#WHY DO I FAVOR THE ICONIC MAN SO MUCH

[dipplinduo]

(Spoilerless) Sweet & Sour Dipplins: Live footage of me mulling over writing Chapter 23

Me at the thought of potentially incorporating past Briar even though it would probably be plot relevant:

Me weighing out the pros and cons of having a past Kieran POV:

Me realizing I could have a past Drayton appearance just because I can even though he has little to do with the point of the chapter:

[happy74827]

The Demon With A Heart

[Crowley x Female!Reader]

Synopsis: When Crowley saves your life, you can't help but think it was a little more than self-interest.

WC: 1858

Category: 99.9% Sexual Tension (lmfao), 0.01% Fluff + Angst? {TW: Mentions of Demons (obvi), Murder}

Crowley is too iconic not to have fics. I said what I said.

『••✎••』

You didn’t know how to react. It was as if your tongue was taken away, and you couldn’t talk, no matter how much you wanted to thank the man.

No, the demon.

You stood there with wide eyes, staring at the King of Hell, Crowley. He looked the same as before: a clean suit, a snarky comment, and a look of disgust on his face. But, instead of being on the opposite side, he was wiping the blood off of the angel blade he used to kill the angel that jumped you.

He just saved you—The King of Hell.

The very man who told Sam and Dean countless times that he doesn't do anything for free and doesn’t help people without getting something out of it. Yet, here he was, standing in front of you, not asking for a single thing.

The thought was a bit unsettling.

"Purely out of self-interest, darling," He says, breaking the silence and putting the stolen blade into his jacket. "Call it a favor that I plan to collect in the future."

He was about to leave, but you couldn’t let him go. Not without a thank you, at least. You didn't want him to think you didn’t appreciate what he did.

"Crowley."

The man turns back around, his hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable.

"Thank you."

The corner of his mouth turned upward, forming a small smirk. He didn’t say anything but rather kept his eyes on you for a second longer. He then disappeared, leaving you in the dark.

And it did leave you in the dark. For days, weeks, months. He never came for that favor, and he never brought up what happened. In fact, he barely talked to you at all. It was always towards the Winchesters.

You began to believe it was nothing but a dream. That Crowley somehow didn't save you. The angel was a fake, and this was all some sick joke. It felt like gaslighting.

But you knew what happened was real. You remembered the blood splatter and the dead corpse. The way his face contorted when he pierced the angel's heart.

It was all too real.

So, why was he ignoring you? Why did he pretend that it never happened? Was he going to hold it over your head? Or was it just the fact that the King of Hell did something nice for a human?

Was it because he… cared?

One night, you got your answer. It was a quiet night filled with books, tea, and soft music. At least, it was before those idiotic brothers decided to tear down the bunker in search of some book.

You couldn’t remember the exact reason they needed it, but you were too tired to argue. So, you stayed in your room and tried to fall asleep.

That is until the lights went out and the emergency lights kicked on. Okay, now you were annoyed. You got up, slipped on your shoes and a coat, and walked out of your room.

"Alright, what did you two-"

You paused mid-sentence, eyes falling onto the figure in the library. The man was facing the opposite way, but you knew exactly who it was. The familiar black suit and hair gave it away.

"Crowley…"

"Hello, Darling,” he replied, turning around and smiling at you. It was almost unnerving. He didn’t have a malicious aura or even an evil one. Just... a smile.

You looked behind him and noticed… well, nothing. You were expecting the Winchesters to be with him, and yet, it was just him.

"Where are the boys?"

"Moose and Squirrel? Ah, they're off somewhere, doing... well, you know. Something heroic, I suppose. Figured I’d stick around… enjoy the scenery."

That’s when you looked up and understood what he meant. He was stuck, quite literally. Those devil traps they put everywhere finally did something good.

You half-expected him to bring up that 'favor' he was talking about or maybe even just demand to get out of there, but he did neither. Instead, he looked at the ground and sighed.

At the moment, the King of Hell looked just like a caged puppy, sad and alone. If he wasn’t such a… demon, you might have even felt bad for him.

But, you left him in there, strolling along to the kitchen to find some kind of light. You were not giving up your two hours of reading due to power loss.

As you shuffled through the cabinets, looking for any form of match or lighter, the lights flickered back on.

So that’s where the Winchesters were.

You shrugged and turned back to your room but stopped at the entrance to the library. Crowley was still there, but this time, his face was twisted. He was clearly pissed.

"Why did you do it?" The burning question you wanted answered for months finally came out. Crowley stopped his little fit and turned towards you, a confused expression on his face.

He looked like he had no idea what you were talking about.

"I do a lot of things, Chipmunk. You'll have to be more specific."

You walked towards him, resting down the candles and book on a nearby table. You didn’t know why, but the need to confront him was growing.

"Save me all those months ago."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

You were getting closer, now only a few feet from him. Crowley, however, didn’t back away. Instead, he watched as you moved, his expression unchanging.

"That angel could’ve killed me, yet you came out of nowhere and stabbed him. I know you don't do anything out of kindness, so why did you do it? What do I offer that no one else does?"

Crowley stayed silent for a while, not giving any indication of answering your questions.

You thought it was just a lost cause until his expression changed. It was subtle, but you caught it. The corner of his mouth turned down, and his eyes widened, then narrowed.

He almost looked ashamed.

"It's just like I said. Self-interest." He spat out, his voice sounding like venom. You almost took a step back. It still sounded like the same old Crowley, but his tone was different.

You decided to call his bluff.

"I don't believe you."

Crowley raised an eyebrow, a smirk coming across his face. He was amused by the sudden attitude, but it didn’t last long.

"And what makes you say that?"

"I saw the way you looked at me after you saved me. Hesitancy, almost. Like you were unsure. As if..."

The King of Hell stared at you, waiting for the last part of your statement. He was eager but not for the answer. No, he knew what you were going to say.

He was just waiting to hear it come out of your mouth.

"You care."

Those words hung in the air, both of you processing it. Crowley continued to stare at you, the smirk disappearing, leaving his face neutral. He had a blank expression.

A silence grew, the atmosphere turning awkward. It wasn't until the demon let out a loud sigh and looked to the side that it was broken.

"You’re really pulling on the heartstrings, Chipmunk,” he muttered, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "If I had one, I'd say it was aching."

"Do you?"

You knew what you were implying. Crowley was the King of Hell, the ruler of the damned. He was the furthest thing from human, yet he could walk among them and, sometimes, be mistaken for one.

Was it possible for him to be human or even have emotions?

Crowley looked at you and frowned, clearly not liking the topic. But he didn't deny it. It was a strange sight—the King of Hell, frowning and silent.

It was almost adorable.

"I'm not asking for anything. I just… want an honest answer."

"Well, I am a demon, love,” He stated, his tone changing to a more playful one. “Honesty isn’t quite in the job description."

"Crowley."

You were starting to get impatient, and it showed. Your voice was firm, and your posture was tense. You wanted an answer, and you were determined to get it.

The demon in question let out another sigh and looked at the ceiling as if praying for a quick escape.

"You're a pain, you know that? It's exhausting." He grumbled, rolling his eyes. "But, I suppose, since you asked nicely..."

The man looked at you, his lips pursed. He was still hesitating, which only made you more curious.

"Yes, I care. About you. Happy?"

You blinked a few times, processing the information. Did the King of Hell, the person known for not giving a shit, just admit he cares?

"I-" You started, not knowing what to say. It was a surprise but not an unwelcome one. Crowley wasn't exactly a bad guy, well, a demon.

"Do you actually mean that?"

"Now that…" Crowley started, his voice low and deep. He leaned towards you, making you back up, but the wall soon prevented you from going any further.

He was inches away, his breath hitting your face. You could see his eyes staring into yours—a pretty brown, like a mocha latte.

"…Is the kind of question that will get you in trouble, love."

You weren’t sure what he was planning, but you didn't care. The way his eyes were looking at you, the smirk on his face, the closeness...

He was probably expecting you to back away, but he was wrong. You were an avid reader, obsessive even. This scene wasn't new, nor was it shocking.

The only shocking part was the fact that you were the one in it. And, well, the fact that you didn’t mind it.

"Unlike you,” you whispered, a small smirk on your face. "I don’t care."

Your response made him pause for a moment, squinting his eyes and giving you a confused look. It only lasted a few seconds, though. Soon, he understood, and a chuckle escaped his lips.

"Touché"

You truly believed you were about to lose your chance with the man upstairs, but loud footsteps interrupted you.

