#but also. they had the *potential* to be a genuinely healthy relationship. if only they had seen past the ohtori ideal of romance

[number1villainstan]

honestly that's a pretty good guess if you don't know the context. even with the context you could argue that wakaba and saionji are both in abusive relationships with ohtori/the patriarchy/ohtori-as-metaphor-for-the-patriarchy

do y'all ever think about how wakaba and saionji were this fucking close to leaving ohtori for real and instead they ended up reinforcing its hold on themselves and each other

[pvrkacciosan]

Red Jacket

A/n: this is the official first F1 fic I'm writing, sooooooooooooo, also unedited so if there is any mistakes its because I haven't actually corrected them lol

Synopsis: A simple one of where Charles gets jealous when he sees his girl in any colour other than Ferrari Red after they fight.

Pairing: Charles Leclerc X Fem!reader

Warnings: swearing, slightly possessive Charles, tension between drivers

Word Count: 1.8K

You loved your boyfriend, you really did.

But over the past couple of days, You and Charles had really hit a rough patch, which was natural in any healthy relationship, but it still hurt none the less.

He wasn't just your boyfriend, he was your best friend, and you knew that no matter what happened you could and would always trust him with anything,

But even that fact didn't stop you from currently wanting to yell at him right now.

You could understand and appreciate the line of work he was in, especially with an upcoming triple header of races. Charles was stressed, and you trying to be supportive only seemed to get on his already shorter nerves.

Perhaps you had overstepped, but you might also be too stubborn to back down.

"I'm not going to apologise for making sure my boyfriend is taking care of himself Charles!" - You simply had tried to make him drink some water, Water!

"I can take care of myself Y/n, I don't need you to babysit me"

He turned away from you, his shoulders and back rigid, the muscles in his back squared out in his anger.

"Well I clearly fucking need to Charles, You're not taking care of yourself1 Perhaps I should hire a babysitter, Because I ain't putting up with this shit"

He had emptied out is pockets, dumping his phone onto the table in his drivers room, Even as you watched him, his back still you, It wasn't difficult to here the recognisable mutter of him swearing in french under his breathe.

It wasn't a language you spoke but swearing was universal, reaching for the door, Charles looked over his shoulder at you, barely turning enough to even look at you properly,

"Don't put up with it then" his voice was low and in any other situation you might have welcomed the heat that spread between your legs, but not right now,

The words struck you, upside the head as though a brick had been chucked at you.

"Fine. I won't"

Grabbing the handle you ripped the door wide, storming out, you slammed it so hard behind you that it didn't shut, instead the door rattles against its frame, swinging back over.

Charles wouldn't follow you out like this, not where there was the potential for camera's to catch you too fighting like this, whether that would matter right now or not, you weren't sure.

The staff all dressed in red parted for you as you walked, You missed Carlos as he attempted to ask you what was wrong, upon peering at your expression,

You didn't stop, Even through your haze you could hear him as he ran after you, gently grabbing your elbow he pulled you to a stop,

"Y/n, what is the matter?" there was genuine concern across the face of your boyfriends team mate, he examined your expression before looking back in the direction of Charles driving room,

"Nothing Carlos, it's fine" you quickly wiped away at the tear that rolled down your cheek, you didn't want to believe that Charles might have meant when he said for you to not, deal with this anymore, What had it meant in regards to the two of you.

It wasn't something you wanted to tread over, so when you pulled away from Carlos lightly, he didn't stop you,

"Keep an eye on him for me, Yeah?" He nodded, and then you were moving once more.

Leaving the Ferrari bay, you mindlessly weaved through the crowd of fans, reporters and staff milling about, trying to find an open space were you could simply take a second to rejig your thoughts.

The crowd which seemed never ending streamed on and on,

"Fuck sake." the curse left your lips as you smacked straight into someone, by accident.

A pair of hand extended out to steady you when you stumbled back from the impact,

"Easy there Y/n" when you recognised the familiar voice, some of the tension eased from you.

"Max..." you breathed,

His hands still one your shoulders, he peaked down at you in concern, You had known Charles for years, which by default you had also gotten to know the dutchman, despite everything, Max had always been good to you and had never given you any reason to be anything but friendly around him.

In the past, When you and Charles got together, he feared Max might steal you from him, but Max knew where the line was with you, and had never once tried to cross it.

Perhaps it was because of your friendship, that made it so easy for you to explain things to him. It was not your intention to cry in front of him, but as you spoke you couldn't stop the small whimper and quiver in your voice.

"I yelled at Charles."

You watched as Max's expression quickly turned to one of undertsnaind, and when he cast hs gaze back up to the surrounding people, with phones. He quickly pulled off his jacket, handing it to you.

You hesitated before slipping it on, he began to guide you around the crowd and through a set of doors, it wasn't until you saw all the mechanics that you realised you were inside the Red bull garage.

You stopped dead in your tracks, it felt weirdly wrong being in another teams garage. Max waited for you, and din't move you on until you looked a little more comfortable,

He sat you in the corner, his jacket still wrapped around you body,

"I've got to start getting ready for this race, Here's a headset, you can listen in to the radios, we can talk after okay?" he patted the top of your knee lightly, nodding you watch him grab you a set of headphones, before he darted off to start getting ready for the race.

It felt more then weird to be here instead, you would usually be sitting with Charles while he got ready, saying that your presence helped to keep him level headed beforehand, you couldn't deny that not being with him put you slightly on edge, almost like you couldn't quite get grips on what was going on around you.

But before you knew it, Max came back through, dressed and ready to drive. Out of respect you moved away while he had a briefing with his team, he came to grab you right before he began climbing into his car.

Wrapping your arms around yourself, you stood to watch the screen in the garage, feeling the anticipation as the drivers began moving out for the formation lap. Your eyes going straight to the red number 16 car.

As the lights finally went out and the race began, your heart hammered hard in your chest watching as the drivers did what they did best. Race.

☽ - Charles - ☾

It wasn't the pole position, but it was a podium, A win for the team.

Charles should be happy, but without you there ready to congratulate him, it almost felt as though he had crossed at the back of the race.

Removing the steering wheel, and climbing out standing on the halo He waved to the cameras, spotting himself appear on the big screen for the fans in the surrounding stand to watch in HD.

As he unclasped his helmet, his attention snagged back onto the screen, Max, had got the pole position, so it wasn't a surprise when the screen switched to show the inside of the garage, where members of the Red bull team were celebrating, what did surprise him though, was spotting your all too familiar figure there amongst the other team.

Something about the notion made his blood boil, you looked slightly uncomfortable, but what tipped everything over was the jacket you wore, Hugging it too yourself in some version of comfort, and Charles knew exactly who it belonged too.

☽ - Y/n - ☾

You had emerged onto the throng of people moving about, trying to get a glimpse of the drivers who were taking in the feeling of their wins.

Getting closer to the barrier you spotted the red suit, just as he began storming toward the leading driver,

Those around you also seemed to tune in, as Charles body language wasn't exactly one of model sportsman's ship.

He moved towards the Red bull driver, being faster you managed to find Fred, who convinced the security to pull you past the barrier.

Charles was gripping the underside of Max's helmet by the time you approached them, the poor dutchman hadn't even had a full explanation or even time to unattached his helmet.

You were too far away to hear what Charles was saying, which wasn't a bad thing as perhaps the camera might not hear it as well, as you don't think it was the nicest thing when Max roughly jerked his head away from Charles, using both hands to roughly push Charles away from himself.

There was members of staff between them faster then you could comprehend, pulling the two drivers apart.

Choosing in that second was more difficult then it should have been, moving towards Charles, you approached carefully, he met your stare and it seemed to harden as it snagged on the jacket, Max's jacket, still around your body.

The security stayed near but back off as Charles approached you, he didn't seem to heed the camera as he stopped inches fro you,

"Take it off. Now."

You jutted your chin up, "Don't think your exactly in the position to give commands,"

"Y/n.."

"Still need babysitting?" you didn't hide the veiled sarcasm in you voice didn't want to when reminded of the argument.

There was a pleading in his eyes when he looked back to you,

"Ma chérie" he bowed his head, reaching gently to take one of your hands, "I'm sorry, truly," he cut his words short, when you leaned up to kiss him.

You couldn't really stay too mad, not when he had just gotten a podium. The fact he didn't ignore you, was good enough, when you two had argued before it never really lasted too long, having history made it easy to read one another. Provided there was communication.

He rested his forehead to yours, "Take it off."

You pulled back, looking to him now in slight confusion. Charles gave the back of Max's jacket a gently tug,

"You're a Ferrari girl, red is your colour. Forever and always."

Without breaking the eye contact you now had going, no doubt the rolling cameras of fans and reporter were catching ever second of this, you peeled the sleeves of the jacket off behind your back, and when you finally turned around to walk to Max with it.

Charles took it from you, you watched him push it into the other drivers chest, grabbing a Ferrari jackets from Fred, he walked back to your side holding it to you,

"Here." his word left little room for discussion.

