#Maybe I was meant to be a The King stan

[rycusfunnies]

Alright cars gang today is July 2nd, you know what that means. It means I am now 21 but most importantly

U guys know what to do. I may be a cars 2 lemons blog but its Strip Weathers appreciation day and I better see some posts abt him this very day today.

[martianbugsbunny]

Susie Myerson is a short king ✨👑✨

[star-sim]

too sweet ☆ jay park

☆ bad boy! jay x nerd! fem! reader ☆ summary: after months of an on-and-off relationship with you, jay feared that he'd hurt you. you know that he won't. maybe a few sweet words (and kisses) could convince him. ☆ genre: angst to fluff, suggestive, inexperienced! reader (-ish), jay is really really really DOWN BAD, insecurities ☆ warning(s)? n/a ☆ word count: 2.0k words ☆ everyone clap for hozier’s “too sweet," for my starved jay stans

reblogs and feedback are appreciated!!

"So, you're telling me that you want us to end?"

Jay sucked in a sharp breath, clasping his hands together. "That's not what I mean."

You scoffed, narrowing your eyes at him. The thin gold chain hanging around his neck kissed his honey gold skin deliciously, his silvery hair falling over his brows. You watched as Jay rubbed his knuckles, his jaw clenching with each thought that ran through his mind.

"Then what do you mean?"

If he thought that you'd ever let him go, he was insane.

Jay took a moment to think, before words tumbled from his lips in a slow drawl, as if he was afraid of them.

"We can't be together because I'll hurt you," he said simply. 

Jay watched your expression closely, eyeing your swollen lips— God, were they perfect, like always— as they curled. He could hear the cogs turning in your head, and for a second, Jay thought that he could win the fight.

You and Jay met under rather interesting circumstances. He was slacking in his classes, running the risk of not passing the semester, so the counselors stepped in and had you to help. 

At first, Jay thought you were the most insufferable snob there was. But the next thing he knew, he was pinning you against the wall, hungrily kissing you like he was a starved man and you were his salvation. There was always something so intoxicating about you, the way you were able to chide into his ear why he was failing his classes, yet stayed silent with wide, innocent eyes as his fingers squeezed your thighs. Jay longed for the way you could read him like a book, the way that your black pawns stacked up against him, cornering his white king that made it impossible to escape, all the while holding a polite smile on your face.

It was always unconventional; how could the school's most notorious slacker and shady delinquent even be in the same room as the smartest girl?

Everyone seemed to have something to say about it, and for a second, Jay couldn't help but drink up every word, falling deeper and deeper into the abyss that was his mind.

You were too good for him. You had everything laid out for you, you were just perfect. He wasn't. He was troubled, and stupid, and brash. 

He was mean and bitter, you were bright and sweet. 

So sweet.

Too sweet.

"You'll hurt me?" you scoffed again, looking at him incredulously. 

Under your critical gaze, Jay nearly faltered, as if this wasn't the millionth time that he reconsidered this entire conversation, as if he didn't crave your touch every waking second.

Just ten minutes ago, you were on top of him, your fingers tangled in his hair, ravaging his lips like they were your last meal. Knowing that he was the one that taught you that— how to devour him like a starved hyena— made him feel dizzy.

"When have you ever hurt me?" you pressed, your face pinched.

It was only when your delicate fingers began to unbutton his shirt, soft, but desperate, breaths brushing up against his collarbone, that Jay gently pushed you away, taking you off of his lap and letting you sit beside him on your bed.

"I haven't," Jay swallowed the lump in his throat, unable to ignore the nerves bundling in his stomach, gnawing at him, almost like they were screaming at him to stop. "But I can, a-and I know I will if we don't stop seeing each other."

"What makes you think that?" 

Jay chewed on his lip, thinking about his next move.

Loving you was like playing a game, a game where life and death were at stake. He was willing to roll every dice and destroy every odd if it meant being with you.

You were stone-faced, save for the questioning quirk of your eyebrows, but Jay knew better. 

The moment that the words "I think we should break up" left his lips, Jay could see your pawns retreating; he could see the way that your walls were beginning to come up again, the cage wrapped around your heart tightened, and all he wanted to do was hold you and apologize. 

But he couldn't, because this was for the best.

He'd rather hurt you once, than hurt you a million more times in the future. 

He was afraid of himself, of what his hands could do, of what tears you would shed over him.

He was fundamentally flawed, someone who could not be fixed. That was something that both you and him needed to accept.

"You know me," Jay murmured, his eyes glued to the fluffy carpet on the floor. He couldn't look you in the eye after this, after hurting you. "I'm not good for you."

You stayed silent for a few pulses, only the sound of your shaky breath filling Jay's ears. 

Then, you reached out for him. But, the moment that you soft fingers met his shoulder, Jay violently flinched away.

He knew that if he let you touch him, he'd never be able to pull away.

"Jay..." Your voice was small, and when he looked up to see your face, your brows were furrowed together. You looked hurt, and he wanted to punch himself; he wanted to melt into your warmth, feel your hands on his skin, and taste the paradise that was your lips.

You slowly retracted your hand, something that made Jay's heart ache. 

"Sorry..." he mumbled, quickly averting his gaze once again. After today, he didn't deserve to look at you.

Another few pulses pass in sheer silence, a silence so suffocating that Jay felt his throat tighten.

"Did it mean anything to you?" you finally asked shakily. 

"W-What?"

"Did anything that we did at least mean something to you?"

The word "yes" almost came spilling out of his mouth, eager to prove to you that he indeed loved you— loved you enough to save you. But, Jay stopped himself.

You would never take an explanation that didn't make sense. You'd push and push and push until you got the truth.

He couldn't draw this out any longer, or else he'd crack.

"No," Jay pushed out of his mouth, grimacing at the bitter taste on his tongue. 

He heard you take in a breath, before you clicked your tongue. 

You didn't believe him, and you weren't going to take no for an answer.

"Tell me the truth," you murmured. "All those times we've kissed, why would you kiss me first if it meant nothing?"

He really couldn't do this, he couldn't lie to you.

"W-Well, it's because you're always close to me." Horrible explanation, and he knew it.

You cocked a brow. "No one’s forcing you to kiss me."

Jay gulped. You were reading him like a book, seeing right through him.

"Any man in my position would kiss you," he stammered, unaware that the way his nose scrunched gave him away. Jay's eyes glazed over you. God, you were just so beautiful. "I mean, look at you."

His ears burned with shame, blinking back hot tears that brimmed his eyes. He couldn't believe that he was actually doing this, purposefully lying to your face. He felt disgusting; weak. You were the first person that he's ever loved, the first person that made him feel all sorts of weird, giddy feelings, the first person that made him feel safe and loved. He was ruining it for himself, but he'd rather ruin himself than ruin you. After this, how was he ever going to recover? He couldn't imagine his life without you, not after feeling your warmth, not after having the privilege of seeing you beneath him, pretty eyes filled with stars gazing up at him—

If Jay wasn't so caught up in his head, he'd notice the way that you observed his flickering expression, before suddenly climbing back onto Jay.

"H-Hey—!"

You pushed Jay down onto the bed so that he was lying on his back, sitting right on his abdomen, pinning him down for good.

"You're a horrible liar," you muttered before grabbing his face, pressing sticky kisses against his jaw.

No, no, no! This isn't supposed to happen! You're supposed to hate him!

Your lips trailed from his jaw to the crook right below his ear, the spot that you knew was Jay's sensitive spot. You bit down just enough to make Jay let out a high-pitched sigh. You pulled away, admiring the purple-pink mark you left on his skin, before trailing down to the birthmark on his neck. You ran your tongue over the heart-shaped mark. Jay's hand jerked out for your waist, squeezing it.

"B-Baby..." he breathed, slipping back into his habit of using that name for you. His mind was doing everything in its power to resist you, but all he could do was tilt his head back to give you better access to his neck.

"Baby?" you purred against the shell of his ear. "Thought I didn't mean anything to you."

"I— Shit, don't do that, Baby—" you slid your hand under his shirt, your lips making vulgar noises as it attached to his honey skin. 

"I don't fucking care if you hurt me," you spat in his ear, and chills ran down his spine. Since when were you so... obscene? 

What has he done to you, for you to start off as an innocent and curious girl and end up shamelessly touching him? Had he corrupted you too much?

"You said you wanted to give me the best firsts?" your voice was so harsh, so mean that Jay almost questioned how someone so sweet could be so ruthless. It also made him question why in the hell it made his stomach do a flip. You bit down on a collarbone. "Then stop being a pussy and just let me love you."

Jay threw his head back, letting a groan escape his lips. God, how was he going to win this? How was he going to ignore the shudder of his shoulders as you touched him? How was he going to act like his body wasn't yearning for you?

"I'm pretty and you know it," you rasped in his ear. "So stop resisting me."

Your words were candied, sweet like syrup, seeping into his head and swaying all resolve he had. He almost gave in. Almost. 

"L-Look, I know you’re hot and all," it took every fiber in Jay's being to not give into your tantalizing lips, "B-But you know this is wrong."

You hummed against his skin. "But I don't."

Jay's rendered speechless when you press your hips against his, squeezing his eyes shut. His stomach did a flip, a wave of heat coursing through his body. It felt electric, it felt wrong.

"I don't know that this is wrong, and even if I did, I wouldn't care" your tone is so soft, so innocent, but your actions were so dirty. "Ignorance is bliss."

Jay opened his mouth to let more dumb words pour out, dumb words that were his final (and extremely futile) attempt to restrain himself, but his breath got caught in his throat when they ran your hands through his silver hair, gripping it and pulling it back. You held his head in place by his hair. The sensation of pain on his scalp was delicious, enough to make him feel like putty in the palm of your hands.

"If you don’t stop," his voice was airy and high-pitched now, labored breaths escaping his lips. He wasn't going to win this fight. He never was going to in the first place, not when you were his opponent, "I don't know if I'll be able to control myself."

"Then don't," you said simply against his neck. You looked up at him, meeting his eyes. Your eyes were wide and shiny, innocently staring up at him. Your voice was so pretty and sweet, so sweet that he couldn't believe that you were doing and saying all these things to him. "Don't control yourself."

As Jay fell back into the comfort of the mattress, letting heat spread across his chest and face as you hungrily sunk your teeth into what was his heart, his Adam's apple bobbed.

You were too sweet for him, too sweet for a bitter person like him. 

He wouldn't mind getting tooth decay, yeah?