"Crowley, you slimy son of a bitch! If you’re not here, we are going to-"

Dean stopped talking as he rounded the corner, seeing you and Crowley close. His expression was shocked, almost comical.

"The hell is going on here?"

You and Crowley both turned to look at Dean, a look of annoyance on the King of Hell's face. Sam came around the corner as well, sharing the same look of confusion.

Crowley gave you one last glance, a bit of disappointment in his eyes, before taking a step back. His attention moved on to the two hunters, his usual smile returning.

And despite the annoyance in the air and the confusion, the only thing that came across your mind was another question that you were sure would take control of your sleep schedule once again.

"Hello, boys," He purred, his arms moving to his side. He was back to his old self, not showing a single sign of what happened moments ago.

Had the beauty thawed the beast?

[muxas-world]

Pecco wanting to have his sports persona represented by how fair and sportsmanlike he is, is so funny and intriguing at the same time. Because, for one, it shows he is very much aware of what people expect from him, coming/raised by Vale and the VR46 camp. He knows how unsportsmanlike some of Vale’s actions are perceived (which, on its own, is a whole topic because what he really thinks and judges about Vale’s actions could be a mix of feeling like the academy boy Vale favored the least, with Aspar, etc., having more to do with his development, and how he and Luca see things outside of the idol). Pecco wants his legacy to be far away from that. He wants to be remembered as fair, as someone who doesn’t need iconic rivalries to be remembered. And it’s funny because it kinda works??? Especially if you look at this year—outside of his run-of-the-mouth moments, with his apologies and his effort to stick to fair racing and comments toward Jorge—he is now being seen as a sir,a good sportsman who deserves all the respect for being fair and showing you don’t need to be aggressive or mean to your rival to have a great fight. This has been said by journos, podcasters, and fans, so it did work. But somehow, I don’t think that makes him happier?? Why? Because that conversation is fun if you actually win something—but he doesn’t. (Which, to be fair, with him, I think he’s known for a while now that he wasn’t winning this championship.) So, he has to stand on the podium, watching Martín celebrate, and you can see he doesn’t want to be there. He’s actively disconnected. Take that video of Rivola saying congrats for how clean he was, and Pecco just didn’t answer, avoiding eye contact same behavior that when he was with Izaskun, saying congrats to Martín.

We know Pecco, by nature, is petty (all great champions are, to some level) and has his own ego, so it’s really fun to see him fight against his own nature to play the bigger man, just for the sake of the narrative.

[foiledbyvoile]

HEAD EMPTY, ONLY SILLY DEMENTED DEER MAN.

The last two episodes really got me over here pondering and shit. Didn't think my 2019 Alastor phase would make a comeback, but here we fuckin' are. Seriously though, what is his deal? I love that you can't quite make sense of him, but also I NEED to make sense of him.

SPOILERS AHOY.

Clearly he's somewhat emotionally invested in all this, that little (cute as fuck) scene with nifty the night before the battle showed us a sentimental softness in him, but he's also definitely cozying up to Charlie to use her powers for something big.

Something like breaking a deal he'd made, and I've got money on Lilith. That bad bitch seaside moment was too iconic, she's pulling strings and catching rays, living her best life.

But I need DETAILS, man. I wanna know what the stipulations of the contract are, I wanna know why it was made, what was gained and what was lost, if this deal gave him the power he wields in the first place. What does Alastor need to do to fulfill his end of the deal? I want the nitty gritty of it, man.

Speaking of deals, Alastor and Charlie??? I know we're probably meant to sweep it under the rug, Alastor says not to worry about it, it's not for Charlie's soul, the whole scene was just brushed aside...but what about the desperation he fucking reeked of?? He was beyond eager to make that deal.

Alastor held onto that information for months, waited for the perfect moment, when Charlie was backed into a corner and desperate, and he used that groundbreaking leverage for a favor. That could be anything! Like breaking a deal only someone with her power could, or, since he clearly likes playing the long game, it could be something far less definitive, easier for Charlie to get behind. Something like helping him make his next move.

(Then the next, and the next, and the manipulation continues--ideally, I'm sure. Narrative folly and character development will almost definitely nip that evil scheme in the bud.)

You gotta love that classic Alastor guile when he tells her it's not for her soul. What it really is is a foot in the door for him, and a show of good faith for Charlie. It's a chess move, and if Alastor is as conniving and methodical as I hope he is, it's the equivalence of moving a pawn.

But then he backs up that dubious display of altruism by introducing Charlie to Rosie and the cannibals. Would Alastor really implicate a close friend and her community for something he wasn't truly invested in? That's a genuine question at this point. It's pretty much confirmed in the song that Alastor is choosing to help Charlie, that he sees the potential in her, but again, for his own benefit.

Which brings us to the radio tower, post fight. The vibes I picked up were immaculate. He's incredulous, desperate, shaken and very clearly trapped in circumstances that drive him absolutely insane.

Alastor's all about control. I think back on his spiel to Charlie about maintaining that control with a smile, but even now, when Alastor is cracking under the realization that he doesn't have that, he continues to smile.

I'm really under the impression that Alastor literally cannot stop smiling. (I'm not counting the single-frame-debacle.) It's either that, or he's forcing himself to smile, desperately vying for some semblance of control in a moment where he well and truly has none.

Then there's the line, "Great Alastor Altruist died for his friends". It feels sardonic. Bitter, like he regrets putting himself in that position, but was it really a choice to begin with? Because he let himself get too involved, too comfortable, and realized that that sentimentality he'd developed has become a weakness?

I think he really was forced to protect Charlie and the hotel (it would explain the seven year coincidence, and Alastor appearing at Charlie's doorstep so serendipitously). This is almost cemented by the following line, "I'm hungry for freedom like never before, the constraints of my deal, surely you have a back door."

He almost died (again), for the sake of Charlie and her hotel. That's a helluva fucking thing for a being who's toppled overlords and held power like he has. No amount of entertainment is worth his own life, there's just no way he willingly pits himself against Adam for anyone's sake.

Assuming that the source of his power is also the source of his subjugation, and considering how Alastor openly strives for control--yeah, he's having a bit of a moment™.  

I do hope that there's some genuine conflict in him in regards to his relationship with Charlie and the gang. That everything he's doing isn't inherently selfish anymore, but he veils that 'weakness' under his perpetual guise of deviant mirth. Bonus points if he's tormented by the good Charlie brings out in him. He deserves the angst, the fuzzy-fucker (/affectionate).

Couple of side notes here:

Thoughts on the way Alastor's mouth is sewn up when he strikes the deal with Charlie? Was he made to smile all the time, is it just a design choice? Personally, I'm hoping there's some angsty lore there, like maybe it's part of his contract as some twisted joke, idk.

I have a love/hate relationship with the Alastor vs Adam smackdown extravaganza. Yes, it was rad as fuck. Yes, of course Alastor was going to lose. But the way it was handled felt like a bit of a disservice, Alastor's reaction felt ooc. But then again that could just be me projecting my perspective of Alastor unto the character.

ALSO, having a character who is well known for not swearing dropping some casual, outta pocket f-bombs was a bit trite. it's supposed to feel like a reward, y'know?

ANWAYS. Yeah. Good shit. I'm losing my goddamn mind.

[ca-suffit]

im sorry your takes are generally pretty great and i appreciate the space you make in fandom but i find the dismissal around lestat's queerness to be diminishing.

louis is a fantastic gay character and u r right about how he represents his queerness which is fabulously. he is mother he is fashion he is wife, a lot, and lestat is a lot more masc in aspects of their dynamic. louis also struggles with it, had internalized homophobia, and his relationship to his sexuality is fraught. now you can have that complexity and still be a "gay icon" sure but what i see here is a gay man existing. not every gay man existing has to be ~iconic~. louis is working on himself.

lestat is a different person and is going out there to make a mark on culture actively, regardless of why. he's not putting on a dress for five seconds (which btw was still pretty impactful in context but ok), he is being meaningfully gnc and making art. this is what queer culture is. it's frustrating to see this element diminished like it's just a meme or a bunch of people being thirsty.

im all for critiquing fandom being weirdos about it but i think the showrunners are doing something spectacular and pretending like fans are making lestat into something he is not just isn't the vibe.

reading this made me realize that I left out a sentence in this ask, so it did come off differently than I intended. I'd meant to say there's already been a lot of exploration of characters / ppl like lestat, but there's never been a character like louis before. I wasn't rly ever talking about lestat's queerness itself, I was talking about how he's prioritized bcuz he's white.

if u personally identity with him in this then that's ur right to, obviously. no group is a monolith and I was never trying to say one way is more "right" than the other. I rly do apologize if it came across like that, cuz I can see why it did.

