her looks at times. The final deciding factor was the date scene. That was just unbearable.

But then I go online and I see all this good stuff about them. And my friend ships them cause they’re canon, right? So, I’m like okay, what if I judged too quickly, let’s play the VN...and I did. And I still didn’t like him with Saber at all. So, I played the next route, watched the next anime, trying to redeem 1st route Shirou as much as I could but it just....didn’t happen. I think I can safely say I tried to like them. I really did. But no.

What would have made you like it?

Removing the misogyny and the immaturity and letting him listen to her. Like he should have.

At no point in their interactions did it feel like they were standing on equal ground, ever. Either he was speaking over her or the opposite. So less of that and a lot more respect.

And when you compare this relationship to what he has with like with his other two love interests, it makes this ship fall completely flat. It’s pretty...bland and honestly kind of shallow. It’s like the story just tells you they’re in love but there’s no answer to why they’re in love. Make him fall in love with her for her without necessarily forcing his need to save everyone on her.

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

I may not like how they got there, but in the end Arturia was able to pass peacefully.

I acknowledge that Shirou was important and made a change in her life.

That ending scene where they meet after so long, NGL is pretty sweet.

A lot of my headcanons happen post-Shirou, so there’s also that.

Archer x Rin -Ship it

What made you ship it?

Tsundere x Cynic has gotta be one of the best dynamics out there.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

His true identity. The fact that she dragged him all the way across space and time to return as her Servant, that’s just bloody fate at work.

The fact that he keeps acknowledging she’s a strong Master despite his later conduct in UBW.

Archer is ridiculously crass and Rin is easily riled up. In the Fifth Holy Grail War, they had the best Master-Servant relationship period. They have this explosive chemistry that just works so well.

When he smiles at her at the end of the route, and you just know that Tohsaka’s gonna be stubborn enough to make sure Shirou doesn’t end up going down the exact same path.

I think it’s sweet that he ends up going along with her whims because he secretly likes housework.

THE PRINCESS CARRY/ CATCH. MAN OH MAN.

Unlike the previous ship mentioned here, these two actually stand on equal ground with each other.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I don't think it's exactly an unpopular opinion, but I think they really ought to have more official content y'know? Rin is important in every route, and Archer's the actual climax of UBW and also entirely significant across three routes.

Medusa x Sakura - Don't ship it

Why don't you ship it?

Because while journeying through the routes, I always saw Rider as more of a best friend/sort of motherly figure to Sakura.

Or that Rider fulfilled the kind of relationship that she wanted to have with Rin, while Sakura unknowingly filled the void Medusa's sisters left in her life. I thought she was more of a guardian angel really, not a romantic interest. Kind of like how Heracles was to Illya.

What would have made you like it?

If I could maybe forget about the threesome with Shirou and the implied romantic feelings Rider has for him in Ataraxia that would be great.

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

Sakura deserves all the happiness in the world and I really do believe that Rider could fulfill that.

This ship DEFINITELY DEFINITELYYYYYY NEEDS MORE CONTENT

Diarmuid x Cú - Ship it

What made you ship it?

oooh this probably sounds surprising since based on my content you'd think, no i dont ship this BUT I DOOOOOOO (i just happen to hc them as bros more often)

Honestly what did make me ship it is the parallels.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

IMO They have the biggest potential for hurt/comfort amongst all the ships mentioned here.

They can help each other get through their trauma. Their whole relationship would be extremely healing and supportive.

I love that Diarmuid seems to have idolized Cú Chulainn at some point and honestly who wouldn't be honored to stand beside him, no?

They could be up to the funniest shenanigans because Cú is chaos and Diarmuid would absolutely be an enabler because when he isn't angst-ing he's super damn chill.

Bros being bros hahahah...unless?

