#i am destroyed i am in ruins i am in shambles about this

[softavasilva]

what if i kms over this

[rinwellisathing]

WIP Whenever

I was tagged by @picathartidae

So um...I've been all over the place with my writing lately because I wrote myself into a corner on Paint The Lines Cut The Flesh and I'm not quite ready to prepare my horror AUs for release yet, but uh...enjoy some snippets, I suppose? A potential Sentry villain monologue:

“So, you finally decided to show up. Those Netherstones would have probably been much more helpful a little while ago...but I guess you had other things to do...more important things.” Sentry shrugged, slowly turning to face his former companions. “Now, see, I understand that those things might have been more important to you than me...I understand now, better than I ever have...Enver has always been the only one who really cares for me, really understands me...You can all pretend, but at the end of the day, you prove that point more than you know.” He sighed and shook his head, managing a small, pained smirk. “But you always fancied yourselves these big damned heroes and yet you let the city tremble while you fumbled around after someone who, by the way, clearly never gave a shit about you, Wyll....And Jaina and Karlach both know that. Hells, they didn't even WANT to rescue your father. He wasn't worth rescuing...And still you did it, you did it and you destroyed my gift to Enver, our special place together....And now his Steel Watch is in shambles too...bet you had something to do with that...” He drew his halberd. “Well, I won't let you destroy him too. If you want to get to him, you'll have to kill me to do it...and as you've seen, I don't die easily...” He chuckled hollowly. “I'm like the vermin you so clearly would see me as if I dared to slip up in that way.” “Sentry...” Jaina bit her lip. “Please...we don't see you that way, we care about you!” She took a step towards him, stopping abruptly and staggering a few paces back as a swing of the halberd just barely missed her throat. “Save your breath, any one could be your last.” The paladin responded. He tilted his head, eyes slowly moving to glance at Halsin and Astarion with a look of hurt and betrayal. “Because I did love you...both of you...I'll give you this one chance to hand over the netherstones and run.”

Enver Gortash explores a haunted ruin in the style of so many J-horror game girlies before him, sorry, no cunty little outfit description yet because Fatal Frame outfits are on another level and require thought:

Mere hours later, he found himself standing in the ruins of an eerie little town beneath the city, his eyes falling upon a burned out hovel just beyond the gate. Well, in for a copper, in for a gold piece. He crossed the street and stepped over the threshold of the old home. The remnants of a life were still set out, albeit scorched or broken for the most part. Dishes and utensils lay forgotten on the table, ruined paintings in blackened frames stared down at him from the walls. One thing caught his eyes, unburned and set upon the charred counter. A piece of parchment, which he picked up to read. “I admit that I am worried about what will happen tomorrow. But I also know that I have to be brave for my sister Orin. I teach her that it is necessary, and that if death allows her to live longer and perhaps free herself from her father and his oppressive rule, I have a duty to her. It is my blood that dyes the ground of the arena and feeds the runes that run to the realm of the Father of Gehenna. Tomorrow, I will die so that my sister can live. I face my death without fear and know that this is the right thing to do. I regret that I never got to experience love or true friendship after sneaking out of the temple and learning about the outside world, but... a real sacrifice if I don't die with a little bit of regret. Will it be? Orin, if you read this, please run away if you are chosen. Leave this place and find a place where you can be happy. He doesn't care about you or your interests. Be free and live your life. Love, your big brother, Sentry.” Frowning, Enver looked up from the letter, lowering the goggles he'd spent so long tinkering with back home, flicking down two sets of rune etched lenses and peering slowly and carefully around the room. A tall, slim figure sat at the table, seemingly writing quickly. He was a pale tiefling with dark, jagged tattoos marking his face. His horns curved upward and he had bright eyes. He was dressed in simple black linen clothing in contrast with his pale silvery white hair. The tiefling looked up and Enver noticed he was beautiful, eerily so. He regarded Enver with a gentle curiosity and then simply walked past him.

Sentry and Orin get a little House of 1,000 Corpses in Papa Bhaal's House of Horror, my 70's/80's horror AU:

“Move it a little to the left, Orin.” Sentry frowned, making a frame with his hands and scanning the hanging corpse dangling from a meat hook in the shed. His little sister repositioned the head just a little closer to the shoulder, slightly off from where it would naturally have been, and looked quizzically at her brother. “Yeah! Perfect! Just like that!” He reached into the pocket of his denim cut offs and produced a heavy needle and some waxed thread. “Now just hold it steady.” “There's room for a second head at this angle, slaughter-kin.” Orin pointed out with a grin as blood dripped down the front of her hand sewn red dress. “Shit, you're right. What are we thinkin', pig? Sheep?” Sentry pondered as he moved the needle expertly through the skin, sewing the head into place. Orin pranced over to a cold chest in the corner of the shed and lifted the lid with a pale, thin arm, one long braid swinging over her shoulder as she peered inside and began to poke around. She ran her hands over the various heads the freezer contained, finally gripping a pair of horns and lifting it with a grin. “Mmm...This one!” She smirked, holding up the head of a dark grey goat, its strange yellow eyes gazing sightlessly forward. “Great choice, little sister.” Sentry grinned, beckoning her back over as he finished his final stitch. “Now, just place it in position, and....” He paused a moment, ears pricking up at the sound of a car horn outside.

Hope you enjoyed these WIPS, I'll forego tagging proper since I took a while to actually post this up and don't know who's been tagged already, so anyone who wants to can do this.

[iced-cofi]

Holy shit I've been freed.

I can say my thoughts that I yearned to say on Twitter about Elon and every other fuck ass billionaire without being banned twice.

Holy shit.

Uh, ok some quick ones.

I hope Elon gets comically flattened beneath an Acme anvil.

I hope the conservatives have better aim for Trump.

I think it'd be funny if we collected every billionaire, put them in a sub, sent it to the Mariana Trench, and had a live feed of them the whole time. How quickly do you think the wolves would begin tearing each other apart? How quickly do you think the claws they wielded to keep the defenceless and poor down would turn on their own? Would they feast on each other in the eye of oblivion? Would the weaker cower the same way they forced us to? Would they cry, and beg? Would monetary value matter then? Would regret fill the cavernous voids inside them, spilling out of their eyes and hands and mouths in rage and hatred, the same rage and hatred they held like a sword to the neck of those less fortunate, now turned against their once friends and allies? Would they barter? Beg? Scream? Cry?...

Would they kill? What purpose would that even serve? Do they need a purpose? Or would they try to grasp at the scraps of what was once their finitely infinite power, and watch as it slips and flutters and fades away into the wind?

The rich are savages. Cavemen who claim to be bringers of civilization upon the world. Colonists and slavers, who mold the world to allow for this ravenous cruelty. Whose satisfaction can never be found, cup never filled, souls never complete. They are evil, lifeless, shambling tyrants, who wear the masks of the same inventors and artists they crushed beneath their heels on the journey to the top.

The top.

It's lonely. At the top. Once all the world is left in ruin, and the powerful stand atop their mountains of lies and lives, and they breath in the smoke and smog and ash and dust of a destroyed world, will they rejoice? Will it be worth it? Or will they hunger for more? Will their greed rumble for something, anything more to feast upon, bursting at the seams? Will it be painful to find no power, money, control amongst the embers of the planet they wrecked in their hubris?

I hope it is.

I hope the hunger pangs tear. Rip. Burn.

I hope they feel the pain they've caused. Writhe in agony as they fall apart from the inside out. And as they shutter, stumble, and collapse to the ground, their vision hazy, I hope they look up. And see the downtrodden standing taller, together, United and strong. And in that moment, of true, unadulterated loss, I hope they die. I hope they pass knowing all they "created", "innovated", "invented", was their own demise.

We will win. Stay together, and they cannot defeat us.

And finally, I hope bezos stubs his toe!

Feels so good!

Here's a silly pic to show how excited I am about being able to say this!

Eat the fucking rich!

I feel like someone is standing next to me talking about how I'm dead

[jojo-incorporated]

( Continued from here )

Eduardo was sitting down with the younger clone of Dr Ljime, who had just recovered from some stab wounds from some assassin. The boy was in a small wooden chair, while he was sitting on a nice velvet chair in front of a desk. “So… if you’re awake, I guess your creator must be dead.” The blonde replica remains quiet, but nods. “Well at least we know who-”

“It wasn’t that guy.”

Eduardo looks caught off guard. “Pardon.”

“It wasn’t him.” The replica clarifies. “The doctor had some tape that explained that if I was activated, it meant that he failed to retrieve something called Project Umbra, at least I think that’s what it was called.”

Now that caught Eduardo off guard even more. Project Umbra escaping was indeed something that explained things, but the Doctor knew better than to be killed by one of his own creations, or so he thought. “Anything else on that tape.” Eduardo was about to drink a cup of water.

“Something about a Jojo Incorporated being involved in his demi-” Eduardo then spits out the water he just drank, catching Adam off guard completely.

“Repeat that, senor?”

“Jojo Incorporated being possibly involved in my makers demise? I’m guessing they’re bad people.”

Eduardo then takes a deep breath. He’s no longer disappointed that Ljime died, now he’s worried about Jojo Inc being in town. The green haired man then gets up from his chair, before putting a ‘warm’ smile on his face. “Give me a moment, Adam.”

“Adam? Is that my name?”

“It is now.” Eduardo then walks away. Not long after that, he sees Solido smoking a cigar.  “I take it you found out what happened, sir?” Solido asks, puffing a cloud of smoke. He soon notices how upset Eduardo looks. “Everything go well?”

“Mi amigo… Jojo Inc is here.”

“Wha-?”

“You heard me… Jojo Inc is here.”

Solido then drops his cigar. “Ah, Cazzo… any idea what we do now?”

“Call in The Glory Gods, ensure that the kid mass produces chimeras and tyrants, take over every inch of this country, and WIPE Jojo Inc off the face of the earth.” 

“Are you sure, vecchio amico?”

“Solido, my father is gone, Impero is in shambles, Jojo Inc ruined our operations in the UK and US, the SPW is cracking down in our activities in Germany, China, Italy, and this country is the only place where we can consolidate power without getting on the radar of that wretched Foundation. Jojo Inc already ripped Lord Brando, my father, away from us… I am not going to let them destroy all he built.”

“Bene allora. Farò quello che posso.”

[frogtanii]

tw. mentions / descriptions of a panic attack

bokuto was excited — more excited than he’d been in weeks!

he was finally getting the time to spend time with his beloved, his puppy, for the first time in forever thanks to the recent onslaught of drama the house had been embroiled in.

he figured he should thank you for bringing it all on because now, as he stood in front of meiko’s room, he had a chance.

“puppy!” bokuto called out, knocking on her door enthusiastically. after a moment of muttering, shuffling around and a loud curse, the door opened up just a crack to reveal meiko clad in only a thin bedsheet with her thin lips wrapped around a cigarette.

kotarou peered over her head and into her room where he spotted a quick flash of dark brown hair before meiko stepped out and closed the door behind her.

“who was that?” he questioned innocently, assuming that it was one of the other housemates. meiko narrowed her eyes at him and blew out a puff of smoke.

“what do you want bokuto.” her voice was steely and cold, nothing like her usual peppy self. still, bokuto couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was in there who shouldn’t be.