"he's not putting on a dress for five seconds (which btw was still pretty impactful in context but ok)"

I don't rly know what u mean here bcuz within the show, nobody comments on the dress. ppl react to the baby but everything we know of the dress otherwise was only revealed by carol cutshall bts. I don't know what impact ur meaning here. to the tv audience, sure, but the NOLA audience?? or is it the fact he designed it in the first place.

tbh the thing I most noticed was that once again a white, european immigrant got to be center stage in an event that louis, as a black, louisiana native, isn't (like the card game lestat already had a place at more favored than louis earlier in S1). he also was able to wear that dress in public without public scorn (being european prbly helped here too, he's "other'd" but not the same way as louis is "other'd" for being black), which is something louis could never have done and actually survived at all. it's not that lestat doesn't experience homophobia otherwise, but he's still got a lot more room to confront it than louis, claudia, or armand would have, as ppl who would be confronting homophobia *and* racism with no access to white privilege (claudia literally dies in the same hour we see lestat confront a homophobe otherwise on his and louis' behalf and "win").

idk what they're going to explore for S3 yet, but what we've seen so far is....not that deep tbh. it's not even especially "queer." we're aware he is so we know it is, but straight men have worn makeup and flashy outfits and done homoerotic shit as musicians before too. very often. nothing we've seen from lestat so far has been pushing any boundary as a queer artist or making any kind of statement. I'm not trying to sound like a total bitch here, but a lot of what ur saying is pushing this white fandom agenda of the "importance" of so much that any white, queer character does that....just isn't. lestat's image and sound is taking a lot from other ppl in real music history who *were* doing groundbreaking things at the time, straight or not, but what he's doing is just wearing it as a costume rn. his lyrics even say "I'm an actor / in my makeup." like I said, S3 in full will bring more to the table, obviously, but for what we've seen so far....this hasn't said anything in any objective way that's "deep." u can still like it and identity with it, but idk how u'd argue that it's doing anything tbh. ur welcome to do it tho, I'm not trying to shut down the conversation here. I'm just giving my perspective. I *do* actually think this is stuff we should talk about exactly *bcuz* fandom rides so hard for it all the time. it should be explored why that is, what's the logic behind it. I rly am interested.

edit: wanted to add too that p much everyone we see in this show is queer and creative so literally why is nobody ever saying all this about louis' photography, claudia's acting and interest in fashion (or her general observations on the world thru so many diaries that are referenced in multiple ways as she's not around anymore to speak otherwise), armand's theatre work, madeleine's dressmaking. that's usually why ppl comment on lestat, bcuz he's the most noticed and praised but he's literally not the only one doing it at all.

[sweet-evie]

No, but think about putting SaShiSu in an Avatar: The Last Airbender AU... 🥴

Waterbender!Gojo, Waterbender Healer!Ieiri and Firebender!Geto Imagines😭 Hear me out!

They go on adventures together, get in trouble together.

Plus, if SatoSugu friendship blossoms into romance, it's so Romeo and Juliet-coded ✨💖

I like the idea of the three of them being childhood best friends.

Imagine this takes place during peace time, and there's no war (YET), and it's just the four nations being normal.

So Satoru, Shoko, and Suguru definitely met as children during an official visit to each other's country or something.

Suguru Geto is Fire Nation nobility who knows a thing or two about manipulating body heat and more...

🔥 Listen... It's the bun istg... Because why does his hairstyle remind me of Ozai, lowkey?

🔥 He's a talented firebender, martial artist, and adept scholar.

🔥 His mom and dad are political figures and I imagine his mom is a lady-in-waiting to the Fire Lord's wife, while Suguru's father actually sits in the Fire Lord's council. The man is an admiral in the Fire Lord's navy.

🔥 Suguru would be a nerd about Wan Shi Tong's library. 🦉

🔥 Suguru would be good at war strategy. It comes from his obsession with Pai Sho.

🔥 You know, his uncle may or may not rope him into joining the Order of the White Lotus at some point in his life.

🔥 Suguru in RED Fire Nation armor~ 🥹🥴🤤

🔥 Also, if I was skilled in photoshop, I will not be above photoshopping Suguru's head on top of Ozai's body. As in, I just need that image of Suguru Geto as a Fire Lord. 😩

Shoko Ieiri is a talented and renowned waterbender for her healing prowess and knowledge in human anatomy.

💧 She is from the Northern Water Tribe, like Gojo, and was raised alongside Satoru, so they're basically siblings.

💧 Her knowledge of human anatomy is unmatched. As in, yes, there are skilled waterbending healers, but Shoko is iconic because she goes beyond practicing healing on human mannequins. Our girl does autopsies and often ponders how the human body works. She's a legit doctor, okay?

💧 She practiced healing on Satoru a lot while they were growing up too, because Satoru acquired plenty of scrapes and bruises and dislocated bones through the years. He was a rambunctious child who had way too much power in his menace-causing hands. (more on Satoru later).

💧 What Satoru lacks in healing prowess, Shoko makes up for in buckets and buckets.

💧 Shoko is a decent waterbender in combat, but she would really rather her two friends do most of the fighting.

💧 Not like Satoru or Suguru would let her on the field that much anyway. She's too valuable to risk. Shoko knows it and plays that up to her advantage A LOT.

💧 Aside from escaping the arranged marriage her parents set up for her, Shoko eagerly ran away from home with Satoru at 18 in pursuit of scholars who eagerly studied human anatomy like her.

💧 Shoko is interested in how the other nations tend to their wounded and sick when they can't find a waterbending healer.

Satoru Gojo is blessed by the spirit of the moon and the ocean.

🌊🌕 He is literally Yue 2.0, but better! Still the Honored One in any universe. 😍 The white hair and blue eyes... Need I say more?

🌊🌕 Okay, so... I'm thinking... Satoru Gojo in ATLA universe is just like his JJK counterpart. He was highly favored by the spirits from the moment he was born.

🌊🌕 His parents look like typical Northern Water Tribe people. Dark-haired. Satoru is the only one in the family who is pale and white-haired.

🌊🌕 He's a Prince, of course... Prince Satoru of the Northern Water Tribe sounds hell'a good.

🌊🌕 He grew up sheltered, he's a waterbending prodigy, and he's still a menace.

🌊🌕 Gojo is also definitely a blood-bender, but I like to think he learns that skillset later on in their adventures or something (kind'a like how Katara learned it, but with less guilt). Also, Choso definitely taught him right?

🌊🌕 Satoru does not know how to heal other people. It's one of his greatest flaws. He can heal himself just fine, but using water to seek out illness and heal it for other people? Yeah... He sucks at that... (Not different from JJK in other words, where Gojo can't output Reverse Cursed Technique to heal other people. He only knows how to use RCT on himself).

Their Adventure Backstory...

➼ At 18, Satoru starts to get antsy about seeing the world and whatnot. He's sick of the family politics and the arranged marriages about to be shoved down his throat.

➼ Shoko is in the same boat. If the arranged marriages are suffocating for a prince, it's even worse for a talented young woman of noble birth.

➼ Shoko's situation is what pushes Satoru to say "Fuck it!" and run away from home.

➼ So against their parents' wishes, these 2 reckless teenagers devise a plan to run away for a much needed world tour. Satoru's reasoning is that they won't be gone forever... He and Shoko will come back eventually.

➼ First destination in mind: the Fire Nation... to see Suguru and rope him into their grand plans, of course!

➼ Satoru and Shoko steal a ship from the Water Tribe fleet and go on their merry way. (I like to think they got there fast because Satoru was manipulating the water underneath the ship to propel them faster to where they need to go).

➼ By the time they reach the Fire Nation, word has already spread of the Northern Water Tribe's runaway Prince.

➼ Shoko thinks Satoru is being stupid, but hey, according to Satoru, "What can my parents do about it at this point?"

➼ Sure, Satoru is a highly valued individual that could fetch a high price if kidnapped by pirates (he's a Prince, after all), but he's also an insanely powerful waterbender and combatant. I'm sure he'd say something like, "I don't need my bending to win."

➼ Satoru and Shoko make it to the Fire Nation unscathed, meet up with Suguru, and convince him to come along on a grand adventure.

➼ They switch out the Water Tribe ship for something a little more discreet from Suguru's own father's fleet. (Side-eye the kiddies using their parents' resources carelessly to do whatever they want. 😆 They're nepo-babies... all 3 of them.)

➼ I like to think Suguru's parents don't mind though. His mom, in particular, thinks it's a good idea for Suguru to go out and see the world and shit.

