#Or if it is because of all the stupid stuff I see everyone I go to the tags

[riorgail]

since this is getting so much attention, i want to make my point clear.

my point is—why are we making grown fucking women so childlike and weak? why are we not giving them a personality or a backbone?

and also, what’s happening to diversity? why is there a lack of diversity and representation on these fanfics? or even inspo/aesthetics pics

anyways, i wrote some stuff down from what people replied to make my point as clear as day, so here goes nothing

(you might notice how i mostly talk about an mmc x fem!reader and that’s because those are most of the tags i read. but i’ve been told that it also happens in wlw fics)

a lot of people told me about tagging. they told me that i didn’t have to choose those tags or that i could just ignore the fics people post with the tags i don’t like. you see, the problem is that a lot of the authors who write the stuff im talking about in my post don’t usually use the correct tags. when i say that i have tried to ignore the fics with things that i didn’t like but it got so repetitive that i had to speak about it, trust me. im anything but interested in the “bimbo!reader” or “trophywife!reader” tags i talked about in my original post.

someone mentioned in my comments that tumblr is supposed to be a “safe space” and that they don’t like negativity, but it’s hard to stay positive when “x reader” fanfics are starting to become anything but “x reader.” and also, let’s be real, fandoms/tumblr are never going to be a 100% safe space.

this same person said, and i quote, “I hope everyone is doing okay and learns that things that aren't actually hurting people can coexist with the fact that some people just don't like it.” sorry to break it to you, but this problem does hurt people. for example, women of color, including me. i wrote this post because i started to feel like i wasn’t being represented in fics that SHOULD make me feel represented. and im sure that a lot of women of color or women that don’t want to be seen as dumb or stupid can agree.

can someone please tell me when we started normalizing objectification? a user replied on my original post complaining about the “bimbo!reader” tag and they basically said that the reader gets reduced to this pink and stupid girl that just gets fucked and that’s the whole point of the fic. honestly, i couldn’t agree more. why are we making the reader dumb and stupid? why is the whole point of most fanfics with that bimbo!reader tag to get fucked by whatever character you’re reading about? it pisses me off that most “mmc x reader” fanfics make the reader (that is a woman, like, 93% of the time) submit and allow to be treated like an object. another user also said that fandom is a tool of patriarchy and i couldn’t agree more at this point.

also, i’m sorry, but i don’t give a FUCK if “objectification” or kinks where a woman gets constantly put down—by, specifically, a man—is your kink. it’s not empowering. you’re reading about a woman being narrowed down into a fuck toy and completely disregarding everything else. and trust me when i say that i used to be into this stuff until i realized how smut/porn addicted i was and how this type of kink just shames women and narrows them down to pocket pussies. i don’t know what radicalized me but yeah.

i know people can write and post whatever they want, but it gets to a point. and that point is when you completely disregard the years of work it took for women to be treated as anything but objects. and some may say “it’s not that deep,” but trust me, it is. with the state of the world and the very clear recession there’s going on, it IS that fucking deep. and if you can’t see how media/pop culture and the current state of the world influence each other, then research. for the love of god, please research it.

i’m pretty sure that’s the end of this post, but i just wanted to make shit clear because i didn’t in my original post (my bad sorry). all love to anyone that reads this.

if anyone wants to talk about this with me, just send me a message through my anon request thingy.

why do i keep seeing “young!ditzy!reader” or “trophywife!reader” or stupid shit like that where authors make the ‘reader’ the most fragile person in the world??

at the end of the day, this recession theory shit is real. and it is seen clearly as day on this app.

why are the inspo pics for the oneshot just blonde and skinny white girls?? why are we making the reader sweet and innocent and fragile??

and look, there’s nothing wrong about being a blonde and skinny white girl, but after seeing the same pictures as inspo for a series or a oneshot, it gets annoying and repetitive how there’s no diversity.

also, i’m not saying every post in the “x reader” tag is like this, but they just keep popping up on my feed and i had to speak my mind about it.

please, if anyone reads this, tell me if you found the same problem or i’m just going crazy.

[leriexoxo]

SKZ HEADCANONS

Bestfriend! Stray kids vs You in a heated staring match (OT8)

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

AN: I did a poll a few days ago for new content and everyone chose head canons so here we are! I’ll be creating a separate master list for these but it will be attached to the main ML. Requests for Head canons are open!

Disclaimer: I will not take ABO requests! (Or any sorta weird stuff)

⸻

Bang Chan

• Laughs when it starts. All dimples and cocky smirks. But the second your eyes lock and you don’t flinch, his smile fades.

• His jaw tics. You see it—see the way his eyes drop to your lips for a fraction of a second, like instinct.

• “You sure you wanna keep looking at me like that, sweetheart?” he murmurs, low and teasing—but it sounds like a threat.

• Doesn’t look away. Not because of the game—because he can’t. He’s too busy thinking about how good you’d look underneath him, making that same intense eye contact while he wrecks you.

Lee Know

• He’s cocky from the jump. Tilts his head, folds his arms, leans in just enough to make it feel intimate.

• The tension builds so quietly. His eyes are sharp but soft around the edges. You feel stripped bare, like he’s undressing you with his gaze.

• When he sees your throat bob? He smirks.

• “Getting nervous?” he whispers, and it feels like he’s right next to your ear even though he hasn’t moved an inch.

• The moment your gaze flickers down—just once—he wins. And he knows it.

Changbin

• Gets flustered immediately. Tries to act tough, but you see the way his ears go pink.

• He starts with that goofy grin, but the longer it goes on, the more serious his expression gets. His brows draw together. His jaw sets.

• He licks his lips. That’s his downfall. That unconscious little habit that suddenly makes it feel too real.

• “Why’s it so hot in here?” he mumbles—and you both laugh, but neither of you look away.

Hyunjin

• Deadly. Absolutely lethal. He stares like it’s art. Like you’re art. His eyes are dreamy and half-lidded and burning.

• Leans forward just enough that you can smell his cologne, his breath, and you realize this game? Yeah. It’s not a game anymore.

• His tongue swipes across his lower lip so slowly and he watches your eyes drop to follow it.

• “You blinked,” he says, voice like velvet. And then smirks. “Or maybe you just got distracted.”

Han

• Tries to make jokes to break the tension. “What do I win if I beat you?” “Can I use my puppy eyes as a weapon?”

• But the silence creeps in. Your gaze stays steady. And he changes.

• He starts squirming in place, biting his lip, suddenly too aware of how close you’re sitting, how pretty your eyes are.

