#and also its not like overtly jealous

[lavenderlacedquill]

jealous will x reader head-cannons!!! love your work!

˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚ 𝐉𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 ˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚

Pairing: Will Graham x Reader

✧˖°

Generally speaking, Will doesn't seem like an overtly jealous guy. He feels secure in your relationship and doesn't have super jealous tendencies, but there are always exceptions

There would not be an issue with either of you having friends of the opposite gender, unless that specific person has done/said questionable things that makes you both uncomfortable

Will reads vibes for a living, so his heightened empathetic ways make him naturally weary of strangers. But with you, unless he feels like there is an issue that is worth bringing up in a conversation, he will keep these feelings to himself

You cannot convince me that he isn't a slight death stare person. Now, this stare wouldn't be without reason. Maybe a coworker made a pass at you or made a joke at your expense, in which his response is simply the stare down his eyes were made to give

Will's love language does not tend to lean into physical touch, but in public he would always have a small hand on you to show your connection to each other

Now, he does seem like the type to love leaving a hicky or two. Not in such a visible spot that it's hard to cover, but in just the right place that it can accidentally appear when your shirt lifts up/falls a little too much. It's a subtle reminder that you are his partner.

oh, and if you had someone at work that had a slight crush on you and Will found out? He's sending the biggest gift basket/bouquet he can get his hands on and delivering it personally to you. Not only do you get a nice gift, but whoever has that silly little workplace crush will KNOW that you're off the market :)

✧˖°

The gif I used belongs to the lovely @hughdancybabyface, click here to see its gif set. I am very knew to using gifs on Tumblr and am learning how to properly credit their creators. Advice is welcome :)

My requests are also open! Please read my guidelines before submitting one :)

[no-where-new-hero]

Chapter 31: Emily's Great Moment

I cannot believe we made it to the end of the book club! Thanks a million to @batrachised for hosting, @the-piper-and-the-lion for the memes, @bewareofitalics and @moonlightredfern for reblogging and sharing all the posts, and everyone who participated for offering metas and reactions and enriching the fandom of this oft-overlooked book! I enjoyed it quite a bit :)

This chapter's thoughts, feat. some spoilers, below:

I ONLY noticed this time around that Dean's habit of accompanying Emily through near-death convalescence is established from here, yet its outcome is totally contrasted to its outcome in Emily's Quest. Here, he leaves her to Teddy. There...

LMM is also very fond of these kind of...loaded benedictions following Emily's interactions with her prominent male mentor figures, each of which underscore this inevitability that Emily will have to give something up to have the life she wants. It started with Douglas and his "she will love deeply, suffer terribly, and have glorious moments to compensate." The sacrificial element isn't here, but still that notion of balance, of something being taken away for her glorious moments. Then Dean's "one pays a penalty when one reaches out for something beyond the ordinary." This is the reverse, overtly sacrificial, applicable to a number of areas in her life: her ambition, her desires, her freedom. It also comes up in his mentioning of paying the piper the price for an exciting life. He may have his ulterior motives for the insistence with which he talks about it, but it becomes part of a theme. And finally Mr. Carpenter talking about the gods and their debts and that Emily will need to pay, which is basically what Dean was saying (but no one ever faults Mr. Carpenter for his dire outlook, it seems).

This all feels very much like LMM's own attitude to her writing seeping through; later on in the series, Emily talks about her muse as a jealous goddess in a way that sounds lifted from Maud's own journals, and the theme of Emily as an inveterate journal-keeper is also established here. But it also makes a strong stance on this idea of being a woman and being a writer: it demands sacrifice, almost deprivation. We've seen it already in Emily burning her account book. I wonder if this is partly why people are skeptical that Emily continues writing after she marries Teddy; Maud has so thoroughly insisted that Emily cannot have her cake and eat it too. I personally don't agree with this conclusion, in my opinion Teddy is the only way that Emily doesn't have to sacrifice, because he's partially her muse and inspiration himself; but the fact stands that Emily is portrayed so often as having writing and nothing else that it's hard to imagine her being able to avoid these debts that everyone has been piling on her throughout this novel.

Final note is that, in the physical copy of the book I own, the final line--in complete and utter bathos--has a misprint of "diary" as "dairy," which has always annoyed me to no end.

[tumblingxelian]

I was reading a post by @casscainmainly earlier & my brain went on a tangent regarding the "who is Bruce's favorite" thing. & no this is not gonna be a wholesome "Bat-dad doesn't have favorites" post, this is a "Bruce is too messed up to have the kind of coherent beliefs, feelings and focus for that kind of behavior.

This is not a man with a stable & consistent mood, this is a man who argues with his cowl in the basement while he has company over.

Anyway, I will address this in order of appearances so:

Dick is the "Favorite" in the sense he is in Bruce's eyes a Bruce who managed to cope healthily with his trauma, grow up, move on and be happy as well as a hero.

On some days, this inspires Bruce, and is what makes him feel Dick is better than he could ever be. On other days, this is why Dick could never measure up to him, why he lacks the iron will, the drive, the focus, to be the best he could be.

Jason is or was the "Favorite" in the sense that he was the one Bruce went in on eyes wide open, that's his son, no complexity or ambiguity about it like with Dick or Alfred, they are family.

How well he did is up in the air, but he was trying, which is why Jason dying was basically his parents all over again but now its a parent losing a child not child losing parents. He can't handle it so he consigns Jason to a pre-made tragedy rooted in criminality.

Tim is the "Favorite" in the sense he is the one Bruce sees the most of Bruce in, IE, dark haired, blue eyed, rich boy of Gotham. He is Bruce without the tragedy, & someone Bruce has less preconceptions about.

This is also why Bruce started up mind games and trying to make Tim eventually be Batman but also at other points clearly didn't see Tim as suitable or fitting as well, again, moods.

Stephanie, she is not his kid and was never at risk of being the "Favorite" but she was taught by him. As usual, he projects, he projects Jason, her father, her background & class, her existence as a girl, IE, damsel, in his mind (Writers outfight confirmed this).

He's never once seen her, but there were a few moments that showed they could have had something cool, but it was not to be.

Cassandra is the "Favorite" in the sense that she is what Batman wishes he had. All the skills and training in the world to a superhuman degree, no civilian life, an 'innate' grasp of the morality he grapples with, and the same obsessive drive.

Note, I didn't say Bruce, I said Batman and also that projecting what you want on a person isn't the same as favoritism, nor is it healthy, nor is it even consistent.

Cos Bruce also hates sides of Cass that remind him of himself, IE, he willingness to do what she thinks is right over obediently listen, her self sacrificial tendencies. & he resents sides that aren't like him, the more reckless, less coldly detached parts of her, or her stepping away from his ideal path. In many ways he's jealous.

Damian is not the "Favorite", but he is symbolic of one of Bruce's longest lasting and most passionate love affairs. He is also, like Jason a symbolic representative of family, of what he could have but for the mission.

Damian is also his circumstances, his history, his bloodline, his grandfather, and no matter what he does, he can't escape these things in Bruce's eyes, we are all defined by our families he thinks.

Duke is not the "Favorite", though he does have the least complicated relationship with him due to the era of his arrival and his time becoming a vigilante before they even engaged much.

What's more, Duke was a independent vigilante before he was Bruce's student and well practiced in establishing his own boundaries & definitely has some of that "he matched my freak" energy.

IE, Bruce deciding to become a vigilante at all, Duke holding him before a train to spark his memory, they have zero chill.

So while there'd definitely some projection given his parents, and jealousy/paranoia/admiration with his natural talent and powers. Its a more overtly mentor-like relationship which lessens some of the baggage.

Emphasis on the word, some and no this doesn't make Duke the "Favorite", because if Bruce can't major project, pedestal or pre-judge someone he can't 'bond' with them to the same extent.

Note:

Again, its harder with Bruce, cos its comparing where he was and what he became over a mostly linear period and then reboots happened, amnesia happened, Bruce's persona got shifted, this makes things complicated dammit >< But I hope this was interesting!

