#at risk of seeing the Canon Ship or the Bad Ending

[selfshipping-haven]

.

[secretmellowblog]

People who try to analyze what happened on Tumblr on November 5th, 2020, often really overstate how much it was actually “about” Supernatural. As someone who has never been in the supernatural fandom ever but dID join in on the hysterical destielposting—it was really more about the stress of the pandemic and the 2020 presidential election.

The two biggest Youtubers I’ve seen try to dissect “what happened that November 5th” in video essays both weren’t American—- and I think that explains why they both tried to explain the hysteria primarily via analyzing the Supernatural fandom/the original show, rather than through the lens of the election. And while those videos are cool, valid, informational, and make lots of really well-considered interesting points— I can tell you that me and almost all my mutuals had literally no knowledge or interest in the fact that “oh supernatural had made nods at the ship in the past but the creators were adamant that I wouldn’t be canon” or etc etc etc etc. the first time I learned about any of that context was way later, watching videos where people claimed that fandom history context (that I did not know anything about) was the actual reason for the hysteria.

But the reality is that people latched on to the Destiel stuff because it was a piece of big useless inane zero-stakes fandom news in a time when we were desperately waiting for serious high stakes election news. We were latching onto a “positive “ piece of inane stupid fandom news in a time of great stress, with all the desperation of a drowning man who latches onto whatever piece of wood will keep him afloat.

The core of the hysteria was that Americans (who make up a huge chunk of tumblr’s userbase) were currently glued to their laptops watching the live presidential election vote counts come in. These vote counts were taking an extended amount of time due to the pandemic causing high numbers of mail-in ballots, resulting in a constant state of Election Day Stress for multiple days straight.

This was also during the height of the Pandemic. People had predicted Trump’s presidency would be bad; no one had predicted it would be this apocalyptically bad. No one had predicted pandemics and lockdowns and hospitals overflowing with bodybags. remember Trump spreading Covid lies and conspiracies?? There were so many Qanon conspiracies about democrats being Satanic child traffickers who had to be put to death, and coup threats were mounting from the right wing side. It seemed like this election was a choice between ‘centrist democrat’ and “apocalyptic right wing conspiracy theory authoritarianism,” in the midst of pandemic conditions that people feared would never ever improve— and it seemed like a close election.

Another major point was that Trump voters were more likely to be antimaskers/Covid deniers, while Biden voters were more likely to take the pandemic seriously— so Biden voters were more likely to send in mail-in ballots instead of risking the in-person voting crowds, which meant their ballots would take much longer to count. And so, in many state electoral vote counts, it would initially seem like Trump was very far in the lead— only for Biden to slooooowly build up an agonizingly small lead as the mail in ballots came in, and then defeat Trump at the very end.

So you’re just watching these news sites giving live election updates, refreshing the page every 2 minutes to see if you’re going to live under a spineless centrist democrat or a literal Qanon Dictatorship. And then you go on tumblr to distract yourself, and there’s more election posting, and more agonizing over the votes, and more stress and despair—-

And then it’s been days and we’re right at the crucial tipping point where it’s anyone’s game and the next few hours will determine whether Trump will win, so you need to keep your eye on the vote count, because the next hours will determine the future of the pandemic and your country and your plans for your entire life—

And then stupid Destiel becomes canon! And it becomes canon in the silliest way possible!

If Destiel had become canon at any other time, it would have been a big goofy tumblr celebration? But we wouldn’t have gotten the insane explosion of hysterical interaction.

The entire core of it was the contrast between the inane meaningless stupidity of fandom news vs the actual stressful election news you wanted to hear! It really is best conveyed in that meme where Castiel says “I love you” and Dean indifferently responds with a piece of important election news.

It’s about the contrast between the low-stakes inanity of fandom and the massive life-destroying stakes of a terrifying election. There really was no reason it had be Supernatural specifically, except that Supernatural was a thing everyone knew basic things about from dashboard osmosis— it could’ve been any other equally huge silly fandom ship news about a ship everyone *knew of* but might not necessarily be invested in (ex. Stucky becoming canon, Johnlock becoming canon, Kirk/Spock becoming more canon somehow, etc etc etc.)

I think it’s true that people who weren’t paying agonizingly close attention to the American election news got swept up in it, and that non American Supernatural fans also were extremely excited for purely fandom reasons — but the entire reason it blew up to an unprecedented degree was because of that core of stressed out terrified Americans glued to their computers watching election results and suddenly receiving stupid fandom news instead, and deciding to just hysterically parodically hyper-celebrate this absurd useless zero-stakes news.

I think it was also all elevated by the fact that, as I said before, this happened at the crucial “tipping point” of the election where the next few hours would determine the winner. The fact that Biden began to slowly develop a lead in the hours after made it feel, hysterically, as if the hours after Destiel became canon was somehow the turning point where he began to win; so celebrating Destiel felt like celebrating that slow turn towards victory.

The tl,dr is that it’s so important to Remember the Fifth of November …..in preparation the inevitable hysteria that will happen in the presidential election on November 5th of next year. XD. Personally I’m rooting for Johnlock or Frodo/Sam to somehow become canon in the eleventh hour right before the democrats win

[bibluebutterfly]

Okay so I’m taking a risk here by talking about StaticMoth (as some fans will come at your throat if it’s mentioned), but let’s do it since I discovered something interesting.

The main thing being, I noticed that throughout these last few months, there has been a steady rise in StaticMoth fanart (which would make sense as StaticMoth has gotten a lot more shippers since the Instas were confirmed as noncanon), with Viv herself liking the more comedic/wholesome pieces.

Then upon closer inspection (aka, seeing one specific artist pop up constantly and finally deciding to check her profile), I realized that the Animation Director for Hazbin and Helluva has a LOT of their own StaticMoth fanart, with Viv even sometimes commenting on it.

So I’m now beginning to suspect that StaticMoth will NOT be as abusive as we were initially led to believe.

Check it out

(Smiles is the animation director for Hazbin and Joel is Val’s VA, just to be clear) that, and if you check this account you’ll see that they are all a BIG VoxVal fans, and Smiles also mentions how she worked with them a LOT in the show.

Now call me crazy, but I don’t think this woman, or any of them would ship StaticMoth as hard as they do if one was abusive and the other wanted to get away from them. And since the art that Viv likes is actually really sweet at times, I think that StaticMoth will actually be a functional couple.

I mean they also get a playmat and the only couples who get playmats are the canon functional/going to be functional couples (ie. Chaggie, Stolitz, M&M, and Fizzarozzie)

Also while I’m at it I may as well mention that they WERE included in her Valentines post. And in that gif, we have Vox is smiling evily at Val while he isn’t looking. That doesn’t really scream “abuse!!” to me.

Ironically, the last time I saw behavior like this from the team (Viv liking fan art, animators and storyboard artists making their own cute fan art, playmats before canon, etc), it was about Fizzarozzie, and they turned out to be the healthiest couple on the show.

Coincidence? I think not. (Art below is done by Hunter B, a storyboard revisionist and Vivziepop herself)

Now don’t get me wrong, I DONT think that they will be in any way healthy, but I don’t think it will be abusive. Or if it turns out Val does hit Vox to the point of breaking his screen, I think Vox will in return rip his arm out. If they’re abusive, it will be on both ends.

And since Vox has been appearing more in trailers and promos than Val, I think he will be the bigger, more prominent character. And it has been confirmed by many that Vox will very much be as bad as Val. He’s the most powerful the the Vees, and is clearly the head of the group. At the very least, I highly, HIGHLY doubt he will be the uwu babygirl that some fans think.

I think StaticMoth will have a “evil couple” vibe where they probably aren’t head over heels, (their one true loves will almost definitely be money and themselves), but they have a blast bringing other people down together. They will be equally awful, we’ll hate them, but we will LOVE to hate them.

Or I’m dead wrong, and this post will age like milk.

[jjclopelover]

How he talks to/about her v.s. How he talks to/about him

I'm back with more analysis' about JJPope and why it's better than anything either of them had with Kie.

Today I'm talking about JJ and how he speaks of and to them and why the difference in how he does it speaks VOLUMES.

JJ talking about Kie (S1): "Of course, I'm hitting on her. She's a super-hot, rich, hippie chick, slumming with us. Why? I can't figure it out either, but who cares, bro? I know that door's locked because I tried it. Have you?"

JJ talking about Pope(S2): "Ain't all that bad. Just look at the guy over there. He would do anything for us. That's a Pouge if I've ever seen one. Bone-deep. That's just one man's opinion, though."

THE DIFFERENCE.

JJ talking to/about Pope:

"For once in your life, trust someone else."

~~~

"You're the golden boy."

~~~

Topper: "Hey, I just wanna make sure everyone here is okay with ending up in federal prison."

JJ: "Uh, if it gets to that, yeah, I'll do it for Pope."

~~~

"I'm here for you, Pope. Welcome to my world, okay?"

~~~

JJ talking to/about Kie:

"And you--I mean, you're already rich as fuck anyway. Why would you bother?"

~~~

"Okay. Not all of us can afford unlimited data plans, Kiara."