• “This doesn’t feel friendly anymore,” he blurts. Then goes beet red. “Not in a bad way—! I mean, not that I don’t—fuck.”

Felix

• So sweet at first. Giggling, winking at you, doing little fake attempts to distract you.

• But when you don’t react, when you just stare? His expression shifts. His voice drops. His freckles seem to glow under the heat of it.

• “You’re really not gonna look away, huh?” he says softly. And then—whispers it again. Closer.

• Your faces are inches apart and the air is thick. And when neither of you move, he just smiles. “Kinda like this…”

Seungmin

• Immediately calls it childish. “This is stupid.” Says he’s not playing. Then plays anyway.

• You match his stare, eyebrow raised. And for once, he breaks. His face twists—caught between annoyed and aroused.

• “Why are you looking at me like that?” he mumbles. But he doesn’t look away. If anything, he leans closer.

• Suddenly it’s quiet. The kind of quiet that makes your skin buzz. You swallow. He watches your throat.

• “Don’t start something you can’t finish,” he says under his breath.

Jeongin

• Tries to win by pure stubbornness. “I’ve got this. I’m unbeatable.”

• But his eyes soften the longer he looks at you. His breathing changes. His lips part just a little.

• He gets so self-conscious, but doesn’t back down. You see him glance at your mouth and immediately regret it.

• “I swear if you move any closer I’m gonna—” he mutters, then cuts himself off.

• Neither of you knows how to stop it now.

[zany-lil-detective]

Okay, now there's been some separation and I can collect my thoughts; Bobby's death fucking sucks. I am going to miss that man so much, this was stupid. However, for the sake of argument and getting this thought out, they also killed him in a really dumb way. And even outside of Tim claiming Bobby's death is part of some search for 'realism' (though that's still very relevant), it also sucks because Bobby's a firefighter and this is way outside their normal stuff. If he'd died in a big natural disaster or in a fire, that would have made so much more sense and potentially, while still really fucking sad, would maybe be more satisfying for his character.

To me though, I really think if he had to die, it should have been cancer. Which, I am fully aware of how that sounds, but stick with me here for a sec. I understand 'oh, surprise cancer diagnosis' happens a lot in TV, and 911 has used it a good handful. However, I just feel like it would be good narratively, even in spite of the fact I actually hurt my own feelings with this one.

For one thing, it would circle back to the thing in season one where Bobby thought he had cancer and it turned out he had special donation blood. (Heck, or even the time where he was in that tunnel with the radiation and Buck got worried!) At the time he didn't care about living and even with his list of names not being completed, would have welcomed death.

Suddenly getting cancer when he has so many people to live for would be a gut punch. And, as a firefighter, lung cancer would make sense. It also means we get to see Bobby fighting for his life for the sake of his life; for wanting to live, for wanting to stick around for the people in his life, not sacrificing himself in a 'it's you or me' situation. He only has his own life to consider and he wants to live. It would also be something that could be drawn out, giving both the characters and the audience time to really sit in and process the idea of Bobby potentially being gone.

We'd get everyone being sad, and emotional, and trying to be supportive. (I feel like Ravi and Bobby would have some serious discussions and heart to hearts that would also let Ravi's character be explored.)

And then, things just don't work. Maybe the chemo takes initially but stops working, and they all have to live in the reality that Bobby probably only has so much longer to live. It would still bring Eddie and Chris back, because you bet your ass they're coming back to LA to spend Bobby's final months with him.

Heck, I'm not super focused on Buddie in this, but it could even bring Buddie together; they get their heads out of their asses, being reminded of life being fleeting but also wanting Bobby to know everything he's done for them, including bringing them together in every way that matters.

It also gives time for whoever's new captain (not Gerrard, never Gerrard) to learn to be captain with Bobby still being there to support them and help them through it and give advice.

And, it would give everyone time to prepare, but especially Athena. She's had so many things and people just suddenly ripped from her with no warning. It would still be sad and painful, but at least Athena would have some warning, would be able to say a proper goodbye to Bobby and their life together, knowing for sure he wouldn't choose to leave instead of what they did in the lab.

Again, no death would be good by any means, but if Bobby had to die, I feel like something slow like a terminal illness would give time to process, grieve, and prepare for the final blow.

[unknownlesbianartist]

What I see here is the angstiest, gayest and most Valgrace, Solangelo bullshit but we’re not on the Argo two, this is an AU. They’re all somehow rich celebrities either actors or singers or whatnot.

Leo: Drummer in a band with Nico, Percy and Jason. Keeps throwing salt at Nico bc he’s terrified of them not needing him anymore or kicking him out of the group for being too annoying.

Jason: is a guitarist with Percy. There’s two guitarists to reflect the Percy Jason drama from the books. He has a crush on Leo but he doesn’t do anything about it bc he’s afraid it’ll ruin their friendship. Leo is the same.

Nico: singer and bassist of the band, a total outcast and keeps getting salted by Leo. Broski is depresso, running on espresso and keeps drinking wine whenever he can because that is really fun to me. Don’t ask, I’m sick in the head. Also Bianca and Maria are alive and Hades is a stupid-rich Italian business man. Meaning Nico is also rich. Maybe that’s where he gets the wine money. Anyways, drama trauma drama trauma

Piper: a rapper bc she is a boss bitch. Goes by beauty queen as her rapper name and she makes big bucks by Eminem-ing the shits out of everyone. Also models for street wear brands and stuff. Her most iconic thing is her ridiculous vocal range, going from rock vocals to siren’s song whenever she wants. She has multiple Grammies under her belt.

Annabeth: Actress, has Oscars, end of story. She’s badass and stars in many badass female roles in movies that would’ve flopped without her brilliance. She’s actively dating Percy and they’re the celebrity couple on every magazine. Her glory doesn’t depend on Percy’s the slightest bit. She makes her own money but she loves having Percy pay for her stuff. Girlboss activities 24/7/365

Hazel: famous painter. Also has won multiple riding championships and is the stepdaughter of the Di Angelo family. She was born from a failing marriage between Hades and her mom. I know she’s a daughter of Pluto but you guys will just have to live. She’s great friends with Bianca and Nico loves her to bits.

Frank: wrestler. He will go into the ring and fucking devour his opponent and leave zero fucks given. He has a great voice but he refuses to have a career in singing bc that just isn’t really his thing. Hazel knows this and thinks it’s the sweetest thing ever.

