#I've seen one take saying that people can't recognize the abuse in the show because its not physical (yet?)

[ofswordsandpens]

"the Gabe and Sally dynamic in the show is abusive" and "the way they've portrayed Gabe in the show is distinctly different from his book counterpart and fans can criticize that" are two discussions that can coexist

[lodeddiperactivate]

I hate you more! Part 4

Pairing: Rodrick Heffley x fem!reader

Word count: 1,601

Warnings: angst, drugs, alcoholism, substance abuse

Summary: A classic enemies to lovers! Y/N decided to go to that college party, saw her ex at the party, then Rodrick showed up. Ofc, nothing bad will happen, right? ;)

Author’s note: I've been busy, not much to say, but here's part 4! I'm thinking of ending this series by part 5 and will prolly make it smut :>

Tags: @tomhockstetter7-111 @quadraticmandela @bubbl14 @iliterallydontexistlol @avihtoria

Rodrick agreed to your offer that you'll split the $100 a week with him if he cooperates and takes it seriously. This also means that your session for that day can end early so you can go to said college party. You quickly said your goodbyes to the Heffleys and went home to get ready. This was your first time sneaking out to a party in an entirely new town so you were kind of nervous, mostly because you're worried someone might recognize you at the party, which is why you chose one that's quite far (sort of). This also means taking the bus at night to a part of town you've never been to. It was all so scary but exciting for you, and you just longed to be surrounded by strangers. You were so deep in thought while waiting for the bus that you failed to notice Bill, Loded Diper's lead vocals. You've seen him a couple of times when you were at the Heffleys, and you've also confirmed with Rodrick that Bill is around 35 years old.

Shoot! You begged and hoped he did not see or recognize you. Luckily enough, you saw the bus rounding the corner just before Bill eyed you curiously. When he finally recognized you and was in the process of calling out to you, you had already boarded the bus. There weren't a lot of people riding the bus or even waiting for the bus so you breathe a sigh of relief as the bus drove away before Bill could catch up to you. You immediately slouched back to one of the seats and relaxed a bit.

You were nearing the party when your phone rang. It was a common friend between you and your ex, they were the one who initially told you about the party. Your heart sank when you saw the words on your screen, "I'm so sorry Y/N, I know you wanna go to this party to escape but I heard that he might be there!"

Great! You said to yourself. Your ex is gonna be at the party. Your mind goes to the worst case scenario where your ex is already hanging out with some hot new girl, making out at some corner or whatever, and you'll be there, not knowing anyone and being awkward and all. You're typically confident in your social skills but you can't seem to shake this nervousness and inferiority complex whenever you're around your ex. Your ex is 5 years older than you, and you had always thought he was so cool, that is until he started bringing girls to his college dorm. He assured you that nothing had happened, and maybe nothing did, but you knew that that was not how you wanted to be treated.

The bus stopped at a screeching halt and you walked out to greet the cold evening air. You wore a slightly oversized leather jacket over a plain white shirt and a black mini skirt. You wanted to appear cool but not trying too hard but with all this nervousness, you decided that your first agenda for the night is to get some alcohol in you. From the bus stop, it was only a 3-minute walk to the house. It was already getting late so no one was checking who was coming in and out of the house, which makes it easy for you to sneak in.

As soon as you stepped in, the music was blaring, college kids were drinking and dancing and groping each other, and making out. It was utter chaos, and for someone who likes to be organized, it was funny finding peace amidst the chaos. You went into the kitchen and found a couple of hard liquor, you went in for the kill. After just a few drinks, you found yourself walking to where people were dancing and started swaying your hips. One of your hands holding a cup while the other one freely roamed and caressed the rest of your body. You weren't sure how long you danced but you've noticed that another hand was also exploring your body. You turned to see that it was your ex.

"What are you doing here, Y/N?" He asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," you slurred which gave away the fact that you were already slightly intoxicated.

"Well, I for one am a college student, this is a college party." He said.

"In that case, why don't you go find some college girls to invite back to your dorm huh?" You said as you pushed his hands away. You tried walking away from him but he quickly yanked your arm which made you yelped. The music was loud to begin with but he yanked it so abruptly and out of nowhere that you were sure your voice pierced through the loud noise.

"Hey man, let her go."

Wait a minute. You know that voice. No no no, it can't be. Your ex was blocking the person who just spoke but as soon as he turned to see who it was, you kew your suspicions were right. It was Rodrick. Of course, Bill would tell him he saw you at the bus stop. Your mind ran frantically at all the possible situations that could unravel.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Rodrick. Let her go, I mean, don't bother Y/N."

You can tell he was nervous. Your ex was more muscular than Rodrick, and you don't know Rodrick well enough, but you can tell he has never been in a fight before. Your ex, on the other hand, has been in plenty. Although, he has been in reasonable fights and not petty ones, you try to convince yourself that as long as Rodrick doesn't do anything stupid, you can easily walk out of here in one piece.

"You don't want me bothering Y/N?" Your ex asked slowly, almost mockingly.

"Yeah, that's what I said, butt breathe!"

Butt breathe? Where in the hell did he learned that insult? You decided to step in.

"Come on, Rodrick, let's go." You walked past your ex and grabbed Rodrick by the arm.

"Yeah, you're lucky, Y/N is here to stop me because if not, I would've showed you what it's like to get your teeth punched, I mean like knocked out...get your teeth knocked out from punching."

You hear your ex scoffed at Rodrick's attempt to scare him. And with you grabbing Rodrick's arm and rushing to get out of that house, the last thing you heard was your ex calling out to you, "I'll see you soon, Y/N".

~

Rodrick had drove all the way to the house party when Bill texted him he saw you at the bus stop. And so, with the events that had just happened, you weren't surprised that the ride back was just pure silence.

You can tell Rodrick would look at you every now and then, trying to come up with something to say, but you were blankly staring at the road. The truth is that the breakup had left you feeling hurt and unwanted. Seeing your ex at the party and feeling his hands on you made you yearn for something, well, physical. You were embarassed at this fact but what can you do?

Rodrick coughed, probably in an attempt for you to look at him. You slowly looked at him, and he smiled. His smile was all teeth but his brows were wrinkled like the top part of his face was worried yet he was attempting a smile. It was the most ludicrous smile you had ever seen that you couldn't help but let out a small giggle.

"What?" He asked smiling back.

"Nothing. It's just that you have an ugly smile." You said as you let out a heartily laugh.

"Don't knock it 'til you try it."

"What? Try smiling like that?"

"Yeah." He said slowly, smiling.

You didn't realized it immediately but did he mean something else entirely? You looked back at him, he was focused on the road. You were probably 20 minutes away from home at that point.

"Thank you."

"What for?"

"Hmmm," you thought, "for protecting my honor."

Rodrick seemed proud when you said it that you saw him made his usual grin. You were grateful but at the same time, you just love teasing him.

"Although, you really need to work on your insults."

"What's wrong with them?" He genuinely asked as he turned a corner to where your houses are at.

"A lot!" You said and giggled as he slowly pulled to the front of your house so as not to wake your parents. You quickly said thank you again as you opened the passenger door to his Loded Diper van.

"Maybe.." he said. You paused just as you were stepping out of the van.

"Yeah?" You asked, as if you were hoping for something, the tone evident in your voice. Rodrick looked at you, and you thought that for the first time, he held your gaze.

"Maybe you can teach me how to properly insult someone, next time?"

You smiled, "Of course!" You replied, and before you know it, your entire body was moving on its own as you leaned in and planted a soft kiss on his check. He was surprised as you are as you both stared at each other for a few more seconds before you said goodnight and hopped out of his van. As you walked to your front door, you turned to wave goodbye to him and he waved back, smiling.

DOAWK masterlist

[that-darn-clown]

so. thought about a sort of killer swap au in the Rewrite.

so...have some vague thoughts about it:

i feel like the things that would make Henry snap would be rather different than William. William was already practically one horrible circumstance away from Committing A Crime (as you can tell. considering that's what happened. Many Crimes, In Fact). Henry...wasn't. a lot would've had to happen for Henry to have been pushed to that point. or....specifically, a lot bad things happening to his family in a short period of time.

Elizabeth didn't die...at least, not at the time she did canonically in the Rewrite (we'll get there :))...but Charlie still did. her death, however, was not caused by William. it was an accident. a horrible, horrible accident. Charlie had tried wandering through the alleyway to find a way back inside...when she got hit by a drunk driver (this is based off of some headcanons i've seen where people say that William might've killed Charlie by hitting her/running her over with his car while drunk). William had nothing to do with her death...but that doesn't mean that her death didn't devastate Henry.

...and maybe he heard about the girl and her little crew that locked his daughter outside that rainy night, the night she died...but he manages to keep that anger down. for now.

now...look. i haven't mentioned how the Best Timeline happened. had Elizabeth not died that day, i like to think that maybe William kinda...sorted himself out, if that makes sense. tried to fix himself, tried to make up for what he put them through (emotional abuse + manipulation), even if it'd take him years to fix the damage he caused to them...he'd do it. No Matter How Long, Or What, It'd Take.

and that's what happened. Mike and Evan were...cautiously optimistic. they were old enough to recognize their dad as he used to be, and...they're willing to hope. Liz and Cass have never met this version of their father before; Liz had just been a toddler, hardly having memories of her own mother, and Cassidy was born into this. it's...odd for them...but hey, now William's actually considering letting Cassidy going to school! it seems like everything is looking up for the Aftons...

but not for Alex.

he thinks it's all a trick, some other manipulative bullshit from his father. he refuses to believe it, because it just can't be true. and so he lashes out, but one thing he did in particular was, unknowingly, the final nail in the coffin.

one day at Fredbear's, Alex and a friend of his, Jamie (Bonnie Bully), pressured Sammy to stick his arm inside the O'Hare suit, just to prove he "wasn't a chicken." Sammy did it, because he always feels the need to prove a point (and mayhaps he became reckless after Charlie died, a way of "punishing" himself for not being there for her...maybe this was yet another bit of that reckless behavior). the jaws of the suit snap shut and some springlocks set off...and then Sammy's forearm gets mangled badly enough that it needs to get amputated.

it doesn't matter that it was a genuine accident, that Sammy more so blames himself for being a dumbass, and that Alex seems genuinely guilty.

Henry sees red.

he decides that he'll be Judge, Jury, and Executioner.

so...his list of victims in order (at least his Original murders):

Brittany Marks, 13: Charlie's main bully and the main kid responsible for locking her out on the day she died. Henry took her to the back under the guise of wanting to talk to her (he dressed as Fredbear purely to make sure no one on the cameras recognized him), and despite Brittany's genuine apology (she didn't know Charlie was gonna get killed), he killed her anyway. she got stuffed into Freddy (reference to the Cake Minigame, the one that shows the other perspective of Charlie's murder).

Alexander Afton, 14: William's eldest son. Henry also lured him back by claiming that he just wanted to talk. Alex got stuffed into Foxy.