Once you had it one, Charles couldn't help but look you up and down, giving a quick nod of approval he left a quick kiss to your forehead before he rushed off to catch up with the other drivers,

You watched on, All throughout the after race ceremonies, Charles continued to watch you, admiring you in the jacket, his jacket.

Hugging you arms around yourself you snuggled into its warmth,

the Red one fit you better anyways.

[alishaaxo]

im sorry but i can never be a lyanna stan guys.

just lemme explain.

obviously this is only if she willingly went w rhaegar

To begin with, the situation in its simplest form is that Rhaegar and Elia are married, amicable yet not in love, and Rhaegar runs off with Lyanna, causing chaos to ensue amongst the realm.

Even if no war occured and everything was fine, how can Lyanna try to justify running away with a married man, especially on the way to her brothers wedding which feels very selfish, even if Brandon didn’t want to marry Cat, like she still ruined their wedding day.

Not to mention, that running with Rhaegar meant that shes inserted herself into his marriage which is Elia’s place. How nonsensical it is to run away with a married man and somehow marry him!

There’s two routes people go to justify it, and I’ll explain why I think they suck:

1) E-R-L is a polygamous marriage: This is not appeasable to the realm at all! Nobody will accept that. The only reason Aegon+Rhaenys+Visenya were accepted was because they were conquering Westeros, and like you can’t say shit about the guys conquering you!! Also the Targs were on thin ice then, and Maegor also tried, and look what happened afterwards!

2) E-R was annulled and R-L are married: I don’t think this is reasonable at all. Considering that Rhaegar is only HEIR, just like Daemon, for example. Both wanted annulments and both need the permission from the King and/or High Septon, but also considering how the likes of Aegon IV couldn’t annul his own marriage, do you really think a measly heir could?! At least in Daemon’s situation, he had no children, but as Aegon IV and Rhaegar both had kids (Elia giving birth twice in 3 years) theres no grounds for annulment, and it would disinherit his children potentially anyway, or even start a second Dance. As soon as you have a second wife, whether polygamous, annulled or dead first wife, war will be almost inevitable between the potential heirs.

Also Ik its not possible.. but can we stop with the E/R/L shipping in a serious manner (crackship is fine but in canon is 😐)

Like genuinely thinking mid-20s Elia would want to romance a 14 year old girl, would be fine with her husband romancing said 14 year old, or join in together, is so crazy to me. Like, yes Rhaegar is very much in the pedo-realm but why would Elia also follow suit??!

And like not to be a huge Robert Baratheon stan here (i hate GOT era him) but you can’t deny that it is the rebellion+it’s repercussions on his life, that change him so heavily into this twisted abusive, pedo man. He was not a great guy pre-rebellion, he slept around, was loud and rowdy, but I feel like you can’t really say that Lyanna somehow predicted that he would be this abusive evil man, tbh it seems like she just disliked his promiscuity which is valid, but in doing the same to Elia, her point gets invalidated in my eyes.

Also next point is the age-situation.

Now i know that obviously in a real life situation, a 14 year old girl is at no blame for the groomer actions of the adult…. however just look at how GRRM perceives this. like not as an “oh medieval girls married at 14, its fine” because they were still mentally children… but i mean how GRRM perceives relationships akin to R-L and characters by Lyannas age in ASOIAF-verse.

Ok so GRRM thinks R-L is romantic, which means that the groomer undertones aren’t necessarily meant to be there, and its meant to be more of a Romeo-Juliet situation (which heavily fucked over Romeos girl Rosaline ie Elia). He also believes Dany-Drogo and San-San is healthy, so I don’t think age heavily affects characters romantic feeling and actions much then.

Then if we see character Lyanna’s age, they’re treated as adults (yes some do have child impulses but overall adults). You have Robb acting impulsively like a kid, but ultimately being treated as an adult and being killed. I feel like even though they have kid impulses, they’re meant to get adult consequences for their actions.

Also ages as a whole is fucked up in ASOIAF in comparison to real world, like you have baby Rickon Stark going feral in Skagos, you have 3 year old Joffrey Velaryon/Strong squaring up to Aemond, and you even have 11 year old Benjicott Blackwood being an absolute beast of a warrior when in the real-world, he’d be just a kid, useless in defence.

[bookwyrminspiration]

in-depth opinions on keefe (trying to return you to your roots: getting asks about kotlc characters)?

I may be putting several additional feet in several additional fandoms but I promise y'all have me prisoner and can send me as many keeper asks as you want <3

I will say these are my personal, subjective opinions! Which do include a bit of bias (TLDR at bottom)

For years I was perfectly fine with Keefe; he's never been my favorite, but he had some funny lines and an engaging presence. Never failed to liven things up. This changed around end of Legacy/Stellarlune.

It's not because I don't ship sokeefe, but because I felt sokeefe's execution was rushed and overshadowing the rest of the story. Wasn't even a full book since Sophie broke up with Fitz and said she wasn't ready for a relationship, yet there they are. I think they, and we, deserved more time. (and yes, Keefe exists beyond shipping, but given how HUGE of a role it plays in his in-text and fandom presence, i find it relevant)

Of course that's not Keefe's fault, but seeing all the adoration for what I found lackluster kinda pavloved me into a general distaste. Especially when done at the expense at Fitz, one of my favorites. Which is unfair, but I did say there's bias. That's not to say I'm mid on Keefe because I love Fitz or that you can't love both, just that personally I'm a Fitz fan, and seeing Keefe used as a direct comparison to shoot him down doesn't endear him to me (and no, not everybody does this, but I've seen it enough to be impacted)

As for Keefe independently, he's following the path of Ro. Too many traits are staying stagnant and becoming repetitive, which is adulterating what I used to enjoy. The way he steamrolls everything--forcing hands to go to Ravagog in Neverseen, running away in Lodestar and refusing to listen, the mercadir incident in Nightfall, the going behind everyone's back thing in Legacy, the running away again, etc. At first it was annoying but interesting, but at this point it's like...we're still doing this?

The amount of time and effort Sophie has to expend managing Keefe is ridiculous. if we could just knock him out for like 2 months I think she could fix everything. it's gone from a facet of the plot's challenges to straight up nuisance like get tf out of her way !!

Others have mentioned this, but the privacy invasion and making others uncomfortable is another thing that I didn't mind at first but became annoying. A joke or overstep here or there is fine; no one's perfect, and if it moves the story forward, sure. But he's constantly pushing and isn't sorry. And the more it happens, the less I can stand the earlier instances. I do my pagethroughs and just get annoyed where I used to laugh

Is there an understandable explanation for several of these points? yes. how the hell would he know how to have healthy relationships and boundaries when he's been set such bad examples? However, he's also being consistently corrected and ignoring that advice. He's given pep talk after pep talk, has fight after fight, and yet nothing's changed.

Do I think he's beyond saving? No. I've spoken with a few people about this, but I think a key thing holding him back is Sophie's "I could never hate you" promise she keeps making. Because Sophie is the main (if not only) thing that matters to him, he's got a built in safety net for whatever stupid shit he pulls, and never faces the consequences he's really afraid of.

If we took that net away, if he faced her genuine distrust and anger and upset and her exclusion and her hatred--without the "but not really just give me some time" vibe. I think that'd do wonders and we'd actually get somewhere. And also it'd be vindicating to see; the nightfall healing center fight is one of my favorite scenes

TL;DR: In summary, I don't hate Keefe. He has potential and I've enjoyed him in the past. But currently the combination of him being used against Fitz, the lackluster execution of sokeefe (imo), the privacy invasion, and stagnation don't do it for me. His kind of character already isn't my niche, and that doesn't help. Does he have potential to become less annoying? yes! i hope he does for everyone's sakes. until then, mild distaste for him.

i will be taking Fitz, Tam, Cadence, and Luzia and playing in the corner, thanks <3

(this is in no way against Keefe fans. kudos to y'all! i'm simply not one of you atm)

[ctheathy]

Yandere Kitsunami Headcanons

Kitsunami x Reader

Yandere Headcanons

Author's note: Kitsunami has to be one of the, if not my favourite character of the entire Sonic franchise🌊💙 Happy I finally got to write for him!

You: Look at him, he’s the boy of my dreams!!Kit: *drowning somebody alive and giggling*

Kit/Reader [Romantic//Platonic]

[Gender-neutral Darling|Female Darling|Male Darling]

Potential ⚠️ TWs⚠️ :

Attempted drowning • Co-dependency • Delusional behaviour • Possessiveness • Stalking • Unintentional gaslighting • Guilt tripping • Abandonment issues

*ೃ༄*ೃ༄*ೃ༄*ೃ༄*ೃ༄*ೃ༄*ೃ༄*ೃ༄*ೃ༄*ೃ༄

With the amount of attachment and connection issues he has, it honestly wouldn’t come off as a surprise at all when Kit manages to transition into a full-blown yandere. Just like how he’s dependant on Surge to make the decisions for him, he shall be dependant on you too. Just with some ... Higher measurements. He feels as if he needs you in order to breathe, in order to live. Kit would have an obsession triggered inside of him with minimum effort, a bad one for that matter; and it’s eerily easy to get him pushed to that state as well, being the more vulnerable one between both him and Surge.