WILLIAM ANDREW FUCKING SOLACE: (can you tell I’m in love with him?) makes those sweet kind of songs that you listen to when you want to feel like someone is giving you a warm hug. He has the warmest man’s kindest voice ever and he just absolutely eats. Nico has the biggest fucking crush on him but won’t do anything about it bc he’s a traumatised gay rich boy who keeps drinking wine and eating everything remotely pomegranate flavoured. Will’s mom is like the Taylor Swift of this AU (no I’m not making him a doctor bc this AU is based on famous and rich and stuff and I don’t have the creativity to shove a fucking doctor into that mess)

Percy: son of a marine biologist and an artist-author and the guitarist of the band. He is hot and famous and loved by literally everyone even though he keeps downplaying it like the humble little fuck he is. Get a self worth man. Anyways, he wouldn’t be too big of a character in this AU since it’s strongly Leo-Nico-Will-Jason centric with everyone else of course. Or bc I just really don’t like him too much. Could be either, could be both.

I might write this actually

no hey listen to me the reason Leo was kind of a bully to Nico wasn't because he was the son of Hades or he came from another time or that he was kind of off putting; Hazel checks all those boxes and be was besties with her. It was because Leo found someone that the Argo could hate more than him and so he rode that wave until he could. So he wouldn't be the most disliked on that ship. Do you get what I'm saying? hello?? are you listening to me??

[cccakessslicemeee]

I will ramble about the gukgaks now. Firstly I love them.

As usual spoilers for fantasy high read at your own risk

----------------------------------------------------------

I'm curious to see if there are any fics where Riz and his mom just have a day to themselves. Like Riz is in a lot of clubs and would have a shit ton of skills that he never gets to flaunt because he just too busy.

I like to imagine Riz and his mom finally have a quiet moment. Maybe it's a Saturday and they are Pok's grave just bitching the pot. I also like to imagine that in general Sklonda and Riz are just nosey bitches so like they would absolutely do the thing where when a neighbor is yelling they do the whole "imma pretend real hard not to listen to this" while inching closer and trying to read on things.

They absolutely shouldn't.

But they do. Maybe someone's having a fight with their girlfriend in their hallway and ya know what they should absolutely have a listen because what if things got violent? What if?

She knows she shouldn't encourage this but she does anyway. Like maybe riz is in his clues and not paying attention and she's like sweetie... Listen the Johnson's are at it again.

Anyway where was I? Yeah they go to Pok's grave and bitch and chew and talk shit on the neighbors and the town and just anything and everything. Maybe Riz can show off a cool magic trick or juggle a little bit? Card tricks. Maybe he can kinda dance but that's because Kristen and Fig force him to learn fantasy tik Tok dances. Fabian thinks it's beneath him so he'd never but even he admits some of the footwork is "decent".

Maybe Sklonda and Riz have little bonding moments where they see who can take apart their gun quicker and put it back together. They probably like already have gone to a shooting range before... Riz is such a lawful person I can't image him NOT having formal gun training? Like those 3 hour courses you have to attend three times.

I can't imagine Sklonda wouldn't teach her how to handle a fire arm. And in the first season and second I think(?) Pok's gun is huge in the artwork. Unless I'm dumb? Could be. Anyway it's a big ass gun and it's gonna have a big ass kick and Like imagine a tiny Riz who has yet to grow into his ears trying to steady this big ass gun, his mom right behind him helpping him figure out how to use the sight and get a handle on aiming while carefully reminding him that it's gonna kick back into his shoulder and he needs to NOT brace when it kicks back. He needs to kinda let the gun make his shoulder jump back with the force. If he tenses up he's just letting the butt if the gun slam into his shoulder and it's gonna hurt.

And then when he hits the target she's like "look at you go, your dad would be so proud. I'm proud of you. Now remember what do we always say?"

"safety first!" And he's just beaming.

Also I like to imagine Riz is familiar with the Elmvile precinct. Like he would definitely just hang out there and be a nosey lil shit especially if he just wanted to see his mom. I also like to think the people working there would be like .. okay he's not gonna leave so let's make him do stuff like prep the coffee machine and get everyone's lunch orders/order it and like print paper work. Because if they don't make him do something he's gonna sneak back and get into shit he don't need to. Sklonda has had to kick him out of the precinct at least twice a day until she got a babysitter because Riz won't just sit still and read or something.

Sorry I'm rambling and kinda jumping all over the place.

Anyway I think Riz and Sklonda should have a nice time doing literally anything else that isn't saving the fucking world. I feel like they would do well in laser tag or paint ball.

Maybe they could just chill at home watching the murder channel and shit talking everything the criminal does.

"oh damn. He was smart except he left his fingerprints on the doorknob. Idiot" type shit.

Also stupid silly thought. Sklonda HATES donuts because it's the stereotype for cops to be lazy assholes who do nothing but sip coffee and eat donuts expecting a crime to happen.

Riz fucking loves donuts. Everyone always brings donuts to the precinct and it's just a familiar treat he grew up on. They were special and nostalgic. He also assumes his mom likes donuts because what kind of cop doesn't like donuts? Occasionally he'll get a box and bring it home and sklonda will eat one because she's not gonna spit in the face of her son's kindness. Riz makes it a point to pick up the cakey donuts that don't have like drizzle or whatever because he assumes she doesn't like the crazy ones with fillings and sprinkles.

Riz and his mom have the most intense chess matches. They are both brilliant people and riz has read every book he could on the matter. They have four hour games. It's wild. I also like to imagine they play Scrabble and they've played long enough to make up their own words or certain allowances. Like "Fuckton" or "Assload" are not real words but they are pretty self explanatory and easy to use in casual conversation. Also like with certain words like Stupid depending on how it's spelled could mean different things like stupid-someone is hella dumb or a thing is hella dumb- and then Stoopid- the dumbest man to ever walk the earth. maybe not these specific rules but I think you get the point they'd have their own to make the game more interesting.

[triglycercule]

alright,,,,,is this newyears gift,,,,,, i dont no. but maybe it's late enough that i'll be able to forget that i drew this 😁😁😁😁 mttpoly doodles. whoever sees this sees this

[thehorsemafioso]

//I read this yesterday and was thinking about the reply but I forgot T-T

Ghibli movies are the only movies I can justify sitting down to watch completely instead of working XD They are hard to beat.

Poe can be very dark and hard to read, so I don’t recommend his works to most people. I tend to have a very dark sense of humour and I enjoy a good murder mystery now and then, as well as some horror, so I can handle Poe pretty well. I honestly would not push yourself to read it unless it is something that really sparks your interests.