“you know,” kotarou began hesitantly, studying her face for reactions. “iwaizumi doesn’t like anyone in here who hasn’t signed a contract. and also you’re not allowed to smoke.” his nose turned up at the smell, disgust for the cigarette written clear on his face.

meiko rolled her eyes at him before taking another drag and blowing the smoke out straight into his face. bokuto tried to hold his breath for as long as he could but his lung capacity wasn’t so great. i need to work on that, he thought as he heaved and choked on the smoke circling down into his chest.

the love of his life adjusted her sheet covering before dropping the cigarette to the ground and stomping it out with the end of the blanket. “i asked you a question bokuto. what the fuck do you want?”

the harshness in her tone made him pause. was what he was here for actually important? or would it just bother her unnecessarily?

no, he resolved. bokuto missed her and he wanted to spend time with his kinda-but-not-really-girlfriend! especially after he waited all this time!

“i, i wanted to spend time with you...” with every word, his hesitance grew until he was muttering, the look in meiko’s eyes sending chills down his spine.

“no,” she said and turned back to enter her room. “wait!” bokuto’s hand shot out to grab her arm, very gently pulling her closer to him. “please,” he whispered, tears beginning to rim his wide, golden eyes.

meiko stared back up at him with absolute rage in her eyes as she snatched her limb out of his hold. “listen to me right now bokuto, and listen well,” she sneered, taking a step back towards her bedroom. “i have never liked you. you’re so fucking childish and clingy and annoying! i literally cannot understand how anyone cares to hang around you.”

bokuto felt something inside him shatter at her words, a sharp gasp escaping his parted lips. “but-“ “no buts! you are fucking nothing to me! all you were was a warm body to sleep with but you weren’t even good for that,” meiko’s chest heaved as she finished speaking, her dark eyes trained on the tear tracks on bokuto’s cheeks.

gently, he lifted a hand to his face, barely registering the water that covered them, his mind desperately trying to understand what had just occurred. in the back of his head, he briefly noticed the sound of a door closing and muffled giggling but it was covered by the sound of blood rushing in his ears.

how... could she? he loved her and she, she only wanted to fuck him? he poured out his entire heart, his very soul to her and for what? for her to take it and stomp on it until there was nothing left?

bokuto’s chest felt heavy — he wasn’t breathing. quickly, he took one breath, and then another and another and another until he was collapsed on the ground, heaving for air as he sobbed.

why him? what had he done to deserve this? maybe it was karma — he’d let a plastic bag float by him into a stream when he was 7 even though he knew littering was wrong. maybe it was because he didn’t kiss his mother goodbye the last time he saw her. or maybe the universe was punishing him for everything he’d done to you.

oh, you — the person who meiko had tried so hard to convince him to hate, and he had! his beloved had no reason to lie to him, or at least that’s what he believed until this moment. she lied to him about loving and caring about him so why wouldn’t she lie about everything else?

bokuto’s head was pounding as he tried to rationalize where he’d gone wrong, his usually bright eyes, dull and trained on the ceiling as he attempted to regain his breathing.

it felt like his whole world was collapsing on itself like a fallen star, just waiting to implode and destroy everyone and everything until there was nothing left and—

“hey, look at me, you’re ok,” a soft voice rang out over the buzzing in his head, his eyes beginning to focus on... your figure.

what were you doing here? he so desperately wanted to ask but the words were caught in his throat, trapped behind a wall of despair and anguish.

“don’t try to talk ok? just focus on my breathing, try and match it. i’m going to touch you now.” your soft, small (so much smaller — were you eating enough?) hand wrapped around his own and brought it up to your chest where he could feel the steady rise and fall of your breathing.

bokuto’s breath was shaky and definitely not as smooth as your own, but you didn’t seem to mind, instead holding his hand to your heart until his breathing became level and even.

he must’ve knocked out because by the time he came to, the hall was dark and you were gone, the only memory of you being a box of tissues and a glass of water on the ground next to him.

he reached for the glass first, chugging the whole thing down in only a few seconds. all that crying must have dehydrated him immensely, he realized as he searched for another cup.

standing on shaky legs, bokuto attempted to maneuver to the kitchen, holding onto the walls for stability as he crept through the dark corridors.

he quickly filled up his favorite owl mug (a gift from she-who-will-not-be-named) with water once he made it to the kitchen, extra careful not to make a lot of noise just in case someone was asleep.

bokuto swiftly gulped down his water, placing the cup in the sink where he knew it would not remain because if anything was sure, it was the clean state of the house that meiko kept.

ugh meiko. the whole situation hurt to think about so he didn’t, instead choosing to bury it in the deep recesses of his mind, never to be seen again.

as bokuto trudged upstairs back to his bedroom, he noticed the big black trash bag sat at the end of the hall near daichi’s room. he debated on taking it out himself but was ultimately convinced not to.

it’ll be gone tomorrow, he reasoned as he slipped into his room and bed before quickly falling asleep.

...

it was not gone the next day. neither was the cup in the sink, or the hair on the floor in the bathroom, or the laundry strewn all over the living room.

the whole house seemed to be in shambles and it remained that way for the entirety of the week. meiko was nowhere to be seen, flitting in and out of the house at random, escaping to only god knows where with god knows who.

bokuto didn’t care anymore. she ruined his life so why should he give a half of a shit where she was? what he did care about, on the other hand, was figuring what to do about you.

he wanted to thank you and apologize but he wasn’t sure how to do so! he knew he said some horrible things to you and was determined to make it right — not just for you but for himself too.

℗ poker face

shattered

series masterlist

(●’◡’●)ﾉ

an - ok writing this genuinely made me cry???? bokuto is my comfort character so making him go through this i just </3 i hope it came across ok? it’s literally 1 am so there may v well be typos and massive mistakes but i hope u guys enjoy this miserably sad chapter LMAO don’t forget to feed me <3

taglist - if your name is in bold, i cannot tag you

@boosyboo9206 • @geektastic84 • @elianetsantana • @trashy-simp • @infinitebells • @6mattsun9 • @suhkusa • @sazunari • @kotarosbabygirl • @fucktheworlddude • @insomniacwreck • @calumsfringe • @saltylettuce • @chai-blu • @al3x1ss • @hawksyoongi • @syndellwins • @jooleuuh • @amberalisa • @kissungjae • @liberhoe • @tetsurocore • @animeoverdosee • @duhsies • @saikishairclip • @afire24 • @premiyagi • @kit-kat428 • @doctorspencereid • @daphnxy • @kyomihann • @maer-333 • @sinoflust19 • @peteunderoos • @peachiikichu • @iidanotlida • @yongboxerrr • @kac-chowsballs • @tanakaslastbraincell • @memorableminds • @ris-illustration • @starry-magicshop • @sugavwara • @smuttyanimeslut • @kiwibirbs-library • @haijkk • @airybnb • @babierin • @iwaisa • @decaffinatedtealover • @notameera • @kawaii-angelanne • @rintarovibes • @urlocalsimp

the rest of the tags will be in the replies!!

[thefreakymunson]

Goodbye, My Love

A/N: I can't take anymore bills for therapy. Please don't send them to me. I am but a poor writer. Word Count: 1,804 Summary: After Eddie's demise in the upside down, your left with only your memories and a few friends.

The town of Hawkins was in ruins. The earth was split open and people were missing. Everyone was scrambling to either leave or get to safety. You were stuck here, your world falling around you in shambles but also on a deeper level.

“Eddie, no!”

You can still hear Dustin’s cries mixing with your own as you two scrambled to get back into the upside down. Before you could get to him, it was too late. He was bitten to pieces and halfway dead before you got to him. Blood pooled out of his mouth and the bite marks as you tried your hardest to apply pressure - just trying to keep him alive, screaming at him to hold on. You could get him to safety.

The image plays in your mind constantly. It had for the past two days. Your house was destroyed, swallowed up whole with all your belongings but that didn’t matter. Houses could be rebuilt, things could be replaced...

But Eddie. Eddie wouldn’t be coming back.

You made your way down the schools hallway, past his locker. People had gratified it already, writing “killer” and “freak” on it in permanent sharpie. They didn’t know jack shit about him. They didn’t know he was kind and caring, or what he done to help save this town. They didn’t know. They’d never believe you anyway. They'd never believe the boy's life they ruined actually sacrificed himself just to keep the town safe. They'd never know he was the true hero.

You found your way into the auditorium room, where in the very back corner, the door to the rec room was.

A loud creaking sound came from the door and you jumped, allowing yourself for just a moment to think maybe -just maybe it was him.

“Y/N?” You heard your voice being called.

Dustin.

You wiped your tears as you turned around to face him, watching as he limped down the walk way to you.

“Hey, Dust.” You said, sniffling away.

“Can’t make the final steps, huh?” Dustin asked as you two stared at the door that lead out into a breezeway where the rec room was located.

“I don’t want to go in there by myself,” you admitted, “But I think I have to.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Dustin gave you a small smile.

And so with both the moral support of Dustin, you followed him down the row of chairs and out through the door.

You had told yourself not to go in there – he wasn’t going to be there. But as you walked down the isle amongst the rows of empty seats in the auditorium, you couldn’t stop yourself. You were supposed to be graduating in this exact auditorium within a month. Eddie was on schedule to graduate this year. This was supposed to be the year for the both of you to tell this town to fuck off and get away from it. Now he was gone and it was just you here left all alone.

You stood still for a moment, closing your eyes as the memories flooded you. Memories of him chasing you through the isles, laughter bouncing off the high ceilings as you playfully tussled with him. He was always front and center for your choir concerts, always yelling the loudest for you after your solos. He was your biggest supporter, your best friend, and the love of your life.

You opened the heavy rec room door, pushing it with all your might, and into the darkened room. It was its usual cold temperature but there was a light on already. You helped Dustin down the two steps as you both made your way to see who was in there quickly.

You both stood in silence as you saw the familiar man standing there, clutching something denim in his fists. Steve looked out of place amongst all the lore fantasy posters and the DnD items. He looked..sad. And as you looked even closer, you realized there were tears streaming down his face as he gripped the cloth even tighter in his shaky hands.

“Steve?” Dustin asked softly, alerting the man of your presence.

“I never got to give this back,” Steve said, voice trembling as he looked back at the two of you, “And I...I don’t know what to do with it.”

“Oh,” you realized exactly what he was holding. Eddie’s battle vest. The weight of it hit you like a thousand pounds as you walked closer to him.

“I’m so sorry, Y/N.” Steve said, wiping his own tears, “I wished it would’ve been different.”

“I know,” you gave him a small smile, “I know...we all did.”

“I didn’t know him very well...but he was a good person.” Steve whispered, “He was. I know you loved him...and he loved you. God, he told me a million times just about.”

You carefully took the denim from Steve’s hands and brought it up to your nose. Tobacco, cheap cologne, and Eddie. Your favorite smell. Fresh tears feel faster now as you hugged it to your body. This was the only thing you’d have left of him. There would be no more DnD campaign’s, no more late night phone calls, no more goofy grins, no more lovemaking.

Just the memories.

You sat down in the chair next to his at head of the table as more people walked in. Gareth and the other Corroded Coffin members. They didn’t know what truly happened. They wouldn’t believe you. A few more people walked in, this time Nancy and Robin. The Sinclair’s were next, and then Mike and girl you didn’t know, but her head was shaved.

The entire campaign was here, plus a few extra’s, together for a few moments, all sitting in their seats in silence. Silent tears shed as you all mourned the loss of a beloved friend and partner.

“I want to say something,” you spoke softly as you looked around the table, “Eddie...Eddie loved all of you. He said you were the family he never got. He cared for every single one of you as if you were his brothers...his friends. He didn’t have many of them, but the ones who are here – you mattered to him. Dustin and Mike...he would want you to keep this going. He would want Hellfire to continue on without him. So please...continue on without him. Do it in his memory. Keep it alive because this was his favorite place to be.”

You choked back a sob as you looked down at the vest in your arms, seeing the red stained lipstick print on the lapel, right above his Corroded Coffin patch.

