#and to an extent its fine if you have a preference but like. those are the Canon Queer Couples. so.

[usercelestial]

like its fully okay to say happy pride to Eddie Diaz bc what the fuck am i gonna do about it but you guys get why people might have an issue with that right? like its not coming from homophobes, its coming from other queer people who are tired of the whole "well he's gay to me" thing. it's like when someone asks who you're favorite female character is and you name a man. like sure yeah it's a little silly or whatever but you guys get why that sucks when you're trying to have a serious conversation about the way female characters are treated. it's the same thing for queer characters. sure headcanon this guy all you want but remember all of the canon queer characters come before him. obviously if the show decides to go forward with queer eddie then hell yeah! but it hasn't yet, they call him canonically cis-heterosexual and until anything else gets acknowledged by canon, he is not actually included in the queer characters list. like it's important to talk about hen, karen, josh, michael, david, eva, buck, and tommy wayyyyy before you start to mention eddie

[sunkissedchld]

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞

in astrology, the seventh house is associated with the zodiac sign libra and the planet venus. oftentimes, people only think of the 7th house in the context of marriage and other partnerships - which is fine to an extent since it is connected to those things - but when it comes to having personal planets in the 7th house, it can feel very irritating to want to know information about yourself and only ever finding out information about others or someone you haven’t even met yet. this post is an attempt to look more into the 7th house outside of its association to others and instead look into it from the lense of one’s personal introspection.

𝐒𝐔𝐍

the sun represents our life’s purpose, our sense of self, and our driving energy force. those with their sun in the seventh house may feel as if they always need to perform a balancing act in their lives. they may be careful in their thought processes and with their words when it comes to speaking to people. they may come off as relatable and charming to people, and strangers may feel comfortable telling them seemingly private information within the first few minutes of meeting them. their life’s purpose is to look at situations from a full perspective and view all sides of the field rather than being biased towards one or the other. they also aim to connect to the collective and show compassion to those who may not always receive it. showing their understanding of human nature and emotions is their forte.

𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍

the moon represents the way we understand and express our emotions. those with the moon in the seventh house may have a strong understanding of how their emotions function. they might have been the kids that found it easy to voice why they were crying or how someone hurt them. as a result of their comfortability with their emotions, it’s easy for seventh house moons to connect and empathize with others. seventh house moons may prefer to do more introspection to understand their emotions. although they understand others when they struggle with feelings, they are one of the last to openly express when they are actively struggling with their own. they may be playful when it comes to expressing the emotions they may be uncomfortable with talking about in public, so they may joke around or use self-deprecating humor sometimes.

𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐘

mercury represents the way our mind works and the way we communicate. those with mercury in the seventh house may be very diplomatic with their words. they may be careful about what they say and who they say it to. they may do a lot more active thinking about their words and way of thinking than they let on. everything they say has meaning and is intentional to their speech. they may be very particular about grammar! they may not have just one way of learning but instead do well when having a mix of tactics. for example, instead of learning well through just music, seventh house mercuries may learn well through music and repetition. seventh house mercuries are very well-versed in their communication.

𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐔𝐒

venus deals with our values and how we express our love and fashion aesthetic. those with venus in the seventh house value balance and harmony when it comes to human connection. they want everyone to get along and have the desire for a more rosy view of the world where everyone is nice and all things and people are treated equally. for love, it may be hard to feel “loved” by those with venus in the seventh house because it may feel as if they treat everyone the same. sure, they might kiss or spend more time with their significant other, but they may come off as being flirty with everyone because of their charming nature. when it comes to fashion, they may prefer more neutral tones like black, beige, gray, brown, or other related colors. they dress for whatever occasion is specified but may prefer to have a “clean” look overall.

𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐒

mars represents our actions and willpower. it also tells us about our physical and mental strength and what we desire. those with mars in the seventh house may be a little indecisive at times, but once they’ve finally made their mind up (or someone else has done it for them) they give their all to their given task. seventh house mars willpower reminds me of aries in that there’s a strong dedication, but their dedication is out of genuine passion or wanting to do good instead of to prove a point or just out of competitive nature. those with mars in the seventh house may find it easy to gain muscle when making an effort and also may have good mental fortitude when making the decision to stay positive. seventh house mars may find it easy to fall into self-fulfilling prophecy (good or bad). additionally, those with seventh house mars desire a type of stability and peace. they may be more sentimental when it comes to their desires and actions than they let on.

𝐉𝐔𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐑

jupiter details what we believe in and how we grow and expand our minds. those with jupiter in the seventh house believe in a diplomatic way of living where everyone and everything is harmonious and equal. they may be a little gullible because they may see the good in everyone or everything, despite that not necessarily being true. they grow through being willing to listen to every perspective, even if they disagree. their intent is to try and understand where people are coming from, and that is how they gain knowledge and expand their way of thinking. also, those with jupiter in the seventh house remind me of people with mercury in the seventh house in that they both may be really good at persuading others because of the seventh house placement with those specific planets. 

𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍

saturn represents our boundaries, limitations, and what we need to gain responsibility for. those with saturn in the seventh house may be chronically indecisive. they may prefer when people tell them what to do versus making decisions themselves. also, they may find it debilitating being alone. they may insert themselves into everyone’s business in a way but only because they don’t want to be alone with themselves. those with saturn in the seventh house need to gain responsibility for their own true thoughts and feelings. they can’t keep looking to others to find their own answers if that makes sense. there is also definitely a need to be open with someone - likely a potential future spouse or significant other. there’s a responsibility to seventh house saturn’s self to learn how to be vulnerable with other people and with themselves.

𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐒

uranus tells us how and when we rebel and where we are innovative. those with uranus in the seventh house may rebel when it comes to traditional relationships. they may be open to polyamory, or they may be a part of the LGBTQ+ community. they may not like the idea of having societal contracts; they may possibly be interested in or agree with ideologies like anarchism. they may also like untraditional hierarchical structures in relationships, the workplace, government, etc. those with seventh house uranus want to push the boundaries of societal relationships and make an effort to bring people of various walks of life together.

𝐍𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐔𝐍𝐄

neptune details our dreams and imagination and where we want to find freedom from societal limitations. those with neptune in the seventh house may have vivid or (moreso) grandiose dreams. for example, if they have a dream about a school they once went to, the replication of the school in their dream will be pretty exact even if it’s been decades since they last saw it in person. their dreams may feel so realistic that it’s hard for them to recognize if they have woken up or not, or it may be hard to decipher whether a memory happened in real life or was a dream. also, they may dream of outside landscapes often - like vast forests or gardens. there’s a sense of wanting realistic people and scenery in their dreams but wanting to up the grandness of real life in their dreams if that makes sense. additionally, they may find themselves communicating with their friends, family, and future spouse through dreams.

𝐏𝐋𝐔𝐓𝐎

pluto deals with where and how we transform. it also tells of how we confront our fears. those with pluto in the seventh house ultimately transform when it comes to how they understand relationships with themselves and others. they will eventually learn to have more independence and self-trust rather than being overly reliant on others. they will learn to be comfortable with being alone. additionally, they transform through meeting with other people. i’m reminded of the saying that “everything comes and goes for a reason”; there may be people in seventh house pluto’s lives that they feel are so important that they can’t live without that they eventually lose or stop talking to. it’s through these building and loss of relationships that they eventually confront their fears of being alone. through this, they learn to lean on themselves and feel comfortable in their own silence.

[gotham-daydreams]

For your Not [] I was wondering how would Alfred and Y/n's relationship post kidnapped will go? Down the drain? Sure, they may have some reprieve from the rest of the family with Alfred, but would they resent Alfred for causing them to come back to the manor? After gathering the clues it was Alfred that pushed them to find you.

Also would Y/n have eventually gotten back into contact with Alfred after taking their much needed break away from the family, to help figure out and find themselves?

Well, that's the thing, I suppose!

I have thought about their relationship post kidnapping, and honestly I don't even know if the reader will ever logically know the extent of what Alfred has done to ensure that they stay in the position they're in. Especially, well, considering how I plan for Chapter 4 to go.

Of course at some point they'll definitely be able to deduce that he did something- they'll be able to tell from the things some of the Batfam says and just generally how Alfred acts, even if said things they catch with Alfred aren't all as they seem. But if they'll know the full extent of it? How much he played a part in what happened? In what ends up happening? Maybe not, not everything but maybe enough to be afraid. To get a peak into the ruin and shitty mess that is their life, and the true extent of that ruin. But a glance is only a glance, y'know?

I guess that's the scary thing - for me personally, anyways - that they won't know right away. That even when it happens they'll have no idea, and for those moments where they remain ignorant, unaware, and blind- Alfred is their saving grace. The only sane person amongst the endless sea of madness and derange that is the Batfam. The only person that seems to under their side, that not only comforts them but someone they actually feel comfortable and safe with. Alfred is the only one they trust, and... well, I rather not spoil how he feels about that.

Though, for the reader- from the little they put together and the little they know, its heartbreaking all the same. They don’t want to accept it- who would? The only person after being stripping and taken from their life- is just as insane as the rest? The only person they felt like they could confide in? That they could trust? That they could allow themselves to be vulnerable with when the others were away? That person is just as insane? Just as cunning and- and tricked them too?

It ruins them, and even if I won't say much else as it will be shown when I have it written- I think what I've said here is a good enough image of how badly things get from there once the reader even gets an idea of what Alfred may have potentially done. Though even if they did reach out now, they would probably still hold the whole "everything is fine" attitude they've got going on, and just try to talk to him normally- if not then at least passively mention how the family is sort of being weird and giving you a hard time (will that cause him to stop them? Not at all, but maybe things could've turned out differently. Which may be a recurring thing?? Well- it sort of already is but yk!)

