#and thinks that ed is the only one who can relate and understand him

[cern1cal0]

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

Okay, so, there's one thing that I'm kind of tired of beating around the bush with white fans about, and it's this: if you pretend to "ignore" race in OFMD, you will miss a lot of what the story is trying to tell you.

Now, I do not truly believe that race is something you can ignore in a story. I just don't think it's possible, and when you try, what you wind up with is something like the conservative worldview of "not seeing color." Trying to ignore race will make you sound racist and ignore important racialized themes.

You can't understand Stede's need for character growth at the beginning of the show if you just focus on how he's "cringe" instead. When Stede makes his crew members of color serve them at dinner when the English board, this is gross, and their faces tell us exactly how they feel about it. Stede unlearning his biases here isn't subtle (guy who called him and Pete "fucking racists" I love you forever), and learning to take all of his crew members seriously as fully actualized people, moving away from the sort of Kindergarten-teacher behavior at the start to truly valuing them as people and taking their input and suggestions, it's an important aspect. Stede asking Abshir for intel at the party isn't just funny, it's also proof he's learned to see value in people in positions like Abshir's.

You can't understand the motivations behind Ed's actions, especially the violent ones, if you ignore the racist overtones. Ed is not a randomly violent person - he gets angry at a captain for calling him a "rich donkey," and if you think it's unreasonable for a brown man to want to get revenge on a white man for calling him that? Then fuck I'm glad you can't see the conversations I have with my other black friends, man. Ed's anger and frustration at the party aren't just because he fucked up with some spoons, lol, you can't get it unless you realize he's the only brown guest in that room. Yeah, he's ignoring Stede's advice, but he's immediately under a pressure Stede never has been. Ed's wanted posters in s2, too, rely on heavily caricaturizing Jewish features to make him look grotesque and monstruous. We're supposed to be horrified by that aspect.

And, yeah, when we ignore the racist tones to Izzy's behavior, I think that's undermining an important aspect of who he is as an antagonistic character. Him buying Ed from the English should feel like a gross violation, because it is. When he sits in front of the crew eating and making Fang and Ivan serve him, I think it's a pretty obvious parallel to how the crew members of color were similarly insulted in the pilot. It's impossible to ignore race in the way he dehumanizes Ed and tries to force him back into a caricature of behavior he hates and is horrified by - when he calls Ed a "wild dog" in s2, if that doesn't cause a visceral reaction of disgust in you, I dunno what to tell you. This doesn't mean that Izzy is irredeemable - just as Stede wasn't - but it does mean that racist biases are things Izzy had to unlearn.

OFMD so often takes so much care with how its characters of color are depicted. We get thoughtful, relatable moments (those French boat people getting humiliated and setting their boat on fire after they'd tried to touch Ed's beard is so satisfying, guys) and excellent, supportive friendships between men of color. The characters of color on OFMD are clean, smart, respected, and it's wonderful. And just because these things aren't always relatable to you specifically doesn't mean they're not important parts of the story.

[red5tars]

been cooking some pricegaz x reader concepts (and one primarily pricegaz) bcs of @/fulltacs

cw; pregnancy, oral mention (m receiving), hannigram mention, denial of homo-erotic relations, mentions of kidnapping and semi-dark themes.

1) price who is about to retire confessing to gaz he’s always seen him like a son. he also confesses that he wished he had grandkids, his (few) memories with his gran the only highlight from his childhood.

“little tyke runnin’ around, spoiling them to their hearts content, doesn’t that sound nice?”

and gaz, being the good man son he is decides to see his wish through. two months later, he shows up to price’s door with you on his arm. he never knew gaz had a partner (he doesn’t), but price could care less when gaz tells him he’s gonna be a ‘pop pop’

2) established pricegaz but it’s a secret considering it’s against the rules and also the (smallest) power imbalance. newly sergeant-ed you ends up catching them in the act. despite the wrongness of it all, you promise not to tell. it’s their business! and it isn’t hurting anyone! still, your words are not enough so why don’t you put that pretty mouth of yours on your captain’s rim while gaz works on his balls. show them that they can really trust you.

3) established pricegaz BUT price is not out to his friends or family which is fine because they don’t even visit his side that much. until they visit him. price would be your dad’s best friend in this scenario, opting to stay with him while you explore london. and though he knows how accepting you are, he doesn’t say anything, doesn’t let gaz say anything.

cut to gaz viciously flirting with you right in front of price bcs his partner refuses to tell reader in fear of embracing an essential aspect of his life.

4) bratrecruit!reader my beloved. idc if i talked about it before i’m going to talk about it again. i want to clean up that post but yeah just thinking you’re better than them and that you’re protected by your name. this is loosely based off of what @/yeyinde had to say about price’s background (ty lev <3) with him also being a nepo baby. having a nepo off. only thing is he has gaz and you don’t.

5) reader who divorced price and wants nothing to do with him only to be with his left hand man, gaz. don’t even know the two know each other but gaz knows everything about you. besides, price just told kyle what he wants for christmas, and you happen to be on the list.

6) reader who was constantly picked on by kyle when they were cadets, forced to discharge because it always went way over line but their co’s just called them ‘too weak’. fast forward years later when the two cross paths and reader is honestly worse for wear but gaz seems better (he isn’t). reader is on the verge of homelessness so when gaz asks if they’re okay they just.. break down. ends up with kyle allowing them to stay at his and price’s place, saying they have a guest bedroom.

(gaz who has always been way too obsessed with reader but his attempts at isolating them for himself pushed them metaphorically and physically away. however, he is presented with another go at this. price’ll understand, he knows how much kyle needs his toy)

7) hannigram au pricegaz but gaz is hannibal and price is will graham. idk i feel like price would be more likely to witness the horrors of his own mind while gaz just sits in the back sipping on his wine and chewing an arm.

[miracleonice87]

behind the scenes at 30 rock

part of the kissing kelce universe

a/n: the newest installment is here! takes place during Travis's SNL appearance. includes guest appearances from jason, mama and papa kelce, and kelsea ballerini. enjoy!

warnings: mention of pregnancy / related sickness / babies, alcohol, swearing, i think that's it

word count: ~4,000

___

March 5, 2023 

Travis was mere hours from hosting Saturday Night Live, the biggest honor of his entire life and career outside of football. 

And you? You were sitting alone in his green room – an appropriate name, considering how you were constantly green in the gills these days – being sick in a trash can. 

Travis was rehearsing on stage, along with Jason and the cast, while Donna, Ed, and Trav’s management team were being toured around the studio. You had hung back after muttering a lame excuse about needing to call home and walk your parents through how to record the show tonight. Donna had eyed you suspiciously but let it go… and the group left you alone just in time for you to cough up your guts moments after the door closed. 

The wave of sickness lasted for a good three or four minutes, and as you sat up weakly, pressing the inside of your wrist to your sweaty forehead before reaching into your purse for your breath spray, you wondered how the fuck you were going to clean this up without anyone noticing. With a groan, you reached for some paper towels, crumpling them up and shoving them into the bag of the offending trash can, then tied the cheap plastic bag tightly closed and put it in another empty trash bag which, thankfully, you found inside the can. Somehow, you kept the gagging to a minimum as you picked up the bundle of bags and walked toward the door, taking a deep breath in when you reached it.

This is so fucking embarrassing. 

You cracked the door open just far enough to call out to a young PA walking down the hallway. As he drew closer, you called sheepishly, “Excuse me?”

He whipped his head up and stood straight, not having noticed the partially open door until you spoke.

“Oh, Mrs. Kelce!” he said with a polite smile. “Yes, can I help you?”

You winced visibly. “Actually, yes,” you admitted softly. “Please know that I absolutely hate to do this, but… I was just, uh, sick, in here and… I was wondering if it was possible to get rid of this for me?” You held the bag up a few inches and smiled at him apologetically. “I swear I’m not drunk, I’m just, uh… I’m not feeling well.”

He nodded and gave you an understanding smile. 

“Not a problem, Mrs. Kelce,” he said, carefully reaching for the bag. “Trust me, I’ve dealt with much worse than this,” he said playfully, and you were grateful for his assistance and his attempt to make you feel better. “You let us know if you need anything else, alright?” 

“Thank you so much,” you said quietly. You read his nametag before continuing. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this, Jeremy. And, um, one more thing…”

He nodded again. “Anything.”

“Keep this between us?” you said softly, lifting an index finger to your lips.

Slowly, a knowing smirk stretched across his lips. “Of course,” he assured. “My lips are sealed.”

You nodded, mouthing a final “thank you.” You closed the door and rested your head against the cool frame, closing your eyes and exhaling slowly, relieved that that hadn’t been as painful as you’d feared, and making a mental note to send Jeremy some piece of memorabilia signed by Travis as a token of your gratitude. 