James "Jamie" Spencer, 14: one of Alex's friends. also kinda (one of) Alex's boyfriend(s), but that's unimportant atm. just kinda got lured back and then murdered him. Jamie got stuffed into Bonnie.

Kimberly "Nyx" Harris, 12: Brittany's cousin, and was technically an accomplice in locking Charlie out...mostly by being pressured into putting the box on top of Marionn's box. she technically wanted nothing to do with it. also got lured and then killed. Nyx got stuffed into Chica.

Andrew Schmidt, 12: our good old buddy Andy. one of Mike's closest friends. Henry had nothing against him, but...Andy kinda witnessed Nyx's murder. Henry made it seem like he was just gonna threaten them with staying silent the next day (June 26th)...and then springlocked him in O'Hare. guess who he possesses.

Elizabeth Afton, 9: got bitten by O'Hare in the frontal lobe on Cassidy's seventh birthday, but survived the injury. but like her brother in the canon timeline, she learns about The Murders. due to Reasons i'll discuss later, Liz and Cass were living with Henry at the time, and upon Henry figuring out that Liz somehow knew, he may have uh...pushed her down the stairs. he claimed later that she had lost her balance and simply fell.

...Cassidy saw, though.

anyway, that's all for now. bed time. i may elaborate in the morning.

before you ask, yes, Charlie DOES have very complicated feelings on her father in this au. more so than her canonical self does for William in the actual canon Rewrite.

I'm insane about this. Feral even. The way henry only kills people that are involved as opposed to William's murders of opportunity.... it's so them. Ough.

[signoraviolettavalery]

I got stuck in the rain today, and consequently ended up with some vampire!Bojan scenes that are frankly too long and important to stick in a non-searchable chat so y'all are in luck today :) :)

(also psst I have no idea how tattoos actually work so I made up some utter nonsense please disregard my lack of medical knowledge, I'm sure @touchyourblood will correct me shortly tho)

This is all a while into their marriage, once Bojan has found out the extent of the abuse Jan has been through and Jan has started healing and figuring out that all the things he's been told and taught and internalized are....wrong.

It's a hot day and Jan stretches out and fans himself, complaining a little about the heat.

"You can go swimming," Bojan suggests. "I don't know if you know, but there's a lovely lake through the woods behind our castle."

"But....people will see my body," he protests.

"Do you not want them to see your body?" Bojan asks gently.

Jan needs a moment to think about that. Gaspar had always put him on display, in every way, and he hated being stared at. And he would be looked at, he'd be recognized as Bojan's husband. On the other hand, it's been years, and Bojan has never shown him off. Perhaps he'd be fine with it. But although he doesn't know the answer to that question, he does know that there's a more pressing issue.

"I don't know," he admits. "But what about - do you want them to see my body?" Isn't it Bojan's to show off? He can't imagine going by himself, stripping off his clothes, letting everyone look without Bojan beside him, an everpresent reminder of who Jan belongs to.

Bojan looks at him in that way he has, when Jan says something that reveals just how different his understanding of things is from Bojan's.

"Oh Jan," he says, in that gentle voice he always uses whenever that happens. He closes the distance between them, puts hands on his shoulders. They're at the point now where Jan feels comfortable with Bojan's touch, welcomes it, even. He knows Bojan won't hurt him or violate his boundaries. It took him a long, long time to believe that, but he does now, and it's exhilarating to be able to find comfort in touch. "You can show as much of your body as you'd like or as little. Go swimming if you want. It's your choice. It's not mine."

It's what Jan has been slowly learning for years now.

He does go swimming. He does get stared at - they know whose husband he is - especially when he takes off his shirt and bares his body. But no one says anything. If he's here, by himself, exposing him in this way, he must have permission. A hunter bride would never forsake their duty so much as to disobey in such a blatant and public way, would never shame themselves and their family.

But they do stare. At his body, pristine and perfect (Gaspar had been so careful to never leave a permanent mark, for all his violence). The fading bite on his neck. He tries to ignore their stares, and once he's in the water, he forgets all about them, reveling in the coollnes of it, diving down, splashing around. Feeling a little like a child again. and then, lying down in the sunshine to dry off with a book, listening to the peaceful calling of birds.

.....

Jan discovers Bojan has a tattoo. Perhaps sometime when they're lying together, talking, exchanging gentle touches, but there's nothing sexual there. Not yet. They haven't even seen each other naked yet, Bojan always feeding by carefully drawing aside Jan's collar. But it's hot, and he's wearing short-shorts, and his thigh is very, very visible.

"I've always wanted a tattoo," Jan admits.

Bojan doesn't ask why he didn't get one. They both know. His body wasn't his; it had been kept pristine for eighteen years in order to be given to someone else. A perfect blank slate.

"Do you still want one?" he asks.

"Yeah," he admits. "But I know I can't," he adds, so that Bojan doesn't think he doesn't know his place.

"Why not?" Bojan asks softly. Patiently.

"Because - " the words almost spill out so easily. Because his body belongs to Bojan. Because it's Bojan's choice. Because Bojan owns him. But as soon as he thinks it, he remembers what Bojan has been so patiently reiterating, and he's been so slowly learning.

"I don't own you," Bojan reiterates, once he's seen the comprehension in Jan's eyes. "Gaspar was wrong to believe otherwise, and wrong to make you believe it too."

"It wasn't just Gaspar," Jan says quietly. "My upbringing - we're trained, you know." He's never told Bojan much about that part. "Brought up to be the perfect bride. They teach us to obey, and to serve, and they instill in us that we all but belong to our husband."

"Well, they're all wrong," Bojan says. "A marriage is a contract, a vow, a promise. It's not ownership. If you want a tattoo, you should get a tattoo. And," he adds, "if you need my permission, you have it."

Jan loves him all the more for that last part. Because he's been slowly learning this lesson, that his body is his and Bojan doesn't own him, but it's a frightening, terrifying fact to stare at head-on sometimes, one that makes him feel helpless and unmoored. He feels paralyzed by it. But Bojan's permission - even if it's permission to do whatever he wants to do - is like a comforting touch in the darkness.

Bojan accompanies him to the tattoo parlor. Jan could have managed on his own, he suspects, but it's comforting to have Bojan there, not to mention it gets rid of a lot of difficulties and questions such as "did your husband give you permission?" that he'd inevitably be asked otherwise.

"My husband would like a tattoo," he informs them at the parlor, and they don't ask beyond that. They don't ask whether it's really Jan who wants the tattoo, and Bojan is indulging him, or if it's really Bojan's desire. They merely nod and say "of course, my lord. Right this way."

He takes off his shirt. He's aware of the gazes on him, and he thought he'd hate them more, but he doesn't. With Bojan's presence here, he feels calm.

"Tell them what you want," Bojan encourages. And though the artist is startled that Jan seems to be the one doing the deciding here, they don't dare say anything. Perhaps they think he's being an indulgent husband and Jan has pleased him enough to merit such indulgence?

He tries not to think about it and simply explains how he'd like a hummingbird, bright and colorful, over his ribs, on the left side, its needlelike beak pointing to his heart.

The artist busies himself making a sketch, while the man who seems like the owner turns to them with a serious expression.

"We can do what you desire, but you should know the task is...more complicated when the subject is a hunter."

"Complicated how?" Bojan asks.

"A tattoo is an injury to the body. Without the injury, the mark would not be permanent. And hunters are ...more durable. They heal faster, more easily," the man explains, facing Bojan more than Jan. "The process therefore requires magic, to slow the healing, to make the image permanent. It also increases the level of pain," he adds, seemingly an afterthought for Bojan to consider.

"I see," Bojan says. "And I assume you can work this magic?"

"Our artist can," the man assures him. "Should you desire it."

Bojan tactfully doesn't correct him as to whose desire is involved here. He merely looks at Jan questioningly.

Jan simply nods at him. Whatever pain they speak off, he has no doubt it will be negligible compared to what Gaspar put him through regularly.

And, when they take the needle to his skin, it really is....well, not negligible, but. It is far from the worst he'd endured.

Gaspar had always loved his cries, his screams, his pain, so he'd learned not to hold them back. To let them fall from his lips, though the irony was, the more Gaspar put him through, the more used he became to pain, the more it required to draw cries from him. And Gaspar could always tell if he was faking. So now, with the fine needle stabbing his skin, he winces slightly, but it's far from drawing any sort of cry from him. It's quite easy, in fact, to lie back and let his mind wander.

Bojan sits by him, playing with his hair and twining their fingers together. He finds he enjoys the comforting touch, and then Bojan distracts him, starts telling him the story behind his own tattoo, and before he knows it, it's over. They're finished, with instructions on how to care for it - again given to Bojan rather than Jan.

[lilithfairen]

RWDE and the Very Nonsensical, Half-Assed, Deeply-Telling "Poll"~

So something that's popped up in the RWDE crowd was a poll for the "Worst RWBY Choices". At first glance, you can tell this is a trainwreck because of how they've formatted the "tournament" itself:

As you see, you arbitrarily have certain entries that get a head-start without winning lower tiers, random numbers of match-ups...I feel like any rational person would say, "You can't do a tournament layout with 26 options" but RWDE are not rational people. (But as you'll see, the majority of these are RWDE scraping desperately for any excuse to hate anything from the show.)

Now, what are these "options" for what this RWDE blog sees as the worst writing choices in RWBY? To summarize in advance, they're very telling of the way RWDE looks at not only stories that do anything they don't like, but stories that dare to have women be heroes or have women love each other or anything like that.

A. Jaune. Just Jaune.

The RWDE hate for Jaune is almost confusing, given the way RWDE blogs desperately want white men to be the real heroes of the story. But then you recognize that the white/light-skinned men they stan for all possess toxic-masculinity qualities, whereas Jaune's character development is about him growing out of said qualities. In short, Jaune is a rejection of the kind of character they want RWBY to actually be about.

That, and he's voiced by one of the writers (at the request of the creator they claim to respect so much) so attacking the character lets them feel like they're being personally abusive to the writer himself.

B. The rushed nature of Weiss's racism redemption arc.

This is probably the closest I've ever seen RWDE get to proper "criticism", but even then, I can understand the writers wanting to get past the early "Weiss is a jerk" characterization that a lot of the early plot threads revolved around.

C. Demonization of the Faunus rights' movement. (This includes everything about the White Fang.)

Oh, here comes the "big" one.

RWBY's stance is that fighting for equality is a good thing, with that fight for equality being supported by its protagonists and continued by many members of what was once the White Fang. Its only objection is the use of extremist and terrorist tactics that the White Fang adopted—and even then, those who genuinely believe in the cause are portrayed as sympathetic and respected by other characters.

The only character "demonized" are those who do not believe in the White Fang's cause, most prominently Adam Taurus—a man who murdered senselessly, happily threw away his soldiers' lives, took part in a terrorist attack at the behest of human villains, attempted to murder respected Faunus leaders, and attempted to murder dozens of Faunus out of spite for his plans at Haven being foiled.