I believe Kitsunami to be a fairly delusional but also possessive yandere. He truly believes himself to be best for you, including the things he’s done in your name. He absolutely despises seeing you among other mobians and it shows. He’d purposely put them in problematic situations with his water abilities, using his water tank to his advantage while practically making their life a living hell. His dislike torwards the said person blinding him from seeing the cold hard truth about who he’s become himself. He’s usually just one to observe fromout the background without interfering, but even Kit manages to have his breaking points; and it's not pretty for sure. The more resentment he grows towards the individual, the harsher and more damaging his tactics become. There would be times where he would forcefully blast boiling hot water towards the poor mobian, leaving them with a ton of burn marks to recover from. And in even worse case scenarios, attempting to drown the victim with his water strength.

Anytime you manage to spend time around another, Kit gets put in a state of panic; horrified for abandonment and clings to your side like there’s no tomorrow. You’d have to absolutely calm him down and have a long conversation with him for a good two hours or so for him to operate back onto his feet. It only becomes more difficult over time, much as he requires an amount of constant reassurance and validation for his actions that no living creature could ever provide. Even if you call him out for his deeds, he isn’t going to understand, which indicates just how much of a delusional mindset he's in. In his head, he views those around you as bad influences and threats and makes sure they pay the price for it, despite being innocent.

Though his desire to protect you and live up to your expectations is genuine, he fails to showcase this through an appropriate way. His attachment to you is unhealthy and he is just so damn desperate to make you proud, no matter the costs. He is also quite clingy to say the least. He is literally just following you around like a lost puppy and would prefer to never leave you out of his eyesight at all. Even if you set down boundaries for the sake of the healthiness of your relationship with one another, he tends to get too stressed to keep himself to them. His paranoias eating at him while it all just comes down to a stalker session. You even swore there had been times where you caught a glimpse of his glowing and recognisable magenta eyes in the corner of your room, in the middle of the night. Actually making you think you’re slowly losing your sanity to this boy.

Due to his timid nature and anxious behaviour being even worsened so after his obsession starts to take place, he most likely begins to influence his darling too. He is continuously dumping all his worries onto them and whispering paranoia’s in their ears, to the point it might even start to affect their own natural instinct. You have always been one to comfort Kit over his concerns instead of disregarding it like many others have done, but he just becomes so restless with his panic, it starts to rub off on you too. His pleads are alarming and nerve-wracking to you, but you cannot really say anything about it either. It gets to a point where you’re constantly wary of your surroundings and those around you, suspicions and fears lingering in the back of your mind which originally belonged to the teal furred fennec. At last, you might just be gaslighted into believing that he truly is the only safe space for you, being pulled into his own delusions. He’d already isolate you on a regular basis. And it honestly just gets to a point where you feel terrified of your own environment

*ೃ༄*ೃ༄*ೃ༄*ೃ༄*ೃ༄*ೃ༄*ೃ༄*ೃ༄*ೃ༄*ೃ༄

[agentoffangirling]

Ranking AoS ships (canon & non-canon) bc I can:

FitzSimmons. If you don't have this as your top, I DON'T TRUST YOU. They are the blueprint, the very epitome of romance. If someone doesn't dive through a space rock to reach me on another planet, I don't want them

Dousy. Ik some people much prefer Sousa and Peggy, and they have a great relationship, but I don't know, I just like Dousy more. Maybe bc I want Daisy to be in a healthy relationship for once? But for only appearing in around half the episodes of s7, they don't feel rushed, and Chloe and Enver have great chemistry. They're so sweet together, I can't say much else other than I love them

Skimmons. Okay okay ik what a lot of people are gonna say, but I just think they're wonderful together. I've drifted a bit from shipping this, I do see the sisters aspect of them (I don't see them as sisters and romantically at the same time, that is WEIRD), but I still have a small soft spot for it. I think it's mostly Chloe and Elizabeth's love for the ship that sells it

Philinda. Tbh this and Skimmons could be switched, they're very close in my brain. While I don't necessarily feel too bad about them splitting up in s7, I like both the platonic and romantic versions of them, I think they were really great. They so obviously love each other, and what more can I say to that?

Huntingbird. 100% compatible 50% of the time, as Hunter puts it. I don't believe this to be the healthiest of AoS relationships, but not everything has to be perfect all the time. One moment they could be making jabs at one another, the next they're making out. Who knows? Their moments are a fun time either way

MackElena. I think what this ship needs is more time. Compared to the other relationships, MackElena doesn't get to share the screen all that much. I do love how they learn from one another, and they've always given me a kind of comforting type of vibe. They're just cute together

Simmorse. This feels like a relatively newer ship in the fandom, and I am all for it. I don't ship it massively, but I 100% see the potential, I think it's very easy to see that Jemma was crushing on Bobbi a couple times

QuakeRider. Just like Simmorse, I do see it, but I've never really been a big fan of it. Not that there's anything wrong with it, it has great vibes, I love the rogue x rogue type ship, I just don't ship it that much. I personally see them closer to older brother, younger sister type of dynamic. But I do see the potential

Staticquake. HEAR ME OUT OKAY? I used to like Staticquake a lot, but on my rewatches I see myself getting farther and farther away from it. It's not that they don't have good chemistry or that I don't think they're really in love, oh no, they have all of it, it's just not the best relationship for Daisy. There are more than a few moments where they're arguing, majority of the time Lincoln being in the wrong, and later Daisy apologizing for it? It always struck me as odd. I also feel like resolved too many issues behind the scenes, relying on exposition to make the audience believe they had gone further in their relationship

DekeDaisy. Idk if they have an actual ship name, so I'm going with this one for now. It's just wayyy too one-sided and doesn't seem like it would work anyway. Daisy was not in the right frame of mind for a relationship, and she seemed relatively blind to Deke's advances. Also considering that Deke sold her to the Kree earlier... yeah, it was never gonna work

Skyeward. It might get up one spot for the Framework version of them, but as it stands, the real life version of them is AWFUL. Ward lied to Skye on almost everything, hurt her, hurt her loved ones, kidnapped her, became obsessed with her, and countless other things I can't remember rn. They're so toxic and if you ship them (not Framework or pre-betrayal), I have genuine concern in your love life

[befuddledcinnamonroll]

Themes in Pit Babe (or why the racing omegaverse show is deeper than you think)

As we're getting close to the end for Pit Babe, I can't help but think about the reoccurring themes around both self-worth and self-determination that are coming through in the show. It's very unexpected, but also a big part of what I love about it (reminder, I adore shows with heart). So let's talk about it a little bit.

Part 1: Self-Worth & Characterization

Let's start with the characters. First up:

Tony's "kids" (which just so happens to be most of the cast).

It's incredibly important that all of these men were "acquired" as small children, and then raised within an abusive household.

We don't get clear info on all of their backgrounds, and where they came from, but removal of children from their biological family is almost always a traumatic thing (even in cases where it is genuinely necessary). We know in the case of Babe that Tony ruined his father financially to make giving up Babe seem like an act of care, and it's not a stretch that he did similar things to get other children, particularly those with special abilities he deemed potentially profitable.

Once they were in the household, they experienced varying degrees of abuse. Tony doesn't seem to get physical with everyone, but Babe was definitely extremely isolated, and considering how close in age the rest of them are, and how most of them didn't know about each other, it seems like he did keep them all under very strict limitations. No outside school, no enrichment, just focus on developing their abilities. They were expected to be silent and obedient, and to produce the results that Tony wanted (or make themselves otherwise useful), or they were disposable.

In short, none of them had a healthy childhood, and all of them have varying degrees of trauma as a result.

Babe

Babe had the experience of being with a loving father, who then handed him over to Tony. Although his father saw it as something that would give his son a positive future, for Babe, it was the most severe kind of rejection. And once he was in Tony's hands, it was made abundantly clear that his only value was in his alpha senses.

When he managed to leave Tony's house, he tried to find something to give himself a sense of identity, and succeeded with racing. But it becomes clear through the series that his "Pit Babe" bravado is a facade, and underneath he is still deeply insecure and feels unworthy. There's nothing wrong with keeping sexual encounters to one time events, but through his time with Charlie we learn that he desperately wants love, and has been keeping relationships at bay to avoid further rejection.

Charlie

Charlie seems confident a lot of the time, in his assertive pursuit of Babe, and his steadfastness in keeping to the path that he is on. But the further we delve into it, it becomes more clear that although he is driven by his love for Babe, and permanently freeing Babe from Tony's clutches, he is not at all confident when it comes to his own self-worth. His plan to make Babe think he was dead seems terribly cruel, until you realize that he genuinely did not think it would devastate Babe. He isn't kidding when he offers to die to give Babe his powers back. He wants to be there for Babe, he wants to take care of him, but he also sees himself as nothing particularly special or irreplaceable.