[paperstreetlocal]

im strictly talking about romantic feelings here and not sexuality about the aro thing i do hc tyler as aro , and i believe he is canonically (of course im only basing this on how he interacts with both the narrator and marla so its just a hc) Not like 100% aro but just doesnt gaf most of the time and sometimes indulges the narrator cause why not.i do think hes fond of him but not in the weirdly possessive way narrator is -> when it comes to the narrator hes like? kinda the complete opposite.head over heels in an unhealthy way.way too jealous for his own good but Also so far up his own ass he doesnt realize it. doesnt really think about why hes so petty he just is . also apparently in the book he has a catholic bg (basing this off a post because i forgot so much of the book (shit memory im sorry ill just take what the person said as true)) which plays into why i think hes internally homophobic and would absolutely deny being in love with tyler even tho hes a complete faggot when it comes to him.. i dont tnink hes *overtly* religious just has certain views/habits that stuck with him since childhood . . .. .. . . anyway i think he represses his attraction to tyler unintentionally because no fuckign way this dude wasnt neglected as a child (absent dad for the most part + uncaring mother) and experiences attachment that borders on being avoidant ? gets uncomfortable if shit goes a certain way (for a couple months until they get used to each other)

[silviakundera]

I found your blog while watching for love's sake splendid drama and nice commentary from you I saw you watch chinese shows and I have a question am I dumb or because why are they so frustrating I don't know if it's because I'm used to japanese ones where there isn't much romance and this is how romance is written these days or is this a cultural thing because why every one of these I watch has such weird romantic relationships where this dude is breaking his back for her from day 1 and this dudette is out here acting like he's number 5 on her priority list?

yaassss Love for Love's Sake representation. I will never rest from reccing that drama 👏👏 you clearly are NOT dumb & have great taste 😘

for cdramas, my beloved, in my experience of watching in recent years is that there is such a wide breadth of genres & tones. There is just SO MUCH. Definitely chinese entertainment has its own tropes and way of portraying romance. And you either like or you don't. But there are many different flavors. If you feel like you were seeing the same dynamic repeatedly, it may have been bad luck.

If you prefer minimal romance, there are definitely options for that in cdramas! There are mystery/investigation dramas and wuxia martial arts dramas with little to no romance. Because of censorship the gay romances naturally are circumspect and light on the romance (see: The Untamed, Couple of Mirrors, Word of Honor, Spirealm, Guardian). Since you like Love for Love's Sake, I'd rec The Spirealm on Viki - also queer love story about a guy who enters a video game and the people he meets there become real to him; though warning it IS censored and that means the ending is more ambiguous. I can't promise you'll like it. (Semantic Error and Eighth Sense are my other 2 fav korean gay romances btw. )

There are also cdramas that do include romance but in terms of screen time the romance is like 30% of scenes and the plot & character arcs are 70% of scenes. Like in Blossoms in Adversity that I'm watching now, yeah there is most definitely romance but the FL/ML romance scenes compromise like 25% of the overall screen time. It's about way more than who she might marry.

But also in terms of cultural differences? hmm idk because I'm not chinese. I really should NOT speak like I understand their PoV. From an outsider's perspective, I have felt like there are many cdramas with overtly feminist themes - commentary about restrictions on women, the challenges of navigating through a society that can be unfair and entrenched with misogyny. (I joke and yet not that chinese entertainment seems to have 3 propaganda drums that it beats: nationalism/unification, anti-war, and feminism.) It's certainly a fact that many cdramas feature female characters that fall in love but they maintain other priorites & don't let themselves be subsumed in devotion to a man. They have romance & find love but "keep their eye on the prize."

My best guess (??) about this is that it's a rebellion against old cultural mores about women's role being subserviant to father then husband, when during imperial times a woman was expected to prioritze her husband and his family above her own wants, health, and happiness. (It was immoral to be jealous or not follow direction from the man.) Modern chinese screenwriters, both men and women, appear to be writing for an audience that will respect & support the idea of a woman who has her own agenda and maintains focus on her goals despite her love for the ML. Perhaps because this is viewed as moving away from "old thinking". idk.

I presume the target audience in china for romance dramas simply doesn't worry so much that the ML is getting loved enough & aren't as sensitive to thinking he might be at a disadvantage... They're aware society is already set up to his advatange & for much of history he would have all the power in the relationship. (He might bend now and be giving it his all, but the audience knows he can tap into more power & control at will. if she gives up control & her goals, it will be harder for her to recover & reclaim status/money/power compared to him. There are dramas I've seen that pretty much explicitly state that FL wants to earn her own status and money that is hers, thru her own efforts, not lent by him - not prestige or wealth that comes through him and thus could be taken away).

Personally I don't view this as unromantic, just the practical realities of existing in a patriarchal society. (cdramas can hit different imo because they can be blunt about how people operate based on self-interest & pettiness, the realities of classism, the ugliness of rumors, how judgmental people can be about appearances, how you can't always get justice when wronged. Reminds me of the Discworld books that were very frank about how the common people commonly are. It's not saying: this is how people should be; it's saying: this is how things are, the bitterness of life, but you can still find sweetness & meaning within it)

There's another aspect: some cdramas have male protagonists (e.g. Mysterious Lotus Casebook, Blood of Youth, League of Nobleman, Eternal Brotherhood) and some have female protagonists. If you're watching a female protagonist, as the protagonist her priorities & goals are the story driver. So her love interest will take a back seat to that even though it's a romance. He's a support role - his job in the story is to break his back for the protagonist. (A Journey to Love is an example where ML and FL share the protagonist role & you can see that in how things play out, how they each have separate priorities that don't get dropped for love.)

At the end of the day, there are plenty of cdrama romances where I ship it hard and feel a mutual love & devotion between the couple. My fav flavor is where both FL and ML have their own strengths and can be counted on to support each other. I'm not keeping score on who owes who, and neither are they.

But it's all not gonna to be to everyone's taste and that's fine. :) When it comes to international tv, if we enjoy content from other countries then it's our good luck. But if we don't...well, it wasn't made for us. That's ok.

[kalegreeneyes]

LOVING burning and buried, but i broke my rule of only reading completed fics so i’m itching for some more wolf star fics to read in between updates. do you have any recs for fics? i feel like i can trust your opinion given how good your work is!

the answer is yes, but the answer is also that i read a LOT of wips, and some of my recs will be bigger fics you may have already read, or have jegulus as another main ship which idk if you're into or not but here!!

completed:

lose yourself by daiver - holy SHIT this fic was so good. remus gets brainwashed into being a death eater and it is sooooo so so angsty and wonderful. it had so many moments that had my heart RACING

the horcrux hunt by lostmy_keys - this is one of my favorite fics of all time. regulus (reluctantly) teams up with remus to hunt horcruxes. it is regulus centric but also remus, MOSTLY platonic moonwater (which if u like burning and buried i assume u like) but they are quite flirty....which may not be your cup of tea, but as someone who has had a flirty close platonic friendship or two i LOVED. slowburn ANGSTY wolfstar. honestly, i might reread this one now that i've been talking about it. so fucking good.

the cadence of part time poets by motswolo- if you haven't read this, you should. its amazing. if you like slow burn wolfstar, plenty of angst, mentally ill remus lupin, and the best oc's i have ever seen in a fic, this is for you. it is a band au, but mostly it is a boarding school preparing to be in a band au and a freshly starting out band au. extremely long, but extremely worth it.

for the love of ducks by viwrites - UGH anything vi writes i love, but this is a wolfstar sickfic that just sort of scoops up your heart into warm hands and holds it. like, don't get me wrong, it's got angst--but in a comforting way? i love this fic. so fucking much.

saccharine by moonymoment - sirius is a ghost in an apartment remus moves into. i was smiling through this whole fic except for when i was crying.