The reason why RWDE is unable to dissociate the story's portrayal of Adam with that of the White Fang is because they wanted Adam, a white man, to be the real hero of the storyline. Because he is a white man. To the point that they erase, minimize, or lie about the women of colour whom he takes advantage of or even murders.

So tl;dr, the Faunus rights' movement is always treated as a good thing, the White Fang are questioned for their extremism but acknowledged as fighting for a good cause, and Adam Taurus is the only fucko the story "demonizes". Which RWDE fuckos demonize, because they wanted a white guy to be the hero of a story about racism.

D. Killing Pyrrha.

This is the first of what I'll call "zero-argument complaints", in that the poll gives zero rationale as to why the writing choice it's complaining about was a bad writing choice.

The reason, of course, being that RWDE cannot make that argument. It is entirely about complaining about the story being anything except what these people wanted it to be. So let's start a count for that:

Zero-Argument Complaints: 1

E. Only mentioning Pyrrha's death in regard to Jaune's grief.

This is completely false, as Ruby is shown to have been affected by Pyrrha's death, and in fact has the first reaction to Pyrrha's death, that being the awakening of her Silver Eyes.

In fact, the image the poll uses is that of Jaune training to Pyrrha's video, a scene that is preceded by Ruby being woken up by nightmares about Pyrrha...thus literally invalidating their own "complaint" in an instant.

F. Lack of Ilia after Vol. 5.

RWDE often complains about "cast bloat", which in reality is about how minor characters exist in the story and the story doesn't bring back the same handful of characters in every setting.

Even ignoring their idiocy on minor characters, this isn't even true. Ilia appears at the start of Volume 6, and during the transmission in Volume 8—in fact, her scene shows her receiving a call from Ghira, implying future significance for her.

G. Cinder/Neo villain pair.

Zero-Argument Complaints: 2

H. Salem's backstory.

Zero-Argument Complaints: 3

I. Using Oscar punching bag.

RWDE is bizarrely indignant about Oscar suffering physical harm in an action show, despite the fact that a major theme of his character is how he's dragged into this conflict without a choice, in contrast to the protagonists and their allies.

But really, it's about treating it as so terrible and unfair to have a male character harmed in any way.

J. Making jokes about Yang's disability/prosthetic.

Humour is a coping mechanism for many, and when humour is made regarding Yang's prosthesis, she is almost always the initiator of that humour, the one making the jokes—and the jokes are never at her expense. It's her way of lightening a situation—and coming to acceptance with what happened to her.

This "complaint" belies both a lack of empathy for people with disabilities who partake in similar humour...and let's be frank, RWDE solely wants Yang to angst about her disability, for the edgy.

K. Not addressing Adam's "SDC" scar.

The show very much addressed it, in a way that perfectly summarized Adam's character. He was someone who had been victimized, and could have fought against those who hurt him and his people...but instead, he used his scar in an attempt to gaslight Blake. He cared more about hurting those who had hurt him than Faunus rights.

L. RWBY & Co.'s fight with Cordovin.

Zero-Argument Complaint: 4

M. Weiss's lack of relevancy after Vol.5(ish).

Weiss plays a significant part in the Atlas arc, reconnecting with her family and exposing her father's criminality. She also understands Ruby's grief more in Volume 9, due to her own sorrow over the fall of Atlas. So Weiss maintains clear relevancy.

N. Blake losing personality, autonomy, & motivation after Vol.6.

Yeah, let's not mince words on what this is really about. It's about RWDE being pissed off over her relationship with Yang following the end of Volume 6 that they don't see anything to her character except for that, and thus claim that's all that exists to her character.

O. Decline of Ruby and Yang's sister relationship.

Ruby and Yang continue to show their sisterly relationship in various ways, whether it be Ruby encouraging Yang when Yang believed she was dead or Yang stepping in to be big-sister during Ruby's outburst. This is purely about trying to vilify Yang for, again, having a relationship with Blake—not to mention the idea of treating a woman as obligated to be her little sister's caretaker, a misogynistic attitude towards both Ruby and Yang.

P. Forgetting about the Faunus rights' movement after Vol. 6.

Largely yes, because the White Fang storyline was concluded with the end of Volume 5. Faunus rights are still touched upon during the Atlas arc, due to discrimination from the Atlas elite. So no, it isn't forgotten about at all.

Q. Lack of Sun after Vol. 5 & erasing his relationship development with Blake.

And to no one's surprise, "woman not belonging to man" and "man not being main character" show up on the list.

And needless to say, their relationship received development—it just wasn't "Blake gives herself to a man who doesn't respect her wishes", so RWDE thinks she's a bitch for that.

R. Ironwood's villain turn. (And all the ableism along the way!)

Ah yes, the time RWDE decided a military authoritarian was entitled to leave all of the poor and disadvantaged people of his kingdom to die and that four women were horrible people for not enabling him or obeying his every action, and trying to use disability as a shield for his actions (thus blatantly dehumanizing disabled people themselves).

Also, for all their insistence of "ableism", many RWDE blogs genuinely believe that a disabled woman should have had her disability aids taken away or shut off to punish her for disobeying a man. Really.

S. Queercoding Qrow & Clover's relationship before killing Clover.

Qrow and Clover were never implied or stated to have romantic feelings in any way. None of their interactions were romantic in any way. Yet RWDE insists there was totes queerbait going on, despite insisting Blake and Yang openly flirting and embracing meant nothing. (And yes, Bumbleby is claimed as "queerbait" on this list later on.)

T. Penny "becoming a real girl" at the end of Vol. 8.

Zero-Argument Complaint: 5

U. Penny's second death in the Vol. 8 finale.

Zero-Argument Complaint: 6

V. Jaune coming to the Ever After alongside RWBY & Neo.

Zero-Argument Complaint: 7

W. The existence & execution Ever After

Zero-Argument Complaint: 8 (and yes, it is really worded like that in the initial list)

X. Queerbaiting Bumbleby from Volumes 6 to 9 only to make it canon in a very awkward part of the story.

So...it wasn't queerbait, then?

And of course, this is about indignance at two women being allowed to have a canon romance between themselves. Not to mention, the Bumbleby kiss served as significant plot levity, during a time when Ruby's arc continued to darken. We all knew the light at the end of the tunnel was there; the kiss served as a shining beacon midway-through.

Y. Ruby's suicide attempt being framed as a necessary step in her growth in Vol. 9.

Not whatsoever; in fact, the story makes clear that having attempted suicide did not help Ruby whatsoever. She's still hurting and burdened during her time with the Blacksmith, and it is the Blacksmith's support and encouragement—akin to therapy—that serves as the actual catalyst to Ruby's recovery.

Z. Ruby, instead of properly acknowledging her mistakes and changing, learning to “be herself” post-ascension.

And of course, we conclude with a RWDE blog being pissed off that our heroines aren't being vilified for abandoning thousands of people to die because a man wanted to, and blaming everything that happens on them and them alone.

And that's all of the entries on the RWDE poll-tournament. Most are just bitching about anything they can, others are just blatantly being pissed off at women and queer people, and others are indignation at men not being the only people who matter. Y'know, like your average RWDE post anyway.

[isthehorsevideocute]

have you heard that the danish olympic dressage winner, Carina Cassøe Krüth, has now been exposed for hitting her horse.. a video from 2022 has been leaked! link to the video here x .. its so awful! a danish news outlet is asking if a 5000 dkk fine is a big enough punishment (it really isnt in my opinion!) - and others are asking if we can honestly say that this is only a few bad apples

Yes I saw this video yesterday. No training here, just pure frustration and taking it out on the horse.

Unfortunately animal cruelty laws are usually a slap on the wrist and that's a pretty universal thing.

Is it just a few bad apples? Definitely not, I've seen people of all ages and levels do stuff like this (and consequently nothing was done about it). While I suppose it would depend on your definition, its too common for me to just accept that.

Unfortunately this particular type of abuse is pretty easy to fall into due to how emotions can quickly turn negative pressure into positive punishment, and then just straight beating for no good reason because the horse isn't doing exactly what the rider thinks they are asking them to do.

Whips are not designed to be weapons but they can quickly become weapons if a rider can't keep their emotions in check.

Interesting thing that always catches my mind when I see this stuff, is that none of these people live in a bubble. In fact it's pretty hard to be in the competitive side of the industry and live in a bubble. I go to maybe 5 shows a year and don't compete at an especially high level and lots of people at least recognize me, if not know me by name and reputation (especially in the local circuits).

Plus if you are planning to compete to that level, your ticket in is to ride with other people who have been successful at that level. Charlotte got her training, connections, sponsors, and horses from Carl Hester before she became a big name herself. I seriously doubt that Charlotte's behavior is hers and hers alone. I think she learned it from others.

When it comes down to it, anyone associated with anyone in the scandals have been awful quiet on the whole thing. Carl hadn't said a word on the situation with Charlotte, Ingrid Klimke (who i generally admire the horsemanship of) hasn't said a word on Helgstrand even though she has done business with him many times. For the few that have piped up, it usually seems like a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Isabelle Werth for example went on a whole welfare soapbox, meanwhile she was actually one of the pros that can be credited for normalizing the use of Rolkur for training. Most will say it started with Anky or Gal but Isabelle was toting it as a training tool well before those two were outed

[primeministerofantarctica]

A3! reading club: act one (chapter 1-6)

(cw: talking about parental neglect and abuse, orientalism, one mention of suicide)

Hey, ten out of twelve isn't bad, all things considered! This very well could have gone down in October. Also, since it's February (March if you wanna be generous), does that mean everyone in Harugumi's slightly younger than their Year One ages now? Ack, timelines are confusing.

Izumi casually talking about how Yukio neglected her and following it up with "well, it was probably because he loved this theater so much!" is. Oh, girl. No wonder she snapped when Sakyo suggested he'd abandoned Mankai, because if he hadn't loved it, then why did she have to go through with that?

I'm not versed enough in Japanese particles but I recognize "daijoubu" and Tsuzuru watching this trainwreck unfold and saying something along the lines of "are you guys, like, okay?" is extremely funny.

Then we get to Sakuya and Masumi's family situations, which. From a meta perspective, it makes sense to want to give your minor protagonists the freedom that having parents limits. That's why the trope of "young protagonist in kid's spec fic media is conveniently an orphan" is so common. (was? I think it's becoming less common now.) The problem lies in the lack of willingness to follow through with the emotional conflict it creates, or resolve said conflict in a satisfying manner. Sure, I'm assuming they weren't starved or physically abused, but being treated like a burden when you're a child is still fucking traumatizing! Basically I think Izumi Sakuya and Masumi should start a union. And I'm glad later chapters go the reasonably more toned-down route of "my parents have a reasonable amount of trust in me to make these kinds of decisions".