“Gareth...Jeff….no one is gonna play the lead guitar better than Eddie ever would and we all know that,” you smiled at them, “But don’t let his absence stop you. Get to Madison Square and make him proud. Sell out every fucking tour you can because he will be there in spirit at every single show. Just make sure, if you replace him, he’s the best fit.”

“No one can fill his place,” Gareth shook his head.

“I know,” you smiled despite the tears, “I hear you. But he put so much work into each of these things that he wouldn’t want them to stop just because he’s de – he’s gone.”

You still couldn’t say the word. You couldn’t admit the fact that you watched him die right in front of you. You refused to.

“They’re going to run his name in the ground and shame all of us for caring about him – loving him.” Your face crumpled as your fingers smoothed over the patches on his vest, “But we can’t let that get to us. He deserved to be loved and honored. He deserved so much better than what this fucking world gave him. He deserved every good thing in this world and it was never given to him.”

“But you were,” Robin spoke up, “You were given to him and everyone in here knows he worshiped you. He loved you, Y/N. That was evident.”

Your tears fell faster and your chest started to heave as you listened to what everyone was saying.

“He told me a million times before it happened, while we were hanging out just how lucky he was.” Steve nodded.

“And he never shut up about you,” Mike smiled despite his own tears.

“He loved you, Y/N.” Dustin nodded along, “No one will ever love anyone else as much as Eddie loved and adored you. He never shut up about you. You hung the stars in his eyes.”

You buried your face in your hands as you sobbed openly and loudly for the first time since it happened. Since you seen him take his last breath. You were surrounded by everyone immediately, hugging and squeezing each other and you in the center.

And just for a brief moment, you heard in the back of your mind, “Don’t cry over me, doll.”

You may not have Eddie any longer, but at least you had a new set of friends.

The hug lasted a few moments and you realized that everyone needed that comfort. Everyone in this room had suffered a significant loss. Their friend, band mate, dungeon master, and brother was gone.

There would be no funeral, no headstone, no grave to visit afterwards. Nothing of that. All you had was this room and his chair and in a few short months, that would be taken away from you as well.

After a few minutes, everyone started filing out of the room, leaving you alone. Dustin asked if you wanted him to stay, but you needed to spend some time alone with just your memories. Once you were alone, you took a deep, deep breath. When you closed your eyes, you could still hear him – his boastful voice yelling over the others as he wrecked havoc on the campaign in true Eddie style. A small smile spread across your face as you imagined him leaping up to stand on his chair, arms flailing around and the maniacal laughter he would let out.

All the rushed quickies on this table or over by the bookcase. The shared cigarettes and make out sessions. The way he’d push you against the wall and pin you between it and himself just for a simple peck of the lips. He was always so theatrical. You would miss that the most about him.

“This isn’t how this was supposed to be, Munson.” You sniffled, “You promised me that if anything went wrong, you’d be the first person back through that gate. You promised me you’d never leave me. You promised me...I’ll never understand why you done it. These people don’t care about us or you. They never did. You were destined to do great things outside of this town. We were going to get out of here. Just me and you...”

With a heavy sigh and fresh tears, you stood up and draped his vest over the back of the chair – his chair – before you lit the candle and whispered, “Goodbye, my love. I’ll never forget you, Eddie Munson.”

[pinkbutterflygaming]

Okay, heads up before I say this, do note that I haven't had the courage to watch Wish myself in the nearby theatres due to what people have said (man, I almost did, but it comes much later in my place, and reviews went out first).

I will only be watching it on Disney Plus if it ever comes there if my family just so happens to be subscribed to it at the time, since I still want to see what went wrong in that movie myself (and go into instant denial of what the movie could've been).

I do have a rough idea about what happens from analysis videos and reviews, but let me know if I got something wrong.

So I saw this post a few days ago and was just randomly thinking about it, specifically the idea of the Princess Character was supposed to have a wish that's only half of the message, it is a wish that's also missing something for it to be complete.

Putting together the dots, I realized that this was actually the original purpose of "This Wish". It was SUPPOSED to be missing something.

And looking more into it, I realized what the original intended theme of Wish was in the concepts, and I am in shambles.

Wish's theme was originally about the importance of having your own wish. That it's okay to want something for yourself.

If I'm right about this, we weren't just robbed, they also burnt everything and nuked it. No way this didn't have any corporation meddling. They ruined what would've been a classic, not just with a love story, but with such a unique message when it comes to wishes and love.

Buckle yourselves up.

I personally love "This Wish", at least on its own anyway, listening to it a lot and just envisioning what the film could've been.

When thinking about it, I realized there was indeed something missing about "This Wish", something Asha is leaving out throughout the song.

Herself.

The song talks about Asha wishing for something more for her community for her people, but if you think about the lyrics closely, you realize that Asha actually leaves herself out of the equation, what she wants for herself out of all of this.

Looking back at what apparently happens in the film, this seems to be a constant running theme for Asha. Well, there was an attempt anyway.

So apparently, Asha is said to have "too caring" as a weakness, the Queen also says she is "generous", "cares for the people". What's even more striking is the fact that Asha seemingly doesn't even have a wish. And then she sings a wish for the people, but not for herself.

Yes, I have heard that this wasn't executed well, was shown through more words than actions. But this seems to be somewhat consistent enough that I can't help but think this is intentional...

What if that's originally supposed to be what sets up her character arc? A girl who thinks of the wishes and wants of others, but never what she wants for herself? A girl who is too selfless.

That's it. Maybe the reason why we don't get Asha learning from her weakness, or get a any closure on her character arc was because they have removed the very thing that was supposed to make her grow as a character.

The Starboy.

Yes, everyone is crying over the scrapped love interest, something we havent had in... 10 years? Me included. Dammit.

But perhaps what makes his removal more tragic is that it may have done more damage to the story than we thought, to the point it even destroyed the original theme of the story, and the character arc Asha was supposed to go through.

Because if I am right about Asha's character, then Starboy is exactly what she needed. She NEEDS a love interest for her to learn what's missing. Since her character revolves around selflessness, she needs a something that makes her wish for something for herself, something that makes her whole wish thing in the movie to be more personal. And perhaps, it takes love.

The film Tangled even touches on this concept a bit. Where in the end, Eugene says that Rapunzel has become his new dream, and Rapunzel says that he was hers.

"At All Costs" (demo ver.) isn't just some love song. It's actually the very song where Asha slowly realizes her own wish, a wish not for others, but also for herself. A wish for love. For Star. Maybe at this point she's still oblivious about her own wants, but this is the moment where in her heart, this is what she wants.

And interestingly, Star probably would've had the exact same character arc, despite possibly being the opposite to Asha in personality. He's the personification of a wishing star, someone who grants the wishes for others, but never something for himself. For the first time, through Asha, even stars can have wishes and wants of their own. There's a hint of that in this one line.

"If you ever told me the feeling you'd bring"

"I'd think it untrue."

This seems to describe how impossible the situation should've been for him, falling in love with a human.

"Leave you here, I don't want to..."

"I want to..."

"...Love you as one does"

And he doesn't want to leave.

Two characters, who live in servitude for others, learn the same lesson through their love for each other, that there's nothing wrong with wanting something for themselves. Love becomes their wish, their want.

And that's not a bad thing.

I read your post about this subject, a running theme in Disney is that you must have faith, be kind, and your wish is granted.

Asha is supposed to be a character who embodies this, she is supposed to be a character full of love and brings happiness for her people while also being a character of faith and supposedly with enough faith to wish on a star.

So she fulfills the criteria of getting a wish granted, making it all the more fitting that a Star is able to come down for her wish.

Yet ironically, she is actually missing her own wish.

Maybe that's a part of what the journey was supposed to be about. Star comes down, but not just to help Asha's people, but help her realize what her wish is so that it could be granted. The journey was supposed to be about Star trying to figure out Asha's wish while Asha tries to find out what is going on in the kingdom with Star's help (I personally think Asha found out Magnifico's schemes too early in the film).

Its interesting because the two having the same goal here is what leads to them learning the story's message. Two characters, trying to fulfill the wish of the other, forcing both to realize what they want for themselves.

I think this could be partly why Star was going to be a playful character loke Peter Pan, it's actually just him trying to understand what Asha wants, and thus, he tries to understand who Asha is. It's a star trying to understand a human being through his own wacky ways.

But through their journey, Star ends up being mesmerised by what he finds in Asha, and Asha is charmed by Star's antics and starts to understand who she is through him.

Having your own wants and needs is okay. Wishing something for yourself is okay.

But it's not some simple, one-sided message either, something that another movie (*ahem*, Raya) was heavily criticised for. This is where the original villains come in.

Remember how the villains were supposed to be Magnifico and Amaya together? A Villain couple? How that's clearly meant to be a juxtaposition to Star and Asha?

If Asha and Star is all about servitude for others, then maybe the Queen and King were supposed to be the opposite, representative of the lesson that Asha and Star eventually learns but taken to the extreme: the selfishness of love. Because love can be selfish and cruel too. (The subversion of what love has been depicted in so many Disney films)

"At All Costs" can have a double meaning. Such a title can have such negative connotations. When you pursue love no matter what, to the point you take away and even hurt those around you for it. They're the definition of "I will sacrifice the world if it means protecting you." kind of thing.

Remember how I said that Star and Asha represent the theme of selflessness by granting people's wishes rather than themselves?

And how in the film, Magnifico TAKES WISHES? Notice something there?

Asha and Star giving, Magnifico and Amaya taking?

Yep, it was all supposed to be a metaphor. Selflessness vs selfishness, giving away vs keeping to yourselves.

The wishes themselves weren't supposed to be the theme, they were probably originally a metaphor for the theme. They represent the wants of the people, Asha and Star serves for them, Magnifico and Amaya takes them away and keeps them for themselves.

This could've been such a unique take on the villains and also their villain song if they went this route. Instead of truly just going against the message, they would've served the second half of the lesson that Asha and Star needs, a warning of what would happen if you do follow the moral and taken it to the extreme. It's the kind of thing that another movie, Raya and the Last Dragon, needed when it came to their moral. This adds complexity to the story's theme. This gives that crucial balance that other films can miss.

Asha and Star would learn that its okay to not be so selfless all the time, but it is also through Magnifico and Amaya that they learn it's not okay to become purely selfish either. They can both serve the people around them while also have pursuing their own wants and needs.

And so, the villain couple gets defeated because they failed to change and grow like Asha and Star did. They never learn altruism, the importance of giving as well.

Oh goodness... imagine a scene where Star sacrifices himself for Asha, she cries for him, and instead of him saying something conforting to Asha, he goes "But I don't want to leave you..." like ALSJSKSNND. He gets resurrected because Asha's wishes for him to come back, and then happy ending but MAN.

And this whole message and theme? If you look at it more, you realize that this even has an underlying subtext about SELF-LOVE.

What a powerful, deep and complex message. If they had went with this and executed it correctly, we could've had a beautiful and most profounding story about the complexities of love, an instant Disney classic in this modern era, joining the ranks of the great movies this year.

And you know what... they threw it all away.

WIthout Starboy, it's all just gone. And they had to make another moral lesson for the movie because they can't do love stories now apparently????

It seems they still kept this "flaw" with Asha, because a character needs flaws.

But with Star being changed, they couldn't make her learn from it. They tried to keep this flaw, but they ended up making her personal life obsolete, because she's no longer allowed to have her own "wants" without going against this established character flaw. Which is funny, cause Wish seems to reveal her being being a bit selfish too. Nothing makes sense with every single trace of the "romantice love" themes being scrapped. She became a character with nothing for herself, and still nothing in the end.

WHAT.

Disney characters often if not, ALWAYS had an "I wish for this" song, they even emphasized the importance of this when making "This Wish".

