#at the end of the day you guys can do whatever because they’re just fictional characters

[isekeyah]

So I don’t really ship Ghoap and instead lean toward some pretty unconventional, out-there ships for both these characters (individually) and am the type who cooks up smth like shipping Erika (Barbie) with Soap as well. That said, I enjoy some Ghoap art / fics, and I genuinely think the people creating ship content are incredibly talented. I fully support the ways you choose to enjoy your fandom experience. Anyone who harasses you for liking Ghoap can fuck off.

That being said, some of the behavior in the community really rubs me the wrong way. The whole “if two male characters express care, affection, or emotions toward one another, they must automatically be gay and romantically/sexually involved” trope is getting old. And the hatred toward female characters (canon ones like Mara or even original characters) just because they might “get in the way” of a ship that isn’t even canon? It’s immature and nasty. No one’s “erasing” a gay ship that doesn’t exist. The fandom’s tendency to hyper-prioritize male characters (minus Gaz because the fandom do be racist asf, even in shipping) while tearing down female ones reeks of misogyny. Like, why else would you be so pressed over the idea of Ghost for example being with a woman? The outright dismissal of anything remotely straight or involving women is not okay.

Also, the way some of you dumb down and oversimplify Soap’s character is disrespectful as hell. He’s a highly trained special forces soldier in the elite SAS. He’s also very intelligent—he’d have to be, considering his expertise in demolitions, which requires sharp mathematical and scientific skills. The UK’s equivalent (idk what it is) to something like the US’s ASVAB would show this man scoring through the roof; I don’t care, Soap would’ve scored high. And yet, people reduce him to some uwu, ditzy sweetheart who can’t function without Ghost, like his entire existence is just to be shipped with him (or other characters). He’s a fully realized character, not a one-dimensional accessory to someone else’s story who slobbers over Ghost like some empty-headed dog chasing a bone. Like wtf.

[shashapato]

Nevermore High School AU

For @cerealman ‘s 🤫🤫🤫🤫…secret santa present…😱🤫😬

(Merry Christmas!!!! Hoping this will make your day!!!)

HIGH SCHOOL AU

Lenore is a huge chemistry lover. She and Duke would be neutralising acids and bases at the back of the classroom then betting a ridiculous amount of money that the other won’t drink it. (Pluto has just given up stopping them and just began quietly handing Duke whatever he needs while half-listening to the lecture half-trying to make sure his friends don’t die.)

The misfits (COUGH COUGH Lenore COUGH) have probably set a fire by accident while teasing each other. 🥰 They all got in trouble.

Berenice wants to see blood under the microscope, but uhhhh, no one wants her cutting herself (or someone else).

Eulalie refuses to do dissections. FROGS ARE FRIENDS.

Prospero and Annabel make the BEST notes and Ada is begging for them at the end of class. (Annie gives it, of course.)

Will takes notes for Monty, and when desperate, Ada asks (DEMANDS) for them. (Will says no. 🥰)

No, but Prospero would wash his hands maybe ten times when in the lab, whether it’s touching chemicals or organs or anything. (Germaphobia, yes. 😭)

Montresor is OBSESSED with dissections. He finds it super fascinating and of course, loves feeling mushy organs and blood on his hands. (When Prospero is paired with him, he forces Monty to wash his hands.)

Dodgeball when it’s boys vs girls, Lenore is protecting all the shy unathletic girls from getting hit, becoming a sort of ‘saviour’. All of them fall heads over heels for her. 😔

Berenice and Lenore are the power duo.

Duke and Pluto WISHES they could be half as good bruh.

Eulalie looks like she’s unathletic, but she is FAST.

Annabel insists she shouldn’t play dodgeball because her nails will get in the way. (She tosses a ball at Monty’s head later for being misogynistic about that.)

Ada in PE is WILD. She and Will are the most competitive unathletic goblins ever. While Will uses his thin stature to sneak around opponents, Ada straight up tackles him, using the excuse “Oh, but we’re playing football, aren’t we?” “Not American football, god’s sake!!!”

I’m sorry, but Monty playing football (idc which football) AHHHHHH. He and Will joined the school team together of course. (William Wilson only joined to be in the changing room with Monty.)

Morella is Ada’s personal shield, because Ada has ZERO awareness of her surroundings when she’s focused. Morella has to run and block balls from hitting her.

Annabel in English class writing ramblings about how much she loves Lenore, but plays it off as only ‘fiction’. (I’ve done that once, IT WORKS!!!)

Lenore takes French so she could communicate with Duke in secret. Pluto attempted to, but backed out after a few failed exams.

Pluto now takes Japanese and Eulalie is his tutor. 😔

Monty is the kind to refuse to learn any language other than English, because it’s the ‘superior language’. (He takes German lol, I can see him speaking German...but like he knows only random words and shouts them to feel smart.)

Ada sucks at foreign languages, but thinks she is fluent. She’s the student that yells out answers with the strangest accent. 😭

Ada and Monty are the couple that’s ALWAYS kissing, but they broke up like ten times then got back together so everyone’s just confused.

Annabel and Lenore pass notes in class and when asked to read it out, Lenore EATS THE PAPER.

Poor Will tries to make friends and always fail.

Duke and Pluto are the gayest ‘straight guys’. (People assume they’re straight, but… 👀)

Eulalie is the weird kid that when you get to know becomes your best friend.

Merry and Mourn are kind of the weird teachers. 😭 They give you detention for no reason and can be strict.

Anygays, thank you! :DDD This has been fun!!!

[gd-dollopole]

Could have destiny, and therefore Arthur’s death, really be avoided in Merlin? Or were things supposed to flow like that either way?

The first thought that struck me, as soon as the last episode ended, was the usual “what if?” that keeps this fandom alive, alongside the plethora of theories (that I like looking into and discuss) questions, answers and headcanons.

But no matter how many times I think about it, I personally believe that the answer to the question in the title is simply:

No.

It couldn’t.

The directors, no matter how many choices they made, that we could either think are wrong or not, had also made a wonderful job of deceiving us, but not really, and ending the show with a tragedy and a good fucking plot.

What is the plot, you may ask?

“You don’t choose destiny, destiny chooses you”,

and I think it’s brilliant.

First thing first, destiny:

The directors said: “Fuck it.” They tried everything they could do so that Merlin, at the end of the day, had only one choice. It is really an hard point to make, especially because we like to think that if Merlin had done something differently, things could have actually took another road, and yes, it could have, but it didn’t happen, because we needed an enemy in the show, and it was made on purpose. I like to think that the directors knew it would piss people off. It did. Great job, you guys, I still think about it after fifteen years.

Second thing, who’s the bad guy? (Uther)

What I mean by this, is that I’m asking this question to the main characters who the directors wanted us to believe they were objectively good, right, like Merlin, or Gaius, and even Arthur. How about, no one of them had to be completely good? It hurts less if the characters I just cited acted differently, like we oftentimes say of Merlin, but it’s fiction, and we wouldn’t have Tumblr to discuss it on, if they were all perfect, so why not give them some very bad flows? *cough* All the better if they’re murderers *cough*. Now, if it were reality, I too would have said: “Go to hell”, but it’s BBC Merlin, so let me have some fun.

Morgana is bad, Merlin could be too, Arthur even, also Gwen, Lancelot too, and all the wicked team we’ve got. Oh, especially the toilet they had instead of a king, the one and only Uther Pendragon. I even said that Gaius is bad, and offended Hunith of all people, so let’s get to my point. Merlin could have done things differently? Yes. But Morgana, too. Hell, also Arthur. The point of the TV show is the very, very bad choice Uther made of being a tyrant, so. Merlin could have told Morgana he had magic? Yep, but sometimes I believe Morgana had to be evil, so even if she could have become like that in another way, she made her own choice. She knew Merlin was a good person, who didn’t dislike her because of the magic, and still threatened him throughout all season three, causing chaos and death because she craved power and she was in a privileged position where she could do all these things. We like to blame Merlin and Gaius for how she turned out, but what about Gwen? Poor woman didn’t do anything, as much as breathing too hard near her mistress, and Morgana wanted her dead because she hated the idea that a woman like Gwen, who even if amazing and with so many skills, was just a peasant, and could get on her throne. Morgana made the choice to hate Gwen. Morgana made the choice to try and kill Arthur to take her throne, even when Arthur had no idea of what was happening. Heavy on her throne, because who said it was? By age, status, whatever, Uther appointed Arthur as the heir, and there is no changing that. (so, bad Morgana. See? She had to be, like, it was the director’s job)

“Merlin poisoned her.” He did, and isn’t that magnificent? We can see how it destroys both of them in their own ways. Why did they have to be good characters? Imagine how boring the show would have been, and now I wouldn’t be making a post about it at ten in the evening. Morgana chose Morgause. There is no discussing that. As soon as she saw she could take Arthur’s throne, she started doing the evil smirk every two seconds, accuse Gwen of being a sorceress (shouldn’t she side with her own kind?), killing guards wherever she went, sneaking out with the clip, clap of her boots to make bad things, uh uh, in the woods, uh uh.

Third thing, Merlin tried, poor guy:

No, he is not perfect either, and I love it. He is a man who got appointed with this great job to do the right thing since he was a boy, and what did the lad do? Many wrong things, LMAO. And still, in his perspective, they were right. And we agree on most of them, don’t we? Everything because we’ve got his point of view. It was right for Merlin to try and kill a child, because of a prophecy; it was right to lie to Morgana, because she was upstanding, and he was just a peasant; it was right to free a dragon, and he was simply right on this one (yes, to me, there is no discussing this. I would have freed The Great Dragon too, and I cannot blame him for what he did after); it was right to poison Morgana; it was right for Merlin to follow Arthur everywhere and believe he was a good man despite everything, because the idiots loved one another more than they could hate the system they had been put in (spoiler alert, Arthur too has so many flows). Why listing all these things he thought were right? Because they were right to him, because we know his life, how much he had hurt, and how much death not only he saw, but also inflicted. And Morgana killed so many people too. She, multiple times, committed treason, and Merlin had enough information to know that she agreed to make Camelot sleep. Thinking only of saving Arthur and innocent people, he did what he thought was best (this is the same man who had already saved Morgana after he had already tried to kill her, because he tried with all his might not to be a killer, like he had said to the dragon long before), and poisoned her. Could there be an excuse for Mordred? I believe not, but Merlin believed there was, and that’s enough for him, for the audience, and that’s what makes him such a complicated and beautiful character. Merlin did help Morgana, even if he lied to her, and what if he didn’t? He could have got into so much more trouble, Gaius would have reproached him, Merlin believed neither Arthur or Camelot were ready to accept magic, or him, and Morgana, once finding out about the fact that he was Uther’s daughter, she would have probably still acted the same, because we later see that she didn’t want magic to not be outlawed anymore, but to simply, ehm, kill Arthur and everyone who got in her way.