'tis the damn season by moonymoment - wolfstar fake relationship christmas fic - need i say more?

retrial by pheonixgal - remus hosts a true crime podcast and focuses on sirius's case, which is a concept i LOVE.

god i could keep going for a WHILE but I'll move on

WIPs:

godlight by Badhairred - this is my fave wip at the moment. it has SUPER regular updates. it's jegulus and wolfstar, and i LIVE for the wolfstar in this fic. their relationship, the buildup, the backstory, UGH. jegulus is fantastic too in this fic, obvi, but since you're asking abt wolfstar...i love them in this fic.

sirius black's second chance by platypus_and_pen - as you might guess from the title this is a bring back black fic in which he goes back in time to his hogwarts days after going through the veil, and he gets to reconnect with not only himself, but his friends, and also HOPEFULLY right some wrongs.

the middle path of moonlight by asheseverafter - this fic is so long, so well written, and has weekly updates. i will warn you that they are STILL quite young (i think 14/15 right now? i'm not entirely sure) as the author is taking their time with each year (Which i love) but the relationship between sirius and remus (while not explicitly shown, builds into fade to black or is vague) is quite.......advanced. i personally, as a 26 year old adult, have to skip over that stuff just for my own comfort, and there is still a fair bit of overtly sexual flirting/jokes which is kind of impossible to skip over so if that isn't something you'll be comfy with then that's totally fair, BUT. that being said, the writing in this fic is absolutely gorgeous, i get jealous every time i read it. and the moonwater friendship is AMAZING and the black brothers/black family dynamics are some of the best i've ever seen and how in love and dedicated wolfstar are the entire time is very sweet.

cupid's chokehold by lollipopluna - also mainly jegulus and also having a good amount of wolfstar, but i had to recommend because it is just. so. good. it is violent and dirty and everyone is a little rough around the edges (putting it lightly) but no one moreso than reg and remus. there hasn't been too terribly much ACTUAL wolfstar bc of the angst and the slow burn aspect but i am so so excited to see where they go, and where jegulus goes, and where platonic (not even. more like reluctant enemies former friends?? I guess??) moonwater goes. the DRAMA. the INTRIGUE. the INTENSITY. its great.

AND last but not least, on a pillow of blue bonnets by kalegreeneyes (me (: ) - sirius is famous and he's spinning out so james and pete and regulus are like GET OUT OF HERE and they ship him off to remus's ranch in montana where lily and marlene live and work too!! and barty and evan are ranch hands! and it's a slow burn! and there are horses! and cowboy remus wielding an axe! the downside is that i haven't updated it in a really long time and the new chapter is slow going ha ha ha ha ha BUT it isn't abandoned and i have the whole fic loosely planned out!!!

alright that's all for my absurdly long rec. i could have kept going but i had a moment of self awareness and had to stop, lol

ty for asking!!

[n0n-sen-se]

𝐊𝐍𝐘 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐲! 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧'𝐬!

includes ;; kyojuro x gn!reader x tengen synopsis ;; these hc's basically assume the reader is just a civilian, but there's also a demonslayer!reader bonus ;) content ;; fluff. a/n ;; this prompt was recommended to me :) and by god I did it

☆☆☆ # general relationship !

days can switch between domestic bliss to overtly interesting dates. tengen always comes up with the initial idea for a date (like dinner or going to a festival) and kyojuro naturally likes to expand on it and plan accordingly. setting up times and places.

tengen loves the sounds of your combined laughter, it melts his heart when he realizes its happening. as the sound hashira it quickly become his favorite.

they're both very spontaneous and heart-led people, sometimes they need a reminder to slow down and think things through. . . and on the other hand its good for you to be dragged along into their antics!

whenever tengen sees you throughout the day he's always gonna give you a kiss or a hug / kyojuro will sort of linger to you, managing to rest his head on your shoulder and/or bury his face in your neck

kyojuro is the person you both kind of look to for support, he's a bit wiser and emotionally inept as a partner. In fact its easy for him to pick up on everyone's off days. the biggest supporter for you both!

speaking of which, these tall boys usually don't bend down to kiss you, they'll scoop you up right off your feet for one

when tengen cooks for you two he likes to do so alone, he's very capable of managing a fiery kitchen alone, you two would just get in the way so "sit down and wait until its done"

always communicating with you, about their schedules/work, just to talk in general or make plans. even with both of them are away at night or on missions

i also feel if you guys were ever cuddled together on a bed or a couch you'd be squished in the middle, back against tengen's broad chest and your legs being rubbed by kyojuro

there both always warm too (maybe too warm)

both tengen and kyojuro are relieved to have each other and you, having such strong partners puts their minds at ease.

tengen doing that thing where he fixes your outfits/appearances if a little thing is out of place.

tengen also brags about you two to anyone who's interested in listening to him / kyojuro's face turning bright red in embarrassment

kyojuro loves surprises! especially small ones like hugs (and it's pretty easy to sneak up on him too since his hearing is kinda shot)

kyojuro is very open about everything. doesn't hide much and tells you both how he feels / tengen keeps to himself a little more, at least the personal stuff (he thinks he can handle it on his own)

jealousy levels: tengen doesn't get too jealous, maybe frustrated is a better word. would definitely just drag you away and keep you to himself for a bit

as for kyojuro, he gets quiet and a little sulky (puts distance between himself and everything else) and would never question either of you of cheating

☆☆☆ # w/ a demonslayer!reader !

when you all train together tengen doesn't seem to take it all that seriously (just tries to show off his physique) and kyojuro likes advice on his form

massages for everyone after a hard day

honestly, they respect your decision to join the corps. sure. . . but they'll always worry for you.

the pride they'd feel if/when they witness you pass the final selection or become a hashira unto your own (it's immeasurable)

them just being stunned. absolutely gob-smacked at your abilities

or taking them down in training

overpowering tengen or outmaneuvering kyojuro would probably have their skin burning from the neck up. (its like the feeling of falling in love all over again)

them lowkey betting on which color nichirin blade you'll get

and they wouldn't fight over who would take you as a tsugoku (but then again . . . maybe) even which breathing-style is best for you

of course everythings your say in the end. . . but they're still gonna help

[freezeyourchill]

I am once again thinking about the differences between Paper Luigi and Luigi literally anywhere else. Paper Jam be damned this is the most definitive proof that the Paper Mario universe is a separate reality

Think of any Luigi appearance other than the Paper Mario series (Luigi's Mansion, Mario & Luigi RPGs, 2023 Mario Movie, SM64DS, Galaxy, anything) and they'll have a decent amount of consistency. Luigi is characterized as timid, brave given the circumstances, usually quiet, always silly billy certified, and a bit clumsy but very sweet.

But most crucially for this post, he follows Mario's lead but never seems to mind. He's the butt of endless jokes and not nearly as renowned as Mario, but it generally doesn't get to him because he's got his big bro and that's all that matters (the Smash universe is also an entirely separate secret third thing so his Negative Zone from Brawl doesn't count)

Whenever Mario saves/finds him in the M&L RPGs, his first instinct is to collapse into Mario's arms with a big hug, sometimes with relieved tears. In the newest Mario Movie he's chattier than usual but he still firmly believes that any situation will be okay as long as Mario is there (another big hug upon their reunion). In LM3, Mario immediately rushes off after he's saved (again, with a big hug) but instead of being annoyed or even afraid, Luigi just grins and follows his lead, happy that he's back and they can work together again. In Dream Team we see Luigi's deepest darkest most intense subconscious emotions and revealed to us is immense love and care for his brother, unconditional support for whatever he chooses to do, and at worst a fear of Mario leaving him behind.

The point being that Luigi is happy to depend on Mario, perhaps to the point where he stunts his own potential, because Mario is his rock. They're a package deal and if you don't like one, the other will certainly not like you.

Compare this with the Paper Mario series. Some of the previously listed traits are still true: Luigi is a timid silly billy who obviously cares for his brother. Being with Mario still helps give him security and confidence, as seen in SPM.

No hug. Suspicious. Anyway, even if he does depend on Mario at times, the main distinction is that he strives to be more independent from him, if only to prove a point. He wants to prove that he's just as cool and doesn't need to rely on his big brother to succeed. He wants to do things himself, and play it off coolly.

As opposed to Paper Mario's more quiet attitude (which deserves its own post actually), he's chatty, snarky, and direct. And according to that one Toad in Origami King, he characteristically sneers. What's up with that?

Unlike other versions of Luigi, Paper Luigi is overtly jealous. He's got this odd inferiority complex that makes him want to be independent from Mario while also getting jealous of people who spend time with Mario on his adventures. Compare this with M&L Superstar Saga where Luigi was more than happy staying at home doing the housekeeping, and got physically dragged off with Mario via circumstance.

Famously, Luigi stretches the truth or outright lies to Mario about his own escapades in TTYD to appear as cooler and more competent. Luigi's companions will make sure to enlighten Mario with the real story. But the strange part of this comes from the collectable Super Luigi books that you can buy.

'Older, though less talented brother'? A 'no-doubt inconsequential errand'? In fairness he didn't write the books himself, but he describes them as being in 'excruciating detail' and 'like a history book'.