~~~

"Hell of a job melting it down, Dr.Frankenstein."

~~~

(I don't need to put anymore as all of JJ's quotes for Kie are from the first half of S1 lol.)

As you can see, JJ speaks highly of Pope and lowly of Kie. He sees being a pouge as a badge of honor and gave Pope the highest honor. He sees Pope as someone he can relate too and shares a deep connection too.

He doesn't see that with Kie.

And I hear Jiara stans saying "What about S3? He was so worried about her and went back to get her!"

And to that, I say, "Yeah...cuz it's JJ."

His number one trait as a character is his loyalty. It's his best trait as it shows how much he will do for his friends. But also his worst trait as he puts his friends over his own being and in the end it only hurts him.

JJ would have reacted the same if it was anyone else in that situation.

Like when John B was a wanted criminal, JJ did anything for him. (risking to get arrested himself, shooting cops, and being by his side when he was on the run)

Or when Sarah is dealing with Ward or Rafe, JJ is always watching over her. (running after a car that held a drugged Sarah unconscious in the back, jumping in a shipping crate to get her and the cross back, staying by her side, and keeping an eye on her when John B was found guilty in court.)

And even Cleo who just joined the crew, JJ makes sure to treat her like the rest of the pouges. (like when he praised her for convincing Pope's parents to let him go to South America)

And we all know that he would do the same if not more for Pope. (going to jail for him, almost getting arrested for him again, taking over an entire boat of men to get his cross plus Sarah, risking being seen with him at Midsummers when he was supposed to be undercover, taking a beating from his dad for him, fighting for him at the outdoor movie, being super protective about him anytime he was around Limbrey and Renfield, keeping the secret that Pope was the one who actually sunk the boat and lying to the others, bringing Pope to his cousin Ricky's house to save his life even tho Ricky was still pissed at him for stealing his ambulance.)

And many, MANY, more.

The way we are introduced to JJ who loves and protects Pope but pushes Kie aside

versus

The way they "built up" S3 JJ for a toxic relationship with Kie but as a result of that he has to push Pope aside.

The writers and creators gave us s1 JJ, that's how his character was made and supposed to be portrayed. S3 JJ was built off toxic fans who threatened their way into an unfortunate canon ship.

Toxic stans = Toxic ship.

You Jiara stans wonder why JJ felt out of character, or why the Jiara chemistry felt forced or fake. That's because it was.

You can't force chemistry.

All the OBX cast did chemistry reads to see which duos worked together as a couple and which didn't. But the one duo that did not do a chemistry read was JJ and Kie (Rudy and Madi)

why?

because the creators saw no need. as they weren't even thinking of getting those two characters together. JJ was supposed to end up with Cleo. That was one of the many reasons Cleo came back as a main character.

What they would do with Kie and Pope, I don't know and I don't care. But Any ending would have been better than canon Jiara.

Anywaysssss

JJ treats Pope like he's his partner

and

JJ treats Kie like she's his sister

But let's be honest...we all see that, don't we?

Editor's note: Sry this took so long lol, life's been busy :)

[joejhang]

why kevjean doesn't work.

i'm sad about it too but hear me out. spoilers ahead continue at ur own risk.

look it makes me so sad to say it but kevjean does not work in this universe (i know, this also means it doesn't work, by extension, in any universe, considering jean is dead.) and i need y'all to hear me out on this. everyone theorising that kevjean will be the endgame ship in tsc i hate to break it to u all: not only does that not at all align with anything in canon, but it also would just be a really bad writing decision on nora's part.

LET ME EXPLAIN. jean's arc in tsc is first and foremost about healing. i think everything and every relationship jean has throughout the tsc trilogy has to lend itself towards that in some way, and ultimately has to resolve in jean being in a better place than he was at the beginning, and if not done healing, then being certain that one day he will be. (this is how jean is when he graduates from usc in the current canon ec).

following this line of thought, jean logically can't end up with kevin. and not just because it contradicts canon, because i fully believe nora is free to contradict any of the ec she wants in tsc, but because fundamentally, it would not aid in jean's healing arc.

i see the appeal, i really do. kevin and jean have insane lore, off the charts chemistry and tension and are actually extremely compatible. but that isn't enough in this case to justify an established relationship between the two of them that isn't in the past. (don't get me wrong i am a WHORE for past kevjean/kevjean situationship/unrequited kevjean it's all very yum).

i genuinely think getting into a relationship w kevin at this point in the story would hurt and hinder jean's healing arc. kevin, through no fault of his own, is so deeply entwined with jean's trauma and memories in evermore that he literally cannot be anything but a trigger and catalyst for bad memories and grief/anger in jean. y'all forget just how deep kevin's departure cut jean (not just physically), and jean hasn't even entirely worked things out with kevin yet. they have a lot of dirty laundry to air out, both between the two of them and their relationship as well as about neil and r*ko. people also forget that kevin and jean both played a role in each other's abuse. jean said himself that it destroyed him, how easy it was to fall into kevin's bystander role. they both were witnesses and bystanders to each other's abuse by r*ko or tetsuji. that doesn't mean it was their fault, and they literally could not have done anything to help or stop anything, but it doesn't mean it didn't have an affect on the other nonetheless. i feel like ppl r missing a lot of nuance in this context: kevin and jean's relationship has always been inherently tragic, even if it doesn't end with a fall out. they've always been each other's greatest friend in the worst places, and they've always been forced to witness the trauma done to both of them. their bond is complicated, even if the love is there (which i think it is). i won't call it a trauma bond but i do think their bond is deeply influenced and intertwined with their shared trauma.

even if they did work thru everything, i honestly think jerejean is the only way to go here. nora has laid the groundwork for that mutual attraction and trust there in book one, and now we're just gonna have to see how it plays out. they may not be together properly until jean graduates, but i don't see a problem with that. i think, at the end of the day, it's not a matter of if it'll happen but when. jean needs jeremy (and cat + laila) right now, and there's a reason kevin chooses to send him to the sunshine court, and it's not just cos they're the only team worthy of jean's skill. "their kindness matters." kevin says, and it does. jeremy + the trojans innate kindness and care towards jean are what he needs to heal and grow out of the ravens' shadow. being with kevin i fear would jeopardise that. at the end of the day, kevin is too deeply rooted in jean's past, which is a veritable goldmine of trauma that, while does need to be acknowledged and talked about, does not need to be dug up again. this isn't jean or kevin's fault, just a fact.

i think nora's also made it pretty clear that kevjean (whether requited or not) is a thing of the past. the love was there, and it might've changed everything and it might've changed nothing, but the love was there. and maybe it still is. but things have changed, and they're both going their own way and i think it's really important to understand that.

side note: this is also part of the reason i'm not the biggest fan of thea and kevin's relationship. i'm not actually sure if they're all that good for each other, given how/where their relationship began and developed. i don't doubt they care for and love each other, but i just don't know if they're the best people for each other in terms of like...wellbeing. anyway does anyone have any good kevaaron fic recs???

[prying-pandora666]

Who is Izumi’s Mom? Copium Edition

So we all know that Bryke have refused to confirm who Izumi’s mother is. Even when they released family trees, the conspicuously left Izumi’s mom blank.

So incredibly frustrating!

So since Bryke insists on baiting us and not giving us closure, here’s a dose of copium for all shippers.

First off! Izumi’s name means “spring fountain”. Remember that.

Secondly, she looks like this:

REASONS WHY YOUR SHIP OF CHOICE COULD STILL MAKE SENSE!

Mai - She looks the most like Izumi. She canonically dated Zuko (until they broke up AGAIN). The former comics’ writer believes they will make up. She and Zuko have a history surrounding fountains. Even with all the drama, she remains the most likely candidate.

Katara - It should be self explanatory why a child named “fountain”, as in water, may be a reference to the one water bender Zuko dueled with most. The two of them clearly developed a connection by the end of the show, and Katara once even offered to heal Zuko’s scar. This one is all but debunked due to Kataang being canon, but it’s still nice to dream! And no one can deny they look great together.

Jin - Zuko and Jin shared lovely chemistry on their one date. Zuko was even willing to risk getting outed as a firebender in the Earth Kingdom and imprisoned, just to make her smile. This scene is also significant because it involved a fountain. Considering the bulk of Zuko’s redemption happened in the EK and the plot continued into the comics dealing with the blended FN/EK colonies, I can see why this would be a good thematic choice.

Toph - A rarer pair but one that one storyboard artist snuck in a reference for! Toph and Zuko have a lot in common. They both come from families of status that abused them for their failure to conform. Toph was born blind while Zuko has a disfiguring facial scar that realistically should affect both his vision and his hearing to an extent. Toph also has a friendship with uncle Iroh and was the first member of the Gaang to successfully understand and comfort Zuko as well as she did. Some point out that Zuko’s daughter Izumi has vision problems (like Toph) while Toph’s daughter Lin has a facial scar (like Zuko). The name Kanto, the alleged father of Lin, can also be written with the characters for “crown capital” so some speculate it’s an alias for Zuko. Spring fountain could be a reference both to the Earth element’s season of spring as well as to a volcano, which is like a fountain combining fire and earth. This scene is the most telling, with two doves representing Zuko and Toph. When Zuko walks away from Toph, the two doves kiss, signifying that perhaps a romance between them is destined for the future. Luckily, Toph knows how to listen and wait. Everything that applies to Jin about making peace with the EK applies even more to Toph since she’s actually from a noble house.

Suki - A bit of a wild card since she’s dating Sokka! But the comics showed Zuko and Suki getting much closer. When no one else was on Zuko’s side during the conflict in the colonies, and even Mai dumped him over his desperate visits to Ozai, Suki stayed by Zuko’s side. She never lost faith in him and tried her best to be there for him. The two have clearly developed a close friendship and bond of trust. Some even see it as romantic, which spells bad news for our boy Sokka. However, seeing as the book Legacy implies Sokka and Suki broke up, perhaps Zuki shippers have more evidence to stand on than originally thought! Everything that applies to Jin about making peace with the EK would also apply, since Suki is also from the EK. Perhaps she could fan the flames of his passion?

Sokka - Okay we all know it’s not going to happen but they’re really cute and I get it. The fountain claim applies to Sokka same as it does Katara! Hey there’s always a chance! Korrasami proved that!

Ty Lee - Not a lot to go off here but it’s undeniable that the two have a weird, unspoken tension. Why is Zuko quietly beefing with his sister’s bff? It’s never explained. Something is definitely going on there! We just don’t know what it is. In the comics, Zuko does lament not playing with Ty Lee and the other girls more as a kid.

Azula - I mean… okay I get it. The features that Izumi has in common with Mai, she also has in common with Zuko. So it’s not impossible to see why some would think she looks like Azula too. But can we please not make ATLA into Game of Thrones? This certainly isn’t helping:

Jet - He’s dead now so it’s not possible. But did Jet actually have a thing for Zuko? You know… it was really unclear.

[necrotic-nephilim]

Roytim is such a fun crack rarepair for me! Dick’s best friend sleeping with/dating Dick’s baby brother Timmy is 10/10 drama on a more personal note than I’d picture it with Jason. Absolutely no shade I just have always read Dick as being more protective of Tim and Damian.

Do you have any Roytim headcanons to share? <3

oh i LOVE RoyTim on it's own! likely bc i'm just a Tim multishipper and if it fits i ship, but Roy is especially fun via the Dick connection. and i 1000% agree, *especially* pre-Flashpoint, would even argue it's outright canon that Dick is far more protective of Tim and Damian than he ever was with Jason (not out of dislike, but simply bc Dick and Jason were never all that close and the tragedy of losing Jason was losing what could've been, not what he already had) and especially with Jason as Red Hood, Dick holds no particular protective brotherly feelings toward him. it's all Tim and Damian. so you're so right, the drama of RoyTim is just a smidge more upped than of JayRoy and i'd love to share headcanons-

i think it makes for a fun "crush on your older brother's friend" situation. where like. Tim knows it's unrealistic and he has no *actual* intentions to chase it when he's just 15/16 and Roy and Dick are in their twenties, often hanging out around Tim. and Roy is handsome, he's funny, he's similar in personality to ppl Tim has dated (Steph, Kon) so, it's a crush. one that he hides *well* and never makes it Dick or Roy's problem, and one Tim never expects to pan out. he just fantasizes about Roy a little bit and mostly grows out of it by the time he's an adult.

i think more fics need Lian, so i like the idea of them co-parenting Lian. especially if they're both. sort of bad at it. like Roy loves her and he's trying, but he's doing this basically alone and it's not like he has experience. Tim also has no experience. neither of them know what on earth to do. it's a very cute idea that just relies on the two of them being terrible at parenting and Roy getting so mad that the first time Lian says "dada" she says it to Tim that he considers breaking up for a good five minutes.

how they get together can happen in a lot of ways, but i'm interested in the idea of Dick asking Roy to talk to Tim during Tim's Red Robin arc. Roy has experience helping kids through his work helping young addicts and nothing else has worked, so he offers to at least try with Tim. and Roy, who also doesn't handle grief well, understands at least some of what Tim is going through. especially since Roy dealt with Oliver dying and then suddenly coming back, he's at least open to the idea Bruce could be alive. he's just around to try and help Tim keep some emotional stability, but it ends up with Roy helping with the search and somehow, falling for Tim along the way

they go to sitcom levels of chaos trying to keep the relationship hidden from Dick. they *both* know Dick is far too protective of Tim to react well to it. but also, i think Roy would get *just* a bit of an ego about sleeping with Tim under Dick's nose. he makes a point of strutting around when Dick invites him over, finding reasons to be shirtless just to make Tim squirm a little bit. it's that sort of kink where you're excited about the risk of being caught. that fits these two so well and i can't explain it.

because Roy is used to mentoring younger heroes, i think he would have a bigger than normal moral panic about dating Tim. he fights his feelings for a *while*, to the point Tim can tell Roy is fighting his feelings and he's trying to convince Roy he's fine with this. Tim telling Roy about his childhood crush does not help. it makes Roy feel *worse*. it makes them take things very slowly, and i could see Roy being the type to never fully touch Tim until Tim is 18, no matter how much Tim insists it's okay.

i do think they have unhinged sex when they actually get into it though. no matter how sure Roy is that he'll be gentle the first time, the minute he gets his hands on Tim, it is feral. there is blood and foul dirty talk and Tim cannot walk the next day. i think Roy makes for a very mean dom, the type who will make fun of you for being a mess in bed. he just has those vibes, and it works great for getting Tim to just. turn his brain off.

i think Roy, who's struggled with picking hero names before, would be someone to try to force Tim to let go of Red Robin once the whole Bruce thing is over. it's not Tim's name and Tim doesn't need to keep punishing himself with it. Roy is nice about it at first, but then i do think he threatens to set that damn suit on fire if Tim keeps wearing it and doesn't come up with a new hero name. and the worst part is, Tim does know he's serious.

when Dick does find out, chaos. an absolute shitshow. when Roy tells him, Dick punches Roy in the face before he even finishes explaining himself. it's a pure gut reaction. even Bruce isn't as protective over Tim as Dick is. it takes a *lot* of convincing from Tim that it's okay and he wanted this before Dick calms down, and he still doesn't talk to Roy for like a month until the rest of the Titans are forced to hold an intervention reminding Dick of his own dating history with age gaps, like Babs. Dick does cool down, but he is not afraid to stoop to "you're fucking my brother" in an argument bc he wins everytime when he brings it up.

i think Tim is the protective partner. everyone *expects* it to be Roy, he's older and more experienced, but it's Tim who will absolutely lose it if someone threatens Roy's or Lian's life. like not fanonish "committing murder" Tim, but more so canonish "i have a contingency plan for everything" Tim. Roy has had to hold him back a couple times. honestly i think the moral conversations Roy and Tim have are so interesting. because Roy will cross the line for those he loves, so bc of that, Tim is careful to make sure Roy is never in a position where he has to protect Tim bc he knows it would turn lethal quickly. it's a very "i know what you're capable of and you don't scare me but i won't let you become a worse version of yourself bc of me" sort of self preservation vibe. i think it'd be very neat. Tim fights like hell when he's close to death bc his thought is always "i refuse to let Roy feel like he has to avenge me" which i find very crunchy.

[colleybri]

Cassian x Bix and Rebelcaptain: Please let these ships be friends !

I ‘ship’ Cassian x Bix AND Cassian x Jyn. I see there has been some conflict in the past when the “new woman” was first brought in with the series, some that remains now, and I’m both saddened and bemused by that.

Rebelcaptain for me is a canon relationship… to a certain extent. I have no doubt that these brave heroes would have ended up together had they lived. That’s why I love it… the whole beautiful tragedy of what might have been, and the loyalty that binds people together when making a sacrifice like this. Were they actually in love, in canon? For me – no. Not yet. And that’s important for my personal enjoyment of Rogue One, especially its ending. As the novelisation stresses, Cassian dies without knowing Jyn as “There wasn’t the time”. And I simply don’t believe you can love someone without knowing them . But I enjoy the idea of exploring what would have happened had they lived. They are a perfect loyal “battle couple”, definitely my favourite fanon SW couple and great to imagine together. I see Rebelcaptain also as a way of giving them the happy ending they deserved. Oh - and the chemistry between Felicity Jones and Diego Luna on-screen is absolutely electric. In short and again: I have no doubt that they would have fallen in love had they lived and would have been perfect for each other. And they are a perfect fanon ship.

(^^ And I I think this is the exact moment in canon when they both acknowledge the loss of what might have been. It’s just heartbreakingly beautiful… )

Cassian x Bix - I don’t even think of it as a ‘ship’ per se as it is a 100% canon relationship, and one that is currently ongoing as we wait for Andor S2.. It’s fascinating to me – 17 years of friendship that has occasionally blossomed into a romantic/sexual relationship. It’s a genuinely unusual set up too. I’ve read a few takes that they are “over each other” by the time of the start of the series, to which I want to say … watch again, closely! They certainly have moved on to date different people, but it’s also very clear from their interactions (especially in the intense scene in Ep 7) that there is still a lot of extremely deep feeling between them – even if some of it is very negative. In the S1 production notes, the show’s creator Tony Gilroy says that they “are meant to be together… but it’s been impossible all these years. Now, she’s done with him … he’s burnt every last bridge .” Why? The series also provides the answer – Cassian is in many ways an absolute mess at the start of the season and Bix was quite rightly fed up with him as a boyfriend. He’s completely unreliable, likes short-lived affairs (often with married women - so no risk of commitment!), isn’t working regularly and has debts all over the place. This largely stems from his “unresolved childhood trauma”. He has a fear of “leaving people behind” and despite having a lot of love to give “ is so scared of being loved”. But he and Bix nonetheless prove to be incredibly loyal friends and their love in this platonic sense clearly runs very deep indeed. They have known each other since he was 10 so she is also something like a sister figure. Bix is still very protective of Cassian and takes personal risks for him… and he finally comes to appreciate this and pay back his metaphorical debt to her in the finale. The question now is what season 2 holds for them, if anything.

(^^ I love the way she is using her fingertips to push his hand off, as if to avoid the risk of too much touch. The gesture and look that says “Please don’t try and get close to me again because we both know how bad that is for us… but I’m such a total idiot when it comes to you that I will still very unwisely go out of my way to help you, especially when you look at me like that so please just don’t”)

Does loving their messy and complicated relationship mean that I want Cassian and Bix to ‘end up together’ ? No, and the obvious additional point is that they don’t! They are both going to be very different people at the start of S2 and over the following years of the story . Bix has been traumatised; Cassian has been radicalised. And that’s just the start. Perhaps they quickly drift apart. Perhaps some kind of betrayal is involved. Perhaps one or both of them will want to commit again to a relationship, but it’s impossible because of the demands of the rebellion (like Vel /Cinta). Perhaps Bix “ends up with” someone else (Brasso, ideally, especially if they both survive the season). Perhaps they will get back together at least for a while and enjoy a little last happiness before inevitable heartbreak. Perhaps all, some or none of these. But none of that stops me from loving and appreciating what they do have, what they have had up to now, and the intriguing dynamics of when they do interact on screen. Bix x Cassian attracts me as a fanfic ship because it’s all about exploring what is there and how it came to be, which is why I currently don’t write them beyond the present time of season 1. I’m waiting to see what happens next in Canon, as it were, because that to me is an important part of writing them. Meanwhile, I’m enjoying analysing the relationship by imagining them in the past.

So for me Bix x Cassian in no way impacts on Jyn x Cassian or vice versa, especially if you apply… real life principles rather than the ideals of fandoms: “soulmates” and OTPs. Many people – most people – will have a beautifully intense and loving relationship with more than one person at different times of their lives. I’m old – trust me on this one.

^^ Both relationships in these two scenes go way beyond romance. In the first - many years of close and loyal friendship. In the second: a bond created through brave and selfless sacrifice together. And for both: Cassian’s absolute hatred of being “someone who leaves people behind”: the quality that I love best about him. And saving each other. Literally and metaphorically.

And oh… it’s beautiful. Both moments are beautiful.

Edit: I won’t do any speculating here about the content of the trailers and articles. Except to say that there’s nothing in them that detracts from the emotional power of both ships. They can continue to happily coexist. 

[missheavenfield1215]

I think taking the relationship between Beetlejuice and Lydia for granted in the new film is too hasty to say.

I know it's hard to tell them not to be hopeful when they've already released this kind of official material. I mean, have you seen this?!