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Not really. Maybe that I think Lancer Diar and Cascu would get along better and Saber Diar and Lancer Cu would also get along better but honestly any form is good this ship is good

[sukirichi]

— 💌 ; a love letter from @kyriaan

long post below regarding broken records. cw includes adultery, physical assault, toxic relationships, broken records spoilers, and mature content

[ from the ask ] BROKEN RECORDS ; track 005

Okay! I finally had time to actually sit down and properly read chap 5 cause ill be damned and burned if i dont pay special attention to one of my favorite series here! Rather drown or be sting by bees slowly 😒

🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙃 I for the first time don't even know where to start so allow me to be all over the place cause my emotions are also all over the place with this chapter ✌️

Ill start by y/n's dad caN GO FUCK HIMSELF? Like okay sir you might have fallen in love with our mom (ill give him the benefit of the doubt regarding his feelings) BUT SIR YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN HONEST? FROM THE BEGINNING? ALSO BRUH YOU KIDDING ME??? SIR YOU LEGIT ABANDONED YOUR OTHER DAUGHTER AND THEN YOU PROCESS TO 'LEAVE US' I- YOOOOO I WOULD BITCH SLAP HIM I SWEAR!!

Also ALSO ILL SCREAM FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK NO KID HAS EVER TO BE BLAMED FOR BEING BORN!! Y/n mom's line: 'we have to atone for our sins' its legit BULLSHIT it wad NOT y/n fault her DAD COULDNT KEEP HIS DICK INSIDE HIS PANTS NOR ITS Y/N FAULT THAT HER DAD CHEATED!!! ATONE FOR OUR SINS MY ASS!! the father is the one that has to take responsibility for all this shitty situation we do NOT nor any kid out there in this situation has to be taken accountable by this!!

And now Suna 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 bruh im just gonna cry... Everything he does just makes me heart swell i feel so cozy when i read his parts like how sweet and present he is I- bruh I never had that... Actually seeing y/n breaking up with him when shes clearly falling in love with him just breaks me cause Girl for real Suna would be there for you... I get it shes afraid and shes acting on that fear but girl... Pls he truly loves you deeply not everyone is like your dad. There are happy endings. There are good people Sunas one of them pls 🥺🥺🥺 also MY LOVE TSUMU BEING A SUPPORTIVE FRIEND EVEN THO SUNA GOT THE GIRL BRUH TSUMU I FUCKING LOVE YOU MY CHILDISH YET ADORABLY SMUG BOY 😭😭😭😭😭

Nagisas a bitch btw ✌️ so far i see no redemption not excuse in what she did so far. I get her reasons but that does NOT excuse her behavior. She has to lash out at her cunt of a dad not at a innocent woman who was also a victim all along. Nor even her half sister. I get her mentality behind this but doesnt excuse her behavior at all- its basically the same as being a victim from a bully and playing bully after aswell.

Overall YOU MADE ME CRY AGAIN SUKI! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS BUT ALSO UGH MY HEART SUKI!

[ from suki ] 

BROKEN RECORDS IS UR FAVE SERIES??? babe pls you’re gonna me cry !! nah nah fr his dishonesty caused all this mess. YEAHA SAKLAA tbh I love mama lucy but her words of ‘atoning for their sins’ or her mindset of ‘we don’t deserve to be happy when we’ve hurt others’ really messed up YN. she was only 21 and vulnerable with all the shambles happening in her family + the sudden assault from nagisa, that when her mother said those words, she struggled to let go of it. to her, it became like a final verdict that dictated how she lived her life.