And I'm not at all saying he dislikes Mario. It's because he holds Mario on such a pedestal in comparison to himself that he tries to overcompensate and make himself appear more capable so that he can keep up. He loves his brother and nothing will change that, but there is this more psychologically complex aspect to him and how he regards Mario. Mr. L isn't as far off from his base personality as people like to think, and being the ideal host for the Chaos Heart isn't all that surprising. Besides, how many times have you seen Paper Luigi hug Mario?

[kimium]

I’m curious. Got any pet peeves for manga or anime that you feel like sharing and ranting about?💜

Aw, thank you so much for this ask! I'm excited to answer!

As a reminder to everyone, this is just my opinion. If you like these tropes or story elements to anime/manga, that's fine.

My Pet Peeves for Anime/Manga

-The Perverted Character

I think this comes as no surprise to anyone. A trope many people hate, the perverted character is one that's a product of its time. It used to be a way to sneak in fan service, but now it's just awkward and infuriating.

Now, this doesn't mean a writer can't subvert the trope, but most play the trope straight and thus it's super annoying.

-Female characters who only serve to fawn over the bland male lead

Oh boy, do I have a lot to say about this one. Usually seen in isekai or reverse harems, this trope does absolutely nothing for me. I understand it's a male power fantasy, but it's so annoying to see it in series. Even if I'm not watching the show, I can't help but sigh every time I see this trope.

-Randomly making a female character like the male lead so the gay UST between him and his "rival" is "negated".

Sort of an off-shoot of my prior pet peeve, I also don't like when a series haphazardly puts a female character with a male character (usually the lead). It's lazy writing and doesn't help tell me why the two should be "together". This pet peeve is even stronger when it's clear the writers are doing this so they can "negate" the true best pairing in the series: the male lead and his rival.

-The "dominatrix" female character

Any time I see a female character who has the sultry voice, the half lidded eyes, the massive chest, and "sexy" body proportions, I'm already rolling my eyes. Then, you add in the "Ara Ara" and make her someone who wants to "dominate" others and it's a female character I instantly dislike on sight.

-Overtly sexual designs to female characters

Another off-shoot of the prior trope, I am just So Sick of seeing overtly sexual designs for female characters and "cool" designs for males. Stop treating female characters like they're only "fan service" and make them interesting. (I'm looking at you, Gullveig FEH...)

-Grabbing another girl's breasts because "I'm so jealous of the size" / Breast Envy

Yeah, this is another "fan service" trope I hate with a passion. The main reason I hate it is... like... who does this?? Yeah, no one and it's just there for the fan service. Also, making a female character wish her breasts are bigger is just clearly making her "conform" to "society's idea of sexy" which I hate.

-Female characters who can only fight other female characters

Finally, one that's not around pandering and fan service! I hate this trope because what it says is "women can't compete with men" or "they don't have a chance fighting a man" and instantly reinforces needless gender values. This trope is also extra annoying when the fight turns into some sort of "cat fight" because again, that's pandering.

-Telling instead of showing how strong a character is (usually female)

"She's such a badass"/ "She's so strong"... okay series then show my girl kicking ass and winning some tough battles. Otherwise it's all telling and not showing. Also, if you use this trope to then have the bland male lead who just gained his powers save her despite her training for years to hone her abilities I will fight you.

(Thankfully this one is slowly being mitigated with newer shonen series.)

-Too long fight scenes

Okay... look. I like shonen series with all my heart. Some of my favourite anime/manga are ones with tons of fight scenes. It's just as I grow older there is only so much "This isn't even my final form" I can take before the fight has overstayed its welcome. Sadly, I have to say I find this happens a lot in Demon Slayer and it start to make me uninterested in the fight. No matter how stunning and gorgeous the animation is. (Not that I hate Demon Slayer though! I love it!)

-New clothes? What are those?

This is a milder complaint but I can't help but notice more and more how characters aren't allowed to have new or different clothes often. I know it's because it's easier to animate/draw in the same thing all the time, but it has started to take me out of a series a bit more. Or... perhaps I'm just too much of a CLAMP fan...

And that's about it for my big, main ones. There are some other smaller things I don't like but they're tolerable in the grand scheme. I hope you like my list, friend! Let me know!

[purplerakath]

Cobra Kai S1 - Undercutting Sam's Plot

This has been rattling around in my brain (sorry not sorry for all the CK S1 posts as I work on fic). So Sam has some really good set-up for a narrative in S1 but it gets undercut, twice, for two different male plots (the first time is for Miguel, the second time is for Johnny even if it looks like it's also for Miguel).

So, off the bat, Cobra Kai has a sorting algorithm for its primary cast, who gets priority over whom changes across seasons, but in Season one it is as follows:

Johnny

Miguel

Robby

Daniel

Sam

Hawk

Aisha

Demetri

Which means if you can do a satisfying thing for only one character, whoever is higher on the list wins out.

Kyler

So the first time Sam gets derailed is with the cafeteria fight. Sam has done a whole arc of 'being friends with the bitchy popular kids' followed by 'having morals' and 'deciding she doesn't want those kinds of friends.' Solid concept, no notes.

...except Sam isn't the one to beat the smug off Kyler's face, Miguel does. Because Miguel's arc is about gathering the confidence and skills to stand up to the people who made him suffer, especially when they make that girl he likes suffer. So a moment that could very well be Sam's big moment of defining herself never happens.

And because of this Sam spends the next few episodes with no friends, and her entire life caught up in two dopey karate boys, and her dad. Which... is probably best saved for another post (Daniel outplaces Sam on that sorting list, but he also is immune to recognizing his mistakes).

Miguel

So where Kyler was taken from Sam so Miguel could move along his journey, Sam broke up with Miguel to move Johnny along his... a few steps removed.

Alright so the arc between Cafeteria Fight and Yaz's birthday party is a lot of Sam being torn between 'really liking Miguel' and 'knowing her dad will never approve for various bullshit Daniel reasons.' So Sam lies about it, and Sam's otherwise so isolated thanks to the previous botched plot her social circle is two boys destined to hate each other.

Without the Sam bit... Robby would still go out of his way to mess with Miguel's head because Robby is jealous that Johnny is being a father to Miguel. Also Robby has a chip on his shoulder the size of Wyoming, he's just vaguely an asshole sometimes.

Now what should be a moment for Sam to get caught in a lie hiding Miguel, or getting in trouble coming clean about Miguel, is a complex Rube Goldberg machine of failed communication so that Robby and Miguel have more reason to hate each other, all for the benefit of Johnny's narrative.

See, the best part of Season One is the pyrrhic victory of Miguel winning the All-Valley. Johnny watching Miguel, Hawk, and Aisha be so overtly unsporting and violent in ways he knows Kreese would love is meant to sour the taste of this win. Johnny's next character beat is how much he disliked Miguel winning.

He didn't get the vicarious joy of winning he wanted. Because Kreese would be happy, and Robby got hurt. (Aside: they could have sold it better by having Miguel's excess aggression on non-Robby fighters cause Johnny flashbacks to Karate Kid). And all of this needs to be cemented in something easy to understand as to why a sweet kid like Miguel would turn into an absolute jackass.

Cue sad angsty boy times over a girl here. So he has to break up with Sam. Which I get, it helps feed the narrative but honestly? They could have done this without Sam being convolutedly taken off the grid to get there. Robby was primed to make Miguel angry, Miguel already disliked Robby.

More Asides: Daniel not being there for Sam's grounding robbed us of him getting to see Johnny wasn't lying. Daniel only finding out after the break-up gave us his smug unhelpful to narrative 'I told you so' which sucked because a lot of Sam's inner conflict was from pressure out of Daniel he never has to face. I swear, I swear, I'll stop on the Daniel stuff (for now).

The only arc of Sam's that gets completely worked through is the Aisha one, which has its own problem (but that's a Season 2 thing not a Season 1 thing). Which is honestly the most toothless of the three? What Sam did to Aisha sucked, don't get me wrong. But so much of that was tied into her other two 'where I belong' plots (with the popular assholes, and with her dad's expectations) had so much more meat to them. But the show didn't work them to a satisfying end.