Jeff

Jeff has a lot of similar qualities to Charlie, which makes sense if they were allowed to spend time together as children. Jeff also is similarly confident in his belief that Tony has to be stopped, in the path he is on, and that sometimes bad things have to be done for the cause. Where Jeff's self-worth comes in is around his abilities. The story of Cassandra is a tragedy for a reason - prophecy is not the gift that it would seem to be. Again, we don't know what Jeff has experienced in his childhood, but he has definitely experienced people around him being put off and uncomfortable due to his visions. As he gets closer to Alan, he brings up the challenge of dating someone like him multiple times, because he is genuinely struggling to understand why anyone would go through the trouble of loving him.

Way

To be clear, having experienced abuse is never an excuse to hurt others. But it is important to understand just how much damage can happen when someone is told for their entire childhood that they have no inherent value, and are only worthy for what they can do for someone else.

We don't know what Tony's plans were before Babe ran away. What was Way being raised for? What were the plans for him? Enigmas are very rare, his abilities are really valuable on their own, so one would expect that Tony planned to keep him close, and keep utilizing him as needed. Which means it was likely made very clear to him that his freedom to go out into the world, join the racing team, and form his friendship with Babe was all contingent on him staying obedient - or he could lose it all.

*Side note - the interesting thing here is how long Babe & Way had been friends. Because Tony strikes me as someone who is both extremely impatient, and someone who would have zero issue with obtaining his goal through sexual assault. Which yes, Way does finally cross that line, but what about all the years before then? It just seems like he might have been finding ways, possibly through his powers, to keep Tony at bay. Until Charlie showed up and Way made some extremely bad choices.

Again, hard to know without the full backstory - but Way's lack of self-worth feels like it comes with a side of despair. Tony will win, Tony always wins, Tony can take everything away, so there's no point in fighting.

Kenta

This last episode made it very clear just how terribly Kenta has been abused by Tony. His insistence on being grateful to Tony makes me wonder if he was someone who had an abusive family of origin as well, or if he was an orphan who felt rescued by being brought this this wealthy man's home. Or perhaps it was just that Tony constantly reinforced that as someone without powers, Kenta was lucky that Tony deigned to keep him around.

For those who are not familiar with abuse dynamics it can be hard to understand why there would be such loyalty to someone so cruel. But that's the insidious thing. Kenta was raised to believe that he only mattered if he mattered to Tony. His sense of self-worth is entirely wrapped up in Tony. He had a shining spot in his friendship with Pete, but Pete left. Kenta sees that as a betrayal, and as proof that no one else could possibly care about him.

Pete

Pete is a really interesting one. Unfortunately we don't get to see very much of his experience in Tony's house, but he does seem to have a degree of freedom that some of the other children don't have. He is also an enigma, but unlike Way his power seems to be more empathy-based. And I think that this empathy is key. He seems to be able to both evoke memories/feelings in others (he seemed to do this when Kenta was attacking him), and read what others are thinking & feeling.

Pete doesn't struggle with his self-worth like the others do, because he is more focused on those outside of himself. He can see the pain that others are dealing with, and it gives him purpose. One could argue that it's to an unhealthy degree - his own wants & needs are important. But to him, the mission is what matters. His self-worth is created through his goal of freeing others from Tony & men like him.

And now for the few men who managed to escape being adopted by Tony:

Alan

Again, not much backstory, but it seems like Alan was raised in a relatively loving and privileged home. He leads with compassion and understanding. He's not aggressive and he never talks down to people. He gets awkward at times, but overall is a confident business owner and Uncle to his collection of idiots. He's a man who seems to get a fair amount of self-worth out of taking care of others and bringing people under his wing.

Kim

Kim rocks, and he knows it. This is a man who has zero struggle with his sense of self-worth. He knows his inherent value has nothing to do with winning or losing, he just enjoys a good challenge. He has a strong moral compass, and will do the right thing just because. This man is self-worth goals.

Sonic & North

They are idiots, but they are comfortable in who they are. They know where they belong, they aren't offended by not being key racers for their team, they just find where they fit and make it work. Also you have to have confidence to dress like these two.

Dean & Winner

We don't get a ton of characterization with these two, but they are a good example of what happens when you tie your self-worth with winning, or otherwise being "superior" to others. This kind of self-worth usually comes with a pretty huge dose of insecurity, and feeling like you have something to prove.

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

Gah, this has gotten longer than I expected.

Coming soon: Part 2: Self-worth & Relationships

[devine-fem]

Why do you ship damian and Jon? especially still as they are now in canon, I’m genuinely just asking…

This is a loaded question.

Firstly, my introduction to younger heroes was through Super Sons and I didn’t immediately ship them until I entered the fandom and had all their content clash together consistently in my head and it slowly made me realize the potential of the characters and what I was reading.

I’m more of a Damian Wayne enjoyer than anything in the batfam, he’s my favorite Batkid, then its Jason and Cass. I really enjoy his character and I also really relished in the potential Jon had with Damian and how he was a genuine friend.

I really do think that if done right then Damian and Jon being in some sort of relationship would not only be excellent representation but also, could fix a lot of troubling aspects of their character. Like their mantles and how their characters function in canon. Their relationship could be catalyst for them seeking a new mantle.

It’s more so built off of the mutual friendship they have for each other and how much they care about the other person.

A lot of people expect me to consider older Jon because he’s canon but no, I don’t like Jon’s age up for many, many reasons so I choose to ignore it.

Whoever chooses to get mad at me for it are hypocrites because you cannot honestly tell me there aren’t stuff about your favorite character that you don’t choose to ignore… every character in dc has done something problematic and if you didn’t ignore something, they wouldn’t be enjoyable.

People only want me to take in older Jon because they either hate the ship or weirdly enjoy Jon’s pseudo-relationship and feel threatened over Damijon even though it’s an entire fanon ship and can’t do anything to harm canon in the first place. You guys have the canon ship, why do you have to feel so threatened?

On Damian’s part, there’s flatline but I don’t personally feel threatened by his relationship/romance with her… she’s a fine love interest and I really enjoy her allegories of death, it’s interesting to think about and how that correlates with Damian’s grief with Alfred. There’s no reason for me to get so up and arms about Damian’s canon romances… it’s fandom… I think I would even like them a lot at some point when Nika gets some more content in the future. I also fear for her because she’s so new and has potential to become a character we grow to hate once other writers get their hands on her… (I have more thoughts on this but that’s all for now)

Jay… no… I’m sorry, there’s no appeal with him and Jon and with how it came about… I don’t find it likable.

Like I don’t actually want Damijon to be canon ever, really, it’d be a nightmare in the longrun with how these writers handle queer relationships.

And yes, people are always like “Damian and Jon had an age gap even before the age up-“ Dude, their ages were infamously inconsistent in comics that weren’t Super Sons, sometimes they had a 1-2 year age gap if you put them on a certain timeline in canon. Super Sons is what established the age gap, and even after Jon was aged up, till Taylor took it, they still had an inconsistent age gap. Jon’s age was inconsistent and Damian was also aged up but people tend to forget that.

Jon and Damian don’t have canon birthdays and didn’t know each other for that long before the age up. The age gap is probably much smaller. Even Taylor sometimes refers to it as “2-3 years” but he’s never consistent on any basis so…

I simply just think they’re 1-2 years apart in my head, or sometimes 3 as well. But I also, don’t consider them being in a healthy romantic relationship unless they are adults. No one should consider Jon and Damian actually being able to hold a relationship while they are young, it wouldn’t work. Any shipping I do while they are younger, is because that's where they peaked and it’ll be entirely innocent.

If they were to be in a relationship as they’re older, I seriously do think they can be incredibly happy together. I feel they are somewhat the perfect person for the other.

Thanks for the ask.

[howlsofbloodhounds]

https://youtu.be/0nugWOaC8lU?si=L9gDvlcLg_F121gx

I came across a post with music that you associate with something or someone, and I also had some associations when listening to some of it. Or to be more precise, when I listen to this, I imagine how complicated the relationship between Color and Killer/Delta is.

Do you think that their relationship is like that, or are there other views on this? (and I will add that I like both ships, and sometimes I even consider the possibility that this could even be a triple)

Oh thats a kinda cute song, even if a little repetitive at points. Does anyone happen to have any more song recommendations? 👀

And yeah I do think the dynamics between Color, Killer, and Delta could potentially be rather complicated; regardless of romance or not. In fact it works just as well with friendship.

Color’s Delta’s first and closest friend, and Color’s Killer’s first real, genuine friend.

I’d imagine that a lot of the issues is mostly because of Killer. As said before, its not like he has much grasp on healthy or equal relationships of any kind; and with every other “friendship” he’s had most recently—Chara, possibly Nightmare—they were always possessive over him.

Wouldn’t be surprised at all if Killer is a little possessive and territorial over Color, too. Whereas Stage 1 may experience things like emotional jealousy, insecurity, feeling undeserving of it—fears of being abandoned.