[babyboywinchester]

i was finally able to go through nancylou’s post about misha and i’m so literally appalled at what’s he’s done, that’s there. like in what world did he think that sexually harassing jensen was okay?! that man is definitely sick. and i feel bad for jensen because it was definitely the culture of “oh it’s just misha” so people didn’t do anything about it. it’s also his weird obsession with jensen in general that is so off putting to me.

also misha’s acting is just not that great. i get that angels are suppose to be stoic and cold but a tree could act better than what misha has done and a tree doesn’t have chapped lips for me to be distracted by.

his shots at jared/sam are just like so unprofessional. like jared is your co-worker and i get not always liking someone you work with but from what i’ve seen and read, jared seems like a good person to work with in general, so just say your jealous misha 🙄.

i’m sorry, i’m just cackling at cons seemingly being his only source of income because no one wants to hire him, yet he thinks he’s better than jared who’s had steady work with Walker after SPN.

like man needs to find SOMETHING to occupy his time because destiel is never going to happen and he’s just wasting everyone’s time with his non-stop queerbating.

sorry this was also long and kind of a rant. he just gets constantly more annoying and disgusting the more i learn about him.

I’m glad you actually took the time to do that! It really opens your eyes to just how slimy of a human he really is. Once again, never fear about sending a long ask. I like getting asks!

I will say in the beginning I don’t think his acting was all that bad, because like you said Angels are very stoic and still learning how to occupy human bodies… but as the seasons drew on he just became like a… I don’t even know how to describe it, but what’s the point of having a pet angel if he isn’t even that powerful, can barely do anything, and hovers around you with a case of chapped lips so severe YOU have the urge to put chapstick on yourself.

Also his “arcs” if you can even call them that add little, nothing really, to the story so he’s just… there. Supporting characters were only given more screen time so J2 could have more time off anyway so it’s all meant to be filled with him and little to no substance.

Yet he acts like he was some trendsetter or as if he was the one to throw the first brick at Stonewall and all he is is a mediocre, middle aged, white man who panders to a group of maybe 100 people at a time about a fetishized gay ship from a cable show that ended four years ago now… he also is the only man to have to come out as straight. He’s not an “ally” he uses and abuses peoples interpretation of this so called “confession” to keep up his grifting lifestyle.

A heterosexual grifter king of you will. Wow. How could we not stan him?

[witchymadness]

ONE BED TROPE

(w/ Gwendoline Christie's Characters)

(A/N): literally wrote this for myself bcs I just can't with how hot and sweet this woman is, but I thought you guys might enjoy too! 🥹 literally Stan Gwen for a better life. Did not proof read, pls enjoy.

(also fls this image makes me just want to sin, mame)

Brienne of Tarth

-You're a princess and she's a knight.

-Classic trope.

-You were on a journey and your father, the king, sent his mightiest guard with you in your quest, whatever it may be.

-All that good shit.

-So, one day in your seemingly endless travels with Brienne, you were bound to encounter the following scenario:

-"I profusely apologize, m'lady, but there seems to be only one more room available in the inn. And it only has one bed."

-I mean, it wasn't like you had the hugest fucking crush on this gorgeous-ass fucking woman next to you--

-Right???

-FUCKING WRONG!

-So you arrive at the room and the bed was quite spacious, seemingly a bed for... Couples.

-But your internal screaming was ceased when your amazing (mountain) of a knight offered to sleep on the floor. And of course, you couldn't let her do that!

-NO.

-"Oh, it's absolutely fine, Brienne. I insist."

-"B-but m'lady--"

-'JUST CLIMB IN THE FUCKING BED ALREADY SO I CAN CLIMB YOU, DAMN IT!'

-"It's fine, Brienne. I could use the company."

-*insert internal dying pt. 2*

-You trying not to stare while she takes off her armor was a successful, yet gruesome process.

-Facing away from her in bed because you might just freeze to death if you accidentally met her icy-blue eyes.

-"(Y/N). I understand that you are not comfortable with our predicament. Cease the civilities and let me sleep on the floor, please."

- >:0

-'HOW DARE YOU IMPLY THAT I, FOR ONE SECOND IN MY LIFE, NEVER WANT TO BE NEXT TO YOU?!'

-"Brienne, I-- listen, it's not you that I am uncomfortable with. Well... It is you. But--"

-She let out a quiet sigh as she had started to stand, but you, frustrated and quite tired of the bullshit, grabbed her arm and caused you two to come face to face.

-This slightly took her a back, but she kept her usual composure, propping you up as you still held on tightly on to her arm.

-"Lady (L/N), what on earth are you doing?"

-"I'm not letting you leave. By god, you are as slow as you are gorgeous."

-"I don't understand, m'lady."

-"Brienne, I do wish for your company. Not just this evening, but the evenings ever since I've met you and the evenings in the many moons to come."

-*exe.brienne has stopped working*

-"I understand that I may have been a little too aggressive. But my offer still stands the same. You can have the bed. It's the least I could do for the bravest knight of Tarth."

-"(Y/N)... Are you true?"

-"With every word that I have given you. By the old gods and the new, Brienne. I mean it."

-You saw the spark in her eyes, a spark of hope and maybe... Love? So, you continued.

-"I meant every compliment I have given you, every thanks, every laugh and each of those chaste kisses on your cheek when I tend to your wounds that I wish could be longer. They're all true. I mean it when I say that my bed shall always be yours. And I'll mean it everytime that I tell you how much I love you, my Brienne."

-"I love you too, (Y/N). I always have. I'll always be by your side. I shall protect you and offer my life to you, my (Y/N). Know that in my dying breath, the memories of your smile shall put me into the deep slumber with joy."

-You cried because, whew! Did you guys just get married?

-"Let us sleep then. As I await every tomorrow that I'll spend with you."

-Move over, Will Shaxbeard!

-You woke up with Brienne holding you close and you the same. You knew instantly that that is how you wanted to spend the rest of your eternity.

Lucifer Morningstar

-Little less pure than Brienne.

-So, Lucifer abandoned their post, went down to earth and met you.

-You we're a psychic.

-Supposedly.

-Well, kind of.

-It didn't matter, because Lucifer seemed to think so, so they dragged you along to fulfill their great escape of their father's plan.

-You really did not believe them, but hey, they've got money.

-You we're visiting a demon in Las Vegas.

-Suffice to say that you've seen quite the shit that day and just wanted to get some rest. And probably a beer or two before travelling of to the dreaming.

-Lucifer didn't really like sleeping, and they usually just... Do things while you're asleep.

-They're a very busy person.

-In your slumber, you'd sometimes awaken to the Morningstar cursing under their breath, contemplating their life.

-It was a strange ass mid-life crisis.

-Besides being the Devil, you had to say that they were quite charming. Polite, infact.

-They never bothered you unless they needed to.

-No one ever saw them in their raw form of vulnerability, except you.

-Or atleast, no one ever survived to tell the tale.

-Well, that night in Vegas, you've drank MORE than a beer or two.

-Lucifer said that alcohol never really worked on them. It's a celestial being thing, you wouldn't get it.

-"Well why don't you just get some rest then, angel?"

-That nickname irritated them to no extent.

-"I told you (Y/N), I don't sleep."

-"Like... You can't? Or you just don't wanna?"

-"I--"

-*annoyed Lucy activated*

-Usually, you'd back off. But in this case, you had no control and you were face to face with the Devil, for Christ's sake. Of course you were curious.

-"You...?"

-They looked at you incredulously.

-"(Y/N), just go to bed, angel."

-They did not just say that.

-You burst out laughing. Does the devil have blood? No. Can you see clearly? Absolutely not. But are they absolutely blushing like a tomato? Yes.

-They marched to the side of your bed, demanding you to shut the fuck up but to no avail.

-Going as far as to straddle you and attempted to choke you, out of their childish frustration.

-Part of them knew they couldn't kill you as you were still an evident part of the prophecy.

-But, God they wanted you to shut up so bad.

-It's an itch that grew unbearably annoying to them, to listen to you laugh. And now, especially, that you were laughing at their misfortune.

-"(Y/N), SILENCE!"

-When you realized the position that the two of you were in, you suddenly quieted down.

-Samael was the most beautiful angel in the heavens, and still retained their features even after their fall from grace.

-As the dim yellow light shone a faux halo above them, it was bitter irony.

-Your angel.

-You pulled Lucifer down next to you, then almost successfully straddling them in the same manner they did.

-"You look so beautiful, my angel."

-You couldn't remember what happened next but when you woke up, you were on top of Lucifer, head resting on their chest.

-They were wearing their own silk pajamas and you found it adorable.

-"Good morning, my angel."

-They decided that they liked that nickname better.

Larrisa Weems

-You were a fellow teacher.

-Well, you liked thinking that you were.

-You were just an intern, or as most people like calling you, Ms. Weems' assistance.

-It didn't really bother you as much.

-It meant that you got to spend more time with the Head Mistress, who to be completely honest, you were absolutely smitten with.

-You slept in your own chambers, of course.

-But one day, something completely unfortunate happened.

-A fur just happened to burst into your room while they were morphed, through the windows.

-You were sleeping at the time, but luckily, you only had a few cuts from the window shards, thanks to your duvet.

-Larissa, being the headmaster, had to take care of the whole debacle.

-She dragged you inside her chambers and started patching up your arms and the few stray cuts littered across your face.

-Larissa did look sorta pissed, while doing so.

-"Ms. Weems, I understand that I'm intruding. I can stay with Mr. Ramirez tonight and I can patch myself up, if it's troubling you."

-You offered, as Mr. Ramirez, or Gary, as you knew him, was a friend of yours before getting into the academy. And before Principal Weems, it was him who you spent most of your time with.

-"Wouldn't Gary be fast asleep by now, (Y/N)? Although, it is you. I doubt he would refuse his own girlfriend, no?"

-Girlfriend?

-"Oh, am I imposing? Forgive me. I just see the both of you lovebirds hanging around, couldn't help but notice." she hummed.

-"Ms. Weems--"

-"Larissa, please, darling."

-Ignoring the butterflies dancing in your stomach, you responded.

-"Yes, Larissa. Gary and I are just friends."

-"Oh..."

-Her expression was unreadable, and so was her tone.

-"I suppose you haven't set your eyes on any of our staff, then?"

-"Actually, I have..."

-You let out a small wince as Larissa pressed the cotton ball a little too roughly on a wound.

-"Sorry, sorry."

-Soon after she was finished bandaging up your cuts, she offered to walk you to Gary's room.

-But then you heard loud snoring and after a few more countless attempts to call the man, you gave up.