You jumped when, just a few moments later, a soft knock came on the other side of the door.

“One second!” you called, ducking into the view of the lighted mirror to check your appearance, reaching for a tissue to wipe at the corners of your mouth. 

“Hey, it’s Kelsea,” a voice said quietly. “Can I come in?”

You smiled. Not only was it Travis’s first time on SNL, but it was also the first appearance for the musical guest, Kelsea Ballerini, who just so happened to be one of your favorite artists and one of the most-played on your Spotify account. You had briefly met her earlier and were able to tell her what a big fan of hers you were, and you were thrilled that she was back again, presumably to chat or maybe to take a quick photo before the show.

“Yes, come in!” you called cheerfully as you cleared your throat and tossed the tissue into the trash from three-point range, plastering a mega-watt smile on your features as if nothing at all had happened in the last ten minutes. 

She opened the door wearing a sweats set and carrying one of the SNL bags given to each special guest, and you noticed her freshly finished hair and makeup – the final step before the show would be to change into her outfit, which was sure to be stunning.

As you were about to open your mouth to tell her how beautiful she looked already, she shut the door and said abruptly, “Are you okay?”

Your stomach fluttered, this time due to nerves and not the baby in your belly. 

How did she know?

You swallowed hard and tried your best to play it off. 

“Yeah, I’m fine!” you lied through your teeth with a wave of your hand. “Why do you ask?”

She smiled and shyly ducked her head before meeting your eyes again.

“Well, my boyfriend Chase was just walking past and overheard you talking to the PA about being sick…” You pursed your lips, trying as hard as you could to keep a grin from your face. Kelsea forged ahead. “Now, listen, you do not have to tell me if you don’t want to, of course, but… I doubt you’d be here at all if you had the stomach flu, and you don’t seem like you’ve had too much to drink, so…”

You chuckled quietly, then nodded. After a long pause, you copped. 

“We literally just found out a week ago…”

Kelsea covered her mouth as she screamed silently and began hopping from one foot to the other. 

“Oh, my god, oh, my god! Congratulations!” she whisper-yelled as she wrapped you in a warm hug. In your wildest dreams, you could have never guessed that Kelsea Ballerini would be the second person – well, technically the third, if Jeremy had in fact caught your drift – in the world whom you told that you were expecting. Kelsea pulled away and held you at arm’s length. “Okay, well, I’m glad I asked – I had a feeling so I brought ginger ale and Jolly Ranchers. That’s what helped one of my girlfriends through her whole first trimester.” 

She reached into the bag hanging from her forearm and produced said items, and you pressed a hand to your lips as tears pricked your eyes. 

“Sorry, ignore me!” you exclaimed, laughing as you accepted the items. “It’s the freaking hormones. But that is so sweet of you. Thank you. You did not have to do that – you have a show to prepare for!” 

She waved her hand nonchalantly. “I know, I know, but this is just girl code,” she said decidedly. “I’ll run back out there in a sec but I wanted to make sure you were okay. Here, sit, sit,” she insisted as she motioned toward the velvet couch. 

You did as you were instructed and happily screwed the cap off of the soda, taking a few small sips. The coolness and carbonation of the drink were a welcome sensation on your tongue. 

“So nobody else knows?” Kelsea whispered excitedly, scrunching her nose with glee. 

As you swallowed, you smiled. “No,” you whispered back, and Kelsea squealed. “I’m only six weeks. We’re gonna tell my brother- and sister-in-law and his parents tomorrow when we go to Philly to meet the new baby, but right now it’s just us who know. And you!” 

She clapped her fingertips together enthusiastically. “This is the coolest thing ever!” she exclaimed, tipping her head back. 

“Don’t tell Trav that you know!” you warned as you unrolled a watermelon Jolly Rancher and popped it into your mouth. “He won’t be upset, but then he’ll wonder how you found out, and he’s been so worried about how sick I’ve been. I mean, he tried to cancel this,” you explained, motioning generally around the room. 

Kelsea held up a hand. “I swear on my life – again, girl code,” she promised. “But what I am gonna do? Is tell my boyfriend to keep an eye on you during the show and get you an out if needed. I don’t need to tell him why – he’ll listen.” 

You reached to rest your hand on her knee, squeezing it affectionately. “Thank you, Kelsea,” you said sincerely. “I really appreciate it. I’d say we’d name our baby after you, but that might be a little weird.”

Kelsea burst into a fit of laughter. “Yeah, Kelsea Kelce might be a bit much,” she admitted. “We can workshop it though.”

You giggled, then took another sip of ginger ale.

“Think you’ll be okay to sit through this whole thing?” she asked as you reached for the bag of salt and vinegar chips you’d stashed in Travis’s bag as you were leaving the hotel earlier. 

You nodded. “Usually I’m okay for a few hours once I’ve eaten something. Today’s just been so crazy that I hadn’t even realized I hadn’t eaten enough. I can tell you that won’t happen again,” you told her as you popped a chip into your mouth.

Kelsea tutted. “Girl, I get it. I get hangry so easily, and I’m not even pregnant,” she confessed as you beamed. “Well, I’m gonna get out there, but I’m glad you’re hanging in there. And I’m so happy for you and Travis, truly – I know we just met but it’s not hard to see how much y’all love each other and love your family, and you’re gonna be amazing parents.” 

Tears welled in your eyes once more as you wrapped your free arm around Kelsea’s neck, and she hugged your waist. 

“Thank you,” you managed, voice watery. You sat back and cleared your throat. “Now, break a leg! No pressure, but you’re technically baby’s first concert.”

Kelsea gaped. “I didn’t even think of that!” she said giddily. “Oh, my god, I’m gonna turn it all the way on then.” 

___

Backstage, a few hours later, Kelsea and Travis locked eyes in the moments immediately following the end of the live taping and the chaos that ensued. Over her head, she pointed both index fingers at him, doing her best to make a beeline to him through the sea of cast, crew, family, and friends. Travis danced toward her as though he had just caught a touchdown in the corner of the end zone at Arrowhead. 

“You did it!” he exclaimed, booming voice echoing throughout the short distance between them.

As she finally reached him, she extended both hands to high-five him, then the two embraced giddily. 

“We did it!” she shouted back, clapping him on the back. “You absolutely killed it out there!” 

Travis pulled back to point at Kelsea. “You were amazing,” he praised. “You sounded incredible!”

“Thank you, thank you,” she said, bowing playfully. “God, what a night!”

Travis rubbed his palms together. “What a fucking night indeed,” he concurred. “Now it’s time to celebrate – I’m gonna go find my family and get this freakin’ makeup off,” he laughed, then looked at her pointedly. “See you and Chase at the afterparty?”

Kelsea looked at him as though he were crazy. “Are you kidding? We’ll be there with bells on. I’ll meet you for shots in twenty,” she assured, then her expression grew more serious, and she leaned up to speak into Travis’s ear quietly enough so that no one could hear. “Just make sure you check on wifey first – and make sure she eats something before we go out.”

As Kelsea took a step back, Travis eyed her in disbelief. 

“Wait, how did you-”

Kelsea pressed an index finger to her lips. 

“I’m sworn to secrecy – girl code,” she whispered. Then, as she backed away, she mouthed, “congratulations.” 

He shook his head, a bashful smile on his face, and mouthed back, “thank you.”

___

Another hour into the night, after Travis had made sure you had your fill of the Chinese takeout he’d made certain to have a PA deliver to you right after the show, you were watching him hold court in the middle of Mermaid Oyster Bar in Times Square, simultaneously amused by and in awe of the way he was being doted upon as king of the city, even if just for the night. The poignance and ferocity of your first hug upon finding him after the show rivaled the embraces shared between the two of you after both Super Bowl victories, after your wedding vows, and, most recently, upon finding out you were expecting. 

But never in any of those sacred moments had you been so fucking tired as you were right now. Fighting against the exhaustion that threatened to overpower you at any moment as you watched Travis in a daze, you hid a yawn behind your palm and blinked furiously. In the corner of your private booth reserved for family, Donna sat sipping her cocktail, eyes never leaving you. When Ed got up from the table to meet someone at Jason’s behest, Donna scooted closer to you, leaning in so that she could be heard above the thumping music. 

“We should do a tequila shot together – I know it’s your favorite, and it’s a special occasion!” she suggested, nudging your shoulder with hers. 

You threw her a smile which you hoped wasn’t riddled with the anxiety you felt at the proposition. 

“You’re crazy!” you accused in jest. “It’s been such a long day, I’ll fall asleep if I take a shot.”

Donna nodded decisively, took a generous sip of her drink, and placed her hand atop yours on the table, studying you. 