Stage 2 would possibly view it more as losing a very valuable resource, someone he not only views as very important to his stability and happiness and happy ending, but someone he’s actually grown to want around.

As said I mentioned before, Color is one of his “red lines.” Someone who knows a lot about him, someone he’s trusted with a lot about himself, eventually. And even if he’s growing to trust Color, that doesn’t mean he trusts Delta.

He notices how close Delta and Color are, and he thinks of all the ways that can be used to hurt Color, which in turn, hurts him. If Stage 2 is ever jealous or afraid of being left behind, or that Color likes Delta more or would choose Delta, I doubt he’d ever willingly acknowledge that. Let alone say it.

Killer wants control. He sees so many things he can’t control about Delta and his relationship with Color, they’re so obviously close, and he doesn’t like it. It doesn’t feel safe.

If Color is the hope that brought light into his world, then I’m sure the concept of sharing that with someone he doesn’t know—someone who has made it obvious that he doesn’t like Killer and would prefer if Color wasn’t around him—feels less like sharing, and more like Delta is trying to take from him. Like Delta is tryna hurt him specifically, or control him, or punish him—by taking or stealing who makes him happy.

Killer doesn’t often think he deserves to be happy, and for awhile im sure he thought it wasnt possible. But now that he knows it is possible, he still doesn’t think he deserves it, and he doesn’t think anyone else besides Color would probably think he does. He doesn’t really offer people much trust, does he.

Delta already doesn’t like him, and he’s close with Color. But he doesn’t need Delta to like him, he just needs Color to like him (to like him so much he stays), and he needs Delta to know how much Color likes him.

But you know, instead of voicing all these concerns and needs like a well adjusted person, he will instead gaslight, torment, fuck with, and manipulate. (Someone once said Killer is like a cat because he plays with his prey. Which is basically what he’s doing here lmao.)

He will create little scenarios that make Delta feel unsure and frustrated, he will do and say things to subtly make Delta feel left out and insecure—and he will do it all so casually that Delta starts wondering if he’s actually the one causing the problem here.

He likes having control over this. He likes that he can do or say something to have Color’s attention and focus on him, he likes that Color is so kind, sweet, attentive, despite still knowing not to trust him completely when he’s like this.

He likes that Color is smart like that. He likes laying down these little games and tests of loyalty and seeing how much Color cares about him. He probably likes pushing boundaries and buttons just see not only how much Color will tolerate from him, but exactly how much he cares despite it all.

But Color also cares for his friends, and he also understands Killer, and so he will eventually realize what’s happening—and he will realize that there’s more reasons going on for this behavior than only territorial and control reasons. And he will seek to try and talk to Killer about it—and lay down some firm boundaries with Killer.

Ultimately I think things will ease up a little when Color gets Killer to understand what’s going on, what he needs from Color, and gather the courage to learn how to ask for it.

It’s not like Color’s going to have any issues with showering Killer with any validation, reassurance, praise or comforts he needs but feels either too weak and vulnerable (Stage 2) or ashamed and guilty (Stage 1) to ask for—let alone the hard work of teaching killer that he can ask for something and expect to have it given to him happily with no other strings attached for no other reasons than Color loves and cares about him. Because its not something to be ashamed of needing, and it doesn’t make one weak to need.

[mf-headcannontap]

DREAMWORKS TROLLS: SUPER UNPOPULAR AND CONTROVERSIAL OPINION!!!

DreamWorks Trolls Opinion #1:

Branch's dynamic with Cloud Guy could have been great, if not for how they severely mishandled it for the sake of making Branch the punchline in the show.

Now hear me out!

Cloud Guy is an absolute menace to Branch who loves to prank and humiliate him, but in the end somehow makes Branch overcome something. This is putting a very toxic relationship on screen and making it seem like it's fine when it 100% is not. Now, I've never been a fan of Cloud Guy, but I do know the turning point of where Cloud Guy went from being a character that mildly annoyed me to a character I genuinely hate, and that was Apple Of My Ire. To understand this, let me give you a rundown of my feelings every time Cloud Guy is in an episode.

Laugh Out Cloud: This wasn't too terrible, seeing as how Branch was sort of intense in that episode, but that whole flood thing was really unnecessary.

Cloudy With A Chance Of Hugs: This was just funny. Only thing was Keith in the end. I love Keith, but Branch worked really hard, and Cloud Guy may have been the most annoying wingman ever, but he still got the job done. Although, he really needs to not break into Branch's house and respect his personal space.

Rainbowmageddon: This was just Cloud Guy unnecessarily humiliating and undermining Branch, but honestly I'm more upset with the Trolls because THEY'RE the ones the rainbow is affecting the most, and they're the ones who aren't taking anything seriously. Also, they were fine with just leaving Branch up there? Laugh Out Cloud was fine because I do think Branch was way too uptight about the drought, but here he was rightfully worried about the rainbow, and Cloud Guy and the gang were just goofing off. What's worst was the whole deathbed confession that proved unnecessary. In Laugh Out Cloud, it wasn't exactly a deathbed confession (and it would have been way better if Cloud Guy wasn't faking being scared) and Branch really didn't suffer all that much over it. But here, that was just mean. But honestly, it was the Trolls (Snack Pack in particular) that were the most frustrating.

Two's A Cloud: Now, this episode had potential. It was SUPREMELY irritating when Cloud Guy just moved in. It was also equally horrible when he was being an inconsiderate roommate, purposeful or not IDK but IDC. But them working together to get Cloud Guy's parents to leave was great. And even if Cloud Guy decided to ultimately not move in the bunker, it was still a pretty sweet episode. The Trolls just randomly bursting in his home, though, was awful.

Apple Of My Ire: This episode had me just screaming, and not in the good way. I don't know what in the world Poppy was thinking in finding someone new for Cloud Guy to harass, when she should’ve talked to him about reevaluating and changing their dynamic into something better. You know, something more healthy, or borderline brotherly. Because Branch is so little brother coded, and Cloud Guy honestly seems like a guy who would definitely mess with his siblings out of love. Not to mention, the last time they interacted was to team up to fend off Cloud Guy's parents. That's basically a brotherhood right there! But no. This episode ruined it. Because Branch was emotionally growing, and Cloud Guy pulled him right back to his old ways. And Poppy did NOTHING!!! What's worse is that the other Trolls were also in on this! Like why??? Do Trolls not understand harassment? They have a holiday dedicated to pranking one another, but constantly being bombarded by pranks seems like that would be terrible. Like, in Prank Day, POPPY was getting fed up with the pranks. And sure, she may have planned the prank she pulled on Branch, but she really wasn't taking being pranked constantly well, so why would she be okay subjecting anyone else to that treatment on a day that isn't a day dedicated to pranks? Better yet, if she cared so much about finding Cloud Guy a troll he could annoy, why didn't she volunteer herself? There have been multiple instances where Poppy has proven to be just as temperamental and easy to annoy as Branch, so why couldn't she be that Troll? She already had some practice when she was trying to help DJ with wrangling CJ's wooferbug. But what really took the cake was when Cloud Guy just openly admitted to planting a tracker INSIDE Branch, and no one did anything. Also, was that bit really necessary? When has Cloud Guy ever had to use the tracker? Rainbowmageddon aside, he always first interacts with Branch near or in his bunker. This episode turned their dynamic from frienemies-that-can-be-potential-brothers who annoy each other, to outright bully-victim where the victim gets shamed constantly for defending themselves. This episode made me hate Cloud Guy, and gave me such an ick, I can't even watch any of the previous episodes with Cloud Guy in them without feeling rage.

I have not seen Trollstopia. I do not have access to it. But I have seen people discuss the show online. More specifically, they discuss the episode Cloud Control. And what they discuss... I thought Apple Of My Ire was bad, this episode was infinitely worse, and I haven't even seen it yet.

The takeaway here is Branch's and Cloud Guy's dynamic had so much potential, but then Apple Of My Ire came along and every episode with Cloud Guy after that just cemented Cloud Guy as an antagonistic bully who gets away with it due to victim blaming and finding ways to make it seem that he was "helping" his victims all along, as well as a large dose of full on guilt tripping.

It all comes down to DreamWorks and their love of making Branch the punchline to everything. Even his trauma isn't taken seriously, as evidenced by Trolls: Band Together. Branch deserves better. Cloud Guy's character arc was brutally murdered so I guess he deserves better, too. Poppy and the Trolls need more character development and a crash course in healthy character dynamics. And DreamWorks needs to stop making Branch needlessly suffer for the sake of a joke.

[kitsunefyuu]

If afo and inko were in love, what would their relationship be like?

Well with all this new backstory information I have quite a few ideas on how their relationship work. Warning, while I definitely write them as loving and stuff doesn't mean there aren't some red flags.

How their relationship would be like in love:

All for One is a petty person who desperate for love and validation using any means to get it while also willing to spoil his 'gift' if likes them. Inko is a loving and strong willed person who do anything for their loved ones.