-"(Y/N), this is getting a tad ridiculous. I wouldn't mind you spending a night in my chambers instead."

-Ignoring the underlying meaning that the statement had, and you wished she meant, you agreed.

-The walk back to her chambers was a quiet one.

-"Thank you, M-- Larissa. Goodnight."

-Without thinking, you placed a soft kiss to her cheek.

-Larissa was left dumbfounded, while sleepiness visited you as soon as your head found the pillow.

-"Goodnight then, (Y/N)."

-She reminded herself to ask you in the morning on who was the staff member you liked.

-Waking up was a surprise, as you found that Larissa's hand had snaked it's way to your waist, while you had your hand on top of hers, keeping in in place.

-That's how Enid pays her 'Thing' Massages.

[menelaiad]

Hi! I know your favorite character is Menelaus (mine too) and I wanted to ask you, what is your opinion about him in Euripides’ Oresteia? And in Euripides’ Helen? Because as I see, the Homeric Menelaus is a little different, and Euripides didn’t despict him as a nice character.

Thank you for your answer in advance! :)

hi, there!

heck yea! fellow menelaus stans unite, let's make jackets or smth.

UHHHHH i spoke about this a lot in my recent MA thesis and it's the foundation for my phd (or at least a big chunk of it) and yes i'm sorry this bitch is going off about her academics again.

so. euripides was athenian and it's fairly safe to say that the athenians altered menelaus characterisation on a HUGE scale and it was mainly euripides as he wrote the most works featuring him. and it's also fairly safe to say that euripides didn't like menelaus OR helen OR hermione simply because they were spartan and given the context of his time, he couldn't really be pro-sparta. so, he used menelaus' family in a myriad of ways to just mock ALL spartans and spartan culture. i won't go into that too much now and i'll focus specifically on the plays you asked about! :)

ORESTES (i assume you meant orestes? aeschylus did the oresteia but euripides just did this one?): so here we see .... menelaus being not very great with his family. but not in a mean way he's just .... useless .. coward like almost? he's a big fence sitter tbh. he doesn't wanna get involved in orestes' shit and that is painfully obvious. again. that's meant to make menelaus look shitty that he doesn't care about his family and his brothers death and his nephew literally having visions of hell BUT. personally? i dont blame him ASDFGHJK. man just got his wife back. got home. dealing with grief and loss and survivors guilt and maybe ptsd and shit .................... and then orestes turns up like 'help me fix my problems' BRO HE GOT HIS OWN DAMN PROBLEMS. and THEN they're like 'ok uncle that's cool. we're gonna kill ur wife and daughter though' LIKE LEAVE THE OLD MAN ALONE. i LOVE menelaus and agamemnon's dynamic. so i'm not saying menelaus didn't care about aga and aga's family. im NOT saying that. but (and i KNOW its my modern perspective) i can see why menelaus couldn't be arsed. and he wasn't even mean about it? he was just nonplussed. AGAIN the ancients would have HATED that, but my modern ass can relate tbh. and lets not forget. he's caught between a rock and a hard place. if he helps orestes, he risks greek wrath. which (in this play anyway) is already strong enough against him cause of helen and troy. so like. euripides has kinda put him in this impossible situation and then makes him the 'stupid funny lazy ass not helpful uncle' guy when he just backs out. which i think is unfair. AND TO TOP IT OFF. APOLLO COMES AND THEN TAKES HIS WIFE. AFTER EVERYTHING HE DID TO GET HER BACK. justice for this old man i s2g.

HELEN: OH HERE WE GO! SO helen is often referred to as a tragi-comedy which i think is very accurate. and euripides is using it to condemn war as a whole (athens had recently suffered a big loss) like if helen wasn't even in troy what was the point of the war? he makes menelaus very .... pathetic, for lack of a better word. and helen seems to take the reigns in their relationship, which would have been a huge no-no to the athenian audience. it would have made helen look domineering and unmanageable and menelaus weak and foolish. he also has menelaus cry a lot. cry and lament his losses as a king. again, the athenians would have hated a man crying. a GREEK HERO crying. but we have our 21st century vision and tbh ................ menelaus is fantastic in this play. he is so. real. he is so human. he is a man who is tired. who is lonely. who is heartbroken. a man who meets his wife who isn't his wife but actually is his wife ... and we're supposed to laugh at him because he's confused? he gets lambasted by so many characters and it's supposed to be funny and i think it is! i do think menelaus in helen is just .... an incredible character. he's so funny. he's so NORMAL. he reacts how you would expect a man to react. you see so many menelaus' in this play. menelaus defeated. menelaus in love. you see a menelaus in action when he comes up with the plan against proteus but also a man who respects his wife and knows when to shut up. i, much like the athenians back then, do have a giggle at menelaus in this play. but i don't hate him. it makes him all the more endearing to me and i love him.

these two menelaus' are (shockingly) two menelaus' that i like! i love helen's menelaus and i'm indifferent to orestes' menelaus tbh. but i think they're fine as portrayals and they make sense to me!

overall, me and euripides have a complicated relationship. some of his menelaus' i cannot tolerate. and some i adore. and i can actually connect his helen menelaus and his iphigenia in aulis menelaus to homeric menelaus. they're not identical by any means, but the way he behaves and his choices and stuff. you can see homeric menelaus in there somewhere, which is why i love them so much.

[fatum679]

Hi. I have a few questions and would like to hear your opinion.

What do you think of Aemond's actions at Rook's Rest? Do you see it as him intentionally wanting to get rid of Aegon or him simply not caring and primarily aiming at Meleys and Rhaenys, while also seeing Aegon as a collateral victim ? He sure gets a lot of hate for it now, especially from green fandom. Do you think he can be justified at all? Personally, I'm not happy with how the show depicted Aegon/Aemond dynamic cause it could have been very interesting and complex, but the way they resolved it in the show did seriously disappoint me, ngl.

Also, do you think that Helaena will know what happened? We know that Hel and Aemond share a scene in ep 5 in the throne room and I was wondering what her reaction could be (anger, indiferrence, sadness, another vague prophecy... )? I'm curios to see how are they going to depict their dynamic since it will be the first time they actually interact (I still can't believe that the showrunners missed the opportunity when Jaehaerys was killed).

Thanks in advance for your answers!

Hello!

I'll be clear, I don't like Aegon and I have no problem with Aegon and Aemond not having a loving brotherly relationship. Aegon is a terrible big brother, he taunted and bullied Aemond his whole life and wouldn't stop. "He's a twat." Aegon took the 13-year-old child for his birthday to a brothel. Aemond did not want this, he was brought there by force.

In season two he treated Aemond like his own weapon "My brother, at least, knows his plase. He's as loyal as a hound. I can set him ans his dragon on my foes at will".

I see that Aemond wants revenge and he wants justice.

But I am absolutely against what happened in Rook's Rest. I see that this was specifically written by the writers to take the blame off Rhaenys. Rhaenys killed a large number of people at the coronation and tg stans used this argument against tb stans. So I believe this was done intentionally. Rhaenys' crime was given to Aemond. We are sold the idea that there is a "good side" and a "bad side", a "Mary Sue" side and a "villainous villain" side.

That is why in episode 5 the residents of the capital are not happy about the victory over the Meleys. But why? This dragon has killed many innocents, it has left many children without parents and it has crippled many. This is propaganda. They are promoting to us that TB is concerned about people, but this is not true.

Rhaenys's crime was deliberately given to Aemond. Aegon was deliberately made stupider. I don’t believe that when he saw Meleys he didn’t think that “This dragon is bigger than mine, maybe it’s not worth attacking directly.” This battle was meant to unite Aegon and Aemond. This does not mean that they will respect and love each other, but for the same purpose they had to unite. “You may cuff him about as you wish at home, but in the world, we must defend our own”.

I was also expecting more fire in this battle.

I see Helaena's reaction as Aemond becoming something he never was. It's sadness I see. Helaena is the voice of conscience for Aemond.

Aemond really supported Aegon "I only wish to serve my king and my house" "We can't risk losing you" But AEGON DIDN'T CHANGE "My brother, at least, knows his plase. He's as loyal as a hound. I can set him ans his dragon on my foes at will" "What a fine, sweet thing, did you fuck her like a hound?" I doubt you would support a person who puts you down.

I understand Aemond's "betrayal", but it shouldn't have been the way it was portrayed on the show. Aemond would not deprive his party of a dragon. Perhaps we will be told more in other episodes.

I'll just describe Aemond with this quote, but I think he had a lot of bad days in his life: «All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That's how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day»

Unfortunately, in episode 5 we were only given crumbs, but in episodes 6-8 there should be more Helaemond scenes and according to the leaks, Aemond should realize that Helaemond is a dreamer and ask her for advice. The actors also talked a lot in interviews about their relationship and that they played Helaemond. I'm just waiting and hoping.

[fluffypotatey]

Say what you will about Arthur and his utter lack of game, but always appreciate the fact this man looked at Morgana, duchess of drip, and decided a dagger would be the best gift for her.

And when it was pointed out that it might not be her style, he went "ah shit you right" and just had the fucking thing tricked out. That was his solution. That was his thought process. Not that a knife was inappropriate, but that it needed to be a custom piece. No basic bitches in this household.

Mans said "what shall I get my significant annoyance this year?", shook his braincell like a Magic 8 Ball, and came up with "knife."

We stan one princely himbo.

ngl i like to use this as proof for Arthur and Morgana being so close and knowing each other so well because i have such a soft spot for my pendragon siblings 🤧

(thoughts under the cut bc….*coughs* i suffer from pendragon sibs brainrot)

listen, listen to me: these guys really did only have each other when they were younger and surrounded by nobody but stuffy nobles and an emotionally repressed/abusive father. Arthur lost his mother king before he got to know her, and Morgana lost a father whom she knew and loved so dearly. they were children who never really got to grieve what was lost from them (although, in some way, Morgana was given some time to grieve and mourn but never for too long).

Arthur has known Morgana for her spunk and rebellious nature against the status quo King Uther enforces since they were children. She was always trying to learn to fight (see her bragging about beating Arthur when they were younger in 1x10) and probably taught herself secretly how to use a sword (or had some help as well 👀 but that’s just a headcanon). She was always at odds with Uther about magic (while Arthur would receive severe punishment for disagreeing with his father, Morgana’s anguish was treated like the flights of a lady’s emotions).

It would be offensive (towards Morgana) if Arthur were to ever gift her something so stereotypical and stuffy on her birthday. He most likely knew that she would have wanted something to use to protect herself: ergo, dagger.