As for the reader reaching out- I think I mentioned this in an previous (albeit older) post a bit in passing, but the reader has technically been in touch with Alfred! Just... not in a way he prefers. They are technically communicating with him, but it's very one sided (which is by design) and... well, may or may not be one of the reasons Alfred kick started this mess.

If this didn't answer your question then I apologize! Feel free to send in another ask if you want, and I can clarify anything you have any questions about!

[biggest-geo-oogami-enjoyer]

Can you please write some (optional relationship, if not, romanse) headcannons for Geo and/or Hyugo with a weeb MC? They don't have to be strictly into anime, but just really loving Japanese and Japanese culture (bonus if they don't know Japanese).

Chronic Love (Geo + Hyugo x Weeb! MC/Reader)

Enjoy my amazing little weeb, have an awesome day! Solemnly thanks for entrusting me with writing this for you.

Also, uh, a minor sidenote, I am not an anime enjoyer or even remotely close to a weeb; so if I get something wrong/too exaggerated etc. feel free to publicly execute me in the town square. <333

You can read this from any perspective, as in, both in an established relationship setting and a solely platonic one. :]

A/N: From now on, Geo and Hyugo will be referred to as Geode and Hyugeode, if anyone in the Geo religion utters 'Geo', they shall atone. 😊😊😊/hj

- Signed by biggest-geo-oogami-enjoyer

Chronic(ally): to a very great extent; extremely.

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

Hyugo is honestly surprised when he finds out of your...intense love for Japan and its culture.

He won't be opposed to it, he'd find it a smidge endearing, considering he's Japanese; and you seem to be willing to learn anything about it. He's more than happy to tell you what you wanna know.

Do you take advantage of this? Yes.

Would probably eventually, to your joy, start telling you cultural appropriations and norms, along with a couple generic Japanese words/phrases (you say them whenever possible, feeling the language fall from your lips and off your tongue feels so right, you can't get enough!).

You ask him to tutor you Japanese at some point, to which he politely declines (he's got enough on his plate okay?!), but is willing to converse with you if you ask.

Just don't nag him, he fucking hates being nagged.

You'd probably mispronounce certain words, to which he'd correct you, until you get the hang of it.

Might take you to a Japanese candy store to tell you his personal recommendations (they're great btw).

If you like anime he'll be chill with it, just don't act like the stereotypical weeb and he's fine.

Learning words is one thing, overdramatizing, glorifying and exaggerating Japanese things annoys him.

Fortunately, you're reasonably calm with your devotion for it, and he doesn't mind.

Would get a bit nervous if you decide to actively pursue Japanese, after all, what if you overhear him talking to one of his shadier acquaintances and pick out the context?

Would overtime subtly monitor you, gauge how much you know and how quickly you're progressing.

Overall supportive though, enjoys the fact you like Japan. :]

Literally doesn't care. At all.

You like Japan? Cool. Good for you.

Much prefers for you to not harass him about Japanese words and phrases, unless he tolerates likes you enough, to which he'll blurt out something along the lines of: "Go fuck yourself".

Will probably teach you insults (he says it's to insult you, but we all know the real reason teehee)

If you're hanging out somewhere and Geo spies Japanese text, he might point it out to see if you know it, to which you'll be racking your brain until he relents and tell you.

Eventually will start briefly telling you things about Japans' history and art. Especially bonsais, he loves those. He'll never tell you though.

Will probably take you to a Japanese market/restaraunt eventually, if he feels you've gotten good enough.

If you order fluently enough he'll be genuinely pleased (won't show it though).

If not, he'll do it for you (internally cringes at the sheer thought aaaaaa).

However, in the rare event that Hyugo calls him "Subaru" and you hear? And understand?

That won't be good.

He'll tell you to drop it instantly.

And he will give you the most murderous glare if you ever ask him why he goes by Geo.

If he feels you've forgotten about that incident you haven't, he'll be more relaxed again, but will maintain a veil of caution now.

After all, you can understand what he says in private now.

That's not a good thing.

If you like anime he's chill with it, just don't be over-the-top obsessive towards it and he's cool.

Is satisfied you want to learn Japanese though. Likes you a lot smidge more for it too.

[anonymous-dentist]

Okay am I crazy or something because why do I see people referring to qQuackity as qWilbur’s husband like genuinely seriously despite:

Quackity not marrying Actual Wilbur and instead marrying Photo Wilbur

Quackity marrying Photo Wilbur during Festa Junina, which is known for its fake weddings

Wilbur hearing about the wedding when he came back and going “Well, I don’t feel married”

Quackity’s feelings toward Wilbur regarding the ‘marriage’ basically being him projecting after Tilin’s death and while watching everyone around him find happiness where he could not, specifically Roier and Cellbit and possibly because Roier had just lost his own child but didn’t seem to be having all these problems Quackity had

Like if you go back and watch Q’s streams from this time, he even subtly admits that he doesn’t love Wilbur when he spoke to SOFIA

Wilbur wasn’t even his first choice! Etoiles was!

Wilbur not even knowing if he loves Quackity. He feels Emotions towards him, but he’s always refused to look any deeper because of his Issues (similar Issues to those he has regarding Tallulah, which is that he’s always going to be away on tour and can’t be there to love and care for his family the way they deserve to be loved)

And, lest we all forget, Quackity still might not entirely remember who Wilbur is because of his amnesia. (Granted, a lot of that seems to have been fixed by Spooky Cucurucho in Hell, but we don’t know the extent.)

So, with all this in mind, why do I see people getting legitimately upset when someone doesn’t include Quackity in Wilbur’s family as his husband?

And we’ve got to keep in mind that Wilbur’s only canon family is Phil, who he adopted as his father on the train, Tallulah, his daughter, and Chayanne, his half-brother. Techno and Tommy are family irl (because irl Wilbur Soot collects found family members like they’re Pokémon cards.)

So why do I see stuff like this?

ElQuackity isn’t a canon brother, Q is quite possibly ElQ’s clone (or something like that.) Tilin always seemed to prefer the idea of Luzu being their father, and people have got to remember that Luzu IS canonically Tilin’s other parent. Pepito doesn’t even know Wilbur exists. And what about Quackity’s other son, Richarlyson? (Oh, wait, never mind, Richas is Brazilian, and a lot of the English fandom does Not like associating Quackity with the Brazilians on the server.)

Honestly, this all gives the same vibes as “Omg Wilbur can teach Q how to read again and they can live happily ever after with their ONLY CHILD Tallulah 🥰” and “Wilbur would know Quackity was replaced by ElQ immediately and he’d rescue Quackity because they’re in love and married” when that ignores actual canon dynamics

Anyway, this is all to say that you can ship what you want, but don’t let your fanon get in the way of everything else. Fanon is fine, but don’t get pissy when people say it isn’t canon, and please stop messing with the wiki to make it canon because it isn’t. And don’t harass people saying it isn’t canon, that’s fucked up

[etrosgate]

the nonary games port of 999 is worse than you think

it's fine if you play the port, or even prefer it. but i'd like you to know what you're getting into.

9 hours 9 persons 9 doors for the nintendo ds is a masterpiece of a game, with wonderfully snappy dialogue and a quickly paced narrative that avoids many traps of visual novel writing (such as being overly obvious and repetitive) with a ludonarrative cohesion that makes SO many of its aspects initially perceived as flaws into an active strength of the experience. the endgame twist is very possibly the best in gaming history.

i think i've made it pretty clear that i really fucking love this game, and recommend it to everyone.

so

i used to say "the ds version is better, but it's fine if you play the port for its various quality of life features" but im no longer able to have that stance, now that i know the extent of how it kinda butchers its narrative. it's not super obvious, but that subtlety honestly makes it worse to me.

it's the difference between a good game, and a incredible game.

in the end, this boils down to the "novel mode" versus "adventure mode" gimmick that they decided to build the port on.

if you choose to play in adventure mode, it removes almost all of the narration and rewrites that aforementioned incredible dialogue to awkwardly shove in some (not all) of that information, resulting in overly obvious and clunky writing that seriously drags some scenes out. the descriptive text in general is actually incredibly important in a way i can't describe, and though it will forcibly shift to novel mode to show it to you very occasionally, it's not Nearly enough and you will miss out on some of the most memorable striking moments because of it. i cannot overstate how much the impact of the ending is affected by this.

if you choose novel mode, you do get narration (very important). HOWEVER. the writing is still the adjusted one done to facilitate only playing adv mode, so now the dialogue is overly obvious and clunky and slow AND (despite changing+taking out some of the narration entirely) repetitive (all the things i said 999 very cleverly avoided 🤔?) and then, for some ungodly reason, it is actively difficult to play the game in novel mode. the game will Constantly shift you back to adv mode so you have to spend the entire game checking to make sure to switch back (something even i found difficult to remember to do, as someone familiar with the game).

so neither way to play the port is good. also they changed the final puzzle to be worse. and a LOT of ludonarrative things i cannot actually get into due to spoilers.

