#We're the only ones shipping them ;-;

[sskk-manifesto]

Bungou Stray Dogs: Dead Apple and how “ability users” (opposite to “normal people”) learning to accept themselves through the acceptance of their own abilities is a queer metaphor of acceptance of own's sexual orientation and gender: an essay by me

[eddiezpaghetti]

Okay, so my experience with Stranger Things is a weird one.

I didn't care when it first came out, started to watch it out of "might as well" in 2020, wasn't interested in it enough to make it past S2, forgot about it outside of going "oh, hey, cool, there's a lesbian in it now, I guess," in S3, got really annoyed when "Running Up That Hill" got popular from it because it was a song I listened to on fucking loop after one of my best friends died in high school and I fully expected its appearance in the show to ignore the whole survivor's guilt theme of the song (and was very happy to learn later that it did the exact opposite of ignoring the lyrics), saw people drawing Eddie, suddenly got a lot more interested, watched just the fourth season like a fucking psychopath because I was seriously only there for Eddie, then got interested enough to start the show over properly, having mostly forgotten what I did watch of the show before.

And let me tell you something from the perspective of someone who started with the complete fourth season, who wasn't there from the start, who wasn't tainted by ship goggles or this internal battle of hope and despair, who wasn't theorizing about what the painting could be or expecting Mike and Will to kiss when Volume 2 happened or rooting for Mike and Eleven's relationship to go down in flames or whatever the fuck. Just someone who went blind into Season 4.

It's really fucking obvious that Will and Mike are gonna be endgame.

Like holy fuck. It's so fucking blatant I don't even know why people are nervous.

No sane fucking person would shoot this scene this way if they wanted the audience to care about El and Mike as a couple. Despite being all blurry in the background, Will's reaction to what's happening here is smackdab in the fucking middle, clearly showing that the important part is what's going through his head here. What he's feeling. It's like the opposite of that scene from Kingdom Hearts II where Sora and Riku reunite and Kairi just fucking vanishes into the aether while it's happening because, despite the fact that she was standing between them when the scene began, she doesn't matter to the scene, so she's just kind of gone when the camera angle changes. Will could have been behind one of their heads, or so far in the distance he blends in with the background, but he's not. He's so obvious that despite being massively blurred out, he's still the first goddamn thing you look at. What, you think that's an accident? You think he's in the middle of this dramatic fucking scene because of a mistake? He basically has a big flashing neon arrow pointing at him with "THIS IS THE POINT" being screamed through a megaphone.

And then this?

They're paired up like they're taking fucking prom pictures. Each one of these pairs is so fucking close to one another and so fucking far from everyone else. It's not, "Oh, they're standing vaguely near each other in a group shot," it's fucking Noah's Ark out here. Again, there's no way to take this as an accident. It's not just a framing issue. If they wanted to make the shot look balanced while still not hiding anyone else behind El, they would have scattered people around much more naturally. Even if they wanted to keep Nancy with Jonathan and Hopper with Joyce, there's so much room on that hill for three people to stand on El's left and three on her right. But they didn't do that. They put Mike and Will together on purpose in the most obvious way possible.

Like I get that coming up with crackpot theories is fun in and of itself and I'm not blaming anyone for having fun. I totally get the appeal of arguing a point and reaching for every stupid little thing to pull into it because it's like a game, okay? I've done that. But if you're trying to actually convince someone (whether it's someone who wants to believe or someone who's pissed at the very idea that Mike and Will could be in love), stay away from blue and yellow lights, stay away from costume design, stay away from the existence of closets in backgrounds. And don't worry about whether Mike's gay or bi when he's in love with Will either way. I'll give you a little tip about persuasion: You're only as strong as your weakest argument. Even if you've got strong stuff in there, too, the person you're trying to convince is going to dismiss anything you say as complete insanity the second you start going on an entire tangent about the shape of a character's fucking pocket.