“You’re pregnant, aren’t you?”

“Mom!” you suddenly heard from behind you, the single syllable tinged with a familiar northeast Ohio accent, and you and Donna both turned your heads to find her youngest son gaping at you, blue eyes wide with bewilderment and lips parted. “What the fuck?!” he spat as he hurried around to the front of the booth.

Donna guffawed. “Well, now I definitely have my answer!” she said, smacking the table gleefully before throwing her arms around you. “Congratulations, honey!” she exclaimed, kissing your cheek. “Oh, I’m so happy for you!” She reached for Travis’s hand as he tucked into the seat next to you, and you leaned against the table to allow mother and son as much space as possible to embrace behind you in the cramped booth.

“What’s happening?” Jason questioned as he approached alongside Ed, his signature brows furrowed as he looked at you accusingly. Travis and Donna parted and turned their attention to the other two Kelces. You pursed your lips before bursting into nervous laughter. 

“Well… our mother just accused this one of being pregnant,” Travis announced, wrapping an arm tightly around your shoulders as you offered a playful wave, watching Jason’s eyebrows shoot straight up, his color draining from his face at the perceived uncomfortable moment. “And as only Mom could be, she was 100% correct in that assumption.”

“Ayyyy-yyy-yyy!” Jason erupted, throwing his arms into the air before slinging them around both you and Travis at the same time, as Ed clapped in the background. “That’s fucking amazing! Oh my god!” 

As Jason made space for Ed to congratulate the two of you, Donna put a finger in the air. 

“I want to make it clear that I did not ask based on her weight or appearance or anything of the sort,” she insisted, one hand flush to her chest as if reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. “I only asked because she turned down a tequila shot for the first time in the many years that I have known her.”

Jason and Ed cackled, and Travis drew you even closer into his side. 

“Alright nah! That’s my girl,” he joked, pressing a kiss to your temple. “Only eight more months until your next one, sweetness.”

“That is very unlike her, I’ll give you that,” Ed concurred. “So, when are you due, sweetheart?”

You looked up at Travis and shared an elated grin. “Uh, November 6!” you announced. “It’s early – we only just found out last week.”

As Donna clapped furiously and Ed nodded, beaming, Jason held up both hands.

“Hold on, hold on, hold on… isn’t that the first day of Travis’s bye?” he asked incredulously. 

You nodded happily as Travis bobbled his head from side to side, pride and euphoria radiating from him, especially in his alcohol-flooded state. Jason stood still as a statue, gaping. “This is insane! You’re probably gonna get to be with her and the baby for, like, multiple days and not have to work or go anywhere,” he pointed out.

Travis nodded knowingly. “You’re goddang right, brotha – everything’s coming up Kelce! Ha haaa!”

Jason chuckled. “You’re unbelievable,” he said, shaking his head. “But shit, am I happy for you guys! Oh, my god, Ky’s gonna flip!”

Travis squeezed your bicep and implored, “Jason, please do not go back to your hotel and drunkenly call her, okay? We’ve been planning to wait and tell her in person tomorrow when we get to your house to meet Benny, which is when we were gonna tell all of you, but apparently Mom had other plans!” 

Jason crossed his heart. “Um, you might have to take my phone away from me to make sure that doesn’t happen, but I promise I won’t do it on purpose.”

___

You somehow managed to stay awake until four in the morning, largely thanks to the advice Jason had received from Rich Eisen to sleep in for as long as possible that morning in order to prep for the wild night after the show, but you realized you had finally hit your wall when the crew was ready to head to another location and you were not. Travis pulled you into his chest while the group discussed the route to the next party, his big hands resting on your lower back to keep you close. He ducked his head to speak into your ear, as private a conversation as could be managed in the midst of a gaggle of people.

“I don’t think I’m gonna go,” he said simply. 

You shot him a “yeah fucking right” look and immediately shook your head. “No, baby, you’re going – that’s not even a question,” you argued, smoothing a hand across his broad chest. “I’m gonna head back and get some sleep, you’re gonna stay out as late as you can keep your eyes open, and that’s final,” you said, poking him in the sternum. 

His fingers ghosted up and down your spine as you spoke, and he smirked in amusement, knowing better than to continue to fight you on this. 

“Are you absolutely certain?” he asked. “Because you just say the word and I swear to god, we turn around and walk out that door and go back together right now.” 

You shook your head again, toying with his silver chain. “Absolutely not, Trav,” you reiterated. “I’m certain. This is a once-in-a-lifetime deal, and you’re gonna enjoy every second of it. And to be frank, I’m gonna pass out the moment my head hits the pillow, so it’s not gonna make a difference to me whether you’re there or not. Until morning, and you can go back to holding my hair back for me.” 

Travis giggled, and his long arms wrapped you in an all-consuming hug as he buried a kiss in your hair. “Gladly,” he stated, and you knew he meant it. He dropped another kiss to your forehead and added, “I love you so bad.”

You hummed appreciatively and tipped your head up to peck his lips. “I love you so bad,” you echoed. “This has been incredible, watching you shine. You were amazing, babe. I’m so proud of you.” 

The humility and delight in his eyes was overwhelming, and he cradled the back of your head to thank you with a passionate kiss, the kind usually reserved for private spaces. But this was a special occasion, not to mention how much alcohol your husband had consumed by this point, so you simply smiled against his lips until he pulled away for air. 

“Couldn’t have done it without you, my girl,” he said warmly. “Be safe. Text me when you’re in. I’ll see you soon.”

You nodded, squeezing his waist. 

“I will,” you promised. “Have a ball, 87.” 

_____

But truth be told, Travis did not have a ball once you had left him. Admittedly, he had watched your location on his phone incessantly while you traveled the short distance from the Mermaid back to your hotel, grateful that his mom had accompanied you, having had enough of the party for the night herself. Once he had watched the blue dot representing you reach the front of the hotel, then become stagnant once you had apparently reached your room and minutes later texted him “made it back, getting ready for bed - love you ❤️”, he tried his damnedest to focus on being present and enjoying himself, reminding him that this night was special, just as you’d said. 

But with every drink that was poured down his throat, with every celebrity he tried his best to entertain, with every introduction by somebody he was supposed to recognize to somebody else he was supposed to recognize, his thoughts were always, only, with you – whether you were asleep yet, how you were sleeping if so, if you had had enough to eat, how you were feeling. He’d spent so much time away from you this week because of the rigorous schedule of meetings and rehearsals that he just missed you with every fiber of his being – he swore it had to be biological, because anyone who knew Travis Kelce knew that he loved a party, especially one celebrating him. Though he’d never quite felt this way before, his heart simply wasn’t in it. 

Around 5 in the morning, he locked eyes with Jason and gave him the high sign, hand gesturing at his neck to indicate that he’d had his fill of the SNL pandemonium. Jason gave a knowing smile and nod, well aware of what was coming next – an Irish exit by his younger brother. Travis knew he would be there for another hour if he attempted to say goodbye to each and every person at the party, even just the ones he knew personally, and with his one-track mind focused solely on his exhausted pregnant wife back in his suite, he made the executive decision to dip out through a side door near the bathrooms. He quickly made his way to the car waiting for him, shared a nod with the driver, and climbed into the backseat. 

“How you doin’, man? Back to the hotel, please,” he requested. 

“Of course, Mr. Kelce,” the driver replied. “Do you need to make any stops first?”

Travis smiled softly and shook his head. “Not a one – thank you.” 

Finally, after what had to be the longest day of his life, he snuck back into the hotel unnoticed thanks to the accommodating staff, slipped in the door to the penthouse suite, quickly shed his outfit leaving on only his boxers, and snuggled into bed behind you, pressing his chest against your back. At his familiar touch and scent, you inhaled deeply and moaned softly, glancing over your shoulder and throwing him a sleepy smile.

“Hey, superstar, you made it back,” you greeted him, voice raspy and thick with sleep as your head dropped back to the pillow.

“Mmhmm, and I have been dreaming of this all day long,” he whispered, kissing a line from your shoulderblade, up your neck, along your jaw and ending at your temple. “Go back to sleep, sweet thing. I gotchu.” 

“Mmm, ‘kay. Love you, Trav,” you all but slurred, instantly slipping back into your slumber. 

He smiled so big it hurt his face, completely, wholly, overwhelmingly, blissfully content as his hand settled on your lower stomach where a baby bump was still weeks from appearing, your warm fingers lazily covering his. 

“I love you, mama.”

[sugar-crash]

🍬King Candy (Wreck-It Ralph) x (gn) Reader👑

(Beginning Relationship Pt. I Edition!)