"how much of an impact could these small changes actually have?"

well this is anecdotal, but me (and many other people i know) who originally played 999 on the ds and thought it was a masterpiece, years later went on to play the port version and thought "huh. it was still good, but it's like the magic was gone. i guess the game's just not as good as i remembered, one of those things that doesn't hold up to your memories of it."

and then we replayed the ds game. and found out that the game we remembered DOES still exist! it's just as fantastic, the magic IS THERE. the port just made the game worse!!

anyways, so what were those quality of life changes i mentioned earlier?

in the original ds version of 999, every time you reach an ending you have to start from the beginning of the game again, fast forwarding through the text and replaying the puzzles. (the port changed this to having a flowchart where you can just jump to decision points)

HOWEVER

as someone who Very recently replayed the ds version, i truly don't think this is as much of a pain as you might expect.

skipping text isn't a big deal. yeah it takes a bit, but it's easy to watch a youtube video or something while you're waiting the 5 minutes it takes. using an emulator, you can even speed up the text skipping to an even greater degree. if you can't physically hold down the button, you can find something to hold it down for you, and on an emulator you can rebind the key to be something easier to do that with (like the space bar)

redoing puzzles isn't that big a deal either. not only do you still have to redo some puzzle rooms in the port version anyway, it can be pretty fun to figure out how to essentially speedrun rooms you've done before, and you don't redo them that many times (i would recommend a walkthrough anyway for deciding which endings to get, so making that redo time even shorter is a bonus).

and please trust me when i say those hassles don't just exist bc the game is old, there is artistic intent involved in their inclusion that (for me at least) ends up enhancing the game more than they detract from it.

if you really need the accessibility of voice acting, i might genuinely recommend watching an LP of the ds version instead. yes, i really do think some guy from 10 years ago reading out the text will give you a better experience than a genuinely good cast of voice actors reading the port's. bc the writing of the port's dialogue is so fucking bad lol.

btw, if you're scared off at the prospect of reading a little more now without being able to choose adventure mode... if you've played danganronpa (and most of you did!) 999 is shorter, faster-paced, and has LESS READING.

okay im done

i'd recommend THIS WALKTHROUGH, even if you don't want to use it for the puzzles, it'll give you good info for how to get each ending (especially recommended for true ending), and a general order to do them in. i'd recommend doing getting all the endings (except coffin, which is just the true end cut short) EDIT: thank you to tlblitz for recommending this walkthrough, which gives additional hints for the puzzles instead of just telling you solutions outright

if you've already played 999 (or are just curious about specifics), this video details all the changes mentioned here and more, and it gets all the way into spoiler territory. maaaan did it open my eyes to everything i had subconsciously picked up on in playing the port. (i though the first part about the dialogue was being too nitpicky but then i did a side by side comparison of the beginning of the game and op. was not exaggerating. that port dialogue is AGGRAVATING).

EDIT

i forgot to mention. if you emulate the game, there's a visual glitch that messes up the sprites a little, but you can fix it really easily! in DeSmuME, go to Config>3D Settings and set the renderer to OpenGL

also, here's a mod that increases the text speed, if you find that bothers you.

and i figure i should put my reasons for not just tolerating, but loving the hassles that come from the ds version onto the base post (reposted from another reblog)

major major 999 spoilers below (and some vlr spoilers too)

-----------

to me, one of the coolest aspects of 999 (and zero escape in general) is how much the experience of playing it reflects the narrative

the final twist isn’t just that the text on the bottom screen has been akane, but that you’ve been playing as HER the entire game, not junpei (and with turning the ds upside down for the sudoku, you finally do so for the first time)

in the narrative, you spend basically the entire runtime getting to know her as June, but in the ludonarrative, (the actual Playing the game) you get to know her as Zero. and those annoying bits are a big part of that.

every time akane reaches her death in a timeline, she has to go back to the beginning and start over, because that’s how her powers work. she has to redo all the puzzles, has to wait through all the dialogue until she gets to a point where she can nudge junpei to another route. (in vlr, sigma+phi have a flowchart not just because it’s more convenient, but because that’s how Their powers work).

so subtly, without noticing, you start to reach her point of view. the first time you see the ninth man die it’s shocking and horrific, but even just on your second playthrough the horror doesn’t affect you much. for junpei and everyone else, these sequences are just as terrifying in every route but not for you, cause you’ve seen them before. you can’t be affected by them in the same way, what matters now is finding the futures you haven’t seen yet.

speedrunning puzzles by skipping the clues and zoning out while you wait for the dialogue to finish aren’t just game things, but diagetic events, of akane going through the motions of something she’s done over and over.

when i replayed the ds version recently (something i hadn’t done in a LONG time), i felt so close to akane in a way i never did in the port, because i’d been through the same experience as her. i understood how she could be such a kind and sensitive person who rationalizes away putting all these people she loves through all those the moment to moment horrors in pursuit of a timeline where she and everyone she care about lives, because i’d become detached to them through repetition too.

i completely understand why people wouldn’t enjoy that, but i’m a pretentious gamer who LOVES when mechanics are technically “worse” in a way that is characterful or thematic. so the frustrating bits of 999 add to that experience much more than they detract from it for me haha

[shesmore-shoebill]

I read your shourtmanda rpf ideas i would totally read any of those as fics. very fun. especially courtmanda first and they loop shayne in. i love it.

ah thank you! :D i mean. ill make zero promises on if i actually write these fics or not. i love doing this kind of mapping/puzzling/dynamic exploration/plotting thing where I take characters and rattle them around in jars/put them in situations and see what i think they'd do. I find it very fun. But, it's not the same as actually translating it into a readable fic, sadly. 😔

anyway, you didnt ask for it but. sure i can keep talking about shourtmanda that starts courtmanda first.

obligatory "rpf F for fiction". Not about real people, these are all my little rpf universe characters I am Putting Into Situations.

Anyway, Courtmanda first....... I know i've talked a decent amount about how I imagine Courtmanda in rpf, so I'll try not to dedicate a few paragraphs to it but like. Ghhh so much fun. Okay lets see.

In this world- maybe Shayne and Courtney who have been around each other long enough to trust each other, where romance with each other isn't even an active question- not in an unsustainable, unhappy way. Just people who know the other has their back, who haven't had to question it for a while, who have settled into.. something comfortable with each other. Maybe dabbling in dating, and they like to keep each other updated. But there hasn't been anything serious for a while.

And then Amanda comes in, and.... Courtney likes her. A lot. And look, its all fun and games, it's fine. Courtney has a little admiration crush on Amanda and mentions it to Shayne but its, not a big deal, really. Amanda flirts with everyone. Courtney loves a lot of her coworkers! Is there a lot of flirting. Yes. Does it FEEL weirdly sincere at times. Yes. Have the fake bit-kisses been drifting closer and closer. maybe. Things slowly get more intense but it never feels scary. Just surprising. The friendship and trust between them continues growing alongside everything else, and if Courtney's feelings don't exactly subside even as she gets to know Amanda better- that's fine.

And then. Shayne befriends Amanda, and they're doing the pod, and. Getting closer. and its like. Oh. Fuck. First of all. He hears her talk about Courtney and how she'll gush about them on a whim, he gets to witness how, yes, Amanda flirts with everyone but there's a different quality to this. After all the time of Courtney admitting and then playing off her feelings. It seems like. Maybe. Those feelings are not unrequited. Shit.

And also, despite himself. Despite all odds. He gets why Courtney is enamoured with her, where those feelings came from, why they haven't gone away. Because maybe he likes her too. Double shit.

How this plays out/how much everyone is personally aware of depends on personal preference for angst levels, probably. I lean towards Shayne being the most aware of his feelongs, but in a way where he's hopefully not agonized over it as much as "ah shit. ah fuck. that's not great." I want Shayne playing matchmaker to an extent between Courtmanda because both of them are...... either unaware (Amanda?) or convinced it won't/can't happen (Courtney, maybe Amanda too) and he wants them both to be happy. It maybe takes some time for him to feel as confident on his read of Amanda's feelings, but once he's sure its kind of like. My friends are great and like each other and I want them happy. This could solve itself, or they should at LEAST talk to each other about it. #communication.

Either way. Courtmanda agree with each other first. And then figure out how best to talk to Shayne about it, because they know he wouldn't otherwise. OR they DON'T plan it out very well, and instead are flirting with him and Shayne is losing it a little because what the Fuck are they Doing He is In HELL. These are his friends who should be happy and dating each other and who he MAYBE he feelings for. and they KEEP FLIRTING WITH HIM. And is he evil for enjoying it but also they're together and he shouldn't be- oh god. Sorry Shayne. (Ladies!!! COMMUNICATE!! WITH!! HIM!!)

They do eventually talk. And more than talk. and they keep talking. and some way- some how- their feelings towards Shayne come to light. I'm open to lots of things in these scenarios, but I will say I don't see a world with my characterizations where Shayne is the one to try to bring himself in vs Courtney/Amanda making the move. Maybe Amanda talking to Courtney making Court realize their friendship with Shayne IS invaluable but their love isn't strictly platonic. Maybe Amanda realizing her own blossoming friendship with Shayne feels like its morphing into something different. Maybe Amanda feeling guilty because Shayne and Courtney should be each other's first and foremost. Courtney and Amanda both feeling guilty because theybhave each other! and yet. and yet. They both keeping wanting to talk to Shayne about it all. They both keep wanting Shayne around, maybe more than they should.

Shayne feeling odd because- he did it! He got his friends together and now has two happy friends, this should be objectively good. and yet.....

anyway. it all works out in the end either way. fun :) sorry i got a lil carried away lol.

[emmetofthestars]

⚠️ what warning would jay have?

💝 how much effort does achilles put into her appearance?

☕️ whats charons preferred drink?

💙 whats minnies bedroom like? (I KNOWWW its a joke but it still amtters... to me.....)

⚔️ how does daisy handle conflict?

🌊 does iris have a repressed desire?

🍪 garys favprite scent (can they even smell in the suit?)

🔅how does carl deal with physical pain?

📓 any lyrics or quotes for crow??

One for each character!!!! Ill probably ask more later too!!!!!

THANK YOU KIND SOLDIER

⚠️ really cant imagine exactly what kind of warning sign if its like literal like something like a sign on the road but itd be somethig like. those warning signs that tell u theres surveillance cameras to deter thieves and its like "smile for the camera!"