SUNA URGHHH PLEASE GIVE SUNA A CHANCE HE HAS PURE AND GOOD INTENTIONS BUT I CANT BLAME HER EITHER AHSJAKA. and the comparison of nagisa being a bully’s victim only to become the next bully is true. nagisa should lash out at their shitty excuse of a father. ALSO AAAAHH THE NEXT CHAPTER (007) IS WORSE AHSJKAAL

[ from the ask ] BROKEN RECORDS ; track 005

I know shins attractive I mean mans perfect?? Does he even have any flaw?? And the way he cried when he got his jersey MYGOD FHDHFHFJSKS but I still look at him and im like.... Hmmmm nah i wouldnt date him its just not my... Do i dare say type? Cause i dont think i have a type ghfhfisofbd but like I just 🧍‍♀️

I love him i just dont love him i guess

The makeout scene tho ill give you that 🥵🥵🥵 made me bark (i would still walk out next day like was a good fuck kita byeeee🚉🏃‍♀️💨)

... More drama regarding mari... And you said this will have like 10 chapters... And from 8 on will be angsty.... 🙂 *traumatized noises*

[ from suki ] 

YUUHHH KITA IS PERFECT HERE AHSJKAA IDK MAYBE ITS MY SIMPING FOR NAOYA CONVERTED TO KITA ALREADY BEING PERFECT AS HE ALREADY IS AND I AMPED IT UP BCOS THE SIMP MODE IS ACTIVATED AHSKAA. the make out scene !! pls sir i’m on my knees spare some love in ur heart AAAAAAHHHHHH. also. i assure you. businessman! kita got game. he’s gonna make you walk funny if you give him the chance HSJKA

yeah i just finished writing the outline for track7 right now and the drama is HSJKAA it gave me a headache sobs 

[ from the ask ] BROKEN RECORDS ; track 006

I want to give you my usual thoughts on the new chapter and at the same ahm...

I just saw myself on Suna... Deeply....and it kinda slapped me harder than i was expecting...there were too many things from him giving himself to mari/treating her like he wants to be treated... To deleting his best friend from social media thanks to his girlfriend... And it really hurt me ahah..

I would vent but.. Yeah

But yes this chapter i saw myself in suna and i had to take quite the long breaks cause it was getting to me 😅😅😅 also if anything i learned from my experiences is that MARI SCREAMS RED FLAGS and even Osamu can see that pls

I would honestly end Mari there, i wouldnt even bother to just retort i would walk my way into to the damn apartment and fucking take Suna for myself cause Mari does not deserve him. Shes manipulative, and in a way abusive.. Not allowing him to keep contact with his best friend his a total redflag and o know its because Suna had feelings for y/n and vice versa but Suna never gave het a reason to distrust him.

The moment he said he was best friends with y/n and was single she immediately clinged himself to him and for what? To then dump him like he was trash...

He gave himself to her, he proved he was there for her he even took her back this boy deserves the fucking world and its not Mari...

I kinda want to say it's not y/n at this point either cause the way she broke his heart was kinda the same Mari did.. Y/n disregarded his feelings and just broke it up.. Mari disregarded his feelings abd broke it up... But y/n stated from the very beginning that she would eventually break up Mari just shrugged and didn't care so i can in a way forgive y/n i cant forgive mari

Besides y/n was supportive from the beginning while Mari was obsessive and controlling.

Another really insanely well written chapter as usual (albeit this one making me ball my eyes off harder because yeah) but yes~ eagerly waiting for the next one~

Take your time tho 😌🙌

Mari can go fuck off 💗💓💞💕❣️❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤🤍💯💝💖💋💅

Suna x y/n pls

Y/n deserves to have a healthy love life with someone she loves (hence why npt Kita) and loves her back

And Suna deserve the fucking world and be treated right

[ from suki ] 

NAHHHH cuz when you said suna was treating mari the way he wanted YN to treat her... that’s right. on point. they’re all so complicated sobs. MARI IS A WALKING RED FLAG THAT OSAMU CAN SMELL FROM A MILE AWAY. ALSO yes mari is manipulative and borderline possessive when it came to suna. like yeah, let’s be real, she could tell a long time ago that suna was in love with YN and it made her insecure / jealous, but the whole time, YN kept her distance. she was supportive over their relationship from afar as to make mari comfortable. suna also did everything he could to make sure she was well cared for. for three years, he was focused on her and only her. he gave love a second chance despite being brokenhearted. suna never mari a chance to doubt because he, too, was sure he could be happy with her.

until mari left him.

and now suna is back with YN because they will always have each other. but honestly,,,if we think about it, if mari never broke up with suna or at least gave him the chance to explain himself - if mari didn’t do the exact thing YN did to suna years ago - he honestly would’ve been really happy with mari. they were going well. like yeah mari has always been toxic by pushing suna’s boundaries and asking him to unfollow his own best friend on social media, but he did it anyway. because he trusted their relationship. he wanted the best for them. 

also yeah, the parallels between mari and YN were intentional !! 