(I thought this song would be fitting considering King Candy’s voice is based on the vocal performance Ed Wynn did for the Mad Hatter… That and its… Nostalgic🔑 [I saw the animation meme culture rise and fall.] lol)

- So, as we all know, the more unpleasant parts of his personality (which could tie him to Turbo) are suppressed, and hidden, though they can still peak out when he’s feeling particularly malicious.

- He’s a slime, a real manipulative rat who’s so sure he can keep everyone in the dark, who takes it slow with you at first to try to maintain his hard work.

- There’s a clear wall between what he displays in front of others and how he is, just the way he likes it, but honestly— If you mean so much to him, you get a weird mix of the two (well, more than usual), a kind of sweet goofiness that’s followed up with a snide remark about being the most skilled in some specific topic.

- Again he’s not the best lover, though from his previous indiscretions he has learned to be more open to others feelings— But only for your sake, mostly cause he can’t stand anyone else besides you…. And Sour Bill sometimes, but he’s mostly the personification of a minimum wage worker.

- Spending time together after hours is a must, though he’s more understanding now than he was before, not demanding every moment of your time but relishing whenever you do.

- I think all that time alone before Sugar Rush got plugged in made him lonely, and less stubborn to admit that he wants that comfort from someone else.

- I don’t think it’s much of a far reach when I say maintaining the King Candy persona is something he is very fluid in, but it’s exhausting at times.

- When he gets that seldom time alone without any of his kingly duties he finds himself yearning for your comforting touch, that stubbornness making way as he makes Sour Bill retrieve you.

- I can see moments between the two of you to be on the tamer side, not as many arguments like Pre-RoadBlasters, little to none really, but there are these tense moments where you ask him something a little too close to home and he becomes stiff in your arms if only for a brief moment.

- As much as he wants to be, not only for himself but maybe even you— He isn’t perfect, he isn’t the person he tries so hard to be, that gleeful and peppy voice going flat the second he isn’t feeling it anymore.

- It becomes apparent the more you know him he’s far more serious than he lets on, puffing his chest up slightly when things don’t go his way and he has to play dirty, which he’s certainly no stranger to...

- In comparison to himself when the arcade first ever opened, he’s certainly grown from that childish hatred, for better and for worse.

- He’s more affectionate for one, providing you with comfort fitting to how you are feeling at that moment, little compliments, and gestures of affection to quell your anger and anxiety in a matter of seconds.

- Quick to learn every little thing about you to make sure he’s able to relate to you, though his intentions with this information go back and forth.

- He wants everything on a silver platter, not only for himself but also for you, making the other subjects of Sugar Rush bend over backward for you, even when you object to all the attention.

- I think one of the ways he dotes on you in a way is date planning, various areas in Sugar Rush vary which can be very nice date spots… He seems like the picnic blanket and tea liker as King Candy, as stereotypical as that is lol.

- Though if that isn’t your style, he can always do dates at the castle, like baking— chatting the night away, it’s the simple things in life <3

- Even with his character growth he is far from a good person, which we all know and love for the most part. He’s fully aware that the things he does to bar you, Venallope, the Sugar Rush inhabitants, and even the arcade entirely is cruel, spiteful even. But what could he have done? Let himself fade into obscurity and be characterized after one of his biggest mistakes?

- No, no, not when he still has so much to provide— He’s a person, just like everyone else, better yet he was programmed to be better. Why should he stand aside and let the world spin without him? Why should he look at you from afar when he has every right to want you?

- That’s part of the reason why he’s so adamant about keeping his spot as the monarch of Sugar Rush, he’s the rightful ruler after all.

(Cr cqh’r lncp, hjw cq cr?)

[deakwithit]

how can someone look me in the eye and tell me oswald doesnt have bpd guys pleaswe this shouldnt even be up for discussion....

i have bpd and ive never related to a character more, especially this scene

the ranting, taking everything personally (despite the context of the scene being a pretty obvious personal thing), the anger, spilling something and ed having to tell him to breathe (which, also implies this happens a lot, especially with ed's slightly annoyed tone).

in many other scenes, ESPECIALLY ones with isabella, it clearly shows him displaying traits of bpd and time n time again i see "hes crazy" or "hes a sociopath" (which makes no sense and is just ableist)

hes someone with likely multiple complex mental disorders, but bpd especially sticks out to me bc of how obvious his case is

like i was sitting there watching the isabella dilemma thinking "man hes so me" bc he was splitting just as violently as i do

and as someone with multiple complex mental disorders, i fantasize about killing people i split on too (he actually does it, i dont, but i understand it). ive had homicidal thoughts (not urges, thoughts, clear distinction guys im not gonna murder someone) about the people ive split on, ive thought about the things oswald does, though not as cartoony as some of his, considering theyre in a fictional universe.

i fully belive edward was not oswalds first fp either, his mom to me is the first who comes to mind as his attachment figure, the only person he can rely on, his favorite person but also in a way his only person. she gave him love, gave him care, gave him all he needed to survive, and oswald clung onto it.

edward gave him "love", attention, care, and after oswalds mom had been gone, he needed that. so he needed edward. boom, fp moment

we constantly see how emotionally invested oswald is in ed, how much he cares for him, how much edwards words control his emotions, and we see how he once again, violently splits on someone, but for the first time, its on the one he "replaced" his mom with.

i wqont even lie i might be lowkey headcanoning some of this maybe or making shit up cause i havent watched gotham in a long time but oswald so clearly struggles with emotional regulation and anger. its 0-100, its black and white, its night and day, he is always overcome by his emotions. the way he yells and rants with ed in the scene i shared, the way he felt learning mr penn had betrayed him, the way he felt when his mom died, the way he felt about edward, or even isabella, is so clearly the way someone w bpd, such as myself, would react.

anyway im crazy idk share ur thoughts

[triflesandparsnips]

I read this post by @notebooks-and-laptops about Stede knowing who Ed is, and therefore not being surprised by what happened to him-- and I agree, hooboy do I agree-- but I also wonder if... I wonder if Stede also knows because...

Stede and Ed are different men, right? They occupy the world in different ways, and they find different solutions to live in that world because of it.

But. Remember:

"You ever feel trapped? Like you're just treading water, waiting to drown?"

"Yes. I have... I very much have felt that way--"

They're different people, with different life experiences that lend different solutions to the problems they face, and in a story that wasn't a love story-- in a story that wasn't about finally finding a person who understands-- maybe that ask (do you ever feel--?) and that answer (yes) wouldn't mean as much.

But this is a love story. Or, more accurately, a love story. Because--

Because they're different people but they feel the same-- and I don't mean in relation to the other, or reciprocity, or any of the nicer, more true-to-life kinds of ways of describing love. I mean-- this is kismet stuff, this is one soul the gods split into two bodies, this is the unnerving tragedy of being narrative devices created to explore a theme (a lot of what we’re taught about being a man is wrong) and being wound up and set down in a narrative to see what happens-- and so one of the questions the story asks us is: what does it mean if this man, from a wealthy world of privilege, and this man, from a lawless world of danger-- what does it mean when they feel the same.

And what I think it means-- what these three episodes and the last from season 1 are showing us-- is that while they feel the same, it looks very different when they each finally break.

Ed's version of watch the world burn or die trying was to dig down into piracy so hard and so viciously that the only way out was death-- we see that now.

But Stede's version-- we saw Stede's version. We started the show with Stede's version. When Stede watches the world burn or die trying-- he left his life, his family, he burned his bridge back to that world in the first episode when he claimed the Badminton kill and he dug down into a pirate identity so deeply that he was stabbed and hanged for it before he ever even met Edward Teach.

Stede was drowning for decades, and in a few short months he burned the world to find an escape and died trying to achieve it.

So Stede knows Ed, oh yes. And he loves him. But I wonder if this moment in season 2 isn't about knowing Ed's mind because this is a story about love and acceptance-- I wonder if it's because this is a story where parallels are everything, where the exploration of how they react differently to the same plot is half the point, where--

--Where Stede can look at what Edward has done and instantly see himself.

[the-facets-of-man]

Meet The Facets: The Scarecrow

The villainous persona of Jon, the Scarecrow hasn't changed very much since the split if you don't count the memory loss. He's still just as fear obsessed as before, now with complete and utter immunity to fear itself. Jon may have had a fucked up amygdala, but he still managed to get nervous around something he had a pervious phobia for. Scarecrow has no such weakness. He's also far more cruel, most of the empathy going to the Doctor and Jonathan. Scarecrow doesn't have none, but it's minimal as of now. Just as Riddler's cunning is a disadvantage for his foes, so is Scarecrow's intelligence. Jon was a very smart man, he got a PhD after all. You see it in both Crane and Scarecrow, just in different ways. While Crane specializes in picking apart his patients and trying to get to the source of what's wrong with them, Scarecrow just wants to know the ins and outs of fear. He'll even fear toxin the other Facets, though he thinks it's expected. Jon's findings on Ed are now useless with Ed split in three, and who knows if the other two Jons are immune to the toxin.