Basically they work well. As All for One is startled that Inko is just actually nice and seems to just like him. It ain't at all like the insane worship of his followers and he LATCHES onto that. So he kind of orchestrates opportunities for them to keep meeting. But tries to act subtle despite trying to throw gifts at her.

Inko of course thinks it's kind of hilarious and sweet that he's trying so hard. So basically she agrees to date him and let me tell you AFO has NO IDEA how dating works. He just kind of there eating dinner with no idea what to do- Cue Inko just deciding to talk and slowly getting him to talk about stuff and talk about herself.

All for One is intrigued since he doesn't really get many chances to just 'talk' about stuff that isn't a transaction. He knows people but he isn't usually part of said people. And he ends up talking about his brother and how threw himself into his work still wishing him back.

Basically first date goes great and Inko learns a lot. Though AFO avoids the whole 'murdered' said brother accidentally or that he was being evil or is still evil.

Basic dating between them is AFO basically spoiling the ever loving crap out of Inko with material things. While Inko gets him talking about his emotional needs and desires as well as helping him learn more about her. AFO learns he likes learning about people when it not about what they can get but just because wants to talk.

AFO has very much murdered or wanted to murder potential threats to Inko in the background as well as anyone that dared to try and 'steal' her. Look man he's still AFO and if there anything you know, he ain't keen on sharing. Though he makes sure they aren't so close to Inko she worry or something, he ain't that stupid. He doesn't need her running away so if they are too close, he must endure... Inko pretty good at getting him to not worry over it tho.

AFO actually considered retiring super villainy when they become engaged. As unlike with followers and people that owe him she not afraid of him. Also she seems to just genuinely like his company despite him being 'off' as many say. Who would have thought having a healthy normal relationship and being in love can be so enjoyable? If only he read more romance novels/manga.

BTW he did start reading those in his attempt to woo so you get sudden random romantic gestures from him. He even learned to cook as learned girls like that and he wants to impress her. Inko gushes at having a husband that does so much for her. He feels like a god damn great provider so like a peacock showing off his tail feathers.

People swear it seems like he got more handsome while dating Inko. AFO didn't even realize it but he made himself look more handsome purposefully. Obtaining better grooming habits, maybe some quirks and also he just smiles more genuinely with her. He still ruthless as hell as a villain but now he working even harder to impress her not just look good for his cult.

One time AFO nearly revealed he had more then one quirk because of a rat. He screamed when saw one and was about to legit about to air canon it- He got lucky because Inko just captures it in a bucket. Assuming he was scared and now about to just bring the whole place down. AFO learned he needs to be more careful.

I got even more but we be here forever so ask for more if wish to hear more of me ranting about Inko X AFO~!

[jungle-fae]

Bear with me, it’s essay time because crying about beefleaf while rereading some parts of book 4 gave me a LOT of thoughts and emotions.

The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that beefleaf were never going to get a happy ending, not because mxtx didn’t want to give them one, but because their dynamic literally makes it an impossibility. I don’t think it matters that He Xuan genuinely cared for SQX as Ming Yi because he is never going to be able to look at them without recalling what they took from him. Sure, he might not hate SQX, and he might actually wish them a happy life, but that life cannot be with him.

And this is taking into account a scenario in which He Xuan didn’t kill Shi Wudu, because even if he didn’t, I don’t think he himself could ever be truly happy with SQX. There is too much pain associated with them, and even though they were not the direct cause of that pain, I think it’s still fair for He Xuan not to want to be around that reminder. Is that fair to Qingxuan? Not necessarily, but neither was any of this fair to He Xuan.

I don’t think they could ever have a healthy relationship built upon a foundation filled with so much hurt, because they would only end up hurting each other more, whether intentionally or not. I think they both know this, and it’s why I personally believe that the ending mxtx gave them is the best we could have hoped for. In the end, I believe it’s clear that neither of them hates the other, but they do harbor a lot of complicated feelings on the matter that cannot be resolved with apology and forgiveness.

For Qingxuan’s part, I don’t think they blame He Xuan for their present situation. In fact, they are adamant in relaying to Xie Lian that He Xuan didn’t do anything to them after the events of the Black Water Arc. However, they also seem intent on moving forward with their mortal life. As for He Xuan, his dropping SQX off at the royal capital, as well as his willingness to give SQX his spiritual power and the fan (regardless of the dire circumstances) shows that there’s a part of him that still cares about them. He has no desire to interfere with Qingxuan’s chances at happiness in their new life, precisely because of that affection, but he also doesn’t want to be around to grieve over what could have been. Because every time He Xuan sees SQX, there will only be regret, both for his inability to see SQX without the attached pain and for the friend (or even lover) he could have had had their fates not been so maliciously intertwined.

Yes, I love beefleaf, but what I love more than the ship are the incredibly written individuals themselves. And I do firmly believe that, in canon at least, they would both be more at peace by letting go and moving on. Not necessarily happy, but at peace.

Now, in another universe, where these two met outside of these circumstances? Beefleaf most certainly sails.

Side note: In a weird way, writing this was actually kinda cathartic because it gave me peace with and acceptance of beefleaf’s canon ending, while still acknowledging that these two definitely had the potential to be lovers. That potential can be (and already has been) explored through everyone’s lovely fan creations.

[stagefoureddiediaz]

so do you think if buck and tommy don't break up in episode 6 that they're gonna be breaking up the next time tommy appears which would be in 9 or 10 and it'll be a mutual/amicable break up because of Buck realizing his feelings for Eddie?

Hey Nonnie

Why would they be breaking up in episode 6???

That’s never been a thing that would happen.

There are two options at play her really - the first is that they will come to some kind of natural conclusion in episode 9 or 10.

Or the second option is that they’ll end the season together and will end some time early in season 8.

Either way it may or may not have to do with a buck feelings realisation - neither get in the way of buddie if that is what you’re worried about. All the chess pieces are moving into place nicely - Eddie still has a way to go on his journey - he has a lot to work through and isn’t ready for Buck at all yet and the show is dropping anvils that that’s where they’re going with his arc - we just don’t have a timeline yet.

Buck getting to be happy and have a good relationship for a period - while he discovers more about himself and while Eddie does that work on himself is no bad thing. Buck will also get to grow and learn - and get to a place where he is also ready for Eddie - for forever. Because as things stand right now - I don’t think Buck would handle a feelings realisation well at all - in fact I think it would be detrimental to buddie. For starters buck doesn’t really know how to have a healthy relationship - all of his have been some level of toxic. Secondly, tying bucks newly awakened queer identity to his feelings for Eddie in that way - so quickly - would potentially send buck spiralling at this moment in time in an unhealthy way- slowly figuring it out over time as he dates Tommy is a much more interesting narrative - and plays into why they’ve chosen to have Tommy be such an obvious version of Eddie - we the audience know and can see what’s going on but oblivious buck (being true to character and being oblivious!) slowly connecting the dots - in a way that frustrates the audience - the pay off for us is far more satisfying - and it’s a more realistic story and more ground breaking for a queer love story on network television!

We don’t want them to rush together because buddie is end game - the last relationship either will ever have - so then getting to a great place individually before they start something is really great and really important.

Plus don’t forget this cat and mouse type narrative is fun too - buck fell first but didn’t realise - Eddie fell harder but didn’t realise until he got shot - then Eddie had to hide it - then he had a grief spiral ,Buck in a coma) - then he got so good at keeping it buried he started dating Marisol - at which point Buck had an almost epiphany but has mistaken it for Tommy rather than Eddie.

Eddie who is now unpacking the bit of himself that will allow him to actually embrace his queer identity. Eddie who panicked - asked Marisol to move in with him when he realised Buck was single again - then decided to only back track a bit rather than ending things when he realised Buck wasn’t in fact single and was also bi and now dating Tommy - because being single and alone when the man you’ve been in love with for so long is no longer single and is now actually in a relationship with a man - that means he was an option is not a fun place to be - so staying in a relationship that’s meh but ok is preferable to him.

Basically - the show seems to be setting this up for a full arc in 8a, leading to buddie canon. I genuinely at this point don’t think they’re doing to have any form of Eddie actually stating his queerness in the rest of 7 - I think they will continue to make it blatantly obvious thats where it’s headed but I think they’ll save his story for 8a - which is the best place for it imo - where it can be done properly.

So why shouldn’t buck get to be happy with Tommy for a bit in the meantime?? He’s earnt it!

This gif a bit out of control, but I hope it’s interesting!! 💜💜💜

[lady-of-the-english]

Tommy and Grace and Marriage Part 3

To echo back to ideas I started in part 1, Tommy at his core is a romantic with Grace, with a healthy view of what their relationship should be like. Tommy desires a true partnership with Grace - he promises her he'll help her with everything as she'll help him (it's one of the only health sentiments we've heard from him that I can remember).