➼ Where are they going? Satoru didn't actually know.

➼ Suguru suggests a visit to the legendary knowledge spirit's library, since he's a nerd about that, but also, Shoko wants to see if she can find anything that indulges her curiosity. So that's where they're headed first.

➼ It would be a cute idea for a coming-of-age story... where SaShiSu grow up through the experiences they've had and they realize they have responsibilities to attend to or something.

➼ Because as much as they would want to, there's no such thing as traveling the world as nomads forever. Satoru is a Prince, and Shoko and Suguru are of noble birth. They have stuff to do...

➼ OR... OR... OR.... They're 3 stupid teenagers who ran away from home right on the brink of a war happening. Like, they had no idea conflict was rising, so shit hits the fan and Suguru just receives word from his father via messenger hawk, telling him to come home because there is a war.

It's embarrassing how I'm thinking about their combat prowess + the trouble the three of them get into too...

➼ Gojo and Geto enhance each other's combat. They're so in sync.

➼ Of course, they started out pretty rough... Water vs Fire and all that.. But as they train together more and inevitably encounter situations where they had to fight their way out, they learn to work together and be so in sync.

➼ Watching them fight each other, or fight alongside one another is a treat. It's like a dance -- a perfectly choreographed movement of legs and limbs.

➼ Suguru's fire can burn hot enough to evaporate water. It burns hot enough to destroy tightly packed walls of stone. He is not a stranger to carrying out executions on the most heinous criminals in the Boiling Rock, so yes, Suguru has burned a man alive and/or electrocuted a criminal in prison in the name of justice.

➼ Satoru is the perfect support to Suguru when Suguru launches a lightning attack.

➼ At some point in their adventures, Suguru pointed out how Satoru could try sucking moisture out of plants or draw water from the air and Satoru figures it out.

➼ I like to think Shoko put the idea of bloodbending in Satoru's head. It was a hypothetical thought that led to Satoru actually trying to figure it out and eventually running into someone who does that.

➼ It all started with Shoko randomly saying, "Hey, did you know that water takes up 3/4 of the human body?" as they sat around their campfire one night.

➼ Also... something something shenanigans happen where Satoru keeps waterbending boiling water out of a pot to fling at something -- the little shit that he is.

➼ After they left the Northern Water Tribe, Satoru has become Shoko's impromptu combat waterbending teacher.

➼ Shoko always complains about it during training days because Satoru HAS NO CHILL. He's also banking on the fact that Shoko can heal herself, so he finds little use in holding back.

➼ Shoko and Satoru have definitely pulled water-based pranks on Suguru multiple times. This is gross, but.... piss-bending. Satoru did it once as a prank. 🤢🤮

➼ On a brighter note, Satoru definitely makes silly water sculptures/giant puppets in the middle of the ocean for his and his companions' begrudging entertainment. Suguru and Shoko roll their eyes at it, but honestly, it's kinda cute when a water serpent or a water squid rises out of the sea to greet their ship once in a while. Yeah, it scares the shit out of ocean wildlife and maybe nearby ships and such, but at least Satoru is having fun. 🥴�� (the unhinged wittle baby)

➼ Shoko thinks the Moon and the Ocean Spirits regret blessing the Prince when he was born. Suguru agrees...

➼ But hey, they make each other proud in their own ways.

➼ Shoko once stalled their trip and stayed in a remote fishing town for a week to heal the sick, and Satoru and Suguru were there as her assistants. (Satoru was complaining about the poor amenities and Suguru had to remind him all over again that though he was raised in a noble household, it was his duty to protect and care for those who cannot do that for themselves).

➼ Satoru once helped mediate a political issue that was severely affecting several neighboring towns in the Earth Kingdom.

➼ Suguru cracked a criminal case that was unsolved for months in a town in the Fire Nation, and was personally responsible for delivering the serial killer to the Boiling Rock. (Satoru saw the boiling lake and definitely played around with it, much to the chagrin of Suguru and Suguru's uncle).

Side note for my peeps who are familiar with ATLA lore:

You know how they say no prisoner has ever escaped the Boiling Rock? Suguru told Satoru and Shoko about that, and Satoru definitely bets that he could do it.

Prince Satoru argues it's only because, "None of you waterbend."

They're visitors to the high security prison, but it doesn't stop Satoru from doing dumb stuff, like sneaking out without alerting the guards.

To prove his point, Satoru did what Sokka and Zuko did to escape the Boiling Rock: Use a cooler as a boat.

So in the dead of night, Suguru, Satoru, and Shoko do it, and Satoru successfully ferries the three of them across the Boiling Lake.

Afterwards, Suguru's like, "You've proven your point, Satoru. Let's head back."

Satoru is laughing and flashing his friends that cheesy, cocky grin he's known for and brags, "'No one escapes the Boiling Rock, highest security Fire Nation prison' my ass. All you needed was a waterbender!"

Shoko rolls her eyes at her friend's antics and speaks to him in a matter-of-fact voice, "Sure, but it wouldn't make sense for waterbenders to be kept here anyways or to be stuffed in coolers as punishments. It's meant to hold a firebender, not for people from the Water Tribe... and especially not for you."

Suguru is smirking at them both, "Theoretically speaking, precautions would be in place to prevent you from bending water. So that means pumping dry air and probably suspending your hands and feet before you're given anything to drink."

Shoko was nodding. "It'll take more than getting stuffed in a cooler for you to escape actually, so this little plot proves nothing, Satoru."

They got caught regardless because they lingered on the edge of the Boiling Lake on the opposite end of the island for far too long, and a watchman saw them and alerted Suguru's uncle.

Needless to say, SaShiSu were thoroughly scolded when they made it back to the prison.

Satoru's paying for damages to one of the dismantled coolers that were used as boats.

➼ I seriously need to stop, but yo...

Somebody please write a JJK X ATLA AU for real... 🙏

[butchsophiewalten]

for character bingo (if not done already) rosemary please!!

I really love these two.... I should draw them more, I always thoroughly enjoy it.

WOW THIS GOT REALLY EXTREMELY LONG. ITS UNDER THE CUT OK:

I'll start with Jack. I wax poetic about Jack a lot. He's a character that I find incredibly interesting, even if we don't really know particularly much about him yet. A lot of the things that I really like about him are like... interpretive? Or things that I've assumed. Hence the "not technically canon." I think a lot about "Jack Walten" as a like, a concept, within the universe of The Walten Files. Like, he was a man, who lived and had a place and a purpose within his community, but in the wake of his disappearance he's become sort of abstracted. I'm struggling to articulate this. I think of Jack as a character who has lost the ability to contextualize his own existence, and has instead become sort of an icon of himself.

I think to the community of Brighton he is a tragedy. He's a scary story. He's the memory of a man who was so well-known and so well-liked and then he up and disappeared one day and left countless rumors in his wake. And for Felix, I think he's always struggled to think of Jack as a person, and has always considered him more of a representation of his own inadequacy, and then a representation of his guilt. Felix has always kinda used Jack as a way to gauge himself. Like, Jack has always been a point of comparison. But then, Felix's relationship with Jack, to me, has also been a means for Felix to kinda improve his own self-image. I think a lot about Felix's very pleased sort of reaction to Jack's "You're a life saver, Felix." during the phone call in Bunnyfarm. I think Felix really desperately craves that sort of validation from Jack, because it makes him feel like less of a fuckup. Jack is a Good Person who has a Good Life and has his shit worked out, so if he's telling Felix he did good, he must be doing something right. That sort of dynamic where, for Felix, it's less about doing a favor for his friend, and more about chasing that dopamine hit that the validation will give him. Jack is a means to an end for him, where Felix wouldn't really care if it was Jack, or any other man who has a perceived position of success and privilege. (I have a lot more to say about this specifically, but this is turning into a Felix Analysis on my Jackmary Post, so I'm going to save it for the Felix bingo)

I got very distracted. I was trying to say that I think Jack is a person who, like, only really exists in the way the he is remembered, in the eyes of the people who remember him. Which is why Felix trying to scrub away his history with BSI is such a big deal, and why I also think it's really narratively and thematically interesting that Sophie *really struggles* to remember him. Like, she remembers him the least of anyone, almost. I think that's a really weighty sort of thing.

I don't want to talk for too long about this, because I've complained about it so many times already, but the sort of fandom perception of Jack Walten really irks me. And there's a lot of facets to his mischaracterization, I think. I could complain about the 'where the fuck are my children' TikTok audio for the millionth time, but I won't even bother. But I'm excited to see more of Jack. And I'm excited to learn more about him and to get a better idea of the sort of character he is and isn't, because I'm sure even my characterization of him is deeply flawed. Because we know so little.