Fuckinnnnnnng, read what Arthur says about his gift omfg 🫠

ARTHUR Beautiful, isn't it? Feel the balance, feel the sharpness of the blade.

I AM PUNCHING THE WALLS 🫠🫠🫠🫠

This man put so much thought and care into this gift for her. Listen, she was his first friend, the first person to not treat him like he was fragile or the fault of his mother’s demise. She was Arthur’s sister before he even knew that’s how he saw her and their relationship. Morgana meant so much to him, your honor, I fucking can’t. They loved each other so much despite the gradual rift that he gained when we first meet them in s1, your honOR—

But then you have Merlin’s comment:

MERLIN Well, I'm no expert, but don't women normally go for pretty things? Like, maybe, jewellery?

(yes he said this as a way to deter Arthur from sticking with a dagger bc of the vision he saw but still)

And so Arthur Dumb-of-ass & bi-of-sexual Pendragon takes Merlin’s advice, realizes that yeah, Morgana still likes feminine things like dressed and jewelry and pretty shit. LET ME BEDAZZLE THIS DAGGER JUST FOR HER

LOOK AT IT

THE FUCKING PENDRAGON COLORS YIU CHEEKY FUCK ARTHUR 🤧 AND LOOK AT HER REACTION TO IT

SHE LOOKS ENTRANCED BY IT???? MAYBE TOUCHED (<- fluffy is reaching, she has gone insane) MAYBE EVEN CONSIDERING THAT ARTHUR DOES CARE AND MAYBE SHE COUOD TURN HIM AGAINST UTHER TO JOIN HER???? (<- fluffy.exe is suffering malfunctions. delusion file has been corrupted)

Literally every other noble gifted her a fancy hairbrush (those fucking posers) and you would think! With how much this show presents Arthur as emotionally repressed and very obtuse when it comes to women, you would think they would regress his character (again) to make a joke out of him (again) not knowing what to give Morgana for her birthday

BUT THEY DONT!!!!

NO! THEY SHOW HIM BEING CONFIDENT IN HIS DECISION FOR IT TO BE A DAGGER THEN NERVOUS ABOUT HIS CHOICE BC MAYBE IT’S NOT A GOOD DAGGER THEN PROUD BECAUSE NOW IT IS A BEDAZZLED DAGGER

WHAT THE FU—

Not only that, BUT SHE TAKES THE DAGGER WITH HER WHEN MEETING MORGAUSE (s3’s big bad villain who is the new up-and-coming High Priestess after Nimueh, whom Merlin smited (smote? smitten?) and does not give any fucks about Uther or Arthur. Both could just die for all she cares.)

I would never lie to you. Transcript speaks the truth. Also, what other dagger would they speak about??? It’s Arthur’s gift and she was so touched by it that she decided to use it for her nefarious schemes of regicide!

OH YEAH AND AFTER THIS WHEN SHE’S IN A COMA YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT ARTHUR SAID

ARTHUR To lose her now, like this...I've grown up with her, she's like a sister to me. I'd sacrifice my place on the throne for her to see another sunrise.

*deep breath*

So much shit could have been avoided if these dumbass Pendragons just talked to each other T^T Jfc, Arthur loves those close to him so deeply. He is so loyal to them that it blinds him, that he would willingly give up anything just to keep them alive and happy.

ough, yeah I’m okay (<- liar)

[metalljellyphish]

Werewolf Stan chimera!!!!

He'll be one big werewolf in the dunmeshi au!

Sorry this took some time to process but I’ve been cooking some THOUGHTS:

So, in this SoT mixed AU it’s a time of peace; Kyle is heir to the elven kingdom’s throne, too old by human standards but much too young to the elves he’s meant to lead, when he’s not studying magic and politics he travels on adventuring guild quests with Stan, a ranger from the north who had pledged his service and life to the future king. One trip the two join up with a group they’ve hunted with before to search the nearby woods for a dark, massive wolf-like creature who at first was just hunting the village livestock but now it had moved on to people. Since it’s only been spotted at night they have to camp out for it, but unluckily it sneak attacks them, the group just barely able to defend themselves. In an act to defend Kyle, Stan jumps to protect him, getting himself captured in the creature’s jaws and dragged off, in desperation Kyle gives chase on his own. Hours later he tracks the beast and slaughter it with a powerful spell, finding what remained of his friend. Devastated, Kyle decided to use forbidden magic to resurrect him, using pieces of the beast to transmute into what’s missing of Stan’s body. The spell works, though Kyle passes out from it before he can see if his work really paid off, but thankfully they’re not left for too long, the company they traveled with (aka Craig’s gang) finding the pair, an extremely bloody but otherwise unharmed and still human Stan and a disheveled Kyle, hands and feet covered in blood as well. There’s the suspicion, but for now it seemed the two were ok, both waking up in the castle after being escorted back. Stan seemed fine, though he had little memory of what had happened, Kyle thinking it for the better.

Until three nights later under a new moon; Kyle awakes to find that Stan is missing. He tracks him down to the woods just outside the castle, but something’s very very wrong. Kyle’s calling out to him but Stan isn’t responding, at least he thinks it Stan. He’s already started changing into something not human and by the time he does turn to face the elf prince he’s already more beast than man. And Kyle just stands there, speechless but whatever is happening he knows it’s his fault. He did this to the one person he cared the most for. Also he’s defenseless since he didn’t take his staff or spellbook, but in the moment he thinks he’s about to be attacked he thinks maybe he deserved this…

Luckily for him he’s rescued by one Lady McCormick and her retainer Leopold, the two able to subdue the beast without harming him more than necessary. Of course Kyle doesn’t even know how the two arrived so soon considering he didn’t even send his letter to her until the day before. Kenny vague explains she had a certain bad feeling about something and followed her intuition, leaving the very night the incident had taken place to travel to the elven kingdom, and boy howdy does she have words to say. For the time being though the three take the unconscious beast Stan and hide him in the castle dungeon for the time being.

Kyle shared the full story of what happened, and Kenny gets it, she probably would have done the same in that situation, but regrettably she explains that whatever that creature was that they hunted was cursed and now that curse was passed to Stan when he was resurrected. (How does she know these things? Oh that’s a can of worms for another night :3)

Though he might have turned into this werewolf chimera creature Stan’s still very much there, though currently beast instincts have taken over, but out of everything he still recognizes Kyle, so it breaks his heart seeing the elf so afraid of him at first, but then it all turns to sadness.

Uh that’s all I got for now…

I’ll definitely have to draw or write something about this, it’s been in my head for awhile now oops, I can’t call it a full dunmeshi au but it’s got elements, we’re changing the recipe you might say lol

[pjsk-headcanons]

ok maybe first part of hollow knight headcanons for pjsk. favorite areas (including sub-areas like kings pass and stuff)!! these are mostly based on vibes so feel free to kill me in the reblogs

oh and SPOILER WARNING

ichika: in my heart she'd be a mantis village stan. she would like most of fungal wastes but mantis village is especially.

saki: the logical answer would be crystal peak bc pretty crystals but NO!!! i mean she'd like it but i want it to be truth she'd be massive resting grounds fan.

honami: greenpath seems about right. leisurely stroll time for her. plus LOOK AT THE MOSSKIN

shiho: she's tell people either abyss or howling cliffs but in reality shes a greenpath truther. again LOOK AT THE MOSSKIN (can you tell i like the little shrubby guys)

minori: fog canyon or crystal peak, more fog canyon bc its a pretty area and its connected to a bunch of places too

haruka: queens gardens stan alert. im right and you know it

airi: my first thought was gonna be resting grounds but like... she'd fuck with kingdoms edge. i know this in my heart

shizuku: forgotten crossroads. i was gonna say howling cliffs originally but nah she'd vibe in crossroads. the betrayal when infected crossroads tho

kohane: city of tears? yeah. city of tears. probably specifically right side city tho

an: hmm.... she'd vibe with crystal peaks. maybe a love-hate relationship with deepnest though. nosk scared her half to death tho

akito: the heart is telling me deepnest. he likes sitting in galiens room. may or may not be because it's farthest from kingdoms edge (makes sense in a bit)

toya: soul sanctum, i think he'd be obsessed with the ost and constantly refight soul master in godhome

tsukasa: is it not obvious. cool glad we're agreeing on city of tears. wait, you thought i was gonna say crystal peak?

emu: crystal peak truther. also she would only have 8 3/4 masks bc even though she knows the last mask shard is behind enraged guardian she doesnt want to disturb crystal guardian. consequently would not have that bench.

nene: multiple favorites because of different reasons. kingdoms edge bc she vibes with it hard. dirtmouth because of grimm troupe. queens gardens because of white lady and pretty. godhome because she can fight everyone again (can you tell im projecting except for godhome)

rui: oh how i WANT to say royal waterways but nah. deepnest vibes

kanade: white palace. the ost, lore, and overall vibes are all there. i think she'd be interested in the ost the most

mafuyu: city of tears left side. or abyss/all of ancient basin but thats not her fav anymore post 3rd anni

ena: kingdoms edge bc of multiple reasons, pretty landscape (looking at you top bench), good ost, farthest from deepnest (see what i meant), hornet fight (in my heart favorite npc in ena's eyes). also oddly reminds me of the what lies ahead, what lies behind set

mizuki: crystal peak stan but also just adores all of the top of hallownest (howling cliffs, king's pass, dirtmouth, crystal peak)

- 🦊

.

[rxptdevil]

𝓐 𝓻𝓸𝔂𝓪𝓵 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓽𝓻𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓵𝓮

Kyle x reader x stan

Pt 4

Plot:The elf king Kyle just proposed to you, and you excitedly accepted. Now you’re going to have a wedding, but there’s one thing.. his friend, the knight Stan marshwalker, has a crush on you and wants you to be his wife. WHO WILL YOU CHOOSE?

When you finally saw the words "Pregnant" staring back at you, you felt as if the world had been turned upside down. You didn't know what to do, or who to tell. You knew you couldn't keep this secret from Kyle, but you were terrified of how he would react. You wrapped the test in a piece of toilet paper and quickly returned to your room, trying to calm your racing thoughts.

You decided to gather your courage and go to Stan's room to break the news. You knocked lightly on his door, hoping he was alone. He answered immediately, a hopeful expression on his face. "Y/N, hi! Is everything alright?"

"Stan...I need to talk to you about something important," you said, taking a deep breath. "I hope you'll understand."

As you stepped inside his room, you closed the door behind you, feeling the weight of your secret pressing down on your chest. You handed him the wrapped piece of toilet paper, hoping he would know what it was.