[cheswirls]

let me / for you ship dynamic analysis

(fic link)

:)

part 1 - cyanide capsules [ if we die it's together / our fate and demise are tied as one ]

sabo

likes to be underestimated

manipulative

loves controlling ace by being a brat and acting needy and willing ace to do what he wants

ace

overtly possessive

needs to feel like he's protecting sabo

loves exerting control over sabo with physical power play

points elaborated –

sabo never reveals his true capabilities because he wants to use people's false perception of him to his benefit. he's crafty and cunning, and he knows he can get away with so much more in life if he plays the part of a sad, small puppy. completely helpless. lacking all ability to care for himself. needing someone to wait on him hand and foot. he uses this to get exactly what he wants out of a person every time. ace especially so, because if he puts up a frint and acts all needy and submissive, he knows there's nothing ace won't do for him.

ace craves acceptance and appreciation more than anything. he needs to feel like he's the center of attention, and like he's the only one that matters in sabo's life. it's why he's so insanely jealous of sabo's every interaction with and focus on someone or something that's not him. he knows he can make sabo submit, so he turns this to his advantage, keeping sabo on a tight leash and being quick to lash out of sabo's actions or behavior don't align with what ace expects from him.

-

scene-by-scene

[1] sabo takes the lead for ace and prevents him from causing a scene unnecessarily, in part standing up for ace by showing they come as a matched set - by declaring in a sense that rules and customs and laws aren't going to keep them apart. and also in part keeping ace under his thumb, maintaining control of the situation he's put them in that he needs something out of. ace could storm off and leave sabo item-less in the worst case, so to prevent this, sabo plays two sides at once, appealing to ace and firmly denying shakky.

before they leave, shakky gives sabo another order-suggestion, but this time it's ace that answers, taking charge of sabo's safety and well-being. hand tight around sabo's arm to keep him firmly at ace's side. repaying sabo in kind for his demonstration when they arrived, and showing shakky sabo is as much ace's as he is sabo's by not giving sabo a chance to answer shakky for himself.

[2] the one truthful statement is at the end, about sabo and ace each considering themselves half a person, only a whole human unit when they function together as a pair. this is a pretty standard metaphor for their relationship in general: they view themselves as the missing pieces that slot into everything the other is missing, and where life shows they lack in covering each other's weaknesses, they work on themselves individually to cover the deficit. they mould themselves to truly be the other's half in every aspect, doing everything the other wouldn't do themself.

but also there's a sickening lack of value in seeing yourself as an incomplete person. as not being enough on your own. since they both feel this so strongly, it keeps them tethered together even before the curses are cast. they are nothing without each other. they are less than human without the other at their side. and more than that, they see each other as less than human without themself present. he is nothing without me, in its purest form. and i am everything to him. having both an inferiority complex and a god complex almost at once.

extrapolating this further, this is only implied throughout the story but very much holds true. both ace and sabo function as (mostly) different types of codependent people. ace is a falsely empowered type and sabo is a disempowered type. because their mindsets are also linked so intimately, each isn't fully one type and exhibit some behavior patterns from the other. this is to say, feel free to research codependency on your own but keep in mind everything that applies to this fic/au won't fit so neatly into a single box :)

ace's lack of self-worth means he's constantly seeking admiration and praise and has a deep desire to feel needed. he's at sabo's every beck and call, to the point where no one else in the entire world takes precedent over sabo's wants and needs. but he's also inherently selfish and often seeks out ways of claiming sabo's validation that can be disruptive depending on the present situation. if he needs attention, he'll force sabo's hand and get it no matter what.

to go along with this, ace is the type of person to project an aura of being overly-competent. he's confident, he's faultless. if he's not interested in something he won't pay it mind, even if this avoidance will affect him later on. he has no weaknesses and no moderation on any aspect of his life. even if he's focused intently on a task at hand, it will never be 100% in full because sabo will always linger in his mind.

sabo needs to feel loved and necessary and will often force situations where ace is needed to feed the cycle, gaining worth through seeing how much ace loves and cares for him. he comes off as needy to keep the pleasing-please-er give-and-take going, but this also means that when his self-worth balances out temporarily he finds ace's advances overbearing and stifling. kind of an 'i want you when i need you but when i don't need you i need you to sit quietly in the corner' situation. he doesn't want ace to set boundaries but gets cross when ace oversteps sabo's own.

sabo is super dependent to the point that he'll put his general care and well-being solely in the hands of ace. he has to be at the forefront of ace's thoughts constantly, but struggles with ace wanting the same for him. he'll get insanely jealous of any attention ace gets from someone that's not him. he does not see any problem with any of his manipulative traits or monopoly on ace's time. he does what he wants and expects ace to follow at his heels. he cannot say no to ace.

out of the two, sabo is more realistic when it comes to their long-term needs and plans, and ace is better about handling the day-by-day: making sure they eat and sleep and do the bare minimum to keep from getting expelled. sabo is driven and goal-oriented, while ace is very go-with-the-flow. sabo knows what he wants out of life, but ace only wants sabo indefinitely, so he does what he can to maintain their bond.

two different codependent people in a romantic relationship to the extent these two are in means that they clash with each other a lot. it's not uncommon to find them at odds and often the resolution will be messy or temporary, OR ignored in full which is worse. they refuse to work out their problems to keep up the illusion of happiness and fulfillment. they fight for stupid reasons and come up with things to argue over just for the sake of arguing. the distance limitation means they have no room to step back and take a break from each other. sharing their feelings makes everything blurred – keeps them questioning why they have the right to be upset, deescalating things without actually talking through it so issues just keep popping up over and over. often deluding themselves (and each other! mostly each other!) into thinking everything is fine.

[3] it's a carnal instinct of ace's that he always has to make sure sabo is visibly marked as belonging to him. bite marks are easy to leave and take time to heal, so it's his preferred method.

when it's out of his line of interest, ace will ignore sabo's intent and attempt to control their schedule. if he doesn't want sabo out of bed, he'll do his utmost to keep him there. wearing sabo's shirt is another move to show possession – ownership, if you must. it's a power play to drive sabo insatiable and then deny him in the end to refocus on their day's objectives. keeps sabo wanting for him, constantly.

[4] sabo mentions closing one of ace's bite marks because he knows ace won't go for it and will give himself instead. notice he only does this after ace doesn't agree to help at the first available chance.

this comes up a few times, and always for the same reason. whenever ace is injured or it's inevitable that he'll feel pain, his focus is always on how this will affect sabo. he tells sabo not to hurt himself when he's going to cut ace open. completely unconcerned with what he's about to experience, ignoring it even. no "don't cut me too deep because you'll feel it too", either for pain-related purposes or wondering how sabo would function in healing him if he was too hurt to do so – none of this. he doesn't mention himself at all when sabo's about to dig the scalpel into his skin.

this is also the first real instance of ace displaying an interest in sabo's field of study. it'll come up more in pt 2, so i won't elaborate as much, but in short, sabo's magical curriculum wasn't his first choice and wasn't what he originally enrolled to study. ace's interest is more sympathetic than anything else, kind of like he's dragging himself along with sabo since they have little choice at this point.

[5] sabo is the one to propose performing the curses, but once ace hears of the idea, he's instantly on board to the same degree sabo is.

[7] sabo's safety is ace's top priority. this comes up a lot but can't be understated. ace won't let sabo cause undue harm to himself. this is why he removes sabo's hand from the light's reach very soon after sabo puts it there, and why he's so obstinate on limiting sabo's experimenting on the matter.

ace's physical contact with sabo while they're by the fireplace is meant to be a comfort thing. that he's right there no matter what happens, that he'll risk being overbearing to ensure sabo's physical condition. it's also a little in part a form of restraint – making sure he's able to pull sabo back quickly or keep him from a re-attempt if the first goes awry.

having ace wake up to see sabo permanently disfigured was certainly a trip. he views it as his failure more than anything. he nods off for a bit and now sabo has extensive scarring that's there for life. for ace, it's one moment to the next – sabo being fine and then sabo having mottled skin over the left half of his face. it's terrifying to know something could happen so quickly without his knowing, with him being completely unaware. sabo had to go through it alone and ace hates that. hates thinking what sabo's initial reaction could have been, what he had to come to terms with alone, what he probably speculated ace would think of it all – good or bad. it weighs on him so heavily. it forces his overprotectiveness into overdrive.