ROSEMARY TIME: I love Rosemary Walten. This is another character where I think the Fandom Perception of her is so flaccid and boring. She's just Mother. She's just Woman. like so much of the time. And in fairness we don't really know very much about her, but I'm, again. very excited to learn. I like that she seems very headstrong, and I like how Martin characterizes her as being very ferociously protective of her family. I really want to know more about her relationship with Sophie during that month (and a bit) when everyone but the two of them had disappeared.

Really everything we've seen so far relating to her relationship with Sophie has been very striking to me. I'm sure this is to no-one's surprise. The "Am I still beautiful to you, Sophie?" Is still, to me, like the ultimate crescendo of the series. It's so stark. It's so fantastic. I think it's really easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of thinking about just how difficult and horrifying this character's life has been. And I'm exciting to see how this upcoming batch of episodes will continue to humanize her, and put that much more emphasis on the tragedy and horror of her death. And of her possessing a big animatronic sheep. I think a lot about Sophie hearing the a woman's dying screams through the speakers of that arcade cabinet, and recognizing it as the voice of her mother. I think that's really terrible and fantastic.

I wish I could talk more about her, like, independently, as a person, but we still know so little. So much of what I feel is assumptions. I love Rose though, I'm excited for more Rose. I'm excited for more everyone.

[warping-realities]

Rebranding

Monica was pissed off as she stared at Vincent. Although she was still a beautiful woman, her face was irrevocably altered by the presence of an ocular prosthesis. That motionless eye further increased the young man's anxiety. He knew he had screwed up and the reason for her irritation was that her needed solve that mess.

"How can you be so reckless Vincent? Be glad I paid your bail and put a coat over your body. But the repercussions... Don't you realize this could end your entire career?"

"I know, but that bitch..."

"You're not going to say that word again, it's enough to have it on video and circulating all over the gossip shows!"

"Sorry, that... woman..."

"Valery, your girlfriend."

"Ex-girlfriend, or do you think I would stay with her after she cheated on me!"

"Understandable you broke up, but threatening her, calling her all those names, in front of a bunch of paparazzi? Half naked, no less! What were you thinking?"

"Is what I ask, what was I thinking when I decided to date a brainless bimbo with fake blonde hair?"

"Very careful what you say, after all, that's not the image you want to sell Vincent."

"Ah, I'm sorry." He answers while looking at his agent's long blonde hair.

"Apology accepted, my dear. Also because we have bigger fish to catch. Tell me, what do I do with you?"

"I didn't understand your question."

"But I was so clear that even a brainless bimbo would understand."

"Look, I already apologized for the way I acted..."

"It turns out that in our midst just apologizing is not enough. We have an image to protect and sell. As you yourself said, the image that Valery conveys fits perfectly with betrayals and gossip sites. But not you, at least not until this week's attack. Frankly, I never understood what she saw in you. Okay, you're a well-known influencer, but you're nothing more than a nerd. While she's much more, she has more followers than you and I bet she soon will be considered a fashion icon."

"If you called me here just to offend me, I'm leaving." He said getting up.

"Sit down and be quiet." And inexplicably he found himself compelled to do so.

"Hmmm, hmmm"

"Much better, no? I should have realized your type much earlier, the nice guy who makes humorous videos, everyone's friend, protesting in favor of minorities... but who, deep down, is just a sexist and misogynist like so many others. You're much worse than a brainless jock, you know why Vincent? Because they don't hide who they are, women can smell the toxic masculinity they exude from miles away. But you, our allies... what a joke. .. allies like you I don't need. You come with your soft words and your sensitive hearts and women like us fall for you. We only notice all the microaggressions, the attacks on our self-esteem when it's gone too far, when that happens." She said pointing to the eye prosthesis.

"I had a heart-to-heart with Valery this morning. And I found out that on top of all that, you're a lousy performer in bed. Hence her little betrayals with her gym mates. Poor girl, always choosing wrong, but at least the last guy had an enviable body and a even more enviable…tool, perhaps the reason for you little tantrum. In your defense she swore to me that you never lifted a hand against her. So my dear I have decided that I am not going to abandon you and Valery has agreed not to press charges. But for everyone to be happy after the mess you made, both of you will have to agree to improve your images. And for that you will participate in a reality show! Fun, isn't it?" She finished with a smirk. Vincent's startled look showed that he was finding this not fun at all.”

"Now, Valery is perfect for the reality show in question, as for you... we have a few months until the launch of the next season, which I really appreciate as we need to let the situation calm down to rework your image and make a total rebranding. Get up and take off your clothes except for your underwear, I don't need to hurt my only eye with that image."

Vincent again found himself compelled to comply and robotically carried out his manager's orders.

"It really isn't good material! But let's change that, how about a few years less studying foreign languages and more time taking care of your body at the gym, Vincent?"

Suddenly all knowledge of Spanish and French evaporated from his mind. Followed by a strange feeling in the body, starting in the feet, which stretched from a number 8 to a number 11. Then the calves, a joke among his friends, widened and showed greater definition, as well as the thighs, which increased to the point of making him move one leg away from the other, with a contribution from his penis, going from a size 5' to 7'. Then the abdomen, starting to present the shadow of a six pack, with defined pectorals to accompany it, and finally the thin arms that gained the size and definition of someone who was used to doing biceps curls in the gym. As soon as it started the feeling passed.

"Much better, flex those muscles for me, Vincent." And so he did, screaming in horror in his own head, but utterly speechless on the outside.

"I think we still have room for improvement" said Monica distractedly. And Vincent exerting all his willpower finally got a free moment, rushing to the table and trying to grab anything he could use against her.

"Stop immediately! A rolled up piece of paper? Really, Vincent? I figured with all your vaunted intellect you'd think of something better." She mocked the paralyzed man.

"Apparently that intellect isn't that great. So how about we trade twenty I.Q points for another twenty pounds of lean body mass, a few extra inches on your height, on that useless dick of yours, and on those feet, for some reason some women go crazy with that!”

Vincent was invaded by that feeling of strangeness in his body, this time accompanied by a sensation of sucking inside his own mind, which prevented him from even thinking. His feet reached a gigantic size 14, emitting a pungent odor, his calves grew until it took on the shape of diamonds, and thighs grew to the size of tree trunks, his penis -little Vinnie, the name spontaneously arising- reached an impressive 9 inches in length, along with the approximate circumference of a beer can. That hint of a six pack evolves into a defined eight pack and the pecs in two slabs of meat, completing the sculpt he developed broad shoulders and huge, vascularized arms.

"Almost there! Body's perfect and intellect down to just the right level. But something's missing. How about we trade your obsession with pop culture for an obsession with yourself? A few tattoos, and what were you saying about fake blonde hair? Let's make sure the outside represents the inside well, my dear, and the main thing is that every woman who lays eyes on you knows the type of man she will be dealing with.

…

The two girls sitting on the sand tried to focus from a distance who was the man who was approaching on the edge of the sea.

"Is he mine or yours, Val?"

"I think it's yours, Brit, from this distance I can't be sure but he doesn't resemble any of mine... except... it's not possible!"

"What, Val?" Asked the other anxiously.

"Wait and see, Britt! But I can guarantee you this is going to blow some heads!" Answered Valery seeing the young man approaching.

"Hello Ladies!" Said the man, exhaling an air of douchness.

"Vincent Parker?" Britt asked in disbelief as Valery just smiled.

"No formalities girls. You can call me Vinnie!"

[alastair-1205]

EPISODE 20 REACTIONS FUCKING FINALLY I think I hurt my wrist typing all this ngl. Holy fuck this show-

I am very scared :D 

At least they can still kick ass 

Cinder just cannot stop beating up Euphrasia damn

Stick!

OK SO LOOSING POWERS DOES HAVE AN EFFECT ON YOU THEN 

Im not normal about elemental powers 

Oh no Robie don’t get murdered-

He has the right idea tho with the cup thing

Zane is trying his fucking best rn lol 

Arin is not having any of it 

Oh shit yea they don’t know…all of that other stuff yet huh

THEYRE BACK NICE

Wdym captured by them?? Wtf happened to those two

Cinder is going to kill someone I stg 

LMAO respect where it’s due, that was funny

Robie îs only partially getting kidnapped don’t worry

FUCK YEA FRACK THIS IS WHY I LOVE YOU

I love Nook’s voice as well

FUCK YEA JORDY WIN BACK UR BRAIN

Oh that’s not good 

HELL YEA ARIN 

He’s gonna almost die isn’t he

LMAOOOOOOOOO 

Oh ow rip Robie 

Holy shit that’s actually insane 

OH GOD HE FELL ENTIERLY OFF THE EDGE JESUS 

Oh god they’re all fucked up

JORDY!