But they were always something that the character wanted for themselves. The OG Disney Princess had "find true love" as wish for herself, and you're telling me Asha's character arc could've THAT as the point of her CHARACTER ARC???? Are you kidding me!?!?

Imagine, you write a story where the literal moral lesson of the story "it's okay to want to fall in love", the perfect way to bring it full circle, back to the first Disney Princess film, and then Disney just goes "NOPE, SCRAP IT"???

Its so tragic, and also HILARIOUS just thinking at the sheer irony of it all.

You DESTROYED such a beautiful message that also has a subtext of SELF LOVE, on learning that you can serve the the community better by realizing your own wants and needs first????? A subversion yet also a beautiful tribute to the previous Disney films that come before????

I SWEAR IF THIS WAS THE ORIGINAL INTENDED MESSAGE OF WISH, WALT DISNEY, YOU BETTER COME DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW-

Disney doesn't need to change "the formula." That's the last thing that Wish proves.

What Wish proves is that "the formula" only works when you know why the ingredients are in it, and you use them the correct way.

The Princess Character is meant to wish for only half of the movie's message, and go through an adventure that teaches her what the other half is; what her dream was missing. Ariel dreamed of understanding but she was missing love. Tiana dreamed of achieving her goals but she was missing faith. Jasmine dreamed of freedom but she was missing trust. Belle dreamed of adventure but she was missing being understood.

The Villain is meant to highlight the opposite of the movie's message. Jafar gets what he wants through trickery and manipulation; that's the opposite of Aladdin's "truth will set you free" message, and he gets imprisoned in a lamp. Scar thinks being a King is having his way all the time and can't learn from his past of living in Mufasa's shadow; that's the opposite of The Lion King's "Let the past remind you of your responsibility to selflessness." Gaston loves only himself and is always obsessed with appearances; that's the opposite of Beauty & the Beast's "true love is found within a heart of self-sacrifice." That's what makes them such good villains. (and that clear direction is what drives good villain songs, since Magnifico's is what everyone is talking about)

The sidekick is supposed to compare/contrast with the main character's qualities. Abu is a greedy thief, which is what everyone in Agrabah thinks Aladdin is; when he scolds Abu and teaches him selflessness, it shows us who Aladdin actually is. Flounder is easily frightened and looks at the glass half-full; when Ariel coaxes him and leads by example, we see her bravery and positivity reflected in Flounder's tiny character arc. Timon & Pumbaa do whatever they want all day just like young Simba always dreamed of; when Simba goes to live with them, he finds that "getting his way all the time" makes him forget who he really is and feel empty.

The setting is supposed to show off the characters and highlight the movie's message. Rapunzel's tower is designed to be pretty on the inside because of her influence; if it were too dark and prison-shaped, we'd wonder why she didn't work up the courage to leave sooner. Just like how Quasimodo has made his corner of the bell-tower beautiful, too; they're taught the world is cruel and they're not strong enough for it, but they make their own worlds beautiful enough to hint that that's wrong right from the start. Ariel's grotto is shaped like a tower with no roof so that she only has one window to the forbidden Surface, and it's the light that comes from that forbidden world into her dark grotto which literally makes her able to see human things differently. Tiana's apartment has no interesting features except her father's picture, a perfectly made bed, a drawer with no extra outfits but stuffed with tip money, and only two dresses; both of which are for work.

None of that is happening in Wish, because they didn't know why the formula ingredients are there. Disney needs to understand and return to the formula the right way; forgetting it was what got them here.

Asha learns nothing to add to her dream, unless you count "the power to grant wishes is in me." Which you shouldn't, because we didn't even know she was confused about that until the animals sang a song that was completely off-topic and she had the chance to jump in and sing "I'm a Star!"

Magnifico does not demonstrate the opposite of Wish's message effectively because his character has nothing to do with a philosophy against making wishes, and everything to do with power. (He is the strongest character in the film. But because the message and core concept of what wishes are are so bad, that's not saying much.)

Valentino, and Asha's friends, do not highlight anything about her character through compare/contrast. Valentino is brave and all over the place. Her friends are seven-dwarfs parodies. Happy, Doc, Sneezy, Dopey, Bashful, Sleepy, Grumpy. None of that contrasts with Asha's vague characterization of "cares too much." None of it compares to that characterization, either.

The setting is empty. There are no interesting details that teach you something about any of the characters. None in Asha's home, none in the neat-and-tidy one-dimensional forest, none in the Rosas square, and none in the bland, empty castle. Magnifico's study is the closest anything gets; there's a loose concept that all of Asha's friends have to work together to open the roof, and take a leap of faith to weigh the pulley system down. Unfortunately, none of these characters is shown struggling to work together, OR to take leaps of faith, at all, before this point.

The ingredients of the formula are in Wish. They're just not being used correctly. This is how not to use the formula; it's not the formulas fault. If it ain't broke. They should never have let people convince them to try and fix it.

[the-irken-pony]

Hi question. Do you want to talk about the ending Jewel Baron from Henry Stickmin :)

YES I SHALL I simply was doing other things for a little while but now I am free to share

I'd say it's more in relation to what could happen after Jewel Baron just as much as it about JB itself.

As good as the Jewel Baron angst is, I don't exactly want Henry being sad about being alone. I want Henry to fully lean into his full unrepentant "I would sacrifice you to Satan for one corn chip (gemstone)" bastard side that he shows.

That said, there should absolutely be angst and drama stemming from it... but it shouldn't be Henry's angst. He betrayed Charles and the Government, he abused Ellie's help and abandoned her to rot, and he not only crashed the Toppats' airship, but he also destroyed their orbital station, left their two leaders to die in space, and left the Toppat Clan in shambles, possibly with no remaining base of operations. You could also argue he got on the CCC's bad side for taking one member's suit in ItA and leaving him defenseless. Lean fully into the angst of the aftermath of Henry's actions, but from everyone else's perspective.

Also, the Wall knows that he escaped somehow but have no reason to suspect him to be dead. No reason they wouldn't try hunt him down again.

And just for the hell of it, why not throw in Dr. Vinschpinsilstien as well? She's revived the dead before; if the Toppats managed to retrieve Reginald and RHM's bodies from space (plus possibly Wilhelm) there's no reason she wouldn't be able to revive them, it's not like they're going to decay up there.

Hell, you want an actual plot concept and not just angst fodder?

He's got three gemstones already counting the gemstones that he kept at home (not specifically emeralds but I digress), why not come up with four more? Lean into the very obvious Sonic reference and have the potential consequences of him gathering all 7 be devastating.

"Henry chose jewels over friends and now he's sad and alone" Okay but what if he was fully evil. Have him betray Charles Reginald-style. Have him blow up all the remaining Wall inmates because it gets him another gem. Have what little is left of the Toppat Clan ruined with his actions. And he's already caught the CCC's attention once--who's to say that he won't again, especially if he does so on the same scale as PBT and JB?

Make everyone coming together to deal with this menace. Have the final face off be Ellie vs. Henry.

[scrivler]

Can we stop talking about cannon c!Phil being a terrible father using the context of sbi family?

Like yes, with that context his actions are riddled with favoritism and neglect, but Wilbur is/was his only canonical son. The cannon here(or at least my understanding of it) is that Philza, a semi-immortal/never aging being spent his entire life watching the people he loved die in front of him without being able to stop it. Phil took a chance having a son, he knew he would outlive Wilbur but he still took the chance to be happy only for it to end in a harsh reminder that he shouldn’t get attached to things that won’t stick around. He kept in contact with Wilbur through letters before everything went down but as Wilbur spiraled and stopped sending letters, Phil eventually got worried and started heading to the SMP. When he got there he found a country in shambles and his own son corrupted by madness and begging to be killed. And yes, maybe killing Wilbur wasn’t the best course of action here but what immidiate course of action could he have taken here, accounting for the fact that as an immortal, he had already known Wilbur would most likely die long before him, only not expecting to have to be the one to cause it.

After Wilbur died, Phil saw L’Manburg in ruin. It had to have been something he’d seen thousands of times before and he could have just left and not given it a second thought, but he stayed because it was something Wilbur cared about. He tried to see what his son had put his life into only to never get it back, and he watched it only corrupt further. Then he saw the same people go after Technoblade, an old friend of his, which was the last thing Phil could put up with. L’Manburg had moved so far from what Wilbur had loved and Phil blamed the country and its corruptness to Wilbur’s downfall. Siding with technoblade, a person known for not dying, he took an open hostility to the government and system that he believed to have made him kill his own son.

Phil learned over his years not to love things, when he finally tried to love again and had a son, he was given a painful reminder of why he had learned in the first place. Phil can’t/doesn’t let himself love or care greatly for the people around him because it will more likely than not only end in grief for him. Phil had probably never even met Tommy more than briefly before he holed up in Techno’s basement after leaving Logsted, most likely only knowing about him from Wilbur’s letters and anything Techno had said about him before. Any actions Phil has taken that (directly or indirectly) end in bad things for Tommy shouldn’t be used to argue him as a bad father because Phil legitimately barely knows him.

C!Philza is really a good character and all the ‘haha shit dad’ posts are just people completely disregarding that SBI family isn’t cannon, analyzing his actions within the story as if it is. I do enjoy these posts and find them funny to an extent but I’m tired of looking in the comments of these types of posts just to see people talking about how horrible of a dad Phil is to Tommy and was to Wilbur. None of this is to say that c!Phil is a great dad, or even a good dad. He did kill Wilbur, good course of action or not, and how he deals with Ghostbur isn’t exemplary either. Keep in mind though, that he is functionally immortal and has lived for a very long time. I wouldn’t think its a stretch to assume that his character doesn’t have an amazing grasp on how to love or care for people properly. Tommy and Techno are not his children, Techno is an adult and a friend, and Phil barely even knows Tommy.

Can we stop analyzing his character’s canonical actions in the context of SBI family and instead acknowledge how interesting of a character c!Phil is??? C!Phil is a bad dad? Yeah! Let’s talk about how his immortality has potentially degraded his knowledge/ability for love and human connection, how there are things about his mortal son that he could never have understood and how as a result of these factors among other things c!Wilbur ended up the way he did! Talk about c!Phil as he actually is in cannon because there is so much there to look at if you wanted to analyze him as a character!! I’m tired of seeing the ‘Phil is a bad dad because he went to live with Techno and blew up L’Manburg leaving Tommy to fend for himself’ arguments when they don’t hold up in cannon. Let’s talk about the interesting stuff.

TLDR: c!Phil had one son that he knew he would outlive and ended up having to kill him himself, he took that chance with Wilbur and he paid for it. He took another chance with L’Manburg and Techno almost paid for it. He joined techno in wanting to destroy L’Manburg as he credited his recent grievances to the country. Phil is not by any means an amazing dad, but his being immortal adds a lot of interesting ideas to his character’s thoughts and actions. Can we stop reducing cannon c!Phil to a shitty dad when your main evidence for it is based on a head cannon, if you want to argue that he is a bad father then use the actual cool and interesting stuff you can take from cannon!