Or the certainty that Lydia accepted without hesitation Beetlejuice's proposal to look for her daughter. (although it is more than obvious why she accepted it) min: 3:57

Or even this video... Are you really saying that a relationship is very difficult when you talk about his "relationship" with Lydia??

And let's also talk about this face... Jesus... It seems that Beetlejuice has found the love of his life when he sees Lydia. (Personally I think in the second GIF Beetlejuice is looking at his wedding cake or something else, because it seems that he is still with his back to her)

But I think there's something they're forgetting.

This has also come out and is behind the scenes.

You can use the ending of the musical (although I doubt it very much, Tim and Michael refuse to see the musical). Here I believe that Beetlejuice will choose Astrid or she herself will offer to marry him to save her mother and so they would kill Beetlejuice, staining her dress with his blood.

I'm not a person who gets excited when I see some romantic approach, I expect it to really happen.

Have they forgotten the unfinished ship ReyLo?? Zutara's discarded idea?? The bland romance between Lucy and Raoul? The main couple of Wish with Asha and Starboy who they discarded because #feminism?

I think this could be the same...

I feel like they're not really going to pair Lydia and Beetlejuice. Because even though their deal is transactional, (he helps her find her daughter and she marries him to bring him back to life and get him away from his ex-wife, Delores).

I feel like all these "shows of affection" are a farce... This comes across as:

-"Like why do you say you can't marry me?" "You say it's because you don't love me and I don't either?" "So here, take (literally) my heart and shut up."

I don't like to be so pessimistic, I really wish they stayed together, because for God's sake, they are an iconic couple in gothic horror and black comedy movies even though they have never really been a couple (plus ALL if not most Tim Burton movies have romance or proof that there was going to be a romance (like an unfinished pairing). As in Alice in Wonderland, Edward Scissorhands, Corpse Bride etc).

If the Beetlebabes is canonized, Tim Burton risks waves and a HUGE amount of hate for "pairing a girl with a disgusting adult" (even though in the movie Lydia is already an adult).

Beetlejuice has a picture of Lydia when she was a teenager, which means that he fell in love with her when she was an underage girl...

Even if he says that Beetlejuice and Lydia were created to be together (as some sort of "soulmates") and that at some point in a sequel they would make that a reality, there will be a lot of people who will be very angry about this.

I really don't think Tim Burton would risk all the criticism and hate...

Unless he makes the decision to defend this Ship openly, he will not do so without at least giving as an example the musical, whose directors ignored that detail (of the "soulmates", Perhaps because of the pressure to be politically correct by Broadway standards) because they did it at his expense and not with his help...

Let's remember that the musical and everything in it, is not from Tim Burton's own mind, but they did do what they wanted with his characters without consulting him first.

But I still thinking that claiming victory so hastily would be very bad for the whole Fandom.

I ask you not to celebrate such an abrupt "triumph"... The film has not yet been released.

I ask you to wait at least until the premiere of the film.

I ask you to wait until it is 100% confirmed.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

What do you think about Maiko's ship? I think it was a relationship created by the creators to make it clear that the zuthara was not going to happen and that I don't like the zuthara.

I think you're greatly overestimating how much the writers thought about Zutara. No, they didn't like the ship. Yes, it was popular regardless. But neither Bryan nor Mike seemed to be the type to pull a Joss Whedon and practically use the characters to shame the fans for liking the wrong ships (on top of verbally abusing the actors for the crime of doing their job too well). All we ever got from them was:

1 - One episode in which they poke fun at EVERYTHING - the show itself and it's tropes (Katara crying about hope non-stop, Zuko's hair, HONOR, "Did Jet just die?"), the fandom's opinions and fanfics (the characters skiping the great divide, Katara liking bad boys), their original plans (Toph being a guy), industry shit (the episode itself being a recapt episode, Aang being played a girl as reference to lots of little boy characters being voiced by women). So yeah, Zutara gets made fun of in this, but so does everything Avatar-related.

2 - ONE con in which they were being dicks about how "People who like zutara will end up in abusive relationships." One isolated incident SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO.

3 - Freaking fanservice. They full on let the other writers in the team throw zutarians some bones every now and then.

Outside of that, they don't even talk about Zutara unless directly asked about it. Almost like... they don't take it that seriously. Almost like... they know that, as showrunners, they don't have to "justify" zutara, or any ship, not happening, they can just... not make it happen.

If their goal was to make Zutara basically a ship that the narrative kind of "forbids" from happening, they wouldn't have made Katara forgive and befriend Zuko. They wouldn't have made him risk his life for her. They would have made it clear that these two genuinely DESPISED one another even after Zuko's redemption.

If they just wanted a last-minute ship to make people "forget" Zutara, they could have always just brough Jin back in the finale since she was popular with fans, even zutarians. If Mai was just a "road-block" to Zutara, they wouldn't have made the audience spend tons of episodes in book 2 just seeing her do her thing without Zuko being involved in any way, nor explained to us her traumas on The Beach.

Mai was a well-written character that would make sense to pair up with Zuko, and thus Bryke and the other writers did exactly that. Maiko was not their attempt to "kill" Zutara - you don't have to kill something that was already dead on arrival.

Kataang/Maiko are only zutara's rival ships in the fandom. In the show zutara was never a possibility, therefore it was never rival of ANYTHING. Something being popular in fanon doesn't mean canon is obligated to bow down to it. Bryke didn't do shit to "deal with" zutara because it was never a threat to them - it was, and still is, completely irrelevant in their eyes.

[gossamii]

it hurts to be something, it's worse to be nothing with you

ship: satosugu

characters: satoru gojo, suguru geto

tags: inspired by a laufey song, song: promise (laufey), canon compliant, post-star plasma vessel | hidden inventory arc, geto suguru-centric, sad ending, internal conflict, romance, angst, swearing

tw: suicidal thoughts, blood and injury, depression

word count: 5105

link to ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/62247469

inspired by this edit: https://www.tiktok.com/@wo.ormy/video/7299929589093272878?_r=1&_t=ZT-8t59QgRAFml

ᯓ ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧

Suguru Geto is going to run away from Jujutsu Tech.

No, not just Jujutsu Tech, but jujutsu society as a whole. He can't take it anymore, plastering on a fake smile that's been worn so thin even Shoko felt it fitting to ask if he was okay instead of making a joke about how dead he looks. He can't handle the loathing he feels in his gut toward non-sorcerers, toward the people who cause problems for them and don't even know it.

Suguru wants to make a difference, and he can't do it here.

There's just one thing holding him back from leaving it all behind without a thought. Or rather, who.

Satoru Gojo. The man, the myth, the legend. Suguru's one and only. His best friend, the only one he ever had.

The two of them used to be closer. They don't see each other much, nowadays, and Suguru can't help but wonder if the cognitive dissonance in his mind would have settled on a different conclusion had Satoru been there. But both of them were busy with different things, and before Suguru knew it, he found himself wanting to eradicate all non-sorcerers and make a better world for those who deserve to rest.

Suguru can't just leave without sparing Satoru so much as a glance, because Satoru's the reason he hadn't killed himself years ago from the copious amounts of nauseating curses he's had to consume for the 'greater good'. And oh, will Suguru show them the greater good once he's out of here. But he has to offer Satoru something of a goodbye, at least; he deserves that much.

He knows he can't just spill his guts before Satoru and trust him to be fine with it. Satoru will pitch a fit, going on and on about everything Suguru taught him back when he knew less about the world, when he was nothing more than a dumb kid with some noble notions of purpose. His purpose now is anything but noble, he'll admit, but it's true and righteous in his heart. That's why he can't risk Satoru stopping him from pursuing the only thing that might fill this ache possessing his entire soul.

Again, that doesn't mean Satoru will get nothing in the way of a goodbye—he just won't know that's what it is. Suguru feels a little bad about it, knowing Satoru might think that Suguru's finally getting better when he reaches out to him, oblivious to the fact that it is simply the calm before the storm.

In a way, it's like how depressed people get happy before committing suicide. They try their best to give all their loved ones closure and good memories before committing an irreversible act. The only difference between that and what Suguru is about to do is that he will be committing homicide instead.

Homicide. Suguru repeats the word in his head like a broken record, whispering it to himself in the dark haven of his room, muttering it under his breath in different tones. It doesn't feel like homicide, what he wants to do. He doesn't have a particular target, really, just an overarching goal: rid the world of useless non-sorcerers so sorcerers, the superior people, don't have to kill themselves for an endless job.

Idly, he recalls a blurred memory of Toji Zen'in referring to himself as a monkey. Suguru can't help but think it's the most apt nomer for their kind that exists.

He manages to ignore the roiling in his stomach from both curses and nerves as he reaches for his phone and pulls up Satoru's contact. There are a few unopened messages; despite their distance, Satoru never stopped spamming him with pictures, random texts, and dumb memes. On the days where Suguru could bear to open them, he only could manage to react to a few of them before feeling a pit of longing and emptiness in his gut.

The latest picture is a selfie next to a tied-up man Suguru assumes is the curse-user Satoru was sent to apprehend. Behind his circular shades, one of his eyes is squished shut in a wink, and his tongue is playfully stuck out. Suguru likes the message, scrolling up to read a few more texts complaining about the elders before going down to the bottom to begin typing out his message.

» Do you know if you'll be free anytime soon?

That's the message he lands on after what must be an hour of typing, deleting, and retyping again with slightly different phrasing. He knows he can't assume that Satoru will have free time—if he did, he knows he would be bothering Suguru much more than he does. And he doesn't want to be too blatant with his intentions, but he knows Satoru knows him well enough to understand what he's trying to ask.

» !!!

» SUGURU!!!

» why???

» do u wanna hang out???

» omg r u actually gonna leave ur room for once???

» Something like that.

» !!!

» when do u wanna hang?? i can get whenever off i just have to say no to whatever missions they assignment me >:)

» Satoru...

» kidding!!

» not rly but

» anyway

» does friday work?

» Friday's fine.

» If you're busy, we can always reschedule.

» I'm always busy, but they don't need me THAT bad ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

» AAAAAAA WE HAVEN'T HUNG OUT IN MONTHS

» It's getting late, I'm going to head to bed.

» AWWW SUGURU UR SO MEANNN

» fineee gn 凸( •̀_•́ )凸

They haven't hung out in months, indeed. And they likely never will again.

Suguru desperately prays something happens during their hangout that will change his mind about this whole thing. It's a flimsy concept of a plan, more idealistic than anything, but he knows he can't stay a jujutsu sorcerer—not with his current beliefs.