💝 moderately, xe pays attention to their looks and style but not to the extent of fixing it up every second. only when xe looks in a mirror xes like Ahh my kilt belt isnt center. lemme fix that. but xe doesnr think about it all the time

☕️ hot choclat:) or cold works too

💙 metal and shit lying around.... no bed no mattress..... just a workbench... and sum blueprints

⚔️ by trying to detract like in the sense of "its no use fighting right now", if others are starting a fight. or physically seperating them. if he gets into a conflict he awkwardly wants to resolve it as fast as possible but that means taking shortcuts or leaving it unresolved, just pushed aside. depends

🌊 if anything to just. ok i cant decide. uhm. if anything its just to torture somebody tenfold of what she experienced. i cant say thats exactly repressed though im not sure. but i think honestly.? its something that would scare him a bit. killing people is fine boom theyre dead. but torture, what she endured for atleast a month or so? im not sure how she'd act. torturing another human being, watching their anguish and suffering, i dont know whether she would actually be able to handle that. idk. she would think shes tough enough but. maybe it is a bit of a repressed desire.

🍪 gary loove the smell of rain

🔅likely by just curling up somewhere shaded and safe and waiting the pain out if possible. atleast on the battlefield.

📓YOZ ALREADY KNOW. YOU ALRWADY KNOW. Uhm

"Tear you Apart" by "She wants Revenge"

tjis ones on you :3

[chewbokachoi]

Spitting Venom

(It's an 8m28s song sorry for the length)

As always, Bi-Han had his place in the shadows. It was always preferable for him to be out of the way until an additional intimidation was needed. He was fine with being Shang Tsung’s muscle; it helped that people often underestimated his own intelligence when he acted in this manner.

Except Bi-Han was not enjoying his place in the corner this time.

He watched as Shang Tsung brokered yet another deal.

The sorcerer was going too far with his experiments as of late. He was dabbling in immortality, and that wasn’t something that sat right with Bi-Han.

He wanted the Lin Kuei to take their proper place in Earthrealm. And he would eventually find the next person to replace him to continue guiding his clan to its proper place. It was a process. While they were not its defenders through ruling just yet, things would come along in his lifetime and that was good enough.

But to live forever…

He watched as Shang Tsung gave the signal he’d need back up.

Bi-Han sighed, his mask aiding in hiding his uncharacteristic discomfort. He stepped forward and channeled his frustration at the idiot who walked in thinking she could swindle Shang Tsung.

A growl here, a narrowing of the eyes there—she was a tough one. But, like the rest, she fell into place once he summoned the ice-ax.

And like that, the deal was sealed in Shang Tsung’s favor. Their unfortunate, ripped-off partners left. Though, as far as Bi-Han typically cared, they left alive, so was it really a rip off? That’s what Shang Tsung always said.

Shang Tsung didn’t notice Bi-Han’s tenser posture.

That bristled Bi-Han more than it should have.

“Do you need anything else?” He growled.

Shang Tsung glanced up; perhaps he did notice—his gaze was colder than usual. “No,” he said, his voice clipped.

Bi-Han took that as his sign to leave.

Except he didn’t.

He stood there, studying Shang Tsung. All that he had done for the sorcerer. And, to an extent, all the sorcerer had done for him. The Lin Kuei were on their way to greatness thanks to his assistance. And, thanks to Bi-Han, Shang Tsung's island was thriving with what he needed—people, ingredients, and defense.

“What?” Shang Tsung asked, glaring, trying to look disinterested.

Bi-Han debated.

Why not?

“I don’t think this is right,” he finally said.

“What? I always pay well below asking price,” Shang Tsung said. But he said it in that tone of his, the tone that meant he didn’t want to talk about it.

“No.” Bi-Han folded his arms. “Immortality.”

“What of it?”

“It isn’t right. Or natural.”

“Oh, please. Neither of those actually matter to you.”

Bi-Han bristled.

Shang Tsung scowled. “Are you worried I’ll lose interest in you when you get too old?”

Bi-Han just glared. No. That wasn’t it.

“Are you worried I’ll run off with somebody?”

Bi-Han’s jaw tensed. He let out a strained sigh. “No.” He said.

“Then what?” Shang Tsung demanded.

“Who’s going to look out for you once I’m gone?” Bi-Han asked.

Shang Tsung stared—this was the first time in years Bi-Han had ever seen him caught off guard like that.

Written to "Spitting Venom" by Modest Mouse

[appledotcodotuk]

vertigo: an aminori drabble

yet another little drabble courtesy of the yuri shipping olympics! the prompt this time was 'I can't believe you talked me into this'. I'm bringing back an old favourite to appease my 16 year old self, and basically nobody else. aminori enjoyers if you are out there...

summary: minori is certain that she can finally see a crack in ami's cool facade; and all it'll take is a ride on whimsiville's supersonic rollercoaster: Vertigo! a flawless scheme which will certainly not backfire. not at all...

banner: screencap from Toradora ep. 6 "True Self"

pairing: minori kushieda / ami kawashima

no warnings required!

1,423 words!

'I cannot believe you talked me into this' Ami Kawashima, model student, model model, and model melodramaist huffs.

It does not surprise Minori - at least not a great deal - that the way in which her face scrunches with distaste is still beautiful; the sort of righteous disdain you'd see in a fancy book of fancy artpieces that cost an arm and a leg and weighed about as much too, and all without running the risk of a lasting wrinkle.

There's a hint of the unimpeachable to her which promised any attempt to test this stoic unrufflability would yield nothing but frustration.

Perhaps, were she one of those rational types, Minori would recognise this as the omen of futility that it was. It would be better, really, for everyone if she did.

But Minori was dedicated, and all she could see in those finely crafted features was a provocation. Ami was a challenge, or she was issuing a challenge, and Minori didn't stop to mull over the distinctions between the two. She was a bit more preoccupied with attempting to pry loose an expression which hadn't been made for TV from Ami's habitual smirk.

'What's wrong Amin? Scared of a bit of height?' She asks, opting to accentuate the extent to which she too, was entirely cool-headed and unbothered by the other's presence by slinging an arm over her shoulder.

Ami had opted for a breezy summer dress that day, with thin straps, and thus no fabric to shield her from Minori's totally casual arm-slinging. There was nothing to prevent her from feeling the way her exposed shoulder hardened into a taut tension under the skin.

Woah. Had she developed inadvertant powers of petrification in the last minute? Before she could inspect Ami's shoulder for any stray pieces of stone, however, her arm was smacking limply into her side; a consequence of its unceremonious dislodgement from its resting place. 'Ow!' She says, as if it had hurt, 'What gives?'

'I am not Taiga, I don't need to be encumbered with any extra limbs.' She says, and there's a familiar flash in her eyes and ah geez, she's totally about to- 'Whilst I'm sure that little terror could benefit from the additional weapon when she inevitably has another tantrum, I prefer words to brute force.' There it was.

Why did she always turn to Taiga? More importantly, how come she knew, with a precision that frankly unsettled Minori, just what to say to send an indignant blush a-blazing in her cheeks, and as an adendum to that, what malicious God had perfected her in the art of setting Minori's heart pumping anyway?

On second thought, perhaps a God was too pure a boon-granter for someone like her. A deal with the devil for quick wit, unshakeable smarminess, and perfect hair was decidedly not off the table. She wouldn't put anything past Ami.

Instead of responding with something that would have been, no doubt, utterly devastating, Minori opts to take the moral high ground and pictures the way that smug self-assurance would melt away soon - in approximately 3-5 minutes time, if the sign posted outside the start of the queue was anything to go by.

Ooh, maybe she'd even scream! Perfect, beautiful Ami Kawashima, shrieking as she hurtled across the track at world-record-creating speeds.

'What's the stupid smile for?'

'Hmm...?'

'Hey, snap out of it fluff-for-brains, we're nearly at the front.'

Curses! She'd been so caught up in envisioning her victory over Ami's snide professionalism that she'd almost forgotten to be present for the main event! Get your head in the game Kushieda - you're playing for keeps here!

'Aw, oopsie! I must've gotten distracted.'

They were nearly at the front now, which meant a first-class view of terrified fairgoers being lowered into Vertigo, screaming as they were whipped past at speeds that made Minori dizzy, just from looking, and sickly aftermaths: the victims of Whimisiville's finest, fastest rollercoaster.

Taiga had flatly refused. Takasu had muttered something about 'winning Inko-chan' from a stall that contained a bunch of slightly squashed looking bird plushies and disappeared. Kitamura was long-lost. It was just the two of them. Minori, Ami, and the terrifying rollercoaster. She had to make the most of it.

Especially when it had been so easy to convince Ami to come along with her for the ride. Who knew when this sudden fit of good-will would strike Her Imperious Majesty next? All it had taken was a few insinuations of cowardice here, a sprinkle of guilt tripping there…!

She was almost disappointed that she hadn’t been called upon to deploy her patented ‘Please-I-Have-Never-Wanted-Something-More-in-My-Life-and-if-You-Say-No-I-Will-Hold-You-Personally-Responsible-for-the-Lack-of-Fulfillment-that-Will-Plague-My-Every-Waking-Hour’ eyes! Although, perhaps that was for the best. She didn’t know if her heart could take her special-est of special moves quailing under Ami’s cold disapproval.

Better to just be thankful for the chance to absolutely squander whatever warm feeling had prompted this agreement as quickly as possible, right? She almost felt bad, meeting what could well be an olive branch with this. Almost.

‘Heeeey Ami.’ She turns to her victim, attempting to stifle a giggle. Really, it was all her fault: she should never have let slip to Minori that this was her first time in Whimsiville when they’d run into her by the shooting gallery.