Business suits and silly socks! I love that! I find it so cool that that is what you might wear on a daily basis, probably because I am so used to seeing everyone wearing pyjamas for crying out loud!! (I sometimes get irritated because of how sloppy people dress where I live. I think making yourself look presentable is important. The way you dress and act can say a lot about your personality and character. Of course, every man has their freewill and thus, I can’t go around telling people not to go to town in their sleep wear lol)

I rarely see people dressed nicely in suits or just nice coats or clothing in general, so when I do see someone like that, I notice right away and remember them. For example, this young man I keep seeing around craft fairs and such. At first, I thought he was a girl because of his ponytail, but I realized I was wrong. He is always wearing a very smart looking suit and tie, thick black glasses, as well as a nice hat, like a fedora. I have only ever seen him about four times, and I have certainly never talked with him (that I remember), but I always remember him because of how much he sticks out! (In a good way, ofc).

I sometimes wonder how he would react if he knew some random girl always noticed him when he was about. I know, I know, it sounds like borderline stalking, but I don’t get out much, so when I recognize a person, I get ecstatic. And anyway, I doubt he knows I exist, and I do believe I have talked with him briefly in passing, but it was only a question and I myself did not recognize him until later (I was a little tired that day lol).

But, I’m ranting about something stupid. Anyway, I hate dresses and skirts, mostly because I don’t look good in them (my shoulders are too broad.) Although, one of my friends says I would look good in a dress which is tailored to my body. I wouldn’t have the money or patience for that, so no thank you! I sometimes get called a ‘conscript’ by my family members because of the surplus I wear, but I think it’s funny. It’s all in jest, ofc.

I’ve always had a fascination with knights and, surprisingly, pirates. I loved reading about a knights code of conduct or code of honor and I remember deciding at a very young age that I myself would have one. It’s very admirable to me. My family always teases me because I say I hope never to get married. I would say I have very high standards, to be perfectly honest. (Obviously, not in a bad way, but in a way that I should. I always have believed that marriage is a kind of sacred thing that should not be taken lightly.) I’ve always liked the idea of a gentleman ‘courting’ a lady, as opposed to dating lol (I know it’s basically the same thing, but I prefer the old fashioned version of the word. You can probably tell I am a lover of the old fashioned days.)

(It’s strange because I feel like I’m completely gutting myself to some degree, talking about all of this stuff. I would say I am not afraid to share some of the things that make me, me. I don’t want to bore you to death with the silly thoughts inside my head, so you can tell me if I say something uncomfortable or that you aren’t interested in.))

ALRIGHT, here are two results of the different polls I posted. And guess what. I decided, the heck with the poll about coast, and went with this.

I give you, Akutagawa as a knight riding a horse!

(Btw thanks @insufferablewhore )

[turtleplushi]

I need to stop drawing them my god

[mangyraccooon]

Wanting in advance no medical stuff here has been fact checked

Dragon doesn’t tell Sabo.

He should, given that they are just starting to tentatively reconcile from.. well… the whole marineford/memories back thing.

Sabo hasn’t forgiven him yet, not that Dragon thinks he’s being unreasonable for it. But it aches all the same, seeing the boy who is almost his own look at him with such betrayal.

“How could you leave luffy alone?!”

Dragon writes a letter for him instead, he writes letters to several people.

He has a secondary deal, not with law but shanks. If the surgery goes wrong or doesn’t work.

Dragon does not wish to spend the next few years as a prisoner in his own body.

Luffys letter takes the longest and is simultaneously the shortest. Its paper is also the most tear stained.

The day of his surgery he goes to Sabo, chickens out on giving the boy a hug and pats his shoulder. “I want you to know that…”

That I consider you my son

That I am so proud of you

That I love you

“That I don’t need you to forgive me.”

Sabo is a little perplexed but lets it go when his name is called.

Iva is holding his hand as he goes under.

“Hey sunshine~”

Dragon grimaces, pressing a hand to his forehead and attempting to sit up. A hand presses on his chest gentle but firm.

“Ahh nope gotta stay reclined for a bit longer. No trying to talk either”

Dragon is almost certain his jaw is wired shut at this point. It feels almost cemented together. He cracks an eye, catching a glimpse of flaming red hair.

Shanks does a jazz hand, smiling brightly. “Congrats big guy! Surgery was a resounding success! The rest is up to you.”

Back on the stupid bed, dragon raises a hand and when no interference comes. Gently touches his jaw and neck. He can feel his face flushing as he realizes that his jaw has not been wired shut at all. Instead there is a small piece of tape over his mouth.

How embarrassing.

5 minutes pass.

Dragon is out of his mind bored, dear gods he supposed to be here for another 4 weeks! Why didn’t he bring a book?

Because bringing a book meant he had hope. And Dragon hadn’t had something like that in a while.

Luckily for whatever reason, shanks who is still in his room.. pulls out scrabble.

“Bet you can’t beat me!” He exclaims, in only slight artificial cheer.

Two hours later, dragon is contemplating murder.

He’d be less angry if he could voice any of his displeasure but he’s still relegated to death stares and violent hand gestures.

T H A T I S N O T A W O R D’ He painstakingly finger spells at the redhead menace.

He can’t actually be sure if shanks knows sign or if he’s just so used to the conversation that he answers in stride. “Sexscapades is totally a word! Everyone who’s experienced them knows.” He gives a raunchy wink.

U C A L L I N G M E A V I R G I N?’

Shanks holds up his hand, “hey hey, don’t have go throwing the big V around. I’m just saying you might be a little inexperienced compared to some.”

That moment the door opens and Law steps through. “How is the patient?” He asks dry as sawdust and about as charming.

K I L L H I M O R I W I L L’

“Good to know your brain hasn’t short circuited.” Law replies blandly, “Red hair? Get the hell out.”

Shanks did leave, muttering and mumbling about bullies and lack of comedic sense. Once the nuisance was out of the room. Law pulled up a chair, much like a stereotypical youth pastor would.

“So surgery was good, no talking for the next couple days. Then we can start you on speech therapy. We’ve got you hooked up to several different IVs to get your body out of its current pitiful state.

After the IVs we are gonna be giving you lots of protein drinks, essentially slowly working our way through the food pyramid while providing you with the most carbs possible. If all goes well you will leave here with a voice and a few extra pounds”

Dragon nods, more to show he’s paying attention than anything.

“Ivan said they will drop by again in a couple days, hopefully the day we get that tape off.” Law checks his watch. “Shall I send the Redheaded step child back in or?”

The horrifying realization that the only company Dragon will have for the next week is Shanks, seeps in slowly.

He hangs his head in despair.

Week 1; Dragon has never been so thankful to be able to open and close his mouth without interference.