It's wishful thinking to hope Satoru can change months of unraveling and reweaving his moral code in a single day, but Suguru thinks he deserves to spend one last day yearnfully dreaming that things might go his way before he sets all hell loose.

✧˖*°࿐

Suguru awakes to a pounding on his door. Vicious, relentless, headache-inducing.

Familiar.

"Suguru!" he hears Satoru's cheery timbre float through the door to his ears, much more chipper than most people would be at—a glance at his clock tells him it's seven o'clock in the morning on the dot. "Suguru, wake up!"

"Good morning, Satoru," he greets as he opens the door, eyes rising to meet his. He registers a moment of hesitation in Satoru's brilliant blues, but perhaps it's a trick of the light, because when he blinks it's gone and replaced with the dazzling smile he missed so much.

"Suguru!" Satoru lunges forward to hug him, and as Suguru embraces him in return, he congratulates himself for managing to work up the motivation to properly groom himself last night. He even did his old hair routine, with all the expensive oils and and conditioners and products Satoru bought him to keep it healthy. He figured, if he knows Satoru, they would end up closely entangled like this sooner or later. He'd rather not give off the air of grimy depression he knows he typically holds.

Despite his efforts, though, Satoru still comments, "You're so skinny. You been dieting?" His hands slide to his biceps, squeezing the muscles that have all but withered away. Suguru was faintly aware of how the hug didn't feel quite right, how there's simply less of him for Satoru to embrace. He wonders what Satoru thinks about that.

"Where do you want to go?" he asks instead, steering the conversation away from himself. He doesn't want to fall down that rabbit hole, doesn't want to accidentally reveal something he shouldn't to Satoru. "I still need to brush my teeth, so come up with something in the meantime."

"You invited me out and didn't have a place to go in mind? Boring." Satoru's voice has that lazily playful drawl it always has as he follows Suguru to the bathroom. "I heard Takeshita street's been filling up with some good dessert places lately, though, so we could check it out."

"You're going to give yourself diabetes," Suguru sighs as he stuffs his toothbrush into his mouth, glancing at Satoru from the corner of his eye. "Are you planning on wearing that out?"

Satoru is merely dressed in a t-shirt and blue plaid pants, and Suguru doesn't doubt that's exactly what he wore to bed. Satoru simply shrugs. "Why not?"

"You look like you don't care for yourself." He tilts his toothbrush in his mouth, closing his eyes as the bristles stingingly abrade beneath his gums. "Uncouth."

"Yeah, well, maybe I am uncouth," he retorts, and there's a brief pause before he turns to Suguru with a Cheshire-like grin. "You should be uncouth with me!"

"Mm?"

"We can both wear pajamas!" He grabs Suguru's arm and shakes it aggressively. The action is so familiar, and it feels so normal, that Suguru can't help but feels some of his apprehensions melt away ever so slightly. "Please, Suguru? It'll be fuuun!"

"What's fun about wearing pajamas outside?"

"Breaking societal expectations or something!"

"You do enough of that on your own." He spits out the toothpaste and rinses out his mouth and goes to wash his face. "Don't drag me into your idiocy."

"You're so boring, Suguru…" His eyes are closed when he hears a thud, and he dries off his face before opening his eyes and finding Satoru sprawled out on the floor. "Guess I'll just die."

"You'll die if I don't wear pajamas with you?" Suguru can't help but huff out a laugh as Satoru nods rapidly before whacking his head against the tile. "How dramatic."

He reaches for his hairbrush next, but it's almost like Satoru teleported with how fast he is back on his feet and in Suguru's personal space. He snatches the brush from his hands, spinning Suguru around before he can so much as react, and takes a section of tangled hair in his hands.

"I missed brushing your hair," Satoru whispers, tone uncharacteristically tender. Suguru feels a blush exploding on his cheeks, biting his tongue lightly as Satoru gently drags the brush through his hair.

"Is that so?" is all he can think to whisper in response.

Suguru feels more than sees Satoru nod, brush dragging in a soothingly repetitive motion. He can hardly feel it stutter when it encounters a clump of tangles, instead smoothly breaking through them before moving onto the next section. "So soft," Satoru muses, reminding Suguru that the other is only able to brush his hair so skillfully because there was a time he loved it enough to learn how. "Pretty."

To this, Suguru can't think of any response, so he simply hums in acknowledgment and closes his eyes as he savors the sensation of Satoru's fingers and the brush running through his hair to detangle it. Devastatingly, Suguru realizes this might be the last time Satoru brushes his hair. He chases the thought away before it can devolve into something worse.

"All done," Satoru murmurs into his ear, resting his chin on his shoulder and smiling at him through the mirror. Suguru stares at himself as well, looking better than he has in months, and hates how much fucking easier it is to care for himself when it's for Satoru. "Want me to put it up?"

"Do whatever you want," Suguru tells him, smiling faintly at the way Satoru's eyes positively glisten before he positions himself behind Suguru and begins playing with his hair once again. Suguru's tired enough that he might fall asleep standing up from the comforting sensations tickling his scalp. Satoru could do Suguru's hair in the most ridiculous style and Suguru wouldn't care because he feels so warm and fuzzy.

All good things must come to an end, though, and Suguru can't help but let out a mournful sigh when Satoru tosses the braid over his shoulder, retracts his hands, and declares, "Done!"

Suguru's hand rises, feeling over the curves and loops of his neatly braided hair—it's done so it naturally rests over his left shoulder. Satoru's usually on his left, so he probably intentionally braided that way just so he has easier access to play with it. Judging by the grin plastered on his lips and the way his eyes keep darting between his face and his hair, that's exactly what's going on. Suguru's happy to know he can still read Satoru just as well as he could a year ago.

"Thank you, Satoru," he says with a warm smile, and Satoru's eyes widen for a moment before his expression melts into a matching wide beam as well.

"Welcome, Suguru! To Takeshita street?"

"Sure, Satoru."

It's only when the two of them are over halfway there that Suguru realizes Satoru successfully managed to get him out of his room in his pajamas as well.

✧˖*°࿐

"They really have opened a lot of dessert places on this street," Suguru can't help but remark as the two of them sit on a bench eating their respective desserts. Satoru got a large container of melon-flavored kakigori drenched in condensed milk and buried in mochi that will most certainly have him complaining of a brain-freeze later. Suguru simply got a small red-bean filled taiyaki, taking occasional bites of Satoru's dessert when he offers it (i.e. forces it down his throat) to him.

"Right?" Satoru agrees, shoving a large spoonful into his mouth and humming happily. "It's like Heaven."

"Is the only required constituent for your version of Heaven the existence of sweets?" Suguru chuckles, taking as tiny of a bite as he can without looking finical. As much as he wants to enjoy this final day of reprieve, there's little he can do to quell his turbulent stomach. "You must be a simple man."

"Nuh-uh!" Satoru shakes his head quickly before bringing a spoonful up to Suguru's lips. He accepts, parting his lips and allowing the cool dessert to settle on his tongue. It quickly melts, saccharine sweetness momentarily taking over any other taste. "There's one more thing."

The last sentence comes out hushed, as though Satoru is uttering some mortal secret, and after a few moments of Satoru looking at him with an expression crossed between impish and expectant, Suguru leans in. "What is it?"

Satoru leans in as well, lips cool from the kakigori brushing against the shell of Suguru's ear as he whispers, "Suguru."

Then he leans back and goes back to happily humming and kicking his feet as he continues to eat his kakigori, leaving Suguru a blushing mess.

He parts his lips to say something but quickly shuts them because, well, what is he meant to say in response to that? Make a jab at how forward Satoru is with his flirtations? Try to reciprocate?

Instead, he takes a large bite of his taiyaki, larger than all of his previous nibbles combined. His jaw slowly works at the waffle-like dough and red bean, buying him more time to think of what he could possibly say. Or stew in the memory of Satoru's cold lips against his ear. Both work.

Satoru's eyes flicker to him behind his shades, scrunched from his wide teasing smile, and Suguru feels himself flush a deeper shade of crimson. He doesn't break the gaze, though, and the two of them merely stare at each other as they eat their desserts.

It's a bit of a strange scene from an outsider's perspective, watching two well over six feet tall men in pajamas stare at each other while emphatically chewing, but neither of them are thinking about anything but the other's eyes.

Despite Satoru having significantly more food than Suguru, they both finish their desserts at the same time. Suguru's eyes flit down to Satoru's upper lip, noticing a tiny smear of the kakigori. Without much thought, he swipes it away with his thumb, and when Satoru's large eyes stare up at him, an idea so obvious it must be written by a shojo author falls into his lap.

Suguru brings his thumb to his lips and licks the stray melted flavored ice before drying his thumb on a paper napkin, suggestive gaze never leaving Satoru. It's a reward how quickly Satoru's cheeks light up pink in time with the flavor of melon exploding on Suguru's tastebuds one last time.

When he returns from throwing away their trash, he wears a superior smirk over Satoru's pout. The flirting has turned into a game, and between the two of them, neither have been known to back down from a challenge, no matter how far it goes.

Which leaves room for a lot to happen.

"What's wrong, Satoru?" Suguru can't refrain from snickering as the two begin walking away from Takeshita street to nowhere in particular. "You're being awfully quiet."

Satoru lets out some sort of indignant noise, not so much as sparing Suguru a glance but reaching over to capture his braid in his hands—Suguru didn't have any doubt about his braid theory, but it's always gratifying to be proven right. His hands gently caress his silken hair, the very fingers that wove its plaits dancing over them, and one finger dips down to twirl the bottom section of hair beneath the hair tie around it before returning to play with the rest of his hair.

"Suguru," murmurs Satoru. His voice has something of a distant quality to it, like he isn't quite on this plain of existence. Suguru can't quite tell if it's a question, or if he's just saying his name.

So he responds with, "Satoru," saying nothing more and leaving Satoru to fill the void of silence if he so chooses.

He doesn't, and the two of them walk in silence that is perfectly balanced on a tightrope between comfortable and uncomfortable. Familiar yet tense, the two walk together, and their walk leads them to a park they used to hang around at. It's packed with people, considering it's Friday just before noon, and Suguru bitterly finds himself narrowing his eyes at the lack of cursed energy he senses from most of them.

The two of them lower themselves to sit at the base of a tree, shoulders brushing against each other as they take in the sight of all the people. Families having picnics on blankets, parents sitting at the tables and benches to watch their kids, most of them somewhere on the jungle gym but a girl with matching chesnut hair and eyes and a boy who is smiling at her so sappily it makes him think that must be how he looks at Satoru are playing in the sandbox.

"Suguru," he hears Satoru utter yet again, and this time he fully turns his head to face him.

"What is it, Satoru?"

"Why did you want to go out to today?"

The question catches him by surprise, though maybe it shouldn't because it's a completely rational question. "I don't know," he replies, looking into Satoru's vibrant aquamarines and hoping his six eyes fail to see his lie. "It's been a while since we've gone out, hasn't it?"

"But why now?" Satoru urges. "Why today? Why not months ago? Why all of a—” He cuts himself off, looking to the side and bringing his knees to his chest. "Why all of a sudden, Suguru?"

Suguru swallows hard. Satoru knows something is wrong. Satoru knows, because of course Satoru would know, because he's fucking Satoru.