Also, can we talk about Sakuya and Masumi, because they're one of my favorite brotps here. The way Sakuya appoints himself as Masumi's surrogate big brother? He's so eager to potentially share a room with him ;-;. (personally I hc that Ms. Sakuma was expecting another child before the accident or whatever killed them, so Sakuya's been a big brother without a younger sibling all this time </3)

Wow, that doesn't sound like a metaphor for anything! You're right, Izumi, why would you go the easy route of taking something prepackaged and guaranteed when a bunch of wildly different spices can create a delicious meal if you know how to utilize them right?

Am I grasping at straws here. Probably.

The little ka-ching sound effect is adorable.

Tsuzuru, I'd think "antagonist" should be near the top of the list...also, there's plenty of plays that have been pulled off with two or three actors. Just put on "night, Mother" or something. (Joking. Don't look up night, Mother if you're sensitive to themes of suicide.)

"Tsuzuru, you picked this troupe because it had a dorm, right? ...Then maybe our best bet is to focus on more people in your shoes."

"People in my shoes? In other words...."

"The homeless?"

I CAN'T ASJHGSKSDSK

he's literally doing the 😔 face i'm on the floor.

HE'S HERE! Funny how Izumi's right about Citron not being a regular tourist right off the bat. He may not be from another troupe, but he's definitely "in character" right now.

Also, oof. Citron's my second fave in Harugumi after Sakuya, but it's glaringly obvious how much of his character is rooted in orientalism. Sure, maybe it's an act, but why is he talking about how "shameful" showing skin is when his top is (conveniently for us) THAT low-cut.

On another note, I know people have pointed out his distaste for pig's feet as evidence for headcanoning him as Muslim, but I haven't seen anyone point out how he calls Veludo Way a "mecca" of theatre. Like yeah, mecca can just mean hub, but...why didn't they just say hub? Words Have Connotations. I'm not saying this coding is good or bad, it's just a neutral observation.

AND HERE'S THIS BASTARD (affectionate)

Oh, Kasumi! (insert pointing reaction pic bc I've run out of photo space.) It's Kasumi, guys! :D

[ragecndybars]

NGL I've been pretty steamed lately over how people feel this need to align every character they like with their own morals.

In broader fandom spaces, I see such widespread refusal to give any character a flaw which contrasts too strongly with the fan's sensibilities. Murderers are fair game, for example, because that's not something which personally impacts the fan, but someone being a little sexist, or needing to have XYZ queer identity explained to them instead of instantly recognizing and understanding the term, or even just asking a slightly insensitive question? That will suddenly get fans all up in arms accusing you of slandering the character in question.

Like, I'll write a fic or do a silly little edit where one character will say something ignorant or insensitive, or even just clearly showing that they're a little confused but they got the spirit (ie. that "His pronouns are they/them!!!" meme), and people will suddenly drop into my replies steaming out the ears because "THAT CHARACTER WOULD NOT SAY THAT!!!" As if I'm personally breaking into their house and calling them transphobic because I said their favorite character would mess up someone's pronouns by accident.

It feels very much related to the trend of taking characters and injecting them with an insane level of emotional maturity, such that they no longer resemble their initial character at all. Much has been said about fanfictions where every character talks like a therapist, but at least in those fics, it's usually just written that way because the author finds it satisfying, not because they think the characters have to be flawless communicators or else they're shitty people. At least, that's the vibe I usually get. But I feel like for at least several years, it's been completely taboo to even imply that a character might have some biases to work through -- even if said biases are clearly evident in the source material!! A character can say some truly horrific homophobic shit in their source material, but if you write a fic where they say "Dude, that's gay" suddenly you're a character assassin.

I dunno. I feel like I could tie this into a larger point about the reemerging obsession with a mythical "moral purity" and frantic disavowal of anything which taints that for fear of being seen as One Of The Bad Guys, but I think the biggest thing is just... acknowledging that characters can have flaws. Flaws that go beyond "a little obnoxious", and into the territory of "genuinely thoughtless in a way which can hurt people". Flaws which may actually make you uncomfortable, because people with those flaws may have been callous, cruel, or even outright abusive to you in real life. Those flaws can exist within fictional characters who are good and kind people, and it doesn't mean the character is being mischaracterized as shitty bigots. Because nice, good people can still have prejudices and biases -- or, hell, just be a little awkward or misspeak! (See again the "his pronouns are they/them" meme -- do we not all agree that the joke there isn't "X character is transphobic", it's "X character is trying so hard to be an ally but has no idea what they're doing"?)

Don't get me wrong -- I'm not saying you have to be "realistic" by writing characters you like as prejudiced or rude. If you wanna write your characters as completely accepting of every queer thing under the sun, do that! Do it regardless of "realism" or whatever the hell, and fuck anyone who tells you otherwise!!! But if someone else does examine the prejudices or rudeness of those characters, you can NOT be out here taking it personally, or extrapolating from that to decide that the author is prejudiced.

and if you can't stand to see characters you love being written as such?

block the author and move tf on with your life.

[darlin-djarin]

in my relation to my post about how din's covert is not a cult

if you want to know how and why it isn't considered a cult, please look at @loveoaths post here

now here is what needs to be said: din's covert is NOT a cult. it is an orthodox religious group that takes their creed very seriously. they are not "evil" and "cruel", they are simply religious and din values that very much so.

the notion that dins covert is a "cult" also forms the idea that din should remove his helmet and go against the creed. this is wrong. if you truly believe this, you are not considering the real life consequences of saying things like this. even though din's religion isn't "real", there are many aspects about it that IS real in MANY religions around the world. the belief that din should take off his helmet because his religion is "wrong" can harm so many people in real life. imagine telling a hijabi, or a sikh, or anyone who wears a religious head/body covering that you don't agree with their religion and therefore they should REMOVE their head/body coverings... like wow. just. wow. even if din's creed isn't real, the things you SAY about it can harm real people. many people who wear religious head/body coverings were overjoyed with the mandalorian because they felt SEEN. they felt respected and they felt normalized to see something so similar on screen. implying that din should just take off the helmet because you think his creed is "wrong" is literally harmful, no matter the fictional or real life context.

so MANY of the mandalorian fans are just white americans who don't understand the real impact of religion. yes, religion CAN be corrupt and yes, it can be used for manipulation, but dins covert is a HEALTHY religious relationship, if you REALLY think about it. religion in the west has become something criminalized and something that people stray away from because a lot of christianity and christian beliefs have changed overtime to manipulate and abuse it's believers and so many people stray away from religion and/or disregard it altogether. therefore, so many people don't understand what a real healthy religious relationship is and people can't recognize one even if it's right in their face.

now there are many arguments towards din's creed that i've seen so i'm going to answer some of them so y'all can understand:

"but what if they get injured and people can’t save them without the helmet coming off?!?!”

mandalorians HONOR warrior deaths. if they die then they die with the helmet on. period. i don’t wanna hear shit about morality or whatever. you either respect other religions or you don’t.

“it’s cruel that grogu will never see din’s face!”

the helmet IS din’s face. it’s an extension of his body and his armor is a part of his identity. what din did, removing the helmet once for grogu to see him, was a special moment and was din’s active choice to do that. to HIM, he felt like it was necessary therefore it happened. it’s not cruel for din to hide his face. PLUS there is a whole love language for mandalorians. without the normalized “acts of service” people are used to, mandalorians MUST have a way to convey their love. through customized and personalized acts, mandalorians can show affection all the same. like a keldabe kiss. it’s just as important and valid as a real kiss and mandalorians invented a way to kiss others without having to break the creed. there are probably so many other ways that mandalorians created to show affection without breaking the creed.

"they hide in the sewers and hide their faces!!"

yes for PROTECTION. they were MASSACRED in the past. their planet is left in ruins, they are devastated. hiding away and not showing their face PROTECTED THEM for SO LONG. it was their way of survival and their religion stemmed from that.

"redemption/being forgiven for transgressions is impossible!"

YEAH NOWADAYS. back THEN redemption was available because mandalore wasn't blown to pieces yet. OBVIOUSLY THE CREED WASN'T PREPARED FOR GENOCIDE SO WHY WOULD THEY MAKE THAT RULE IF THERE WAS NO CHANCE OF REDEMPTION??

religion is always good in moderation. but there doesn't NEED to be any moderation because din's creed has absolutely nothing wrong with it. PLEASE stop calling it a cult.

[mybelovedwoo]

Long Journey - Chapter 3: Bloodstain Promises and Sudden Goodbyes

Life hurts a lot, that's just how it is. At least that is what Destiny thought, living a life where living hurts more than dying. But one day everything changes when an unexpected guest appears. What does this long journey hide behind? Will it be worth it to be alive again?

"Sailors tell stories, Pirates make legends!"

ateez pirate au, fluff, angst, smut

??? x named reader

word count: 2.3k

warnings: violence, fighting, guns and weaponry, blood injuries, trauma, smut, sa, pa, abuse specific to this chapter: detailed description of assault, blood, death, weapon

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"What the hell happened to you?" Joanne steps out of my bathroom, looking hella worried. I don't blame her, I disappear for the whole day with six men who I just met today, then I show up covered in blood.

"Jo, don't freak out, please. I can explain it. Just trust me." I try to step closer to calm her down, but she steps back with the same motion. I can see the fear in her eyes, I have no idea what she is thinking right now. But whatever it is, I'm sure it's nothing good.

"Destiny, you are covered in blood." She tries to whisper, but I can feel in her tone that she would instead shout at me if she could.

"I know, I know, but It's not mine. I'm not hurt, look."I turn around, so she could see it better. I really thought that this would help the situation, not make it even worse.

"Then whose is it?"She is even more surprised. She's almost crying, I can hear her voice break. "Please tell me you didn't hurt anyone." That one sentence hurts like hell, just like a punch in my stomach. From all the people I wouldn't expect her to assume such a thing about me.

Now I'm the one whose eyes are filled with tears. "You really think I could hurt anybody? After you watched all those years what my father did to me? You really think I'm just like him, aren't you? I have to disappoint you because I'm not! I'm nothing like him!" This moment was my breaking point. I start crying hysterically out of nowhere and the next second my legs give up, I fell to my knees. I can't control my breathing, it feels like I'm drowning. I'm scared, I don't know what's going on.

"Nini, look at me. Breathe honey, just breathe." Joanne gets down next to me to the ground and starts to caress my back, just like she did when I was little. She takes my face in her hands when I don't look up at her. "We have to get rid of your dress, you're father can't find out about this." She pulls me up and starts to take my dress off, by pulling out the strings of the back. It never felt more difficult than at this moment. When all the strings are loose enough, my dress falls to my ankles and I quickly step out of it.

We both look up at the same time in horror when light filters through the door. We didn't even hear when it opened. My father stands at the door, analyzing what we're doing. And I instantly recognize that look on his face, I've seen it many times before, it's not like last night, it's much worse.

I stand there only in my underdress, there's no way out of this room, he blocks the only escape. "Joanne please leave me alone with my daughter." He says, but he's not taking his eyes off of me.