HEHEHEHE THE KITA X YN SHIP everyone loves them im so happy about that bcos kita is so amazing in my eyes. PREACH FOR THAT THO !! SUNA DESERVES THE BEST. SUNA DESERVES TO BE TREATED RIGHT. HE DESERVES THE WORLD AND SO MUCH MORE

thank you for taking the time to send me this, kya, it means a lot to me and it motivates me to work harder on the future chapters !! <33

[msgrumpygills]

So I’m kind of new to the fandom. I’ve been casually watching the show for a couple years now but only recently got into the fandom side. And I have to say, never in my life have I seen so much drama and toxicity in one place. I’m ashamed to admit that I’m enjoying the drama though lol.

Before I start though, I personally believe you can make anyone sound problematic if you try hard enough, we’ve all done and said stupid things, but when you decide to become famous you should be ready to be held accountable for the smallest things, not saying it’s right. It’s just how things are unfortunately.

So far I’ve decided that I just don’t like Jared and Danneel,did you know she used the same bullying tactics that Jared has used? I saw a screenshot from her story where she called someone out for... being mean to her? I can only hope the poor girl is ok after her dms were most likely flooded with angry stans. And she just seems so tacky, it’s really obvious if you take a look at her tweets from a decade ago, this woman does not have the potential or capacity to be any kind of famous.And honestly I think one of your anons were right about J2 being trumpies, especially Jared, I was looking for dirt on him and the guy said in a tweet that cracker is a slur? So far everyone I’ve met who had those kind of ideologies turned out to be somewhat of a racist so idk. As for Jensen, he seems to be a bit smarter in the sense that he knows when to stay quiet, but I think he’s probably the same as Jared. I think I remember him making a joke right alongside Jared when he was making that chloroform rape joke. And I think he said the N-word in his last panel with Jared? I think it was a fan’s name. I’ve been told he got the name right the first time and then practically said the N-word the second time around. I do think J2 are closet republicans who are trying to seem progressive because that’s what sells these days.

And Gen, she just seems so... uninteresting? Like I have no desire to know anything about her, unlike the others. But your blog helped out a bit with that. I still think she’s boring and uninteresting lol. I honestly think she should’ve just tried to get a role without Jared’s help. It probably would’ve been real hard, but earning a role through nepotism will not help her career if she decides to ever have one again. But then again, I remember thinking her acting paled in comparison to Katie Cassidy’s, who also played the character Ruby the season before Gen came along. So good luck to her I guess lmao.

So far the only one I’m unsure about is Misha? I mean you’ve got the hardcore Jared stans and the hardcore Misha stans, from what I’ve seen, both sides are extremely biased, and frankly, they all look like idiots from the outside, and they both have completely different beliefs. But you seem to be a bit more level headed, so I thought I’d ask you,tell me all the dirt. What are some of the shitty things he’s done? And I’m sorry this got so long.

The Supernatural fandom is one of the worst fandoms to be in. One of the big reasons that I stopped watching the show was because of the fans, I’ll be honest. But yeah, it is kinda fun to watch the drama, as long as you’re at a distance and safe! 

I absolutely agree that anyone can be problematic. Hell, if I became famous and people found my old tweets or Facebook posts, even Tumblr posts, I’d probably be “cancelled” or called out. I’m not a terrible person, but we’ve all been young and dumb and we’ve all been embarrassing, that’s just part of life. 