I do really like SBI family dynamic stuff as well, so I can appreciate jokes and hcs and all with it in dsmp, but pls try to use canonical evidence when having discussions about canonical stuff I am tired, feel free to add any thoughts you want

[mononijikayu]

adding onto this conversation that just as much, this double standard and expectation on rhaenyra is absolutely INSANE. because rhaenyra had the training, the poise, the knowledge and understanding of duty that comes with being both the heir and future monarch. she's been participating and watching and listening to people make critical decisions for the state since she was NINE YEARS OLD. she became a member of the small council years after and invested as princess of dragonstone in her own right. her brothers NEVER had that education and still, the only pinpoint people have about rhaenyra being a bad ruler is when she's already suffered the deaths of three, four children, the lost of one child to the unknown. when she's already lost her best advisers and is being made into the puppet of someone taking advantage of her grief to gain power.

aegon nor aemond never cared very much for their family and yet we don't see them bejng hounded for being mad nor am i seeing any discourse about the crimes they've committed and will commit throughout. yet people expect that they'll rule well??? that they'll meet the standard of rulership??? when aegon's kingship saw the destruction of the economy, ecology, the farmlands, the resources. aemond and daeron alone burnt and sack several places. daeron himself couldnt get his people to listen to him to not destroy and cause ruin to tumbleton. all of which aegon ii glorified later on when he wanted to build them golden statues higher than the titan of braavos—aegon ii wanted to do this in the middle of post war westeros, when the economy is in shambles, much of the population is starved and in a state of disarray. yet rhaenyra still is the bad ruler???

rhaenyra had the makings of a ruler who could MAKE IT. its quite obvious with the way she raised all her sons in the quality of kingship. yet the war ruined her life, her mentality, her wisdom and brought her to a brink of collapse she never got back from. its absurd to say anything other than the fact that she was mutilated by not only the historical record, the societal norms but also people giving credence to these two as though they aren't biased or blatantly disfavorable to women.

she had done things, dont get me wrong. but to assume that rhaenyra is completely evil for it dont understand the point of why she did what she did. none of the writers of the dance got it, none of those who hated rhaenyra got it. being a woman in a male dominated sphere of authority is a death sentence, and rhaenyra wanted to live.

also thank you for another mention on my work @horizon-verizon!!! im very glad it could provide additions to your lovely retorts <333333

I think it’s possible to recognize that Rhaenrya was a victim of sexism while recognizing that she was also a brutal tyrant. I think we can say that Rhaenrya was a victim of the patriarchy but also someone who responded to her treatment by lashing out at everyone around her, especially those below her. Calling for the assassination of Nettles, a black teenage girl, isn’t an act of solidarity and feminism.

I agree. I agree that the blood purity she performs and uses is a feature of her heritage that she actively & consciously chooses but I do not know for certain that she'd suspect the dragonseeds if she hadn't had to emotionally gather herself only to lose not one, not two, but three kids to the stresses of usurpation. Ordering Nettles' execution is definitely a reflection of that Targ-Andal blood purity.

What I protest against are the ideas that:

Rhaenyra's tyranny later is told to have been inevitable without the greens' intervention or any instigation (I don't even care about Vaemond's death, he was just looking to endanger her kids/her for his own ambitions, like the greens. "Fair" play and he was going against the not unfair declaration Viserys made)

that there was no instigation or provocation; her reaction doesn't make sense (in a sense)

a woman has to show that she is capable of ruling because the history of male rulers makes her obligated to show "girls can do it, too" -> that it's justified to expect her to be above-average just because she happens to be the first up-and-coming Queen Regnant in ("united") Westerosi history -> -> to expect a woman to "prove" to a misogynist base (I mean specifically the other lords or even some of her male relatives) her worth and fitness to rule is coming from the context of women being kept from rulership that is both supported and reaffirms the idea that female authority = unnatural condition for women... (HERE is a post by mononijikayu explaining the progression and origins of the gender divisions in medieval Europe)

that being in the middle of a civil war that she did not start, having had the royal treasury bled out, that the rumormongering done by a hidden master of whispers and later the fear-mongering rhetoric of a seemingly mad version of Savonrola ARENT something that no other monarch ever had to deal with & WASN'T an extreme and volatile situation that even Jaehaerys would have much trouble with (I must remind people that Jaehaerys would have had a lot more problems without Alysanne and Septon Barth and Rogar Baratheon AND there was no agent working against him behind the shadows nor did he lose a child out of his own actions and unfairly until his much older age [Aemon], and that was only one NOR was it out of actual hate towards his person! or a belief that genitals "prove" he shouldn't rule)

and tons of other lies I don't even want to get into

In other words, there are a lot of bad-faith arguments that just wind up as being misogynist, so where do we move on if we're hung back?

Once more, Rhaenyra was never herself a feminist BOTH because there is no such thing as feminists in real/fictional medieval settings AND because she never consciously and intentionally sought to better other women's lives. The reason why we look at her story as a story of feminism is because as a woman, even just sitting on the throne provides enough precedent and justification for other women to claim and keep their seats (Jeyne Arryn, and other women and girls in even pre-Targ history who has lost the opp to rule)--and who knows, if she had been allowed to live and rule, actually consider instituting some laws for women either of her own inspiration or persuaded. Thus setting Westerosi towards a more woman-included political framework. Even though misogyny wouldn't disappear, the sentiment of women being bad or incapable or even just "unlucky" types of rulers wouldn't be as strong or as justified or more easily countered.

Plus, if I do not explain why it is important to understand Rhaenyra as a person affected by others and society, looking for agency, then the idea of a woman doing evil as being the blueprint of evil itself actually makes it worse for women in general. Because it fosters the connection between womanhood and evil or "unnaturalness" or the unnaturalness of gender-nonconformity of any kind. This is one-way progress even happens, Westerners still do not live in a utopia for women, anon. But Western (and some countries in Africa and Asia) women have a safer bet now than they did in ancient Greece, Japan, etc., or 200 years ago in U.S. history.

Once more, no one has to actually think Rhaenyra is a good person or even like her. She absolutely commits evil and there are other women in the dynasty who perform less or none (none or without their own faults but most [before the loss of dragons] display a lot of intelligence or autonomy-seeking) Just watch out for why you don't like her and what you think characterizes that evil, the events surrounding it, what inspires her, and all those implications. And recognize that good fiction doesn't ask you to name a good person based on your already-conceived notions of good vs evil, but to see the characters' development and role in the narrative and how their roles/lives/contentions mirror our own.

Aegon is a person born into a royal family with incumbent supreme power and he uses it against women and children (Aemond, too, but being a second son never he will not have the same access to power as his older brother, thereby there is a level of frustration that he himself nurtures). Rhaenyra is born into a world that consistently takes from women to give to men, and even her own family has a history of sidelining its women to affirm their men's power over them and Westeros. GRRM is asking us what does to women, how it makes them retreat into themselves and develop their methods of self-defense, or how she chooses to gain back some agency? How far or how little can she (the woman, not just Rhaenyra) go to gain power or agency, and once she gets past a certain point that she can't even see because she is so inured into a state of self-defense, how can she "come back" from that? Is there even room for it? And what does that do to men like Aegon & Aemond or even common-born men (who also abuse their wives, daughters, etc.) -- encourage them to perform violence against women and children?

So honestly, this back and forth about Rhaenyra being a bad ruler or just about her tyranny and paranoia is less interesting to me bc it is NOT THE ENTIRE POINT and it's boring as heck!!!

[cant-icle]

Yes PLEASE talk about pokemon! if anyone says "no dont" i use my Follower Powers to smite their vote instantly and replace it with 2 votes for "yes do it!!!"

Also i feel like persona and pokemon kind of Hold Hands anyway. they are adjacent! they vibe! :)

(: okay

so like obviously i have no spoons ever at all anymore because my life is in shambles but things have been looking up enough lately that i've cycled back to my semi-annual obsession with pokemon. its always there in the background don't get me wrong but at times like now i have the spoons to poke at things.

also my good friend tv writes the most wonderful pokemon fic (read eldritch and zonnia especially zonnia the more people love on zonnia the closer i get to finding out what the fuck is in the ocean over there) and their worldbuilding is just so fucking inspiring. i just said a lot about zonnia but tv is literally creating a whole pokemon biosphere and it fills me with joy and also thoughts

have you ever wondered why humans can't go in a pokeball? i know somewhere in the lore there's been legends that like humans and pokemon diverged from a single ancestor but i genuinely don't think that's right. i think i have a fair case to make that humans are not originally from the dimension that pokemon live in.

why do i think this? well let me lay out my conspiracy string web for you

pardon my thoughts for jumping around i have had a long day and i am very tired. this is basically nothing but wordvomit but its word vomit that i love turning in my head

so i've been putting together a timeline of pokemon history for reasons and things. i really wanted to know about all of the most mega massive historical events, especially regarding the clashes of the titans. there's a gap between "arceus creates the universe" and "humans are first mentioned" that is very interesting to me.

there is evidence of cyclical rise and fall of civilizations. ancient ruins, ancient technology, ancient writing. ancient submarine. archeologists in the pokemon world must have so much fun. what this means to me is that every so often either humans destroy themselves or the legendaries rise up and destroy just enough of everything that civilizations are reduced to survival instead of thriving again.

 i recently read a book called nightfall by good ol sci fi man isaac asimov; basic pretense is that the world is constantly lit by a combination of six suns but every few thousand years the suns align perfectly to deprive half the world of light for 24 hours (like a normal day night cycle here). everyone who looks at the stars goes fucking nuts. ever been out in the country and looked up at the sky and had so much existential dread and felt like you were falling up into the sky? no? just me? okay anyway what i was saying is that everyone went fucking insane and destroyed everything, except for a few people that managed to avoid the sky and the insanity by like locking themselves in a room or whatever.

this isn’t a perfect 1-1 obviously but we have sooooooooooooo many documented instances of legendaries and mythical pokemon just breaking so much shit all the time

now: 

the games are very adamant that you are a child. the lore is very adamant that pokemon who do not wish to be caught, will not be caught with your standard pokeballs (which is all you are ever provided, aside from the master ball, which is a fuckery i can’t get into at the moment). you as a child are able to catch titans and legendaries and the being who fucking created the universe. arceus sends you as a child 300 years into the past to fix an issue someone else made.

this is where the strings get tenuous but that’s okay this is my sandbox and i get to play in it

there has to be a reason for it, right? that legendaries come under the care of children. that legendaries allow themselves to be caught and partnered with adolescents. 

aside for a moment:

so what i mainly want to focus on eventually is that 3000 years ago two specific momentous things occured. 

1) the Kalos war (which i need to read up on more)

2) the darkest day (which i also need to read up on more to make sure my facts for both are correct)

now there may have been a few years in between these events but in the timeline of things thats inconsequential. 

there are also instances of humans eventually turning into pokemon (see: ghost pokemon etc) and a lot of ghost pokemon lore is tied into humanity too. i think that maybe a few million few hundred thousand few tens of thousands of years ago ghost pokemon might not have been a thing, or might have been suuuuuuper rare. notably for this is claydol, which, also notably, was created around the same time that eternatus lands.

eternatus is very incredibly extremely palpably not from this world. so not from this world that its existence in galar has lead to some extreme fuckery. the ability to dynamax, for one. gigantamaxing, too; i think its eevee pikachu and meowth that can gigantamax? and if they have the ability they are no longer able to evolve. eternatus can control the ability to dynamax, either forcing it onto pokemon or keeping them from dynamaxing. this is because the ability to dynamax comes from basically tiny shed particles of its body saturating the land. you come into contact with one of those pieces almost immediately in game and can then dynamax your pokemon.

you can’t dynamax a human. 

even the horrid poison dragon from out of space can dynamax. everything down to the littlest caterpie can dynamax.

but humans cant. 

humans have been on the earth for millions of years at that point. they’ve evolved and adapted the same way other pokemon have done so. but they’re still completely unaffected by this one thing that affects every single pokemon in the region.

isn’t that funny? isn’t that curious.

tl;dr i posit that arceus brought humans into this universe for legendaries to use as proxies so they didn’t keep fucking destroying the world every so often. yeah sometimes they still do but its a much lower instance than it could be

[soleilibrary]

Book Review: Don’t Overthink This by Kelly Piazza

When a best friend’s wedding presents a second chance for a recovering drug addict to regain the trust of his first and only love, will his new dedication to sobriety be enough to convince her that this time things could be different?