Fourth thing, the other characters can be bad too:

Even if enchanted, Gwen did betray Arthur. (she is such a good character, and very kind, but I like when even the best ones do something bad). We know she is not guilty, but nobody knew, not even Merlin and Gaius, because they never found out she had been enchanted. And when she was evil, there are still consequences to the deaths she caused. Lancelot, even if a good man, and a good friend to Merlin, left before Gwen could decided if she wanted a relationship with him. Gwaine, who we love and adore, him too a complex character, didn’t think about it twice in kicking Merlin in the dungeons when Gwen, evil and enchanted, had accused him of treason. (yes, she is the queen, but Gwaine doesn’t seem the kind of character who would that, or maybe yes?) What about “you’re the only friend I have” and all that? Arthur still made prejudiced choices even when crowned king, and Merlin supported him, and we know why. Even bloody Sefa, manipulated by her father, decided to commit treason.

My point is, who wouldn’t have loved if things went differently, but at the same time, a TV show that is so perfect, with characters who cannot make a single bad thing, would have been still this enjoyable? Hell, that is the point of fiction, that is the point of writing, of directing. Even when we look at bad choices in a TV series, we try to understand why those things happened, why character A betrayed character B and the dominoes effect their relationship brought.

That’s what makes the TV show better. You can build things off bad things. You can make good fanfictions about what could have gone different. You can make theories debating whatever these choices were simply poorly made by the directors or made on purpose. You can discuss all day the relationships between the characters because they’re flowed, and sometimes even toxic.

That is the best part.

This is not to say that we cannot blame a character’s arc for something that happened, or try to redeem another character, instead, but it’s also good to be able to judge and point and write about it.

Even in this post I made points that I believe should be objective (siding with the oppressor, being an oppressor, not blaming a caged dragon for revenge, ecc.) and yet I still like the characters because I can blame them and talk about them exactly because they’re bad.

Moral of the story. A good story always has an antagonist. We shouldn’t delete that.

(and fuck you, Uther Pendragon)

See? Beautiful.

[emeritus-fuckers]

I know I just requested something but I’d like to request something else 🥺 we have papas comforting their s/o when they’re feeling big sad. Can we get a ghoul version? The headcanncon and drabble? I’ve been in a really really bad depressive episode and things/people just keep triggering it to get worse. And I’d love some comfort. Even if it’s through fictional characters 🥹

Ghouls comforting their depressed s/o

Omega

The very definition of gentle giant.

He can be pretty playful most of the time, especially with Terzo around, but at the end of the day, he's your gentle giant and a massive, two meters tall cuddle bug.

So when he goes to your room after practicing with the rest of the band, he is really surprised to see you not being your usual self and instead just laying in bed, your face hidden in his pillow as your body shook.

He knew you were crying. He knew you very, very well.

He walked over to you, making sure not to walk too fast. He didn't want to startle you. He slowly sat down right next to you, rubbing soothing circles on your back.

"Wanna talk about it?" He asks, kissing the back of your head, since he couldn't get to your face.

You shook your head, so he lied next to you and pulled you into him instead. He heard you mumble something about his music, so he nodded with a small smile, easily picking you up and holding you against his chest with one arm as he turned on some of his favorite songs in the background.

"I'm gonna carry you around for a bit, alright, little bug?"

He hid his face in your hair as you nodded, just slowly walking and swaying around with you in his arms until you fell asleep. He'll deal with whatever happened tomorrow. For now, he was glad you were okay.

Swiss

No. Nuh-uh. Absolutely fucking not.

No sadness allowed, big or small. Swiss is a guy all about smiles and chuckles.

Therefore, no tears allowed. He sees them, he gets rid of them.

He absolutely hates the idea of you being upset and he'd rather die than let that happen and you're not getting rid of him that easily.

When he saw you upset, he sneaked up on you to quickly turn you to lay on your back and then laid on top of you, putting his full body weight on you with one of those infamous smiles of his.

"Heya, gorgeous."

"Dude, you're heavy..." You would try to push him off, but he'd cling to you, nuzzling into your neck and giving you a small bite, which made you smack his arm... only to get tickled as you tried to free yourself from underneath him. And after just a little bit, he had you squirming as you laughed.

"There we go. Come on, I've got new air flavors for ya. And tomorrow, whatever made you tear up... we're gonna tear it to pieces."

"Swiss, for fuck's sake with those puns of yours..."

"You laughed." He'd grin down at you.

"I did..." You sighed, accepting your fate and napping with him on top of you.

Sodo

Unless he's angry and stomping around, he walks around pretty quietly and due to your distracting and terrible mental state, you didn't notice him staring down at you.

He doesn't like it. It's not that he needs your attention, he's not a kid. But he knows the ways you usually react to him and that's not it.

While he himself is easily annoyed most of the time, very far from being all 'sunshine and rainbows', he's not a fan of you not being happy.

Not only does it not suit you, but your moods always rub off on him. He needs you happy, even if just so he could be happy himself.

He slowly crawled into bed with you, laying his head on your chest and waiting for you to notice him, his tail swaying slowly like a cat's. It took you a few minutes to feel his body weight on you, that's how lost in your own mind you were.

"Sodo, I..." You wanted to explain yourself, but a look in his eyes told you everything. He knew something was wrong and he was angry about it. Not at you, no. Never at you. At himself, because he didn't notice earlier. Because he didn't do anything earlier.

You broke down crying, unable to finish whatever you wanted to say. He wrapped his arms and tail around you, letting you get it all out.

He's bad at comforting. He knows that. But the least he can do is be there for you and listen when you're ready to talk. And he will do that.

Rain

He notices early, but he's busy a lot (usually trying to keep the peace between Sodo and Aether) and he deals with lots of stress of his own, so sometimes he can't help you because he's too distracted by his own duties and issues.

He does notice you feeling worse most of the time and has a whole relaxing routine set up for you both for the evenings.

He's very disappointed in himself for not helping you earlier. Coming to your room and seeing you weep into you pillow absolutely wrecked him with guilt.

Absolutely blames himself for you feeling bad and wishes to cheer you up because he loves you so much and it hurts to see you upset.

"Hey..." he calls out to you quietly, sitting down next to you and rubbing your back soothingly. "Bad thoughts?"

You whimpered out a response, but he didn't get to actually hear or understand you, since your face was deeply burried in his pillow. He could see you crave his contact, but since he wasn't there before, you settled for the next best thing. He must've made you feel so lonely, not being there to help you earlier...

Well, he was here now and had full intention to fix that.

"Wanna cuddle?" he asked, and you nodded, slowly letting go of the pillow and clinging to him instead, hiding your face in his chest. He wrapped his arms aroung you tightly and just held you for a while until you felt better.

"I'm sorry for not being here sooner. I won't let you feel like this again."

"Promise?" you looked up at him, tears flowing down your cheeks.

"Yeah. I promise."

Aether

He probably had no idea how serious your issues were at first. Everyone gets sad, so he kinda assumes that's what happened.

And he just hates the idea of you being sad, so he does his best to cheer you up. Piggy back rides, bouncing you around, he's buff and he can carry you around a lot, and since he has a lot of zoomies, he totally runs around the Ministry with you.

He just really wants you to laugh. Please. He loves your laughter. He needs your laughter.

And if he can't get you to laugh, then he'll try his best to get any emotion out of you, as long as it's not sadness.

He's been poking your side for a while now. He tried everything, snacks, drinks, new different vapes, tickling, anything, but you'd just smack his arm and turn away, hiding your face in the pillow as you mumbled at him to please just fucking leave you alone.

He refused to do that, though. You weren't crying anymore, so that was good, right? Right? If you stopped crying, you were no longer sad, right? It was better, right?

He wanted you to hit him. Not because he was a masochist, but because it would help you. Hopefully. Even if you were to bruise him, he wouldn't care. Anything to make you stop crying.

"Quit it!" you smacked his hand away facing him with a glare, your eyes swollen from all the crying. He pouted innocently, claiming he just wanted to make sure you don't cry anymore. "Aether, you fucking idiot..."

You sighed heavily, reaching your arms out to him as fresh tears started to run from your eyes. He quickly pulled you into his chest, letting you snuggle up to him.

"Just hold me next time, you dumbass."

"You got it. Love you, babe."

"Love you too, you braindead moron."

Mountain

He notices it pretty soon and keeps an eye on you.

Earth Ghouls are stubborn and protective, and he just that. If he notices you want to leave, he makes sure to get a break from whatever is stressing you by picking you up and carrying you outside.

If you feel better after those few minutes, he'll go back to what he was doing, but he'll keep observing you.

If you don't feel better, you both leave. End of story.

"Mountain, I'm fine. Come on, you're being dramatic..." You whined, hiding your face in your hands as he carried you back to his room. You were craddled against his chest, his arms holding you tight enough to make sure you couldn't get out.

"No. You need to rest. I'm going with you. That's it." He shrugged, slightly bouncing your body as he did. He knew you well. Too well, honestly. Because he knew that as soon as he laid you down in bed, you'd cry. And you did.

He helped you undress and change into a shirt of his, the material hanging on you. He knew you liked his shirts. If you got cold, he'd give you one of his hoodies and he's wrap you up in a blanket so tight that you could barely move. And he'd just hold you on his lap until you feel better. Does not care about what's gonna happen to him later at all.

Phantom

He's a silly guy who loves making you laugh with his silly jokes and tricks on his guitar. That's why he absolutely adores you whenever he sees you smile and giggle.

So he's obviously very much unhappy when he comes to your room to tell you about the last Ritual and he sees you crying in bed.

His first instinct is to jump into bed with you with a joyful "I'm back!"

But then it doesn't work and he starts trying to find any way to comfort you.

"D-do you wanna see a trick I can do with the guitar? Or maybe, uh..." He looked around frantically, trying to find something to cheer you up with. He had good intentions, he really did, but he was still new to it all. He wasn't sure what to do with a crying human, let alone his darling.

He runs around the room, bringing you anything he deems cool enough to show you. Lava lamp, a random book, spare strings for his guitar, spare buttons for his jacket, since Ghouls had the tendency to lose them... He even offered to let you put his mask on if you wanted. Anything, just to make you happy.

He finally gives up, seeing as you shook your head every time and asks you how to help you because he had no idea. And then you ask him to hold you... And he does. Almost knocking the air out of your lungs.