"I took this this morning," you said, your voice shaking. "And I think...I think it might be yours." Your eyes filled with tears, and you struggled to meet his gaze.

Stan took the test from you, his hands trembling as he unfolded it. His face paled, and for a moment you thought he was going to be sick. He looked up at you, his eyes filled with disbelief and hurt. "You...you think it's mine?" he managed to choke out.

"I don't know for sure," you said softly, taking a step closer to him. "But I wanted you to know. I didn't want to keep this from you."

Stan looked at you, his expression a mix of shock and confusion. He sank down onto his bed, staring at the floor. "But...but I thought...I mean, I don't understand."

You sat down beside him, gently taking his hand in yours. "I know this is hard for both of us. I don't want to lose you as a friend, Stan. I care about you so much."

Stan looked up at you, his eyes red from the tears he was struggling to hold back. "But...what about Kyle? He's the elf king. He's going to marry you. He'll find out."

"I know," you said softly, your voice barely above a whisper. "And I don't know what will happen. But I want you to know that I care about you too, Stan. I don't want to lose you as a friend."

Stan wiped away a tear that had escaped his eye. "I...I don't know what to say. This is all just so unexpected." He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. "Do you...do you think it could be his?" he asked tentatively.

You hesitated, knowing that the answer could change everything. "I...I don't know. It could be. I mean, it's possible. we didn't use protection. It could be his."

Stan's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean...you and Kyle..." He trailed off, the implication clear in his voice.

You hung your head, unable to meet his gaze. "Yes, Stan. I had sex with both of you the same time around I got pregnant. I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen."

You hung your head, unable to meet his gaze. "Yes, Stan. I had sex with both of you the same time around I got pregnant. I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen."

Stan looked away, trying to process the information. "I...I can't believe this. This is just too much. What are we supposed to do?"

You sighed heavily, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on you. "I don't know, Stan. I don't want to lose Kyle. He means so much to me. But I also don't want to lose you. I just want us to figure out how to handle this together."

Stan nodded, wiping away another tear. "Yeah, I feel the same way. I don't want to lose either of you. Maybe we could...maybe we could just keep this between us for now. Let's not tell anyone and see what happens."

You looked at him, hopeful. "Do you really think that would be the best thing to do?"

Stan took a deep breath. "I don't know. But it's the only thing I can think of right now. We can't tell anyone, not even Kyle. It would just make everything so much worse. Maybe if we just wait and see how things play out, we can figure out what to do later."

The sound of a knock at the door interrupted your conversation. "Kyle?" you called out, realizing he must be looking for you. You looked at Stan, feeling guilty for not telling Kyle about the situation yet, but also worried about what he might say if he found out about the test.

Stan glanced at you, then back at Kyle. "Yeah, everything's fine. We were just...talking about something."

Kyle poked his head into the room. "Hey, you ready to decide on the wedding cake?" he asked with a smile. When he noticed the tense atmosphere in the room, his smile faded. "Is everything okay?"

Kyle's brow furrowed, but he didn't push it. "Alright. Well, we should get going if we want to make it to the bakery before they close."

Stan nodded, still avoiding eye contact with either of you. You felt a knot forming in your stomach as you realized that keeping this secret from Kyle was only going to make things more difficult in the long run. But for now, you didn't know what else to do.

As you both left the room, Kyle turned to you and took your hand, squeezing it gently. "Are you ready to go?" he asked with a small smile, trying to reassure you. You forced a small smile in return, not trusting yourself to speak just yet.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. You went with Kyle to the bakery, where you chose a beautiful cake for your wedding. Throughout the process, you struggled to keep the secret weighing on your heart from showing on your face.

As you and Kyle tasted various flavors of cake, you couldn't help but wonder what he would say if he found out about the test. Would he be angry? Disgusted? You tried to imagine how it would feel to lose him, but the thought was too painful to bear.

After selecting a delicious lemon cake with vanilla frosting, you decided to take a break and get some fresh air. The afternoon sun felt warm on your skin as you walked down the street, hand in hand with Kyle. He looked so happy, so in love with you, and it killed you inside knowing that you were keeping this secret from him.

As you paused at a park bench, Kyle turned to you and took your hands in his. "I just want you to know that I'm going to take care of you, no matter what," he said, his eyes shining with sincerity. "I'm going to make sure you're always happy, and that we have the best life together."

You forced a smile, trying to ignore the queasy feeling in your stomach. "I love you too, Kyle. And I'm going to try my best to make you proud."

But as you stood there, the nausea grew more intense, and you knew you couldn't hold it in any longer. You excused yourself from Kyle, ducking behind a nearby tree to vomit. You heaved several times, feeling the bile rising up in your throat. Finally, you wiped your mouth with the back of your hand and straightened up, embarrassed and exhausted.

When you returned to Kyle's side, he immediately took notice of your ashen complexion and the dampness on your shirt. "Are you okay?" he asked, concern written all over his face.

You hesitated for a moment, debating whether or not to confess the truth. But the lie seemed to weigh even more heavily on your heart. "I'm...I'm not feeling well," you managed to choke out. "I think I might be coming down with something."

Kyle frowned, his brow furrowing with worry. "You don't look so good. Do you want to go home?" He offered his arm, ready to escort you back to the carriage.

The guards exchanged glances, clearly torn between following their orders and concern for your well-being. Finally, one of them spoke up, "Perhaps it would be best if we took her back to the castle, my lord. The physician there could take a look at her and make sure she's well."

Kyle nodded in agreement, and with a sympathetic smile, he guided you back toward the castle. Along the way, you leaned heavily on him, your head spinning and your limbs feeling increasingly weak. The warmth of his body and the scent of his cologne made it difficult to focus on anything else but how much you wished this moment would never end.

bed. He tucked you in, making sure you were comfortable before fetching a cool, damp cloth to wipe away your brow. As he did so, he noticed the way your long eyelashes brushed against your cheeks, how your breath whispered softly against your skin. Unable to resist any longer, he leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to your forehead.

"Get some rest, sweetheart," he whispered. "I'll be right here if you need anything."

With a small nod, you drifted off to sleep, your breath coming out in soft, even puffs. Kyle watched you for a moment, his heart racing, before turning away and making his way to the bathroom. As he relieved himself, he accidentally dropped the garbage can, sending it clattering to the floor. His heart stopped as he saw what had fallen out of the trash: a pregnancy test, wrapped in a wad of toilet paper.

He picked it up, excitement coursing through him. Could it be? Was she really pregnant? He glanced at the stick, the tiny plus sign almost invisible against the blue background. He'd have to ask her about it later, when she was feeling better. For now, he would focus on taking care of her, showing her how much he loved her and wanted to be by her side for whatever the future held.

[iammissingautumn]

(@seregashockingly I’m gonna drop my general Style stuff relating to ur ask and reply to my post here since i wanna explain more Kyle Feelings moments)

Okay so the thing is, Stan encourages this codependent ideas in their relationships. From early one when he says Kyle can’t die without him we see that he has this insane view of their relationship. They both kinda do. The thing is, as all things go Stan is the more emotional of the two. Meanwhile Kyle had to figure out how he’s felt about most things pretty young, and with a lot of simplicity. That’s what allows him to be so okay with defending those who need it, he has strong morals that he trusts.

The thing about Stan encouraging codependent ideas towards them is that he’s also the one who has a girlfriend. And Stan is so bad at processing emotions that he throws up every time he’s faced with these feelings. Stan also has outside pressures like that of his father’s to conform (mostly specifically to the idea of being a man and what that “means”). Which Randy does in a lot of diffferent ways, I.E. Stanley’s Cup.

Though one of the main things about Stan is that the adults are being insane wackos and he thinks they’re being stupid. And he’s right but we see these kind of things leaving an imprint on him. His superhero persona is someone who works with tools, more “traditional” ideas of manhood relate to being able to upkeep the house car etc. He has rip sleeves and tries to seem tough but it’s very hard when his dad is keying their own car. On top of this, his SOT character is a knight meant to protect the king. Knights often have to be sworn in, seen to be risking their life in the name of being a protector. Which, including how he presents, the idea of a protector is also a very “masculine” “tradition”.

Yet, we don’t see this come in through other ways. He’s not toxic masculinity-ing his life. He doesn’t dedicate his days to playing every sport ever, physically fighting, or trying to prove his strength. He doesn’t have that insecurity that is more apparent in someone like Cartman. But there’s tinges of small things, and I do think most of his compensation and possible shame or complexes comes back to his sexuality.

Meanwhile, Kyle is confident in his religion, his self expression, and his personality. Sometimes we see this swayed (I.e. Passion of the Jew and South Park is Gay!), but I think his relationship to Judaism really helped him be able to have the confidence to be okay with other parts of himself. Especially since he has the support of his mother being such a big force in his life to encourage him to be himself. And though Shelia has her own problems she definitely shows Kyle she loves him for himself and wants him to be that person. (The crux of both of them is that they don’t want to veer into being “bad” and need to stay good. In the movie we see her thinking foul mouth tv shows are the “bad” thing. She’s always been particularly accepting despite the sometimes black and white thinking.)

So from this I picture the standard Style idea is that, in some sort of way Stan is repressing his queerness. This probably doesn’t help with the fact he has had depression and has an addictive personality. He can bury his queerness under all of this. But we see within him there’s this want or maybe a need to go towards those who don’t conform. As we see when he adopts the Raven personality for the point in time where he’s goth.

But there’s this level where Stan’s been how he’s always been. Loving his best friend, and them not shying from it. He thinks this is how you should see your best friend, both him and Kyle think this. The thing is at some point Kyle figures out This Isn’t Everyone’s Relationship To Their Best Friend. Which is probably a middle or high school realization that turns into a very changing thing. And I think whether Kyle assumes that Stan doesn’t like him because of something like his reputation with relationships in the past Nichole, Heidi, Rebecca, or The List situation which is just. hurtful even after the truth comes out.

Insert Stan doing something dumb, a drunk confession, a kiss, he throws up, some sort of blatant obvious “Stan’s In Love” marker that changes Kyle’s mind. Stan’s in denial about it (perhaps leads Kyle on 👀) and it causes some pains that they later have to unpack. And maybe that means they kiss or smth none of my business. Maybe this involves Kyle helping Stan sober up, maybe it involves Stan cleaning up and calling Kyle trying to reconnect, maybe this involves Stan realizing he’s so fucking stupid and in love with his best friend and he should have realized sooner because now they’re separating because they’re graduating or something. Or maybe they’re in middle school and Kyle tells Stan to stop talking to him because he’s being mean about his feelings. Or maybe Kyle just silently isolates himself from Stan. There’s a lot of loose spots so the story can change depending on the point in their lives or the story being wished to be told. But that’s the general classic idea for me.