Joanne doesn't move an inch from in front of me. I know she always knew about my father's doings but she never ever witnessed it before. "I said get out!" He shouts this time, his eyes are burning from anger. When my dear maid doesn't move at this time either, he's the one who moves towards us. He grabs Joanne by her shoulders and tosses her to the ground with so much power she almost flies to the other side of my room. I let out a scream but immediately regret it.

I know the next victim is me, I wanted to attack back but I felt like I was stuck. He grabs my arms, the same one that has those bruises already and he drags me out of the room. I'm looking around if there's anyone who can help me, but there's no one. At the time we get to the top of the stairs I finally try to get my arm out of his hold, but there's no way I'm getting somewhere with how weak I'm compared to him.

He drags me down the stairs now having a hold on my hair too, tears are running down my face. I try to scream but there's no sound coming out. At the last step, he had enough of my resistance and he pushes me down with full force. I fell to the hardwood floor, I can feel that my knees got bruised up, it burns.

"I warned you to behave. You only can thank yourself for this." He bends over me and turns me onto my back, I try to grip the floor with my nails and get away, but he pins both of my hands to the floor on both sides of my head.

I close my eyes as I know exactly what's gonna happen, I rather not see it. I gasp for air. He starts to unbuckle his belt, and a sob leaves my mouth. He doesn't have to work too hard since I don't have a lot of clothes on. 

I don't understand what happens when his grip on my hands relaxes and suddenly his movements freeze. I don't know if I dare to open my eyes to see what's going on, but I'm strong enough to do so.

When I open them I see my father's eyes are in horror, he lifts one of his hands to his stomach, following it with my eyes I only notice then something is sticking out of it. A sword. Someone pierced him through from behind. I can't see who did it because he is still on top of me.

He groans and slowly falls to the side. I can finally see that it's Wooyoung standing there, he's frozen to his spot, he can't believe what he just did. The Captain and Seonghwa rush into the room, to the loud noises they heard.

"Wooyoung what have you done?" Seonghwa screams out of horror, non of the two men really knows what to do now.

"Cover her up with something for god's sake." The captain orders his right hand, at least he's not saying something he's not supposed to at the moment. 

The Captain walks up to Wooyoung, he is still not moving. He puts his hands on both of his shoulders and tries to cover up the scene in front of the boy with his whole body. "I know you weren't in your right mind when you did this, but you have to listen to me for everybody's sake. You have to tell me exactly what happened." He tries to keep the eye-contact, so his eyes aren't wandering around.

In the meanwhile, Seonghwa came back with a thin material, it's a small blanket or a scarf, I can't really tell. He helped me sit up and wrapped it around my body. My eyes landed on my right side, and there lays my father's lifeless body, he wasn't breathing anymore. I don't know if I'm relieved or in grief. My brain isn't working normally, I only can hear faded sounds and my eyesight is really blurry too. I try to tell myself I'm in shock, that's why I'm acting the way I am.

"He was hurting her. I had no other choice." The Captain nods understandingly to the boy in his arms. I'm not sure if he's trying to convenience the man in front of him or himself.

"Captain, what are we going to do now? If someone finds out, he will be hanged for murder." Seonghwa stuttered, worried for his crewmate.

"We are getting the hell out of here. We were about to go anyway. Wake up the others! We are leaving immediately." The Captain doesn't show any fear, but he's just as worried as the other man.

Seonghwa hesitates to obey the orders. "And what about the girl?" He doesn't look up."If they find her like this, then she is the one who will be hanged."

"The first for me is my people! I'm not some kind of savior, you know that." Now he's looking angry if nothing else. I wouldn't be in that person's shoes, that's for sure.

"But she saved Jongho. We owe her that much." The Quartermaster doesn't give up that easily.

"If I take her with us, then I put ourselves in danger. They will look for her." Hongjoong fights back.

"Not if they think someone else did it." Joanne walks down the stairs, limping, she must be hurt too. "I'll stay here, and take it upon myself. Just promise me, you get her out of here safe."

"No, Jo you can't do this!!!" I cry out. "Please don't let her do it..." I look to Seonghwa for help.

The Captain thinks for a little."Okay, deal." Joanne and he shake hands as if they're just made some business, but in reality, we're talking about someone's life now, and this life was my only loved one's.

"Wooyoung, please wake up the others and tell them everything, since my dear Quartermaster refuses to obey me. We're meeting up on the ship at dawn." The boy doesn't even need a second to act, it seems like he's out of his shocked state.

"Can you walk?" Seonghwa turns to me.

"I don't- I- I can't-" Suddenly blackness fills my vision. I blacked out, this is just too much for me to handle.

Seonghwa lifts me up in his arms without even thinking and walks to the door. But stops halfway out and turns back as he feels that his Captain isn't following him. "Hongjoong, what are you doing? Aren't you coming?" He shouts after the man, who disappears to one of the rooms. "One moment!" He shouts back.

After a couple of seconds, he comes out of my father's office. He spent all his time there, while he was here at the house, making some kind of deal with him. But it didn't seem like they agreed with anything, that pleased him. What kind of dirty business did this man have with my father?

-

My head hurts like hell when I come to my senses, it's really hard to open my eyes. I have to blink three times before the blur fades away from my vision. I'm trying to assess my surrounding, the wooden room is unfamiliar to me. A few minutes pass when I realize what happened yesterday, and it still feels like a fever dream thinking back. The early sun shines right into my eyes from the small window across the room. I'm alone, someone put me into this bed last night, they even made sure to tuck the blanket in. My mind is quite foggy, I don't remember all the details.

I pull the white blanket off of me and I make a hissing sound as I sit up, all my bones are aching. As I look to my right I see a cup of water and an apple placed on the little table next to the bed. I smile at the small gesture, but it quickly disappears when I think of Joanne. She sacrificed herself for me. I couldn't even thank her or say goodbye.

The door slowly opens as if that someone who is coming inside thinks I'm still asleep. He wants to be as quiet as possible but the door creeks at every movement. First, he only slips his nose inside, then his whole head. When he notices that I'm awake he smiles as brightly as the sun, his eyes disappear into just two lines and he's showing the little dimples on his cheeks.

"Good morning sleepy-head." San beamed. "I was hoping you were up by now. The Captain wants to see you, so get dressed." He lets himself in and sits down on the chair in front of me.

"I don't think I have any dress to wear." I remind him.

"Here." He throws a bag onto the bed. "Wear this. These are my clothes. Although I don't wear any skirts, I hope these will be alright for now." I take a dirty-white shirt and black pants out of it. 

"It's perfect. Thank you." He doesn't answer anything, just smiles at me. "So you will watch me change my clothes or-"

"Oh, right. No, no! I'll wait for you outside." I wait until he closes the door fully, only then do I get up from the bed. 

-

San was waiting right there where he said he will be, he was sitting outside of my door on the ground. "You look good." He stands up. "Please follow me." We walk up a slightly dark corridor, then up a narrow stair. He opens a door at the top of it and the sun nearly blinds me. I need a couple of minutes to get used to the sudden change of lights. I look around at the wide space, this must be the main deck. This is a huge ship for so few people, the royal army has a ship this big.

I try to catch up to San, he quickly crossed the large open space, while I was looking around. We went up another stair on the left side, there is a staircase on the other side that leads to the same place,  I assume this would be the captain's quarter. It's only from this angle I can see that we haven't left the harbor yet, we're still in Albagon. San knocks at the two-winged door and then waits. I'm standing right behind of him, I don't know what to do or say.

Seonghwa opens the door after a couple of minutes. "You are finally here. The Captain's been waiting for you."

I step inside this quite messy room, it's like a hurricane was raging in there, on my right, there's a desk with a chair, and Captain Kim Hongjoong sits in that red cushioned chair. I don't dare to look around more in the room when he looks up at me. "I'll start in the middle if you don't mind." He states. I dare not to say anything, let alone oppose him. "This afternoon there will be a hanging in the main square, the charge is murder. You can go there to say goodbye if you want before we leave, but only with one condition. No one can see you, did you understand me?" He looks very serious.

"Yes Sir." I don't look up at him.

"Great, San will accompany you."

© belongs to mybelovedwoo

note: okay I full-on cried writing this chapter. i know this one is a bit messy, but so is our dear mc. so what do you think will happen next? what secret does the captain have?

[mloreley]

Please I am begging you go OFF about CxG

Do you know what you're asking?

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is one of the best representations of mental health on television I've ever seen. It doesn't shy away from difficult, or even obscenely troubled subjects, and the discussion in the show ends up in a healthier place than I think most comedies ever really go.

The show is a musical, which is an automatic plus in my book. And in fact, the context for WHY it's a musical is something that hits me right in my daydreaming baby heart; someone coping with real life stress by using daydreaming and music to work through something in their head. And it's not just a conceit for the premise, either! There's literally a plot reason for it!

This is a show that revolves around the relationships the main character has with the people around her; romantic, familial, friendship, and more. It surrounds her with so many different kinds of love, and explicitly calls it love. Whether she's able to recognize it as love is a different question, but then, it's always harder to see the love in our lives when we've been trained into believing we don't deserve it.

More (and spoilers) under the cut.

The show is about a woman with severe trauma and a long-standing mental health struggle finding and falling in love with herself. While the show does a lot of framing around the romantic relationships in her life, it's because she only considers love to be real when it's from a partner- someone who chooses to be with you, as opposed to family (for whom it should be 'the bare minimum', in her mind, even though she's still desperately seeking that, too).

She acts horribly for three seasons. If you've never fought with the demons implanted from severe neglect, abuse, and trauma, her actions make her unsympathetic; they make her "The Villain In [Her] Own Story", and she's just smart enough to be able to talk and charm her way out of consequences for a good chunk of it. Of course, those are skills she learned trying to appease her never-appeaseable mother, whose horrific treatment of her daughter forced her to overcompensate with placating, charming, ego-stroking, approval-seeking behavior.

And as someone who has struggled with my mental health my entire life, as someone whose behavior has sometimes been out of line, and as someone who has had to do a lot of self-reflection, I see every bad decision she makes and I ache for her to be better. Because while I was never as bad as her, I feel the same thought patterns, I see the lines she sees where others only see irrational, over the top awful behavior.

I could talk about the scene where she's shown all of her new friends and found family in West Covina mourning her disappearance in the first season, how it makes me cry because I've had to learn how to recognize that in the people around me. Not just in a "they'll miss me if I'm gone" sense, but just recognizing that you can touch people's lives in ways you can't see, in ways they may not always know you've affected.

Or maybe the scene where, cornered, triggered, panicked, and deeply hurt, convinced that she's already lost all of her friends and loved ones, she lashes out with the harshest things she can say to everyone in her life. I know why she does it; she's hurting, and she wants to be the one to 'cut the ties' before they do it to her. I understand that though process so clearly. But every venomous word she shoots at them, it's a wound in her heart just as much as it is the people who care for her. I know, because I've been there.