"we only need to have so much skill between the two of us to survive.” what sabo tells ace at the end of the scene is pretty much their shared life's motto. neither of them have to be competent in the same area – that's what they have each other for.

[8] this is probably the most culminate scene in the entire au because i don't delve much into anything that happens before ace and sabo curse themselves. it's meant to be a little insight into why they did what they did but mostly serves to highlight how important the magic is to them.

sabo says to the faculty that this triple bond he has with ace is not only the best thing that's ever happened to him, but that it's the only thing that makes his life worth living. implying that even his relationship with ace hadn't been enough before for him to feel like existing was worth it.

the introspection goes into how they both feel that there are days where they honestly can't tell they're separate people leading their own individual lives. this is also the scene (in more elaboration) that reveals that both of them only really see themselves as half of a human being. the fact that they don't see themselves as complete without each other is suuuuuuuper unhealthy but since it's framed with rose-tinted glasses it probably doesn't appear that way at first :)

and the last line reveals a key difference between the two at this point in time: ace would do anything in the world if it meant he got to continue living with sabo to the extent they are now – but sabo would kill them both before he let them be separated. their resolve is the same level of commitment but with contrasting morals and ideals. i don't think ace is necessarily afraid of death, but to him, it's more worth it to continue to live out his life with sabo at his side. while with sabo, he comes to an extreme ultimatum first and foremost while considering the worst of the worst. in this scenario, ace is more likely to be wishy-washy (which comes into play later!!) while sabo is ready to jump the gun and cut their losses.

also, as a last tidbit, one of the staff members highlights what ace and sabo think of the bond perfectly: curses are named such because they're cast on someone unwillingly. when a curse is performed knowing and accepting and even welcoming the consequences, then what really makes it a curse at that point? is it not simply another form of magic? it can still be old, forbidden magic without being labeled as a curse. this is how the two of them view it, anyway.

[9] sabo leaves ace's side to heed the call of classmates while keeping in mind how much distance is between the two. i always pictures the room being setup with those long lecture hall desks divided in rows, so probably ace is sat near enough to the end of such for sabo to move around and then down the stairs to be relatively still in front of ace but just on a lower level of the hall. it's not that they can't be physically apart but that they never choose to, and this is meant to be an example of such – sabo is the one being addressed, so he's the one to come forward.

sabo will always come first, ace insists, as he puts aside his bloodlust to tend to sabo's feeble form. he's willing to let go in order to take care of sabo. this contrasts a scene later where sabo is willing to get his hands dirty in order smooth things over when ace. they both provoke actions unsuited to each other, and it has to do with how long they've been bonded to such an extent for this long. that possibly, ace's quick temper is rubbing off on sabo, while sabo's more caretaker-esque aiming-to-please quirks are starting to affect ace's priority levels.

it's telling that ace say respond to sabo in such an unsure manner and still sabo is quick to put his full faith in ace. he knows he'll be okay because ace is looking out for him. another reason why he so wholeheartedly puts his well-being in ace's hands over his own.

[10] in my notes i had it phrased that the two students asked for help from and teleported sabo to get him out of the way so they could pursue their real target: ace. not with any ill intentions, but in their minds, sabo is an obstacle. with sabo gone, they're free to garner and hold all of ace's attention. despite initially starting conversation with sabo, it's a ruse because they're only trying to get ace to themselves. a pretty clever way to divide the two! if only they didn't have such a debilitating separation curse :(

ace is rightfully mad despite their apologies because they used sabo to get to him, in a sense. they teleported sabo and sabo's the one worse off since he's technically the one moving apart past the limit. it's not that sabo is unconscious and ace is the only one to apologize to, but that ace is the one currently mad at them and they're trying to appease the person they were after conversation with in the first place. they're both short-sighted enough that they can't even acknowledge how much harm they did to sabo, because ace was the one they saw in pain and ace is the one they want a connection with.

[11] this is less of a relationship note but i changed the design of sabo's gloves in part 1 three separate times. at first it curved higher on the meat of his thumb to reveal a section of flesh, then it had a circle cutout and buttoned at the wrist, and lastly it had a triangle cut so the stitching split down the middle of his palm angularly. this keeps a patch of skin always bare in case he ever needs to quickly draw blood – since the rest of him is so covered up. this scene in particular phrases blood magic as a kind of bad, sinister thing, but lots of spells require blood to function! especially sabo's magic, that involves offering a piece of himself in order to perform amazing feats. more on that in part 2 ;)

it should be easy to catch but the beginning of this scene is a memory, which is why it transitions to sabo being lost in thought. originally i had it as a dream he wakes up from, but i wanted him sitting at the desk and saw no need for him to be sleeping in a hard chair when they have more comfortable seating. actually, originally there was a small bed in the corner of the study, but i don't think i ever mentioned it in the final draft of part one so it must've been axed.

the whole point of combining the two into one scene instead of having the final curse be on its own is to highlight how much them having this third curse affects how they view themselves. it's also one of many instances that shows how them not being able to give themselves space to breathe affects their relationship. if you're fighting with someone then you separate and give yourself time to cool down. sabo doesn't have this luxury, so when ace is refusing to budge, he can only sit and stew in silence.

i didn't do a great job circling back but to reiterate – moments like this are meant to show how snippy the two are with each other on a daily basis. they can't get away. they never have opportunities to stop and reflect. they never fix things, not completely, which is why little annoyances keep popping up over and over and over, and why they're so constantly irritated with each other when they're not sickeningly in love. they bounce between two extremes so frequently with not a second to recover from either. their lives are literally so exhausting.

this is also a really good instance of sabo twisting things to go in his favor. yes, he's overwhelmed, and yes, he's angry with ace, and yes, he's really feeling all of the feelings that come with someone's thoughts of hating you being forced onto you unwittingly, but the point is that he uses these and exaggerates to get ace to do what he wants. if ace won't respond positively to sabo being angry, then maybe he will to sabo being sad and inconsolable. he's not lying but he is trying to escalate a situation that forces ace to regroup and try to tend to sabo. ace drops the whole ordeal and both refuse to elaborate on it – they don't talk about their issues and never do, they just move on when one of them decides they need to move on, leaving the other no room to argue.

coming back around to a point made in an earlier scene – ace is able to look at things a bit more objectively, and when he realizes how badly sabo is being affected by the curse, he's the one to state aloud that they may have made a mistake. sabo reacts as he does because he's so insecure and he feels like he's losing his grip on ace. him putting words in ace's mouth immediately after is his way of scrambling to regain that control.

and the ending is another point from another scene! :) sabo is entirely indifferent to everything that happened, but now that they've had such a bad moment and the cause is ace's anger on sabo's behalf, it's now sabo's turn to seek revenge on ace's behalf. what he says that ace doesn't hear is something along the lines of dealing with the students himself. he refuses to repeat himself to spare ace's feelings, resorting to acting on his own as a way to repay ace – because if ace had felt such anger on sabo's behalf, then surely sabo can return the favor.

[12] in case it wasn't evident from the last scene: ace knows nothing about sabo's ill intentions. they can still keep secrets from each other. so, having nothing to go off of, ace's possessiveness comes out in full force over sabo offering "gifts" as a way of saying let-bygones-be-bygones. he doesn't allow sabo to touch either of the boys and immediately gets touchy-feely with sabo after the two leave.

sabo raising his hood is a way to limit who sees them because he likes having moments with ace all to himself. pda doesn't bother him, but he pulls the wide hood to hide his face just a little, even as he's wrapped in ace's arms and ace is so clearly kissing him to anyone who sees them entangled to such an extent. it's also a bit like flaunting their relationship status. they can make out in the halls but not just anyone is allowed to see them do so.