[nikofortuna]

JTTW Chapter 6 Thoughts

Chapter Six for the @journeythroughjourneytothewest Reading Group!

Starting things off with another look at how time is accounted for in Heaven. Last time I concluded that the years that the Immortal Peach Trees need to grow their fruits were Earth years. This time around when they say that the Peach Festival happens every year they do mean a full year in Heaven, so multiple hundred years on Earth. It kind of has to be this way otherwise things would make little sense since if it wasn’t so the festival would be every day in Heaven and then they’d run out of Immortal Peaches really quickly even without a monkey eating them all up.

This chapter Heaven is back on with its nonsense, this time in retelling what happened instead of their actions. They most certainly did not “educate and nurture the talented monkey”, they didn’t actively teach him anything outside of maybe the bare minimum Sun Wukong was told by the people he worked with. They didn’t even tell him how the ranking system works!

Also they totally denied that he beat Nezha.

What becomes clear here as well is that they didn’t even pay Sun Wukong when they did give him the job to look after the garden. Sure it’s not like the Monkey King would have cared much, but that’s still not a good move.

We stan Guanyin, my favourite Bodhisattva, for sending her own disciple down to the battlefield for specifically a factual report. I firmly believe she is seeing through the nonsense the Jade Emperor has woven in with the truth in his recounting of events!

Also she is already saying “our [monkey]” like she has already decided to sort of take him under her wing. My speculation here is that she probably listened up when it was mentioned vaguely that Sun Wukong cared for his monkeys.

When Erlang Shen enters the fray some rather interesting points arise. For one his sworn brothers, who must know him very well, said that there was no time for “praise or blame”. Oho, what could they mean with praise? In the J.F. Jenner translation they even say "Stop admiring him and challenge him to battle.", which after taking a look at the original Chinese put through Google Translate is actually more accurate.

All of this is very interesting. Perhaps it is meant to harken back to Erlang’s own story and his troubles with Heaven, so now some appreciation for Sun Wukong being rather likeminded in this instance shines through. Aside from both of them having a rebellious streak, another parallel is that both of them have a brotherhood of seven!

And then of course Sun Wukong things of him as being very pretty. I can certainly see why people appreciate those two together.

Additionally Sun Wukong doesn’t want to fight him, because he appreciates his care for his mother! Aside from them not having any personal issues with each other.

Interestingly the Jingu Bang is always metaphorically called a Dragon in multiple instances of combat while the opponent’s weapon is referred to as Phoenix.

Some more translation shenanigans Erlang’s face is not simply green as stated in the Anthony C. Yu translation! I checked the Chinese text with the help of Google Translate for the Pinyin again and it’s verdant, so it could be more blue or green or inbetween even. The colour is specifically [青 Qīng], which doesn’t specify if it’s green or blue, just that it’s verdant. Only if an additional character had been used it could have been clearly differentiated. The German translation actually calls it “grünblau” literally greenblue as well.

Yippie, Xiàotiān makes an appearance this chapter as well! Wish we could have seen more of the good boi, but maybe we’ll get more later at some point. For those who’d like to see more of her, I can happily refer to the New Gods: Yang Jian movie!

She’s so goofy, so adorable! Yet still packs a pawnch as well.

Guess why Erlang is called Little Sage in this! The German translation notes that it is because Erlang [二 郎] has the number two [二] in it, which stands for the force of Yin with which the small/little is associated. So it’s Little Sage in the chapter title! Additionally Sun Wukong has a lot of Yang force, which gets opposed and undermined by Erlang’s Yin.

Lastly the Audio Drama Production Notes of this chapter bringing forth that the “plant-headed deities” in the Anthony C. Yu translation, well, have nothing to do with plants at all. Instead something they could be called which is more true to the intended meaning is “unappointed deities”.

And that should be the last we see of Huaguoshan until about… Chapter 28! Good grief, I’m not ready.

[luna-themoonie]

Chapter Eight

First - Previous - Next

Summary: It was only meant to be a stupid game of dares, 'The King's Game.' But, of course, nothing could go Stan's way. Cartman thought it would be hilarious to get under everyone's skin with his stupid dare and he did. Now, Stan had no way of getting back with Wendy because he was stuck with this dare.

Butters didn't care too much about the dare in its entirety. Stan was a cool guy and maybe they could get closer. He didn't see anything wrong with this dare from Eric. But, oh boy, if his parents knew, he'd sure be grounded. After this dare ends, he and Stan could still be friends, right?

What was the dare?:

Stan and Butters were forced to date for two months.

~~~

Stan was exhausted by the time Sunday came around. Kyle wasn't available yesterday like he had hoped so they decided today would work instead. Which… kinda sucked because his thoughts didn't leave him alone once it was a new day. He kept replaying the thoughts he had at the picnic and the feeling of constant nausea he would experience. He was still confused and he didn't like it.

He had tried calling Tweek again, hoping he had his phone this time, but to no avail. Craig had picked up for him again and Stan had hung up on him before he was able to work on any of his nerves.

He tried to ignore it, but that just made it worse and he just couldn't stand it. So, he ended up picking up an extra shift to deter his racing mind, but all that did was just make another part of him feel fatigued. Even sleeping wasn't enough to distract him because once he was aware that he was awake, nerves came flooding back and he couldn’t stop thinking about Butters again. He was all he could think about and no distraction was enough. He spent his entire Saturday thinking about the blonde. And he hated it.

He couldn't stop thinking about how he looked under the stars. Or how Stan had thought, for a moment, that the other boy was pretty. Or how when he hugged him, it was like he was given just a few moments of peace and the unfamiliar happiness mixed with a bundle of nerves piling in his stomach. What can he say? Butters' sunny demeanor was addictive once you got a small taste.

It shouldn't bother him, it doesn't bother him… but the more he thought of him, the more out of control his thoughts became. And that's when the nerves and nausea would get worse.

Everything that he recently learned about the blonde would spiral together and create unwanted images in his head. Now he kept on thinking about him making out with different people. It didn't matter if he knew them or not. And it made him feel so guilty.

Then he would start to think about Kenny and Butters kissing. How that would look. It would make his stomach churn. And then Kenny morphed into someone that looked eerily like himself. Now he was thinking about kissing Butters himself. How that would look. He even thought about how it would be like to kiss Kenny.

He felt his stomach give an intense flip and he let out a groan. It was all he could think about ever since the thought had first crossed his mind and he couldn’t help but feel guilty. They were his friends. He shouldn't be thinking about them like that.

Butters did offer to help him if he had any questions, but Stan just felt embarrassed just thinking about it. What was he going to do? He can't just go up to him and say, "Hey, dude! Ever since you told me you were bisexual I can't stop thinking about you making out with random people, including myself! I don’t know why, do you? And can I kiss you to see if it's just as enticing as you make it sound?"

He didn't want to take advantage of Butters' sexuality just because he was curious. But at the same time, he felt if he didn’t do anything, his thoughts would eat him alive. He tried telling himself that he just misses Wendy and that's why he's feeling confused. But the more he tried repeating that, the less his mind believed it. 

He was hoping maybe Kyle could talk some sense into him; connect the dots as he usually did. Help him understand why nothing was working to stop him from having these inappropriate thoughts about his friends. And maybe, finally, these stupid thoughts can go away and he can focus on something else. Like finding out how to get Wendy back! Though, he still wasn't sure what he had done wrong in the first place.

He and Kyle had decided to meet up in the park today since his best friend wanted to practice at the basketball court for an upcoming game. It wasn't too far and they planned on even getting some food afterward too. But… there was one problem - he couldn’t get up. 

He wanted to, he really did, but all he could manage was to turn to lay on his other side. He still had to see Kyle. He tried repeating in his head to try to convince himself to get up. All this did was fill him with an empty sense of dread that he would have to get up sooner or later.

He didn’t want to cancel on him again - he was more prone to doing that these days - but his entire body just felt like lead. He just couldn't move. 

He heard his dog yawn and let out a whine as he padded around his room. Stan sighed and grabbed his pillow to cover his head. And he had to let Sparky out.

His eyes kept on drifting closed, but sleep wouldn't overtake him no matter how long he stayed in his bed. Sometimes… He just wanted to sleep forever, hide himself from everything and everyone. And plus, nothing bad ever happens when you’re sleeping. 

Sparky let out another loud whine and Stan was quick to hush him. "Just hold it a little longer, boy," he mumbled before hiding under his covers. He wrapped his arms around himself and tried again to lull himself back to sleep.

A soft knock on his door had his eyes shooting open instead. "Stan?" 

He tried to respond to his mom, but the only thing that came out was a low hum. 

He heard his door open. "Stanley?"

He hummed again, this time louder. 

"Sparky has been whining this entire time. You should take him for a walk."

He didn't acknowledge this at first. He just shifted under his cocoon of blankets to try to stay within the warmth. He gave her a hum of acknowledgment but still made no effort to move.

His mom sighed from the doorway and he heard her walk into his room. "Fine, Stanley, I'll take him. I made some breakfast for you. Can you at least go down to eat that? Please? And maybe we can talk? "

He took a moment before he gave another hum and listened as she spoke to Sparky in a high voice. She did this for a bit before the door closed and Stan was now left alone. Stan sighed as he continued to lay there, struggling with an internal battle of whether he should go join her or stay in bed. She was always there for him and supported him in all of his endeavors. He at least owed having breakfast with her.

He sighed again and pushed himself up in his bed after making his final decision. He swung his legs over the side of his bed and paused again. Okay, we're getting there. He stretched and the immediate desire to lay back down overtook him. He forced himself to ignore this and got up to walk over to his dresser. This was where the key to surviving most of his days was. He crouched down and pulled open the last drawer, revealing the extra clothes he piled in there without bothering to fold them. He began to rummage through the bottom drawer and pulled out a familiar substance - his just-under-half-empty bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey. 

He licked his lips as he opened the bottle and gulped down the remaining amount, letting the warmth distract him just for a moment. He paused for a long moment before reaching back into the drawer and pulling out a new bottle. He opened it and took a few big gulps before deciding it was enough. He rehid the bottle back in his drawer, planning on disposing of it later when his mom wasn't around to see. He pushed himself up, rubbing the remaining sleep from his face before leaving his room.

As he made his way downstairs to join his mom for breakfast, he couldn't help but feel the effects of the whiskey taking hold of him. The world felt a little fuzzy around the edges, but he was used to this feeling by now. He had been sneaking sips of alcohol every now and then since he was thirteen; originally trying it when he was about ten. It was a way to cope with his problems, a way to forget about all the ways the world was turning to shit around him.

His mom was already seated at the table when he entered the kitchen, munching on a slice of toast. She gave him a small smile, noticeably happy that he had decided to join her. "Good morning, sweetie. Did you sleep well?" 

He mumbled a response and took a seat across from her, trying to ignore the way his head was beginning to pound. 

She poured him a cup of coffee and pushed a plate of scrambled eggs, his own sausage, and toast towards him. "Eat up, honey. You'll need your energy for the day." 

He picked up his fork and started poking at the eggs, trying to force himself to eat despite his lack of appetite. He took a sip of coffee and glanced up at his mom, noticing how her eyes lingered on him. He cleared his throat awkwardly and set his drink down. “So… how has work been?” He asked, hoping to distract her enough for him not to feel like she was watching his every move.

“Oh, it’s been good. There was this client that came in the other day and she-” 

Honestly, Stan didn’t care enough to listen, but he hummed and nodded along like he was. He slowly ate his breakfast, staring down at his plate as she droned on about her work and the interesting tidbits she wanted to share.

When she grew quiet once more, Stan decided to look up at her. It was obvious she wanted to talk about something other than work, it was this look she always got. He looked away from her again, trying to avoid her watchful eye. She took a moment to sip at her coffee and hummed quietly. A long moment passed between them and she finally began to speak again. “Stan… I want to talk to you about something.” And there it was…

Stan shifted in his seat and gave a small sigh. “About what?”

She hummed quietly again, taking a moment as though she was trying to figure out how to word her question. “I was just wondering… is there… maybe, I don’t know, something you want to tell me?”

Stan looked up at his mom, confused. “What?”

She shrugged with a nonchalant look. “You know you can be honest with me. I won’t get mad at you, you know. I think it’s completely normal.”

Guilt began to bubble up in his chest and he looked down at his food again to avoid making eye contact with her. “I…" He stabbed at his eggs. "I have some Jameson in my room… I had some this morning.”

His mom was quiet for a long time and Stan was sure she was coming up with a way to punish him. She finally moved and walked over to him before brushing his hair back and pressing a kiss to his forehead. “That’s okay. Thank you for telling me. And I just want you to know that I’ll love you no matter what, Stanley.”

He was surprised, but he didn’t show it. “I… I know, Mom. I love you too.”

She patted his cheek with a warm smile and planted another kiss on the top of his head. She paused and played with his hair for a moment. “You… washed your hair?”

Stan ran his head through his hair at the mention of it. “Yeah.”

“For… the meteor shower… with your friend.”

He nodded, confused on why she was mentioning it again. “Yeah. I told you, it was all Bebe’s idea.”

His mom nodded, but something in her eyes told him that she wasn’t entirely convinced. “I see.” She moves to grab her empty plate and mug to bring to the sink. She hums quietly, obviously in thought. “Oh, yeah. Kyle called earlier. He told me to tell you that he’s at the basketball court in the park.”

Stan furrowed his eyebrows and looked at the clock in the kitchen. “Ah, shit!”

“Language!”

Stan fumbled out of his seat and out of the kitchen. He was late! He didn’t even check the time when he got up. He made his way up the stairs as fast as he could and into his room. He grabbed his phone and, sure enough, saw five missed calls from his best friend. He rushed to change out of his pajamas, throwing on whatever he could find that he thought were clean before practically running out of his room.

It wasn’t long before he returned, heading straight to the dresser and pulling the bottom drawer open once again. He took another few large swigs, just enough to feel buzzed enough to be able to withstand the disappointed look Kyle undoubtedly was going to give him. He shoved the bottle back into the drawer and fumbled out of his room once again and down the stairs.

When he reached the front door, he grabbed his keys, struggling to take off his car keys to leave them behind for his mom - a condition she gave him if he was going to drink. He called out a salutation to his mom before leaving the house. He rushed towards the park as fast as he could without slipping or falling and within a matter of minutes he saw the basketball court with a solitary red-head.

When Kyle saw him, his eyes slightly narrowed, but he continued to dribble the ball. “You’re late.” He called out to him as he got closer.

He raised his hand in apology. “Yeah, I’m sorry, dude.”

Kyle was quiet for a moment, but then passed the ball over to him, in which he admittedly fumbled with as it reached him. “It’s fine, just hope you’re up to try to beat me. I need a challenge.”

Kyle was most definitely not going to be challenged by Stan’s skills, but that didn’t stop him from trying. They played a few rounds, Stan stumbling around compared to Kyle’s calculated movements. Not sure how exactly to bring up his issue while they played, he decided to talk about something else until he could figure it out. “So… how’s everything going? With the dare, I mean.” He asked when Kyle scored another point.

Kyle scoffed as he caught the ball. “I don’t want to talk about that right now.”

Stan hummed and caught the ball as it was passed over to him. “Okay…” Unbothered, he dribbled the ball and tried to keep it away from Kyle, which was practically impossible.

Kyle scored another basket and sighed as he caught the ball again. “Everything he has us doing is bullshit!” And there it was. “I don’t even know why we’re doing it. His ‘punishments’ aren’t even that bad. It's not even like sending Ike to Canada is horrible, he’s been mentioning going after he graduates. But who knows where Cartman is going to have him? And my parents would kill me if I'm the reason he got sent off out of the blue.”

“And the college thing,” Stan added.

Kyle huffs and tosses the ball to him again. “Yeah, that too. But I can deal with four months.”

“But can your parents?”

His eyes narrowed at him and Stan decided to try to keep his mouth shut for the time being. They continued to play in silence, which was not what Stan wanted to go for, but he was nervous. It showed in how he played, not that he was much good in the first place, but at least he was manageable without his sweaty palms and jerky reactions.

When Stan was finally able to steal the ball from Kyle long enough, he took a shot. He wobbled a bit and missed the net by a considerable amount. "Ah, shit. Sorry, dude, I had a drink before coming." The excuse was immediate. He didn’t want Kyle to think anything else was wrong with him.

Kyle didn't respond to that, though. Instead, he picked up the ball and tossed it back toward him. So, Stan tried shooting again, but this time he hit the rim of the basket. Kyle was quick to catch the ball, but he didn't try sending the ball back to Stan’s outstretched hands. "I'm going to get a few drills in." Kyle didn't want to play with him anymore. He usually used his 'drills' as an excuse to stop watching Stan being bad at the sport. 

So, Stan gave him a silent nod and stepped back to give Kyle some room while he watched him.

Kyle was lean… tall… fiery in a spirited way. His curls were kept short, but still noticeable from under his hat and his skin was on the paler side. He had a sharp, masculine look about him, something Stan was always a little jealous of. 

When Stan realized his gaze was slowly moving down his body as he considered his thoughts, he snapped himself out of it and refocused on the ball instead, his cheeks growing warm.

That was it. Maybe he could pretend to ignore the problem if it had just stayed Butters or Kenny. But imagining Kyle! He had to get to the bottom of this fast. But how? What was he supposed to do? He’s never talked to Kyle about his sexuality, and vice-versa. It was just something… they’d never considered talking about. Not that it mattered.

"Hey… you alright, dude?" 