Since the split, Scarecrow has actually grown apathetic. There are things that interest him, that he cares about, that he likes or dislikes, but all of those things are specific and uncommon. He doesn't truly care for crime as much, now only doing it when he's bored or when he's dragged out by another rogue or few. He'd rather sit around with the crows. They're one of the things he cares about.

He values being able to make choices, but you can also find him feeling idlewild. Having choice stolen is one thing, but making a choice that puts you in a situation without is different. He's fine being stuck in a car or a train or a plane or just a line with nothing to physically do. Not only does it give him the freedom to take in his surroundings, but it gives him the chance to just think without worrying about his actions. Likes His birds - Scarecrow, contrary to what non-Gothamites may assume, does not scare crows. The birds love him, and the feeling is mutual. Jon accumulated a large flock over his years of villainy, and he memorized every single one of their names. While all the Jons remember Ichabod and everything about her, Scarecrow is the only one to know who all the others are from a first glance or caw.

Fear - He's the Scarecrow, what can you expect? Fear has always been his thing even since before Jon took on the moniker of Scarecrow. Maybe you can point to some childhood trauma to why he is the way he is, in fact it's extremely likely that that is the case. Doesn't mean he loves it any less. If Scarecrow could, he'd sustain himself on just the looks of fear he can get even without using his toxin.

Playing the fiddle - Unlike Doctor Crane, the Scarecrow does retain many of his southern roots. His accent, for one. Both Scarecrow and Jonathan are borderline unable to understand for most. But another is their love for music, and for Scarecrow that is the fiddle and old southern gospel and blues. He's one hell of a fiddle player, and it's not out of the realm of possibility to see him playing for his crows. Dislikes Assumptions - Not all of them, but a very specific type, that type being people assuming he's stupid. Scarecrow can be described as slightly more animalistic than the other two. He's still human, do not say otherwise, but his cruelty can make it seem not so. This makes people treat him as if his thinking and processing isn't on the level of normal people. He hates it, and it could earn you a face full of fear toxin on a bad day.

Nightmares - Scarecrow doesn't have any fears, but his mind still plagues him with visions and memories when he gets his inconsistent sleep. They always relate to his father, Elijah Crane. That man did many things to him over the years before his death, and Scarecrow inherited a good amount of that trauma like Jonathan did. He wishes he could just be safe in his sleep.

Arkham - It's not a unique opinion among the rogues or even just the regular inmates of the asylum. It sucks, in the fewest words possible. Scarecrow's least favorite part is Bolton. He and Crane are the same in that regard as well as their science. Bolton may target Crane because he's a safer option, he'll still taunt Scarecrow when given the chance. [Edward Nygma] [The Riddler] [Eddie Nashton] [Doctor Crane] [Jonathan Crane] You can find The Facets of Man here!

[sixstepsaway]

I don't get why people want to pretend Ed wasn't abusive. Why do people insist on making everything into binaries? Yes, Ed has been a victim of abuse. Yes, he has been abusive. Both things can be true. I love him because I think he's in interesting and I understand where his pain is coming from (even if I think S2 was a missed opportunity in terms of character development). But anyway, thank you for writing about this because maybe some folks genuinely don't recognize abusive trends.

I think it has a lot to do with the fandom culture of only being allowed to like "wholesome" ships.

Look at it this way: when season 1 was airing, Ed and Stede were, in fact, very wholesome. Sure, they had some moments of lesser wholesomeness, but overall they were pretty wholesome and sweet and gentle. They were sweet and finding love in middle age and it was adorable. They had a general stamp of fandom approval that they were, in fact, Wholesome And Good To Ship™.

If you look at other fandoms, you'll see a lot of times there's the Good And Acceptable Ship and then there's the Bad Ship (or ships) and the Bad Ship is always slapped with the "oh that's actually incest!" label when they've, idk, grown up together, or "oh it's abusive!" because one of them one time made a bad joke or something, or "power dynamics!" because one is 27 and one is 25 or one is short and the other is tall or whatever, and yeah sometimes the Bad Ship is actually toxic or whatever (which is not a reason to not ship and enjoy it!), but they're put in neat little boxes: Good and Bad.

And for a lot of people, those boxes keep them safe. Last year, someone who was an Izzy Hands fan got doxxed because...? They liked Izzy Hands and shipped him with... I don't know actually. Ed? Stede? It doesn't matter, all I know is they got doxxed.

The side of fandom that thinks you should only ship the Good Ship are toxic and downright dangerous. It's happened again and again in numerous fandoms and just keeps happening.

So when at the end of s1, Ed turned around and cut Izzy's toe off and fed it to him, I think a lot of people panicked because shit, now Ed was Bad too, and if he's Bad then you can't like him or relate to him or ship him with the Good guy of Stede, so what the fuck do you do?

Obvious answer: Blame Izzy. Izzy's already classed as Bad, so put all the responsibility on Izzy for Ed's darkness and then it's safe to ship Ed and Stede again and no one can call you an abuse apologist or whatever for liking them together.

(To be clear: Shipping says nothing about your real morality. This is very clear for many reasons, one of which is... spend thirty seconds watching fans of the Wholesome Ships dox people and abuse people online lol)

So they spent all this time saying Ed was just scared and lashing out, and now s2 has come along and Ed is... well, abusive, canonically.

And for most of us, that doesn't really matter. We can still enjoy Ed and Stede or Ed and Izzy, we can throw ourselves into fanworks and enjoy the show for the things we like, and we can critique the things we have issues with (my problem is not Ed being written as dark and twisty and having a villain arc, my problem is the show writing it badly, exploring it badly, and then handwaving it, because it's shitty writing) and still really enjoy the vibes we got from the show.

But for people who are scared because they spent all this time saying Izzy fans should kill themselves for liking an abuser, well... now they have a choice: either admit Ed is an abuser and admit that liking a character doesn't dictate your irl morality, nor does it say anything about you aside from what you enjoy in fiction, or excuse away his actions, insist he's just a lil meow meow and continue feeling safe in their little bubble.

In a lot of ways I can't blame people for wanting to duck and cover from it. I mean, look at the shit people get for liking characters who aren't perfect, or talking about the imperfections of characters, or just enjoying complex narratives!

But what genuinely concerns me isn't anything to do with the fiction really, it's when people look at Ed's behavior in 2x01 and 2x02 and go, "Nah he's fine," because oh, honey, no, you are making yourself so vulnerable to real life abuse. That is what worries me, which is why I answered that one ask saying Ed wasn't abusive, it felt important to point out why he is.

Anyway, that's what I think is happening here. I think people are just scared that if they admit their fave has multitudes and isn't a perfect character who never does any wrong, they'll get doxxed and abused and harassed online.

I get that.

[allthegothihopgirls]

I love the asexual Bruce Wayne agenda and I totally agree with it. What I want to know though is how Bruce (asexual queen that he his) deals with his hormonal teenage boys?

Cause like Bruce never got the sex talk (I mean his parents died when he was young, and the family Buttler is Not giving his former employers son the sex talk) and that’s fine by Bruce. Cause he’s never felt these ‘urges’ that everyone talks about. Honestly, sex is overrated.

But, Batman prepares for everything. And one thing that people ALWAYS stress about parenting is having to give your kids the sex talk.

I just really want to know about the hijinks like;

Bruce: *Standing forlornly in front of a ‘Sex Ed’ PowerPoint* So, I understand that you probably have no desire for these… urges. That everyone talks about. But the parenting book (and society) decrees that to be a good parent, I need to give my children a proper education on sex.

Dick: *Very much not asexual* Yeah, no thanks dad this really helps!