He's still learning, but he cares.

Cirrus

Yeah, no. No chance, no way. She's not letting that happen.

She's completely synced up with you when it comes to emotions. If you're sad, she's sad. And she hates both of those ideas.

Life's supposed to be fun! You're supposed to be happy, enjoying your short human life!

She adores you, you're the cutest person she's ever met, she'll be damned if she lets you be sad.

She knew right away, even before she entered the room. So she didn't walk in, she literally stormed in to hug you and kiss all over your face. She promises herself to be tough for you, but she's not. As soon as you're in her embrace, she's crying already, openly weeping with you.

It doesn't matter why you're crying, she's crying with you. You're both complete messes in each others' arms, letting all emotions out. She will cry with you as long as it takes, until you're both completely worn out by it.

You cuddle with her, both figuring out a nap is in order. Nap first, then a big piece of your favorite cake/pie, and only then will you face the problem, once you're in a headspace that will let you talk about it.

She barely slept through the nap, constantly kissing the top of your head in your sleep and muttering apologies and promises. She'll be here sooner next time. Unless you're crying tears of pleasure, you're not allowed to cry at all and that's final.

And yes, she will make you cry tears of pleasure when you feel better.

Cumulus

Oh, no, no, no, darling, no...

Cumulus is abolutely heartbroken the very second she notices you being sad, she barely holds her own tears, trying her best to be strong for you.

She gives the most wonderful hugs, she'll hold you for hours just to make you feel better.

She's probably gonna shed a few tears herself when you fall asleep because she feels like she failed you.

You had no idea how much time has passed. She's been holding you like this for so long now... Was it so dark before? You were pretty sure the sun was still up when she came in.

You saw her right away, but couldn't say anything, choking on your own miserable and pathetic sobs. You the shock on her face as she just stood there for a while before slowly took a few shaky step only to run to you and hold you tight against her chest (I wanna be held against her chest... - Jez) as she whispered comforting words to you.

And so here you were, slowly falling asleep as you both sat together, your head on her chest as she hummed softly to you, trying her best to hold herself together to not break down in front of you.

She started sobbing only when she was sure you were asleep. Her heart was completely shattered when she saw you in tears. She couldn't let that happen again.

She wouldn't let that happen again, no matter the cost.

Sunshine

She reacts very instinctively. She's already incredibly clingy, but seeing you in tears?

She's running at you top speed and throwing herself into your arms, probably giving you an accidental headbutt.

She's very light, but she's also ridiculously strong, as all Ghouls (and Ghoulettes especially) are. You could be five times Omega's size and she would still pick you up and carry you like a little baby if that's what you need.

You will end up bitten and kissed all over It's how she shows comfort.

She wouldn't even let you get any ice for the aching bump on your forehead, too busy nuzzling against you, kissing and nibbling all over your skin. It tickled in a way.

"You are just the cutest." She would say, rubbing her cheek all over yours before leaving a small bitemark on your skin. You'd have to cover it with make-up, although it didn't really matter right now.

"I love you and if you ever cry again, I'm gonna rip someone's balls of." She declared in a playfully grumpy tone until you gently held her face, a few tears still escaping your eyes, but you were getting closer and closer not to cry anymore.

"I love you too. Please don't rip anyone's balls off, okay?" You chuckled through your tears. You appreciated her enthusiasm, you really did. But you didn't want your issues to cause someone's castration.

She laughed, giving your cheeks a long, slow lick, to get rid of the tears.

"I ain't promisin' anything, puddin'."

Aurora

Similarly to Phantom, she's still not fully adapted to humans yet, she's still learning.

And similarly to him, her first idea is to give you something cool, so she drapes her little cape over you and hopes that will work.

When it doesn't, she resorts to snuggles. You like snuggles, right? She knows you do, you're always so happy when you snuggle!

She'll sing for you if you want to! She'll do anything just tell her what it is that you need.

Aurora was still not the best at affection, and since her socialization process was mostly around Ghouls who spend half of their free time grabbing each other's dicks, she didn't exactly have the best role models. But she would always adapt quickly.

She learned how to sing and play instruments very quickly. She learned everything very quickly. But hugs... yeah, she could still work on that, considering she almost broke your arm when she initially squeezed you. She didn't exactly learn her own strenth and the weaknessed of the human bodies yet, but it was okay. She tried her best, though.

"Sorry. I just don't like seeing you sad. You're too amazing for that." She explained, resting her head against your shoulders and closing her eyes. "You're incredible. I hope you know that."

You cuddled up to her a bit more and she started humming for you. She's only been around for a while, so she only knows Ghost songs, but that's okay.

Sure, she still uses a bit too much strength sometimes and she hasn't exactly developed a music taste yet, but she really cares about you a lot.

[starryjkoo]

This might be a controversial opinion but some of y’all need to learn to pick your battles and stop chasing the validation of PJMs and JJKs. Who cares if JJKs are hyping some fictional friendship and writing fanfictions because Jungkook stood next to some random dude twice? Who cares if solo fanbases crop out and don’t post the whole picture (that no one should be reposting btw)? Who cares if PJMs and JJKs don’t acknowledge their friendship? As long as they aren’t dragging Jimin or JK, or even overtly saying anything negative about their bond, literally why do some of you guys care what solos of all people think?

It’s odd to me that some jkkrs will go into solo spaces and then try to get them to acknowledge a member you know they hate and regularly drag. What are you expecting to happen? JJKs actually not mentioning or paying attention to JM is literally the best case scenario. I absolutely wish they would never look at him or talk about him or post anything about him ever again. I literally don’t care if they think JK loves random solider #2 or Mingyu or an inanimate object more than he loves JM and neither should you. They are NEVER going to acknowledge Jikook’s friendship, so stop expecting them to. That is literally one of the least offensive things I’ve seen them do this week alone and it doesn’t actually hurt Jimin or JK, it’s just annoying.

100% make fun of them in your own spaces for being so lame and immature about Jikook enlisting together, they ARE super weird for hyping up this random friendship they suddenly invented (and yes I know they were likely doing it on purpose), it IS really frustrating and sad how dismissive so many people are about Jikook -- but I still don’t understand what some jkkrs were expecting. I sincerely hope that whenever the Jikook travel show drops they keep cropping them out and pretending they’re besties with random bartenders and camera men because the alternative is them dragging JM and JK and their entire bond nonstop. Solos are NEVER going to acknowledge their friendship and I wonder why some jkkrs seem to want them to so bad? You are CHOOSING to go into their spaces and be annoyed that these people who call JM slurs and animal names on the regular don’t want to acknowledge his friendship with JK - and some of you are literally antagonizing these people you KNOW have no morals over something like this.

This whole issue snowballed because so many people are bored and miserable right now and tkkrs especially are looking for a fight ever since Jikook enlisted together (or honestly probably since Tokyo). I see how jkkrs can make an innocent post and get jumped and tkkrs can say the most heinous shit about JM and jkk imaginable and get away with it -- but if you’re active online you should know how it is and learn to pick your battles if you actually care about the people you stan. There was no reason for JM or JK to get dragged over something like this.

Anyways this isn’t the end of the world or anything, but I did watch this whole unnecessary drama unfold and opened my twitter account this morning to see report accounts STILL trying to clean it up, so I wanted to rant a bit. I’m sure the Jikook show will unleash the most heinous discourse imaginable so I’m saving my energy for that. Obviously people can do whatever they want, and I’m not saying jkkrs shouldn’t rant or be upset about it in their own spaces, I was just surprised by some of the reactions. Jikook enlisting together makes it obvious to anyone with a brain how close they are, that’s why the people who hate them are being especially weird and petty and obnoxious. JJKs were writing about how JK tattooed ARMY on his knuckles because he knows ARMYs hurt him or whatever just the other day so idk why some jkkrs were expecting them to suddenly celebrate his friendship with JM who they literally hate more than anyone else.

[killerpancakeburger]

Bloody nose part 3 // Miguel O' Hara

Pairing: Miguel O'Hara x Female Reader

Summary: You integrate the Spider Society, not without a couple of twists and turns.

Warnings: Swearing.

Tags: Comedy, action, BAMF! Reader, Reader has super powers, slow burn.

Words: 2570 words.

A/N: Some Hobie in this chapter! Can you blame me, he's so cool and funny. It's completely platonic in regards to the Reader of course.

Part 1. Part 2.

The interdimensional portal in your living-room and yourself are looking at each other defiantly. At least if that thing had eyes you imagine it would do that.

You don’t like portals. Not that you ever used one before, but the little you know from fiction inspires you absolutely zero confidence. Whether they come from magic or technology, crossing through time or space like so feels unnatural and incredibly dangerous. What if you end up in an endless void? What if one half of you get stuck on the other side? What if you end up a thousand feet up in the air and fall ineluctably to your death? Your powers cannot protect you from this.

Your niece isn’t here to reassure or guide you, since today’s a school day. You could have waited after school but the sooner you cut all her ties to the Spider Club, the better in your opinion.

You’re doing this for Naomi, you remind yourself, and, with a deep inspiration, you go through the pulsating hexagon.

The whole trip is a torture. You force yourself to let go, just let the current, or whatever is the mysterious force moving your body, carry you to your destination. I hate this, I hate this, I HATE THIS, you mumble to yourself.

Eventually the red and orange surrounding you turn to blue, then to a blinding white light, and the mysterious force transporting you suddenly cease to exist so you… drop like a stone. And crash miserably on the platform coming to meet you. Thankfully, there’s not a soul around to witness your pathetic entrance. You quickly get up, unharmed, except for your pride.

The elevator you’re in happens to be in glass and your attention is immediately monopolized by the views offered to you. Green stretches and futuristic white buildings spread as far as the eye can see. You’re definitely not in Kansas – ahrem, not in New York anymore. You’re so subjugated, you almost miss the elevator coming to a stop and the door behind you opening.

The room in front of you is sizeable, even if its deep whiteness and neon lights give it an hospital like aspect, and full of Spidermen. Women. Teenagers? They’re all wearing their suits and you suddenly feel, at the same time, like a sore thumb standing out, and like you just arrived to a fucking comic con. You start walking, torn between trying to pass unnoticed, and hurting your neck trying to take it all in. You never imagined this place would be so big and have so many people. You may be forced to take those guys seriously after all. All the Spiders walking on ceiling will certainly take you some time to get used to it.

You’re distracted by a cow-boy spiderman whose horse is apparently ALSO Spiderman – Spiderhorse? – since it can walk on the ceiling and wear a mask too, starting to wonder in what kind of mess full of weirdos you got yourself in, when the inevitable happen: you bump into someone.