Hey the car’s back! AND SO IS JORDANA

OH GODDDDD

OH FUUUUUCK 

RAS AND ARIN MAKE ME INSANE THEY’RE BOTH SO COMPLEX HOLY FUCKKKK

At least most of them are out of it

Bro Robie is making friends with some rocks right now 

BADASS FIGHT IS BADASS

“Not from you” DAMN

OH. OH LLOYD KNOWS. HE KNOWS AND HE KNOWS HE CANT FIGHT IT OH GOD IM GONNA CRY 

ROBIES ALIVE 

I FUCKING LOVE HER SO MUCH 

I LOVE HOW HE WASNT EVEN BOTHERED JUST CONFUSED LMAO 

They’re actually adorable. Like I low-key didn’t want her to get a bf but this is so cute good for them 

But uh, y’all kinda have shit to do first-

Zdmn she almost got decapitated 

OH DAMN THIS IS PERSONAL

Bold choices Arin

KAI AND BONZEL 

Nil kinda wish he stayed in super hell longer but it’s ok 

CUZ THAT WAS A FUCKING ENTRANCE 

Oh hes pisssedddddd

They are such a dynamic duo omg that was iconic 

FUCK YEA ROBIE 

GET IT GEO 

LMAO that was personal for Euphrasia. Good for her 

LMAO HES JUST GETTING FUCKING DRAGGED HELP

BOLD CHOICES ARIN I STG 

Oh that scream :(((((

Oh fuuuuuck Arin made his choice 

Group hug :D That Lloyd isn’t in cuz he’s having a moment D:

BONZEL AND COLE :D

I’m just gonna assume he somehow knew she wasn’t dead ig? 

Wu being cryptic as always. We don’t even know if hes dead or not 

LMAO CINDER IN JAIL GET FUCKED

Yay for Sora but she is Not having a good time rn huh

Damn I wonder where Jordy went 

Lloyd and Sora man…..

That is a very good question Sora

THEYRE HOLDING HANDSSSSS

Kai should give this kid a shovel talk. I think it’d be funny 

GEO FRACK AND BONZEL AND FROCHICKY YAY

THEYRE GONNA TRACK DOWN JAY

Damn so they could be literally anywhere. They gotta track down Jay Arin and Pixal. At least Zane might get some time to look now

Dragon lady’s back 

I’m glad she’s not being a dick to him like Egalt would have been lol 

Oooooo Dragon favor 

Oh that’s an interesting thing for him to have 

I like how Arin’s reasonings are worded. Like he clearly still doesn’t exactly like Ras, he just needs him for his own thing. I really like that as opposed to Arin fully believing in what he’s doing cuz Arin just wouldn’t 

[kining-the-evil]

hey would you be willing to write some allison cameron x nonbinary!reader headcanons?

there’s like no fics abt my girl and i am desperate for more.

and tysm:))

Allison Cameron Dating A Non-binary Reader

Warnings: none. Just some sweet fluff

An: Cameron gets far too much hate honestly. She could have been a great character, and I think she was a pretty good one once she stopped being in love with House

House MD Taglist: @flowercrowns-goodvibes @tuttifuckinfruttifriday

House md masterlist. Other masterlists

Cameron didn’t realize you were nonbinary when she first met you, assuming you were whichever gender you happened to look the most like that day

When you corrected her she felt insanely embarrassed and apologized profusely

Which honestly worked in her favor because you thought her panic was kinda adorable

You start off as a friendship with her before anything else

Cameron definitely has questions on how/why you identify/present the way you do, but is to afraid to ask in fear that she’ll make you uncomfortable

You will have to be the one to start a conversation about it, encouraging her to ask her questions so she can better understand you and your gender identity

Is a bit confused by her feelings for you when they develop

She’s kinda a closet case and has a hard time with having feelings for someone who doesn’t fit into the average expectations

She does eventually get over it though, her want to have a happy relationship overpowering her doubts

She’s a very doting partner

Always thinking about you, always trying to make you feel better and happy

There’s a little baggage about her first husband, but you’re supportive of any of it

Once you’re ready official, she does her best to keep you away from her job

She’s terrified of how House would treat you

But we all know that man is a queer icon and you would probably just laugh off his comments.

Cameron is dating for marriage. She wants to marry you and have a happy, long life with you.

[cloama]

*rubs temples in annoyance*

Now Drake, if you knew you were in the middle of fierce renegotiations with your record label, trying to show them you're worth more pay, why the fuck would you enter a rap battle with your brand new lable-mate and rap icon, Kendrick Lamar?

You were gambling on the notion that if you won, you'd secure that raise. You didn't win. You actual lost so badly that it fucked up your literal and social capital. You played against someone on your label thinking the label would back you. Why? Man that's Kendrick Lamar. Beyonce's favorite rapper. What were you thinking?

It's one thing to lose a rap battle, or lose some public favor. It's a whole other thing to lose your potential 200 million dollar raise and streams and album sales. You dummybitch! Why would you bet it all? You know they say you got a gambling problem. I'm not unconvinced.

Now you're calling the success of Not Like Us A Fix™️ and trying to figure out who to sue because if your lawyers can find wrong doing(they won't), you might be able to get out of that contract you've been in since you were a young man(you won't). Sad.

You wouldn't be filing this if you hadn't lost enough money and opportunities to affect your current standard of living. It must be bad. Another reason this is really pathetic: rap battles are notorious money makers for both sides. People stream more and buy merch to participate. It's a huge boost every single time. So much so that some rappers start shit just for a quick paycheck and popularity boost.

So with that being said, imagine how wack you have to be to become the first rapper in history to lose money in a rap battle. Wild. I am riveted.

I cannot wait to watch this lawsuit unfold, once you figure out who to sue at Universal Music Group. Thinking there was payola and stream manipulation when it was the first organic hit in over a decade is so funny to me. Universal Music Group is about to kick your ass when they prove that they actually had to do less for Kendrick on this than they usually have to do for you. Or when they bring up that they asked Kendrick and The Weeknd to spare you stop beefing with you because they could see your were losing public favor. Or when they bring up that Kendrick let people stream and react to the song on video platforms for FREE. He was smart. The label didn't want you to lose this badly. You actually let them down. Now everyone's gonna know your business if/when you get this deposition you want so badly. It's gonna make you look even more patheti-- you know what? Nevermind. You got it, big dawg.

[skaruresonic]

So Sonic 3's trailer finally dropped today. Any thoughts on it?

I had zero hype for this film because I didn't like the previous two and had no reason to believe this one would turn out any different. Lo and behold! ...it doesn't.

There's so much I could talk about.

• The shameless digging up of the corpse of my favorite Sonic game just to dress it up Norman Bates-style. Why yes, I love getting butchered adaptations of SA2 shoved down my throat. Keep 'em coming.

• The fact that the overly-furry aesthetic Paramount chose for Sonic and the other anthros still looks plug-ugly to my eyes no matter how much I try to get acclimated to it. In fact, it somehow looks even worse here than it did in previous movies.

• The fact that they ripped off a scene from Matrix Revolutions. Interesting choice, lmao.

• Jimbotnik continuing to register as "Jim Carrey in a costume" and not as Eggman.

• Agent Stone continuing to be a nothingburger of a character aside from being a living footstool for Jimbotnik. I thought everybody said he was going to be 3's main antagonist. Why is he even here.

• Jimbotnik calling Gerald "Pop-Pop," cutesy-ing it up for no real reason, when Eggman simply called him "grandpa" at most in the games. What, is his grandfather Mike Ehrmantraut now?

• The original game's "fuck the police" angle now being ignored in favor of maybe making GUN look like the good guys (what?).

• The fact that the ARK, an iconic location, is nowhere in sight is making me more than a tad apprehensive. Idk if this thing is supposed to replace it:

• This one really steams my hams: the fact that Paramount portrays Jimbotnik's weight gain via hateful stereotypes of fat men which the games do not employ in their overall portrayal of Eggman. It reflects a fatphobic attitude I could have told you was the case years ago judging by the fact that they cast a thin man in the role.

Games!Eggman is stylish and immaculately groomed, but Jimbotnik has to be a slob who dresses like The Dude just because he gained a little weight. Of course. 🙄

It really bothers me because Eggman is quite possibly one of the only examples of positive fat male representation I can point to, and they can't even let him be a little fat onscreen without literally exposing his belly with the intent to make fun of him in ways the games seldom do, if ever.