Taiga had been less than pleased by the chance encounter but Minori was nothing if not optimistic. Or was that opportunistic? The possibility of getting a reaction out of a brick wall in the body of a high school student was just too tempting! ‘Did I mention that this thing can go 200 km/h and has three loop-de-loops?’

‘You did not.’ Ami says, glaring. Having made it past the barrier now, they're scoping out a free cart in tandem with the portion of the crowd who have finally escaped the drudge of the queue. They settle unanimously for a carriage towards the back. It’s neon yellow, with flaking flames painted on the side and there isn’t enough space for them to sit entirely apart from each other.

Instead, their knees keep grazing each other, and Minori jumps each time it happens, sending their legs flying away from each other like two magnets stuck facing identical poles. ‘But don’t worry, I’m used to compensating for your particularly severe case of scatterbrain.’

‘Hey!’ Minori leaps to her own defense, and it seems her knee also has something to say because it leaps too - settling firmly next to Ami’s who continues on, apparently unaffected.

‘For instance, I do know that you tend to get motion-sick.’

Huh? Since when had Ami been keeping such close tabs on her? That was confidential information, which required a Taiga-level clearance, and she referenced it as easily as if she had been there on that lazy afternoon when she’d been regailing Taiga with the misadventures of her family trip to Kyoto! Well, she supposed that technically she had been there, it had taken place in the classroom, but that was even more shocking!

Had she, Ami Kawashima, been eavesdropping? Surely not! The only eaves that were supposed to be dropped around here were by Minori, the super-sleuth!

Really, was there no integrity to be found in the subtle art of getting one over on someone? At least Minori, in her schemes, was willing to put her own body on the line - she was sacrificing her stomach so she could see Ami’s smug expression get turned inside out by this high-speed death trap!

‘And,’ Ami whispers - whispers! - as she draws closer to Minori, her breath warming the outside of her ear - what was that bit called again, the shell? Minori finds in that moment that she doesn’t really like the comparison. Shells were so hollow, a pale imitation of the setting which formed them, a memory of something distant, and displaced. Ears were much less nostalgic, surely. They didn’t hear only what they wanted to hear, right? - Ami was being very quiet all of a sudden. Minori bites down the urge to yell at her. What, what?!

‘Did you know that before we’d met, I had ridden Vertigo five times over? I’m a big fan of the part with the 50 meter drop!’

Click.

The bar that would keep their bodies from slamming into the ground below as they were shot along at really, very high speeds (and Minori, in all her arch genius knew that this speed was 200km/h precisely) snapped into place with the finality of a death sentence.

Oh.

She was totally screwed.

[yamcha-thelonewolf]

🫀The Heart's Savior.

Hello everyone, wolfpack! As I promised, here is part two on Yamcha's key role in the Androids and Cell saga. For those of you who have not yet read part one, you can catch up with my analysis of Yamcha and Goku's relationship by clicking here.

PART 2: The Present.

This time, as I anticipated in the previous post, I will deal with the present. This means that just as Yamcha took care of his past, in this case represented by Goku, he also went out of his way to take care of what was happening around him. So I am referring to those moments when there was no time to stop and think, or those moments when there was nothing else to do but give comfort or any kind of help.

Before we get into that, I want to point out an aspect of Yamcha that I think is curiously impossible to eradicate. Let's face it, Akira Toriyama did not treat him very well. Or rather, he didn't make the most of him. Although I'm sorry to say it, I think all of Yamcha's potential came up not because Toriyama really wanted it, but because in his mind he needed someone to sentence those exact words. So Yamcha was always a tool, and as long as he expressed himself to give support to his friends it could have been fine. The problem arises when at some point (precisely upon Trunks' arrival) Yamcha changes dramatically, becoming a wimp who prefers to run away instead of a daredevil who is willing to do anything to help. I would like to recall that long ago, despite having a broken leg, he had ignored this disability of his to go and help Goku and Tenshinhan against the Great Demon King Piccolo. Or even, it was always Yamcha who had motivated his friends to join Goku and face the Red Ribbon army together with him.

So it is strongly logical that the "new Yamcha" we see is not the result of a sensible character change but simply the result of a stupid and awkward narrative necessity. When Trunks arrives in the past and shortly thereafter reveals himself, Akira Toriyama could not afford to put Bulma on the wrong side. She was still the second main character in Dragon Ball, and besides that her relationship with Yamcha, despite its ups and downs, was loved by many. I mean, even the original voice actors of the two were convinced that sooner or later they would really get married, so their breakup had to look like something that made sense; moreover, the breakup had to justify Bulma's final decision and especially redeem the figure of Vegeta, who from then on would officially take Tenshinhan's place as Goku's historical rival. How to do this, then? Simple: Yamcha is a stupid good-for-nothing cheating womanizer who is afraid of everything. Problem solved! Well… Not really, but still it must be admitted that Toriyama has succeeded to some extent since many Dragon Ball fans are really convinced of this. I will discuss this on another occasion. Now it is important to point out that in this arc it is absolutely evident that there is an attempt to scuttle the character in every way possible, but as I said before, it almost seems as if Yamcha himself tried to take over and go beyond the wishes of his author. Simply put: it got out of their control. Majin Yamcha cannot exist!

I mean, it's as if he wants to say, "Okay jerks, you wanna make me useless? Fine, but I'll be in my own way!"

Here you can see Yamcha lashing out at the Toei Animation people of making him look useless.

Of course, these are just impressions. We will never know how much they realized Yamcha's value, but let us say that even though they represented him in this saga as a mere sidekick or driver or nurse, they unintentionally made him greater than he already was. And it's nice to be able to see that even though Yamcha was backed into a corner, he still managed to make a difference. This shows how even for Toei Animation and Toriyama it is impossible to distort this character. That's why I say that it is Yamcha himself who is rebelling against his unfair fate: his way of doing things, which we have come to know from the beginning of Dragon Ball, cannot be changed. He may be an adorable clown, he may be afraid of new enemies and he may even be weaker than others, but that does not mean that he is ridiculous, cheater and especially useless.

Keep all this in mind: on the one hand we have Toriyama's willingness to destroy the character, and on the other hand we have Yamcha whose few "superfluous" lines disproves it all. It is a sneaky battle that I urge you to notice better, especially since it is from these seemingly unnecessary moments of his that Yamcha's heroism is best delineated.

Well, now we can really start.

Buckle up because this is going to be a looooong read.

In this chapter we will see how Yamcha not only took care of Goku and Chichi, but also of many other people. We are in the present, that is the time when absolutely no misstep is allowed. Any wrong attitude could change the fate of the world, and Yamcha knows this well because Trunks told of a disastrous future in which there is nothing left but hope. Here is the key word. Hope. It is said to be the last to die, and that is absolutely true, but in order for it to endure over time, even when everything falls apart, it is important that it be fueled by love. Yamcha is the absolute personification of this. Throughout Dragon Ball he has always been the first to hope and believe that all is not lost. Moreover, he has always been the one who has consoled and helped the characters not to break down. As I have already said, this attitude is essential for a fighter. Being emotionally prepared for a battle can change things, and we have seen this many times. So that Yamcha is a real motivational coach should not go so unnoticed, especially in a context where even Goku's strength is doubted.

In short: Yamcha is the one who saves the mood.

So, dear friends, we will now explore together those little details that could rehabilitate our beloved Yamcha and make him essential in a context that does not seem to have considered him enough.

...No, wait. May I begin by saying that Yamcha saved even the Kame House?

Come on, I'm kidding. Let's start with a rather simple scene. In this case, the character called upon is Tenshinhan.

The friendship between Yamcha and Tien is crazy. Their rivalry during the 22nd Tournament was stronger than that between Goku and Tien himself, which made their reconciliation even more exciting.

We are at the moment when Tenshinhan tries to stop Cell from absorbing Android 18. His strength is dwindling out of all proportion; at Kame House Chiaotzu and Yamcha sense that their friend is doomed. Therefore Yamcha proposes to rush to his rescue. Although it is nothing new that Yamcha wants to take action to save his friends in danger, this is a small scene that shows how incongruent Dragon Ball has become at some point. Okay, I can also accept that Yamcha is a guy who feels he has to act only when the situation is particularly close to him and his heart is tickled, but I absolutely do not accept that his will to do is always stopped by a force superior to him: the plot.

In this case, Muten stops Yamcha's determination by telling him that going to help Tien wouldn't be smart because they would risk death as well. All right, it may be true, but Yamcha certainly didn't want to stop Cell. Yamcha only wanted to save his friend, also because we all know the lethal effects of the (Shin) Kikoho. It means Yamcha would have picked up Tien and carried him away, or at best it means he would have helped him by using his Sokidan to distract the enemy, or even the kamehameha. I want to emphasize it again: not to kill Cell, but just to distract him and buy time. Well, for reasons unknown to us, the saying "unity makes strength" does not apply if you are an earthling. At least at this time, since at the end of the Cell Saga everyone will seriously join forces to help Gohan. And may I have my say? It is the highest moment in all of Dragon Ball Z, because for the first and only time all the Z-Fighters unite to defeat the enemy and win.

Whatever. Let's ignore what to me is a big plot mistake and focus again on Yamcha: as you can see, he would have wanted to do much more than what he was given and the fact that he wants to intervene against Cell, who is even stronger than the Androids 19 and 20 who almost took him out, confirms how Yamcha was thwarted by the narrative and not by his supposed weakness.

It is quite funny that all these contradictions and all the attempts to make him a good-for-nothing, if seen from the right perspective, can seriously save Yamcha's reputation. You just have to be a little more careful. Be that as it may, once again we can see how Yamcha's heart is big enough to put his own life on the line in order to save his close friend. If only Toriyama Muten had not stopped him…

Now it is Gohan's turn.