“My bad”, you apologize immediately.

“No worries, mate”, replies a voice with a thick British accent.

You look up – because, once again, this is someone who’s towering over you – and take in the teenager facing you with an easy smile. Your gaze lingers on his numerous piercings then take note of the spikes on the shoulders of his leather jacket. There’s a punk spiderman? You think to yourself, before taking the good resolution to stop wondering what kind of spidermen exist – obviously the list never ends.

Thankfully the kid doesn’t seem to take offense to your staring as he addresses you in a joking manner:

“Forgot your suit at home? Happens to the best of us. Or maybe you’re Spider-Hoodie?”

It’s your day off and your tracksuit, sport shoes and zip-up hoodie could never pass for a superhero costume.

“I… I’m a new recruit”, you answer with less confidence that you would have liked. What if they consider you an intruder? Sound the alarm and send a thousand spidermen after you to throw you in an interdimensional jail?

“You don’t sound so sure about that”, he raises an eyebrow, eyeing your watch. “You know what you’re getting into?”

It’s your turn to raise an eyebrow.

“I’ll manage, kiddo, but thanks for the concern.”

He raises his hands in surrender.

“Just checkin’, that’s all. Name’s Hobie Brown, by the way.”

You give your own name in answer, but as you go to shake his hand, you stop dead in your tracks.

“You… change colours? You change colours. That’s a thing. Ok.”

You stupidly stare at him as he goes from the traditional blue and red of spiderman to just red to pink to settle on black and white. He chuckles at your confusion.

“You’ll get used to it. So, you know where you’re going, Newbie?”

“I’m supposed to meet with Miguel, I guess.”

Hobie doesn’t even try to hide the antipathy that name seems to evoke for him.

“The big boss man, ‘course. You in a hurry? Cause if you’re not, we could take the scenic route.”

You can’t stop the smile that spreads your lips.

“You’re always looking to make new recruits desert and stand up the boss?”

“Always. Antagonizing the authorities is one of my favourite hobby.”

You laugh frankly.

“That’s terrific. I think we’re gonna get along great. Scenic route it is!”

Along Hobie, you pass through the Spider Society’s jails, or at least the room where they stock what they call “Anomalies” before sending them to their original dimension. You have a look at their “Strength and Conditioning Centre”, which is really just a fancy and stupidly complicated way to say “gym”, but you can’t help feeling eager upon seeing their state of the art weight machines. You meet Hobie���s friends, Gwen, a melancholic yet resolute teenage girl, and Pavitr, a psyched-up teenage boy for who becoming spiderman sounds to be the best thing that ever happened to him. His enthusiasm momently makes you feel weird, reminding you of the not so long ago times where you only saw your powers as a curse, but you keep your mouth shut. Your own experiences aren’t universal and you have accepted years ago that your opinion isn’t prevailing. Not to mention that ruining a kid’s fun would be quite shitty of you.

You also don’t say anything about the alarming number of teenagers that appears to compose the ranks of the Spider Society. Naomi is the only kid who’s your responsibility, and therefore the only one you have any rights or authority over. Thinking back about your own youth, which was the period when you got your powers, you know from experience that stopping a 15 years old with superpowers to do whatever they want is, for ordinary humans, close to impossible.

Eventually your new acquaintances guide you to Miguel’s… –  you can’t possibly call that an office – crypt? Mancave? At first you don’t understand why they stopped since there is nothing in front of you, but then you hear a sound of machinery running and follow the others’ gazes, somewhere much higher than where you were legitimately looking, and finally see the man. He’s standing on a descending platform equipped of a myriad of orange screens, so many that you can’t imagine how he manages to get his bearings between them all, back turned to you.

This is all good and well, except for the fact that his platform is going down at a painfully slow pace that makes you cringe just watching it happen.

“What’s happening?”, you ask the others. You find it hard to believe that with how advanced the technology here seems to be, there’s no way to make this stupid platform go faster.

“That’s his… thing.”, says Gwen. “Don’t mind him.”

You let escape a nervous laugh, the kind you have when you start feeling yourself go crazy.

“Is this a joke? It has to be a joke. Are you guys hazing me? I’m too old for this bullshit.”

The profound silence and the awkward grimaces that greet your remark makes you realize that, no, this isn’t a joke. You don’t know whether to pinch the bridge of your nose or roll your eyes. You want to tell them that they’re all a bunch of crazy freaks in costume and that you never should have come here. Then you grasp that this problem is actually very easy to solve and you leap on the platform. Like you’re in a fucking Mario game.

“What’s up, Miggy?” you force out, with the most insincere smile you can muster, not bothering to hide your irritation.

“Oh, you’re there. Great. Let’s get this over with”, he says with a deadpan voice and an even more deadpan face. That’s when you realize he didn’t even notice your presence until now, too absorbed in his screens. Add to that the fact that he looks like he just pulled an all-nighter. “And don’t call me that”, he adds afterwards, like an afterthought, frowning.

You restrain yourself from telling him he looks like a zombie, and decides to be proactive. The truth is, you learned teamwork the hard way – in the line of fire –, because it never came to you naturally, and you honestly despise it. Nonetheless you know when to put your feelings aside when the situation calls for it.

“Sure”, you start, slowly, testing the waters. ”How about finding some place with chairs and maybe even a table and some coffee? I was sooo excited to join you guys I didn’t sleep a wink last night.”

That last sentence is an obvious bootlicking lie that Miguel doesn’t buy, and he looks like he’s about to refuse, so you pout at the best of your abilities, trying to make him understand that you’re more stubborn than him, and he relents in a sigh.

“Alright. Follow me. And you three – he looks severely at the teenagers nearby – I’m sure you have better things to do.”

You bid farewell to the spider kids who obey Miguel with more or less reluctance.  

“Lyla”, he calls out, “Can you tell Jess and Peter to meet us in the conference room?”

You open your mouth to ask who the hell is Lyla, because to your limited knowledge there is no one of that name in the room with you, and leave it open in incredulity when a light in the shape of a woman appears over Miguel’s shoulder and answers him.

“On it!”

“What the fuck is that?”

Alright, that may have been kind of rude, but you’ve had it with all the weird shit around here. You’ve been holding in your comments pretty good until now.

“Lyla’s my personal assistant.” Even if Miguel deigns to answer you, it sounds more like he did it automatically rather than anything else. He keeps walking without sparing you a glance and you follow.

“I’m an holographic AI software“, adds Lyla, who sounds glad to show off.

“You have holograms? That’s so cool… wait. So you’re from the future or something?”

“In my dimension the year is 2099. I’ll explain in details when we get there.”

And so your little trip continues in silence, one which is neither awkward nor comfortable. You think about how Lyla seemed way more chattier than Miguel, so you try your luck.

“Lyla?” There really is something particular about calling the name of someone – something – who you know isn’t there but who you expect to answer nonetheless.

“Yeah?” she replies, materializing in front of you, laying on her back with her hands crossed behind her neck, like she doesn’t have a care in the world. Which you supposed should be expected from a computer program.

“You don’t answer only to Miguel?”

“I am available to assist all members of the Spider Society in protecting the multiverse, but Miguel’s requests take priority.”

“What can you do exactly?”

“Sooo many things… I transfer calls between Spider Society’s members, I detect and track anomalies all over the multiverse, I check the state of the canon, I predict the appearance of canon events, I help Miguel create gizmos and goobers…”

You understood half of that but assume Miguel will explain soon the jargon. You chat amicably with the AI while being careful to not lose Mr Dark And Brooding because you know you will get lost.

***

“Did you get all that?”

After listening religiously to Spiderman 2099 for close to an hour and being bombarded with information, you need a moment to get your act together. You feel like you accidentally tore open the fourth wall of reality itself when you shouldn’t have and what you saw on the other side changed you forever. Alternatives dimensions are real and infinites. You are currently in another dimension where the year is 2099 and New York is named Nueva York. The possibilities are endless. Somewhere out there, there are worlds where your sister is still alive. Where you died instead of her in the accident. Where you don’t have powers.

Miguel’s question brings you back on earth, however. To yearn for another existence can only leads to death and destruction.

“Yep.”

Bad answer. He puts his hands on his hips and raises a sceptical eyebrow.

“Did you now?” His voice is dripping with sarcasm and you want to punch him again.

“Yeah I got it. The multiverse exists. Don’t stay in another dimension for too long or everyone dies. Do not interfere with fixed events or everyone dies. Do not let people from other dimensions linger in one that’s not theirs or everyone dies. This is pretty basic sci-fi time travel’s rules. I just compacted your lecture in three sentences, you’re welcome.”

“Che maravilla. Then you can be in charge of giving my “lecture” to the new recruits.”

“I’d say I don’t make a good pedagogue but at least I’ve never thrown a desk at a kid.” You retort without missing a beat, crossing your arms, a sneering smile spreading your lips, staring back at Miguel.

You can’t really be mad at him for the sarcasm, it’s your favourite form of humour after all. But if he wants to play, you’ll give as good as you get.

Once again, Peter plays the peacemaker.

“Heyyy Miguel, didn’t you want to ask about her powers?”

The aforenamed sits for the first time since you arrived in the room, in the chair facing you.

“Lyla, can you take notes of this?”

Lyla makes a military salute.

“From what I’ve gathered firsthand – he rubs his jaw where you punched him – you have enhanced strength. Is your skin completely impenetrable? What about the rest of your body?”

“Enhanced speed, enhanced stamina. I’m almost unbreakable. My muscles and my bones included. My eyes are not.”

“Define “almost”. ”

“The most damage I’ve ever sustained was when I took a shotgun to the head and it knocked me out for a couple days. Otherwise I’m usually bulletproof.”

“What about fire? Are you also immune? Electric shocks? Explosives?”

“Yes, yes and yes.”

It’s like having a conversation with your doctor.

Peter lets out an enthusiastic “wow” and Jessica considers you more attentively. As for Miguel, you can’t tell if he’s impressed or satisfied to have a promising recruit. However you’re quickly interrupted in your analysis of his expression as he stands up.

“Get up. Time to show what you’re capable of.”