Unfortunately for Satoru, Suguru knows him just as well, which means he knows just how to focus his lie to exploit his emotions to rid any of his suspicions.

"Both of us were busy, and for a bit, I thought it was maybe for the best." His tongue darts out to wet his lips. "But I missed you, Satoru."

As they say, the best lies are sprinkled with truth.

"Suguru…”

The cherry on top is Suguru's hand going to Satoru's cheek, cupping it gently and feeling the smooth skin beneath his calloused hand. Initiating the contact he is so used to receiving. Bringing his lips to Satoru's ear, pressing against it ever so lightly, and whispering, "I couldn't stand not seeing you any longer."

Suguru is an asshole. A manipulative, conniving asshole. He has never claimed to not be one.

It's just that the honeyed words that spill from his lips are so honest that it makes him want to kill himself for allowing Satoru's eyes to gleam with false hope.

And because he's being moved by emotions right now, guile so convincing he's moved himself, he whispers three words. Not the three words one would think, no—those are too embarrassing to admit out loud, no matter how emotional he may be. But the words he murmurs may be just as heart-wrenching.

"I need you."

Satoru's eyes sparkle brighter than the most refined sapphires, and Suguru knows he's going to hell when he receives Satoru's kiss. Not just receives, but utterly melts into it, soft lips moving against each other and hands holding each other steady.

"You have me," Satoru says firmly, those blues so certain it feels like a knife to Suguru's heart. "You have me, Suguru."

"Satoru," he speaks against his lips, going back in for another kiss but both of them freezing when they hear a child screaming. It makes them painfully aware that they're in the middle of a park during its busy hours, and they exchange a look before bursting into laughter. "We should get out of here, huh?"

"Yeah," Satoru cackles, taking Suguru's offered hand and looping arms with him once they're both standing. "Where to, Suguru?"

"Away," he says simply, moving back onto path and guiding Satoru away from the park. Where to, neither of them know once again, but today they have the certainty that wherever they go, they will be together.

✧˖*°࿐

They end up on some cliff a ways away from Jujutsu Tech when the sun begins to set. The day was well spent: grabbing lunch together, exorcising a few pesky low-grade curses, going to a clothing store and trying on some ridiculous outfits just for laughs, stealing a few kisses here and there, and finally making their way up to this cliff. They're in prime positioning for stargazing once the sun sets, cuddled up with each other and a pack of daifuku Satoru insisted on getting.

"Thank you for indulging me today, Satoru," Suguru says, hand idly feathering along his waist beneath his thin t-shirt.

A soft laugh escapes Satoru. "Like I didn't need it. I finally had a good excuse to take a break from working my ass off."

"Your good excuse is me?" Suguru deadpans.

"Exactly!"

"I fail to see the logic."

"You don't have to because it worked!" Satoru nuzzles against his neck, long lashes fluttering against Suguru's skin. "I didn't say it earlier, Suguru, but I missed you, too."

It's Suguru's turn to laugh. "I figured as much."

There's something about staring up at the ever-darkening sky with his one and only curled up at his side that fills him with bittersweet melancholy, and his breath catches as he whispers, "Satoru?"

"Yeah?"

"You deserve the world."

Satoru blinks somewhat owlishly before smiling up at him, radiant in the way the sun is after a cruel, harsh winter. "I don't need the world as long as I have Suguru."

Suguru's lips press into a tight smile, and he brings his hand down to find Satoru's and interlace their hands. They fit together perfectly—lock and key, pieces of a puzzle, whatever overused sappy analogy fits. Suguru and Satoru. Satoru and Suguru.

Maybe Suguru should stay. Just for moments like these with Satoru.

It stings because if this was what it all was, Suguru could envision himself resisting the urge to defect from jujutsu society. If he knew at the end of every tumultuous day, Satoru was waiting for him with open arms, he might be tempted to stay.

But he isn't, and that's because of the state of current jujutsu society. That's Suguru's purpose, the very thing he wants to fix.

In the future, there might be two kids who unequivocally love each other the way he and Satoru do. They deserve to be able to revel in that love instead of fighting for their lives. God knows Suguru would love to pass this job on to someone else and enjoy a peaceful life with Satoru if he could.

As things stand, though, he can't. If he stays, nothing gets better. They perpetuate the cycle of meaningless early death, of no rest for the strong, of sorcerers sacrificing themselves for monkeys that elicit their demise.

If he stays, he and Satoru still don't get a happy, domestic future because society is still shit and if no one else is going to do anything about it, Suguru will.

"Satoru," he breathes more than says, face buried in his hair as tears brim his eyes. "Satoru. Satoru."

"Suguru?" Satoru attempts to look up, but Suguru holds him fast.

"I want to stay like this forever." If he raises his voice even slightly, he fears it may crack. "I don't want tomorrow to come."

"Suguru…" Satoru worms his way out of Suguru's tight hold, repositioning so now it is Satoru cradling Suguru instead of the other way around. When he takes his face in his hands oh so gently, a single tear slides down his cheek, and when Satoru wipes it away with a bitter smile, more follow in its wake. "I know, Suguru. I know."

Suguru doesn't cry much. He doesn't judge others for crying, but it's just not something that has ever helped him alleviate any difficult emotions. It just makes his head hurt, his vision watery, his sinuses clogged.

But Suguru would sob for an eternity if it meant Satoru would be here to console him.

"Shh." Satoru's hands undo the braid to soothingly and uninhibitedly play with his hair, and Suguru releases his instinct to repress his sobs because fuck, this is going to be the last time they get to have this beautiful thing they have and Suguru knows he's never going to find anything better because who could be better than Satoru? "It's okay, Suguru. It'll be a while until we can do this again, but it's not like this is going to be the last time we see each other, right?"

Poor Satoru.

Poor, poor Satoru, because he doesn't know that this is the last time. If they see each other again after this, they'll be enemies because Satoru has a heart of gold and is too good to do something like join Suguru in his endeavors, and Suguru can't stay. In another life, Suguru believes they don't have to have a last time and they just get to be happy together, but in this one, that's simply not a possibility.

"I think you're my soulmate," Suguru croaks out as he stares at Satoru, not even bothering to hide his disinterest in the stars above.

"I know you're mine," Satoru returns with a beaming smile. Suguru chokes on his tears again at the lack of hesitation with which Satoru says it, at the overwhelming trust he has that he'll definitely never see again in this lifetime.

A week later, Suguru Geto officially defects from jujutsu society, unnecessarily killing all one-hundred-twelve villagers to save two little girls and being branded as a curse-user with an order to be killed on sight.

A bit after that, poor Satoru confronts Suguru one final time. Neither of them cry, but it's a damn close thing. Satoru, because he just doesn't understand. Suguru, because he knows he's irreparably damaged their bond. Satoru's hysterical, and Suguru forces himself to be stoic lest his resolve be swayed by the one person who has the power to do so. They part ways, and no one needs to know it, but a single tear escapes Suguru's eye as he walks away. This time, there is no Satoru to wipe it for him.

Ten years later, despite Suguru's countless crimes that he feels no remorse over, Satoru kneels and whispers the words Suguru was too embarrassed to say but so desperately wanted to when they were students together. Suguru blushes, a feat considering his profuse bleeding, and laughs heartily. He thought Satoru's resentment would've eclipsed his feelings for him by now, but clearly, he underestimated Satoru's love for him.

They must be soulmates, to love each other so twistedly.

Suguru accepts his defeat graciously, goading Satoru and trying to get him to kill him faster if not to make the burden a little lighter. He pokes fun at how his lip trembles, the glassiness of his eyes, the shake in his voice.

"If you don't kill me, I might bleed out," Suguru chuckles deliriously.

Satoru falls to his knees, eyes screwed up with poorly concealed emotion as he presses his hand flat over his heart. "Suguru." He stares at him with so much intensity that Suguru can't do anything but pay rapt attention, even as his vision phases in and out. "I love you, got that?"

"You already said that." He grins tiredly at Satoru. "Or did you forget?"

"I need to make sure you know."

"I know, don't worry." His strained smirk softens, and it takes an effort, but he manages to focus his gaze on Satoru, staring into those beautiful azures he fell for long ago. "I love you, too."

Something in Satoru seems to lighten, expression lifting ever so slightly. "We'll find each other in our next lives, yeah?"

"Yeah," Suguru agrees, eyelids fluttering over his eyes as he grows weaker from the blood loss. "That was always the plan."

Satoru is strong, not allowing a single tear to fall as he takes the life of his best friend, his lover, his one and only. It's quick and painless, he made sure, and despite being the one to finish him off, he still checks for a pulse. He wants to throw up when he feels nothing, but he needs to stay strong for Yuuta and everyone else who has fought so hard.

Suguru and Satoru's souls have always been connected. Not just linked, but deeply intertwined with each other. No matter the universe, no matter how their story ends, these two will find each other and love each other until the end.

Satoru won't tell anyone this, but he yearns for the day he dies so he can finally be with Suguru again. And maybe—no, without a doubt—Suguru is waiting for him, too.

[voxofthevoid]

Writing Log: January 2025

Unlike usual, I only wrote for like half of this month. Zero regrets because I had one hell of a vacation instead! Of what I did write, the bulk is my current sukuita+goyuu AU, but I did stray to write over 10k of canon-divergent kenita, with a far greater focus on the incest angle than my last (and only, so far) fic for that ship. I'll add it to the hole mission collection when I post it, but first, I need to write the sukuita one that won the last hole mission poll.

the mouth of the wolf, the eyes of the lamb [JJK, sukuita and goyuu; Yuuji moves into a small isolated town after his grandpa’s death and acquires a demon fixated on him as well as a demon hunter more interested in him than in the demon]: 35,487

he makes of womb an altar [JJK, kenita; in the Itadori household, a dinner conversation about Yuuji’s first kiss turns into a live demonstration of the importance of safe sex.]: 10,343

Total: 28,080

No. of writing days: 15

Total JJK word count: 1,224,542

I'm really hoping to finish mouth of the wolf this month, but there will be a stretch in the middle where I'll be kinda busy, so we'll see.

I went most of January without acquiring any new ideas and then got slammed with three in the last week—as always, it's @nearalways' fault.

Gojou/Yuuji: Yuuji uses Blood Manipulation to sound Gojou, who finds that he’s really into getting his dick fucked.

Gojou/Yuuji: A bad ending AU where Megumi doesn’t regain the will to live after Yuuji resolves to kill him alongside Sukuna; foreign governments knowing about sorcerers has long-lasting consequences; and Yuuji learns what it is to become a weapon and a monster. 

Gojou/Yuuji: Fem!goyuu no-powers infidelity fic in which fifteen-year-old Yuuji meets her married science teacher in a lesbian bar neither of them should be in. Predictable bad decisions are made, over and over.

But I also did strike two ideas off my plot bunny list:

Gojou/Yuuji: Yuuji faints after eating the second finger in the crematorium and wakes up as a freshly executed version of himself, while the Gojou of the past!timeline starts getting visions from his future self who sent Yuuji’s soul there.

Gojou/Yuuji: Omegaverse-canonverse alpha/alpha where becoming Sukuna’s vessel triggers Yuuji’s rut early, a couple of days after he’s accepted into Jujutsu Tech, and since the higher-ups aren’t willing to risk Sukuna’s vessel losing control during that hormonal mess, Gojou volunteers to help him through it.