[13] pronunciation guide to magical creature for funsies: SPHE is said like SS-FEE, like the start of 'sphere', or a hiss at the start of 'fee' ; REENG is said like 'ring' with an extended vowel. sphe'reeng in full, with the apostrophe dividing a word as is common in arabic names (ja'far, for example).

the old folklore book ace's knowledge comes from regarding the sphe'reeng originally was a children's fairytale. if you want to view it as such that's fine with me :) i think phrasing it the way i did made it sound more sophisticated, and ace would be more likely to stumble upon such a book on campus than something made for kids.

there's a lot of instances in part one that highlights how ace and sabo can't real each other's minds despite how much else they can do, and this scene has another one when ace just assumes sabo knows they have to kill the creature to obtain the magic vitality organ. sabo is quick to humor ace either way, but not without a bit of chagrin. this is another common occurrence and another tick in the 'we can't stay mad at each other so what am i willing to fight about and what do i have to let go of' counter. picking and choosing battles. is this really worth it? sabo doesn't seem to think so.

it'll be better explained in part two but i can offer a little tidbit re: ace feeling cold all the time. ace has a scene earlier (and it's in the p1 design) where he throws on a thermal shirt underneath his clothes. this is because sabo frequently draws on ace's larger mana supply, and when ace's mana runs low, it leaves him feeling cold. dressing more warmly that necessary is a way to subvert this.

the 'gift it to me' is a line i've had since the very start of my notes for this au. it's phrased this way on purpose. sabo doesn't want to be given this organ, he wants ace to hand over all jurisdiction of it. 'gift it' instead of 'give it' is super deliberate because he wants a present from ace, because he wants the connotation that comes from receiving such a thing from ace. ace has put them through hardship now for seemingly no reason, so sabo wants a reward for assisting now that it's all for naught. it's a very power-hungry way to demand something. sabo's not asking for the organ – but he's telling ace what to do so he ends up with it.

biting into the organ right in front of ace is also another power move. he's proving he's the better of the two, that he has more guts than ace. blah blah yadda yadda the prose in this instance speaks for itself.

[15] this scene has THE most notable example of the pair's lack of conflict resolution. they're both constantly playing each other to get what they want. it's not done out of malice, of course, it's simply an unhealthy lack of communication. they're both constantly one-upping each other to come out on top. in this instance, ace is catering to sabo's goodwill to get him to agree, and since sabo can't say no to ace once ace puts up even the smallest amount of persuasion, it ends up going in ace's favor. despite the consequences. despite the setbacks it produces. what ace wants in the moment, sabo is free to give.

later, sabo very bluntly address a point of contention by thinking that even when he's so mad, he can't just dip and leave ace behind. and even though ace is in the wrong, he doesn't offer any sort of apology. he just coerces sabo into doing something else according to his whims.

[16] the bracelet charm is a failsafe and an extremely kind gesture from ace. it's setup for part 2 so you'll have to wait til then to see the purpose :) but w/o giving too much away, yes it's a counter to the curse but it's very limited in scope so it's not intended to be smth they can keep doing forever and ever to avoid sharing pain. it's magically-inclined but they don't actually know if the spell will work as intended, or for how long either. it could have a duration of thirty seconds. it could last ten days. it could last for ten seconds and be completely useless. but it's the thought that counts :) and it's ace giving to sabo, giving sabo the chance to use it and save himself from ace's pain. he could have gotten both with an adequate amnt of funds, but he chooses not to. it's another way of showing how little ace values himself compared to how he values sabo, too.

also, this is another way of showing that ace cares more about their lives than sabo. sabo is willing to die together with ace should the moment arise, but ace is taking steps to ensure they don't get wiped out at first chance. ace is content to live life with sabo, with no specific goal in mind, because that's enough for him. it's a point of contention because sabo sees this and wants ace to have more agency, to develop a purpose outside of sabo to some extent. to have something to focus on apart from their relationship so they can avoid like what happened in the previous scene, of them being so enraptured and drawn to each other that they brush aside any and everything else. he wants ace to find a reason for living that doesn't revolve around sabo.

ace's last little declaration that sabo immediately agrees to is also another wild example of unhealthy codependency. ace wants sabo to do whatever sabo wants to do, but in turn, sabo has to cater to ace's whims whenever necessary. whenever ace deems it necessary. and sabo says yes to such without hesitation. because, as the closing line says, they're eager to indulge each other's every whim :) no matter the cost.

[quill-of-thoth]

Letters From Watson: The Second Stain

Crimes in Context: Blackmail edition!

Blackmail, especially against women, is going to come up a lot in these stories. We’ve already been over the fact that women, whether married or not, had limited control over their own financial security, and what control they had depended on what other relatives, usually male relatives, had previously set up to provide for them, so the stability of her marriage could not be separated from her financial stability. 

Mrs. Hope, being the youngest daughter of a Duke, presumably has some security if her marriage fails, or at least more opportunity than the average middle class woman of the day, who may not be able to rely on a titled father or brother for financial support should her husband decide to leave her. Unfortunately, as a noblewoman and the wife of a high ranking government official, gossip magazines and newspapers would be more interested in the scandal of her love letter than they would be for an average Jane: even if her husband weren’t at all jealous, a public scandal over what we would consider an extremely minor thing today would be a long term nuisance to both of them.  Two kinds of indiscreet letters There’s also the matter of the letter itself. Hilda describes it as an "indiscreet letter written before my marriage—a foolish letter, a letter of an impulsive, loving girl,” and that description could cover a pretty large territory. Victorians were especially into deluding themselves that women, specifically, never had any sensual or sexual desire outside of marriage, and the higher class you were the more important it was for a young woman to uphold that image. A mere hint of romance within a letter - or even a non romantic letter to a man that implied any sort of closeness that could be construed as romantic - could have been "indiscreet” enough to, if not cause public scandal, severely damage Hilda and Trelawney’s marriage.  Based on the urgency of Hilda’s actions and her pleas to Holmes, I’m presuming it was an actual love letter, possibly to a man who was not a good match in terms of wealth or station but who Hilda had strong feelings for. If she didn’t mean any harm by it, he was probably unmarried, and probably someone she knew personally - someone she might have once convinced herself, on the strength of her feelings for him (or their feelings for each other) could be a match for her. It could also have been more overtly sensual, it could have referenced plans for Hilda and it’s recipient to meet, it could have had a number of aspects that would have been mild transgressions in context but would have been blown up out of all proportion by the fact that it was being used as blackmail. As you see in relationship advice columns all the time, the idea that your spouse is communicating with someone who they could theoretically be attracted to and you don’t already know all about it is still fodder for wild and often irrational jealousy. After all, if you didn’t know about it, it must be because they were hiding something! (Side note, but I’m writing this up on valentine’s day, and people: STOP TRYING TO BE THE ONLY RELEVANT PERSON IN YOUR PARTNER’S LIFE. I may be preaching to the crowd here but really: Be better than these Victorians.) Similarly, the stolen letter seems like a mountain made out of a molehill for those of us who live in the age of politicians taking to twitter to, at best, insult one another and the people of their own country. Without absolutely confirming the country of origin, or the writer, of the letter, I can’t really do much research to speculate on whether a piece of international hatemail could actually start a war at this time period. It is, however, also possible that its in-text description is deliberately understating the actual contents. It’s also possible that the idea that it was merely hate mail (possibly from one of Queen Victoria’s angry grandsons, perhaps Wilhelm 2?) is a multiple decade after the fact invention to take the place of a more obviously relevant or inflammatory document. Personally, I don’t intend to press too hard on the fictionalization theory for anything that is adequately explained by the text. So I’ll leave you with an imagining of potential modern equivalents: Hilda’s flirty text to a guy she matched with, and Kaiser Willy 2′s tweet “fuck grandma’s military, they’re always interfering with places I want to conquer.”

[leam1983]

Random Batman Brain Fart

It's established in the canon that Oswald Cobblepot is incurably jealous of Bruce Wayne, but that his jealousy only really involves his wealth and connections. Depending on the writer, you'll get Oswalds who compensate for physical disabilities with trick umbrellas, Oswalds who only look out of shape but who can fence with an umbrella kick and transition into Capoeira flip-kicks while holding their top hat in place, and overtly monstrous Cobblepots who can't compensate for shit but who have a following of their own.

I've always thought that Oswald's airways would've also contributed to his ostracized status. In every version I've ever seen or read, he has the exact type of schnoz that makes me think he's a mouth breather, and a potential Sleep Apnea sufferer.

Imagine courting one of his more genteel versions. Everything is going swimmingly, he's maybe just a little too much into this Fred Astaire crap for 2023, but you can't fault his chivalry for being a breath of fresh air. A few pleasant dates in, you agree to spend the night.

Again - picture perfect. He's attentive to your every need, slow and considerate, and even offers you to use one of his guest rooms, the first few times, which you do.