[showtoonzfan]

This is kinda just further proof that Viv sees her Hell as a happy edgy playground for her OC’s and nothing else because I have NO idea what point she was trying to make here??? Like….I’d understand if this was calling out the people who were saying “We need to cancel you because your characters are in hell because they’re gay”- but that’s clearly not the case here. At the end of the day isn’t Hell itself supposed to be a bad place? It was probably the wrong place to make a comment like this but I agree with the original comment she’s referring to, though keep in mind I’m referring to her FICTIONAL world of Hell, not the real place unlike the commenter tho. But anyway, I thought her story was about redemption and the princess of hell wanting to redeem everyone because it was a bad place, and the creator acts like this world she created is so much better for everyone and is a paradise. Kinda gets in the way of the point of the ENTIRE show if your opinion is so damn biased, tho it does make sense since she’s portraying Heaven as the bad guys. It just feels like “Lol my world of Hell is so better and fun and quirky you can be gay and open and do whatever you want!” - and I’m just…..I thought the point of the show was supposed to be to get the characters OUT of that place?? This is why I don’t think Hazbin is ganna work because the creator is so damn biased and makes it obvious that she’s on Hell’s side. What was the point of making a complex story about redemption and damnation if THIS is your attitude towards your Hell itself?? 😑

[ganseysglasses]

More TRC Christmas headcanons? Absolutely.

Gansey is the type of guy to get you an experience. He’ll buy concert tickets, reservations to go spelunking, planned museum days, things like that. However, much like his physical gifts they are things he tends to like more than everyone else and he has no clue of that fact. Because everyone loves Gansey to death they’re excited to go anyways, and it’s always a blast, because he’ll find out so much useless trivia about whatever you’re doing. Art museum? Gansey just told you the artist of the painting you’re looking at was four times divorced and his third wife was a lion tamer.

I feel like Adam can draw really well, and he’ll use that + cabeswater to create the most perfect psychic drawing rendition of whatever you think is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen. He draws a lot of trees for Blue, complete with vibrant leaves that almost seem to move if you squint enough… Gansey gets all swooping landscapes of Henrietta. The whole town memorialized on paper had almost brought Gansey to tears. (It immediately went to his notebook, the highest honor.) One year, he ended up having to do a self portrait for Ronan, but felt slightly awkward about it and made Chainsaw instead. Adam later gifted the self portrait after they had gotten together. Noah always got some sort of animal, and even after Noah left, Adam still drew whatever animal he thought Noah might have loved unconditionally. He keeps those tucked away though, and the others haven’t found them. They’re only for Noah, Adam would say.

Ronan is a creature of habit, he dreams things. In his eyes, that would be a waste of his talents to not just dream the gifts. He still puts a lot of thought into the gifts though. Hours are spent trying to pull out the perfect card stock paper Gansey is obsessed with. (It’s never quite the right shade of beige.) Blue’s crochet hook that could change sizes did change sizes, but as Ronan learned, the sizes didn’t fit any actual yarn. So he tries again, never admitting to having learned to crochet for that gift. The cycle repeated for all of them, hours spent for Ronan to not wrap it and shrug like he found it on the floor of Nino’s. But they know he cares.

Blue knows her strengths lay in crafting, and so that’s what she does. One year, she gifts them all the most vibrant hand-knitted cardigans and insists they wear them at least once. Gansey thinks it’s just lovely. His is a bright salmon color that clashes with everything he owns and he thinks it’s perfect. Ronan claims to have fed it to Chainsaw, but Blue once caught him using the special detergent he dreamed as to not ruin it. Ronan will never, ever, admit it’s the most comfortable piece of clothing he owns. Adam’s is actually a sensible color, a deep blue, not as fluorescent as the ones made for Gansey, Ronan, and Henry. Blue knows this way Adam will actually use it, and Adam knows Blue knows that. There’s eye contact, and subtle understanding, and that’s the end of that.

Henry is still adjusting to the odd way they do Christmas, and plays it safe with standard gifts at first. Once he figures out the routine, he gets everyone personalized playlists on CDs, annotated fiction books, matching jewelry, things like that. Just something to show that he’s there, and he knows them, and he’s so glad they know him. He also tends to slip in gag gifts, but nothing too crazy.

They leave a stocking up for Noah in Monmouth. Nobody talks about it, it’s just there, up on the mantle with the rest of them. When it’s time to take down decorations, the stocking usually stays up a little longer.

Happy holidays!

[ofmermaidstories]

ur post about oc fic and reader insert fic made me think about how every time i see a post dragging x reader it's kinda just... thinly veiled misogyny.

like i don't wanna get super deep or whatever but a good chunk of x reader writers (myself included) are just women or people socialized as women that have felt unloved or under appreciated in their lives because of their looks or their personality or their skills in things that women/feminine people are expected to excel in and i think that oc/reader insert stories give women a really important space to make themselves (or a version of themselves) the most desired thing which is something that they often don't experience. it's a space where women can feel comfortable and loved in a world where they're under appreciated and tossed aside because of things out of their control and it drives me up a wall when i see people shitting on these spaces and these works because these are just safe spaces for marginalized people PREDOMINATELY CREATED BY MARGINALIZED PEOPLE!!

n e ways this was a long rant oops..

omg see the thing that gets me about the occassional x reader/oc drag is that—the call is coming from inside the house LMAO. like, okay maybe original characters in fics aren’t a niche thing, but x reader sure the hell is, so you have to like, know internet culture/fandom to be aware of it let alone to start using it like an insult, you know? and i would argue that fanfic tends to be a hobby that attracts marginalised identities as you say, so like, why are we clowning on ourselves? LOL. it’s like a mathlete bullying the horse girl of their class, like, buddy—we’re both losers!!! get over yourself LMAO.

i think my favourite dig at x reader (specifically) that i’ve ever seen is some rando on tiktok saying it was fanfic for people who were popular in public school—i think it’s so telling of how other fans might view oc/reader content? like, “oh that’s just some straight girl shit, they’re not putting any effort into it/they’re stealing our precious ship boys for their pORN/they’re ruining the canon story by inserting themselves into it”. and idk—part of it is just human nature (we are always going to shit on things we don’t like, that is a fact) and part of it might be fandom/internet culture at large at the moment (the purity aspect/policing) but at the end of the day all we can do is tell them to eat dog shit when they sprout up in our spaces and ignore ‘em.

idk! it drives me bonkers though, because it does feel like these spaces/niches do get targeted unfairly for it—if it’s not for the simple crime of writing a love story with your favourite character, then it’s like… being old and doing it! because god forbid you be over the age of 18 and still enjoy engaging with fiction! don’t you have a mortgage to go pay? like—i never see that attitude (within a fandom space) directed at the grown-ass men and women and gender neutral pals who play like, Dungeons and Dragons. No one (within a fandom space!) tells them they’re weird for forty-hour long campaigns where they fight and fall in love and idk, put dragons in some dungeons or something. no—it’s the blatant love stories that get picked on. the ones written by girls (gender neutral).

romance—and falling in love—is one of the most universal feelings/acts in the world. we want to fall in love with everything! in every world! we wanna—fall in love and be loved by superheroes and the villains they fight and the monsters in the dark and the good guys that rush in with swords and the cute barista at the coffee shop down the road. if other fans wanna get hung up on the fact that a tiny fraction of others want to insert themselves in these incredible worlds and experience everything they want to (having powers; being saved. saving someone else—saving yourself) then that’s their problem lmaoooo. im sorry you can’t have fun and create whimsy for yourself by drawing an oc who wins the sports festival and saves bakugou from being kidnapped—but im built different. 😌 and im gonna have fun while im here.

[noiregoth]

My thoughts on the bear s3

Spoilers below

THEY MADE ME DISLIKE CARMY. WHAT THE FUCK? WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. HE is the LOML. (I think I can fix him 🥺). He is a dick this season. He has had his dickhead moments past seasons BUT he has always had redeeming characteristics or he seemed like he cared. I get he is ALL in for getting the Michelin star for his bestie / platonic soulmate but he is so lost in his perfection he’s not listening. He’s not collaborating. He is not nurturing his staff. It’s him against his everyone. That’s why the vibes are fucking off this scene. He is changing the chemistry in the worst possible way. Like 3 staff quit on one night.

How do they go from finishing each other’s sentences / recipe ideas to carmy cutting off Sydney and screaming at Tina????? He was nice to Marcus and then never really spoke to him the rest of the season. I’m glad Cicero called him the fuck out because nobody else was. Yes I know Richie was but because of their conflict and history Carmy was never going to take constructive criticism from RICHIE.

DO NOT talk to me about Carmy and Richie. I thought after Carmy’s voicemail episode one things would have be squashed and they’d be repairing their relationship. THE ONLY FUCKING CRUMB OF RESOLUTION THEY COULD’VE GIVEN US WAS THIS AND THEY DID NOT. I feel like if carmy didn’t quit smoking this season they could’ve talked it out during a smoke break. That’s where they have all their deep chats.

Fuck the computer. Natalie handing him is ass when he suggests to fire Marcus? EAT HIM UP.

Carmy’s idea for a new menu every single fucking day? INSANITY. yeah no wonder they’re burning through money and killing Cicero. Also why don’t Sydney call Cicero “Cicero”? I get she can’t call him “unc” or “uncle” but mister whatever was way too formal. Yikes.

The only good development was Ebra doing the sandwich window and getting help AND AS CICERO SAID THATS THE ONLY PART OF BUSINESS MAKING ANY FUCKING MONEY.

I am glad we got a Tina episode and Ayo directed it? She’s cooking with gas. MMMM. It was good. The immediate connection between mikey and Tina. *chef’s kiss*

I wanted more Manny. More Angel. More Ebra. More sweeps / Gary. We get Marcus turning inward because he’s mourning but he’s barely in this season either. What did we get instead? More fucking faks. I love Neil. I do but HE WAS ENOUGH.

THEM and NOT Natalie’s actually fucking family going to the hospital to see the baby?! I’m not even a kids person irl or in fiction but this was egregious. They even set up the phone thing and I wanted a chaotic shut down of the bear mid service when they find out, with carmy fucking chain smoking as he runs to the car climbing over Richie to get in to see his fucking niece. Even all the bear staff blurry and out of focus (the shot of the faks and Donna was right in front of the window so I expected an allusion to everyone coming in) running into the hospital in a frenzy with balloons and shit. But the faks comes into the waiting room and sit with Donna and the episode just fucking ends? And then we don’t see Natalie for the rest of the season? Loved the Nat and Pete moment in the hospital room. They’re so cute and positive.

Carmy doesn’t see the baby after that either. Like SYDNEY brings food and NOT Carmy. Carmy’s love language is food so he could’ve made the fucking food and gone with Sydney and been on his bullshit in the car like “I can’t go in there after I missed the birth! I’m an ass.” and Sydney could’ve dragged his ass out saying “yeah you are and need to start being a better fucking person. To her and to me. Dickhead.” And again NOT RICHIE. Richie would’ve been so cute with the baby.