Stan refocused on Kyle and saw that he had moved to stand in front of him, holding the ball out and waiting for him. “Y-yeah…" He cleared his throat so his voice could stop shaking. "Just zoned out, my bad." Kyle indicated the ball once again and Stan shook his head. “Nah, man. I don’t think I’m a good match for you. But keep doing your thing.”

Kyle shrugged in response and dribbled the ball to a spot along the line, setting up a shot.

Well, it was now or never. He cleared his throat to try to get Kyle’s attention and hesitated before speaking. “Dude?”

Kyle, still focused on dribbling the ball in his spot to get a good shot, didn’t look at Stan when he responded, “Yeah?”

Stan’s words were caught in his throat and he felt like throwing up. His mouth floundered as he tried to force the words out. Anything, anything to get the ball rolling. “Have…” He swallowed. “Have you ever… I don’t know… wantedtokissaguybefore?” He rushed out.

When Stan had finished his question, Kyle had turned to look at him, eyes wide, just as the ball had left his hand. Everything happened so fast, Stan almost didn't understand how it happened - the ball had hit the corner of the backboard and had shot back to hit Kyle square in the face. 

Kyle keeled over, his hands covering his nose. 

"Holy shit, dude!" Stan ran over to him and grabbed his shoulders to try to get a better look at the damage. "Fuck, man, you're bleeding!"

"What do you mean?"

"Huh? Your nose, dude."

Kyle’s eyebrows furrowed. "Why would I want to kiss another guy?"

Stan couldn't believe it. Kyle was seriously backtracking the conversation as if a fountain of blood wasn't spilling from his nose. "I don't know! Like how you kissed Craig."

Kyle blanched. "No! Why would you think that?!"

"I-" 

"That's gross! I would never do that!" The color in Kyle’s face began to return at a rapid pace, now surpassing its original color. "Especially with Craig!" And you technically already did.

"I-it doesn't have to be- I didn’t mean just Craig."

"What?” He scoffed. “You think I would kiss you?”

Stan felt a harsh pang in his chest at this. “N-no, not…” He let go of Kyle, not understanding why Kyle was being mean about this and why his chest was beginning to hurt. "I just wanted-"

"Wanted what? 

I just wanted to know if what I'm feeling is normal.

Instead, what came out was, “Kyle… You’re being a douchebag.”

That was clearly the wrong thing to say because the look he got from him was scalding. He gave a sound of surprise as Kyle pushed him off and stood. "This is all your fucking fault!”

Stan felt hurt and confused, looking up at his best friend as he seethed with anger. “What-?”

“‘Let’s go to the party, Kyle!’ ‘You need to relax, Kyle!’ ‘It’s just going to be a little party, nothing bad is gonna happen. Take the stick out of your ass Kyle!’ If you didn’t fucking force me to go to that party, I wouldn’t have Cartman up my ass anymore than he already is and dealing with Craig’s bullshit! But, no, you wanted to go to the party for Wendy!”

“That’s not-”

"Look at where that got us! You're so fucking pathetic and desperate for Wendy’s attention that we have to do some bullshit game to entertain Cartman. Why is it always the same damn thing with you?”

Stan swallowed, his eyes wide as he looked up at the redhead. "Are you seriously doing this right now?"

“Yeah, yeah, I am! Because you have been the same ever since I fucking met you. Always so self-centered and pessimistic. It’s no wonder Wendy keeps breaking up with you, you’re so fucking tiring. I wouldn’t want to deal with you either.”

That was a low blow. He pushed himself up and took a step closer, but was still wary of getting too into Kyle’s space. "I really am trying, Kyle."

"Trying what? Nothing has changed. It's always the same damn thing with you! You always make everything about yourself!"

"Like you're any better?" Was Stan’s response and he was suddenly shoved to the ground by Kyle, making him give a loud ‘oof.’

"You better shut the fuck up! I don't give a shit if you're supposed to be my friend, I will still fuck you up if you keep testing me."

“You’re being a shitty friend,” was Stan’s weak attempt at any sort of comeback.

Kyle let out a mocking laugh. "News Flash, Stan: You're just as shitty of a friend! You always think of yourself and fuck how everybody else feels, right?" Stan began to blink rapidly as he felt his eyes begin to sting. "Until you fix whatever the fuck is wrong with you, don't talk to me. I'm done with all of your bullshit." Kyle stomped over to the ball and picked it up as he wiped his nose, staining his sweater. He didn't spare another glance towards Stan as he trudged out of the park.

Stan continued to stare at where his best friend was just a few seconds ago… or could he really call him that anymore? Kyle was right after all. Stan was so desperate to keep the bond between the two of them that he refused to see that it was fraying the entire time during these past years.

He pushed himself up from the ground, stumbling for a moment. He wanted to go home. He should've just listened to himself and canceled again. Maybe, this wouldn't have happened… He could feel tears blurring in his eyes and he hurriedly wiped them away. He didn’t want to cry. Not now, especially not now when there was a chance for Kyle to still see him. He didn’t want him to know that he had completely crushed him. He didn’t bother cleaning himself off as he finally moved to exit the park.

Pathetic… Desperate… That’s what Kyle had called him. He wondered if other people saw him that way, he wondered if Wendy did. If Kyle was right… He must be… it was almost rare for him to be both passionate and wrong. Hey, but at least he can thank Kyle for one thing - He definitely wasn't thinking about Butters anymore.

Stan didn’t even realize when he got home, so lost in his thoughts. He took a breath and tried being quiet as he entered his house, but nothing really went past his mom. 

"Stan?" Her head poked out from the kitchen. "You're already back?"

He nodded, clearing his throat. "Yeah."

She paused before taking a step out towards him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He was quick to say. "I'm just-" He choked back a sob and rushed towards the stairs. "I'm just tired. I'm gonna go lay down."

"Oh, Stanley-"

But he didn’t want to hear it. He took two steps at a time to reach his room as quickly as he could. He didn’t want her to worry and dote over him. He didn’t want her to hug him. And he definitely didn't want to cry in front of her.

When he reached his room he immediately holed himself inside, locking the door to make sure he was left alone, falling to his knees next to his dresser and pulling the drawer open. He didn’t bother being careful when digging through it, just wanting to be quick. He pulled out the bottle of Jameson again, this time finishing off the bottle. The burning warmth only distracted him for a moment, but it wasn’t enough. It was never enough. 

With a shuddery sigh, he pushed himself to stand and went over to his bed without bothering to change. He crawled under his covers once again, letting its warmth and darkness envelop him. 

He squeezed his eyes shut and put his pillow over his head, trying to induce drowsiness once more. He wanted to get away so badly. Go to sleep and just forget about everything, even just for a moment. 

Because nothing bad ever happens when you're sleeping.

[pickypickypeak]

thoughts on wish. (spoilers below)

just a nice, harmless, old-fashioned disney movie. not disney's best by far, but far far FAR from bad

animation was good. full stop

the soundtrack. julia michaels is an amazing songwriter and I feel like her style gives this movie soundtrack a very unique vibe among disney classics. maybe she went just a little too pop-ish in some parts that required more broadway styled tunes and lyrics

loved the introduction with the classic disney book

some critic said the disney easter eggs and references were distracting or like,, they were trying to cover up a bad plot with easter eggs for fanservice. well not true lol. I don’t consider bambi’s mom blink and miss cameo as fanservice I consider it childhood trauma coming back. where’s the fanservice in it

people from all over the world coming to rosas. liked that

“welcome to rosas” was okay I just wonder if she does this for any person coming to rosas. like. like it’s a job? she’s getting paid?

asha is a nice character, despite falling a bit under the "adorkable" main girl stereotype. I still feel like she's well characterized, she is stubborn, selfless and will do anything for her family. stan

valentino's not annoying as you'd think

asha's friends are so cool please I love them all so much HOWEVER some of their lines felt a little flat?? they could have been WAY more fun easily I just wish they had more screen time

gabo is wasted potential you can't tell me otherwise

dahlia was literally nerfed you know that

I love that they picked simon to be the depressed one (he’s meant to represent sleepy from seven dwarfs)

bazeema randomly disappearing because she's an introvert she's so right we do that sometimes

I've seen people complaining about disney being politically correct (as always...) for finally making a movie with a classic villain and then making him redeemable, well he's not?? movie ends up bad for him just like with old villains?? this is literally what we’ve been asking for, a villain who is just a villain. king magnifico has motivations of course but still does bad things and gets punishment for that. classic old school disney villain. don’t know what you want

queen amaya, my love whom I owe my life, marry me

“at all costs” listen. this felt a little out of place. that’s because they apparently changed the context to the song. it was supposed to be a love duet between asha and a scrapped human version of star who was like. a jack frost-y character who fell in love with asha. in the final movie, asha and magnifico are singing to the wishes. it still kinda works, but I really wish we got to see the other way round. looks like they really didn’t want to go full classic love story route, but it’s a shame. I’m sure that would have been beautiful and very very disney. the demo version sung by julia michaels and benjamin rice gives you a glimpse of what might have been and it’s just so good, you should really listen to it

actually listen to all the song demos

that one lady screaming in the crowd I forgot her name but shout out to her

asha's family was there

her grandfather turning 100 just like disney and wishing to inspire people and then composing when you wish upon a star after the credits?? so what??? this man is disney???? wtf????? crying

“this wish” bop. next

star’s not annoying as you’d think

the animals were cute john the bear my beloved also the mushrooms please

“I’m a star” actually empowered me okay!!! you know what that squirrel is fucking right we are fucking stars!!!!

“thank you for not eating me john” “you’re welcome bambi” that was wild

breakdancing chickens and it didn’t feel cringe. a miracle perhaps

asha’s friends are so normal about star

simon being sad about making star sad… certified good guy

did I mention I wish we got more of asha’s friends

anyway why does star only grant the animals’ wishes. why do all animals just wish they can talk human

I'm thinking screaming lady's name was sania maybe??

“this is the thanks I get?!” is the perfect song for magnifico. way more in character than “at all costs”

magnifico coming to asha’s house was scary

asha really can swim is she also moana or smth

simon betraying her broke me. never trusting a himbo again

“knowing what I know now” instant bop. please all of them singing together about magnifico being a bastard? queen amaya suddenly entering the room and the music stops and they all just stand there like oh man we fucked up? and then the queen just slams the door and bursts into singing about her husband being a bastard too?? that gave me major chills like yeah girl leave him take me instead

asha and wands: a love story

the bunnies please

“this wish (reprise)” they really defeated the villain with the power of friendship AND by singing this is the most disney movie to ever disney

queen amaya becoming the single queen she deserves to be you go girl (but I'll still have her if she wants me)

simon my man we forgive you you were depressed. it’s not your fault

asha becoming a fairy godmother is actually kind of cool

"oh so you wanna fly? nice. meet peter pan" honey you say it so casually

A BIT SALTY ABOUT THE ENDING. it's not bad but that would have been WAY more emotional if they let us see asha say goodbye to star. especially because they say it's gonna happen soon, so what's the point in not showing us?? asha and star hugging and crying and then star flying up to the sky. asha looking up at the stars, smiling with tears in her eyes and then the camera moves up to the sky and star has become THE star like the one in pinocchio and princess and the frog. all of this with the "this wish" instrumental. that was a perfect way to wrap it!! also oh my gosh imagine asha saying goodbye to star boy!!! ç_ç

the credits with various characters were a nice touch but why on sweet planet earth did they put yokai as a representative of big hero 6

the credits song, "a wish worth making" just... exists. the lyrics though. they hit hard

I really stayed until the end of the credits just to watch 3 seconds of sabino playing music

final verdict: was ALL the hate for this movie deserved? hell no maybe you should just remember you’re a star and relax

[thisandthat-whatever]

Yea better not call herself stan, reasonable fan is better. Stan nowadays half of them is straight up weirdos.

If we talk about Tim/Tom I can't compare their skills bc not saw much Tim works bc I not like him much as person. One big difference one fame hungry and seem like have bigger desire in acting craft,on other side Tom said himself he wasn't planning be a actor,never was in drama school. So force himself never good way to be best in profession,so we don't know if he have enough desire in this. So objectively Tim have bigger chance be successful.

Right now looks like Fred Astaire on pause,Paul King said project on early stages so Tom have again free year, after in 2025 spiderman shooting. After all marvel project Tom career can go two ways or he get tired hitting the way and retire maybe move to something else or will have breakthrough role.

I don’t call myself a stan “because stans are weirdos”. That is not the reason. I am not a stan nowadays because I don’t invest my free time in him as much as I used to when I was a stan. I do not even remember the last time I posted his picture, when in the past I used to be an update/content account for him and tomdaya, so anyone who knew my old account then knows the drastic shift which happened naturally.

As for Tom, I think he loves acting. He didn’t attend some classes at his drama school much because he was working or busy , not because he didn’t care about acting. He was busy getting real life acting experiences during those years. As for him saying he may take time off, this is him taking that time off. Taking time off is not same thing as retiring. Also, he is a storyteller. He loves embellishing or exaggerating things and he is emotionally expressive, so I think he wanted to have a break and some people took it as if he wants to retire soon, but what he was trying to express was no different than what Z said, which is that if they were to stop acting tomorrow, they would still be doing something they like (Z said she would have been a teacher if it was not acting), by that what they meant was their entire existence and self-worth are not tied to their success in acting. They would still be happy people if acting stopped tomorrow.

I don’t think Tom will retire anytime soon. He still has some fire in his belly and likes the craft. Maybe working extra hard on Fred Astaire may give him that extra motivation and inspiration.