He clicks his teeth together several times l, then his tongue. Rolls his jaw trying to remember how exactly his teeth should fit together.

“How does it feel?” Iva frets, fluttering around him. “Are you in any pain?”

Dragon swallows, for the first time without painkillers and finds.. there isn’t an ache. He lets out a shakey breath, mouthing familiar words.

His first word would be profound or perhaps sentimental. Something about Luffy or the cause.

“I’m so proud!!!” Shanks wails, “baby is gonna say his first words! Someone get me a snail!!!”

And so Dragons first words are.

“Sexscapades is not a fucking word.”

That gets everyone’s attention. Shanks even falls over, although it was mainly from laughter.

“Dragon..” Iva looks close to tears. “Oh!” He swoops in and shoves Dragon into their voluptuous breasts.

“Iva..” Dragons voice is shaky a little pitchy, but most definitely his. He pats his friends arm. “It’s ok, don’t cry.”

His own eyes may be misting over.

That night Dragon is wide awake whispering into the empty room. Names, places, anything and everything.

Tears run down his cheeks as he begins to hum an old lullaby. The same one he sang to Luffy every night.

Week two:

Dragon is dying, not of the ‘throat therapy’ as Shanks had so eloquently dubbed it, but of the fucking protein shakes.

God he never wants to see beige liquid ever again.

The only reason he keeps drinking is because Law has threatened him with an enema.

Between the therapy and shakes Dragon spends most of the time napping. Something about his body taking time to recover. Who knew all those late nights and getting little to no sleep was detrimental to his health?

When he isn’t napping or doing vocal stuff and getting his throat poked at. Dragon is stuck primarily with Shanks.

Who wasnt as previously assumed there for Dragon at all and actually here doing a detox because 1. Shanks did actually want to live past 50 and 2. Because and these were Laws words ‘by god your lucky your liver hasn’t imploded and you need a kidney transplant’

And of course being the only two people on the tang who are patients and also the closest in age. Dragon and Shanks end up hanging out.

Right now however Shanks is in withdrawals. Dragon can’t say he’s doing a better job of comforting him than shanks did the week previous.

Right now The redhead is pale, clammy and very sweaty. Looking at Dragon through bloodshot eyes that seem to have trouble focusing.

“Tell me a story.” He whines, like a child wanting comfort.

This ain’t the first time he’s asked, but Dragon indulges him Nonetheless.

Two days later Shanks is in the worst of it, his body spasming at times.

“Either he powers through or he doesn’t.” Law remarks indifferently when Dragon shares his concerns.

The older man regards him. “Anyone ever tell you, you’re a bit of an ass?”

Law gives him a sardonic smile and rooms away.

“Hhhey you.” Shanks tries for his signature smile but it falls flat as Dragon takes his seat beside the bed.

“You look like shit.”

“Pott meeeet kettt- kettle.” Shanks arm shakes as he brushes back oily hair. “I still weaaar it better.”

Dragon may or may not be growing in a patchy beard due to lack of a razor.

“Do you want a story?” He asks.

“Tha-at would be… nice.” Shanks sighs.

The start of the third week Shanks fever breaks and while he’s no longer experiencing spasms, he is still very weak. His hand seems to have an intermittent tremor.

Dragon finally gets to have actual food! Well, softened food mostly but still!

He stealthily passes off his chicken soup to Shanks however. He has had enough of that shit for two lifetimes.

He and shanks develop a sort of routine that involves going on walks around the tang, shanks with a cane or walker and Dragon beside him.

Like a pair of doddering old fools at the retirement home.

It’s Shanks who makes the correlation and Dragon laughs so hard he almost ends up on the floor.

In better news it’s his last week of official vocal therapy. He still has exercises he has to do on his own. But after Friday, he won’t ever have to hear Shanks say “throat therapy” again.

Who is he kidding, Shanks will say it no matter what.

Dragons voice is almost back to how it was before he gave up Luffy. It’s almost disconcerting, he sounds younger. Less worn out.

He even giggled at Shanks the other day, Giggled! He didn’t even know he could do that.

Week 4:

The baths are really nice, Dragon can’t remember the last time he took a long bath. He washes his hair carefully, brushing all the knots out.

It would’ve been extremely peaceful, if he hadn’t bumped into Shanks on the way out.

“Oh!” Which really? Is that the best the redhead can say?

At least Shanks still has his pants on albeit unbuckled. Dragon is just in a towel, a rather small towel given his size.

He can feel eyes on him as he changes, no doubt seeing the scars and body hair and stretch marks that decorate his lower back. Dragon leaves in a rush, not even bothering with his socks.

“How old are you again?” Asks shanks the next day. No hello, no good morning.

Dragon simply thanks the heavens he wasn’t gonna mention the baths.

“55.”

“You’re 16 years older than me!?”

“Uh I mean..,” Dragon feels like he somehow misstepped in the conversation. “Yes?”

Shanks throws his hands in the air, muttering about genetics and lucky bastards. Before slowly lowering his hands looking back at Dragon. “Wait, so you had Luffy in your late 30s.”

“Yes?” What was this twenty questions?

“Huh, I always thought Luffy was an oopsie baby..”

Dragon rolls his eyes. “Yes turns out even in your late thirties, late nights can result in happy accidents.”

“Well yeah, but you know..” Shanks gestures vaguely. “You don’t seem like the type of guy who’d forget a condom, you know after 18.”

“Technically I never needed a condom at least when it came to worries about procreation.”

Minutes tick by as Shanks thinks it over, Dragon ignores him and continues eating his fruit. Oh he had missed fruit, he was totally gonna hunt down an island that grew papaya after this.

Dragon was drooling over hypothetical papayas when Shanks snapped his fingers. The light bulb in his head finally going off.

“You’re! You’re!”

“A homosexual yes.” The older man sighed. It wasn’t totally true but it was easily then going on a whole spiel about how his brain worked when it came to romance.”

Shanks flopped down beside him. “So Luffys other… dad? He’s? Not around?”

Not around that was certainly one way to say it.

“Is that why you gave Luffy away?”

Dragon put down his spoon appetite gone. “That would be a nice little story, wouldn’t it?” He stands, purposefully turning away from the redhead. “You truly think I’d give up my child because of heartbreak?”

He walked back to his room, gulping air, feeling the phantom pain of steel in his throat.

The week ends quietly, the Red force arrives to pick up their captain. Dragon still can’t say he understand the deal between red hair and Law but catching a glimpse of Benn Beckmann squeezing the surgeons ass, he starts to get a few ideas..

Shanks who had been avoiding Dragon for the past few days, offers a ride.