The faks and the cameos were distracting. UGH. The writing was not it this season. My heart broke when that other guy offered Sydney a better partnership. The first time she had to be reminded to sign the docusign. The doom set in for me.

Carmy had like a handful of scenes this season outside of the bear. And it seems so much more apparent this season. Like his work is his life. HIS ENTIRE BEING. From the start he’s been like this but s3 he is always in the kitchen. Season 1 he was in the front, he was smoking in the back, he was at his fucking apartment. He was at Sugar’s. He was running around the city. Like one scene of him at a meeting and him at his apartment and the finale. I get he’s regressed this whole season but it’s so sad after his growth in the first part of season 2. The more I think about it, this is a bad take but he is so 2D and insular this season.

The finale. UGH. Carmy confronting his dickhead boss and getting nothing and him shedding a tear? UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Speaking to Andrea outside. I wish it had just cut to him and Sydney talking and her telling him she’s leaving and that being how the season ends. And carmy is left devastated and raw and alone and then he gets the notification about the mixed review with the bear in the background roaring.

Lowkey lowkey LOWKEY I didn’t mind Claire as a concept. Because Claire made Carmy happy... And all I want is for Carmy to be happy and at peace. Can I defend her characterisation? No. Is she even a real character? Not really. But I get why he says she is his peace. She is the only part of his life that isn’t chaos. (Does the panic attack scene disprove this? Yes and this also muddies the water because it implies sydcarmy and now they’re like no sydcarmy EVER.) Yes ok Sydney is too but Sydney is connected to the bear. To restaurants. To his most recent trauma. And Claire is connected his past trauma. His childhood. So the panic attack scene was just ??? Anyway I want something or someone else to give Carmy meaning to his life. To push him to heal and get better. But tbh he should lean on his fucking family (blood relatives and the main bear staff) and not put it just on a love interest. Carmy is literally repeating history. 5 years ago he got successful to make Mikey proud. Didn’t end well. Now he’s trying to make Sydney proud by giving her a star instead of what she really wants. A successful restaurant with a team that respects / values each other, listens to one another and believes in place they are working in.

The season ending with Sydney’s panic attack and potentially Carmy finding her outside and comforting her (aka panic attack scene 2.0). IT COULDVE BEEN EVERYTHING BUT NO WE JUST GOT THE BULLSHIT “TO BE CONTINUED”.

At the end of the day I just want my sweaty blue eyed boi to be happy and healthy and cooking in a non destructive way. We didn’t get that at all. I don’t even know if I’ll rewatch this season. Maybe just episode one. Episode one was a breath of fresh air and fucking bait and switch because the rest of the season is ass.

MAJOR FUCKING DOWNGRADE THIS SEASON.

[foreverisntenough]

https://www.tumblr.com/foreverisntenough/763817621945729024/i-love-them-but-i-hateeee-all-the-rumors-this?source=share

I don't think the friendship is the problem. I think you guys feed into every little rumor too quickly.

They're seen together

You guys: omg he's leaving. Jude's poaching him

Is Trent not 26? Can he not make his own decisions and not be swayed about another guy? Is he not his own man? Why is his friendship with a 21 year old so worrisome?

If you guys didn't kick up a fuss about every rumor and just was matured and ignored it, there wouldn't even be grounds for this rumor to grow as much as it does

Sigh… I really don’t want to do this on my fictional writing blog.

Yes, but you’re making your point. He’s 26. He’s making a professional career decision. It’s not about what I’ve said on a reblog. I promise. I’m not naive enough to believe a friendship is weighing or swaying his career like that.

I don’t know who the “you guys” you’re referring to but I’ve said it before but I’m a Liverpool fan. I’ve cared about the club and its players long before Trent graced the field. That said, I love Jude, I’m writing a fic about him right now in fact, but you can’t get me to like RM. I won’t. And I’m allowed to like them as separate entities on my blog. It’s all in good humor. It’s cheeky. I’m not villainizing Jude, I’m not babying Trent. It’s banter.

Calling me immature about making a few cheeky comments on tumblr is wild though. Of course, I don’t want one of the star players of my club, favorite players at my club to go to, not only a rival club, but also a club we’ve lost massive games to in the recent past, specifically ones Trent’s played in… but if he goes that’s how it is.

I want the best for him as a player, it’s a career move end of the day and there isn’t much more ‘up’ he can go after a club like Liverpool. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s career is his, not Jude’s.

Also, if you recall all during the World Cup everyone chirped on and on about the friendship, that Trent was swaying Jude to Liverpool. This isn’t uncommon in the world of football especially when international players reconvene together. Asking Konate about Kylian, asking Virg about Cody… yes, this one has been heightened specifically though because of the media’s attention on Jude but also yhe pair together is the perfect storm. I can go into why I believe they are media targets if you’d like…

But I’ll tell you right now though my small tumblr joking is not causing this. Go read the swarms of Madrid articles after Carvajal’s injury. Get on twitter. Go read Trent’s vague interview in the Atlantic. If you pick a side you can infer any direction you want but Trent said he won’t let it play in the media, leaving it open for interpretation. Additionally, Madrid hasn’t just begun to monitor Trent, this has been cooking pre Jude. The boy is arguably one of the best in the world at his position, everyone watches him.

But as a Liverpool fan… the club have not done enough for our big players, not just Trent and it’s concerning but I don’t see Mo giggling about with rival club players but if he did it’d be okay because he’s an adult man just like Trent. I never said Jude and Trent’s friendship wasn’t okay. They’re teammates? BUT this is what football media has become. I didn’t make up the rumors.

Whatever happens will happen. It will be okay. Promise

You don’t need to call me immature. Thanks.

[taegularities]

Rid, i dunno why you apologise for writing 45k words girl, it didn’t feel like it was 45k because I want more :( Im just a greedy girl who cant get enough of you and our cmi couple 🥺

So.. where to start?? My favourite parts in the chapter that really stuck with me!

- oc showing jk the chicken “Kook! Look!” Ah she so ENDEARING

- strawberry picking and picnic ah its so sweet i’d imagine jk just being so amused to seeing oc in his hometown doing mundane things like riding a bike, holding a chick! but also he wants to teach her, show her new stuff and he’s just so in love

- the family dynamic: wow so many things to touch on idk what to say.. mum and junghyun was just so sweet to oc and went out of their way to make her feel at home and part of the family even if they barely know her. maybe they see her effect to jk that’s why they love her almost immediately. And I guessed it that oc would feel a mother’s love from jk’s mum and its sad and beautiful at the same time. I hope one day oc and her mum can find a middle ground at least

- the dad.. ok ok!! Was it just me that felt he wasn’t tHat bad? Half of the time I felt like it was actually jk who’s trying to provoke him.. maybe i have to return to that part to read again. But uhm wow there’s just so much. With the dinner scene and oc almost getting hurt. Jk was so mad (it was v v v hot too ooppss) and sad when jk was checking on her to see if she was hurt. He’d really put her welfare first before himself. 😢 what would jk do if oc got really hurt? Imagine like a wound on her cheek, she got skin burnt from the soup.. jk will really FLIP

- oc and dad’s confrontation.. damn oc really put him in his place. So brave of her to stand up to the person who hurt her beloved so much.. it takes a lot of guts! And to defend jk even if they were having her own issues with him and Nara. That’s true love! That’s what I read somewhere, that you can critique your partner in private, but in public it will always be a united front. And so its true that oc is the last puzzle to push the dad to own up to his mistakes and shortcomings

- so the apology.. maybe im just a softy.. but the dad seem so sincere to me. I know it will not be an easy repair but it is a good start isn’t it? They have to rebuild a decade of trust, love and respect and i can only hope that they can achieve that. Like jk and oc getting married someday and jk’s dad behind him, puts his hand on jk’s shoulder saying “You did well, im proud of you.” 🥺it will make me BAWL

- christian.. i mean hiiiii 🙊😂did he also try to hit on Nara before that’s why jk is extra pissed? Anyway, i hope all guys in fiction and real life if a girl says no, it doesn’t mean we’re playing hard to get. No is get away from us, thanks!!

- lastly Nara.. uhm im sorry but i cant see her as a girl’s girl 🙏🏻🙏🏻🫤the whole scene of them reminiscing when oc is there, girl not in front of my salad?!? And when oc walked away and jk wanted to follow but Nara was like oh i have something to say.. its like “pick me!!” Scene for me and I hate that jk stayed to listen. Its obvious they’re already arguing because of you rightttt? Im sorry.. if he’s not going through shit with his family already, i wont forgive him easy 😤because it if were reversed, a guy yapping about his time with oc, seriously oc would have cut him right away out of respect for her new partner. Imagine her ex being touchy with her and oc allowing it, and instead of following jk, she stays with the ex to listen to whatever. jk was so pissed when the receptionist flirted with oc who is a literal stranger. But what about his ex who he spent years with, maybe envisioned their lives together forever. Its annoying that he thought its okay to be comfortable with her again when oc is there..

Its a good thing that nara apologised and oc also acknowledged it so at least they ended in a good note? But its whatever just stay away next time please 🤨

- the amount of i love yous made me so giddy af!! The hairclip from prom, the gift he bought her!! Jk’s a sweet and gentle boy aww they deserve each other so much.