Matty Arvali fell in love with Keelie Santiago thirteen years ago. The two of them were inseparable, until Matty’s oxycodone addiction chiseled the bond they shared and left their relationship in shambles. As Matty descended further into his addiction, Keelie is forced to sever ties with him to save herself from his destruction.

Now, after two years filled with regret, Matty craves the life he used to have more than he craves the pills that destroyed it. When his best friend’s wedding presents a second chance to regain Keelie’s trust, can Matty stay out of his head and away from pills long enough to win her back?

Charming, witty, and uplifting, Don’t Overthink This is a love story lost in the tangles of addiction, searching for the escape that might finally lead to happily-ever-after.

5/5 ★

Content Warnings: Alcoholism, drug abuse, mentions of suicide, suicidal thoughts, graphic depictions of mental health issues, sexual assault, coercion, infidelity This book definitely covers a darker subject matter. It is mentioned in the summary but be warned going into this that the heavier topics aren’t just glanced over. The brutal reality of addiction and the path to recovery are the main focus of this story, not the second-chance romance.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Foxglove Publishing, and Kelly Piazza for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

To preface: I read this in one straight shot, from 11 pm to 3 am, despite knowing I have to get up for work at 8 in the morning. I think that says more than enough about how much I enjoyed Don't Overthink This.

As someone currently pursuing an M.A. in psychology, I went into this book hoping to see a realistic portrayal of addiction and that’s exactly what I found. Piazza doesn’t glamorize it—it’s shown to be something raw and ugly that ruins lives. And that is exactly what happens to the main character, Matty. Seeing his battle with addiction from inside of his head was eye-opening. It shows you how the disease affects your brain and makes you blind to what is right in front of you: how wonderful your life is and how many people love you. The portrayal of other mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder, was also executed well.

A part of the story I really love is the way that flashbacks intertwine with the present. It simultaneously broke my heart and made me root for Matty’s sobriety more than I already was. I wanted him and Keelie to get back together, not just for his sake but for hers. I love that Piazza makes sure to also highlight how hard it is to love an addict and what that side of things looks like.

Seeing Matty fight his addiction and regain control over his life made me so happy. I almost cried tears of joy at the scene where he flushes his last pill down the toilet. Every time he recognized his destructive behaviors and was able to change them, the little cheerleaders in my head went wild. And then seeing him patch up his relationships, not just with Keelie, but with everyone else in his life... It was so heartwarming.

So yes, this book is a second chance romance. But it is also so, so much more than that.

P.S. I also have to say that I feel like I learned a lot from Adam, the therapist friend of Chris’ that Matty goes to see. I hope I can make my clients feel that comfortable someday. Also, my Italian heart was really happy to see all the Italian included in the story!

Full review on Goodreads.

[maple-syrup-goblin]

@tarly-the-bitch

(some of you might like the tags up here, sorry

suicide, gore, depression, murder, ect)

Imagine:

You just broke up with your s/o, your heart is in shambles. Just to wake up, you need to lift the weights of your sorrows, regrets, and the deep gap within your soul.

It's a normal, terrible day. The sky is gray, it's been that way ever since they left you. Despite your unwillingness, the drive for food forces your body through your house, out of the door, and to your bike.

You mindlessly ride to a store. Any store will do. As you look to the sky and realize it's getting dark, and you are slpashed with shock when you notice that you've arrived in the next city over.

You push on as the pit in your stomach grows as deep as the pit in your heart. Your eyes fly to a bright sign of a small grocery store on the outskirts of the city. You place your bike on the outside of the shop and enter warily.

You grab whatever your hand seems to be attracted to. You end up grabbing a load of junk with dull, meaningless lables. As you near the counter you peer down to a worried face.

"Um, sir? You don't look too well." her wide eyes stare at you as she says faintly.

"I just biked from the small town over, I'm just tired." you reply, dead as ever.

"Really? That's a long way. If you need a place to stay, I could let you rest at my home." she suggests.

"Ah, thank you very much." you muster a weak sign of gratitude.

"My shift ends soon so, you shouldn't have to wait long!" she states excitedly.

You finish paying and wait on the bench outside. Filling your stomach with some of the garbage you bought, your head becomes a little less foggy. As you wait, the sun sets and your grow cold. Just as you huddle, the girl bursts out like a little bundle of energy.

"Whew! I can't wait to get home!" she exclaims with a wide smile. Just then, in that moment, you see her with clear vision. Her cute sweater, short hair, and smooth skin. Just that sight brings you more joy than you've felt in the past month. You can't help but smile at the sight.

"My car is this way," she states, "but we'll have to leave your bike here for the night. My car is too tiny to fit your bike."

"Oh! That's alright. I'll get it tomorrow." you reply.

As you walk toward her car, she glances at you and questions, "So, what's your name?"

"Oh, I'm y/n. What's yours?" you ask.

"You didn't catch it on my name tag?" she quips with a smirk. Although you feel like that was ment to poke fun at you, a you can feel is joy. "It's Ambrosia, you can call me Am though." she explaines.

You ride in her car for a short while before arriving at a cute house, completely dark from inside to out. The tiny home is beautiful even if you can't see it well in the starlight. As you walk in the door, she turns on the lights to reveal a neat and comfy place of living.

"Sorry, it's a little small. But now that we're here, would you like something to eat?" she asks kindly. Although you ate before you got here, you haven't had any good food for months and you crave to know what her cooking tastes like.

"I'd love something to eat, what do you have?" you speak joyfully.

"Oh it's not that simple! I'll make us a surprise!" she plays. Her positive attitude leaves you trembling with happiness. As she starts to cook, she demands that you stay out of the kitchen so that it remains a surprise.

You look around her home and see few family photos and many little decorative trinkets. The smell from the kitchen lures you to it as she announces that she's done.

"Allright, let's get to eating!" she announces. "Also, I don't have to work tomorrow so... would you like something to drink?"

It's been a while since you've had a meal this luxurious with a nice drink to go with it. "I'd love to." you respond as she pulls out a full bottle of whiskey.

"I don't do this too often so let's celebrate!" she says as she hold the bottle to the sky. The two of you begin to eat and enjoy your time together. Looking into her eyes feels like standing in a cool summer's breeze. You can imagine the sensation of your hand on her cheek.

You continue to eat and drink as your ability to hold back your feelings becomes frail. The slightest drop of romance could melt you and, she takes notice.

"You know, I'm the only one here. You don't have to hide anything." she states drunkenly. You feel as if your soul has become whole again. You no longer feel pain or sorrow. All you can think about is her adorable lips.

The two of you head toward the living room when suddenly, she stumbles. Falling into you arms, she looks up into your eyes. "You just might have to carry me!" she laughs.

You comply, and pick her up. You feel her squishy thighs in your arms and your hand grabs her chest. Holding her in your arms has put things into perspective. Although she's a tad short, her beauty is unmatched in your heart.

You carry her to her bedroom and set her down. Once she regains her balance, she uses all the force in her body to fling off her clothes. Your drunken mind follows suit and you remove what's keeping her from your body.

The mutual excitement brews a love so stong that it lats for hours. She's lucky she doesn't have to work in the morning.

You grasp her arms and lay her to the bed as you pummel her as hard as you can. Her poor little bead makes cries of help as you recklessly destroy her insides. The absolute bliss you feel is more fulfilling than anything you've ever felt.

She gasps as you continue, she looks beet red with pleasure. You begin to slow so this can last a while longer. You use your hands to toy with ever part of her imaginable. Her squishy breasts, tender thighs, and soft cheeks all run past your grasp.

"Please, please, harder!" she demands, "play with me, play with me! I'll be your toy to make you happy!" she cries with tears of bliss. You continue, harder than you have ever before. You grasp her boobs and fondle them with force.

She lets out one last moan of pleasure and holds you tight. "Thank you." she wispers. Your tiredness catches up to you and you fall asleep with your bodies intertwined.

You've slept better than you ever have before. You wake up to the sight of her soft lips and are instantly filled with the pleasure you felt before. Her small body seems so fragile in your grasp. She's so tender, and vulnerable.

Although you were filled with joy, your heart snaps back to how it was tbe morning prior. You stare at her, blankly. As she awakes, her eyes flutter open and her lips form a smile.

"I love you y/n" she barely musters. As she states this, you realize that she was able to fill you with joy she can do it again. You kiss her passionately and feel between her legs.

Her eyes fill with shock at your sudden movements but she can't say no, you've filled her mouth with her tongue. Her fragile body under your control fills you with the feeling of power. A power you've only felt the day before.

You start to rough her up. Using unnecessary amounts of force. She starts to cry but she wanted to be your toy right? Did she lie to you? Just like you s/o did back then. You can't stand liars. You can't stand her.

You trow her to the ground in a fit of rage, as her cries grow. Noting she says matters now, she'll just leave you like your s/o did. She's just like her, a liar and garbage. You top her and bite her throat with the strength of a lion. You claw at her soft skin and tear her insides up with the most massive rage boner any man could hope to amass.

She can't speak anymore, all you hear is muffled screaming and gurgles. You imagine doing this to your s/o and get up. A job like this requires special tools.

You retrieve a knife from the kitchen, her eyes contort into a deep fear. As you plunge the knife between her breasts. You slice her down to her belly and continue with your hands. You reach inside her and pull everything out. All the love, all the joy, you believe it is yours now.

Her eyes fade and her tears stop flowing. You continue to use her as a toy and fill her with your semen. Since there's no chance of a child, you fill her vagina with your semen in the most satisfying way you could have ever conceived.

You keep her face looking pretty, but with her throat destroyed you decide to ruin it a little more. You flip yourself and shove your dick into her throat however, it quickly reaches where you've crushed it. You press on and slip your cock deeper and experience the tightest grip you'll ever feel.

You assault her lower lips with your raging tongue to get a taste of your prey, your toy, you little meatbag of happiness. Rubbing her ass, you finnish in her adorable little mouth. And find yourself calming.

You cleave her head off to keep it as a physical memory of the last time you'll ever feel joy. You cry as you realize you've ruined your toy. What are you saying? Your toy? You realize that you've become a monster.

She's much more deserving of a life than you ever were. And you took that. You walk out of the house with your hand on her scalp. Or what's left of her you monster. You steal her keys and drive home. You monster.

Every time you look at what's left of her. All you can think is, "you monster" and you are. You are a monster, a horrible human being. If that. Your tears flood your vision. You know you'll never be happy again. You are worthless. But you feel what's left of Am isn't.

You arrive home and place her head on your table. Her lifeless eyes stare at you. You pleasure yourself one last time before ending your life just as you ended hers.

You grab a knife from your kitchen. You place the tip to your chest. You take a deep breath and plunge the blade into your heart. Letting your rage guide your hand. "You monster, you are worth nothing" you repeat in your head, "How can anyone love me now? Why would anyone care? S/o doesn't, Am doesn't, your family doesn't."

When you're done, you look just like her. A pile of blood and meat on the floor. The physical pain amounts to nothing compared to the disappointment you feel in yourself.

You feel warm, your sight glows red even with your eyes closed. Where have you found yourself?

[recycledcactus]

c!Wilbur & Eight by Sleeping At Last analogy

because apparently c!Wilbur was based off that song? Link here

!!!!Okay so this is not all in canonical order. It’s just based on every lyric/line!!!!

Most of it is during the Pogtopia arc and Wilbur insanity arc though.