Sometimes, clothes are just clothes. Sometimes, there's a closet in the background because it helps establish that a character is in a bedroom. Sometimes, blue and yellow are just a couple of colors that look nice together. And sure, it might be set designers and costume designers and cinematographers smirking and winking at the audience from behind the camera. But if the show was just those things, instead of those things in the context of everything else, they wouldn't be saying anything of note.

But this?

This tells a story all on its own. Someone with no context can look at this and automatically assume that each paired person is standing with someone they care about deeply, seeking comfort as they watch some sort of disaster unfold. And yeah, romantic couples usually come in twos, and we live in an amatonormative society, so that's going to be the first association anyone makes seeing a bunch of people paired off.

It's the same reason you look at this

And go, "Oh..."

"Those two are probably a couple."

And I genuinely don't understand how people could have watched S4 Vol. 2 and gotten scared. Because as someone who went in with no investment whatsoever, I just looked at these two--

--and went, "Oh, those two are a couple. Good for them." And I moved on. Shut up about the trees for five seconds and just see the forest for what it is.

Oh, and if you're still nervous? Little thing from a storyteller here: You don't leave a hanging thread like "Will confessed his romantic feelings for Mike by projecting them onto El, but Mike either didn't understand or at least didn't say he understood," without coming back to that later. That's Chekov's gun hanging on the wall, babes. It's gonna fire at some point. If Mike was going to reject Will's feelings, if they weren't relevant, they would have had that discussion in Argyle's van. There'd be no reason to leave you in suspense.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

sequel to this ramble cause the way james talks bout the reduced cherik scenes throughout the xmen films in this video is making me want to kill people. 'we'll always have paris darling' what if we all blew up.

[veinsfullofstars]

🎩 Putting on a show with style… and snow! 🎩

(ID: Kirby series fanart of Shadow Kirby interacting with Daroach, with guest cameos by Dark Meta Knight and Spinni. Top right - SK & DMK reflected in a steampunk-inspired mirror, each dressed in the Dreamy Gear attire of their counterparts but more tailored to them (purples instead of blues for SK, a tattered red cape and a spiked hat belt for DMK). SK stands on his tiptoes and holds his cheeks with a wide, starry-eyed smile, delighted with his new outfit, while DMK stands just behind him to our left, curled into his cape and looking disgruntled, a bit of blush peeking through his mask. Outside the mirror, Spinni stands proudly on our right, smiling and giving a thumbs-up with a hand on his hip and a few sewing pins in his teeth, while Daroach (dressed in his own Dreamy Gear clothes) stands on the opposite side, pointing at his friends' reflections with an affectionate smile. Middle left - SK & Daroach holding the Magic top hat together, the puffball looking up in awe as the thief taps it with his wand, causing a pair of white doves to fly out in a small burst of confetti. Bottom right - SK wearing the Ice hat and skating gracefully on one foot towards the viewer, arms held out and expression full of joy. Behind him, Daroach skates by in the opposite direction, holding up his wand to unleash gusts of glowing snowflakes all around them. END ID.)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 (you’re here!) | Part 7 | Compilation

Sketch started btw 12/23 - 06/24, render started 06/08/24, finished 06/13/24, updated for color correction 11/02/24.

[saph-yells-into-the-void]

hi uh... i don't go here rlly but can anyone explain why people are theorizing if bakudeku will be canon?

tbh I haven't been in this fandom is a long-ass while and last time I left off (anime-only) this didn't even seem close to plausible, but now people are saying that bakudeku could genuinely happen if it weren't for possible censorship.

please excuse my nosy ass self, im just hella curious 😭

[izartn]

On Blue Lock, Episode Nagi movie:

It was like one of those outsider pov fics from a secondary character pov but official. Given that's one of my fave genres of fic amd I knew that about the movie coming in I enjoyed the perspective it offered, and also the melodrama of NagiReo xD

Also why was the ost so much better than in the anime itself? Did I blitz too quickly through the episodes? It made the kinda recap this was, entertaining as it got, much better. Why XD I hope that ost is in season 2.