There's the scene after she hits her lowest point, where she no longer believes that anyone loves her, where she realizes she has no life either where she grew up or where she moved to and doesn't want to be in either place, where she hurts so much that the only option she sees to escape it is to take her own life. I can't even think of that scene without a sharp intake of breath and tears coming to my eyes, because it's so viscerally real. The moment she looks out the window, taking in the serenity of a blue sky with gorgeous white clouds, communicating the strange peace you feel when you've finally decided to 'go through with it', GOD it's so fucking real. It's a detail that I don't see included in most shows depicting a suicide attempt, and it tells me that the showrunners are speaking from experience.

And that immediately after setting that in motion, she finds hope at the very last second. That she seeks help because she has finally found that last grain of hope in her. It's executed so well. (Hey, I'm literally crying while writing this; it has a tremendous emotional impact for me).

The moments in therapy where she expresses terror over trying to find a relationship after the last serious one she had ended with a suicide attempt, and is scared knowing that it's a place she can go, or when she doubts going on medication because her last prescription numbed her out instead of addressing the problem, those are so. fucking. real. Real concerns born only out of having been through the process of finally seeking help and becoming afraid of 'going back'.

Or the last fucking episode of the show, where she discovers the most important relationship in her life; one with herself. Where the entire context of her imagining musical numbers to work through things comes back around; it turns out that composing music and writing songs is a skill? And one she never got the chance to explore because her mother denied her every opportunity in order to mold her into "The Perfect Daughter"?

Her relationship with Paula is the second most relationship in the show; they both change each other for the better, even as they sometimes bring out the worst in each other. The level of trust they build, and the genuine love they share for each other, is so healing for both of them. It's fitting that Paula is the one to eventually point out what Rebecca couldn't see; that she was actually really amazing, and not for what anyone else taught her to do, but just for who she always was.

The show does an excellent job of showing deeply flawed, real people who make mistakes, and learn and grow from them. It's a rare show where "everyone is happy in the end" doesn't feel contrived, because they've all earned where they end up.

I think I'm momentarily Crazy Ex-Girlfriended out at the moment, and this is still only scraping the tip of the iceberg and mostly in how much I personally relate to the main character (enough that I've actually begun looking into a similar diagnosis for the stuff I'm going through), but I hope you appreciate my going off on it a bit. XD Thank you for the invitation to do so.

[practically-an-x-man]

asking almost the whole rainbow lol 🧡💛💚💙💜🤍🖤

Thank you!! I think I'm gonna go with wider DC for this one, since I know we're both fairly familiar with that

Ask Game: Unpopular Opinions Edition

🧡: What is a popular (serious) theory you disagree with?

I've seen all kinds of theories about the multiverse and how Folie à Deux is going to connect back to the Flash and Justice League and whatever else, and I just... no? I get that the new Flash movie plays with the multiverse, but that doesn't mean everything connects back into the multiverse. They can just exist as separate movies.

💛: What is a popular ship you just can't get behind, and why?

Okay, this is going to take some explaining but... Joker x Harley Quinn. Yes it is canon, but I've never even seen that as a romance in canon - to me the Joker just serves as a tool for Harley to discover herself as a character, not to mention that it's flagrantly abusive and it's a huge part of her story to get away from him and build her own life. It makes my skin crawl in canon, and I'm honestly shocked that it's one of the biggest ships for Harley on AO3 (fewer than her with Ivy, but still several thousand works).

I guess it's less the question of why it's a ship, since it is canon, and more the question of why it's so popular.

💚: What does everyone else get wrong about your favorite character?

Oh man, that requires me to pick a favorite character first... you might get a few different answers here

For Harley, people tend to forget that she has a freaking PhD. She's goofy and bubbly but she's smart, and I've read way too many fics where they just make her into the airhead blonde trope.

Actually, no, that's a consistent problem. This is true of a lot of fandoms I think, but people tend to dumb down the characters so much without even seeming to realize it, and it annoys me. And I don't even think that it's people struggling to know how to write a smart character, I think it's more that they don't recognize intelligence when it's not equated with academics. Like... Rick Flag is an incredibly competent fighter and gunman, and a strong leader - that takes intellect, but people miss it because of how goofy it is to wrangle the Squad. Abner strikes me as a very academic guy, the sort who probably dove into books as an escape and picked up a lot of random knowledge because of that, but people miss it because he's quiet and nihilistic and all that.

I just... we see the stupid members of the Suicide Squad. They die literally immediately. The others survive (for the most part) because they have enough intellect to know how to choose their battles, to know their own strengths, to react to the situation, etc.. But people see a bunch of goofy superheroes and assume they all have to be dumb as rocks unless their abilities are overtly skill-based (like Deadshot)

💙: Which character is not as hot as everyone else seems to think?

I know I'm piggybacking off your answer but... Peacemaker. He was set up as the hot guy character in the Suicide Squad, he even got his own spinoff in lieu of any of the other characters, but I just don't get the hype. He just annoys me.

💜: Which character is way hotter than everyone else seems to think?

There is pitifully little love for my girl Cleo, I'm just saying. Also, Sasha Calle's Supergirl literally took my breath away when I first saw her, and she was the one redeeming quality of that terrible Flash movie imo

🤍: Which character is not as morally bad as everyone else seems to think?

Okay, this is going to seem contradictory because I still don't like him as a character, but objectively... Peacemaker. He's a dick, but the spinoff show does show him 1. ugly-crying with guilt over killing Flag and 2. blatantly disgusted at Adrian's casual lack of morality so... I hate him, he's a dick, he annoys the hell out of me, but objectively he has more morals than people see in just the movie.

[the-firebird69]

And by the end of the day you're right this will be coming around the corner and our project is done and we are success I will have to say I did not take second fiddle even to this latest event no I had practically no attention now probably anyone can make it out there and it's not many people go out there now which doesn't make sense but that's true and here comes I did the job and I did it well and our son and daughter under massive dress and it's mostly this guy Tommy f and others mistakes and following his dogma and doing his dirty work and boy is he a big arrogant lug you seen her smiling and saying stupid things thinking I'm like congratulating over some dumb stuff not really your buddies there pal there's one after you you're an excited little kid for some reason to show off what you've done to people Anderson is correct and daughter you're a nutcase and you need to be put down you're a rabbid dog. I'm going to release a memo to hour and say that you should be relieved of your spot here and removed and they're probably going to approve it this is what you're saying you're insane we're not going to bow down to you because we expose you to everyone around you.

Nuada Arrianna

You're a nutcase Tommy f we're going after you with weapons and stuff stupid

Trump

Yeh stupid

Malory and you're Robert de Niro and you mix it up with us and you get nailed you see you getting nailed in the movie you see her disappearing you're going to make sure you're just. You can hit with a rock. Couldn't disappearing act okay stupid

I got to hit you and I got to hit you good so tired of watching you abuse him and you're such a f**** you think you made this Giants and then stick you

Woody harrelson

You have this Giants fight us you moron so we're going to take you down you're an idiot

Big Hawaiian

I did not so it took them over someone took them over

Tommy f

And who would that be Tommy f

Zues Hera

I don't know Trump or someone else is so incompetent he can't wash himself right

Tommy f

What the hell are you talking about you moron you're in so much trouble it's not even funny your own clothes when a PCU and just in here making fun of me you're a freaking idiot I know this is stupid stuff going around is coming from you and what you're saying doesn't make any sense

Trump

I'm a bit insane we're going to take it out of you people cuz I'm mad

Tommy f

Good after you tommy f we're putting once on you and we're going after you was force as a matter of fact the forces coming down now they're going to pick you up

Thor Freya

You didn't fall for any of that stupid s*** and you just kept on doing it and you're this annoying a****** you're like a fly in the room to him and you hardly recognize it there's something else that's wrong it's that you're completely incompetent Tommy f. I have to have you out of the way cuz it's sitting there friending and figure out things to do and he knows your stupid s*** you understand what I'm saying lot of people couldn't figure that out like us it's in there knowing it and he's f****** getting you he says stuff like nobody ever says that to me I'm going to make you f****** understand it I see you in a few days understanding it they want you out of his face and you're going to insist on bothering him and you can't we can't let you do it you have to leave and you too Trump you're in that case yourself for this guy's s*** almost all of it it's horrendous with you idiots are up to you took Dave's junk and you took some pair of Hilton's eggs and stuck them together this guy took your plan over and it's repeating you going to do it again down below the cities are you idiots man put his children who are gigantic I've never seen Giants this big in my life there's only a few of them compared to how many they were who the hell is what happened to the other ones they disappeared that's have to ask Tommy if he's blaming me again so we could go ask him

Mac daddy

I sent someone a mission and you should have heard about it they're like Stone chips and stuff and I guess I went after my own people

Tommy f

[artisdrama]

“right now, i feel useless. no, i've always been useless. i never exist. i have no feelings. i don't freaking have anything left within me. i can't take myself anymore, vegas.”

we all kept saying that vegas and pete are parallels to each other to what the same kind of abuse can lead to. it’s almost tiring how many times we analyzed how vegas weaponized his trauma by turning into an abuser in self defense, but we were a little blinded by pete’s smile because we genuinely believed pete was always being completely open about everything. his tattoo says it all, doesn’t it? no legacy is so rich as honesty. didn’t he share with vegas what his dad did? didn’t he follow what his heart told him? isn’t he gentle, a good friend, a good subordinate? that must be who he is.

vegas craves attention, acknowledgement, and he thinks he never received it because he never accomplished anything. pete did, though. he won the fight, and yet his dad still hit him. it doesn’t matter how good he is or how much he contributes to his surroundings, he’s never actually seen. it doesn’t matter how much effort he puts, how much emotional labor he puts in his relationships, he’s still secondary to their choices, a supporting character. it’s not just vegas that was never recognized as a person, it’s pete too. 

it’s pete because he can disappear and people that he holds dear to him wouldn’t even notice until someone dreams about him. because he keeps being the wingman to others, but no one ever falls for him. he solves the problems for everyone, but not only that, his efforts always turn into more responsibility since he’s so reliable - never, i don’t know, a vacation i guess? his work has no emotional return to him, and while he’s loved by tankhun he’s still a subordinate and not a friend. it’s his boss, and he has no say in their relationship like the other does. “my most understanding bodyguard”. pete understands tankhun and shows his concern for him through how he takes care of the other, but tankhun loves pete exactly for that, and not for him. no one sees the true him.

he puts his heart in everything. yes, the honesty is there. and he does everything without expecting anything in return, because he knows that doing the right thing sometimes isn’t rewarding. that doesn’t mean he doesn’t crave recognition, it’s just that he doesn’t feel he’s ever going to receive the type of recognition he so desperately wants. and he can’t show this side to the others, because then he will be a burden and not fulfill the role he wants. he honestly wants to make everyone around him feel ok - and he’s fine with that, in some levels. he thinks helping others is rewarding because you can see the smile in their faces after it.