Bruce: *Bewildered* How???

although the idea of bruce uncomfortably giving his version of a 'talk' is amusing, i don't think he'd give one at all. none of the boys would really give him any reason to, until he gets to tim at least (he's like, the only one i haven't fully projected my asexual agenda onto at this point).

dick's always been very responsible, so when he starts dating, maaaaybe bruce has like, a single thought contemplating whether or not to sit him down, but i think he'd get off with a "you know that you should always treat a woman right, yeah?" whether dick's actually dating women is up for debate but you get the point and a pat on the back. i believe that bruce operates predominantly under the 'if they have questions, they'll ask' mindset, so he trusts that if dick needs an answer to something, he'll come to bruce. (or just source an answer elsewhere)

i do also think that if anything, alfred would be the one to pull bruce up and ask if he'd adequately informed the boys of things 'one on one' (because he KNOWS that he hasn't). and even then, if bruce were to actually sit dick down, he wouldn't get so far as an introduction spent dancing around the topic because bruce is himself, mortified, before dick stops him and says that he doesn't have to give him this talk, because "wally already did" (much to bruce's disapproval).

as for jason, dying isn't great for a guy's love life. as i pretty much said previously, i don't think bruce would approach anything until it was absolutely relevant (when the boys are already in a relationship). so jason not getting a chance to really date before he died, means that bruce never had the opportunity to talk to him about it. i also believe he'd assume that jason already knows, with the crude jokes he makes, and the kind of people he grew up around on the streets. and obviously, by the time he comes back as red hood, he's too old to 'not know' and it's just presumed he knows his stuff.

i think tim might cause him a little bit (a lot) of trouble though. it definitely scares the shit out of bruce when he finds out about steph getting pregnant by her ex. it prompts him to fling fully into action mode to prevent tim ever being in that situation. that'd be the first time he's properly spoken to one of his kids about it, lots of emphasis on protection and what NOT to do.

however for any other talk pre-steph, i really do think he'd try to palm off the responsibility onto dick (he's very thankful that he's got kids old enough to do it for him), asking him to talk to tim. bruce would probably pull out all the cards "i'm too old" "he'd think it was less weird coming from you" "i don't know what you kids get up to, he's better off hearing it from someone who he can relate to" "i don't want to traumatise the kid" etc etc.

i do think the whole steph situation would be a bit of a reality-check for bruce though, and he'd have the realisation "that could have been any one of the kids" and he would be on his toes for a bit. especially with the amount of girls tim is rumoured to have relations with. him getting with bernard would be a big relief for everyone bruce i think.

once again when he gets with bernard, bruce is 100% palming off the responsibility of having that talk, onto one of his other kids. most likely jason. this is getting super far into my own personal headcanon territory, but literally none of them are straight to me, and i think jason would be the most 'comfortably' gay (mostly just his lack of care about the subject, being percieved as open-ness). bruce would 100% ask dick to talk to tim if it weren't for how private he tends to be with his love life in adulthood. (even getting him to just have the general 'talk' with tim was pushing it)

i don't think he'd ever talk with damian, the league definitely taught him (although objectively). i do think out of all the kids, he'd be the one to have questions though, mainly about the romantic aspect of relationships, as he struggles to wrap his head around the concept of 'love', (which really tests bruce's parenting abilities) i do think dick (having the bond he does with damian) would go out of his way to have a talk with him as he got older though.

as for cass, i don't think she would have ever been taught, with her irregular upbringing, as well as not going to regular school and all. but girls are new in the batfamily, and bruce doesn't want to touch that conversation with a ten-foot pole, so he calls diana in to do it for him.

final note, i also really do think a large contributing factor to bruce most likely never approaching the subject out of his own free will is just how private they all tend to be with their love lives. like i can see dick telling bruce that he's dating someone (as a teenager), but apart from a name and how he knows them, he's not really giving much else away. jason on the other hand just completely leaves it up for everyone else to figure out on their own (it lives entirely in my head that he's like this with his family, but is super close with his partner's family, which is a shock to everyone). if anything, tim's the only one who ever wants people to know about his relationships, for them to 'meet the parents' (bruce) etc etc. it probably all stems from bruce himself being a pretty secretive guy.

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

I think the most interesting thing about Izzy in season 1 and early in season 2 is he so strongly considers himself someone who Understands Ed, but this not only isn't true, the more we take him at face value, the crueller his actions become.

Now, obviously, I do not think Izzy actually understands Ed very much at all. He thinks he does, at first! But he consistently fails to understand what makes Ed tick. He's so focused on his perception of Ed, which he's convinced is correct and right, that he can't see past it.

Izzy thinks that Ed is erratic and unpredictable, someone who is capable of great things but in need of being controlled. He consistently interprets Ed's behavior as insane and fickle, and Izzy himself is the force that can shape Ed's behavior into genius. He's so convinced in s1e4 that Ed is just wasting time and dicking around that he spends the whole episode nagging at him to come up with a plan, never once questioning his own unshakable belief that Ed, an extremely gifted sailor, starting to point out something to him in the clouds was just Ed fucking around. He is utterly convinced that Ed will not be able to get anything done if Izzy himself isn't right there making sure he stays on-task, when it's pretty obvious that Ed had his plan worked out from the start of the episode.

The nice thing is that Izzy is self-aware enough by the end of the show to apologize Ed for being abusive towards him for years. But this also means that he knew he was doing something wrong - he says on his deathbed that he knew Ed had long outgrown Blackbeard but he kept pushing anyway, because Izzy's whole deal in s1 is a chase for power. Being the one in control of Ed, feeling like Blackbeard was "us," it gave him that power - even if he wasn't, in truth, actually contributing anything other than stress.

I'm inclined to believe that Izzy understands as little as possible about Ed, because that makes Izzy's growth sit easier with me (he doesn't know about Ed's dad, obviously, but if he's somehow pieced together Ed's trauma related to killing, for example, then trying to get him to kill Stede becomes so much worse). But when he admits that he knew how much he was hurting Ed, that still makes everything in season 1 harder to swallow. It's still pretty clear Izzy doesn't understand Ed well, but he still did things like push Ed hard to kill Stede and threaten Ed at the end of s1 knowing that he was hurting Ed. Izzy's style of manipulating Ed isn't neat, it's quantity-over-quality, pushing over and over to hit the right notes until he gets a reaction, but he still knew Ed well enough to know he was being terrible to him for years (in his own words!).

And that's where arguments like "Izzy was just doing it because he thought he was doing what was right for Ed/because he loved Ed" start to fall apart for me, because not only does Izzy himself pretty clearly state on his deathbed that he was self-serving more than anything, but that's worse. I don't doubt that it's true! To be very clear, I think Izzy did think those things! Izzy doesn't know Ed on the level Stede knows Ed, he doesn't get him, but he knew him well enough to hit him where it really hurt. And that's worse than if he'd done the exact same things never understanding anything about Ed at all.

[beanghostprincess]

Sanji has helped me in so many ways. I will forever be grateful for the creation of this character. He quite literally means the world to me right now.

(TW: ED/Depression/Suicide attempt mention)

I've always struggled with food. Well, not always. But at the end of middle school (more or less. Give or take. Age 12/13) I became obsessed with what I ate. I still don't know exactly how it started, but I think it has always been a mix of my need to control my life when it's crumbling down and the necessity to look skinny (both things are my mother's fault, mostly. And also lots of things going on at the moment). So I started skipping meals constantly and throwing away food and throwing up. Not gonna get into details, but it ruined my life without anybody knowing until a huge depressive episode came and then I tried to off myself, yadda yadda yadda. Then I just stopped eating food and my meals every day were basically a monster and gum and maybe a piece of fruit. I couldn't even drink milk without crying. Then it got a bit better. Then a bit worse. It wasn't very consistent. And then I started doing exercise but that only made me even more obsessed with calorie intake and healthy food and I still can't drink milk or bread without at least feeling awful about it.

And then I watched One Piece.

I know it sounds extremely silly and dumb, but it has helped me in so many ways. I'm not gonna get into all the things it has done for me, because then I'd have to talk about Robin, Nami, Luffy, Pudding and Buggy which are, like, the characters that have helped me the most next to Sanji, and I would not finish this post.

But Sanji is just so, so important to me.

He speaks about food with such passion. His whole thing about not wasting food literally comes from an experience of starvation and because of the sacrifice his father made for him. He keeps saying he refuses to let people go hungry, no matter what. That we all deserve to eat. He relates food to love and cooking is his whole life. It kind of started as a joke when my brother said "nooo, now you can't waste food because Sanji would be sad" and I- That day I literally ate wayyy more than usual with that thought in mind. And I didn't feel bad afterward for once. And he's just- He just makes me feel so comfortable around food. Which is the normal amount of comfort somebody should have and sometimes it's not even that, but it helps. It helps so much.

Then his whole thing with Germa and the Vinsmokes. It killed me. My relationship with my mother is, uh, you can call it complicated but I fucking hate her so. Yeah. And Sanji's story about rejecting his blood relatives and finding better people who will love him hit so close to home. Him being different. Weak. More emotional. A good person. Sanji refusing to use the name Vinsmoke. It's my whole life. Sanji self-sabotaging himself all the time and constantly sacrificing himself, too? I just can't do it, man, he means the world to me. And then Wano happens and he turns out to have the same body as his siblings but he's still himself. He's still Sanji no matter how much in common he has with the Vinsmokes. And as somebody who's constantly dealing with people telling them that they look like their mom? I fucking love it. I know I look like her and I even act like her sometimes but that doesn't mean I am her. And it doesn't mean she deserves to be part of my family, because she isn't and I can't wait to get rid of her in my life.