“Im.. going see anchor.” He offers a hopeful smile, “it would be nice if you were to come.”

It would be the second time Dragon gets to see his son. In the past 17 years.

He smiles and agrees hoping no one catches onto the fact that He’s fucking terrified.

Shanks grabs his arm, surprisingly strong with how easy he pulls Dragon toward the ship. “Come on then, Lucky made brisket.”

Dragon has to surreptitiously wipe away the drool at that sentence.

Approx 3 weeks and 2 days later.

Luffy is being held by the scruff by jinbei because it doesn’t matter that Shanks is coming we do not try to swim to the red force.

They are docked at a small island, with little no population. The natives they had encountered did not care they were pirates just asked they stay out of their village.

“Sanji!” Luffy yells, “we are having a party!”

Loud cursing comes from the makeshift kitchen their cook has set up.

It’s almost sunset when the Redforce docks.

Luffy waits patiently for Shanks. (He threw himself onto the ship and into the redheads arm immediately.)

“Hi Shanks!” He chirps. Looking over his dad.

Shanks smiles, pulling him in closer. “Hey anchor.”

They stay like that for a long time.

Shanks smells like salt, sweat and spice but not booze. Luffy presses his nose deeper into his dad’s cloaks hoping to memorize the smell.

“Luffy, there’s someone here that wants to meet you.”

Luffy blinks “you got a new crew member?”

“Ha, temporary crew only.” Shanks laughs. “He certainly isn’t a pirate. But just between us, he’s growing on me.” He added with a wink.

Luffy looked around but no one stood out to him. The red hairs all smiled, ruffling his hair as they walked off the ship towards the bonfire and sound of music.

Shanks slowly put Luffy down, covering his head with his straw hat once again.

“Go on, you’ll find him.”

Luffy stood stiff and uncertain, if someone wanted to meet him. Why wouldn’t they just come out and say hello? Why would he look for them? He doesn’t even know them!

The salt breeze switched directions, carrying a new sound that wasn’t merrymaking.

It was a voice, singing softly.

Come back to me my darling dear, come back from the shore.

Luffy screwed his eyes shut, trying to find the source.

I know I share you with the ocean dear but please just stay one night more.

His feet carried him through an open door, the song became stronger. It was.. familiar, familiar in a way Luffy couldn’t categorize.

My dear, can’t the ocean wait? The babe is asleep and the bed warm, my dear I beg of you stay till dawn.

Hall, door, door, another hall.

Dearest please, look at our child. He is all the treasure you need

Another door, slightly ajar and from it came the song, the song and a voice that sounded so familiar yet strange. Like something Luffy had heard in a dream but forgotten once waking.

Luffy pushed open the door as the final notes rang out.

We are all the treasure you need.

Inside it was cozy, redwood made up most of the ceiling.

The room had the feel of impermanence. Everything was a little too neat.

A man sat at the desk, hunched. Like it was smaller than he was used to.

“Why aren’t you at the party?” Luffy blurted out.

The man turned, slowly like Luffy was a deer he could spook.

He was.. a man. His loose pants looked pretty comfortable. Long dark hair. And the red markings that Luffy recognized.

“You’re Dragon.”

Dragon nodded, his eyes searching Luffy for.. something.

“What was that song about?”

“It’s about a sailor and how his love for the sea outweighed his love for his family. It ends with him leaving for sea and never returning.”

Luffy frowned, Dragons voice was bugging him. But more than that..

“No it doesn’t.”

“Hmm?”

“The song.” Luffy waved his hands frustrated. “It doesn’t end like that!”

Internally Luffy recognizes that he should be looking for that temporary crew mate of Shanks, he should ask Dragon but first, he has to settle this.

“The song doesn’t end with the sailor leaving! It has another chorus! I’ve heard it!” Luffy wracks his brain, the words are just out of reach.

“It goes.. it goes, forgive me, forgive me, my love, your words I did not heed. I sailed… I sailed..”

“I sailed for far and long all in the name of greed,” Dragons voice came out in a warbling tone. He took a shuddering breath, before continuing. “My love could you see past my foolish desire, this is the hearth I ache for. The place I’d wish to be.

My love, please don’t cry. All these years mean nothing without you by my side.

You are my treasure, my greatest need. I’ve loved you for forever. And loving you is how I wish to spend eternity.”

“Yeah exactly!” Luffy snapped his fingers. “You know if you’re not gonna sing it right, you shouldn’t be singing it.”

Dragon smiles, “you’ll have to forgive me, the last time I sang that verse you were two years old.”

That makes Luffys brain screech to a halt. Nevermind he had sort of forgotten about the whole father thing, Nevermind that he didn’t even think about having a dad. (Unless it was Shanks,) for the entirety of his life.

“Gramps said I was a baby when he got me.”

The smallest itty bittiest little thing, in Garps words.

The rooms air seems heavy. Is air meant to be dense? Luffy should ask Robin.

“You were almost three when I took you to Foosha.”

Luffys chest is starting it itch, like a bunch of ants are biting his insides.

Something must be showing on his face because Dragon looks broken. “I’m so sorry Luffy. I wanted to keep you and I tried, I- I failed you and I am so sorry.”

“Was my first word really meat?”

A loud eruption of laughter cracks the air, letting the sound fill Luffys chest. Dragon rubs at his eyes, his lips forming a soft heart as smile appears.

Oh, so that’s where Luffy got it from.

“No meat was your second word, your third was Dada.”

“What was my first?”

Dragons smile doesn’t falter but it still changes into something more wistful.

“It was Wani, though you pronounced it as ‘Wah -ee’”

The words feel like an admission though Luffy doesn’t know to what. He’s pretty sure he should offer a hug or something.. but he doesn’t really want to and Dragon/his dad? Hasn’t asked.

He sticks a finger in his nose. “You wanna come to the party?”

Dragons face paled. “Shit I told Ben id watch Shanks!”

Luffy has to stifle a snigger as his dad? Nearly trips over the chair. He really is quite tall, Luffy hopes to be that tall. He would be taller than Traffy then!

Dragon is halfway out the door before Luffy remembers.

“Wait! Do you know about a temporary crew member of the red hairs?”

Dragon poked his head back in, eyebrow raised. “First I’ve heard about it.”

Well then.. Luffy might as well go to the party. Maybe he will find the mystery person there.

And with Shanks and Dragon in the same place, it’ll be like having two dads!

Just had a thought: Dragon with vocal cord damage, but also with ARFID caused by sensory processing issues. What little viable options he has for food is… well, it’s put him in a sickbed more than a few times, let’s say.