The time travel one is kinda redundant now thanks to #2 in the new idea list above—it handles the concept in a more in-depth and interesting way. I struck out the omegaverse one because it was my very first JJK idea—serpent tongue came after—and it shows. There are fun bits in it, but most of them can be tackled in my many other alpha/alpha ideas. Plus, the anniversary project tackles this one briefly.

So the plot bunny count is now 117—still one more than what I started the year with 😂

[mxtxfanatic]

Was thinking about how often I see reactionary pro-Jiang Cheng content, and I just realized something: jc stans, just like their fav, believe that every good thing Wei Wuxian has—whether loved ones or good memories or admirable characteristics or character growth, whether canon or fanon—is actually the rightful property of Jiang Cheng that Wei Wuxian “stole” from him through the sin of existing, and it is their sworn duty to correct this “oversight” of canon.

Wei Wuxian gets his happily ever after with the love of his life, so jc stans give Jiang Cheng Lan Xichen and call Lan Wangji “second place.” Or they make Lan Wangji a cheater because “he actually likes Jiang Cheng more (who doesn’t, amiright?)” or Wei Wuxian a cheater because “he can never appreciate a good thing like Jiang Cheng can.” People point out how Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang seem to have had a closer relationship than Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng, so jc stans make the latter two a ship or make them the bestest friends ever that bond over being annoyed with Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian has a close relationship with the Wen siblings, so jc stans make Wen Qing spend all their time together saying that Jiang Cheng “was right” about him while Wen Ning is being “bullied” into being “anti-jc.”

Wei Wuxian is canonically smart and driven, so jc stans say that he is lazy while Jiang Cheng is hardworking. Wei Wuxian is canonically charismatic, so jc stans say that it was actually Jiang Cheng who was loved by all the disciples and is the sole reason the Jiang Clan of the present was able to pull in new disciples post-fall. Wei Wuxian loves to learn, so jc stans say that Jiang Cheng was actually a model student being sabotaged by the slovenly Wei Wuxian.

People imagine the Lan as accepting Wei Wuxian post-canon or imagine aus where the Lan adopt him as a child, so jc stans make Jiang Cheng the adopted Lan child, who Lan Qiren now likes better than his own nephews. People write Nie!wwx, so jc stans write about how “actually” Nie Mingjue sees Jiang Cheng as the brother he never had and views Wei Wuxian as an unwanted nuisance and competition. People make the most batshit ooc au where the QishanWen are actually good and adopt Wei Wuxian, and jc stans turn that into actually, the Jiang siblings are adopted while Wei Wuxian stays with the “totally horrible, abusive” father in Yunmeng. Fucking Baoshan Sanren descends from her mountain to look for her martial grandson, and jc stans will shove Jiang Cheng into the narrative as a disciple because “he’s just so lovable!” In all of these cases, some will still imagine that Wei Wuxian still gets left on the streets as a petty afterthought.

Shit, even some of the BAD things that happen to Wei Wuxian canonically are misappropriated by jc stans to give Jiang Cheng unearned sympathy. Wei Wuxian was whipped as a child? Now Jiang Cheng was too, but also his dad hates him. Wei Wuxian is an orphan who creates his own family in adulthood? Jiang Cheng is now disowned/an unloved runaway who later finds his people because who wouldn’t want him (amiright?). Wei Wuxian was at risk of losing his golden core completely in the transfer if it failed? Well Jiang Cheng was going to DIE! “See? Look how much harder Jiang Cheng’s life was than that pathetic attention whore Wei Wuxian! Doesn’t he deserve all the things Wei Wuxian has? Aren’t they rightfully his???”

And it’s like, you can’t even escape into fan content with this type of mentality, because look out how much I mentioned is popular fanon. Notice how ubiquitous these ideas are surrounding anything to do with Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng, even if only one of them is mentioned. No matter what anyone reads in the novel, no matter what individuals come up with in their own heads, no matter what tag or platform is used or not used to keep it out of their hands, jc stans will be there to create a reactionary counterpart to prove that nothing, nothing can ever just be Wei Wuxian’s. Because at the end of the day, the “oversight” that jc stans want to correct isn’t Jiang Cheng’s supposed depreciation by the author. The “oversight” was the author daring to say that Wei Wuxian deserves to be treated as his own person and not Jiang Cheng’s personal property. And every fandom interaction has been retaliation towards that fact.

The main character of the novel is relegated to mere a lightning rod that exists to attract all of Jiang Cheng’s bad qualities while injecting him with all of Wei Wuxian’s good, but jc stans wonder why people are upset.

[afrsconp]

Rewatching more older episodes and just noticed that Isaac actually gets the idea to propose to Nigel from Trevor (and to a lesser extent, Thor).

He asks them for advice after Sass, Flower and Nancy help him understand why Nigel was upset about the daybed. Thor recounts a story about taking a risk, and Trevor says that relationships that don't move forward end up dying. Isaac then asks him if he ever moved in with anyone, and Trevor says he almost did once, but she wanted to get engaged first. And you see Isaac's eyes light up at that - he clearly thinks proposing marriage is the solution to everything.

(It's also worth noting that Isaac's reluctance to cohabitate seems to stem from his own insecurity, and not that Nigel is moving too fast. He says, 'What if things go south? I will be heartbroken for eternity!' Implying that he's worried that Nigel will leave him heartbroken, which is interesting given that he's the one who ended up doing exactly that to Nigel.)

Anyway, it got me thinking: nearly all of the decisions Isaac makes about his relationship with Nigel are due to someone else's influence. Not necessarily always in a bad way, but still. Confessing to killing him - Sam. Confessing his feelings - Hetty and Jenkins (indirectly). Kissing him - all the ghosts, but especially Sass and Pete. Marriage: Trevor and Thor. Breaking up: Pete. I think the only significant choice he makes without outside influence is asking Nigel to move into the mansion.

He almost never makes a decision based purely on his own thoughts and feelings, which in retrospect makes him calling off the wedding seem pretty much inevitable, especially after Pete makes that speech about Donna.

So if he and Nigel do get back together, I think the only way it would feel satisfying to me is if Isaac makes that decision on his own, for himself and Nigel specifically, and due to his own self-reflection. Which tbh I don't think the show will give me, lol. But even if the canon disappoints me, I still love the idea of them so so much and will continue to ship it and hope for some kind of happy ending.

[skellymom]

Hey Skelly

You're taking requests? Oh I'd love to ask for one.

Could you please do a one-shot involving a reader and Hunter after Omega gets seriously injured on a mission (Bad enough to wind up in a Bacta Pod) and the reader has to comfort and reassure Hunter that Omega will be OK?

tysm, GenericFicer Hugs

@genericficerblog NICE! Another ASK!!! Thank you!

"THE INCIDENT"

The Bad Batch Hunter x Reader One Shot

Per more information (not included on this particular message):

So the reader is a male battle medic. It's all platonic The reader was a medic on Kamino. He had taken care of Omega after particularly bad tests (She has the scars to prove it) and he's protective of Omega because of her past with the Kaminoans

Word Count: 2.1K

Warning: Star Wars canon violence, angst, swearing, explosion, physical injuries, coma, mention of human experimentation by the Kaminoans.

I was tasked to hang back with Omega and Tech on board the Marauder. Hunter EXPRESSLY ordered us to stay put. His thinking was to only bring the members necessary for the job: Hunter at the head of the group, Echo next to him and to share logistics on comm with Tech, Wrecker as the “heavy”, and Crosshair as lookout/cover fire. 

The job was technically low risk...but Hunter started having those “feelings” of his just before landing at our target.  

Omega protested when he told her to stay on the ship. She had been looking forward to going on a mission for awhile. Many a time she stayed behind on Pabu with Shep and Lyana. Since her rescue from Tantiss, Hunter was dead set against her going on any dangerous missions. 

Hunter’s words were “You’ll have plenty of time to fight with the Rebellion in the future. Won’t stay young forever.” 

She bristled at those words. Then forgave him immediately after. 

They LOVE each other so much! 

But ever the doting dad, Hunter relented this time. She had eventually wore him down. 

Oh...getting ahead of myself...who am I? 

Hello. I’m Y/N. The Squad Formerly Known as Clone Force 99’s Medic/Backup Heavy/Or Whatever They Need Me For. I can patch up just about ANYTHING with the bare minimum of supplies. Sometimes my methods are unorthodox, per Tech’s opinion, but effective.  It’s saved our butts a few times. So, they let me come along on every mission. 

Plus, having known and taken care of Omega while on Kamino helped. 

And the fact that Crosshair took a liking to me immediately sealed the deal. We both speak fluent sarcasm. 

But...back to the mission... 

“What’s taking SO LONG?” Omega fidgeted in her seat. 

“My guess it is due to Hunter detecting an anomaly, they are taking their time.”  

Tech and I were attempting to play a few rounds of Sebacc. I’m HORRIBLE at it. He thinks he can help me improve my game. I’m struggling currently. 

“Safety first. No need to rush into trouble...especially since we seem to find it easily enough.” I threw down my cards. 

Tech glanced at them and frowned.  

“I totally messed up that hand too, huh?” 

“Well, it’s not a strategy I would have used...” Tech trailed off. 

“You’re being too nice.” 

“Shall I explain in detail the best plan of action for this hand?” 

“Can’t stop you. Just infodump me anyways. Maybe I’ll retain SOMETHING this time.” I LOVE to tease Tech. It was difficult in the beginning. Most of it just went over his head. 

This time, he just grinned at my cheekiness and launched into it. 

Omega continued to fidget in her seat behind us. 

“...and THAT is why you should have held onto those cards until the end.” Tech finally finished his tutorial. 

“I... THINK I got all that? My brain hurts now. How ‘bout I switch with Omega.” 

“That will be sufficient.” Tech looks up and glances behind me. 

Then his face froze. 

I quickly swung around to see Omega missing from her seat. 

“OMEGA???” I called through the ship.  

Nothing. 

“Oh SHIT!” 

“INDEED!” Tech immediately radioed Hunter that Omega slipped out of the Marauder and is probably enroute to them. 

I grabbed my med pack and ran out of the Marauder before he could stop me. 

Omega used to sneak away A LOT on our previous missions. Probably one of many reasons why he wanted to keep her back on Pabu until she matured a bit more. Of course, he feels guilty...the Kaminoan’s keeping her locked up in their home world. He didn’t want to clip her wings.  

“TOLD YOU to stay on the ship!” Hunter’s voice fills my ear comm. 

“I can’t just assume that Omega finds you somehow and is safe.” 

“Don’t need ANOTHER person in danger. Go back to the ship.” 

“Well...is Omega with you?” 

“...no.” 

“She SHOULD have been by now...AND I’m NOT going back.” 

Hunter’s tired sigh. “Well, then... 

He never finished his sentence. 

A flash of intense light... 

I awoke thirty feet away from where I was standing. On my back. 

My head hurts...all I can hear is high pitched whine in both ears. 

Sit up dazed and look around at EVERYTHING obliterated and on fire. 

Torn remains of whatever was left of the trees and outbuilding I was near... 

...two small legs sticking out from under smoldering wreckage. 

I lurch up to my feet and limp over. Grab the unidentifiable thing crushing Omega and try to pull it off her. 

It’s not budging. I frantically keep trying. There's NOTHING else in this world except me and this huge THING on top of her that I cannot seem to move. 

Sweating, my hands are raw, my eyes are wet, there is blood dripping down my face... 

Is it lacerated? Could it be my eardrums are ruptured? I don’t know.  

I just know I HAVE TO GET THIS THING OFF OF HER! 

Push, pull, kick... 

Then the wreckage flew off her like it weighed nothing at all. 

Wrecker is next to me. He freed Omega and put a hand on my shoulder. Hunter grabs her up. Echo is trying to speak to me. 