Overall, a very good chapter!! What a rollercoaster ride a swearrr its like the scenes are switching to fluff-angst-fluff-angst-fluff but i’ll take it as long as they stay together and united!! Your writing really makes me feel like you transported me to jk’s hometown, like i was one of the wedding guests! 😂 i cant wait for the next one!! But this also means that C&F is next dun dun dun dun…!!!!

plssss, i love hearing your thoughts on each chapterrrr like tysm for taking your time to type this all out :') awhie honestly, i am very greedy for them, too 🥺 so glad the 45k weren't too much.

yeah, the mundane things really did it for them 🥹 she was so proud of the chicken and strawberry thing, and so was he <3 the mom and junghyun are honestly very sweet!! she and oc truly bonded :( i guess she could be the daughter jk's mom never had, and in turn, she gives oc the love she deserves 🥹

about his dad, yes, i reckoned some ppl would say that when i was writing and editing the scenes, but think about it this way — the dad said he'd already been thinking about this for a while and he saw deji a day before they arrived. he had softened up a bit, but in general, jk definitely grew up without ever feeling like his dad loved him or was proud of him. it's like.. being nice for once doesn't make up for being cruel all your life, and that's why jk was so pissed all the time. he was saddened by the fact that his dad knew close to nothing about his son. plus, the man showed his true self when he flipped and when he was talking to oc!! so i know it might seem like jk was provoking him, but he def had a reason to. ALSO YEAH it was kinda hot of jk!!! he'd absolutely lose it if she actually got hurt... ha ha....

yeah nara probably was hit on by christian, too, but while that's a reason why jk is pissed, it's not the only one. it started with ria and christian's cousin tbh. AHHH OKKK THE NARA SCENE LMAO hear me out!! i knew the reactions would be different and i personally really do like nara bc — what she did was totally not ok and i'd be so pissed if i was oc, BUT nara has a loooong history with jk. she respects his new relationship, but at the same time, he'll always be important to her, and she's just been getting used to not being his friend anymore after being just that since they were smol 🥺 imagine if she was the love interest/the oc... it just goes very deep. jk tried to get away still, like when he tried to say "nara, can this wait?" but then stayed to listen for 10 seconds.. he just struggles with being mean tbh, and he also can't really hate or be shitty to someone he'd loved for so long 🥹 but yeah, oc might've reacted differently sighhhh men

YEAHHH THE ILYYsssss, man they are so whipped for each other it's disgustang.. and there's so much more ahead :'))) oh we'll get more of that fluff-angst whiplash, don't worry :P thank you smmmmm for sharing your thoughts babe ily fr 🤍 and yeah... c&f.. ha ha, good luck to us all 🫂

[sazuka57]

/post/718441984343293952/no-actually-im-mad-enough-about-it-to-speak-up when we do it people get mad and say that we're misunderstanding the characters and that we're so wrong and that it's fucking shit. i don't know what to do, i feel pressured to not fuck up

Anon imma give you my biggest secrets to fanfic writing, the ones that have carried me thru 15+ years of fic writing, of unwanted critics, of haters, and of little to no attention to my fics.

1) this is the most important one: write what makes YOU happy. Writing fanfic is a hobby and it should spark joy. It should make you happy. If this means you’re taking the big bad of the series and turning him into a baby that the heroes have to raise? Go for it. If it means a villain is your meow meow and you’re gonna rewrite the story to make him a good guy? Go for it. Whatever makes YOU happy. Because in the end, you are writing for yourself and for you to have fun. Yes validation is nice, but—

2) —but it’s not the end all, be all. It’s always so so sooooo good when people comment on your fics and leave you reviews and go nuts for your work. But I write for dead or niche fandoms and I rarely get attention on any of my work. And I made peace with that. You need to make peace with that. Validation is nice, but kudo/comments/hits are not the goal here: you having fun is.

3) ignore the haters. There are SO many gatekeepers in fandoms nowadays that it sucks the fun and joy out of life. Block them, don’t even reply, just block them. AO3 has mute and block buttons. Use them. And if they are extra rude? Report them. In the old days, we used to say “flames will be used to warm cold feet” which translates to “your hate is less than dirt” (flames here being haters and unwanted criticisms). It still applies.

4) this one is optional but: find like minded people! People who’d enjoy your work! People who you love discussing ideas with! It goes a long way to give motivation!

5) this one is hella important: it’s not ooc if it’s an au!! :) A person growing up in a war zone is gonna have very different experiences than a person growing up with parents who run a coffee shop and will have a different experience to growing up in an orphanage etc etc. and all of these things WILL affect a person’s behavior and will change how they interact with the world. Even if all those three scenarios had the same trauma (i.e. a fire), each one would react differently and would lose different things, which again, affects how they’d act.

6) BE ooc!! DO IT. Why? Because NO ONE is gonna write the character as “ic”’as the original writers/creators. The character in your head is different than the character in another person’s head, and in another’s, and so on. This is because our own lives and experiences affect the way we interact with the world—and fictional works. And working super hard to please the public means that someone out there will always go “that’s ooc how dare you.” You can never please everyone, remember that!

6.5) but also: write crackfic. It will help you break out of the fear of oocness so much. Even if you don’t write them, have crackfic ideas. They’re so good for your soul—humor is so good and cringe is dead.

7) and this is hella important: Anon you are human. Humans make mistakes. We fuck up. It’s how we learn and grow. And NO ONE was born perfect. Writing takes practice. Writing in character takes practice for every new character you write! It’s not easy! But you gotta trust yourself and your writing skills, and that requires practice too! Practice practice practice!!

So, TL;DR: Do what you want. Do what makes you happy. You are not being paid for this, and if people don’t like your writing, they can pay you to write exactly what they want. And fuck up as much as it takes for you to feel satisfied with the pieces your working with. And most important—aus and oocness go hand in hand.

[zutaralesbian]

I was technically not tagged (which is fair. I haven’t been super active in the Gallavich fandom for a while). But this game is super up my alley so I’m doing it anyway 😊

rules (more or less): use this au generator to assign you an au, this fan fiction trope generator to give you a trope/situation/sometimes another au, feel free to keep clicking until you get something that inspires you.

then try to come up with the title, plot, vibe, and details of a fic including whatever the generators gave you. you don’t actually have to write it, just put the concept into the world! this is basically just a thought experiment.

I got:

AU: Shipwrecked AU

Trope: Write a modern royalty AU

The Gallaghers are a royal family from some European country. (Possibly somewhere in the UK or a made up one idk). They’re notorious because of the antics and scandals of their father, King Francis, and the whole world is basically waiting for him to finally get himself killed and for the eldest, Princess Fiona, to become queen.

Prince Ian, frankly, is glad that he is two people behind from ever becoming king. Being a prince in the public is bad enough with having to keep his sexuality on the down-low. Not to mention he always has the fear of his true parentage one day being leaked to the press. (In this AU, he is secretly Clayton’s biological son just like in canon).

The Gallagher siblings decide to take a break from the scandalous life the castle brings them by going on a long cruise on their private yacht.

Mickey is hired to work on the ship as a deckhand during the cruise. At first he didn’t want to take the job because working under a bunch of prissy rich royals was the last thing he wanted to do. But he eventually talked himself into it because hey, the pay is decent and it would mean a good month of being away from Terry. (And if he played his cards right, maybe he could find a few jewels or other expensive shit to snag).

Ian meets Mickey on the ship and is smitten immediately. There’s something about Mickey’s grumpy exterior that just charms him. Being a prince, he’s always had to be careful about his hookups not getting exposed. But they were on a ship and away from the general public. Perfect timing to have a fun fling, right? Only, Mickey doesn’t seem super receptive to his flirtation. Maybe his assumptions that Mickey wasn’t straight were off?

Mickey can’t tell if Ian is flirting with him out of genuine interest or just to be a cocky asshole. Either way, he’s not falling for it. Fuck him for thinking just because he’s a prince that Mickey will fall into bed with him. Sure Ian doesn’t seem all bad and is definitely less irritating than the other Gallaghers. And sure Mickey gets this annoying, fluttery feeling in his chest whenever the fucker smiles at him. But whatever, it doesn’t mean anything.

The ship ends up sinking of course, due to some sort of accident. Everyone makes it onto a lifeboat except Mickey. The worst part? He never learned to properly swim. Ian, having ended up in his own lone lifeboat, spots Mickey struggling in the water and quickly rows over to his aid, grabbing him and pulling him onto the lifeboat.

The tides separate Ian and Mickey from the others. They eventually find themselves on a small tropical island. And there are no other people.

Ian is panicked. Having grown up as a royal, he never learned proper skills to survive in a situation like this. Mickey, however, has grown up teaching himself survival skills and sets out to work on getting them shelter and food. He includes Ian in on all his plans because, as annoying as the guy may be, he did save Mickey from drowning and Mickey supposes he owes him for that. And right now, all they had was each other.

They eventually get themselves a pretty decent setup. They create a fort for them to sleep and take shelter from the sun in. There’s a stream a little further into the forest where they can get fresh water. And their diet consists of fish from the ocean, fruit, and small animals they hunt on the island. Mickey teaches Ian as they go.

Once the threat of death is for the most part evaded they begin to bond. After all, what else do they really have to do besides talk? Ian opens up to Mickey about the pressure he feels being a closeted gay man in the royal family. And eventually, tells Mickey his biggest secret-he isn’t really King Francis’ son.

Mickey in turn tells Ian about his life growing up under Terry’s thumb and his own dark secret. About how Terry once caught him with a boy when he was a teenager and was nearly beat to death.

Horrified by Mickey’s story, Ian makes a silent vow that, if they ever got off the island, he would come out to the public and use his fame and image to become an activist for gay kids who could be suffering the way Mickey did.

Mickey for his part makes a promise to himself that if he got off the island, he would finally leave Terry behind once and for all and make a new life for himself. Even if it means leaving the south side.

Months go by and they of course begin to fall in love. And both of them start to wonder…maybe being on the island isn’t all that terrible. It somehow becomes a solace and escape from the drama of their normal lives. And here, it’s just the two of them. They can finally be themselves.

They do eventually get discovered and rescued. The news of Prince Ian Gallagher being found alive on an island months after the family’s yacht sank becomes huge news. And Mickey somehow gets painted as a hero-the ordinary citizen who helped their beloved prince survive months on an uninhabited island. The Gallaghers are so grateful to Mickey for keeping Ian alive that they give him a large sum of money. Mickey doesn’t want to accept it at first but Ian convinces him to use the money to begin building his new life away from Terry.

Ian and Mickey reluctantly go their separate ways. No matter how they feel about each other, Ian is a prince and has an image to uphold. Mickey knows that Ian already has enough shit to deal with being closeted and having to keep his true parentage under wraps. The last thing he needs is to be tied to a south side thug. It’s better for them to say goodbye, or so he tells himself.

Some time goes by and Ian eventually reaches his breaking point. He misses Mickey and, as much as he loves his family, he’s never fully fit in the royal life anyway. He finally does what he promised himself while on the island and writes and publishes an article where he comes out as gay. And at the end of the article, he officially announces his intent to abdicate his title of prince.

Though Ian never name drops Mickey in the article, a lot of the public had already romanticized their relationship from the island story and assume Ian is abdicating so he can be with him.

Mickey is sitting in his new apartment and watching the news. His jaw drops when he see’s a story about the famed Prince Ian Gallagher coming out as gay and leaving the royal life behind. But before he has a chance to fully react, there’s a knock on his front door.

Ian is at the door. And he smiles at Mickey before asking if his apartment has enough room for two.