Eventually, however, there's been enough time for the both of you to be interested in amping things up. The sex is surprisingly vigorous, coming from a guy his size, but his breathing gets a little wheezy and a little noisy near the end. A little bottle of eucalyptus oil spray is waiting in his bedside table, which soon fixes the issue. You learn he used to have crippling asthma attacks as a kid, but that he's now mostly under control after establishing a decent cardio regimen - hence the stamina.

You settle in for the night. Again - perfection. There's even a little too much of it, honestly, with him showering you with pet names - all avian - after hitting third base. He's even a little clingy, you find...

Then come the snores. Poor guy snores like a shoebill purring or an injured loon trying to find its mate. It's loud, it's unsubtle, it doesn't leave you any space to actually nod off...

Add the morning lapdog routine and renewed forced gallantry and you're soon running out of polite ways to head out. At first you try and settle on dates in other places or at your own place, but Cobblepot is dead-set on taking you back to the Lounge's private floor. You humor him a few times, duck out on a few others - ha! - but you can't get past the front he's erected. All you get to see is Oswald Cobblepot the Early Twenties' Man of Wealth and Taste, Oswald the Self-Avowed Snob - but never the actual man. Once you get bored of being treated like a flapper-to-be or a secret same-sex dalliance, you figure you'll try and provoke something out of him.

You mention his snores, how you can barely sleep in the same bed with him. The drool on the pillow, the occasional morning nosebleeds, his refusal to see another ORL despite you mentioning it...

You'd think he'd explode. Turns out he's named the Iceberg Lounge well enough. He turns frosty and distant. Within weeks, the number you were given is disconnected. Eventually, you cross paths with him again and try and see if he's at least worked on this, if he still cares.

He acts like he doesn't recognize you at all.

Of course, on the day you made him lose patience, you didn't pay the price for your own words. Some poor chump who'd failed one of his lieutenants did; with their own teeth, a fractured right foot and a close break to their left femur, and three precise gunshots....

The GCPD'll find his corpse two weeks later.

[mirthlxss]

a love letter/list to you, your writing and chapter eight.

the palpable atmosphere that price brings to lilith is fantastic, it shows how pivotal he is to her even in the stages of them settling into a routine.

the subtle hints throughout the chapters of a ghost x soap potential relationship is beyond the port of call, i was kicking my feet when you described how ghost immediately went to go and stop lily from tickling soap, i get the feeling he's overtly jealous but using his excuses of not trusting lily to shield it.

the pacing. the. pacing. beautifully timed and executed, many a slowburn in my life have absolutely crushed any sense of character or spacial awareness within the plot due to the lengthy debate of (insert any dilemma). you combine everything so well, have good reason for the give and take that creates this flow, it actually draws me in so much that i get a little sad ive finished the chapter.

the new aesthetic! fucking love it.

'the incredible sulk'!!! FUCKING LOVE IT. the tickles of humour in this is amazing, its just right. i want to be lily's friend so badly. also 'gaz-laxy bar', how tf do you come up with this shit. i can literally see and hear Kyle saying that. again, the 'private no-pants' like the banter is just right. chefs kiss.

your descriptions. so well done, beautiful. that's all ill say because anything else will not do them justice.

OKAY SORRY THIS IS SO LONG but lastly. the most recent chapter, chapter eight. oh my god. tell me if this is reaching?? but price letting himself entertain the idea of new household appliances/cleaning equipment, then dismissing it because there's no real life for him outside of work. then the intermission of lily falling asleep against him and suddenly all he can think about his mops and hoovers. oh my fucking god you are genius, this is so well done and so sweet. he wants a life with her subconsciously>>> I JUST KNOW IT.

˃̵ᴗ˂̵ this is an anon because i am new to your blog and actually a little shy about my gushing but hopefully will work up the courage to expose myself later ahh.

im kicking my feet now! i swear i don't bite (very often) please dm if you feel comfortable!! this is so lovely there's really no need to be shy, always looking for new friends to gush over john with.

moreover, you little angel, thank you for devoting so much time into mulling over my writing, its messages like this that actually keep me writing. you mean the world to me so thank you thank you!

and ehehehe ur so right about the mops n' hoovers.

[roseyjustice]

Also thinking about K.icks dynamic with Juniper, R.eese and C.yrus.

Within the games its shown that C.yrus and R.eese both have pretty jealous/protective streaks and that extends to Juni ! They're both very protective over their bby child but show it differently.

Like when Juni and K.icks started dating C.yrus was an absolute menace lmao. He wasn't overtly hostile but he did make it known that no lovey dovey stuff was happening around him and that he did not appreciate them being around each other all the time.

R.eese was more subtle protective. Like she didn't make it known but she would make little comments and hints about how doomed K.ick would be if he hurts Juniper. She's the perfect blend of sweet and terrifying.

The dynamic of Overprotective But Well Meaning Parents vs Just Trying to Survive Boyfriend is hilarious to me lol

[angel---eater]

Okay yeah extrapolation on this version cause i like it better

Roxy, Dirk (+Hal), Jane, and Jake are still the ectobiological parents, there's just, like, more timeline fuckery. Jake is the ectobiologist and basically sends everyone's ectokids back in time just far enough to raise them pre-scratch because he's an idiot

Beta Striders

Big winding victorian type house in the middle of fucking nowhere. Dark gothy interiors, real cobwebs, LOTS of cursed/'haunted' objects and occult objects/tools. She's too busy to dust

Lil Cal is kept in a locked wood and fortified glass cabinet yes this is an Annabelle the Doll reference

Beta Rose would've been closeted for a long time. She finally started taking E somewhere in the first year of having Roxy (it didn't save her)

Roxy grows up strifing Sis with many weapons, magical and non-magical

There's like no interaction between them that isn't Sis drilling Roxy on horrorterror knowledge like a sergeant or strifing

Roxy's egg crack moment is conditional as fuck. Might happen post-session, might happen on the meteor who knows

Roxy grows up bitter and sneaks Sis' liquor to self medicate. Types mainly the same just not whimsical or sillay when sober. Tends to put his wants first when it matters, kind of an asshole. In love with Dirk

Beta Lalondes

Sprawling ultramodern mansion on the outskirts of... idk which big, glamourous US city, I'm not from the US. Literal celebrity type shit. They have palmtrees up the driveway and live near the sea

Dad Lalonde is never around, like most of the time he just ain't there. He sends Dirk anything he needs or wants, but Dirk has to ask which gets more and more daunting. Dad lovebombs Dirk whenever he is home, which causes a lot of emotional turmoil when he leaves again. Hal is jealous and wants attention too

Hal is just shades at the start but is prototyped with a dead seagull. Their tension skyrockets

Dirk is still crushing hard on Jake. Jake has no idea

Dirk has less emotional control and is more overtly clingy. He uses emojis (=^_^= and :3c etc) sometimes to overcompensate for his percieved horrible text tones. Its really obviously forced and usually used to convince someone when he's lying or distract concern from himself

Dirk's egg cracked when he made Hal and Hal asked if he was a boy too

Beta Harleys

Nana Harley still dragged Jane out to that island and also still died by gunshot. Nana was stealth with Jane because she simply forgot to mention it

Jane tries hard to be productive all day every day to stave off loneliness. Definition of 'productive' will vary from baking and cleaning the house to writing and then solving her own at-home whodunit murder mystery game.

Burnout central, she's barely hanging on to that smile

Kind of a control freak. She's seen the future in Skaia's clouds so she knows what has to happen, but she's frustrated that she doesnt know how or when. She snaps at her friends sometimes when she's stressed about it and gets into fights with Roxy

Dogtier! Egg officially cracks post-game but starts to wobble when two of her friends come out as tboys. He settles comfortably into nonbinary butch

Also crushing really bad on Jake

Beta Egberts

Granny Egbert lived a very deserved quiet life before Jake dropped himself on her. Jake is raised by her son, Dadbert but green

Jake really, really, really wants to become a famous scientist-philanthropist-inventor-explorer, yes all of those at the same time

Really fucking sheltered. Just completely trapped in a bubble of his own upbringing. Lives in an upper middle class suburb, possibly gated community. Dirk is the kid of a celebrity and Jake makes him look worldly by comparison

Has no idea anyone even considers him a romantic option. Finds the whole prospect of dating really hilarious, but gets a funny feeling in his chest around Dirk

Has every single Tomb Raider game, yes even That One. Talks about Lara Croft like how John talks about Nic Cage