It's not only food and family, though. Sanji has helped me accept myself in so many ways too. In the way I perceive others and in the way I act. He has helped me eat. He has helped me realize you don't have to consider your blood relatives family if you don't love them. He has helped me see that my kindness is a strength and not a weak spot.

Not to mention that his whole thing with gender and sexuality, how the fandom portrays him, and how I personally write him has been of so much help in understanding myself. I recently discovered I was a lesbian, and also being genderfluid I just- I just love Sanji so much I be projecting my gender issues and internalized stuff with comphet on him. And let me tell you, it helps.

This whole thing is just something short and sweet I wanted to say because media affects people. In the best of ways. One Piece in general has saved my life in many ways, but Sanji in particular is still helping me every day.

[erinelliotc]

What do you like about Eddy? Do you really think him and Double D will work out?

I think Eddy is the most interesting, deep, complex and well-written character on the show. It seems contradictory to say this, but even though Double D is my favorite character, I think Eddy is the best character. He's full of content for psychological analyses, something I'm passionate about doing because I love psychology and writing, I love analyzing human behavior, so complicated characters like Eddy are perfect to me in that sense (just as I am fascinated by Jinx from Arcane). I have so much to say about Eddy, I feel like every day I think of something new about his character, and I find this so exciting!

My analyses of each Ed will only be done in the future after I rewatch the show another two or three times, so I won't write here everything I have to say about Eddy. But you can find some of my EEnE analyses by scrolling through the posts in this tag. I talk about him in some of them.

But about Eddy and Double D... EddEddy is my OTP, you know? I've already talked a lot about them, and of course I'm going to talk much more in the future too. You can read a little about what I think of their relationship here.

In "short":

Eddy's backstory and his character development fascinate me. Characters who are emotionally broken to the point of developing a problematic personality fascinate me. Characters with mental disorders or traits of mental disorders fascinate me (I personally see him as ADHD with borderline and narcissistic traits, and perhaps a bit of histrionic traits too). I love analyzing and understanding what led them to that point, what made them so difficult to deal with, what hurt them so much that they developed an emotional armor and/or that makes them act like selfish jerks. The way Eddy's brain works fascinates me, his behavior, his defense mechanisms, everything. And to me the best part is seeing the little moments where the show shows us how he actually has a terrible self-image deep down and is not as confident and secure as he tries to show himself to be. I love seeing a character who isn't just a jerk, but someone who acts like a jerk because of things that happened that he tries to hide or that he doesn't even understand or realize happened (Eddy's reality denial defense mechanism is very strong, so I think a lot of the things related to his brother he genuinely didn't realize were problematic and had hurt him because his brain denied them to protect him. And it's common for our brain to block memories as a way of protecting us from the truth because it thinks we'll not have the emotional structure to deal with it, and I believe it may have happened to him), someone who is deeply hurt and does everything he can to hide it, someone who doesn't want to be emotionally vulnerable and tries to act like the most confident person in the world... Characters like this are the most interesting to me. And besides, I find Eddy extremely funny and annoying in an adorable way. I love his chaotic behavior, his voice and the way he talks (God bless Tony Sampson)

He and Edd were made for each other. Would they kill each other if Ed wasn't around? Absolutely. But their relationship is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen and the combination of their personalities is what makes them grow and have their character development. They mature and improve because of the influence they have on each other. Their personalities complement each other perfectly because one is good where the other has to improve. And the love and affection they have for each other is visible and makes me emotional

[ppeonppeonhan]

Songs That Remind Me of BL Characters & Couples

@zimmbzon kindly tagged me in their post, prompting me to share the first ten songs in my On Repeat playlist. Highly recommend checking theirs out, because mine is...rather basic. And becauuuuse it's basic, I'm gonna add another layer to this and tell you which BL character or couple perfectly matches the vibe of each song.

1 | "imperfect for you" by Ariana Grande: This one's off her new "please feel sad for me because even though I'm messy when it comes to love I still have feelings" album. I may have listened to this one "on repeat," because it's just cathartic to two-step to these lyrics: "I'm fucked up / anxious / too much / but I'll love you / like you need me to / imperfect for you." What's that? Self-awareness? Respect. I just know Ming from My Stand-In would have the audacity to sing this to body-swapped Joe.

2 | "Acid Dreams" by MAX and Felly: Could not tell you who either of these people are but this song is a snap-worthy bop that got me feeling myself every time it comes on -- probably because it opens with: "You look so good in a night gown girl / freckles on your face / lemme kiss each one." This was clearly meant for my generation, because there is not a single human under 30 in possession of a night gown. But Khem from Deep Night would 1,000% use this song to charm the pants off of someone.

3 | "Toco Toco To" by Dixson Waz: I'm Dominican. And even though I understand Spanish, I cannot for the life of me tell you what this man is saying, but I can assure you it is inappropriate. Rated NC-17 without a doubt. And for that reason, I'd pair this song with the entire cast of Playboyy -- just casually playing this in the background of one of their random, impromptu, midday sex parties.

4 | "Lie to Me" by Meghan Trainor: Obsessed. Not with her. With her music. She has so many non-butt-related songs that are worth a listen. I truly feel like she's underrated -- on par with Ed Sheeran -- and she doesn't get enough credit for it. In this track, she sings: "I don't want the truth / I want you." That sounds exactly like our lovesick boy Nick in Only Friends, thirsting after anti-monogamy Boston like he didn't know better.

5 | "Jealous" by Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, & Big Sean: While it is true that every single person on this track is problematic, including producer DJ Khaled, the swagger is immaculate. Every time it comes on, I, sincerely, close my eyes and just picture BTS's rap line to cleanse the beat. Not gonna miss out on a banger because men are the worst. Anywayyyy, the most jealous character I can think of is Way from Pit Babe, who tried to r-word his "bestie" because he chose a random nerd over him. He fits in well with these clowns.

6 | "Bounce Back" by Little Mix: The only British pop girl group I've ever intentionally streamed is Spice Girls, but the algorithm clearly thought it meant I'd like this group, and the track that hooked me was one that sampled the iconic Soul II Soul's "Back to Life." Instant replay. Someone I think lives and breathes the mantra "You can have me however you want me / however you need me" is the Sultan of Simp, Karan from Cherry Magic (Thailand). Achi could've asked for a kidney, and he would've delivered. But coming in a close second is obviously Rain from Love in the Air. Payu had to practically beat him off with a stick -- no pun intended.

7 | "Body" by Loud Luxury and Brando: It's the buildup to the chorus for me -- come to find out many listens later that it's about a guy who is begging a girl to sleep with him because he's been "waiting too long." 🙄 This one very obviously goes to Yuan from Unknown, who damn near disintegrated Qian's clothes the minute he saw even the glimmer of a green light. Talk about a slow build.

8 | "Into You" by Fabolous feat. Tamia: Back in 2003, rappers used to drop an R&B hit every now and then to remind women that they were romantics. The gaslight kings of the aughts. So in this track, this duo talks about an inexplicable-but-undeniable connection, which only makes me think of Vegas and Pete from KinnPorsche. Those two needed a PowerPoint presentation to explain to their friends and family how they went from hostage situation to star-crossed lovers. But we got nothing -- just good vibes and patricide.

9 | "i wonder..." by j-hope feat. Jung Kook: Do I miss them? Yes. Will I listen to any BTS track that's easy to Namjoon to? Yes. Now that we got that out of the way: This song is about enjoying the moment and not wasting the good times by dreading the future. And that just screams Be My Favorite to me. Kawi just kept trying to time-travel his way to a hetero fantasy, not realizing his queer happily ever after was standing right in front of him the whole time in the gorgeous form of the eternally patient Pisaeng.

10 | "MY HOUSE" by Beyoncé: Not to bring up BTS again, but 👀...j-hope would body any choreography set to this song. Without breaking a sweat. And mother would be proud. On this track, the Queen B speaks of once dreaming of the wealth, fame, and stability she has now, and making sure to only keep positive people around her, because love heals. Sailom from Dangerous Romance would certainly relate to having similar dreams and beliefs, and effortlessly exudes equally feisty bad bitch energy. I still can't get over how he disarmed his bully (and future love interest), Kanghan, by basically saying, "You clearly like me. Shut up." And saying it with tongue.

That was fun. 🤸🏿‍♂️

[crescenthistory]

Hi lovely, congrats on 2k, it's so so well deserved 💖 can I ask for an interpret please? Please be aware that I'm about to ramble and probably give too much information because I don't know when to shut up.