For @soot-spots I hope you like it. It’s written very weirdly and not like a regular analogy so bear with me here:

Lyrics are in italics like this [My analogies are bolder and in brackets like this]

I remember the minute It was like a switch was flipped I was just a kid who grew up strong enough To pick this armor up And suddenly it fit

[I think here, during the unknown of time before L’Manburg and after his childhood, Wilbur is thinking about his past with Philza. How Philza ‘raised’ him, AKA was an absent parent half the time. He knew how to survive, yes, and he knew Phil was somewhat proud of him. But Wilbur always felt he needed to prove himself. Techno constantly had Phil’s attention, so Wilbur wanted some for himself. He forced the metaphorical armour to fit. He forced himself to be responsible and strong. To act like he knows what he’s doing. People believed him, they followed him, so maybe the armour could fit.]

God, that was so long ago, long ago, long ago I was little, I was weak and perfectly naive And I grew up too quick

[I’m thinking this is probably in Pogtopia. Wilbur reflects on his past self and laughs. How naive could he have been? Thinking if he started a nation, Phil would pay attention to him? He was so stupid. So needy. Phil never cared. He forced himself to be responsible and grow up and prove himself that he didn’t take the time to be a child. And now look where he is, in a ravine, without his home, country, or people. Just Tommy. (Tommy, who also grew up far too quick. Tommy who should still be growing up and not exiled in a ravine separated from his best friend).]

Now you won't see all that I have to lose And all I've lost in the fight to protect it I won't let you in, I swore never again I can't afford, no, I refuse to be rejected

[(Pogtopia arc). He stops writing letters to Phil. He stops ranting on and on, filling up the pages with messy scrawl, about his victories, his losses, his thoughts and feelings. He stops pouring his heart out in these letters and telling Phil about everything he’s done. He rarely gets replies and when he does, they’re always short and blunt. His heart can’t take how little his father cares anymore, so he stops all contact.]

I want to break these bones 'til they're better I want to break them right and feel alive You were wrong, you were wrong, you were wrong My healing needed more than time

[(Pogtopia arc). Tommy tried desperately to encourage his brother and tell him that things would work out, that Wilbur could be better with more time. But Wilbur could only lash out and yell, punching walls and pacing wildly and tearing at his hair until small indents were carved into the floor of Pogtopia. He yelled at Tommy, screamed and berated him. And for what? Tommy was a kid. Tommy was forced into this. Tommy was trying to help. Wilbur can’t take back those words now. He couldn’t do anything. Nothing was enough. Nothing could bring him out of his head. He’d lost. It’s over. There’s nothing left, there’s— he’s—]

When I see fragile things, helpless things, broken things I see the familiar I was little, I was weak, I was perfect, too Now I'm a broken mirror

[(Pogtopia arc). Wilbur looks at himself in a mirror and doesn’t even recognize himself. The bags under his eyes are too big and his hair is too matted. There’s dirt cakes on parts of his coat and his shirt is covered in patches to keep it together. But he thinks maybe he’s stronger. He’s learned from his old self. He used to get too attached to people and things only to be betrayed and thrown out of his own country. He was weak. But now that he had nothing, he was stronger than ever, right? They say a man with nothing to lose can do anything he wants, right? There can’t be a harsher consequence than being exiled and thrown out of the country you built. Wilbur can do what he wants. He looks into Tommy’s eyes and sees a reflection of himself––broken, too. Broken and lost. But not the same. Tommy is so much stronger than him and maybe that does make him mad.]

But I can't let you see all that I have to lose All I've lost in the fight to protect it I can't let you in, I swore never again I can't afford to let myself be blindsided

[(Pogtopia arc). He puts on an air of self-confidence and (albeit grim) cheeriness for Tommy. He can’t show his little brother that he has no hope. He can’t show him he’s truly planning on blowing up L’Manburg and that it’s not just ‘Plan Bomb’. He can’t bring himself to talk to Tommy about how shitty things are for him because he knows Tommy has it shittier. Tommy is 16 and scared and traumatized and is holding himself up for his brother & Tubbo. He doesn’t need more problems to worry about. Wilbur smiles only to walk away and break down. He covers up how hopeless he feels and how far gone he thinks he is. He offers up plans of taking his country back just to see Tommy’s eyes light up. But he can’t help but know L’Manburg will all be blown up. He can’t get distracted from doing that because it’s the one thing that might make this pain go away.]

I'm standing guard, I'm falling apart And all I want is to trust you Show me how to lay my sword down For long enough to let you through

[(Pogtopia arc). Wilbur needs Tommy or Phil or hell, even Techno. He just needs someone. Someone to snap him from his intrusive mind. His thoughts that run rampant and scream at him to destroy everything. His plan that is both self-destructive and literally destructive that will leave everyone he cares about in shambles.

But he has no one. He can’t speak to Tommy without further scaring or hurting the boy. He refuses to write to Phil because he doesn’t even care (he wouldn’t come running to save his ‘son’ from himself). And Techno only supports the idea of destroying L’Manburg——he wouldn’t bother helping Wilbur with his problems.

Wilbur doesn’t know how to make the first move and let his guard down. (His mind briefly flashes to Eret and how much he used to trust the man. It was thrown away as soon as the Dream Team walked out of those walls though). That’s one of his last mistakes.]

Here I am, pry me open What do you want to know? I'm just a kid who grew up scared enough To hold the door shut And bury my innocence But here's a map, here's a shovel

[(At the beginning of L’Manburg and the drug van). This symbolizes Wilbur starting L’Manburg——starting a country from nothing but a van, his brother, and a crazy dream. He left his small childhood home behind––finally being able to breath in relief when he doesn’t have to relive all the times he and Phil had yelling matches when he walks through the kitchen, or to feel a bitter sadness remembering Tommy waking up screaming from nightmares and being the only one to console him whenever he passed the blond’s room. He can finally push the past behind and open up to people he cares about and trusts–– his friends and citizens.]

Here's my Achilles' heel

[(During L’Manburg when it was still a new country and they still wore soldier outfits). He soon realizes that L’Maburg is more than a country. It’s his home. It’s his family. His weakness. He cares about it because it’s the only place he could ever truly call his own. A small, nagging part of his brain whispers to him that if he’s not careful, it could be his downfall. He pays no mind though, because that seems so unlikely. He’s happier than he’s ever been and he won’t let intrusive thoughts ruin in]

I'm all in, palms out I'm at your mercy now and I'm ready to begin I am strong, I am strong, I am strong enough to let you in

[(Pogtopia arc). It dawns on Wilbur that L’Manburg has not been his downfall yet. Sure, he’s exiled, but he always imagined his downfall would be dying for his country. His country still lives though and he is not dead. Instead, the game is still on. His Achilles heel has not yet been struck. So maybe L’Maburg was not his Achilles heel all along? With that belief, Wilbur can’t help but still want L’Manburg back. He can’t push L’Manburg away when he’s trying so hard to get it back. He thinks maybe if he becomes president again and gets rid of Schlatt, his downfall would not come. He would be safe.]

I'ma shake the ground with all my might And I will pull my whole heart up to the surface For the innocent, for the vulnerable And I'll show up on the front lines with a purpose

[(Pogtopia/insanity arc). There’s still a possibility of L’Maburg being the end to Wilbur. With plans of war and overthrowing Schlatt, the thought is more prominent than ever. While Wilbur goes mad in Pogtopia, he’s quickly realizing that L’Manburg can’t be his Achilles heel if there is no L’Manburg. If he gets rid of L’Manburg, there will be no other problems. His symphony won’t be finished and therefore his Achilles heel will be protected.]

And I'll give all I have, I'll give my blood, give my sweat

[Oh but... but what if he is his own demise? L’Manburg was his. His dream. His home. He pushed everyone away for L’Manburg. He ignored his son, his brother, his best friend. Would it not make sense if he fell too? Should he not perish too? To let his brother rest? He knows the way they look at him——like he’s unstable, untrustworthy. Which he is. And Tommy... Tommy who still trusts him, who still looks at him like he could do no wrong, like he’s still a fearless leader. (He catches his small flinches though, the way he sometimes bites his tongue and hesitates before blurting out his words loudly, like usual). No matter how many times Wilbur hurts Tommy and tears him down, he’s always back——loyal and unwavering. Tommy did not deserve this. Tommy should be free. Wilbur cannot live in a world knowing Tommy is hurt because of him. Wilbur cannot see Tommy free with knowing what happened daily in that stupid, sold ravine. Wilbur cannot live and be anything to Tommy.]

An ocean of tears will spill for what is broken I'm shattered porcelain, glued back together again Invincible like I've never been

[Wilbur watches the leader who took his place, fall. He watches as his people cheer and fall over each other in exhaustion. Their wounds are deep, but smiles deeper. He elects Tommy, who in turn elects Tubbo (the discs again, when will it stop?) Wilbur listens to the man he once called father try to convince him not to destroy L’Manburg. He listens to the screeches of Withers and muffled cries of people.

It’s time.

Wilbur takes the arrow and strikes his Achilles heel.

He watches in twisted, painful satisfaction as his world blows up before him. People cry out for other reasons. They——especially Tommy——look at him in horror. But why does the arrow not kill him? Nothing else can hurt him like this does, right?

No, the wound is not deep enough. He is too happy to be injured like this for it to be fatal.

“Kill me” He begs. He thinks it’s good revenge on his father for being ignorant. And a good way for the arrow to strike him dead.

Philza stabs him.

The arrow in his heel digs deeper.

And then all is calm,]

----

[Also I feel like every one of those strong brassy bursts in the song is like a fist against the wall——Wilbur striking out against the walls of Pogtopia in anger and (self-)hatred and frustration.]

Hope you liked it. It was certainly an experience to write and I really enjoyed doing this

[squidbobby]

Shambles (The Rockiest Rock Bottom Ever), a squidbob fic, Chapter 1

Summary:  After the volcano disaster that wasn't, things are starting to get back to normal...except that Squidward's house has been destroyed by earthquakes and he's in shambles. Bikini Bottom's own hero, Spongebob Squarepants, offers to take Squidward into his home until other arrangements can be made, and Squidward doesn't exactly have many options. Feelings ensue.

Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Trauma, Living Together, Sharing a Bed, Post-Canon

This work is also available on my Ao3.

I welcome prompts for most ships!

It was a wonder how much of Bikini Bottom had stayed intact after the disaster that sort of wasn’t. Really, with the odds they had been given, the whole place should’ve become a seafood buffet by now. He shouldn’t have been surprised, then, that his place was destroyed. The pineapple was one thing. Round and organic, it had no trouble staying in one piece throughout the quakes, though apparently not everything inside was so lucky, if Spongebob’s unusually somber trash drop-off meant anything. Patrick’s home was rock, same as Squidward’s, but it was low to the ground and dome-shaped, and his entire living space was made out of sand, anyway.

Squidward’s home was not so lucky. He had tried to listen to Sandy through the fog, something about the building being too brittle to withstand seismic activity? Either way, his home--his former home, that is--lay in shambles around him. A few locals including his neighbors had volunteered to help Squidward sift through the rubble, and were now shuffling around in pairs, sorting things into variously marked piles and murmuring sympathetically to each other. Squidward glanced around, dazed, doing little and feeling useless. Occasionally someone had held an object up to him for appraisal, and his positive or negative grunts would determine which pile it went into.

About an hour into the search, a distinctly Spongebob-y series of noises came from behind Squidward. A grunt, a crash, a gasp, and a hurried shush. Even in his state, Squidward knew when to be suspicious. He whipped around to find Spongebob and Patrick grinning fearfully and hiding something behind their backs. Behind them was a toppled-over piece of rock wall that had been covering a significant little area and which nobody had worked up the motivation to move until, apparently, Patrick’s brawn and lack of brain had successfully coordinated. Squidward started towards them.