Danneel has absolutely been a bitch, there’s really no nice way of saying it. Fans have had horrible experiences with her in real life too. I think if she was more active on social media again, she’s still be showing her true colors, but she’s not active really.  I do remember Jared’s “cracker��� controversy and like....I try not to be political, but really dude? I’m white and I don’t consider cracker to be racist or a slur. It’s ridiculous to me? I’m no History major, but I don’t recall people using cracker to describe white people who were considered “lower than” others. 

Jensen is overall a lot smarter than Jared, but he has made mistakes still. The difference is that Jensen apologizes, he holds himself accountable, and he changes his behavior to make sure that he doesn’t make those mistakes again. No one is perfect, but at least Jensen can own up, take responsibility and change. Jared....well we know Jared.

Gen is....well you said you’ve seen my blog, and there are other “antis” here who can shed even more light. She’s uninteresting but thinks she’s the bee’s knees. 

Don’t be sorry about the message getting long! I’m famous for being long-winded, so you’re among friends! 

Misha is......Misha. His fans are absolutely insane (I know there are some normal ones) so any sort of negative backlash against him is usually buried. I’ve made a few posts about him and why I stopped really being a fan of his, but I will try to summarize! 

I started getting kind of turned off to him around the 2016 election because he was bombarding social media with politics and I just wasn’t there for it. A lot of fans came after me for that but that’s their prerogative. I actually started seeing some anti posts on here and went down a rabbit hole of things that I’d looked past or didn’t know about that all mounted up. Some of those things are; (I don’t have links for everything because the one blog that had compiled everything together isn’t active anymore, but someone might have screenshots!) Also in no particular order!

Misha admitting to leering at kids at a playground while preparing for his role in Karla. 

Having his young female fanbase send him pictures of themselves only wearing cheese bikinis or kale swimsuits, etc. for GISHWHES. I know some people think “it’s just a goofy scavenger hunt” but if it wasn’t Misha Collins, would you want your barely legal sister sending pictures of her only wearing cheese to a 40 something year old man? 

His constant blatant disrespect for Jensen and his aversion to Destiel, his baiting of the fans and complete abandonment of Jensen when he gets the backlash. 

He baits the Destiel fans to the point of them making Jensen uncomfortable, then when Jensen puts his foot down, the fans attack him harshly. Where was Misha for that? Silent. Even though he was the one who eggs everyone on. 

Being rude, sexual, and otherwise inappropriate in front of children at conventions. I know fans will say “it’s not his responsibility to monitor kids!” but the fact that he continues to act like that while knowing there are kids in the audience is weird. I wouldn’t be making sexual jokes or being lewd in front of kids, that’s gross. 

His whole “charity” act that is really just him profiting from his “kindness” acts and his GISHWHES hunts. Pretty charitable of him. 

The fact that he uses Stands to push baiting merchandise onto fans with no regard to how Jensen feels, just to make a buck. (In addition to that, he doesn’t reign in the Stands staff who are horrible to fans and customers.)

I’m sure that there’s more, but that’s all I can think of at the moment! Hopefully that sheds some light! I try not to be too biased either way, but with some of the things it’s hard not to.

[yukipri]

On the Baratie, Prologue - a One Piece Mermaid AU Text Story

Thanks to everyone who sent in their opinion on the East Blue stories poll! I think Sanji’s had the most, so we’re starting off with more Baratie!

While there’ll be a continuation, here’s a bit of prelude, because they need a different reason to go to the Baratie. The ASL Pirates already have a cook after all!

Like a prologue to On the Baratie, Part 1

~~

When Thatch makes up his mind to accompany Ace back to East Blue, he knows that there's one place he wants to visit no matter what.

He's only been to East Blue once, and it was honestly ages ago, and he doubts there'll be another chance in the near future. Not many opportunities to visit the weakest Blue as a commander in an Emperor's crew, after all.

And while Thatch doubts he'd travel halfway around the world for the sole purpose of visiting this spot, he's lucky. Because on this particular trip, it's practically along the way. They're passing right by the area on their way back to re-entering the Grand Line, so there's no way in hell he's letting this slip by.