God fucking forbid he actually weighs the 281 lbs. he does in canon; Paramount would probably portray him like Fat Bastard from Austin Powers.

In lieu of being portrayed as dumb and weak, as is usually the case for fat male characters, Games!Eggman is portrayed as cunning, intelligent, powerful (physically and mentally), and stylish in a way that commands respect, despite whatever this Chili's says to discredit him. Eggman is fucking cool, and y'all are tripping if you don't think so.

• The fact that this movie is probably going to be cringe on the basis of its constant bathos-inducing insistence on making the characters crack mistimed jokes during serious moments.

• Doing a double take when Sonic called Shadow an "alien," possibly realizing that "alien" is the film universe's designation for anthros, then promptly short-circuiting and catching on fire. Can we not.

• Why does the trailer insist on making Shadow look like a wet cat? They did not deep-freeze my boy like they did in the games. Games!Shadow emerged from stasis minty-fresh, whereas Movie!Shadow looks like a newborn kitten yeeted straight out of the womb:

Disgustang. Stop that.

• The fact that everyone gives '06 flack for aesthetic whiplash but thinks Shadow looking like a muppet beside an irl little girl is fine, actually:

And the fact that said little girl may be killed just making dead Maria jokes 10x more uncomfortable than they need to be.

• They missed an opportunity for a fun visual gag by having the bathroom sign read "occupied" instead of "eggupied" or "hatching" (as in hatching a scheme. or a shit. maybe both, lol). Something like that:

They can pay homage to the Akira bike slide and the Super Burly Brawl from Matrix Revolutions, but God forbid we actually allude to Sonic games :v

---

...But most of this can be boiled down to "Paramount gonna Paramount."

All in all, I'm likely to continue my time-honored tradition of seeing the movie when it releases in theaters because deep down, I'm still a Sonic whore and subsequently pretending the films don't exist thereafter lol

[sepublic]

I'm pretty disappointed that the other stages of the Metroid lifecycle aren't as well known and abundant as the larval form; Everybody thinks of that when they think of a Metroid, but most people don't even know about the Queen and all of the other stages leading up to that! And it's a shame because they're such cool designs and really sell the Metroid as an intergalactic threat to me.

And it's weird, because I'm not sure why they never caught on? We had the first Metroid game on the NES, which only had the larval stage. But then the second, Return of Samus, introduces the full lifecycle. But then in Super Metroid, there aren't the other Metroid stages, for some reason; It's like the developers just kinda ignored that?

I guess it's because with the Infant, they still wanted it to be recognizable when you reunite with it later in the game. But we see other Metroids cloned from it in that game, so why not have those evolve, and use them as a way to bring the Alpha-onwards stages (except the Queen) into the SNES' graphics?

Next we have Fusion, which actually does show the other Metroid stages... But most of them are just static and in the background, contained in vats. But we do get an Omega Metroid as the final boss, plus Adam mentioning the Federation's success in creating Metroids that can speedrun its lifecycle.

Conversely, we have Metroid Prime, which doesn't have any of the other Metroid stages, but does have Phazon mutations in the Hunter Metroid, and then of course the titular Metroid Prime. Next came Echoes, which only had regular Metroids, and then Ing-possessed Dark Metroids. Finally, we have Corruption, which leans into a Phazon lifecycle for the Metroids, but nothing of the natural one from SR388. This would not be brought back until, of all things, Other M giving us the Queen Metroid.

And from a Super Smash Bros. perspective, since that's where a lot of people are first exposed to Metroid (myself included), we only see the larvae represented... I think the other stages, as well as the Phazon mutations, are also represented in trophies, stickers, and spirits. But you can see how people gloss over that in favor of the more obvious assist trophies.

This could be its own separate question, why Sakurai doesn't give the other Metroid stages more of a role, but the man is so swamped with Smash in general that I won't blame him. From another standpoint, it seems the Metroid lifecycle is also so unheard of because for a long while, it was mainly shown off in Return of Samus, a black-and-white game with some clunky controls, which could've dissuaded more casual fans compared to the more iconic, colorful, NES Metroid and Super Metroid.

Recently, we have gotten Samus Returns, which did help to reintroduce the Metroid lifecycle back into the limelight. Dread didn't do much to help, but tbf no actual Metroids show up in the game, just in the intro; Where we do see the other stages! But otherwise the only Metroid is Samus herself.

What also intrigues me is that when drafting ideas for Prime's sequel, there WAS art for an Omega Metroid... But that never followed through into Echoes, obviously. But why not? Since the Prime series takes place before Metroid II, did Retro Studies not want to 'spoil the twist' from Samus' perspective of seeing the full lifecycle on SR388? In addition to wanting to show off their own Phazon mutations; Metroid Prime Essence feels as if some developer was disappointed the Metroid lifecycle didn't focus on the deep sea jellyfish aspect of the creature when it evolve, and so their 'alternate' lifecycle was a response to that.

Did Super's developers decide there wasn't enough room to fit in the other Metroid lifecycles? Fusion does imply a rule about Metroids needing SR388's environment to undergo metamorphosis, which does retroactively explain why the stages weren't present in the first game. But tbf, the NES manual seems to imply that the Space Pirates just started breeding Metroids by the time you arrive, so there wasn't enough time for them to grow.

I'm just wondering what happened; If it really is as simple as how Sakurai chose to represent the creatures in Smash, which may have been influenced by NES Metroid and Super being the more popular of the series, with Return of Samus feeling like a black sheep until we got Other M. It feels like the galaxy-ending threat of the Metroids would've been emphasized more if these rapidly-reproducing jellyfish could then each grow into a giant vampiric dinosaur.

[sueske]

idk if I were a mangaka writing for a shonen magazine and lived in a heteronormative society but wanted to write a gay love story, I'd probs make the mc and his 'rival' kiss accidentally as a gag in like chapter 3. it's very important I do this because no one else has done it before and I think it would be funny. then I make said rival stand up for the mc when the girl in the 'love triangle' bashes him. btw said girl is obsessed with the rival but the rival only sees her as a teammate and I make sure to diligently express how her affections are selfish and one-sided. meanwhile the mc and the rival's relationship grows as they face different situations and I make the rival give up his life and his ambition to save the mc in like chapter 30. maybe I'll make the rival say something like "my body moved on its own" for the dramatics of it. the mc obviously gets very affected by this and unleashes the monster within him or something like that haha. then some other stuff happens and I make the villain say that the mc is changing the rival's heart just to make it extra clear to the readers. then through various circumstances the mc and rival find themselves fighting and I make the mc fully acknowledge just how important the rival is to him while also making the rival showcase how much he loves the mc by evolving a power that is clearly linked to emotions/love. they part in a scene reminiscent of the iconic spider-man (2002) kiss scene because that's one of my fav movies. then the mc vows to get stronger and be a fool all his life just to get the rival back. said rival gets all close and personal with the mc when they finally reunite because um... physical touch is important and it's even more important that I depict them all up close and personal. I make a girl who the mc previously called plain and weird confess to the mc at the worst possible moment. but then I make the mc ignore her in favor of his rival and then I make the mc confess their feelings for their rival in a similar fashion but better actually, near a bridge where the mc proposes a romantic suicide pact where I obviously reference famous literary works. this is what I'll make the mc come up with after he has a panic attack at the thought of his rival dying after everyone wanted to give up on the rival just so I can make it extra clear to the readers who the real love story in the series is about. anyways while all this is happening I make sure to give the mc and rival all the matching symbolism that I can, sun and moon, yin and yang, fire and wind, etc you name it. the girl who the rival once viewed as a teammate doesn't care about her anymore and I make him show this time and time again and eventually I point blank make him say "I have no reason to love her and can see no reason for why she should love me." meanwhile the rival acknowledges once again how important the mc is to him so they have to fight because the rival needs to kill the mc to be truly alone in the world. the fight is filled with homoerotic tension and feelings and eventually I make them reconcile by defining their feelings for each other as "I hurt when you hurt." btw I've also blown their arms off because I can't actually make them hold hands grr but the pool of blood between them forms a heart shape so. also I end the story by giving the rival a monologue about how he hopes to apply the love and understanding between him and the mc to the wider world around them and like. gives him hope and stuff. but that's just me idk about u all... did I mention they were both lonely kids starved of love?