“Alright, what is it?” he asked with a sigh. “Can’t be any worse than anything else we’ve found so far.”

Spongebob and Patrick exchanged remorseful glances before Spongebob pulled his hands out from behind his back and showed Squidward what they had found.

“Oh…” came out of Squidward as he lowered himself shakily onto what was left of the sofa. So they had finally gotten to the ruins of his art room. He’d known, distantly, that that was coming eventually. It was a different thing entirely to see Spongebob, the picture of empathy, gingerly holding up the splintered pieces of his clarinet while looking at him as if he was going to splinter, himself, at any moment.

And splinter he did. For the first time since the volcano didn’t erupt, tears welled up in Squidward’s eyes.

“I-I, uh…” Squidward began shakily. He barely had time to take another breath before a sob escaped him and his face crumpled as he covered it with his hands. Squidward suddenly felt like everything was caving in on him. First the trauma of the almost disaster, then the shock of coming home to being homeless, and now the humiliation of losing control of himself over a stupid piece of wood in front of a dozen people. He curled in on himself on the sofa and wrapped his arms around each other. All the rock bottoms he thought he had fallen into in his life didn’t compare to this, the rockiest rock bottom ever. His breath hitched when he felt a dip next to him on the sofa, but he didn’t pull his hands away from his face lest the dip’s creator see his face, which was sure to be puffy and red by now.

A small hand tentatively touched Squidward’s shoulder, and he hunched further inward until a soft voice spoke up.

“It’s okay,” Spongebob murmured. “They’re gone.”

Squidward carefully peeked over his fingers and realized that Spongebob was telling the truth. Whether the volunteers had left of their own volition because they were uncomfortable with Squidward’s outburst or had been shooed away by Spongebob and/or Patrick, the two of them were now alone on Conch Street. He considered retreating back behind his hands anyway, but this was Spongebob. The little guy had seen Squidward at all of his worst times, him being the cause of most of his worst times notwithstanding. Squidward lowered his hands, sniffed, and faced forward, gathering up what dignity he could. He could see Spongebob in his peripheral vision, his face open and vulnerable as always. Suddenly he felt a wad of tissues being pressed into his hand, and Squidward smiled despite himself, but it was a sad smile.

“I don’t know what to do now.” Squidward said to nobody in particular. Now that the sobs had died down, he felt hollow again, but this time with a headache.

“What do you mean?” asked Spongebob. His head was cocked like a quizzical child’s.

Squidward huffed. “I mean, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now. My mother offered to let me live with her, but that’s hours away and my job is here. There’s nothing left to rebuild my house with, and I don’t have the money or credit for a new place. I’m gonna have to move back home and lose my job and live in my mother’s basement like the loser I am, and--”

Spongebob’s hand tightened where it was on Squidward’s shoulder.

“What do you mean you have nowhere to go? My house is right there!” He gestured next door, where the pineapple stood unfazed by the earthquakes.

At this, Squidward turned to look at Spongebob’s face straight on. His mouth was quirked into a smile, and his eyes were the kind of wide-eyed enthusiastic empathetic eyes that Squidward had seen in him when they’d passed abandoned baby snails in a box or flowers that needed watering. Well, Squidward guessed he was not that different from an abandoned baby snail these days.

“I don’t know, Spongebob…” Squidward started. They’d roomed together for short periods of time before for one reason or another, and it never ended very well.

“Shush,” Spongebob said, headstrong. “I won’t hear any protest on this. I want to help, and this way you can keep your job and we can walk to work together. Oh, it’ll be like a sleepover!”

As Spongebob began talking about matching pajamas and his eyes began to sparkle, Squidward wondered whether it would really be so bad to stay with his neighbor for a while. Besides, what other options did he have? He shuddered to think of what staying with Patrick or Krabs would be like, and he wasn’t exactly jumping at the chance to go home and listen to his mother cry “I told you so” every other minute as if it was his fault that he had barely escaped death and his house hadn’t. Squidward sighed inwardly.

“Okay, Spongebob, but just until I find somewhere cheap to stay.”

“Yay!!!” Spongebob released Squidward’s shoulder and ran into the pineapple. Squidward looked around, confused, until Spongebob burst back out with a handful of what looked like empty bags.

“Here,” Spongebob said, handing Squidward a large duffle bag. “Pack up everything that’s in the ‘not completely destroyed’ piles and we’ll get you moved in and go shopping for some essentials!”

So this was really happening. Squidward stood up from the sofa and quietly began putting blankets and clothes from one pile into Spongebob’s bag as Spongebob hummed merrily and collected his own pile into a reusable grocery bag with smiley faces all over it. Squidward watched him and snorted out a quiet, disbelieving laugh. How many times had he been cruel to the little guy, only for Spongebob to come right back the next day, smiling as brightly as ever? And how many times had Spongebob gone to great lengths just to help him, or simply make him smile? For a moment, Squidward looked at him and saw the hero of Bikini Bottom, the kid who helped his friends stop a natural disaster in its tracks and save an entire city. He didn’t seem like so much of a kid these days.

“Woo, let’s go buddy!” Squidward was shaken from his revelry by a shout, and he looked up to see that all the remaining piles, including the rest of the one he was working on, had been packed and left in a pile of overstuffed bags decorated with varying levels of whimsy. Spongebob grabbed his arm and led him to Squidward’s boatmobile, which had been spared. “Best friends’ shopping trip!”

[katoodlez]

i tried to be productive this morning but i dont think my brain will let me until i do this, so sam and bucky show episode 4 letS GO

i would like to preface this post by saying that I literally got spoilers (before i watched the episode) from liTERALLY EVERYTHING from youtube to gOOGLE CHROME when i was trying to read the nEWS so in order to avoid spoiling it for anyone that hasnt seen it, STOP READING because this episode is inSANE and you don’t want it ruined for you.

Okay with that being said, let’s get started.

1. the first scene in wakanda absolutely deSTROYED ME. ayo helping bucky clear the winter soldier programming from his mind and then the silent shift of emotions on his face as the flashbacks happened and then when he realized he was free was just-- KDSFKSD the aCTING WAS SO GOOD thank you mr sebastian stan

2. bucky telling ayo that Zemo was a means to an end, especially in Wakandan, gave me chills bc it’s a direct parallel of Zemo telling Bucky that he was a means to an end. this show is just so carefully crafted omg

3. karli morgenthau got so much more screentime and development in this episode and i am hERE FOR IT. it’s really intriguing to get a deeper look into the Flag Smasher’s motivations and see a more personal side of their cause as well, especially in the memorial scene.

4. can we just take a moment. we need to take a moment. to just appreciate sam. hIS DIALOGUE IN THIS EPISODE. actually, in the whole show, but eSPECially in this episode just absolutely POPPED OFF. after this episode, I’m fully convinced that sam is 100% without a doubt the best character in this show. whoever wrote his lines is a genius. i love the scene where he talks to Karli, and I hope that they can have another chance to talk without *couGH* jOhn waLKER *coUGH* butting his head in because that conversation was just amazing. i loved how they discussed things they had in common, and a mutual understanding and how sam said “i agree with your fight, but not the way you’re fighting it.” this line was so good. and literally every other part of that conversation. the entire plot would have fallen to shambles by now if it wasn’t for sam so let’s give this man a round of applause please.

5. while we’re talking about sam, I might as well mention that i was very happy to see him in the falcon suit/wings again. he didn’t fly in episode 3 and i missed the action scenes with the wings. i think I gotta give Sam the most creativity points for the fight scenes in this show because he can fight both in the air and on the ground with a set of wings and weaponize them either way and that’s really cool

6. the dora milaje. I LOVE THEM. omg. i was so happy to see Ayo at the end of episode 3 and they just aSSERTED DOMINANCE in this episode and i loved it. their fighting style and weapons and clothing/armor design is just so elegant and mesmerizing to watch. “the dora milaje have jurisdiction wherever the dora milaje find themselves to be” omg. they took no crap from john walker and it was sO SATISFYING

7. on that note, watching walker get his butt kicked by the Dora Milaje while sam, bucky, and zemo just stood there was hilarious and probably one of my favorite scenes in this entire show so far.

8. WHEN AYO DISARMED BUCKY’s VIBRANIUM ARM. OMG. bucky was *surprised pikachu face* and so was I. I really, really hope they run into the wakandans again because there’s definitely a broken trust between them and i want that relationship to be more fully fleshed out and brought to closure too

9. there’s no way i’m making this list without talking about zemo singing to the kids and giving them candy at the beginning of the episode. that kinda gave me “creepy guy who kidnaps kids at the park” kinda vibes but it was also hilarious since Zemo was the only one making any progress on getting info in that scene xd

10. zemo getting away had the same energy as Loki yeeting with the tessaract in Endgame lmao

11. BUCKY WITH A KNIFE. when he caught the knife askdjfk i’ve been waiting for a bucky knife fight this enTIRE SHOW and i finally got it and me very happy  : >>>> (i’m determined to learn how he does the flippy trick w the pocketknife in Winter Soldier)

12. when Karli called Sarah Wilson i got chills. first of all sarah is an absolute fearless qUEEN but also the fact that Karli threatened Sam’s nephews akdfjaksdj pls dont hurt them Marvel

13. the parallel discussions between Zemo and Sam, Lemar and Walker about taking the super soldier serum were really neat. they both hark back to the conversation between Steve Rogers and Dr. Erskine in First Avenger, and i think that was the key turning point in revealing/completely clarifying both Sam and Walker’s true colors, which will now directly contradict each other for the rest of the show. 

14. people say that sam is the character who always tries to reason things out until he has absolutely no options left. i think that really shows through in this episode, and it’s also a good reference point/marker of the other characters’ development. Sam’s determination to talk things through with Karli actually brought them closer together (until sOMEONE decided to intervene coUGH) but his equal determination to keep peace/negotiate with Walker only drove them further apart, which makes me feel that even though karli and the flag smashers are the “villains” in this story, they are definitely not the antagonists (that would be walker, who’s directly trying to work against Sam and Bucky, the protagonists)

15. bucky’s “i know crazy when i see it cuz i am crazy” sent me LOL

16. when lemar died i think everyone just went 0 _ 0. i don’t think Karli intended to kill him when she kicked him into that wall, judging by the way they all ran off after they realized he was dead. tbh i’ve been netural towards lemar this entire time, tho i do appreciate his more pacifist attitude to walker’s explosive impulsiveness. he’s sort of like sam to bucky. but his death really felt like an accidental cross-fire casualty that cause walker to reach his breaking point

17. and lastly the scene with the bloody shield. 0 _ 0. the whole world was watching indeed

alright that’s it for this week. i can’t believe there’s only two episodes left 0 _ 0. to be honest, from our current point of view as fans i feel like this show needs another season, maybe 2. the reason being, I can’t really see a space that Sam and Bucky would fit into in the future of the MCU. Sam, maybe, if he resolves the deal with the Captain America mantle at the end of this show, but I feel like Bucky’s end goal is just to like, retire lmao. but also, the future of the MCU is gonna be really focused on like the more magicky characters like Wanda, Loki and Doctor Strange, and ofc Spiderman, Thor/Guardians and Captain Marvel, and then ppl are saying something abt the young avengers or something. But yeah, as near as i can figure this show seems like it should bring closure for Bucky at least, except i have no clue how they’re going to wrap all this stuff up in 2 episodes. in addition to the mess with Zemo and Walker and Sharon’s whole deal in Madripoor, I hope they also get back to America to bring their issues there full circle, like Bucky’s issue with Nakajima, Sam’s family and their home, and Isaiah Bradley. guess we’ll see, can’t wait for next week already ahhhh