[d-parade]

Wanting to be a man VS Being a man: The difference between transgender and transsex, and the exploration of reasons behind the modern transgender culture

(though this applies to both men and women, i talk with the perspective of trans men because)

i want to be strong. i’ve always dreamed of being strong enough to be able to knock someone out with a single punch (hypothetically). but am i currently strong? no. do i “identify” as a strong man in a weak body? no. who even defines what is considered strong? benching 10kg? or 100kg?

there’s many reasons why i would want to be strong. healthier, easier life, looks cool. but i’m able to live my life as who i am right now. it sure would be great to be strong and i’m working towards it, but if i were threatened to stop, would i suffer? no.

now, i’m a guy, a man. do i dream of wanting my physical body to match my true sex? yes. do i want to become a man? no, in a sense i already am, mentally.

so with that example in mind, let’s take a look at modern day transgenders.

there’re many reasons to want to be a different gender (gender as in whatever definition tucutes have), mostly stemming from “the grass is greener on the other side” mentality and “society”. things would be better if so and so was like this and that, and i’ll be happier, my life quality improves etc. and i don’t deny that some people will truly feel better as the “gender” they identify as. but transsex is not alleviating your feelings, it’s curing a problem.

i want to bring up a fictional example, that i think portrays well what i mean:

meet amatsuka megumi, main protagonist of a 2000s manga called Cheeky Angel. she’s an extremely beautiful girl, but wants to become a boy. in the beginning of the story, it’s said that she was originally a boy, that turned into a girl because of a demon, thus she wants to turn back again to her true self.

however, in the end, it’s revealed megumi was always a girl. the reason she made a wish to become a boy was because she hated her role as a woman. because she’s a woman, she can’t do this and that. because she’s a woman, she’s weak and can’t protect her best friend. because she’s a woman, other people get hurt protecting her. so feeling frustrated, she wishes to become a man. but the demon wants to prove to her that she as a woman, can do all of those things. so the demon manipulates her memories into thinking she was once a boy. therefore, without the constraints of her insecurity, she’s able to achieve her wishes all while being a woman.

i think this really applies in real life. megumi’s story, is a huge and possible reason as to why one might want to become another gender. because of society and it’s roles.

the reason why “dysphoria is unnecessary” is harmful is because it encourages people like this, like megumi who have deep underlying issues, to transition without trying to understand the root problem.

“it’s just a fictional story. and people in real life aren’t that stupid to call someone like her transgender.” well, if you were to go to the “amatsuka megumi” tag on tumblr, you’ll see people labelling her as a canon trans man. articles even call this an “lgbtq” series, and there’s posts online about people saying they had “gender fuckery” from reading this series. WHEN ITS NOT ABOUT BEING TRANS AT ALL.

it’s a small issue, but it really shows how twisted the idea of being “transgender” has become. it’s clear that megumi is not trans in any way shape or form. she even gets extremely upset and runs away when she finds out she was going to turn into a man. yet so many people who see this series interpret it the wrong way.

this is why “wanting to become a man”, aka what transgender is nowadays, is NOT the same as being transsex. in many cases, this desire comes from insecurity and the need to discover one’s own identity.

maybe there’s someone without dysphoria to transition and they’re happy. sure, but you’re just escaping the problem, not facing it. transition is NOT a necessity in cases like this. there’s a reason why therapy exists.

for example, a woman who is tired of being sexualised might want to become a man who wouldn’t be subjected to objectification. but she might not understand this as the reason, and due to influence, believes she’s trans. so she socially transitions, and is genuinely happy with it. i don’t deny her existence. but she is not trans. her choice to keep her female parts is a sign she will experience dysphoria as a man.

i believe this is the case for many transgenders nowadays. people might not realise it, but every word and action, including stuff like pronouns, carry an unconscious association that��s unique to each individual person. “she” might seem uncomfortable because of the negative social connotations. whereas something bizzare like “xhe” might not because it’s an entirely new word. there’s little association to it, so it feels “fresh”.

so what’s the issue here? society and ourselves. how do we solve it? by surrounding ourselves with support. why else do some transgenders feel okay with their friends using female pronouns on them, but not strangers? why are some people “genderfluid”? why are there so many “transmen” who look and act exactly like women? could it be… the unconscious associations and connotations one might have with their sex?

BUT THIS IS NOT DYSPHORIA. IT SHOULD NEVER BE CALLED DYSPHORIA.

it is the mere insecurity one has with themselves as a result of living in a society. so then what IS transsex?

the disconnect between the brain and the body that is not caused by society, but rather a fault in the creation of a human. for a transsex, no matter how much a society changes, they will encounter the same issue.

now i know it’s very hard to tell because 1. there is no scientific test to prove this yet and 2. there’s no way to take oneself out of society since birth. so even i myself cannot be 100% sure. but this is why dysphoria with the entire body is extremely important in understanding whether one is transsex. furthermore, the discomfort of even being recognised as “trans”.

because in my head, i am not. i am not “trans”. my identity is not transgender, or transsexual.

i am me. and i’m a man.

[danthepest]

Its kinda funny rewatching and rereading Dragon Ball and noticing significant shifts in the roles of Piccolo and Vegeta.

Piccolo was VERY quickly shafted during the Saiyan arc. He went from being Goku’s arch enemy and technically the big bad of two arcs back to back to being yet another guy who has to hope Goku will show up quick enough to save the day. And he never really gets out of that spot. Yeah, sure he gets his little power ups with Nail and Kami, but they’re very blink-and-you-miss-it in terms of relevancy. He gets his short scuffle with Freeza in the manga and a longer one in the anime, the exposition dump with Cell and the scuffle with #17 that ultimately do nothing but stall for time before its back to the “oh noes where Goku” corner for him. He essentially pulls a Tenshinhan during the Piccolo Daimao arc, right down to the extremely quick change of heart.

The Boo arc handled him the best, all things considered. Toriyama stopped trying to give him quick fix power ups to play catch up with all the Super Saiyan stuff and utilized him as a trusted and wise mentor figure for the younger generation. Granted, Gohan and Gotenks achieved diddly squat in the end, but still. And it’s always funny comparing his psychotic self from the 23rd tournament and his frustrated grandpa self from the whole Gotenks vs Boo fight. Though I wish he was more proactive or active in general. Him giving up against the Kaioshin? What the fuck was that? And they took his one cool moment where he sliced Babidi away from him with the little scrotum sack surviving.

As for his redemption, while I absolutely love it (especially in the anime), it was done far too quickly. You could still have his love for Gohan and keep his animosity/rivalry with Goku up until he merges with Kami. Now an argument could be made that him actually killing Goku freed him from his vow/debt/mission/goal/purpose/whatever and thus led him to change so quickly, it would’ve been interesting to see him still be that ally who wasn’t fully trusted for a bit longer.

Vegeta on the other hand has a change in characterization that I have yet to decide if its genius in its subtlety or just Toriyama settling on how to write him.

Vegeta in the Saiyan arc and the Freeza arc is prideful, yes, but he was also cunning and fought dirty. If someone was stronger than him? He’d acknowledge it and try to gain any advantage he could. Ginyu Force too tough for him to handle on his own? Fuck it, he’ll team up with Gohan and Krillin to stand a chance. An opponent’s back it exposed to him? Stick the knife in the back and twist, twist, TWIIIIIST. Anything to score a win and survival.

But then the Cell arc happens and he becomes a Super Saiyan. Now he’s all about this so-called “saiyan pride” garbage and deluding himself into being the besterest fighter manz who has no equal. Refusing to admit anyone could possibly be better than him even when he gets his shit kicked in twelve times over. Now he has issues with teaming up because it goes against his saiyan/warrior pride and nonsense like that. Outright stating that if it came down to teamng up with Piccolo, the earthlings or Goku, he’d rather fight alone and die. Its why we get dumb moments like him wanting to let Gero activate #17 and #18 so he can fight them and letting Cell absorb #18. And that personality more or less sticks until he comes back to help Goku fight Boo.

His “redemption arc” that everyone fawns over is also one of the sloppiest character developments I’ve ever seen in fiction or even Dragon Ball itself.

Take off your headcanon glasses off for a moment (and the dub’s coloring of Vegeta’s entire character *cough his dying speech to Goku on Namek cough*) and you’ll see that he shows no redeeming qualities until he sacrifices himself against Boo.

So after leading the mini-invasion and being responsible for the deaths of Yamcha, Chaozu, Tenshinhan, Piccolo and then the Namekian villagers, the Dragon Team, especially Bulma, just kind of...accepts this guy into their circle even though he’s shown no remorse for what he’s done barely a year ago, nor shown any affection for anyone or even done a single selfless act. At least with Piccolo, you had Goku, Krillin and of course Gohan all be there to vouch for him because they saw him protect Gohan or help out when he could without any of the “I simply need you alive” excuse. And Bulma and Chi-Chi were still afraid and distrusting of him at the time so he wasn’t fully accepted quite yet. But Vegeta? Nah, he cool.

And then he and Bulma bang because dammit, we need more golden haired fighter dudes. Nevermind he was responsible for your last boyfriend’s death. Does that somehow give way to any redeeming qualities?

...not really. When Gero attacks the aircraft Bulma and baby Trunks were in, Vegeta didn’t even fart in their direction and when Future Trunks confronts him about it, he plainly states he doesn’t give a damn. And we’re never shown otherwise. He even kills the truck driver without so much as a second though during his fight with #18.

Its only when Cell kills Future Trunks that he shows any kind of affection for anyone.

Then the Boo arc happens. And this may just be me, but I never got the feeling he really cared or loved Bulma and Trunks up until his iconic sacrifice. He came across as if he was merely tolerating them, because without Goku around, he’s lost his goal. His motivation. So he settled on living and training at Capsule Corp because what else is he gonna do?

Then the whole Majin Vegeta spiel happens and everyone is so shocked and surprised that the murderous space mercenary who has shown zero redeeming qualities in all these years would turn against them?! Who could have seen this coming?! And its where the saiyan pride speeches come out swinging again.

:/

At this point he’s such a far cry from the scheming, smart and pragmatic Vegeta he was during the Saiyan and Freeza arc and I simply can’t chalk it up to any real “character development” rather than just Toriyama needing another punching bag to show how powerful the new baddie is.

But when he comes back? Oh yes, that’s when we finally see the change in mentality and behaviour Not simply told in a final speech or gesture before death. No, we’re shown it in how he interacts with Goku, how he thinks, how he fights, the absolutely hellish beating he takes to let Goku rest up or charge the spirit bomb. THAT’S when he becomes a natural mix of the two opposite personalities he’s given. That’s when Vegeta was smart and interesting again.

I know this has devolved into a rambling tangent about Vegeta’s redemption arc, but its still interesting to see and I wish more people discussed stuff like this rather than the constant who is stronger debates or which rainbow colored transformation is better.