Liked how NagiReo were the last ones to cross that door and that Ego had to bait Ngi into it. Would have messed up his 300 teens plan for Blue Lock is these two refused lol though I think he was absolutely prepared for that. Funny how Nagi is the one who gets the Blue Lock mentality despite being the reluctant of the pair.

I loled at how little the other guys in V mattered though, and at the replay of the match against Z, Nagi getting more and more fixated in Isagi and football for himself, to Reo alarm and happiness respectively.

I am not the only one who thinks Nagi is/was depressed due to a lack of challenge and isolation in his life, right? That whole, leave me I don't want to even try, just want to stay in my comfort zone idling the days away....

Going to other matters....

Also. Why did that Isagi and Bachira separation at Stage 2 look 100% more gay than it was in the anime? I swear it was the typical Shonen friendship on the season. Ah I know. Because Nagi, BL character that he is, was there remembering himself and Reo in rosy flashbacks. Hilarious taking what happened just before between them. But then Nagi is confident on their friendship in a way that Reo just isn't.

The contrast between their mental states re:change are so fucking funny in a sad way too. Reo is so insecure, compared to Nagi, I guess it comes from his family reputation and money being all he was before he meet Nagi and so he's insecure about his own merits but really. He's coping about as well as my bestie in HS did to her situationship with another girl collapsing when she was 14, that's the level of gay ass failing were talking about. That Nagi just didn't voice aloud the emotional reassuring parts to Reo during the breakup was so teenage boy of him, he just thinks he's being clear enough and then, everybody else can see Reo is just. Not manging it well. Love that they just fucking went pass Nagi being brutal to Reo on the 3vs3, like. Yes this is Nagi PoV the movie no you don't get to see what the fuck was he thinking. I personally imagine he was trying to like, do a reverse psychology on Reo, but it didn't work(?) (except it kinda did) bc Nagi has a 0 in interpersonal communication. Who knows though. Maybe the manga?

Anyways I'm really happy about that post-credits and additional time! So season 2 is gonna start from the jump after the 50 days timeskip, huh? Not surprised at all by who I saw there as the starting 11 for the U-20 match, of course our protags and company are there.

That after all the movie they end up bringing it back to NagiReo kinda having maked up, and Reo having friends/rivals telling him to quit the sad face, they're gonna be the best is soooo funny. Yes Reo you have friends, you're there on the 25 of 300 even if you're on the sidelines right now, relax XD Happy for him he seems to get friends other than Nagi, he needs more than a (boy)cough(bestie) friend.

And that was it!!! Thanks to @ashen-sky for telling me to wait for the post credits! Very appreciated given almost my whole sala walked out.

[here-there-be-fics]

We could do something I've never seen with a ship before when tagging;

Have a Safe-For-Work shipname = Kinley

And a Not-Safe-for-Work shipname = Kinkley

[deadbeandrop]

i always feel like there's such an underappreciated aspect of lumpus being the one to have feelings for slinkman (over the years) which is that there's something so Hilarious about him wanting to dump his head in a vat of acid because he's thinking stupid mushy shit, or Worse, about this Thing again

who also does not pick up on this at all and just thinks he's being weird again

[stealingpotatoes]

hi, i love your work, just wondering, do you ship din/luke just in your comics, or in "real life" (the shows) too.

bold of you to assume i think the shows are real and or canon

[ikemenomegas]

After seeing that rb about sakura and ino 👀. it's a guilt free way to make sure they don't end up alone when all the boys end up with alphas who actually honor their backstories. but consider also! it just works! evidence:

friends to enemies to lovers. a 10/10 trope and make it yuri? yes please we need more fun tropey girl couples

sakura is a girl failure. no i will not be taking criticism. yes, she is highly successful. So, technically, according to my girlfriend is succession's siobhan (be proud of me for spelling that without looking it up) rather successful or at least born to success. still a girlfailure. ino. gives girlwife. enough said

canon flowershop au. ino runs the family flower shop. bouquets subtly telling sakura what she thinks of her? also 10/10