“i’m sorry. i aim to spread more smiles than tears.”

he’s content. it’s enough to keep him going, to inspire him to keep making others around him happy, because if anything that’s the only thing he knows. he has to live each day by itself, because if he sees the big picture he’ll feel like a side character to his own life. but deep inside, even though he has come to terms with his father’s abuse, he can’t distance himself from the violence. it’s his whole environment, it’s how he learned relationships work, it’s thrilling - and makes him feel alive. after being successful in destroying vegas’ plan, he’s so high on his accomplishment that the torture is almost a recognition on how well he fucked up vegas, and he can take it with a smile in his face.

but after all the violence and the torture vegas puts him through, he still can’t turn his caring persona of, because he’s so used to finding patterns in people in order to make them smile that he easily cracks the code to what’s vegas’ problem is. it’s almost instinctive at this point to only comfort him, not because he actually feels for vegas but because he is simply like that. he opens up just enough for vegas to understand that he’s being seen, but not enough for vegas to see him. he says just the right things at the right time, never giving information about himself or opening up. his goal was never to have vegas obsessed with him, but just to live each passing day and try to handle it as best as it could.

but vegas gets obsessed with him - actually, the idea of him. vegas is so caught up with the idea that someone understood him and didn’t judge him harshly that he completely ignores that pete is not “someone” in the sense of an abstract concept in his mind, but a person entirely separate. he starts seeing pete as an extension of him, projecting his feelings and his desires into the other. but this obsession shows up in the form of little actions of care and attention (in vegas’ way, of course), in the sexual tension, and this desire is so intense that it moves pete’s heart.

because, for a second, pete wants to believe that all that intensity and emotion is for him. that vegas actually saw who he is and understands, and is desiring him. when vegas tells him he’s sexy, is he saying that because he sees pete’s body and thinks he’s attractive or because the sex they had and pete’s submission is sexy to him? vegas proceeds to only talks about him and his feelings, but he never asks pete how he feels. he opens up - “i thought i was a freak”, but it’s not followed by a “have you ever felt something like that, pete?”. vegas finally asks him “how did you survive in this environment?” and pete’s finally smiling, asking back “why, do you think i’m a good guy?”. he’s expecting vegas to give an actual insight on it. but vegas shows how little he understands pete telling him he’s “stupid” - pete is far from stupid and he knows. and it’s not just bickering, because pete realizes that vegas truly believes he has nothing going on inside his mind, that he’s just what vegas wants him to be.

after that, he slaps himself in the face to wake up - vegas isn’t seeing him as a person, he needs to leave. that life is not what he wants. but then why did he say yes to him? why did he kiss vegas? of course there was a previous build-up of desire between the both of them, but what was that made him give in? he has never been into subspace before and he’s still trying to understand himself and what he wants, but right now he’s completely sober. and he blames himself a lot for everything. but when vegas gets inside the room mad, he’s doing it again - he’s trying to help vegas.

vegas still doesn’t sees pete, only what he wants to see. so it’s easy for him to simply act up and vent all his violence on the other when pete shows again how understanding he is (and he switches his emotions as if he wasn’t, a few hours earlier, putting all the care in the world making a dish for him). vegas still believes in what he told pete in the last episode before they kiss, that pete likes that side of him and that it turns him on, so it never occurred to him that acting like that again could have any other effect. not only that, but the line about them sleeping (which was already making pete dwell on self hatred for what he did and what he desired) finally snaps pete, because not only he isn’t in the mindset to enjoy that type of violence, but also because he’s done - he understands everyone, even vegas, but no one ever tries to understand him.

vegas’ obsession isn’t seeing him, but just a toy that will behave how he wants and like him the way he wants. pete wants to be desired intensely, madly and deeply, but he knows this isn’t what’s actually going on. it’s all a lie he’s telling himself, because he had a hard time coming into terms that vegas’ liked what he provided for him - comfort - and not him. he’s once again secondary to someone else’s feelings, and it doesn’t matter what he wants and what he likes, what his pain is, he’s not seen. and now, being punished by something he didn’t do, unable to even comfort vegas with his words, he’s useless too.

pete’s so done that he asks for vegas to kill him, and vegas is so out of his mind that he goes on to grab a knife and actually threaten to do it. vegas isn’t thinking properly but he does think this is just pete’s usual bratty behavior, and in his mind is something that can easily be solved like every other instance between them where he plays abuser with pete and then leaves. but this time, pete’s finally honest about his feelings. he’s done with everything, and he’s done with vegas treating him like that. he feels like shit, and there’s no point on keeping with this if he will still be treated like that. he tells him, he’s lost his humanity. he’s not living as a person, but as something. in this case, vegas’ plaything.

after all that, vegas sees the huge mistake he’s making, and starts begging - and that touches pete’s heart again. because vegas is begging him so desperately to not kill himself, that he’s sorry and that he needs pete so much, that pete falters a little. he knows that vegas still isn’t truly seeing him (if anything, he’s just finding out about him) but the feeling of having him begging for pete to stay with that face creates a bitter taste in his mouth. he wants vegas to desire his true self like that, and not the character vegas created in his mind. and that reinforces pete’s desperation either dying or running and leaving.

“i’m a human, vegas. i have feelings.”

vegas insists on needing him, which pete finally throws in vegas’ face that is not him that he needs but a mirror. he keeps projecting onto him, and never asking what pete needs, treating him like a pet. and pete shows him - if he actually needs him as a person, why the chains? why aren't his needs being met too? and vegas begs him to promise he won’t leave him. the fact is, pete can’t lie to vegas at this point, because he’s opened his heart so much he can’t pretend anymore he would do something like that. and he touches vegas’ face, because deep down he’s still conflicted with all those feelings, but he finally chooses to put himself first and knocks vegas out.

and while they’re apart, vegas never leaves his mind. even though he’s loved by everyone and everyone is grateful he’s back, there’s still a lingering feeling that he only ever felt being with him, and he misses it so much. because now that he had the taste for the obsession, for being almost consumed by someone else that wants them so badly, how can he go back to his normal and mundane relationships? he’s numb, both traumatized by what happened and dwelling in guilt because even though everything was so terrible he wants a little bit of it back. and he feels the shame of the intoxication he feel, unable to open up to anyone about that. him lying and denying to tell porsche is not only because he wants to protect vegas, but because he wants to protect himself from acknowledging that he doesn’t despise him as much as he wanted to, as he should do.

“get the hell out of my life.”

pete screams, but he’s unable to shoot the gun and end it all. when vegas takes the gun to his chest and screams, pete has an automatic reaction of fear that doesn’t go unnoticed by him, but he keeps pushing to try and make his point. but pete can’t say anything, just cry the tears he has been holding all throughout the episode since he left vegas’ house. and again, he is only truly honest in that moment where he lets himself fall to the ground from how painful everything is, and vegas is comforting him. the worst, for him, is that he’s allowing once again vegas in his space, touching him intimately and taking care of him. and his hand goes trembling to the other’s face, unsure if it’s the right thing to do or not, because he’s pained by everything that went down and all the abuse - but also a little bit glad that vegas is still so obsessed with him that he’d follow him there. he’s conflicted because he can’t reconcile the idea that he wants vegas and, maybe, vegas wants him too, because it’s never the case. just like he said, he’s useless, has never existed, has no feelings, no humanity. there’s no point in hoping that vegas would do that to him. but he wants to believe in him so much that he can’t stop crying.

[sixstepsaway]

Ed is my favorite character but I am also very much an Izzy Hands enjoyer and I am baffled by the "Ed is a innocent lamb uwu everything bad and mean about Blackbeard was Izzy but also Izzy is incompetent and Ed never needed him for Blackbeard at all!" sentiment I see. Like....? How do you reconcile that? Also Ed "doesn't kill" but we see him order a man to be flayed alive with a snail fork and then thrown overboard. We see that. Izzy isn't there. Izzy didn't "make" him do this, just like Izzy didn't make him cut off his toe, which happened hours after their fight, in a calculated response that took into account Stede specifically recoiling from the idea (there's something to unpack).

When they say Ed had people kill their pets, Ed doesn't deny it or in any way indicate it wasn't his idea. The entire plan of killing Stede and taking his place was Ed's idea, not Izzy's! Ed could have ordered him to stop at any time and he didn't, he didn't even have the stomach to watch Izzy stab Stede (I love the contrast between this and the act of grace moment), and people act like the whole murder thing was entirely Izzy's idea and desire and Ed is just a helpless bystander. Ed is the one in charge except when he can't or won't be, but he still wants things done his way, wants all of the positives and none of the negatives (who can blame him? We all want that. But Ed doesn't seem to recognize that isn't actually possible).

If Izzy is so diametrically opposed to everything Ed is, and just a horrible hateful little man, why has Ed kept him around? Why is he his first mate? Why does he trust him more than anyone else, and let him in more than anyone else, until Stede? Why does their relationship read like they came up together, like they've literally known each other decades, like there is a depth and history and so much nuance to the relationship and yet you have people acting like Izzy is just some guy assigned by the pirate temp agency to Blackbeard shortly before the show starts? That Ed doesn't have the authority to fire?

There's abuse and toxicity coming from both Ed and Izzy in this relationship, and we're seeing it as it crumbles. The fact that it crumbles so painfully and dramatically - along with just every single thing about the way they interact, I feel insane - speaks to there having been a foundation of genuine friendship and partnership and maybe even love through the years (there are so many ways to love, what Ed & Stede have is glorious but just one). They're both in crisis. Izzy is making horrific, hurtful decisions but so is Ed. Ed has been hurt by Izzy's actions but Izzy has been hurt by Ed's as well (I'm not even talking about the toe! I'm talking about the years of relying on Izzy and having him do his dirty work, with very little thanks).

Ed and Stede have protagonist bias working in their favor (see how so many people ignore Stede's casual colorblind racism and that he can only be funding this adventure through exploitation and violence) - they also had some tragic, traumatic back story shown on screen. Izzy didn't - do people think that means he doesn't have one? That he was just born like this, has always been like this for no reason? That isn't how humans work. Real or fictional.

Ed deserves to be happy, it's what I want most. I want him to heal. I want the same for Izzy. They're both struggling and in pain and nothing I've seen from either of them as fictional people in a romcom makes me think they're undeserving or unable to be redeemed.

Anyway I love your Izzy posts. Keep on keeping on. Sending this anon because I don't want my own haters haha.

All of this, anon. All of this. The Revenge and the rest of the Pirate World are two entirely different stages (up until the end of ep 10), and when they swap between those worlds, the rules shift and change. You go from Pirate Drama (ala Black Sails, for example) to Rom Com and back again. Because of that, pretty much everyone who joined the Revenge who isn't Stede is an objectively awful person in their own ways who have made their lives by killing, plundering, looting, even torturing. I think that's why I love them all so much, because they're being given the chance to evolve past that. It's almost like starting a series with an entire cast of villains heading for redemption. It's excellent.