I was thinking about this just the other day!

Dragon ends up hating food, it’s hard not to. Everything he can eat he has eaten a hundred times, which gets old very fast.

There’s no enjoyment in meals, no desire to eat the same thing over and over again.

Sometimes when he’s particularly masochistic, he likes to think it’s penance for leaving Luffy with Garp. Sometimes he thinks he deserves it, this curse that slowly is whittling him down to bone.

He doesn’t really even realize how bad it had gotten till loguetown, he’s dizzy, so dizzy. If he hadn’t had the element of surprise, he’s not sure he would’ve been able to stop smoker.

He isn’t even sure how he gets out of there, the entire thing is a blur. Even luffys voice is echoey in his own head.

Dragon wakes up 3 days later in the infirmary.

Betty is there, seething with rage.

“You know what asshole! You keep saying if you die the revolution will continue but guess what! Kuma is Gone! Iva is Gone! You are all we have left! And you’re acting like your life doesn’t matter!!

Now if you wanna die, go ahead. I won’t stop you. But your gonna have to look sabo in the face and tell him your gonna die and leave him alone on purpose!”

It takes forever to get better, or at least get back to a weight where he doesn’t look like a walking skeleton.

He ends up needing another surgery, fixing part of his stomach that had near rotted from the build up of acid.

Marineford happens during this, something Dragon won’t forgive himself for.

Shanks asks him, when the revolutionary army finds itself in the same place as the red haired pirates.

Dragon offers a drink and his thanks.

“Why didn’t you come.” Not even trying to hide the judgment in that question.

“I was dying.”

Shanks raises an eyebrow, surprise evident and Dragon sighs, lifting his shirt to show the scar along his abdomen.

“Got a Perforated stomach ulcer, contracted sepsis. I wasn’t even conscious during the battle much less able to fight.” He gives a deprecating laugh. “I don’t know if it was good or bad luck that made sure I didn’t know that Luffy was there before I went under.”

“If you had known.” Shanks voice is softer now.

Dragon looks at him, “I would’ve died in that battle, probably would’ve taken out Akainu if the sepsis didn’t take me first.”

(Little thought that makes me cry: Law fixing Dragons damaged vocal cords and throat and Luffy recognizing his old voice)

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

I know you dont care about pesterquest but i wanna know, did you think they wrote eridan well or bad?

bad

[microwavetoaster-selfships]

I think I need that "Wow, I haven't stubbed my toe in five months! I was then shot fifty-seven times." Audio again

[pilonciillo]

lol didn’t think someone giving money would give me anxiety

[quaranmine]

unintended consequence of introducing my mom to reddit in 2019 is that 5 years later she is 10x more of a redditor than anyone i know now, and also has zero concept of the general reputation of reddit among normal people. everybody stares blankly when this woman in her 60s starts talking about this post she saw on reddit. she brings it up CONSTANTLY. like nearly every conversation. i'm like mom please. these people only know reddit as the incel site, if they know what it is at all

[maliciousalice]

Hear me out (or don't... it's fine I'm just venting and mean) yeah um I don't believe Chakotay was saved in Prod*gy s2.

[hsslilly-blog]

huntclaire divorce au. everything is exactly the same but wait i was going to make a joke here but i’m actually very invested in this

[batsplat]

oxley bom pod was talking about the friendly atmosphere in the paddock today and they brought up vale as someone who would make himself hate his opponents in order to beat them. they mentioned biaggi before saying vale didn’t need to make up a reason there lol, and the gibernau, stoner, lorenzo, marquez. thought it was interesting to hear them say that especially since oxley specifically had a particularly close working relationship with vale!

got around to listening to the podcast rather belatedly + had a chat about this general topic that helped me organise my thoughts on this a bit. I transcribed the most relevant comments - probably some small errors because of cross-talk and like... I'm a fast transcriptionist but can't be bothered to properly do it, here:

O: One is because racing is so fucking complicated now. [...] They've got so much to do, so much pressure - to have the negative energy of anger and hatred is actually - B: It's a waste. O: It's a bad thing, you're just wasting your energy. I mean it depends on the character, okay - B: So maybe Vale was the last who really needed to hate somebody to give him - and now even Vale invites Casey to his ranch to ride with him. But he really needed to - It was not difficult for him to hate, but he - Some riders he really looked for a reason to hate them even more, because then he could dig deeper in himself - because he was just a happy chap - in order to beat them. O: Max Biaggi. B: But it was easy to hate Max! That was not very difficult. Sete Gibernau, basically he needed to try - O: Casey Stoner. Sete Gibernau. Marc Marquez. B: He hated Vale probably before Vale hated Casey! But that's another podcast. O: Yeah, I think so. No, definitely, definitely, definitely. [...] Some people - they get fired up by hating other people, and that's fair enough.

so yeah. I mean, qualified agreement, I guess? they're definitely right about casey hating valentino before valentino hated casey lol. if valentino ever really hated casey at all. which is not necessarily a mainstream take, so it's nice to hear it!

I also agree with this general take about... y'know, the creeping professionalisation of the sport and how that affects how likely you're going to get fun drama. goes beyond just hours spent looking at data and also about... having a bit of a life, having time to actually form a personality. and as I've said before, it's the fans! clickbait news + social media featuring partisan fans, who aren't just going to read every statement but also react to every statement like it's life or death shit. pecco and jorge have gotten push back for some incredibly, deeply, ridiculously mild comments these last couple years. they HAVE to phrase everything they say as inoffensively as possible while still getting their points across, and even then they'll generally be jumped. like, forget valentino, how do you think casey would have fared in this current media environment? up against a fanbase as partisan as valentino's - or marc's nowadays? not well is the answer! I think to some extent you can get away with this stuff more depending on people's perceptions of you, so marc and increasingly pedro will generally be fine... but on the flip side, the pecco's, the casey's, the jorge x2's of this world... everything they say gets read in the worst possible light, but now everyone's just so much louder about it

but this ask was more about valentino than the current landscape, so I'll get back to him. I do think it is a bit of an issue if you frame it as a completely either-or issue - at the end of the day, most competitors will probably motivate themselves through their enemies at least a little. pecco definitely uses negative emotions to fire him up, people criticising him and the like. casey absolutely used them, often directed at valentino. all the comments from the haters to fire them up right, to show everyone how wrong they are. on a psychological level, there is not something *fundamentally* different between using your rivals or the fans or the press to motivate yourself - it's still the same underlying motivational process (and indeed the podcast references lawson's distaste for the press). casey signs off his first every grand prix win by saying how nice it was to beat a spanish rider sponsored by the circuit, like are we calling that pure love for the game? he and mostly martin and to a somewhat lesser degree pecco do share a tendency to... believe the world is out to get them, and use that to fire themselves up. idk if casey strictly needed to do that or if it was just ingrained at a young age and became a stable self-perpetuating way in which he viewed the world but also, it doesn't really matter, right. maybe in both valentino and casey there is a pure unpolluted soul who could have enjoyed winning just for the sake of winning, but in practise it's clearly more complicated than that. as has been recently discussed in quite some depth in this parish, late 2007!casey was getting sympathetic interview write-ups that described his mentality as informed by 'bitterness and rejection'. including bitterness at valentino, who at that point in time was not meaningfully reciprocating any of that stuff!