If taking care of Goku and Tien is more obvious because they are two friends he has loved for so long, taking care of Gohan is quite different. Well, let's say that what Yamcha feels for anyone is unconditional love. He loves and it is by loving that he is able to feel stronger. It is a feeling that goes even beyond hatred, but we will talk about that another time. In Gohan's case, Yamcha's love takes on an even symbolic role.

At this point you might think that I am abusing the word "love", but…. Did you read that correctly? It is Yamcha himself who uses it. What's more, he is the only one who uses it. After all, Yamcha is the only one who explicitly admits his desire to love. Bulma's first wish was to find a boyfriend, while Yamcha's dream was to get married and consequently love someone for the rest of his life. He is the most romantic character of all, and it is a pity that this peculiarity of his is seen as one more reason to think him weak. Instead, I believe that confessing certain feelings makes him even stronger than all those who hide them. So I'm really glad that at such an important moment Yamcha has spoken words that are absolutely in line with his character. At least in this he has not been distorted.

Although it is evident that the boy's second father is Piccolo, we can also speculate that he was not the only one. Especially after Goku's death, I like to think that someone like Yamcha visited Chichi and her son often so that they would not be lonely. After all, Chichi is also pregnant, which further supports the hypothesis that Yamcha may have been there for them in some way. Uncle Yamcha, right? Sounds good! But let me tell you our dear bachelor dude has the makings of a good father. I mean, maybe during these years he was actually the one who taught Gohan how to play baseball? Who knows...

As I told you in the previous chapter, Goku has been like a little brother to protect for Yamcha. Even if Goku was definitely stronger than Yamcha and could defend himself, the little saiyan possessed a great weakness: he was naive. How many times was he teased by villains because he had trusted them? And how many times was he taken by surprise by enemies because he had no idea who they were? Well, Yamcha helped him open his eyes many times. He has watched over him where Goku's innocence was not enough, and using his own bandit-like nose in his favor, Yamcha has gotten him out of little and big trouble. The only reason I don't call him paternal is only because the age difference is minimal, but certainly the drawings from long ago help to better convey the idea of how much Yamcha's stature shielded Goku's pudgy little body.

I always found this moment tender because Bulma, Yamcha and Goku look just like mommy, daddy and son. Therefore, it is not at all strange to imagine that all this kind of love felt for Goku has also projected toward his son. However, this time the fatherhood is definitely evident, both because the age difference between Yamcha and Gohan is greater and because it could only be otherwise. We said that Yamcha's mission is to take care of everyone, right? So do you think he could have ever backed down from helping the son of the man who led him to the path of good?

It is the most natural thing Yamcha can do. As he loved Goku when he was small and innocent now he loves his son. He owes it to him. Personally, I do not consider it an accident that it is Yamcha himself who takes Gohan in his arms. He could have taken care of Trunks' body, but since Yamcha is Goku's guardian he could only take care of his child. Ultimately we can say that Yamcha, in this saga, has taken care of the complete Son family. He cared for Goku during his illness, consoled and comforted Chichi, and finally helped Gohan when the evil had been defeated. I find it emotional that Gohan says thank you to him. It seems like a small thing, but considering Yamcha's treatment in recent years, it is nice to be able to see that characters once respected him for what he did.

As evidence of his value, there is also this brief exchange of words between Yamcha and Tien in which Yamcha's good heart is emphasized even more. Despite suffering from the fight against the Cell Juniors, one of whom even broke his arm, Yamcha ignores these painful wounds and equally takes the boy in his arms as if nothing happened. It really seems that his desire to protect Gohan is stronger than the suffering he is experiencing physically. Seriously, at this point I really cannot believe how it is possible for such a pure character to be brutally hated or mocked.

Guys, we are almost finished. Actually I would have gone on even longer than that, but I don't want to bore you so much. I just think Yamcha deserves all this attention, and since we possess few moments of him I feel that dwelling on his seemingly tiny actions is essential to redeem the character. When I say make Yamcha great again I really mean that he was once great in earnest, and I hope that this will be noticed someday even by those who did not understand him enough. Also by reading all of this or other people reflections in the web.

Now let's go back and address an equally historic friendship, that between Yamcha and Krillin.

Yamcha and Krillin share a deeper bond than people think. For example, many people do not remember that the two of them trained together under Muten's supervision, just as Goku and Krillin did long before; also always together they experienced the Fortuneteller Baba adventure, climbed Karin's tower, and finally trained at the same time in Kami's palace. We can safely say that Yamcha and Krillin share many more moments together than Krillin experienced with Goku, and while this does not necessarily make them best friends, it does not mean that the love they have for each other is any less.

The result of this important relationship is found once again in the Cell Arc. I told you, this is where Yamcha plays all his cards and shows that he has done everything for everyone.

The scenes between Yamcha and Krillin are also the simplest in this entire analysis, but I still would not take them for granted. For example, here we witness a psychologically devastating moment for Krillin. His guilt over not pressing the remote control button that would have destroyed Android 18 grips him to the point where he makes the decision to confront Cell and thus repair the damage done, but once again Toriyama Muten stops him because it is not his place to fight. So we see him distressed, angry with himself and in the throes of an impending nervous breakdown, but suddenly a hand rests on his shoulder and with that simple warmth tries to sweep away all his frustration.

Yeah, it is Yamcha again. Once again he steps in to lift someone's spirits, and while it may not necessarily make Krillin really feel better, it is still to be appreciated that Yamcha did not make him feel alone and guilty at an absolutely sensitive time. I mean, the world was also falling apart because of that fatal decision by Krillin. It is normal that he felt wrong, but Yamcha immediately puts himself in his friend's shoes and without a second thought rescues him as much as he can, because he cannot accept Krillin's collapse. Controlling every single emotion continues to be crucial.

Be that as it may, I find this scene as touching as it is sad. It is touching because once again Yamcha is there for his friends, but it is sad because if we go back over and review the scene where Yamcha feels impotent in helping Tien, no one rests a hand on his shoulder to make him feel better. Toriyama Muten remains quite impassive and this only increases the sense of uselessness that is intended to be given to Yamcha. I swear to you, writing all this makes me really sick. It's like I see myself in this kind of unfair loneliness that never seems to want to let him go.

Well, however, this is not the end of the story. Actually I would say that now the most depressing part of the topic begins. When I say that Yamcha was destroyed in every possible way, I really mean in every possible way. Although this saga indeed contains so many good moments of him, it is also the arc that definitively marks his death. In fact, from this moment on, Yamcha is deprived even of his only purpose, which is to get married, because he is given over to Krillin himself. The decision to tie him to Android 18 is as beautiful as it is sadistic, if we see the whole situation from Yamcha's point of view. Krillin has never expressed a desire to marry and fall in love. From the beginning, he has always seen martial arts as an excuse to impress girls, and while this does not mean that he should not find a woman for life, it is quite unfair that once again Yamcha's wish has gone unheeded. This would have been the perfect opportunity to fulfill his dream, but for who knows what reason (come on, we know why by now…) they decided that it should be Krillin who should get married. Mind you, I am absolutely happy for him. The Krillin/18 couple is one of the most beautiful. All I am saying is that it is not fair to a character who has ALWAYS sought love. His misfortune in love is no longer funny. Being a positive character, I think it is fair to give him at least a win, but as we will see somehow Yamcha will make his case in other ways. He is not the type to be so easily put down, and that is why his many facets make him one of the most interesting characters in Dragon Ball.

This is one of the most tender moments in Dragon Ball but also one of the most misunderstood. Yamcha comes off as a bit of a fool in this scene because he is the only one who is afraid of Android 18, but I defy anyone not to have smiled a little at his comedy. After so many episodes where we have been with dread in our eyes because of Cell, Yamcha's lightheartedness is a breath of fresh air. In a way, it is as if he takes us back in time, when in Dragon Ball we rejoiced over little. He is the fighter who keeps the soul of OG Dragon Ball alive.

But Yamcha doesn't just make us laugh. Yamcha shows us that after all the hatred felt for Cell it is love that is what remains. Love and hope. Although Goku is gone, the world keeps turning and it is absolutely necessary to continue to have faith and live life even more than before. Therefore Yamcha does not hesitate and, as a good friend, does everything to help Krillin hope. If it were not for his encouraging words, Krillin would have left the palace disappointed to have missed an important opportunity. Instead, Yamcha instills in him a small chance, helps him notice that Android 18's does not feel like a farewell, and most importantly, he does not make him feel unworthy. A similar thing happens in the videogame FighterZ, where Yamcha and Krillin have a conversation about women and it turns out that Krillin has an attraction to female androids. He seems ashamed of this, but Yamcha doesn't mind. On the contrary, he reassures his friend to never make him feel wrong, because at the end of the day, love has no limits and he knows well that. He supports him. He supports everybody, but unfortunately nobody supports him. That's why we have to do it!

I have always found this lovely. Yamcha always cheered for his friends, even when they managed to get married. He was never envious, never tried to stand in the way of their happiness, always smiled for them. This is the most beautiful characteristic of Yamcha, especially when we consider that it is highly likely that this disproportionate love he feels for others goes hand in hand with his sense of loneliness. It is as if helping others distracts him from the sense of failure he feels for himself.

Like here. It almost seems as if Krillin is apologizing for stealing his chance to get married. As if he's trying to say "hey man, sorry I'm the one who found love and not you. I am so sorry that your fate in this story is so bad. You don't deserve it, friend". It's just a figure of speech, because obviously there is no connection between Yamcha and Android 18, but I think you get my point.