It's the only request Thatch has made on this journey, and Ace and Luffy, who are the Captains and therefore technically get to decide where they go, have no objections. Luffy's already bobbing up and down in excitement, despite their guides estimating that they still have a ways to go.

"The Baratie, huh," Ace grins. "Never heard of it, we didn't pass by our first time through, did we Deuce?"

"You've never heard of it because you lived in the middle of nowhere, in a jungle with barely any contact with human civilization," Deuce says pointedly. "Most people in East Blue at least know of it, it's kinda famous."

Ace just shrugs, and Luffy whoops as the movement of his shoulders momentarily boosts her higher. Ace indulges her and repeats the movement more aggressively until she's bouncing, and Deuce sighs. The two captains' attentions have shifted, and now they're preoccupied by the most important topic of all: food.

"Food~!" Luffy sings, hopping from one arm to the other as Ace switches to spinning her around, and Deuce has to duck to avoid her tail. "Yummy yummy food at a restaurant! It's gonna be amazing!"

"It really will be amazing, if Zeff hasn't lost his touch," Thatch agrees, and Luffy and Ace cheer. "I've never eaten at this restaurant of his, but I was a fan of the Cook Pirates when I was a kid." 

His expression darkens, and Ace stills, recalling that Thatch mentioned they all died or something.

"Sucks what happened to them," Ace offers.

But Thatch just shrugs. It was around a decade ago, and shit happens out at sea. "I'm just glad Zeff survived. He'll have trained the new cooks well, and it'll be funny to see the old man actually settled down as a civilian."

Thatch was still a teen the last time he saw Zeff, who was Captain of the infamous Cook Pirates back in the day. They were always picking fights, and picked the wrong one with Pops, and predictably lost. Pops let them live, and they had a grand party, and Thatch remembers being captivated by their culinary expertise.

Thatch chuckles to himself, and the two brothers look at him curiously, blinking with adorably similar expressions.

"I just remembered, Zeff tried to scout me. Pops wasn't thrilled."

Ace barks a laugh, hefting Luffy into a more comfortable position before she suddenly squirms out of his arms. Luffy makes a grabby motion towards Thatch, and Ace obligingly if reluctantly moves closer to let her swing up onto the taller man's shoulders.

Thatch perks up at the sudden attention, because it's not every day that the little mermaid chooses to climb someone other than her brother. Thatch knows she doesn't need it, but offers her a hand to get settled more comfortably, which she takes with a pleased little purring sound that makes his heart skip a beat. Thatch pointedly doesn't look at Ace, but he can still feel his burning gaze.

He's not sure what prompted the sudden transport transfer, but suddenly Luffy's leaning forward over his shoulder to peer directly into his face, and she's close. Thatch tries very hard not to blush.

"But if the Zeff-dude cooks are that good, are they better than you, Thatch?" Luffy asks, eyes wide. "That can't be right, because Thatch's food is the best in the world! Better than even Makino's!"

Those words do make Thatch flush crimson, and Ace snorts. Thatch ignores him, too busy trying to control the warmth bubbling up inside his chest.

Thatch doesn't think he's arrogant, but he also isn't unused to his food being praised. As ungrateful as most of his brothers back aboard the Moby usually are, he's still the head chef who leads the culinary division of their entire fleet, and it's a position he's earned. He's personally trained and assigned all of the cooks on every Whitebeard ship. He knows he cooks well.

But there's something special about Luffy's unique brand of painfully genuine praise. Even though they've been traveling together for a few weeks now, she never gets bored of singing her appreciation at every mealtime with, if anything, increasing enthusiasm. It's like every time is her first time trying his food. Thatch in no way needs her compliments to adore her, he was besotted far before she even knew he was a cook, but boy does he appreciate them, and he doubts he'll ever really get used to them.