First things first, my personality type is INFP, I am autistic, I am an only child who was raised by a single parent, who is also an only child so pretty lonely for us both. I grew up with very little money and still have minimal money, so expensive stuff stresses me out because even if I can afford it that month, it's hard to convince myself it's something I can do. I am mostly housebound, I make it outside about twice a week, but it's usually spent doing shopping or swimming (for physio), so I don't really get to socialise.

I dropped out of education during sixth form due to health issues but I had no interest in being there anyway, I was just resitting my English GCSE so I could get a basic job that I didn't care about while using my free time to become a published writer. My body had other plans.

I mostly write fanfiction, but I do have a in-progress interactive fiction queer romance game (all characters are some variant of bisexual, based on love island) that I've been working on for two years now and is a monster at 700k words so far. I am also working on a romance novel where the FMC is disabled (this probably doesn't surprise you).

For music, my top three artists are Taylor Swift, Lucy Spraggan and Ed Sheeran, and my current favourite song is Peter by Taylor Swift. My favourite movies tend to be the ones I grew up on, so Sister Act, Volcano, Gone In 60 Seconds, the Fast & Furious movies, the Harry Potters and Miss Congeniality. For TV, I watch a lot of Grey's Anatomy, 9-1-1 and Criminal Minds, but I'll watch anything that has way too many seasons as that means I don't have to pick something new for a while. I also prefer TV shows to movies since shows generally last longer before I have to pick something else.

I cannot think of anything else, which is probably a good thing because this is way too long already.

hahahah, hi my darling chan<33 i actually thoroughly enjoy your rambles, thank you for sharing with me 🫂 you're such a lovely individual and i really appreciate you<33 thank you for your kind words! this ended up being much longer on my end than i expected too, so this is proof that you get the same treatment back that you put out there lmao

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i will INTERPRET for moons-and-mobility-aids

carina's 2k celebration

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i think you and remus lupin would make a lovely couple!

your mindset towards relationships and life seems to be quite similar to the one i have, and what i value above all else in a relationship is understanding, communication and friendship – exactly what you would get from remus. of course he shares a deep understanding of loneliness, economic hardship and disability and will thus be able to get you more thoroughly from the get go, but even the parts of you he cannot relate to, he would go out of his way to learn more about. whether that be your autism or your passion for writing, he would look at you with his big kind eyes and try to learn everything. similarly, when he's in love with you, he would be truly invested in your projects and would happily hear all about or even assist you in your queer romance game. remus' primary love language is acts of service (partly because he thinks it's the only way for him to be worthy and partly because he loves helping his partners) and he would assure you that he enjoys taking care of you in whatever way you need that day. he would adore watching nostalgic tv shows with you as he engages in some of his own hobbies (knitting, puzzling, reading, etc.) or while he gives you massages.

though, i will also add that i think lily evans could be a wonderful partner for you!

for much of the same reasons as with remus, lily would feel a certain kindred connection with you that would infatuate her all the more with you. she's a passionate person who adores engaging others in their own passions, so she would happily trade rants back and forth about whatever artistic project the two of you are currently engaging in on your own. lily is somewhat of a homebody in my mind, but she also enjoys going to the shops and running errands, so it would be no burden for her to do that for you. she is also such a patient and empathetic person that i think could truly make you feel loved and seen.

(so if you're a poly!moonflower truther, you know what to do here)

[broz0neglitters]

Keep me in the dollhouse

° ˛ ° ˚* Π☽˚ ˛ ✩ ˚˛˚*//__＼。✩˚ ˚˛ ♡ ˚ ˛˚˛˚｜ 田田｜門｜ ˚ ˚ ´´ ̛ ̛ ´´ ´´ ´´ ̛ ̛ ´´ ´´ ´´ ̛ ̛ ´´ ´´ ´´ ̛ ̛

-John Dory was all about being perfect. He would push all of his little brothers to be perfect on stage for the fans, but he would even push them harder when they were not performing; it soon overwhelmed the other brothers; His younger brothers felt like they're John Dory little dolls because John dory would keep dressing them up the way he wanted and tell them to act the way john dory wanted them to act But most of all John Dory wanted his four little dolls to be perfect-

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

Ever since Brozone made their Debut, the brothers felt like John Dory had got them in a chokehold with the amount of pressure put on them with practices, photo shoots, and so on. It was like John Dory had kept them all in the Dollhouse, dressed them up, and made sure they were perfect in every way possible

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"In some other lifetime, I roam free," Clay said to himself tired of being bossed around by his older brothers he wanted to be taken seriously

"Strutting down my own lane, my way, no kings, no slaves But right now." Spruce said

"He got us in a chokehold with all these stupid practices and stuff. We barely have time to do our things, and I can't even attend my sad book club," Clay said

"and I'm so hungry John Dory keeps making me eat all these orange slices. Even every restaurant I go to has orange slices on the menu named after me," Spruce said

Both clay and Spruce would always dream of one day just being free from John Dory control and just doing their own things such as Clay joining a sad book club; trolls taking him seriously and Spruce finally getting to recover from a ED And settling down with a wife and a kid and hopefully change his name leaving his boy band days behind him

Floyd also understands his two older brothers' pain he can relate to so much of it because John Dory doesn't give floyd enough credit because he was the one who made the Brozone album over while babysitting Branch and also wrote some popular Brozone hit songs (they were poppy's favorite)

"Guys; I know John dory is hard on us right now but we just gotta keep our heads held up high and plus is our only source of income." Floyd said

Floyd was right; Brozone was the only one keeping them financially stable. They were in a lot of debt before they formed Brozone, but they had to pay a massive price for their childhood and let John use them as his dolls for their income

John Dory wanted them to have the same hairstyle as Branch; He made them wear matching vests with different colors. He even took Clay and floyd to the hair salon to get their hair dye since it needed to fit the boyband theme. Clay didn't like his yellow hair; people kept calling him Banna hair and floyd. Well, he didn't mind the red hair, but still, he wanted his pink hair cause he felt like one of the girls. But John Dory didn’t want floyd to have pink hair since it is a girl's color

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~Present day~

As all the brothers were sent to therapy thanks to Poppy, they couldn't look at John Dory. They all look so different from when they were in Brozone, With Clay being the tallest brother with messy green lime hair, Bruce no longer having the abs and settling down with a loving wife and 13 children, well, floyd got captured and almost die, but got save and well branch he was no longer bitty B...

"so boys is there anything you wanna say to your big brother?" Their therapist said to them

The room went silent for about 3 minutes straight as Clay cleared his throat " John Dory I don't know what you were thinking I think you sold your soul to the devil when you formed Brozone because I know for sure you wouldn't boss us around this much and set high standards for us sure it was our only way of income but because of you all of us are here in therapy." Clay said 

"Dollhouse, dressed up, perfect, messed up." Floyd said it didn't make any sense to john dory and the others but Bruce finally understood what floyd meant by that

"Floyd; right John Dory you're crazy for thinking that we were your little dolls so you could dress us up and make us act the way you want us to act it was like you're ashamed of us literally being ourselves so that why you push us to change our personality to match your perfect theme " Branch spoke for the frist time he was very quiet since after saving floyd he was still upset over what happened...

"John dory, we're not your dolls. We're your brothers. Even if we were in a band, you still shouldn't treat us like we're your dolls or your back up singers, but because of all the trauma you put on us, we have a hard time finding out who we are personally well it took years for almost all of us to be ourself again.." Bruce said

"All the trauma couldn't hold you down..." John said

"BUT IT DID JOHN DORY! BECAUSE OF YOU, I HAD AN ED BECAUSE OF YOU WE WERE FORCED TO PLAY DOLLHOUSE WITH YOU WHERE YOU DRESSED US UP AND MADE US PERFECT BECAUSE YOU WERE ASHAMED OF US BEING OUR TRUE SELVES." Bruce finally snap

"You're no victim. You guys don't know what I had to go through to get you to where you are today. Even if I did force you to dress up and act perfect, it was because we were under a record label. I personally never wanted to force you guys to do those things, but it was the company they say if I didn't do it then they will break up brozone and he will be in debt again" John said leaving the room

"well, I guess the session is over then I guess I can book you boys in for next week at 11:00 then." therapist said writing down a note

After John Dory left the room the 4 brother was speechless they didn't know to believe john dory or not it was hard because they haven't seen him in 20 year since the band broke up.....

------------------------------ I won't be opening requests due to time conflicts with my real life. I also have to tackle two jobs, and they do take time to write, but if you want to ask me any questions, feel free to private message me. I will respond to them :). Hope you all have a great day/night where ever you are <3 ---------------------

Like + Follow are very much appreciated! Also, check out my most recent works : -most underrated. Pls show it some love <3-