He is willing and able to strip himself bare, physically and emotionally, with Grace. And with that, she is his strength. It takes strength and courage to put yourself out there, to trust another person, to be open and honest with them about your feelings and your dreams of the future together. Tommy knows and understands this: he is extremely picky in deciding when and with whom he shares the true depth of himself.

In 2x01, Polly, Ada, and Lizzie all prod Tommy for that openness and vulnerability to no avail. He chooses stoicism, maintaining his mask of emotionless as much as he can - like when discussing business at one of his oldest friends and brother-in-law's Freddy's funeral.

In the same episode, Campbell, as an antagonist, identifies Grace as Tommy's weakness. However, we are meant to disagree as Campbell is intentionally used as Tommy's foil to consider the ethics of both their careers and in their romantic connection to Grace.

The first of the trio to explicitly mention marriage and that potential future for Grace and Tommy is Campbell in his own failed proposal - a proposal that heavily centers around Tommy.

In 1x05, Tommy realizes that the guns have "become a burden" and agrees to sell them to the IRA in a trap, collaborating with Campbell.

In realizing that the IRA are planning to kill him once they get the location of the guns, and thus possibly before the "sixth chime" to midnight, which is the police's signal, Tommy turns to Grace - partly because "barmaids don't count" when told to be alone, but also because Tommy genuinely trusts her with his life.

We see Tommy's fear explicitly. He comes into the Garrison panting, shaking a little. Grace immediately understands that there is going to be "trouble" just seeing him. He's willing and able to show his true feelings with Grace. He trusts her to both help him handle this situation and to not think less of him demonstrating these unmasculine feelings (as Moss will deride Tommy for being ladylike due to his discomfort with the dead bodies in his bar at the end of the scene).

We see Tommy's frustration and fear that he needs to pull Grace into this side of the business. He tells her that when the IRA men get there, "they plan to kill me. It's your job to stop that happening." And he minimizes what she has to do: "You don't shoot. You just point," reassuring her that neither will have to kill anyone as the "police want them alive" and will be in soon to deal with the situation fully - a statement that surprises Grace. If the police are to help him, she assumes that she would be informed, and thus, her own disquiet truly develops.

Grace doesn't object at all to the idea of protecting him, only a bit in disbelief that "you could have given me more warning" to which Tommy reveals his full frustration and fear that "he just got the message himself" and thus wouldn't involve her in a danger situation unless he absolutely had to.

He sends her off to hide until the signal with his voice rasing and getting faster in his panic as he repeats to Grace, "All right, go. Go on. Go!"

Grace, hidden but peaking around the door, watching and listening for Tommy's signal, can hear clearly their threats as they they condensingly ask Tommy, "Did you think was let you live? Make your peace, Mr. Shelby," to which Grace comes out guns blazing.

I think her motivation is three-fold: since we met Grace, her primary goal has been to ensure these guns don't fall into the IRAs' hands. Even when Campbell points out at the beginning of the season that there are other players of concern, such as the Peaky Blinder, she maintains her focus on the IRA in her fear, hatred, and grief over her father's death. So, the mission itself, as an agent of the crown intertwined with revenge, greatly motivates her.

But, I think her feelings for Tommy are just as inspiring. If her grief of her father dying at the hands of this organization is still haunting to this degree, I imagine it must have been terrifying to hear another person she cares about possibly being taken from her in the same way. Feelings of revenge tend to be wrapped up in guilt of not being able to save that person. If she couldn't save her father, she'd make sure they couldn't do this to anyone else again - especially her again, which is a position I don't think she ever imagined being in.

Grace shoots multiple times, planning to kill both men so that Tommy would never be in real danger for a moment. Instead, her revenge helps pull him into the danger she so hoped to avoid. As Tommy begins to fight back, she's trying to get in there to shoot again, but she is knocked down and stays down until Tommy kills the second IRA man by bashing his face in.

Tommy immediately goes to Grace, and while she initially flinches from the violence, she let's him come to her, help her off the floor. She leans into Tommy's gentle caress of her face as Tommy tries to reassure himself that she is okay. Grace doesn't try to get away when he holds her head and asks her, "why did you shoot, Grace?". She replies in shock and disbelief, "I didn't know I had it in me like that."

Tommy, is likewise full of regret, afraid that he has driven her off as "now you've seen me."

But Grace's fear and criticism is only for herself as she responds, "and now you've seen me. I'm sorry." Instead of moving away from him, she draws closer, hugging him. Tommy is initially in disbelief, thinking he'd driven her off forever and surprised that she's the one sorry (I just can't imagine Tommy's been on the receiving end of many - any - apologies). But, he quickly unfreezes and sinks into her comforting embrace as he closes his eyes to bask in her presence and love.

This is Grace's breaking point as she tells Campbell the following morning. When Moss and the other cops come into the Garrison, they aren't sorry for purposefully going back on their deal with Tommy, that the IRA men are dead, and that Grace and Tommy could have died. Tommy, with tears in his eyes, holding himself up by leaning against the bar, respectfully state that "they fought well. They were brave men." Moss, gets in Tommy's face and and degrades him that they look like he was "killed by a wild fucking animal" and asks, "who cares?" about the bodies that he states were never never. As they leave, Grace looks at Tommy, whose eyes are closed, trying to stop the tears, and she can see fully who the real "bad" men are.

After walking her safely home, Tommy reiterates Grace's apology, telling her, "I'm sorry." We don't see Tommy often providing apologies either, but he is willing to give Grace what she offers him - everything.

In truly seeing both Tommy and the police force, Grace meets with Campbell to offer up the guns and her resignation. Previous scenes had shown Grace's discomfort with Campbell's degrading rhetoric about Tommy, but she typically ignored it and didn't argue back.

But now everything is different. At the meeting with Campbell, he strokes the same cheek Tommy caressed the night before, but this time, Grace flinches away.

Campbell offers a non-apology placing the blame on Tommy for the danger she was in: "I had no idea that he would involve you in this ugly business. If I had, I never would have let this happen," showing only his concern for her life in the situation. Grace looks away disgusted and argues back for truly the first time: "he trusts me. I told you that. You didn't believe me," showing the sharp contrast between Tommy and Campbell.

When he challenges her that Moss reported that they were "embracing," she scoffs is disbelief: "Is that your primary concern?". He tries to justify that his "concern" is for "her welfare," but Grace shakes her head no and takes full responsibility, telling him, "it was me who killed them" - both of them, as Tommy only finishes what she started and thus, she covers for him, not willing for him to face the consequences of her actions.

Campbell tries to blame that on Tommy's influence too, but Grace won't let him and makes clear that "something inside me changed" through seeing both Tommy and the police force clearly. She asserts that she and the police were the real "beasts" last night, not Tommy.

Grace claims that she no longer feels the need to "avenge" her father as she understands that it almost costs her Tommy's life. She asserts that the "hatred that I brought here with me is gone" in contrast to the depth of hatred Campbell feels. She reminds him that the mission was always about the guns, not The Peaky Blinders, and with that, negotiates a deal with him. She demands that "I want your word that Thomas Shelby will not be harmed if the guns are recovered. Your word as a gentleman." This great act of betrayal is in service of Tommy's life as both possessing the guns and trying to sell the guns have proven to have the same deadly consequences for him.

Campbell doesn't immediately agree as it is not something he wants to give; we've seen from the beginning how petty and personal he makes the "mission." He is incredulous that she has "sympathy" and "sentiment" for Tommy and tells her she's "too good-hearted for this work." He deems Tommy her weaknesses, just as he'll deem Grace Tommy's.

Realizing that he'll only agree if there is something in it for him, Grace capitulates on their own history: "So, for my sake, will you spare him?," finally getting his "word."

When she meets him at the grave the following morning, Campbell hugs Grace, which she doesn't reciprocate, and proposes the moment she resigned, ready and in wait to strike with a ring in his hand the second she's no longer his "subordinate." Campbell tells Grace what she once thought but no longer believes: "I'm a good man, and my admiration of you has turned to love." Seeing her shocked and disbelieving face, he tells Grace, " I don't ask for love in return. Just recognition that we are liked minds with shared values."

It is a proposal that is in complete odds with Tommy's declarations. Campbell formalities juxtaposed with Tommy's giddiness and boyish teasing in the following scenes. While both consider how they are the same with "liked minds," Campbell's viewpoint is based on the old version of Grace, who hasn't witnessed the police threaten women and children and provide empty promises, Tommy is confident in his assertion that they've "found each other" because Grace has told him so explicitly that he's truly "seen her" as she's seen him, and neither wants to look away.

Grace understands whose reactions to fear when giving bad news - who the real threat to her life is. Grace slowly and hesitantly goes to grap Campbell's hand (as the first and last time she voluntarily touches him) and formally addresses him as "Mr. Campbell," while trying to let a violent man down gently by lying and telling him, "you deserve better."

It's a lie he easily sees through, showing Grace his true colors once again. He immediately gets aggressive, stepping towards Grace, screaming in her face, "Is it the beast that dug this grave? Is it him between us?". This is in sharp contrast to the gangster that she actually betrayed, but who never showed her any anger or made any threats. Tommy wishes her well and his continued love when parting at the end of the season, while Cambpell tries to murder her.