Yamcha even calls him silly. Not only because one should never apologize when it comes to love, but especially because it is not his style to stand in the way of the feeling that most represents him. Oh please, let's ignore that Yamcha has to give an expensive necklace to his "girlfriend." I gather from these few words that she is definitely not the kind of woman he deserves, but we will talk about that another time. Regardless, it is good to see Krillin smiling thanks to Yamcha, since until recently he was sad about losing Android 18 and especially his close friend Goku. He would have returned to the Kame House in the wrong mood, and we all know how a bad day can be fatal. Who knows, maybe it is because of this nudge from Yamcha that Krillin and Android 18 got together.

We end this long journey in the present with this beautiful frame of Krillin saying thank you to Yamcha, just as Gohan had done. I think this is the saga where he is finally given the gratitude he deserves, and all in all it's okay. It's just too bad that this is the last time Yamcha will be respected. And as I have already reiterated, it is unfortunate that few people have noticed this. We will see a little something in the Buu Arc, but it certainly won't be enough.

I want to conclude this analysis with a simple reflection. I hope everyone is aware that the main theme of the Androids and Cell saga is hope. Hope is what drove Mirai Trunks to the past, and as I have already said, hope is the only thing that remains in his future.

If we focus on this word, doesn't it seem to you that Yamcha is the total reincarnation of this feeling? Think about it. He is the only one who has never stopped hoping. He has hoped for Goku and because of his trust he has reassured Chichi as well; he has hoped for Gohan, for Tien, for Kuririn and finally for other characters that we will analyze in the last chapter.

In short, Yamcha is the bearer of hope in the present. He is the one who kept it alive so that the world would not fall apart as it did in the future. Yamcha is hope itself. So... If hope is absolutely indispensable in Trunks' horrendous future, why shouldn't we think Yamcha is indispensable for Dragon Ball?

Well, thank you for getting here.

See you for the last chapter: The Future.

[wakebymoonsleepbysun]

'Nother random angsty robot idea. Targeted mostly at DJMM, but could work for any non-human robot. The less human the better...but I'll just be saying "DJ" here. (Basically what I'm saying is if anyone wants to do something with this idea and a different character go for it.)

At one point, DJ had a crush on a human. Maybe the human even returned it to an extent, at least enough to give dating him a try. But dating a giant spider bot is not without its complexities. But they did have some amount of genuine affection for DJ's personality and mannerisms.

Just not his body. They were intimidated by his large side, being engulfed by his hands was off-putting, and they so desperately wished for a partner they could just walk hand in hand with through the park, just hold each other and kiss like any other couple.

Besides, don't DJ want those things? Doesn't he want to be held by them? To feel their arms around him?

Truthfully, the thought is a bit intimidating. But this is his partner! He shouldn't be intimidated by getting a hug from them! What kind of partner would he be if he didn't want that...?

So he convinces himself he does. Somehow, he gets a new body. A more humanoid one. (Think some of the Glamrock DJMM fan designs out there.) His older body is still around, though he only uses it for his shows. In fact, his "real" body is now no longer allowed to leave the stage--guest interactions are done with the humanoid body only.

It seems fine at first, but DJ never can get over how small he feels even as he still towers over most humans. He feels vulnerable, especially when someone has their arms around him, no matter how friendly their intentions are. This causes him immense guilt, but he can't figure out how to make himself stop feeling that way.

Things start going poorly with his partner. DJ doesn't want to be hugged or held most of the time, nor does he wish to leave the West Arcade even though he can. All the things they thought they'd get if DJ were more human, they've barely gotten. Yet DJ's not as human as they'd prefer, even though he's far more human than he'd prefer.

They refuse to interact with him in his real body, even though he misses the feeling of them snuggling against his cheek or sitting in his hand.

Eventually, DJ and their partner break up. For whatever reason, DJ's still force to mainly use his humanoid body for the time being. Maybe some kind of budget thing with Fazco or maybe he just genuinely believes his new body SHOULD be preferable and he just still needs time to get used to it.

Then he meets you. You're patient with him and give him his space when he's in his humanoid body. And you're actually willing to interact with him when he's in his real body. You sit on the stage and have conversations with him (probably via ASL or text or something, I imagine his normal body is mute, still debating if his humanoid body is too). You even sit in his hand from time to time, and let him hug you to his cheek.

Eventually you piece together that he really only dislikes physical contact in his humanoid body, and he gives you some excuse of "I still have to get used to it is all" and you ask "Should you HAVE to get used to it? Is that really what you want?"

And blah blah blah, eventually the humanoid body is retired and you and DJ are together and happy and themes of self-acceptance, not changing for others, and being seen and loved for who you truly are all around!

[ousama]

i’m going to try and argue in good faith here but i’m just not sure why you’re touting utena as a show that’s so entrenched in sexualization of its characters when it goes to avid lengths to skirt around displaying sexual topics in a way that is exploitative. TW for mentions of CP

if you’re uncomfortable with ikuhara’s other works - yuri kuma arashi specifically, then that’s valid and fine. i still think talking about it as “softcore porn” is a reductive way of speaking about it, and doesn’t acknowledge the work and what it was trying to say, but much of my criticisms of that particular show (and other ikuhara works) rest upon the same discomfort and i find a lot of it gratuitous.

but that doesn’t explain how rgu as a work is informed by those same missteps, especially when it precedes YKA. there is deliberate emphasis on anything sexual being an act of violence (that is not gratuitously portrayed) perpetrated through abuse and manipulation. nearly all of the sexual content of this nature is told through metaphor. only a few times is the audience ever exposed to it directly, and this event is never sexualized in any way shape or form.

so i’m not sure where you’re getting this “sexualization of minors” thing from in a show where the entirety of its identity is how young people are coerced into gender roles, often through cyclical sexual violence. when its climax and resolution are its sexually abused girls finding solidarity, comfort and unconditional love in one another. i’m deadass trying to figure in what instance a character is sexualized in this show, and where this happens repeatedly.

if its a matter of ikuhara just being a weirdo to you, then fine, because i do think authorial intent and input matters to an extent (even though he was really just a fraction of RGU’s production). do we scorn sailor moon then, along the same lines, even though you could also view the show and not see explicit sexualization of its minor characters?

how do you argue RGU is a show sexualizing its characters because of its creator, but FMA, an anime that wears its political themes on its sleeve, is somehow uncorrupted by the racism of its author? you like one piece, and that has repeated problems with sexualization and sexual harassment committed by one of its protagonists, that has an author that works closely with and venerates a man that owned so much child porn he was thought to be a distributor at some point?

so what makes RGU so uniquely terrible compared to these other works? i think there are criticisms that can be levied its way, and that goes doubly for the movie, but i think arguing its “sexualizing minors” and is therefore an unimportant piece of art is just bad faith and reeks of you having never actually watched or more importantly understood it. and i hope you can see how incredibly frustrating that is to people who have seen themselves so fully in it to have it reduced to something its not simply because you presumably didn’t bother to engage with it’s actual themes and messages.

im not reading all that why are you people so obsessed with my opinion on an anime poll. get a life. the constant harassing of a real life lesbian over its thoughts on a cartoon lesbian show really is not a hill worth dying on. what does literally any of this have to do with me, a single person mind you, saying i prefer one show over the other

[ruinaimagines]

This maybe too specific, but can you write headcanon of Roland with a librarian who lost her fiance in an abnormality breach?

Worry not! It is not too specific at all.

Roland w/ a Librarian who Lost their Fiance in an Abno Breach Headcanons:

Given that he wasn’t involved much with the company during its time of operation, Roland’s actual knowledge on just how Lobotomy Corp functioned is limited only to that which he has been told or overheard. His knowledge on the abnormalities really only comes from those that he has witnessed and fought in the library. Yet even from those little glimpses he has grown familiar with just how ruthless and dangerous some of them can be.

He holds a lot of empathy for your situation. He too has lost a loved one he cared about very dearly, so it’s a pained feeling that he is all too familiar with. His expression and behavior when you tell him is one of compassion.

He treads very carefully with the subject, not wanting to pry too much further, but holds a lot of respect for you carrying yourself still so strongly and fighting in the remnants of the place that took your fiance. Sure, you don’t really have much of a choice in what you get to do, but you still manage to prevail.

He himself is always stumbling on constant reminders of his past wife, even as he has moved on to heal, just little things will manage to bring back memories like opening floodgates. If he’s still afflicted with these recollections in a foreign place, he can only imagine what it might be like for you when you’re constantly surrounded by them.

Roland honestly looks up to you a bit with how you seem to remain so strong. He doesn’t want to go into some territory that you’re uncomfortable with.. But he also wonders if you were affected with that same fuelled desire for revenge that got him into this very situation. Did you lash out on others? How did you cope? How similar was your mourning to his?

Very interested in your current opinions, especially on abnormalities. Is it one of anger towards them for taking away your fiance, or do you not blame them at all for they’re more like animals in nature? There isn’t a wrong answer, he’s just curious.

Depending on if this occurs before him and Angela forgive each other, and when he’s a bit more vague on his origins I could see him envying you in a way. He doesn’t have any ill wishes towards you, but there’s just this sort of pained feeling that makes him wonder why he couldn’t have taken things like you had, why he was so upset as to commit the violent acts he did. He’s not proud of the harm he’s brought to people, so if you instead were rather peaceful after the loss of your fiance I think there would be a little bit of jealousy. 

You’ve told him of other stories and experiences from your time as an employee, not really worried about it being a breach of contract no more as it’s not like Lobotomy Corp exactly existed anymore. From the sounds of it, he’s pretty relieved to hear that the abnormalities now are hosted inside of books in their ideal habitats. No longer is there the need to worry about them outside of the few times you may fight them in a controlled environment.

It’s a bit of a sad thought, but there is the realization that should your fiance have made it a little longer till the fall of the corporation they would probably be able to be here with you.