kishimoto doesn't know how to write women. ino and sakura's natural competitiveness? is something that makes them very compatible. It would turns Ino on except she hates that it seems needlessly turned on her (she's great at reflecting the energy she's getting). also, sakura just riles her in a way no one else seems to do. when that tension turns more sensual 😏, well it's probably got something to do with sakura's poor impulse control and ino's suddenly realizing they're standing way too close for just their usual spat

in an omegaverse au? i haven't pinned down their designations (mostly because they could all be compelling options) but - alpha!sakura x omega!ino where ino is the one showing sakura the value of more than command in the shinobi arsenal, and helping her feel comfortable in her own skin and designation! sakura gets embrace her protective instincts and realize being an alpha doesn't have to define some of her behaviors. also omega ino carrying alpha sakura is my new favorite thing - alpha!sakura x beta!ino where suddenly ino has the best sex in her life to look forward to and sakura appreciates ino's community building beta instinct - beta!sakura x omega!ino where ino doesn't have to ever be worried about giving her independence up to an alpha and sakura gets to really know what it means for the full force of an omega's love to be hers - omega!sakura x beta!ino where ino teaches sakura not to be scare or ashamed of her omega instincts, unwinding some of that internalized prejudice, and sakura has someone who appreciates her intelligence and the things that are not "typical" for her designation. ino also gets to experience how an omega's instincts are valuable. I get this idea she might be sort of jealous of sakura for being an omega, especially since so many of the eligible bachelors around her were omegas. ino loves understanding others and reaching out to them is part of how she shows romantic interest as well, but she felt there was a wall where she didn't understand alpha/omega dynamics beyond the textbook. and she's both surprised by how intense it can be but also loves being someone omega!sakura can rely on while relying on her in turn. - omega!sakura x alpha!ino where they work through ino's protectiveness and need to pamper sakura, who feels that enjoying these things show an omega-typical weakness that she never wanted to see in herself. especially not when her two omega team mates and her omega sensei seem so bent on pretending they get along fine without such things. and alpha!ino gets to feel that this socially deemed "unfeminine" part of her actually can be whatever she wants it to be, and that a relationship between her and sakura can still be a relationship between two women. - and finally alpha for alpha and omega for omega pairings where they both work through the territorial energy sakura puts off and realize that actually? maybe losing out their mutual middle school crush is a really dumb thing to keep fighting over and masks their individual insecurities and they get to pick each other this way. also rut for rut or heat for heat intimacy? is just their brand of intense and mesy

that was a long one 😩 but it could work in literally any configuration just relying on their og series and shippuden personalities! aka op for this post was right

it also just really bleh when the only way women in a series interact is by fighting over the same man (what happened to every naruto woman's obsession with hinata's figure! they should have fought naruto for her!) or by just... fighting in general

sakura and ino are both proud kunoichi. they have very different skillsets (also how cute would is the motifs of sakura the doctor and ino the gardener? they both bring life and liveliness from their own hands) but this doesn't make one of them better than the other. having them compete to always be the best doesn't mean they can't truly appreciate how each other shine! competitive couples who love and respect each other are the cutest.

having said that they should absolutely go on a hiking date with an overnight cabin stay at the end. this isn't evidence. it's just a good idea.

i'm tired now so we'll stop here. it's a good ship though. goodnight all 😴

[sonknuxadow]

sorry mild hater moment incoming but . idk what it is with s/onadow fans (not all of them. just a very loud subsection) specifically and making every little thing shadow does about s/onadow even if its the biggest reach imaginable and immediately going "omg s/onadow" every time hes confirmed to be in some upcoming thing . or being so obsessed with the ship and letting it warp their perceptions of things so much to the point where they act like every little thing is a hint from sega that theyre in love for real. and they cant admit that its not canon or that just because they choose to interpret certain things romantically doesnt mean that thats actually what sega/the writers intended even if theres an obvious non so/nadow explanation for it

before people take this the wrong way i dont hate the ship i dont think that its completely baseless or that everyone who likes it is wrong and annoying or anything . but some of you look like this if im being honest

[onepiece-polls]

I love your polls and it’s great you try to be on both sides to give fair chance to everyone, but the way you talked about shanks/buggy is crazy They’re fine together but in canon they’re brothers and your shipping googles got so tight you actually sounded like you could believe they’re anywhere close to canon which is u know stupid af

lmao, okay, this came out of nowhere 😂 Like... I talked about that months ago. But okay.