Campbell's bullet wound from Grace is a physical reminder of Grace for Campbell, Tommy, and the audience. While she is not there, no one has forgotten her, and every visual and auditory cue of Campbell's cane echos her presence in these men's thoughts.

In 2x01, Churchill challenges Campbell's choice in using Tommy in spite of their history. Campbell assures him that this is why he is the best choice as to apply pressure, you need to know a man's weakness and I "know his weaknesses intimately" - a direct reference to Grace as he once spied on Tommy and Grace dancing in her apartment intimiately. Thus, the audience is reminded that Campbell's intertwining his personal petty grievances with his work have helped Tommy before. In 1x05, Campbell calls off the police raid when he learns that Tommy's gone off with Grace. Moss questions the choice, too, as it's not the smart, logical choice, and thus one that helped save his life. He chooses his pride over the job then.

While Campbell's goal is to use Tommy and then dispose of him once and for all, because of his resentment over Grace choosing Tommy, Campbell will save Tommy's life once again as they interrupt Sabini's attack on him at the end of the episode. And with that, we see once again that Grace isn't Tommy's weakness. When Campbell comes to the hospital to threaten and blackmail him, Tommy is the first person to mention Grace's name. While Tommy is senestive about Grace, he can and will bring her up when he wants to. And he calls on her memory to help him through this situation. Just as Campbell assumes that she is Tommy's weakness, Tommy knows that she is Campbell.

Tommy assumes correctly that Campbell is just as hung up over Grace as he is. He can't imagine someone being able to get over her, as he sure hasn't, and he uses the memory of her to disrupt Campbell's own control and strategy over the situation. With a pointed causualness, Tommy provides details of Grace's life, letting us know that he has kept tabs on her, wanting to stay connected to her even as they are ocean's apart. He relates that she's in New York and knows even more specifically that she's living in a "place call Poughkeepsie" and most importantly that she's "married now." In knowing how much that devastates him, he assumes that it will have a similar impact on Campbell.

Just as Tommy hasn't moved on, Campbell similarly shares Grace's personal details attacking Tommy's insecurities, letting him know he also knows that she's married, "to a banker. He's rich. I'm sure she's very happy," as he pokes at what Tommy wanted to provide Grace himself - economic security, but most of all, happiness.

While Campbell's information could come from Grace's family and abuse of his position, Tommy's obviously comes from Grace herself as we are told by Lizzie that a letter from "Poughkeepsie" arrived for him at his new offices in Digbeth. Both of them have ensured that they other has their new addresses keeping in touch. Obviously, the letter that season 1 ends on and season 2 opens with is not the last contact they've had in the last two years. We can see how much Tommy hasn't moved on; even though she's married now, he is still keeping communication open between them.

Campbell's remark is one that hurts, and thus, Tommy pivots to the physical discomfort Grace imparted - which visually symbolizes her presence for the rest of the reason.

Tommy says, "I imagine being shot by a woman hurts the same as being shot by a man. Just a bit more shameful." He emphasizes how while Grace has left them both, she only wanted to leave one of them behind and that the person she truly hurt purposefully isn't Tommy. In the end, she picked Tommy over everything else: her job, her family's expectations and status, her grief and plots of revenge, and her previous convictions about law, honor, and moralty.

Tommy declares that "every time you lean on that stick, I bet you see her face," as Tommy himself does. He is so sure that her memory haunts Campbell, willing to "bet" when he is someone who typically fixes bets in his favor. Tommy sees and remembers Grace everywhere. So, in his view, why would Campbell be any different.

Therefore, we see the door of the future Tommy imagined for them still open. Even if she's married, Grace is still the person he longs for every day; even him burning her letters isn't enough to truly burn the bridge between them - but more on that next time.

[alittledizzy]

ok based on a previous ask where you talked about how dnp's youtube era is over and phil is unwilling to change and dan is stuck in 2016 presentations, if you had the unlimited power to decide how their careers and channels progressed, what would you have them do? and also (if you don't mind a second question), what do you think they could potentially do to bring back old fans who have left?

omg okay waited until i had some time to dig back into this.

to the first question:

if i'm answering based on what i think would be good and healthy for them as people then i think they'd both do well with some kind of behind the scenes career. i think dan would love documentary making, getting to script and host, or even working on a series if he actually started at the bottom in a writer's room and learned some on the ground skill before trying to utilize his fame to get his own show right away. (this is dinok slander and i want to make that clear.)

for phil i definitely think he has a fantastic creative mind for off the beaten path projects and i think i'd enjoy seeing him work with indie filmmakers or horror projects, but just like dan i think a total track switch would require him actually getting some genuine experience in the field to be good. his late 00s youtube videos were great... for a university student in his weird era. the dapc videos were fucking hilarious for prank videos on a youtube channel. but for an actual Big Kid horror project he'd need to learn what works for audiences today and audiences that don't go into it loving phil lester like they do the air they breathe. (to be clear: i am the person who would love whatever he did. but i would also want success for him and that needs to mean it's good beyond what the fanbase accepts.)

to the second question:

i think the only thing that would genuinely give them room to bring back old fans would be an actual evolution, which they've avoided so far. they've had personal and professional growth but at no point have dan or phil ever fully just let go and stepped out of their old skins.

i think they'd have to come out as in a relationship, bluntly and blatantly. i think they'd have to embrace some openness that is neither easy nor comfortable for them. i think they'd have to actually learn how to lay to rest the old overaggerated on camera personas that are so easy to lean on when they're still in the mindset that they need to shield their true responses/natural reactions from a camera. phil is much better about this now, he's taken much more strides toward it but still - when you watch a phil video, tell me you can't predict the jokes that will come out of his mouth, and tell me you don't know that's not what he'd say if a camera is off.

but i do want to say again that i think they keep the old patterns for a reason and that i genuinely wouldn't want the above from them if it wasn't something they actually had reached a point of being okay with. i wouldn't want to see them try to force themselves into anything, but i think that's what is holding both of them back right now.

[not-poignant]

OMG, I literally found your Astarion/Raphael fic yesterday, desperately looking for something like it. So happy someone else had the same brain worms as me XD

I was wondering if I could pick your brain a bit about what kind of direction you think you will take the fic? I was wondering if you had any plans in your head or if you are just following the vibes so to speak.

Especially with Raphael being in the pairing, I wondered if this is more of a "It turns out they are actually good for each other" kind of thing or more of a "Astarion has to find out what his life is going to be now/get over some things and Raphael will enjoy every second of making him squirm" kind of thing.

In any case, I am looking forward to reading more, thank you :)

Hi hi,

So I guess answering this would kind of be talking about really end-game spoilers, but I also don't have a plan for this story beyond Astarion/Raphael, and 'hopeful ending.'

(I mean I do have more than that, I just don't know how much of that I want to reveal at this stage, when it's only chapter 5, and this story could easily be over 40 chapters long - there's a lot of potential for change and growth that could alter the trajectory of the relationship in a lot of different directions.'

What I will say is that:

I do not consider Astarion giving into a regular non-consensual situation and just accepting it and making painful peace with it, a hopeful ending type situation. Agency is important to me in my characters. Even if he one day decides to voluntarily submit to scenes he doesn't love - that would at least be a choice. Anything done while under contract with difficult consequences will not be where the hopeful ending happens.

It's an Astarion/Raphael story, therefore the hopeful ending will be an Astarion/Raphael ending. That's just how my brain works. It will not be a 'they break up and THAT'S why it's hopeful.' However, the end may not have a conventional looking relationship. And I've written unconventional endings in relationships before (like Stuck on the Puzzle)

For me, a hopeful ending (as opposed to a happy ending) means that we have to have confidence in the idea that Astarion's life will continue to improve and get better even after the story has ended. There's now enough evidence that he has enough enrichment and potentially for happiness in his life, that he won't downward spiral like he has in the same way again. This means he needs - more support, more healing, healthier avenues for communication even if the relationship isn't healthy overall all the time/every second, and some pretty big personal realisations about what he wants in life. Hopeful ending is both 'better than where we found him, but also genuinely, when most people think on the last chapter, they think 'he's got some ways to go in healing, but I really think he's/they're going to be okay'' not just physically, but also emotionally, spiritually, mentally.

Those are the things I'm happy to reveal because that's how I feel about almost all of my hopeful endings. That's what that means to me.

I do think Raphael and Astarion can actually be good for each other, but I think we're missing huge pieces of the puzzle as to why that's true. Because we're missing so much of Raphael's post-death story, because he's deliberately hiding it.

But we'll find out more soon. At some point, High Inquisitor Verillius Receptor will visit, and then we'll find out a lot more, lol.

(Also yeah this story will be long, easily I suspect around 150k in length as a baseline - we're on an emotional journey folks! Sometimes the growth will be healthy, sometimes it'll be negative, we're going in all the directions lmao).