He’s always here to listen to you if you want to talk about it, otherwise if you prefer moving ahead and on he’s fine with that too. You both have quite the long lives ahead of you so there’s all the time in the world to make that choice.

Remembering passed loved ones isn’t always sad either! If you have any fond stories you want to tell of your fiance he is ready to listen. You two get to know eachother better than most and connect on an even deeper level with such a similar experience. 

A lot of the time people see him as a laidback and indifferent guy, and while this is true to an extent there is a lot more to him. Including stuff he is and is not proud of. I believe the two of you would have the grounds to have much easier conversation concerning vulnerable topics, and you’d get more insight into his own history and impulsive decisions.

If ever there is a time where you feel like you’re going to lose sight of yourself, he will be there to pull you back into reality. You aren’t alone in this, and he’s reached his own breaking points before. You’ve shown interest and desire to support him through his hardships, so it is only expected he would do the same.

Overall very supportive and this new knowledge shapes his understanding and desire to get to know you further in a unique way.

[bluemidnightmelody]

lover/fighter - my favorite moments

[Little snippets from my Finnick/OC longfic that are stuck in my head]

From Chapter 51 - Rules, and those who break them

Rhea runs. Finnick's sudden intervention has torn away the veil of numbness that had been over her until now and she suddenly realizes the full extent of her irresponsibility. All she can think about is that she has to get away from there, so she gives her legs free rein, which are now leading her along the edge of the harbor as if by instinct, just away from everything.

When she finally stops, she stands in the sand and stares out to the sea in front of her. Its usually clear blue color is darker today, grayer, while the rain falls down on it without letting the surface come to rest. She feels strangely in tune with everything around her, the whole world seems to be in turmoil today and she can feel the breathlessness that makes it harder for her to think clearly.

The noise is still incredibly loud, louder than the crunching of hasty footsteps in the sand behind her. "Hey," a soft voice murmurs through the background noise. It sounds pleasant and comforting, but she still cringes at the hand placed on her shoulder.

She half expects to see one of the two peacekeepers, ready to yell at her and send her back to the Capitol all tied up. In the best case. But it's Finnick, just as breathless as she is, completely drenched from head to toe, as pale in the face as she's ever seen him.

"Hey ... are you okay?" He has to repeat his question three times before she really understands. She still can't manage an answer, but he can see how she is at least searching for words, and that she has at least heard him.

It doesn't matter whether she manages to form any soothing words or not. He doesn't wait for that and instead searches her from top to bottom for any injury, even though he's been watching the whole time and should know there's nothing to find. But he was and still is so beside himself that he doesn't quite trust his memory right now.

This time he deliberately refrains from actually touching her, even though he would like to prefer to check her over thoroughly. Instead, there is always at least a small distance between his fingertips and her. It drives her crazy. "I'm fine, I'm just ... really sad," she says with deep honesty.

Finnick pauses and stares into her eyes with a skeptical look. "But you're okay?" he inquires with a serious expression.

"Yes," she breathes back, trying to figure out whether she wants to cry or not.

Finnick bites his lower lip and nods. "Okay," he says curtly, giving off a vibe she can't compare to anything she's ever seen from him, tortured in a way she doesn't want to see on him either. It lasts only a brief moment, then he takes her face in his hands, gently but firmly, and looks at her with such seriousness and urgency that her breath catches once more.

"Don't ever do that again." It sounds as if it was meant as a rebuke, but the result is more of a desperate begging. His tone is by no means lacking in vehemence, but at best in the necessary sharpness.

Even completely soaked from the rain, his hands are still incredibly warm, in stark contrast to Rhea's ice-cold cheeks. It's only now that she realizes how cold she actually is. If Finnick wasn't captivating her with his intense gaze, she would probably have to stop herself from squeezing his hands tighter to her cheeks just to get a little more of the warmth that he possesses.

But he won't let her. All she can do is stare with wide eyes into his, where a different ocean rages and the different shades of green swirl together. He brushes a strand of wet hair out of her face before his hands gently drop to her shoulders, but he doesn't let her go completely. "I don't know if you realize how incredibly dangerous that just was," he mumbles, not angry or upset, but rather confused, as if he doesn't know exactly how to deal with what just happened or how he should feel about it.

"I know," Rhea replies immediately out of reflex. She knows he's right, but at the same time she still doesn't want to believe that what she's just experienced is real. "He wouldn't have shot." She wants to say it with conviction, but her inability to do so is proof that it's just an optimistic wishful thinking that she wants to believe more than she actually does. The truth is that she has no idea what could have happened, and right now that scares her beyond belief.

"There was a gun barrel pointed at your chest," Finnick replies, licking his lips nervously. He minimally tightens his grip on her shoulders, because if he were to let go now, he knows for sure that his hands would be shaking. "Rhea, this isn't the Capitol. And none of the peacekeepers here will care where you come from, not before and not after they hurt you. Even if you know the boy, or used to know him, and even if you were actually right, it could have been his partner or any other peacekeeper to notice the commotion. You were very close to ending up bleeding out in the street with a bullet in your chest and there's probably no one else but you in the district who would know what to even do in that situation," he tells her, until he reaches the point where he'd rather not think about what might have happened.

Rhea is no different. She can no longer bear to imagine the pictures in her head either, so it's not surprising that she sticks to the one thing that opens up another route for her instead. "I don't know what you think my job is like, but gunshot wounds aren't exactly an everyday occurrence for me either," she mutters, quiet and meek. It's a stupid answer and in the end, she doesn't manage to distract herself with it. Instead, she realizes that she is now on the verge of tears, even if she would like to fight them. "I'm sorry, that was really dumb, wasn't it?" she sobs somewhat helplessly.

Finnick's resolve crumbles instantly. "It's okay," he whispers, a little dazed, and simply pulls her into his arms without any resistance. "I'm not angry either, not really, just ... shocked," he murmurs somewhere against her soaking wet hair and closes his eyes tightly. "Of all the things I thought I'd have to worry about with you, I didn't expect you to pick a fight with the peacekeepers."

Maybe that's what made it so bad. Being completely overwhelmed by a situation he couldn't have remotely foreseen has briefly sent him into a state of genuine panic.

Rhea can hear in his voice how badly this messed him up and she would be lying if she said she wasn't genuinely sorry. The fact that she can't help but flee into the comfort of his arms makes her remorse even stronger and yet she simply has to wonder how it can be that someone in the midst of wind and rain could feel as warm and cozy as a gently glowing fireplace.

How does this man manage to override the rules of this world in every aspect of his existence? And how can it be that just a moment ago she was worrying about life and death, but right now the biggest regret that comes to her mind is that she would never have been able to be held by him again if she had actually met her end there on the street. There's something about him, something that fogs her senses and infiltrates her mind, and it's so tempting that she's almost inclined to let it happen.

She lets out a shaky breath, but everything already seems far less bad than the moment before. "Did I manage to surprise you?" It's just a soft whisper and she's not sure if he even heard her but pressed there against his chest, wet shirt clinging to his skin, she can surprisingly feel his already rapid heartbeat pick up a little.

"Always," comes his reply, albeit strangely airy and a little scratchy.

She feels the goosebumps on her skin slowly spreading, but she is no longer cold. It increases her confusion briefly before she finally understands. Without knowing whether she should be disappointed in herself or even worried, she realizes that the reason is excitement. Joyful, pleasant, effervescent excitement that he triggers in her the closer he gets. It's excruciatingly wonderful.

"Careful. Otherwise, people might get the idea that you're actually afraid for me." She doesn't know exactly where it comes from, but she has to admit that by now she's almost used to him making her stop thinking altogether. However, it makes her wonder what else this would lead to if she gave up the last bit of control just for a moment.

The faintest hint of a laugh crosses Finnick's lips, even if he honestly doesn't feel like laughing just yet. "Things were actually going quite well before, when I was the problem case and made you worry. I don't think we should swap roles in the middle of this. Let's leave it as it was, I'd prefer that," he replies, and you can at least hear a conciliatory smile in his voice, even if he doesn't trust himself to bring it to his face.

Rhea can't manage it either and instead of a laugh she only manages a short snort. "I don't particularly like it though," she mumbles into his shoulder. Why should one person always have to bear the burden of suffering? Should this really be their fate, or is there not the slightest bit of hope that one day there might simply be nothing but sunshine?

"Then we'll both have to do better." It sounds so easy, but it is actually so difficult to achieve. But a tiny part of him wants to believe that it might at least be possible. It wasn't like that before.

Links to all the chapters: lover/fighter - Chapter Index

fanfiction on ao3 and wattpad

[notasapleasure]

The funny thing about discourse over the mismatches and retcons between the character in the film I love and the TV prequel to it that I l also love is I hate whichever side I see making their argument at the time. :))) it's star wars babes!! You think his backstory is annoying, remind yourself of *her* canon backstory and remember that none of it forms a coherent whole because the people in charge are not interested in coherent storytelling! They're the people who greenlit the sequels based on one film and then let those involved make up the next two as they went along! These are not serious people. Yes, even that guy who wrote the script for the one you like! He is also more interested in his pet project and its message than in making star wars canon coherent.

You've gotta just let it flow. Pick the bits you like ignore the bits you don't. Rewrite that scene as if the bits you like mattered and the bits you don't like didn't. Don't go telling each other that only your interpretation is valid, star wars simply cannot and does not work like that.

Although I do have to say that that character was very much still a child soldier in the TV show, I'm sorry but he did get arrested as a minor and drafted into the army and you can choose the extent to which he fought or hid in the kitchens because there is ambiguity in the script for that already, but he was a child in the army that is a thing still. It's fine if you prefer his other child soldier backstory, I do not care.

My point is just it's star wars babes. You have to make your own canon.