[liketwoswansinbalance]

What Rafal's Physical and Immaterial Coolness Could Represent

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As a forewarning, this post is more... observational and has less of a singular, hard-hitting point to it. (Also, see Conan Gray's "Fight or Flight" song for reference, as, most of this post occurred to me in relation to that very song, if you interpret parts of it as representing Rafal's internal monologue on the subject of Rhian's substitutes during Rise.)

Also, this is a long post, so it's going under a cut.

⸻

Why is Rafal's immediate response to personal hurt avoidance of all things? Isn't that kind of a heightened, overly instinctive, clearly "uncool" reaction to have?

And yet, strangely, we still classify it as in character for him. His leaving was, arguably, the most iconic and true-to-self thing he did across both prequels. So, I want to ask: why is that?

That he just up and left seems apathetic and could be construed as part of his cold, cool nature, of course, but still—when we look at what his reaction truly is: he chose flight.

(Flight as opposed to the alternative fight, freeze, or fawn responses.)

FLIGHT! Like, can you believe it? This man, who's so headstrong and willing to stare down anything, chose flight. Let that revelation sink in. (Maybe this is more obvious than I think, but I can't believe I hadn't thought of this weird discrepancy before. Flight!)

Anyway, to explain Rafal's reaction to (potentially) having been emotionally hurt by his argument and corresponding bet with Rhian at the start, I'm going to reference a theory from an old post, as it has suddenly become relevant once again.

In short, the idea is about how Rhian's expressions of authority are personal while Rafal's are nearly always impersonal. Rhian is a master of social dynamics, considering how deftly he lies in Fall to gain favor from others and influence their views of him. And, this makes sense because he once cared so much about how he was perceived, as we take into account his original self-consciousness and his high-minded, conscionable tendencies from Rise. He is the one who wields interpersonal power as Rafal, correspondingly, wields impersonal (often more tangible and brutish) power.

If anyone would like more elaboration, here's an excerpt from that old post:

The strange thing is, in Fall, Rafal admits to having conceded a lot of the time to Rhian in the past, in the face of smaller, pettier arguments, a trend which also represents his yielding to Rhian's (supposedly nonexistent) authority in the early days. That tendency seems self-contradictory of Rafal, but perhaps, even Rafal's authority is situational. He's capable of exercising it over everything and world, but not over his own brother. He can't rein Rhian, the inevitable force, the "fatal" (to invoke both death and "fate") tides of change, the Prime Mover, in. Meanwhile, Rhian is the inverse of that. Rhian cannot exercise authority over everything and the world, but he can do so over his own brother. Besides, Rafal, often by sorcery or by outright manhandling, manipulates and exerts his physicality over others and his environment while Rhian rarely does. And yet, Rafal (from what I remember) never so much as lays a hand on Rhian during Rise (in Fall, everything changes and escalates). I don't yet know why this is, but I think this observation is true most of the time. At least, I haven't thought of any exceptions yet. The working hypothesis I have is that Rhian (being the brother who chose to stay in the comfort and limited confines of the home, according to the Bettelheim text's ideas) only initially felt comfortable to do anything there. To act, and exercise his authority in an intimate, narrow, personal way. By contrast, Rafal (the more worldly, well-traveled, and inconstant brother) wants to gain independence from their stifling "home" life, under the Storian, and, as a result, upon his return, could've felt like a stranger in his own home and with Rhian (who's also changed in his brother's absence regardless). Thus, while Rafal can certainly exercise his authority impersonally, he doesn't feel at ease exercising authority over the familiar because it could be too close for comfort, too unsettling, unsettlingly different and the same, like he can't shed the disbelonging that drove him out of the fairy-tale construct of the "home" as a safe, childhood refuge in the first place—when Rhian first questioned his very core purpose and Evil's existence.

Thus, again, Rafal's ability to wield power is, without exception (I think), always impersonal.

The closest he comes to Rhian's brand of power, which involves acting on a smaller scale or more on an individual, one-to-one level and being intimate, are his interactions with Hook and Midas. And, despite those seductive instances, Rhian is still the master of all the smaller scale exploits, like with Hephaestus and the Pirate Captain rescuing him from the Doom Room where he'd been "abandoned," whenever these acts are in fact intentional.

Yes, Rafal possibly unwittingly, by being more open with his victims, has broader appeal, but that side of him isn't all pure strategy, done with intentionality. Part of it is just how he is. Rhian, unlike his brother, strikes at something inside people that doesn't just rely on scare tactics and classic, one-dimensional intimidation. In Fall, he gains a creepiness factor and the ability to lie convincingly, importantly, without blushing.

Also, I want to commentate a little on Rafal's novel instance of blushing during Fall, which was quite unlike his usual self.

First, here's some context about physical coolness, the socially-perceived "cool factor," and how blushing can only ever be sincere and is valuable because it is involuntary from Quiet by Susan Cain:

I suspect Fall aimed to establish Rafal as more "trustworthy," and as more subject to having humility thrust upon him, than he had been in Rise, when he had previously been insurmountable.

Yet then, after that "invulnerable," unaffected precedent he set about himself, he started blushing, signaling that he suddenly began to care, and that the opposite was true of Rhian as Rhian changed throughout Fall and became more immune to his old, constant feelings of shame that originally must've formed his moral compass.

Also, Rafal gets more points towards being an actual sociopath! He just partially lost his former, low-reactive temperament when he turned "Good."

One other thought of note:

Has anyone ever headcanoned Rafal as having an avoidant attachment style? To complement that, Rhian would probably have an anxious attachment style.

Essentially, the traits of these attachment styles are Rafal and Rhian personified.

Rafal:

Rhian:

[indecisive-dizzy]

Hi bestie!! :D

If you want to, can you share more about the Phineas and Ferb Welcome Home au?

Definitely!! gah this au is so!! Silly! and wholesome! man I was thinking about sending another ask to you but I forgor :/ curse my adhd brain lol

Anywhoo hmm let's see what I got! ,,,

A lot. I got a Lot haha,,

And we'll start with Families!

Wally and Barnaby, ofc, were adopted by Home when they were younger. He's a single parent who is very supportive of his boys' summer endeavors

Julie lives with her three older siblings! Franny is the only one still in high school. Bea and Jonesy have jobs. Oh her and Frank are still besties! Mostly when Julie goes over to Wally's she's got Frank with her

Frank's got both his parents, his dad is Brazilian and his mom is American. His parents are great (especially his dad, an absolute sweety) no one knows why this kid is such a grump lol. Also Julie is over a lot for sleepovers.

Eddie has a single mom. This kid is such a Mama's boy I can imagine him mentioning her at least once every "episode." She's a great southern mom but can come off as intimidating at times (it's the Mama Bear energy)

Sally has parents but they're irrelevant mostly. She's on her own a lot bc they work pretty much all the time.

Poppy also has parents but they're probably seen once lol. They maybe sheltered her a little too much as a kid and is trying to make up for it by "getting her out there" this summer. Speaking of,,

My brain Exploded when you said Poppy was the kid's babysitter! Her parents def shoved her into it when they were talking to Home about how he needed a sitter.

How I think it goes is Home leaves, leaving Poppy in charge. The gang arrives, and Wally says the iconic "I know what we're going to do today" (order varies) and then Sally shows up. She says hi to Poppy real quick before trying to stop the kids or bust them. Poppy leaves, mentally leaving Sally in charge bc she trusts her to keep the kids safe. So on and so forth!

Ok few more things, how the kids feel about Sally!

Wally is neutral, doesn't understand what she's on about but doesn't mind.

Barnaby thinks her attempts to bust them are hilarious and is constantly poking fun at her.

Frank has beef and sticks his tongue out/blows raspberries at her whenever she tells them to stop doing something.

Julie thinks she's cool and tries to get her to have fun. She's usually the one to drag Sally into their shenanigans where she'll enjoy herself.

Eddie is scared of her. He finds her intimidating and loud and is scared she's gonna get him trouble with his mama.

Overall none of them actively hate her. they're just kids and she's a teen trying to rain on their parade.

Gah ok one more for Howdy

My guy has no "real" trauma. his childhood was fine, he doesn't get along with most his family but that's bc he's a prick. He takes Every Minor Inconvenience and makes it sound tragic like the dramatic worm he is.

He really only gets along with his nephews, Seeya, and his Aunt Toodaloo. Oh and Beeya's the mayor... yeah Howdy doesn't like him but still favors him more over Latter. Toodaloo sends him money that helps fund his schemes, but he's also got investment stocks n such.

His cockiness is his downfall. he's so confident his inventions will work but it always blows up his face (literally). He's incompetent but if he actually took things more seriously then he'd be a genuine threat.