If Izzy is so diametrically opposed to everything Ed is, and just a horrible hateful little man, why has Ed kept him around? Why is he his first mate? Why does he trust him more than anyone else, and let him in more than anyone else, until Stede? Why does their relationship read like they came up together, like they've literally known each other decades, like there is a depth and history and so much nuance to the relationship and yet you have people acting like Izzy is just some guy assigned by the pirate temp agency to Blackbeard shortly before the show starts? That Ed doesn't have the authority to fire?

omg anon this bit here i was nodding along ready to contribute my own thoughts and then i hit PIRATE TEMP AGENCY and i fuckin LOST IT. thank you for that.

But also I think one particular bit really stands out to me from the POV of their friendship. Two, actually, one less than the other so I'll start there:

the first one is that Izzy specifically sends Calico Jack after Ed. He knows enough about Ed's temperament, and about his relationship with Jack to know that Jack is absolutely perfect to drive a wedge not only between Ed and Stede but between Ed and everyone on the crew. And he DOES. It's an absolutely FLAWLESS plan up until the point they're in dinghy and Jack has to be a bitch and talk about Izzy. If he hadn't done that? If his jealousy, ego, bitchiness hadn't come out so strongly? Damn. That plan was flawless and Ed would firstly have never known about the English and secondly gone back to Izzy.

Because Izzy knew him.

But the bit I specifically wanted to talk about in relation to your piece up there is after Ed hits him at the start of Act of Grace.

First off; Ed only hits him. He socks him real good in the face but that's it! I subconsciously assumed he was testing to see if the English would stop him, and then would surge on with something new but no. He thinks Izzy has completely betrayed them, and he even says so to Stede ("He sold us out.") but all he does is hit him. He doesn't hit him then try to shove him over the side. He doesn't try to bounce him off the mast. He doesn't pull a knife! He just socks him once real good in the face.

And then comes what Izzy says after that:

"That's fair. That's fair. Remember though, you said when you made me first mate, 'above all else is loyalty to your captain'. You're my captain and I was never gonna stand by and let you destroy yourself for that... twat. And this? This is a humane way of ending this. It's quick, it's clean. Edward, you know that."

And oh, my god. I could go on about this line for days but I'll try and keep it brief: Edward is the one that told Izzy that above all is loyalty to him. Edward. Knowing what Ed is capable of, knowing the kind of shit he's done not only in episode 10 but also the skinning and god knows what else? Who knows how he instilled that into Izzy, that his loyalty is to Edward and Edward only. A lot of people think the X on Izzy's cheek is his signature, and fuck. Imagine if that was when he gave him that? Imagine if he literally tattooed his signature into Izzy's face because his loyalty is to Ed and Ed only. (If not that X, perhaps a Blackbeard brand under his glove? Who knows.)

Then, after that, he goes on to say he wasn't going to let Ed destroy himself. This isn't a betrayal, and I think the fact Ed doesn't kill him here, doesn't cast him off the ship at the end of episode 9, doesn't tell him to go fuck himself, proves that Ed doesn't think it's a betrayal either. Regardless of his feelings for Stede, the only time he thought it was a betrayal was when he thought Izzy had handed them all over hook line and sinker with no regards for anything but himself. Izzy did not betray him. Izzy, in fact, kept his pledge of loyalty.

And then finally, the humane way of ending this? Izzy's job is keeping Edward happy. Izzy's job is keeping Edward safe and happy. That's why Stede is, in that scene, about to die by firing squad, not in some gruesome show at Charlestown or whatever else might have come his way. I would lay bets that Stede dying quickly and as painlessly as possible was part of the deal Izzy made.

I would also bet that the words, "This is the humane way of ending this, it's quick, it's clean," was what Edward said about Fang's dog.

They're both in crisis. Izzy is making horrific, hurtful decisions but so is Ed. Ed has been hurt by Izzy's actions but Izzy has been hurt by Ed's as well (I'm not even talking about the toe! I'm talking about the years of relying on Izzy and having him do his dirty work, with very little thanks).

This! This! This! I also want to reiterate very strongly that we never see Edward actually tell Izzy what he wants. He says he wants to retire and he's going to kill Stede and take his place, but when he changes his mind he never actually says, "Izzy, I'mma be honest with you mate, I love Stede and I want you in my life too but I don't want to kill him, and I don't want to be Blackbeard anymore. I want a change." Or whatever way Edward would say those things.

Edward communicates with Izzy zilch, which honestly I think is probably how things have always gone. Edward half kills some guy then goes, "Oh, Izzy?" and walks off and it's up to Izzy to finish it off. One of his crew members does something? He scoffs and scowls and that means Izzy has to handle it. Izzy has had to learn to fill in all those spots that Edward can't or won't, and that's what he's doing throughout the show, but he hasn't yet been told that Edward actively wants these changes.

Hell, I'm willing to say that he thinks Edward is becoming not just something Izzy can't recognize but something Edward actively abhors. You don't tell someone to toughen up and kill their own dog because you like softies. Which begs the question of how much time Edward has spent actively trying to toughen up his crew and remove any soft sides, just to turn entirely into that soft side?

(Also, I'll be honest, I do not think that breakup robe!Edward should be his final form. He was not himself there either, and that's because he's so actively pretending that he's none of the kraken things that he was. He's almost imitating Stede, in a way, trying to hide his pain by being someone else. I imagine his final form will be someone very capable of violence, very capable of anger and being awful, but someone who also has a deeply soft side and cultivates a lot of love and trust from those around him, someone who will murder in defense of his loved ones, rather than just 'cause he can. Which, to me, is who he was when he was younger. He killed his father for hurting his mother, that's made abundantly clear, especially since we never see his father raise a hand against him.)

...they also had some tragic, traumatic back story shown on screen. Izzy didn't - do people think that means he doesn't have one? That he was just born like this, has always been like this for no reason? That isn't how humans work. Real or fictional.

Honestly yeah. I think that's likely what they think.

Which brings me right back to the fact Stede is very much an outlier. Oluwande says himself that him and Jim have no other choice. Do they think Izzy does? Who knows what his past is that led him to piracy, anger and repression at sea? Who knows what makes him so goddamn anxious about everything running Correctly?

And yes, I do read him as anxious. He hates the situation he's in because everything is wrong. Lucius won't do his job, no one does the things they need to do to run a ship, and he is actively seen as a villain in their lives by them when he tries to get them to be the crew of a pirate ship. He nearly got thrown overboard for making them work!

Ed deserves to be happy, it's what I want most. I want him to heal. I want the same for Izzy. They're both struggling and in pain and nothing I've seen from either of them as fictional people in a romcom makes me think they're undeserving or unable to be redeemed.

THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS!!!!! I want them both to heal, and Stede too!! Stede has so much trauma he hasn't worked through that colors everything he does (as illustrated by the fact this middle-aged man is bogged down and smothered constantly throughout the first few episodes by memories of being what... ten?)

Not to mention that a forced arranged marriage cannot possibly be anything short of traumatic (cultural arranged marriage being very different and depending on the situation etc, I'm not talking about modern arranged marriages, I'm talking specifically about the type Stede and Mary were forced into, and even more specifically their marriage). I don't think either of them were abusive to one another, but being forced to have sex solely by society and those around you to make children? Especially if Stede is gay not bi (which I read him as; gay), that's so... awful? It's basically that both of them had to agree to their own rape, almost? It's a really complicated and horrible thing and god knows what Stede felt after having to do those things with her, especially if he knew she wasn't into it with him either.

Anyway I love your Izzy posts. Keep on keeping on. Sending this anon because I don't want my own haters haha.

Thank you so much for the message because it was GREAT and your own meta was downright excellent. If you ever feel like de-anoning, feel free to DM me! And here, have another Izzy post! lmao hope you enjoy it

[kurisus]

Chapter 101-2 thoughts

A bit late with this since I've had plans the past few days! (In a shocking turn of events, I daylight as a functioning adult.) Let's get this show on the road~

I said last month no way was it going to be as simple as Take destroys the sorcerer's grave and ends it all, but my speculations as to how were wrong (? haven't ruled out a booby trap quite yet). Instead, it looks like he will live as long as the people on this island worship him, so Take and Ebisu will have to find another way. Rather than killing, perhaps they can cut his ties with these people. However, Yato is the only character we've seen to cut ties in the manga thus far (because he's the most skilled at it, idk if he's the only one who can). Plus, they're without their shinki.

There's also the matter of this island existing out of the normal realm of spacetime/whatever this is. If the humans forget what they're doing there, they're going to pretty quickly realize there's no way off--not without knowing the poem.

I'm not ready to talk about Hiyori quite yet but I do want to say I just really hope she and Yuka do hang out at Haru's grave sometime. But god. Another emotional scene at a cherry tree in this manga, huh?

Instead, I'm going to talk about how much I want to beat Father's ass. I really felt for Yato this chapter--not a whole lot happened, but you can see very clearly the fear and disgust in his face at trash dad's fake nice act, even before he thinks "I'm scared." In fact, his eyes on page 11 remind me a lot of his eyes when he first recognized Hagusa:

The face of "shit, dad, not AGAIN"

Trash dad being like "ohh my poor son :( how did we end up like this? :(" sir you lichrally set your ayakashi on him between chapters. What the hell are you talking about. Ah, the classic abusive parent dynamic of shifting the blame and pretending the problem is anything but yourself. This time with crocodile tears. I'll punch a hole in my laptop screen if it means I can end him idgaf.

Okay I guess I can't put it off any longer. Time to talk about Hiyori. There's been some strange panels with her recently, but I wasn't too concerned since she was staying in her body. Now, though...

Can we talk about how she so badly wanted Nora to see that her father is bad for her she put her life in danger? It harkens back to one of the first actions she takes in the whole manga--jumping in front of a bus to save a boy she doesn't know. Cinematic parallels. We gotta get this girl a self-preservation instinct.

It really doesn't make narrative sense to kill off Hiyori, as she's the POV character of the manga, and the only major human character as well. Rather, I'm worried (since we're in the final arc) something is going to happen where she's forced to cut ties with Yato, or lose her memories of him or something, before she reunites with him. So if they ever meet again, she wouldn't remember him. It's hard to explain my thought process, but I'm worried we're not going to get the trio reunion I was thinking was surely imminent for a couple pages there.

Rotating the thought of Yato's "We shall meet again" and they do meet, but the next time is after she's lost her memories of him. It's not a pleasant thought I don't know why I did this.

So for 102? I hope Nora decides to stay with Hiyori and look after her, and get her back in her body safely. But considering the last page depicting her body sprawled in front of the shrine, it's looking likely they're going to go back to the fight together, where Hiyori will be in even more danger with a ripped cord.

I really don't know what could happen, even though I figured Hiyori would leap out of her body at some point again. Gah, the way things come back up in this series is always so PAINFUL. I'm going to sleep now and think of this all night.