Thatch has been called the "Best Cook in the World" by many, and he'd accepted their words politely. But to hear them from Luffy feels like the highest honor he can ever attain.

Thatch feels unbearably fond as he reaches up to fluff Luffy's hair, and she leans into his hand, eyes curving up into slits like a happy kitten, her tail curling back and forth at his back.

Ace cheerfully ruins their moment.

"We'll just have to see, Lu, and maybe if you like their cooking better, we can ditch Thatch and kidnap one of their cooks." Ace leers like the evil little shit he is, and Thatch gasps with exaggerated indignation.

"No, no!" Luffy boos her brother, clinging to Thatch like he's the embodiment of all the meals Ace had threatened she'd lose, before she swings her tail around to smack at Ace none too gently until he grudgingly raises his arms in surrender.

"If we like their cooking, then we can keep Thatch AND kidnap one of their cooks!"

"Lil Seastar, you're not satisfied with just me, even if my food is the best in the world?" Thatch teases, and sticks his tongue out at Ace when he scowls. The young Captain isn't so thrilled with Thatch's new nickname for his baby brother, and Thatch thinks it's fair revenge for him being mean. 

"Thatch's food is the best!" Luffy cries again, and Thatch glows. "But if we steal a Zeff, then we have two cooks, which means more food!" She nods, pleased with her conclusion. "More food is always good!"

Well, she's a little confused, but her point is made. They hopefully won't steal Zeff himself, as Thatch doubts he'll be happy to part with his beloved restaurant, but perhaps nabbing one of his assistants isn't a terrible idea.

While handling even Ace and Luffy's appetites is no problem for Thatch, who's used to feeding the entire Moby Dick, some company in the kitchen might not be bad.

(And, a voice whispers in his head, that they'll need a cook that Thatch approves of when he inevitably has to leave to return to Pops. It's a voice Thatch ignores, so that he can enjoy this moment, for now.)

~~

~~

I don't think it's actually ever officially stated whether Thatch's Division is actually in charge of dining, but there are other divisions that are specified, so I thought it would be interesting, so I made it that way ^ ^;

(Edit: Actually it IS explicitly stated that the 4th Division is in charge of dining, this is canon and not just a headcanon whee~!)

And if Thatch as the head of the cooking division, then to me it makes sense that he'd be insanely good at it, not just your average chef. Because I mean, they're the Whitebeard pirates. And sure, they're not as food-centric as the Big Mom Pirates, but the WBs always have quality. Cooking, I feel, is a lot more subjective than say, "Strongest Swordsman in the World" but I don't think it'd be a stretch to say that Thatch is Up There.

This isn't at all to shit on canon!Sanji or his cooking which is probably also insanely good, but Sanji's a lot younger, and the places he's been, the people he's learned from, and the people he's cooked for are far more limited. He, like everyone else, is learning rapidly by stepping out into a far larger world.

Thatch, in comparison, has been on the Grand Line for a loooooong time, traveling with the most infamous crew currently in existence, and probably has picked up a LOT of things from a lot of people. While he doesn't have an official canon age, given the ages of the other Commanders (Marco 45; Jozu 42; Vista 47), I'm putting him at 41 here. That's decades of difference in experience.

It's one of the reasons why I think exploring Thatch and Sanji's mentor-rival relationship in this AU could be so much fun, because think of how much Sanji could grow with someone like Thatch in the crew.

Luckily, Sanji's dream is to find All Blue, not to defeat the cooking equivalent of Mihawk in Iron Chef Grand Line, so outside of fighting for the heart of the love of their lives, I think they can get along quite well ^ ^;

(also do u like his nickname for Lu. I had to consult a friend. But I think it's beginning to stick for me ^ ^;)

As always, any thoughts or comments make my day! Thanks for reading <3

❀ ❀ Send YukiPri an Ask! ❀ ❀

Read the next part: 👒🐟On the Baratie, Part 1

~This ask has been added to the Mermaid AU Text Headcanons Compilation post~