so I do have a bit of a bone to pick with this idea of 'the last guy'. valentino didn't 100% motivate himself by hating his enemies, the blokes after him didn't do so 0%. I think of the aliens casey is probably the most similar to him by this metric... some are definitely less inclined to do so. lorenzo's a bit of an odd case where at times it felt like he was better at making other guys hate him than necessarily hating them himself... complicated guy but I think he actually really did want to mostly fuel himself in a positive manner, except then for various reasons both external and internal he needed to also draw a bit more from. the darkness. marc is more likely than either valentino or casey to just fight to win for the sake of winning... then again you do have cute little incidents like misano 2019 where marc - off the back of two back-to-back last lap defeats - miraculously happened to find an extra bit of motivation through a spat in qualifying after duly harrying the yamaha's all weekend. again, it's a question of degree, right. marc is just inherently less restless than valentino and less inclined to think the world is out to get him than casey, which are all contributing factors

with valentino, I think I disagree a teensy bit in terms of framing more than I do in substance. first off, not to be a broken record on this, but obviously all of these feuds were very different, involving very different emotional landscapes. I don't think it's correct to say valentino needed an enemy to fire himself up, but he did always need something. some mission to dig his teeth into, some way of making the whole thing exciting. of making it fun! I'm not all that convinced of this happy-go-lucky characterisation of valentino - a lot of the time he had to go to an awful lot of effort to keep himself entertained, and when that didn't work he could get pretty miserable. he needed to keep himself stimulated, he needed to stop himself from feeling lonely, he needed to give himself a purpose to work towards. hatred did help him in a motivational sense, and he's talked in his autobiography about how anger has made him ride faster. it's useful... up to a point. it's just not a uniform thing across rivalries

my sense is that it comes down to two things. 1) he needs something to motivate himself and get excited, be it a rival or whatever. and 2) he needs some distance from his rivals. motivating yourself through a rival is not quite the same thing as motivating yourself through an enemy. for instance!! casey was only really his enemy once they were no longer on-track rivals - it was unrelated to actual competitive calculus, and was in some ways more about casey than it was about valentino. when valentino did that shit to casey at laguna 2008, he's not like... mad at casey. he doesn't hate him. he's gleeful at least in part because of how obviously pissed casey is, but he doesn't hate him. because he doesn't need to hate casey to want to beat him! casey is already so considerable a challenge that beating him is reward enough in itself - he's this super tricky puzzle for valentino to work away at... and when he comes up with the answer at laguna 2008, he's delighted. he doesn't really hate jorge in 2009 either - dislike, yes, hate, no. he's already plenty stimulated by the challenge of beating his feisty young teammate... he doesn't need anything else. he gets through 95% of the 2015 season with barely any animosity with his title rival - there, he would have seen it as distracting from his primary mission of winning his tenth in a way that was entirely disconnected from any particular rival. he also runs into the problem that it feels like any psychological warfare feels like it's getting aimed more at marc than jorge - but that's entirely accidental, he isn't TRYING to fuck with marc in the middle of the season. why would he!! and jorge refuses to be fucked with on the track because he's just never in the same postcode as valentino, and valentino isn't attempting to fuck with him off the track. he's barely even doing like,, mild mind games, like they're quite actively friendly the entire year

(I do sometimes think you can do a bit of displacement here where you don't necessarily need to hate the person you're actively fighting to get the job done - cf marc at misano 2019, also... tbh casey 2011-12 kinda had that vibe where he was getting all that energy out of his system in valentino's direction and could then keep things civil with his actual title rival. there's a LITTLE bit of that 2015 even pre phillip island but mostly valentino does have a more early 2008 'we move in silence' vibe or whatever that pecco tweet read. this is the restlessness thing, right - he kinda needs to fill his brain with SOMETHING)

which brings us to the second element: needing some distance. zero problem with biaggi, which is kinda the training wheels feud in that it takes a bit of a life of its own before valentino REALLY was intending it to. he's a kid (literal eighteen year old) who's kinda snarky about biaggi in the press and biaggi takes it EXTREMELY poorly and confronts him about it and it kind of spirals from there. with casey + jorge, valentino ensures that they never GET too close. I do think there is an element of... y'know, not wanting to be close friends with the guys who are your title rivals, because it's harder to beat people you care about and deprive them of the thing they want most in the world. which I actually think is pretty normal!! valentino's problem is that on a few occasions he has ended up in rivalries with blokes he was at some stage close in - and either he preemptively withdraws as with marc and... ? probably...? melandri...? - or the relationship deteriorates and then blows up as with sete and also marc. the 'preemptive withdrawing' bit does suggest a degree of self-awareness with regards to his own competitive process - and as has been previously argued in this parish, valentino's relationship with marc developing as it did was in large part due to his competitive situation 2010-14. the two of them falling out was probably always going to happen if they were competing, the two of them falling out that badly required valentino's stint in the competitive wilderness to let him lower his guard to such an extent

so that's the argument in broad strokes. yes, valentino can use enemies to motivate himself - he certainly enjoys having rivals, he enjoys fucking with them, he enjoys figuring them out and measuring himself against them and also a little bit of competitive edge. that doesn't mean he needs enemies per se, or certainly he wouldn't have seen some of his rivals in quite such extreme terms (casey in particular of course felt differently). he did need SOMETHING to motivate him... rivals, definitely - enemies, perhaps. and he also needed a bit of distance from those he was competing against. which post-sete he tended to preemptively enforce, except that one time when he didn't, and when it wasn't preemptively enforced it did have a tendency to blow up rather spectacularly. so in essence, you still end up at the same conclusion, right - valentino did get a lot out of having enemies, did motivate himself with them, did need to beat someone. but the working process is a bit different as I see it. sometimes making enemies is about emotional regulation, y'know. feuding as a healthy outlet for competitive tension. as it should be