Anyway, Shuggy is canon. They're making out behind you right now.

[giallos]

a truly terrible idea has latched hold of my gremlin brain which is, buck and tommy do break up so that buck can pursue eddie because either tommy thinks buck is in love with eddie or buck feels like he should be with eddie because everyone else keeps suggesting there's something more there BUT buck/eddie getting together changes their dynamic so much that neither of them are enjoying themselves (and they're worrying about losing what made their friendship so special because of all the changes to the dynamic) AND buck and tommy keep hooking up [air quotes] platonically (with tommy stumbling into inconvenient feelings and pining pathetically for buck while fucking him) while buck struggles to sort out intense feelings toward eddie (which obviously have to be romantic of course) vs. his calm, more settled feelings toward tommy (they're not as intense as his feelings about eddie so they can't possibly be romantic) blah blah long story slightly less long but buck realizes he's been in love with tommy the whole time and was having trouble separating strong but platonic feelings for eddie from his romantic feelings toward tommy and then tommy's like "newsflash asshole i've been in love with you the whole goddamn time"

i'll never write it because it's irredeemably stupid and i value my peace but it IS sitting in my hindbrain tormenting me right now

[grey-lark]

Not gonna lie, there is an non-insignificant part of me that thinks it would be hilarious to make Jackrabbit a Steve/Tommy/Carol fic at the last minute and just end with ‘Congrats, you unknowingly read over 200,000 of crack ship!’

[saint-lajka]

wife telling me about ddgs which sounds like a kink acronym but its just a navy ship model that he builds

[limnsaber]

(CAR SCREECHING) (CAT YOWLING) (GLASS SHATTERING) (THINGS FALLING) (PERSON SCREAMING) (BUSTING DOWN YOUR DOOR)

LUKE SKYWALKER FOR BLORBO BINGO

Hello!!! Thank you I have to say I love your sound effects

BLORBO BINGO: LUKE SKYWALKER

Luke Skywalker!!! Luke is so much to me. In the same way that these are the movies ever, (literally they changed the course of history indelibly), Luke Skywalker is the most main character to ever main character. He's the embodiment of hope for so many generations and is a superb example of a chivalric hero, acting out of hope and love, but he's also reckless as hell and insanely durable and makes morbid comments mostly to himself and goes through a character arc so intensely that it nearly makes him unrecognizable from how we knew him and changed the galaxy forever.

Changed the galaxy forever for good. Luke Skywalker bore witness to the truest dark, he saw the darkest parts of the universe and waded knee-deep in them, and then stepped out. He said, "I choose my friends and what I believe in. I'd rather die before I let myself become you."

When told his fate by two opposing advisors, he chose neither, and wrote his own fate according to what he felt was most true. In doing so, he saved the galaxy, and arguably more important to Luke, his father's soul. SUCH A GUY!!!!

Luke is so peculiar to me. <- referring here to my star wars hyperfixation. Because I was born at a time where I have never not had Star Wars in my life. I can't recall a time not knowing Star Wars in some way shape or form. It's a large portion of my childhood, which is something that can be said by so many people-- I feel that that's just a statement that displays how impactful Star Wars, and Luke Skywalker the Guy of All Time, was to children, and even adults, as a hero, and how he/SW endures.

It's peculiar to me because there are two Lukes in my mind. One is the fandom one I brush shoulders with every once in a while, and one is the one from my childhood. That Luke Skywalker lives with me, representative of every childhood hope and ideal. Luke Skywalker, truly, feels like an old friend.