But I can’t hear anything at all. Just that damned whining in my ears.  

I can lip read though... 

He’s telling me to get back to the ship. 

Echo runs ahead with Hunter.  

Crosshair grabs my arm, dragging me along. He looks extremely worried. 

Whatever happened or if we even achieved our objective, I don’t know. 

Hunter sets Omega down on a bunk. He’s beside himself emotionally.  

I can feel the Marauder take off world.  

My hearing is still impaired, but the whining is less pronounced. 

I gently nudge Hunter aside and open my med kit. Pull out the bacta...but it won’t be enough... 

...she needs a tank. Her burns and lacerations are too numerous and severe. Still breathing and regular heartbeat, but unconscious.  

I am doing the best I can with what supplies are on hand. Putting her prognosis out of my head for the time being. 

We make a pit stop at a Rebel Base on a hidden moon. One with an extensive medical facility.  

Echo radioed ahead. As soon as Tech lands, the staff enters the ship and whisks Omega away. Hunter and Wrecker run after them. Echo runs in another direction...I’m assuming to report his intel to the Rebels. 

I stand at the bottom of the gangplank and watch them leave.  

Tech stares at me strangely.  

I shrug...and a horrible twinge of pain erupts from my upper back. My face feels sore too. 

Crosshair mumbles something. 

“WHAT???” I must be screaming but can’t hear anything. 

He mouths “your back” and points.  

I try to reach behind me to feel it.  

Tech grabs my hand and nods “no”. 

They both immediately took me to medbay. 

I’m treated for multiple facial lacerations, on top of first-degree burns. Missing some of my eyebrows. And, like I guessed bilaterial ruptured eardrums. 

Oh...and the kicker: A 12-inch piece of metal sticking out of my back. Had NO idea it was there.  

Adrenaline is a HELL of a hormone. 

Tech left to confer with Echo over intel and our next move. 

Crosshair stayed with me during the surgical removal of the metal. I demanded to be awake and requested a mirror to watch the whole procedure. 

The doctors were horrified but complied with my request. 

Crosshair held the mirror. He also asked to keep the metal once removed...to frame and hang up back on Pabu. 

“You're NOT like the other kids.” I quip. 

“Neither are you.” he winks. 

They won’t let me walk out of medbay. It’s the sedatives and painkillers, of course. I wouldn’t let me walk, either.  

Crosshair pushes me in a hover chair. We head over to the bacta tanks to check on Omega. 

She’s stripped down to a medical binder and med panties. Tubes to feed, breath, and eliminate. Floating in the tank, the extent of her injuries is very apparent: Second degree burns, multiple lacerations, a broken arm, a few broken ribs, and a head injury. Her hair had been clippered off entirely for cleanliness and most of it was charred.  

Omega was also put in a medically induced coma to aide her recovery. 

Hunter, sitting in a chair, has his arms around the bacta tank. He’s basically hugging it with his forehead resting snugly against the glass. 

“I shouldn’t have let her go. Blame myself.” He mumbles. 

Wrecker puts a hand on his back for comfort. “She’ll be ok Hunter. They said we got her here in time.”   

Then he looks shocked when he sees my face. 

“OH MY MAKER! Where are your EYEBROWS?” 

Still can’t hear very well, but I can DEFINITELY lip-read Wrecker. 

“Look what medical pulled out of him!” Crosshair proudly dangles a clear plastic bag containing the metal shard. 

Wrecker is transfixed. 

Hunter is devastated. “I MISSED that??? Didn’t even register you were injured...looked right at you...” 

Like a man lost and questioning EVERYTHING. His focus had been solely on Omega. 

“Aw...they couldn’t kill me. Don’t think I’ll be attracting any ladies with my perpetually surprised look though.” Trying to lighten the mood. 

“You can’t hear ANYTHING, can you?” Crosshair looks me in the eye. 

“Barely...why?” 

“You’re so LOUD.”  

“You should talk, Wrecker.” Crosshair sneered. 

“That’s how I know!” Wrecker rolled his eyes at his brother. 

Hunter looked even more guilty, hanging his head. 

“Hey guys...” 

Wrecker and Crosshair stopped whinging at each other. 

“Can I have some time alone with Hunter?” 

They both nodded and wandered off to find Echo and Tech. 

I nudge the chair over closer to Hunter and look at Omega through the glass. 

She’s so tiny in that big tank. So beat up and bruised. The lighting in the tank leaves NOTHING hidden. Even the old scars from her time on Kamino. The “experiments” according to the Kaminoans. Things they did to her before her brothers took her away.  

Things she never really spoke about with even Hunter. 

Things I only know about since working so closely at the facility on Kamino. A little girl who needed someone to comfort her. This was before her brothers were ever aware of her presence. 

“Her prognosis is very good, yes?” I broke the ice. 

“The docs say she’ll have to spend close to the next month in this tank.” Hunter’s voice cracked. 

“It wasn’t your fault.” 

“I knew better! Why is it SO HARD for me to say no to her???” 

“Because you love her. You know she’s strong. You also know she’s still a child. If it makes you feel better, she snuck out ALL the time on Kamino. The Kaminoan’s would ask me to go look for her constantly.” 

“More of an argument to have left her on Pabu.” 

“You REALLY want to be at fault, huh?” 

“I’m responsible for...” 

I cut him off. 

“YOU CAN’T CONTROL EVERYTHING, HUNTER!” I winced. Moving too much with my exasperation. The sutures on my back were straining...and wet. 

Hunter stood up, glancing at my back. He could smell it. 

“Strike through?” I asked. 

“Yeah...just a little blood. You need to lie down and rest.” 

“That’s gonna be hard. Not supposed to lay on my back...and my face isn’t going to feel great against the pillow. How about I just stay sitting in this chair with you?” 

“You sure?” 

“Yeah. I know you don’t want to leave her alone while she’s in this tube.” 

"Thank you. Honestly...I should say that more often. Y/N...you've really saved our butts a lot of times...I'm grateful to have you in our squad...family." Hunter cracked a small smile.

"Of course! Man...you are MY PEOPLE!" I beamed back. They really are. I'd go to the ends of the universe for every one of them!!!

Hunter's smile was so warm and genuine. But it lasted very briefly. His face became pensive again.

He was silent for a while...thinking. 

“Technically she’s asleep? Is that what a coma is like?” Hunter asked. 

“Kind of. The doctors are monitoring ALL her vitals constantly. And if anything is off, they can immediately see to her needs. Besides, the coma is just for the next 24-48 hours due to her head injury.”  

“I see.” 

“She’ll come through this. You clones were made to withstand a LOT of physical trauma. Stuff that would kill a regular human.” I added. 

“It’s not necessarily the physical stuff I’m worried about.” Hunter motions to the faint old scars on Omega’s body. “When she does wake up...she told me she has fears about being in a tube like an experiment.” 

“Tell her she has nothing to fear.” 

Hunter looks at me strangely. 

“People in a coma can still hear. Talk to her, Hunter.” 

He nods. Then directs his voice to the speaker on the bacta tube. 

I sit back and relax in the chair, watching this man...a brother, a parental figure speak to his child. 

He’s doing the best he can with what he has. 

We are all doing the best we can... 

...hanging on with HOPE. 

It’s the only thing holding the galaxy together right now... 

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[mantequillamcwhoremick]

Is there a both option? I mean the question is how far would Cartman go and risk alienating Kenny and I think the answer is quite a lot and the track record really shows that he can get away with basically anything and not get disavowed from the friend group 🤔 so there isn’t really a disincentive to not try to break them up, especially if he thinks they will eventually get over it and return to status quo.

Though on the other hand I do think it could go the route where depending on what lengths he goes to…while it might not permanently sour any relationship Cartman has with the two boy separately, but I couldn’t say the same with complete confidence for the Kenny and Butters connection. I think if any dysfunction starts interfering with Cartman’s schemes, he might get fed up and try to fix it somewhat 🤔 Although somewhat as a side note though he already spews vitriolic hate speech and slurs, I would have a hard time believing he wouldn’t find some way to take advantage of the Bunny relationship and be more embolden to start saying even darker more heinous stuff because he believes he would receive less push back as *insert sound bite “How can I be homophobic my b*tch is gay🎶” *

(In reference to this poll)

True, Cartman would definitely take advantage of his friends being in a gay relationship to get out of any accusations of homophobia just to spew even more homophobic crap, but while Kenny is arguably closest to him out of the main 4, I kinda feel like he doesn't need KENNY to be the friend he takes advantage of bc of this. He would just as much say this about Stan and Kyle (even if they aren't even together lmao) and he is pretty much canonically 1000% on board with THEM being in a gay relationship (see "Cupid Me" and "Guitar Queero").

Some people reblogged the poll with some interesting takes, and I gotta say what convinced me the most is the fact that Cartman just kinda has it out for Butters at all times lmao. I'm convinced he would think that Kenny can do better, and especially if Kenny started calling Cartman out on how he treats Butters, he'd think Butters is "corrupting" Kenny and trying to ruin his and Kenny's BFF-ship.

The way he reacted in concern about Kenny's girlfriend being a slut who would just "throw his heart in his face" in the episode "The Ring" has me convinced, that Cartman somewhat weirdly cares about Kenny's relationships, and not just in a self-serving way. This isn't in an attempt to alienate Kenny, but rather alienate the potential partner, and we've seen a LOT of instances in which Cartman does not have any qualms about painting Butters as the bad guy and/or someone to be made fun of.

As much as I'd love to advocate for some kind of compassion Cartman could express for Butters, their friendship is just not built on that. Butters and Cartman get along well enough, but only as long as Butters goes along with everything Cartman says. Once he goes against it, Cartman either goes LIVID or completely dismisses/invalidates his concerns. Some good episode where you can conclude this, are "Let Them Eat Goo", "The Death of Eric Cartman", "DikinBaus Hotdogs", "Poor and Stupid", "The Magic Bush", "Tegridy Farms", "Super Fun Time" and about a hundred more, but when I think of Butters & Cartman's friendship these are the ones that first come to mind.

The only instances where he kind of seems to care about Butters' distress in small ways are in "The Magic Bush" and briefly in "Super Fun Time", but it's not significant enough to qualify for the genuine respect I see him show Kenny (or even Stan). I can write a whole essay about the nuance of Cartman and Butters' friendship, but that's for some other time. In short: Cartman really likes having Butters do whatever he says, and Butters doesn't even need to do anything particularly defiant for Cartman to start putting him down (ex. the ending of the "The Death of Eric Cartman" episode.) If Kenny, who is Cartman's weird soft spot, started going against Cartman in favor of Butters, whose established dynamic with Cartman completely benefits him, I can imagine that this would rub Cartman the wrong way.

I could be convinced though, that once Cartman realizes how sad it made Kenny, if (thanks to one of Cartman's schemes) his and Butters' relationship were to not work out, Cartman would begrudgingly take some kind of pity on Kenny (and maybe even Butters) and recognize that being together is what makes them both happy. He then would do another scheme that gets them back together, and "Smug Alert"-esque not want them to know that it's thanks to him hahahh

So yeah, it could be kind of "both", but, in my humble opinion, only AFTER Cartman damages their relationship almost beyond repair in an attempt to keep them apart. Which is why I, personally, would still go for the "manipulative-anti-matchmaker" option. But I purposely didn't add a "both" option bc most people would go for that without thinking it over too much lmao

Thank you so much for the ask anon, sorry for taking so long to respond but you truly made me think about this a lot ahaha this kinda turned into an analysis of the trio more than an answer to your ask, I hope you don't mind. You made my braincells fire off